News from Senator Liz Krueger

New York State Senate | 26th District

For Immediate Release: February 7, 2012 Please Contact: Andrew Goldston | agoldston@gmail.com | 917.720.7895

Sen. Liz Krueger Statement: Prop 8 Is Discrimination by Legislation, Appeals Court Right to Reject It
The following statement can be attributed to State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan): "Today's news from California is another encouraging step on the road to equality for all Americans. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling overturning Proposition 8 in California, agreeing that Proposition 8 unconstitutionally singled out gay and lesbian Americans and denied them their civil rights. "Every year since I joined the legislature, I co-sponsored legislation to provide marriage equality for-same sex couples, and I was proud to vote twice for marriage equality in the New York State Senate. For me, this has always been a matter of basic human rights. I have always felt that until we passed a law allowing for same sex marriage, we were legally permitting prejudice in New York. When California's Proposition 8 was adopted, I can only imagine how so many Californians must have felt. Their state law was not simply permitting prejudice, but was now explicitly -- and unconstitutionally -- endorsing it. "I applaud Judge Vaughn Walker for the courage and integrity he showed when he overturned this law at trial, and I applaud the Ninth Circuit panel's majority for upholding Judge Walker's decision today. With New York's passage of marriage equality last year, Judge Walker's trial decision overturning Proposition 8, and now today's appellate decision, we have moved that much closer to the goal of marriage equality for all Americans." ###