Jerry Brown Comes Around

Maybe Jerry Brown took Derald Granberg's advice after all. Maybe he did the research and discovered that he was not legally obligated to represent in court a law which he does not support and which is not legally defensible. Maybe he just had a change of heart. But for whatever reason, the California state Attorney General has reversed his earlier position and done the right thing: He has announced that he will not argue in favor of the divisive anti-civil rights initiative passed in November and will instead ask the state Supreme Court to overturn Prop. 8, and restore the freedom for all citizens of the Golden State to marry whomever they choose. This is very good news, especially given that the bigots behind Prop. 8 are now asking the court to nullify some 18,000 marriages that were performed in this state -- including the one that united my mother and her partner -- since the ruling allowing marriage equality came down. How these hate-mongers can say with a straight face that they are "not trying to take away anyone's rights," is beyond me. They are attempting to institute discrimination, to codify bigotry, plain and simple. They want to deny rights that should be absolute to every citizen in this state and this country to an entire class of people based solely on their sexual orientation. This is wrong. It's hateful and divisive and it's wrong.

Jerry, good on you for seeing the light. Now we all just hope and pray that the court will also do the right thing.