The following Sonoma State University professors are available for commentary on issues surrounding same-sex marriage as state Supreme Court Justices, in addition to deciding whether or not to overturn November's Proposition 8 which banned gay marriage in the state of California, will rule next Tuesday whether or not to invalidate an estimated 18,000 same-sex marriages that took place last year.
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Don Romesburg, Acting Chair of the Women's and Gender Studies, explores the political, legal, cultural and ethical stakes involved in same-sex marriage. He can speak to several key concerns:
"First, in the past decade, for better and for worse, marriage equality has become the principle action item for the advancement of LGBT rights today. Since October 2008, it has exploded into a mass movement that entails diverse grassroots efforts, formal advocacy by civil rights organizations, specific legal strategies, and growing legislative courage to embrace full marriage equality. Energies continue at local and state levels but are beginning to also be focused nationally.
Second, the core issues involved with marriage equality in terms of civil rights are securing access to healthcare, protecting property and relationship rights, and extending equal access to full citizenship to same-sex couples. Beyond this, marriage equality ensures LGBT couples protection from second-tier status within American political, legal, and social structures. Marriage equality alone, however, cannot solve these complex challenges.
Third, stakes for LGBT rights beyond marriage equality include affirmation of not just same-sex couples, but of the integrity of all people to be able to live healthy lives free of harassment in a dynamic, socially diverse society. Recent trends signal that LGBT people are eager to look beyond marriage equality to more expansive visions of meaningful democracy that could, potentially, benefit far more than just LGBT people."
Main Office: (707) 664-2840
Direct Line: (707) 664-2574
Email: romesbur@sonoma.edu
David McCuan, associate professor of political science at Sonoma State University, is available for comment on the politics of Same-Sex Marriage and Same-Sex Unions (SSM/SSU) in both California and across the country.
McCuan is an expert on California state and local politics. He has written extensively in this area, including a specific focus on the rise of nationwide bans across the U.S. in his book, "Initiative - Centered Politics: The New Politics of Direct Democracy" (2004).
He has closely followed the politics of same sex marriage across the country and how the "culture war" battle over SSM/SSU has affected the politics of both the Democratic and Republican parties especially in the wake of 2008 election results.
Dr. McCuan can speak to the broader issues affecting politics based on actions taking place in San Francisco, across the country, and in Washington, D.C. As one example, his analysis includes a focus on the rise of ballot box movements to ban SSM/SSU and more recent legislative attempts to loosen such bans.
The issue of SSM/SSU was first tested in Hawaii and in Alaska in 1998 and in California in March 2000. From these victories, proponents of this issue moved inland placing the issue on ballots in Nebraska and Nevada
where they both passed handily giving rise to the chances that this reform is here to stay and likely to flourish as a battle on ballots across the country.
McCuan has provided commentary and analysis to CNN, The Wall Street Journal, as well as regional and national news outlets on the politics and practices of state politics.
McCuan teaches in the fields of state and local politics, campaigns and elections, and political behavior. He is also graduate coordinator of the Master's in Public Administration program at the University.
Main Office: (707) 664-2179
Direct Line: (707) 664-3309
E-mail: david.mccuan@sonoma.edu
Eric Williams has a Ph.D. in Political Science with a specialization in Legal Studies. He teaches classes in Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties as well as the politics of the Supreme Court. He can speak to the decision of the California Supreme Court on Prop 8 as well as the implications it has for the state of same-sex marriage in California. He is also well versed in Supreme Court doctrine and decision making and can discuss the ramifications of this decision for federal law and the possible steps the United States Supreme Court might take and the Constitutional issues involved.
He says:
"I believe that the California Supreme Court has been trying to force the U.S. Supreme Court into making a ruling on same-sex marriage from the start. First, the reasoning of their original ruling offered far wider protections for homosexuals than similar rulings in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa. Second, unlike Connecticut, the California court refused to impose an injunction on gay marriages until the election. This meant that if the voters passed Prop 8, as they did, there would be serious constitutional issues, since some same sex couples were allowed to be married while others were not. I strongly believe that, politically speaking, the California Court has done and will continue to do everything it can to insure that the U.S. Supreme Court can no longer duck this as it has so far, since this has become an issue that invokes the United States Constitution, rather than just a state constitutional matter."
Main Office: (707) 664-2934
Direct Line: (707) 664-2159
Email: eric.williams@sonoma.edu
