Subject:
CALIFORNIA COUNCIL OF CHURCHES AND CHURCH IMPACT CELEBRATE THURSDAY’S SUPREME COURT RULING
Date: May 15, 2008

The California Council of Churches and California Church IMPACT (CCC/CCI) today celebrated the California Supreme Court’s ruling that the California Constitution’s equal protection clause prohibits discrimination against same-gender couples who wish to express their long-term covenant through marriage equality.

Representing over 1.5 million members of the mainstream, progressive Protestant communities of faith, CCC and IMPACT have long worked to secure full equality for all Californians, regardless of any God-given characteristics of birth. They have also stood in opposition to those religious perspectives that have long been used to divide, exclude, and discriminate.

According to CCC/CCI Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Rick Schlosser, “We are delighted that California now recognizes every individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person. It also recognizes that the responsibility to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation, and that generally a person’s sexual orientation, like race or gender, does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights.”

He continued, “We are blessed to stand in the shadow of courageous people of faith who have struggled for decades to prepare the way for this historic day. We know the core of the Gospel is love and compassion for every beloved child of God, not judgment and discrimination as we hear from so many in the faith community. To support equality, we were participants in the interfaith amicus in support of this case.”

Schlosser also added, “We are aware that this victory means we all will have to work harder than ever to protect these rights from those who want to insert permanent discrimination into our state’s constitution via a ballot initiative this Fall. We encourage every person who believes the biblical call to justice includes all God’s children to get actively involved in protecting equality for all.

“It is imperative that we who believe in justice let Californians know that the vast majority of people of faith in Californian believe in equality. We were founding members of California Faith for Equality, and anyone may visit the website at http://www.cafaithforequality.org to learn more and see how supporters of equality can get involved in assuring this court ruling remains a part of our state’s rights.”

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