Proposition 8 overturned; one California couple celebrates
The fight for same-sex marriage in California has been a long one. In 2004, Gavin Newsom surprised the state by opening marriage licenses to all couples, gay or straight. It was quickly shut down, but it opened up a flood of lawsuits. In June 2008, the California Supreme Court overturned the same-sex marriage ban. However, just a few months after, on November 8, a ballot measure called proposition 8 was passed by 52 percent of voters, and it officially defined marriage in California as between a man and a woman.
John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney have been there for all of it. They’ve been together for over 20 years – and they’ve been married twice in the state of California. They were on the steps of the federal building as the ballot measure was overturned, and they celebrated all night. They join us to share their story.
Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!