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Court Rejects Same-Sex Marriage Ban in California
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8/4/2010
"Saying that it discriminates against gay men and women, a federal judge in San Francisco struck down California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage on Wednesday, handing supporters of such unions at least a temporary victory in a legal battle that seems all but certain to be settled by the Supreme Court...
"For advocates of gay rights, same-sex marriage has increasingly become a central issue in their battle for equality, seen as both an emotional indicator of legitimacy and as a practical way to lessen discrimination.
"'Being gay is about forming an adult family relationship with a person of the same sex,' said Jennifer Pizer, the marriage project director for Lambda Legal in Los Angeles, who filed two briefs in support of the plaintiffs. 'So denying us equality within the family system is to deny respect for the essence of who we are as gay people.'"