50 years in 50 weeks: 2010 Prop 8 falls

  • by BAR staff
  • Wednesday January 5, 2022
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Photo: Courtesy B.A.R. Archive
Photo: Courtesy B.A.R. Archive

The fight over marriage equality consumed the Bay Area Reporter for many years, especially after voters in 2008 approved Proposition 8, the state's same-sex marriage ban. Our August 5, 2010 issue carried the good news that after a federal trial, Judge Vaughn Walker found Prop 8 to be unconstitutional. But that didn't mean same-sex couples could rush to county clerk offices and tie the knot. Walker imposed a stay on his decision as the appeal process began. But no appellate court overruled him, and by 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision, finally clearing the way for same-sex couples to wed. Walker, as we've mentioned, came out as gay following the trial, though the news was one of the worst kept secrets in San Francisco legal circles. At every step of the way during this long march to equality, the B.A.R. was there, keeping readers informed. To view the issue, click here.

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