A small but appreciated step for gay rights in California

It may not exactly be the legalization of gay marriage, but it’s still worth mentioning. California Gov. Schwarzenegger has signed into law two gay rights bills (though the first seems to be less about gay rights, and more just about remembering an important historical character): one “recognizing” Harvey Milk (what does that even mean, I wonder? How do you “recognize” someone via a bill?), and one recognizing same-sex marriages that have been performed in other states.

The second bill, Schwarzenegger said, would "provide the same legal protections that would otherwise be available to couples that enter into civil unions or domestic partnerships out of state. In short, this measure honors the will of the people in enacting Proposition 8 while providing important protections to those unions legally entered into in other states."

In other words: Californian gay couples still in the dust, but at least they can see how marriage does make other, out-of-state couples happy.

… That almost seems cruel to me.

(via HardTruth)
Technorati tags: gay marriage · gay rights · California · Arnold Schwarzenegger · civil unions · Harvey Milk