 October 13, 2007 - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed another gay marriage bill Friday, saying voters and the state Supreme Court, not the legislature, should decide the issue.
The state Senate had voted 22 to 15 to support AB 43, introduced by Assemblyman Mark Leno, (D-San Francisco), that would have allowed gay marriage based on a "a civil contract between two persons." Schwarzenegger turned down a similar bill by Leno in 2005, and has said he would veto all such bills.
Schwarzenegger said in his veto message that Californians "should not be discriminated against based upon their sexual orientation." He said he supports state laws that give domestic partners many of the rights and responsibilities of marriage.
Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, a gay rights group, called the veto "hypocrisy at its worst," saying also that "we find it shocking for the governor to say he opposes discrimination based on sexual orientation and then veto a bill that would have ended discrimination based on sexual orientation."
Angry LGBT rights groups are planning demonstrations Monday across the state. In San Francisco, a rally will be held at Harvey Milk Plaza. Additional protests are planned in Bakersfield, Lakeport, Modesto, Porterville, Sacramento, and Stockton.
The California Supreme Court is likely to rule next year on whether the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage violates the constitution.
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