I was in contact with author Patricia Nell Warren earlier this month about Coming Out day. She wrote a Proclamation for Gov. Palin to sign, who declined….No shock there.  

I asked Patricia if she could write a Proclamation for our Gov. to sign re Proposition 8

…SHE DID…Here it is.

I have tried to get it to him for his consideration, have not heard back yet. 

October ————2008, as “Freedom to Marry Week”

PROCLAMATION

by the Governor of the State of California

On May 16, 2008, the California State Supreme Court struck down the state’s legislative ban on same-sex marriage.  This decision has been hailed by many as a testament to advancing equality and a recognition of the right of all Californians to build a future with the person they love. I view this as a constitutional issue for the State of Californiage should be a purely civil matter for each couple.  They did this because of persistent efforts by state religions to establish that a marriage was only legal if the ceremony took place in the church of a designated religion.  This caused a crisis of conscience for many people, who had to face the threat of marriage in a religion they didn’t believe in.  Widespread acceptance of the new idea of civil marriage ended this dilemma, and helped to establish religious freedom and liberty of conscience.

This enlightened understanding that marriage is, and should be, a civil matter came to America with our forebears, and has always been a basic principle of the law of our land, including our U.S. constitution, which left the matter of establishing and regulating civil marriage to the states, and to state constitutions.  It’s true that, in the past, some states in the U.S. passed laws that limited access to marriage for reasons of race.  But these laws have always been struck down as unconstitutional, reinforcing the basic principle that marriage is a civil right that should be available to all.

I don’t believe that it’s the State of California’s place to tell couples who have been together for years whether or not they will be allowed to marry. Eliminating fundamental civil-marriage rights for any couples by changing our state constitution will treat them differently under constitutional law.  It will also deny them a whole array of important, often life-saving benefits that they would enjoy if they were married.

Therefore I do not support an amendment to the state constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling.  For this reason, I have opposed Proposition 8, the initiative presently on the ballot.  Indeed, I hope that limited access to marriage will never happen in California, because I think that the majority of California people are much farther along with their thinking on that issue.  I respect the Court’s decision and as Governor, I will uphold its ruling

I hope that all Californians will join me in doing everything possible to encourage loving, stable and committed relationships between all people in our state who wish to commit to civil marriage.  

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim —————– as “Freedom to Marry Week.”

?IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this ——– day of October 2008.

?ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER