 Thank you so much for your nomination of my entry, Time for a Rant for a Diarist.Net
award in the "best rant" category. If you have an on-line journal and are
so inclined, I'd thank you even more for your vote!
Congratulations to my buddies for their nominations too... Marn, Sunshyn, Michael, and Terri...and a BIG congratulations to Steve on being nominated for a
well-deserved "Legacy" award. Check out all the entries and vote your
conscience!
IN SPITE OF WHEREASES
29 May 2003
California history was made in Davis tonight, but there wasn't a single reporter there
to cover the story. Actually, I guess the history was made a week or so ago, and it was
only made official tonight. But I was there.
At 6:30 p.m. tonight, in City Council chambers, my friends Ellen and Shelly were
presented with Resolution 03-58, making Davis the first city in the state of California to
officially support ending marriage law discrimation for same gender couples.
 Mayor
Susie Boyd talked a bit about how proud she was of that moment, and how long it had been
coming. Ellen and Shelly, who have worked tirelessly for marriage equality for all people stood
proudly while Susie read the proclamation. I am going to print the proclamation in its
entirety here, because I feel this is such a big deal. I know all the legalese can be
boring, but I hope you'll read it to the end and think about what it says.
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DAVIS
URGING GOVERNOR GRAY DAVIS AND THE CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE TO END DISCRIMINATION
AGAINST LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PEOPLE BY REPEALING DISCRIMINATORY MARRIAGE
LAWS IN CALIFORNIA
WHEREAS, California is home to hundreds and thousands of
families headed by same-sex couples, many with children; and
WHEREAS, these families deserve the same rights and legal
protections as other families under the law, including the protection of their children's
economic interests by insuring their access to the resources of both parents; and
WHEREAS, marriage is a unique civil contract, separate and
distinct from any religious, ethnic, or other traditions; and
WHEREAS, civil marriage bestows thousands of state and
federal rights, protections, and responsibilities that are otherwise unavailable to gay
and lesbian families; and
WHEREAS, the inability to access these legal protections
results in significant harms to these families, including financial insecurity, lack of
retirement, death benefits, and access to family court for dissolutions; and
WHEREAS, discriminatory marriage laws undermine the state of
California's commitment to equality, privacy, and justice for all of its citizens; and
WHEREAS, marriage is recognized as one of the fundamental
elements of individual liberty; and
WHEREAS, the opportunity to publicly and legally commit to
share one's life with a person of one's choice is for many people one of the most central
aspects of human experience, and denial of marriage to same-sex couples is a denial of
fundamental civil rights,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the
City of Davis urges the California State Legislature and Governor Gray Davis to end
discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people and their families
by amending the California Family Code to remove references to sex and gender as
eligibility requirements for a civil marriage license and by enacting a law providing for
equal access to marriage and all of its legal benefits and obligations by
all persons, regardless of sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Clerk forward this
resolution to Governor Davis, to State Senator Mike Machado and Assemblymembers Lois Wolk
and Doug LaMalfa
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Davis
this 23rd day of April, 2003.
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