Gay-marriage advocates, foes await Supreme Court’s Prop. 8 decision
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Gay-marriage proponents and foes have been anxiously awaiting the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on whether to take up the issue of gay marriage in California -- a decision that could come Monday morning.
Justices are expected to decide whether to take on a case concerning Proposition 8, a 2008 state ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage.
If the high court does not choose to hear the case, a federal appeals court ruling that found Proposition 8 unconstitutional would stand, clearing the way for marriages to begin. If the court decides to hear the case, gay marriage would remain on hold until a later ruling.
TIMELINE: Gay marriage since 2000
In West Hollywood, officials plan to gather City Hall on Monday morning to discuss the decision. City Council members are scheduled to hold a news conference at 10 a.m.
West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang, who is gay, said the legal battle over Proposition 8 has been ‘hard to watch in my community of people who are directly impacted by this decision.’
‘I would not think the average American can appreciate the stress, the uncertainty and the unfairness of having your personal liberties juggled about by the courts and by the voters,’ Prang said.
Map: How gay marriage has progressed in the U.S.
‘If you are a heterosexual, middle-class white family in Iowa, you don’t have to ... worry about whether your personal liberties are going to be voted on,’ he said. ‘It’s unthinkable. However, among LGBT people, it’s a reality.’
Prang married during the few months in 2008 when same-sex marriages were legal in California.
‘We were lucky,’ he said of himself and his husband. ‘We had a window, and we got in, and it’s not fair. Proposition 8 was a travesty. ... We want everyone to have the same opportunities.’
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