California Gay Weddings Set Stage For Cultural Showdown
June 18, 2008 by admin
Filed under Moral Decay
America’s most populous state, home to 36 million people, provoked a cultural clash by becoming the second state since Massachusetts to legalise gay marriage. But unlike the smaller, east coast state which began same-sex weddings in 2004, California will allow couples from anywhere in the US to marry, no matter the laws of their home state.
Gay couples from across the country are now expected to flock to California for the ceremonies. Opponents see the move as a threat to other states’ positions. Over 40 have laws or amendments either prohibiting same-sex marriage or defining it as a union between a man and a woman.
The 1996 Defence of Marriage Act declares that no state need recognise a same-sex marriage even if legal in another state. New York, however, has said it will honour Californian unions.
