On Your November Ballot: Prop 3 Aims to Remove Same-Sex Marriage Ban From Calif. Constitution

Edward Henderson | California Black Media(CBM) – Prop 3 would remove the ban on same-sex marriage from the California Constitution. The ban (Prop 8) was added by voters in 2008; however, the United States Supreme Court has blocked the enforcement of the ban since 2013. The amendment would remove current language in the state constitution stating that marriage “is only between a man and a woman” and change it to “the right to marry is a fundamental right.”State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell), both members of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, introduced the constitutional amendment as a preemptive protection after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal abortion protections in 2022. Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative, said that the court should also reconsider the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, but other conservatives on the bench disagreed.California is currently the home of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ population.Supporters of the proposition believe the removal of the language in the state constitution would be guaranteed protection against any future attacks on a freedom that is already recognized by the Supreme Court.Gov. Gavin Newsom is an outspoken supporter of the proposition. Newsom grabbed national attention in 2004 during his tenure as Mayor...