Apr 13, 2007  |  By: JOSHUA LYNSEN  | COMMENTS     

Gay Californians are headed for another showdown with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), after a same-sex marriage bill advanced in the legislature — a measure the governor has vowed to veto.

Meanwhile, Washington state senators passed a domestic partnership bill Tuesday, 63-35, that gives gay couples some of the rights associated with marriage. Among the guarantees are hospital visitation and inheritance rights.

The bill previously passed the House and next goes to Gov. Christine Gregoire (D), who has promised to sign it.

Barbara Green, interim director of Equal Rights Washington, welcomed the bill’s passage but said work in the Evergreen State was unfinished.

“We view this bill as an emergency protection act,” she said. “We will continue to talk about the lives of LGBT families and the importance of marriage equality.”

Gays in California celebrated the early win in their renewed effort for marriage equality.

California lawmakers voted 6-3 in committee Tuesday to back a measure that would give gay couples the same rights that marriage provides. A similar bill died in 2005 after Schwarzenegger vetoed it.

“Two people in a committed, trusting relationship deserve the honor and social support that comes with marriage,” said Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California.

“Denying someone the opportunity to marry the person he or she loves hurts couples and families that are dedicated to building their lives together. It is time to move forward as a state and let all loving and committed couples who want the responsibilities of marriage to get married.”

Uncertain future

But it’s unclear how the California bill, and other measures to grant rights to gay couples being debated in other states, will fare going forward.

Schwarzenegger has vowed to veto the marriage equality bill if it reaches his desk, claiming such measures violate Proposition 22, which bars the state from recognizing gay marriages and was approved by voters in 2000.

The Campaign for Children and Families is rallying opposition to the measure.

Randy Thomasson, the California group’s president, said the bill is “unconstitutional, anti-democratic and assaults the natural institution of marriage,” which he defined as the exclusive union of straight couples.

Despite the challenges, Kors said he expects the bill will pass the legislature.

“In California, we have built a coalition with virtually every civil rights group to stand with us in this fight,” he said. “And when we stand together, we are victorious. And we will be victorious.”

Although the measure is not expected to garner enough support to override a gubernatorial veto, Marty Rouse, the Human Rights Campaign field director, said Schwarzenegger could yet change his mind.

“Until a bill is actually on the governor’s desk, it’s impossible to say exactly what the governor will do,” he said. “And we hope the governor will consider this is the second time the legislature is passing marriage equality.”

As a result of the veto threat, the same-sex marriage issue is likely to be decided by the California Supreme Court, which agreed late last year to rule on whether a ban on gay marriages violates equal protection rights. A decision in that case isn’t likely before late this year, according to an AP report.

The road to passage could be similarly rocky in Illinois, where conservative groups have targeted for defeat a civil unions bill that passed out of committee March 21. The measure would grant many of the rights associated with marriage.

David E. Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, has called on his allies to fight the civil unions bill as though it granted gay marriage.

“Make no mistake,” he said. “Homosexual marriage advocates are still committed to redefining marriage and will still push homosexual marriage bills — even if those efforts are likely to fail. But here in Illinois, they are testing whether lawmakers who oppose homosexual marriage will approve the same rights, benefits and privileges under a different name.”

Rouse said to counter that push, gay couples must make personal appeals to their legislators.

“The best thing to do is to have same-sex couples in each legislative district talk to their legislature face to face about the reality of their lives,” he said. “Nothing can beat that. This is people above politics.”

A civil unions bill approved last week by the New Hampshire House would extend similar protections. But the bill must yet pass the Senate, and Democratic Gov. John Lynch has not indicated if he will sign the measure into law.

Rouse said he expects senators will pass the bill later this month, though, and that Lynch will sign it.

“He has supported domestic partner benefits for state employees,” Rouse said, “and we would expect ...