Prop. 8 Proponents Star Witness Comes Out in Support of Marriage Equality
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACTS:
- Elizabeth Riel 310.560.4886 or elizabeth@afer.org
- Manny Rivera 323.892.2081 or manny@afer.org
David Blankenhorn:“[A]s a marriage advocate, the time has come for me to accept gay marriage and emphasize the good that it can do.”
Los Angeles, CA – In response to today’s New York Times op-ed by David Blankenhorn—the star witness for the proponents of Proposition 8 in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger federal court trial—in support of marriage equality, American Foundation for Equal Rights Executive Director Adam Umhoefer issued the following statement:
“Like David Blankenhorn, growing numbers of people across the nation are realizing that marriage equality will make us more American. Marriage equality has always been about building strong families and ensuring that loving couples and their families not be denied the fundamental freedom to marry. We are happy to consider Mr. Blankenhorn a supporter in that endeavor and applaud his commitment to equality.”
The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) is the sole sponsor of Perry v. Brown, the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8.
In January 2010, Blankenhorn was one of two witnesses for the proponents of Proposition 8 during the historic Federal District Court trial of Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Perry v. Brown). He testified under oath that “we would be more American on the day we permitted same-sex marriage than we were on the day before.” The District Court found Proposition 8 unconstitutional in August 2010. That ruling was affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in February 2012.
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About the American Foundation for Equal Rights
The American Foundation for Equal Rights is the sole sponsor of Perry v. Brown, the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8. After bringing together bipartisan attorneys Theodore B. Olson and David Boies to lead its legal team, AFER successfully advanced the Perry case through Federal District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Perry case has the distinction of being the first federal freedom to marry lawsuit in American history. The Foundation is committed to achieving full federal marriage equality.
