Upheld Marriage Ban To Create Drastic Effects On Valley

PALM SPRINGS – Michael Sausser and Rodrigo Rodarte may have waited too long to get married after the California Supreme Court ended recent efforts to bring gay marriage back Tuesday.

The court’s decided to uphold the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, also known as Proposition 8.

“My love for Rodrigo isn’t about getting married or not getting married. It’s about my decision about when is the right time to get married,” said Sausser. “To get married when the state tells us we have to get married or, even worse, when the Mormon Church, or the Catholic Church, or the Baptist Church or the Saddleback Church, for that, matter tells us when to get married, that’s not their choice. That’s my choice.”

But the voters spoke last November passing Prop 8.

“Despite the passionate disagreements on this topic, I believe the Supreme Court made the right legal decision by upholding the will of the people,” Local Republican State Senator John Benoit told News Channel 3 after the ruling.

“Californians let their voice be heard when they voted last year to define marriage as being between a man and a woman,” Southland Assm. Brian Nestande added.

Ruth Deborah married her partner last year. She says there’s a two-class situation here in the gay community in the state of California.

“Some of us are married and some of us can’t be married,” she said.

There’s now talk of organizing a political comeback next year.

“I think a lot of people still don’t visualize us as a community with couples, with children,” George Zander of the Stonewall Democrats said.”We have about 1,200 legally married couples and families in this valley.”

Lane Rackley and Jeffrey Dunlap married last Fall. They’ve been a couple for 19 years. The two are parents to a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl.

“I felt we needed to get married because of the kids. When they’re 20, 25…[they could ask] ‘why didn’t you do it? Why didn’t you love each other enough to do it at the time?’ I did it in large part for the kids,” said Rackley.