Marcos Bretón: I once would have opposed gay marriage, but times have changed

There was a time I would have been deeply against same-sex marriage. The sight of men kissing and expressing love openly would have made me very uncomfortable.

After all, my church frowned on homosexuality and so did everyone I admired and liked. And so long as these feelings were not examined, they were easy to maintain.

It's clear that opponents of gay marriage will try to appeal to such feelings when working to defeat same-sex unions at the ballot box this November.

We'll hear Bible passages. Some people will cite the tradition of marriage as a bond between a man and a woman; others will argue marriage should be only for those who procreate.

Some will wonder why gays aren't satisfied with civil unions.

The arguments will stream forth – shouted from street corners or harbored secretly – and they will come from the same place: from those who feel uncomfortable around and disapprove of gay people.

If you feel this way, I'm not condemning you. I was you, but not anymore.

There have been too many gay friends who have become like family. There has been too much time to consider our Constitution, which states that all men are created equal. In California, proponents of same-sex marriage convinced the highest court in the state based on legal arguments – not rhetoric, Bible passages or appeals of tradition – that the same logic applies to gay couples.

A majority of the California Supreme Court ruled that " … past California cases establish beyond question that the right to marry is a fundamental right whose protection is guaranteed to all persons by the California Constitution."

That ruling cleared the way for the hundreds of same-sex marriages performed across California on Tuesday.

Here in Sacramento, we saw people standing in long lines, bursting with joy at the promise of holy matrimony, committing to fidelity and devotion.

At the county clerk's office, there were protesters shouting into bullhorns on one side of the street – and people holding flowers and saying "I do" on the other.

A notable Sacramentan, Dennis Mangers, was among them, marrying his partner of 17 years in a ceremony attended by many of the city's movers and shakers.

Mangers is a Capitol insider, consigliere to Sacramento's powerful, a devoted patron of the arts who has helped make the city a better place.

He and new spouse Michael Sestak begin each dinner at home by holding hands and saying "thank you" for each other. "Dennis is God's cherished gift to me," Sestak said during their marriage ceremony.

It was touching, but California voters have the power to dissolve Mangers' legal union if they vote to abolish same-sex marriage.

At one time, I would have been among the people voting against Mangers, Sestak and everyone else. And it would have been so easy.

But standing on the same side of the street as they are, one wonders what justification to prevent these marriages will survive the years.

At one time, interracial marriage was against the law in California. There was a whole body of law and "tradition" to support that now discredited idea.

It went away because this is America and the rights of all win out eventually.

About the writer:

• Reach Marcos Bretón at (916) 321-1096. Watch him at 6:15 a.m. today on News 10. Listen to him at 7:40 a.m. today on News Talk 1530 KFBK. Back columns, www.sacbee.com/breton.