Libertarians reaffirm support for equal right to marry

At its state convention, the Libertarian Party of California reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to equality before the law, and specifically called for the state not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation when issuing marriage licenses.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 23, 2004 --At its annual state convention last weekend, the Libertarian Party of California reaffirmed its commitment to individuals' rights to form whatever family structure they choose, including same-sex married couples.

Chris Maden, Libertarian candidate for State Assembly from District 12 and a delegate to the state convention, said, "I've been working with marriage equality activists in San Francisco, and I've seen the amazing joy these couples have experienced at finally having their relationships recognized on an equal basis with straight couples. They ought to know that the Libertarian Party is the party of freedom, it's the party that has supported them for over thirty years, and it's their party. The Democrats have shown their true colors, and now so have we."

As the last piece of business in its convention, delegates voted resoundingly to add to the party's legislative program a prescription for equality before the law:

"As long as government is licensing marriages, it shall not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

"The state shall decouple the rights and privileges currently accorded to licensed marriages in favor of private contractual arrangements between consenting individuals."

Starchild, a San Francisco sex worker and openly bisexual Libertarian candidate for School Board, said "Same-sex marriage is fundamentally about freedom of association. No other political party in America honors this important right enough to defend both the legal right of gay couples to marry and the legal right of the Boy Scouts as a private association to exclude gay members. I'm particularly proud of my fellow Libertarians from parts of the state where gay marriage is not as popular as it is in San Francisco who supported this statement."

The Libertarian Party has supported gay rights since the adoption of its first platform in 1972. The Libertarian Party of California platform already had a plank specifically about marriage, including a statement advocating the "right of all consenting adults to form marriage contracts without regard to gender [or] sexual preference."

About LPSF:
The Libertarian Party of San Francisco (www.lpsf.org) is the local affiliate of the Libertarian Party (www.lp.org), the largest "third party" in the United States. Libertarians believe in personal freedom, in both social and economic spheres, and in minimal government to protect those freedoms. The Libertarian Party is running a wide range of partisan and non-partisan candidates in the 2004 elections.

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