From "City Council declines to sign on to gay-marriage court brief" posted 9/6/07 at San Diego Metro News
The San Diego City Council declined Tuesday to sign onto an amicus brief with other cities asking the California Supreme Court to overturn a prohibition on same-sex marriages.
The so-called “friend-of-the-court” brief has been endorsed by the cities of Los Angeles, San Jose, Long Beach and Oakland.
An effort by San Diego Councilwoman Toni Atkins to join the request failed, with her colleagues split 4-4.
Voting against Atkins' motion were council members Donna Frye, Tony Young, Brian Maienschein and Kevin Faulconer.
Frye said she was concerned about a lack of public notice.
“I think we at least need to allow both sides to weigh in on this issue,” she said. “The public has a right to participate, and I do not believe that has occurred.”
Young, Maienschein and Faulconer did not explain the reasons for their dissenting votes.
Atkins, who is gay, told her colleagues that gay couples should have civil rights equal to their heterosexual counterparts.
Important Note: The Constitution does not grant rights to COUPLES. It protects the rights of INDIVIDUALS. Giving special rights to couples and groups always diminishes freedom for individuals...
According to ex-homosexual activist James Hartline, approximately 40 Christians appeared at the San Diego City Council on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 to oppose the brief. The issuance of a legal brief in support of a gay marriage case currently being heard by the California Supreme Court would have been catastrophic for Christian values in California's second largest city.Hartline is himself running for a city council seat being vacated by Councilwoman Toni Atkins.
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