Apr 18, 2008  |  By: CHRIS JOHNSON  | COMMENTS     

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger won praise from gay rights activists last week after announcing his opposition to a proposed same-sex marriage ban that may come before state voters in November.

Speaking at the Log Cabin Republicans national convention in San Diego, Schwarzenegger (R) predicted the proposed state constitutional amendment would fail. The measure would prohibit gays and lesbians from marrying each other in California.

“I think it will never happen in California because I think the California people are much further along with that issue,” he said April 11 in an onstage interview with Patrick Sammon, president of the Log Cabin Republicans.

Schwarzenegger said he “will always be there to fight against” the amendment.

He spoke out against the amendment despite having twice vetoed bills from the California Legislature that would have legalized same-sex marriage. The governor rejected the separate bills in 2005 and 2007, arguing that California voters already spoke out against same-sex marriage by supporting Proposition 22 in referendum. More than 61 percent of voters supported that measure in 2000.

Proponents of this year’s amendment are busy collecting the 1.1 million petition signatures needed by Monday to get the amendment on the ballot. There are reports that VoteYesMarriage.com, the group leading the initiative, has already turned in around 900,000 signatures.

VoteYesMarriage.com did not return a call seeking comment by deadline.

If proponents submit enough signatures to get the amendment on the ballot and voters approve it, the measure would block any action from the Legislature or the state courts in legalizing same-sex marriage.

California’s high court is considering a case in which same-sex couples are suing the state for the right to wed. Judges are slated to make a ruling no later than June 2. If the court decides that California must allow same-sex marriage, voter approval of the proposed amendment in November would overrule the judges’ decision.

Scott Tucker, a spokesperson for Log Cabin Republicans, said Schwarzenegger’s comments in opposition to the amendment, in addition to remarks made prior to his onstage interview, demonstrate that the governor believes that Republicans should not use gay rights as a wedge issue.

“Obviously Gov. Schwarzenegger is somebody who understands that the Republican Party needs to focus on unifying core principles that bring Republicans together rather than divisive social issues,” Tucker said.

John Marble, spokesperson for National Stonewall Democrats, said Schwarzenegger’s opposition to the initiative is welcome.

“Even from someone who has twice vetoed marriage equality legislation, we think it is important to have the support of Gov. Schwarzenegger in opposing this ballot initiative,” Marble said.

Kara Suffredini, the state legislative director for the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, also said Schwarzenegger’s comments are helpful in her organization’s efforts to defeat the amendment.

“I think it can only help anytime you have a state governor that says, ‘I don’t support an initiative like this,’” she said. “It definitely gives us a little bit of momentum.”

But Suffredini said the governor’s statements on marriage have often “been very confusing.” Schwarzenegger has sometimes said he stands behind the voters’ decision to prohibit same-sex marriage with Proposition 22, and at other times the governor said the matter should be left to the courts, she said.

Schwarzenegger spokesperson Aaron McLear said the California governor’s position on same-sex marriage has been consistent. The governor believes that while the courts have the authority to determine whether Proposition 22 is legal, it’s also wrong to “go around the Supreme Court here through the initiative process” with an amendment this fall, McLear said.

“He wasn’t talking about the issue of gay marriage, he was asked about responding to this particular initiative, which would amend our constitution to supersede the Supreme Court,” McLear said. “He thinks that’s the wrong thing to do.”

Schwarzenegger has no plans to take any further action, such as appearing at rallies, to oppose the marriage amendment, McLear said.

Suffredini referred to defeating the California amendment as the Task Force’s “biggest priority” and said her organization has “invested a ton of financial and staff resources” to counter VoteYesMarriage.com’s efforts.