California’s Gender-Neutral Marriage Bill Faces Veto

Earlier this week, I reported on California’s passage of the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act which provides for a gender-neutral definition of marriage.  AB 849

Unofficial reports indicate that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is seriously considering vetoing this legislation based on an earlier vote by the California citizens that marriage should be reserved for individuals of different genders.   A press office spokesperson is reported to have stated, “We cannot have a system where the people vote and the Legislature derails that vote.”

For an editorial sharply criticizing the prospect of the veto, see Where’s the Governator Now?, NY Times, Sept. 9, 2005.