Prop 8 plaintiffs celebrate 10 years of marriage equality in California, say the fight continues

ByTara Campbell KGO logo

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Prop 8 plaintiffs reflect on 10 years of marriage equality in CA

Ten years ago on this day, crowds erupted at San Francisco City Hall after the Supreme Court overturned California's ban on same-sex marriage.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Ten years ago on this day, crowds erupted at San Francisco City Hall in response to the Supreme Court overturning of California's ban on same-sex marriage.

"I still feel a sense of great pride in what we accomplished as a group," said Jeff Zarrillo, who along his husband Paul Katami and Berkeley couple Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, were plaintiffs in the case challenging California's Proposition 8, which put a halt to same-sex marriage in 2008.

"Celebrating an anniversary like this is important because it reminds us of all the efforts that have taken place along, you know, decades of time to get us to where we are," said Katami.

MORE: Respect for Marriage Act passes Senate; California lawmakers say more to be done

And with the ACLU currently tracking nearly 500 bills across the country taking aim at LGBTQ+ rights, the couple says the fight is as important as ever.

"We had to fight for something that we won 10 years ago and we continue to fight now for further protections and further equality," said Katami.

And that's exactly what some California lawmakers are trying to do - introducing a constitutional amendment earlier this year to repeal Prop 8.

MORE: LGBTQ+ lawmakers look to remove Prop 8 from CA constitution amid fears of marriage ban again

"Prop 8 is a terrible scar on the California Constitution. And I think a lot of people don't even realize it's still in there," said State Senator Scott Wiener.

The move to get Prop 8 off the books is making its way through the legislature and could be in the hands of voters next fall.

"Just as a moral matter, we should not have that in our Constitution. But we also need to protect our families in California because it is possible the Supreme Court overturns national marriage equality," said Sen. Wiener.

"We really need to stay focused and as we enter into 2024 which is an election year we really need to hold our politicians accountable," said Zarrillo.