Pelavin: "It becomes clearer every day that we are now, finally and blessedly, on a road that is destined to end with justice for gay and lesbian Americans."
Contact: Eric Harris or Rebecca Katz
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WASHINGTON, D.C., August 4, 2010 -- In response to the California Federal District Court's verdict on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, Mark J. Pelavin, Associate Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:
We welcome today's crucial ruling by Judge Vaughn Walker, holding that California's ban on same-sex marriage is a violation of the Constitution's equal protection and due process clauses.
Proposition 8, adopted by ballot initiative in 2008, effectively denies gay and lesbian individuals the same rights afforded heterosexual couples under the law. Judge Walker's decision reaffirms the strong commitment to equality upon which our nation is built.
We know, of course, that this decision will be reviewed by other Courts, including in all likelihood, the U.S. Supreme Court. And we know that long march to full marriage equality will not be uninterrupted; there will be victories such as we celebrate today as well as setbacks. But it becomes clearer every day that we are now, finally and blessedly, on a road that is destined to end with justice for gay and lesbian Americans.
We will continue to stand with the LGBT community in California, and all who cherish justice, as this case makes it way through the Court system. We are proud of the leadership roles played by so many Reform Movement rabbis and activists, and we stand ready to work with them as we move forward.
