"As a lifelong defender of civil rights, due process
and equal protection for all, I do not personally support
policies that give lesser legal rights and responsibilities
to committed same-sex couples than those provided to
heterosexual couples. That is why I have and continue to
strongly support extending the benefits and responsibilities
of marriage to same-sex couples through domestic
partnerships and civil union statutes.
"But the people of California have spoken. State law
prohibits the recognition of same-sex marriages. It is the
duty of my office to defend that law against this challenge
by the City and County of San Francisco, and allow the
courts to determine whether the city has acted
illegally."
-- California Attorney General
Bill Lockyer,
2004-02-19
(For a set of more current quotes on the same
general topic,
five quotes regarding yesterday's Superior Court decision
in Washington are juxtaposed by the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer.)