Three California counties to locals: No marriage for you

I’ve long wondered what, exactly, opponents of same-sex marriage believe will happen if gay couples have the same right to marry as straight couples. Several years ago, I recall Rick “Man on Dog” Santorum telling TV preacher Pat Robertson, “[T]he consequence is very clear. Marriage loses its significance. People will stop getting married. Homosexuals will not get married; heterosexuals will stop getting married. And that to me is the real threat to the American family and to the culture generally.”

Now, this quote has always stood out for me because I’d really like to meet the straight person who believes, “I planned to marry the person I love, but I’ve decided not to. If gays can marry, it’s just not worth it.” That, I assumed, was the only way for Santorum’s argument to make any sense.

As it turns out, there’s another way Santorum could have been right.

June 17 marks the date that gay and lesbian couples can marry legally in California, following a landmark ruling by the state’s Supreme Court in May that struck down the ban on same-sex marriage. The day will be marked by joyous celebrations and eager couples earning a right they have waited years to obtain. Yet, the occasion will also be punctuated by the division it creates throughout the state. On the one hand, San Francisco County has added additional staff and expanded hours so the clerk’s office can accommodate the surge in demand from same-sex couples seeking marriage licenses and wedding ceremonies. The office has 170 same-sex couples signed up to receive marriage licenses on the first day, says Karen Hong Yee, director of the county clerk’s office. In contrast, the Butte County clerk-recorder issued a June 11 news release saying her office will stop performing wedding ceremonies altogether — for gay and heterosexual couples. The Kern County clerk issued a June 4 release that she would do the same.

Calaveras county has decided to follow Butte’s and Kern’s lead, and will also stop performing marriages altogether.

It never occurred to me that conservatives would actually find a way to make marriages between gay couples affect marriages between straight couples. Kudos to their right-wing, hate-filled creativity!



Keep in mind, some conservatives in California are considering additional steps.

While the Kern Co Clerk has faced suspicion from gay marriage supporters for her timing in deciding to stop all marriage ceremonies, others are backing her actions. “The California Family code still says that marriage is between a man and a woman. They’ve created legal confusion,” says Ken Mettler of the Bakersfield Republican Assembly. Many people are trying to get the Kern County Board of Supervisors to approve an ordinance that would ban the clerk from even issuing marriage licenses. Supervisors will look at that proposal next week. [emphasis added]

You know, I’m starting to get the sense that there are some people out there who have an irrational hatred of gay people.