Gay marriage banned in California - again

For less than six months, it was legal for members of the same sex to marry one another in the state of California, USA. Since November last year, however, same-sex marriage has been banned there, as a result of a legal amendment known as "Proposition 8". The ban was upheld last month in the California Supreme Court, sparking massive protests across the state. Proposition 8 states explicitly that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California". In November last year, Californians voted 52% to 48% in favour of this amendment, effectively banning same-sex marriage. The issue went to the Supreme Court in March this year as a result of a series of legal challenges. Highest-funded campaign Millions of dollars were raised on both sides of the campaign, making it the highest-funded outside the presidential election. The "Yes to Prop 8" campaign raised $39.9 million dollars (€28.1 million), primarily through Catholic, Mormon and other religious organisations, with support from many prominent Republican politicians. The campaign focused on a perceived threat to heterosexual marriage and the sanctity of the family. Hollywood joins the campaign The "No to Prop 8" campaign raised $43.3 million (€30.5 million), and concentrated on the message that marriage should be a universal human right. Hollywood was notably involved, with a wide spectrum of celebrities announcing their support for same-sex marriage, from George Clooney and Drew Barrymore to Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg. Worldwide recognition of same-sex partnerships In the USA, it is currently only legal for same-sex couples to marry in three states (Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Iowa). Civil unions are recognised, however, in a further ten states. Elsewhere in the world, gay marriage is legally recognised in Belgium, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands and South Africa. Civil unions are legally recognised in a further fifteen countries, including Germany and the United Kingdom. Same-sex couples in Austria do not yet have the right to marry, nor are civil unions recognised. In many countries, including Austria, gay and lesbian couples are discriminated against in areas of tax law, social security, child support, adoption rights and access to fertility treatments. Same-sex unions for Austria? Austria’s profil magazine reported last month that the SPÖ and ÖVP had come to an agreement over the issue of gay marriage. The report suggested that a legal bill to introduce civil unions would be introduced before the parliamentary summer break, and would take effect from January 1, 2010. The Justice Minister, Claudia Bandion-Ortner, has subsequently denied that this is the case, though she has indicated that she would like to see a solution before the end of the year. However, with the summer break only six weeks away, it looks like neither Austrians nor Californians will have the right to a same-sex union by the time 2010 rolls around.