Asian Americans Herald California Supreme Court's Ruling in Marriage Equality Lawsuits
Ruling on California Marriage Cases ensures that couples in a trusting and committed relationship enjoy the dignity and support that marriage provides
SAN FRANCISCO, MAY 15, 2008 -- The California Supreme Court today ruled in a historic 4 to 3 decision that same sex couples in a trusting, loving, and committed relationship will be able to enjoy the freedom to marry.
API Equality-LA and its coalitions of supporters are thrilled by this significant/momentous Supreme Court decision, which is a victory for all Californians who cherish fairness and equality, and will ensure that every Californian will enjoy the dignity and respect that marriage provides.
The positive ruling will impact thousands of Asian American families in the state. According to UCLA's Williams Institute, Asian Americans form a highly visible portion of California's population of same-sex couples and their children. Indeed, California ranks first as the state with the largest number of Asian American lesbian and gay couples (although the numbers are difficult to ascertain, a low estimate shows at least 13,000 couples in total). Over 5,600 children under 18 (related and unrelated) are raised by same-sex couples with at least one Asian American partner.
"Sixty years ago, the California Supreme Court overturned the ban on interracial marriage that allowed my parents, who were an interracial couple, to be married," said Stuart Gaffney, one of the plaintiffs in the case who is Asian American. "Today, the California Supreme Court has once again stood up for equality and proven that the law must treat all Californians fairly. and After waiting over 20 years, I will finally be allowed to marry my partner, John Lewis."
Last September, a broad coalition of over 60 local, state, and national Asian American organizations filed a groundbreaking amicus ("friend of the court") brief in support of the plaintiffs in the Marriage Cases, a case before the California Supreme Court challenging the state's marriage statute. The coalition of Asian American organizations sought to support basic fairness for same-sex couples and their families, drawing from parallel discriminatory efforts targeting the Asian American community, including the past struggle of Asian Americans with marriage discrimination in California. That so many Asian American organizations joined the brief is a powerful reflection of the growing support for marriage equality in the Asian American community.
"We are thrilled by today's landmark victory and we want to thank the many Asian American organizations for their support in filing the amicus brief in support of the case to guarantee fairly and equality for all Californians. Now our fight will be to preserve this win in November, where there will likely be an initiative to overturn this breakthrough," said Karin Wang, API Equality-LA steering committee member and vice-president of programs at the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.
"Today, I am proud to be a Californian. The California Supreme Court clearly recognized very Californian's right to marry the person of his or her choice and now every person has the ability to realize their hopes and dreams," said Deanna Kitamura, API Equality-LA co-chair.
Asian American couples and individuals impacted by today's decision are available for interviews -- including Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, South Asian, Thai and Vietnamese Americans.
Media Advisory Contact
Karin Wang
APALC/API Equality-LA
kwang@apalc.org