California Attorney General Kamala Harris touted her refusal to defend Proposition 8 when she spoke to party activists Saturday at the California Democratic Convention, according to L.A. Times. Prop. 8 is an initiative that bans same-sex marriage in California.
“When I ran for attorney general, I promised we would never stand in the chapel door. We said we don’t need to read the polls, we need to read the Constitution,” said Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris. “We said the state of California should not and will not stand in defense of any law that deprives people of their fundamental rights.”
Voters passed the law in 2008 that says only marriage between a man and a woman is recognized in California. Now it’s facing legal challenges. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue its rulings in June.
The Republican National Committee, however, passed a resolution urging the Supreme Court to uphold Prop. 8 in Hollywood on Friday.
California’s most adamant supporter of gay marriage Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom also took his stand on Prop. 8.
“It’s about standing upon principle and having the courage of our convictions. It’s about saying publicly what we all too often say privately, just as we did in 2004 in San Francisco,” said Newsom.
Newsom directed San Francisco to issue marriage licenses to gay couples back in 2004 when he was mayor of the city.
Read more of the story on L.A. Times here.