Making progress

While the rash of referenda against gay marriage in '04 shows that there's a long way to go toward equality in a lot of American states, California wasn't far behind Canada's federal government in approving same-sex marriage through the political process:

The California legislature on Tuesday became the first legislative body in the country to approve same-sex marriages, as gay-rights advocates overcame two earlier defeats in the assembly. The 41-35 vote sends the bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger...

(Rep. Mark) Leno's bill had failed in the assembly by four votes in June, but he was confident he could get it through on a second try after the Senate approved a same-sex marriage bill last week.

No word in the article on whether Schwarzenegger will sign the bill, though there doesn't seem to be much reason why not. To my recollection he seems to trend libertarian on social issues, and sadly a subsequent ballot initiative to reverse the decision could be his best shot at keeping power in '06.

Even if a referendum goes forward, Canada's experience shows that once civil rights have been won, there's not much public appetite for taking them away. Hopefully that will hold as true in California as it has here.

Update: According to the L.A. Times, Schwarzenegger is expected to veto the bill based a previous ballot initiative. We'll know for sure by October 9.