Pair of statewide groups mobilize effort to define marriage
Rebecca S. Bender, The Eureka Reporter
March 28, 2006
 
Sacramento - Two conservative California groups are busily mounting what they see as defensive campaigns to change the state Constitution and limit marriage to one woman and one man.

“Marriage is a natural and beautiful institution between a man and a woman,” said Randy Thomasson, an organizer with VoteYesMarriage.com and president of the Campaign for Children and Families. “It’s wrong for judges and politicians to destroy marriage, which is the very foundation of society.”

The VoteYesMarriage.com campaign is currently raising funds to back its “true-blue marriage amendment,” the Voters’ Right to Protect Marriage Initiative.

It defines valid marriages as only those between heterosexual couples — and guarantees that all associated rights and benefits are also restricted to such unions. While domestic partnerships could still be registered, they would not qualify for the rights granted to married partnerships. Private organizations would be allowed to set their own benefit policies.

Retired Republican Assemblyman Larry Bowler, activist Ed Hernandez and Thomasson introduced nine initiatives now approved by the secretary of state for circulation.

However, Thomasson said that the organization is focusing on fundraising first and foremost, the better to guarantee successful signature-gathering when the petition-push begins in earnest.

“While our good language was filed several times last year with the hope to begin the official signature-gathering campaign, VoteYesMarriage.com is actively fundraising to do so in the future,” he said.

A similarly themed initiative, the California Marriage Protection Act, has been introduced by ProtectMarriage.com. It, too, stipulates that only marriage between a woman and man is legal.

One of its key proponents is Gail Knight, the widow of late state Sen. Pete Knight, who authored Proposition 22, the Protection of Marriage Initiative.

The simplicity of the California Marriage Protection Act’s language has been criticized by VoteYesMarriage.com, however, for leaving loopholes that it says could still allow courts or legislators to grant legal marriage rights to same-sex partnerships.

Initiative petitions have 150 days to gather valid signatures and have them verified by the secretary of state. Constitutional amendments must collect signatures from 598,105 registered voters.

The Humboldt County Republican Party has not yet taken up the issue, Chairman George Benzel said, although he added that it would likely fall in line with the sentiments of fellow Republicans across the state and the country.

“My own personal opinion is — and I think the Republican party feels the same way — a marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said. “Marriage is what God ordained it to be: between a man and a woman, not between two women or two men. That’s an abomination.”

Patrick Riggs, chairman of the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee, said that at this early stage of the process, no official opinion has been adopted by the party. However, he confirmed that local Democrats will continue to support same-sex marriages and all of the associated rights, as it has historically done.

“We would definitely oppose any of those (initiatives) if they were to try to define marriage as only between any two particular types of individuals,” he said. “It would be inconsistent with our beliefs as human beings and our policy of supporting human rights as a party.”

In December, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution supporting same-sex marriages and all associated rights.