WASHINGTON, DC -- The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) expressed
disappointment with today's ruling of the California Supreme Court upholding
Proposition 8. The 2008 state ballot measure ended the ability of same-sex
couples to wed legally in California less than 5 months after the same court
last year recognized that ability as a fundamental right. While upholding
Prop 8, the California high court today allowed to stand the 18,000
marriages that committed same-sex couples celebrated in California in 2008.
"Equality is a value dear to our union's members," said SEIU International
Executive VP Mary Kay Henry. "We opposed Prop. 8 and the forces of division
and discrimination that produced it. This ruling merely delays the day of
regaining an important aspect of equality in California. It does not
diminish the dignity of our members and their relationships or our
determination to win equality in this country."
SEIU members approved a resolution at the union's 2004 international
convention supporting marriage equality and making the attainment of equal
rights and benefits for LGBT people a priority in bargaining and
legislation. The resolution also committed SEIU at all levels to opposing
constitutional amendments and laws that undermine equality.
Henry is a founding member of SEIU's Lavender Caucus. She has helped tens of
thousands of healthcare workers win a voice at work and remains a leader in
efforts to improve the nation's health systems for patients, caregivers, and
all Americans.
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