Breaking News: Appeals Court says Prop 8 Unconstitutional

From Chicago Den, WCB's sister site

News broke early Tuesday afternoon that the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has upheld an earlier court's ruling that California's Propostion 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state after it had been legalized, is unconstitutional.
The news first came out on gay news sites such as Towleroad before hitting every major media website.

Equality Illinois, the state's largest gay rights organization, had a response within minutes.

"The inexorable march to full marriage equality achieved a significant milestone with the historic ruling that Proposition 8 violates the U.S. Constitution," EI's statement read. "The court’s gratifying decision makes a clear statement that marriage equality is a fundamental freedom." The organization also called on lawmakers to take Illinois' civil union laws to the next step to full marriage.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force celebrated the ruling and called on Congress to repeal DOMA.

“Today’s decision affirms what we all know to be true – our Constitution protects the basic civil rights of all Americans, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese on the groups website. "Proposition 8 does nothing to strengthen or protect any marriage. Instead, it singles out thousands of loving California families for different treatment, simply because they are gay and lesbian couples. We applaud the Ninth Circuit for recognizing that our Constitution cannot tolerate such egregious discrimination."

The Huffington Post reported that the ruling stated: "Although the Constitution permits communities to enact most laws they believe to be desirable, it requires that there be at least a legitimate reason for the passage of a law that treats different classes of people differently. There was no such reason that Proposition 8 could have been enacted."

The internet newspaper also reported that Love Honor Cherish, a gay rights group based in Los Angeles, is planning to start gathering signatures for a November ballot initiative asking voters to repeal Proposition 8.