Although a federal appeals court has ruled that our state’s ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, the case will likely find itself again in the Supreme Court.

On February 7, 2012 a federal appeals court ruled that Proposition 8, California’s ban on gay marriage, was unconstitutional. The appeals court found that it had no purpose other than to “lessen the status and human dignity” of gays.

We here at The Skyline View have opposed Proposition 8 since it passed back in 2008. We believe that people should be allowed to marry anyone they choose, regardless of race or gender. Proposition 8 does nothing but specifically target homosexuals and does nothing that actually affects heterosexual couples.

At the Skyline View, we think that marriage is a fundamental right that should be shared by all human beings. This is the 21st century, and we think it’s time for our laws to reflect the values of liberty and freedom that we’ve been promised our entire lives. Ideally we’d like to see gay marriage legalized for all of America, but our state is a good place to start.

We believe that our view on same sex marriage is shared by a majority of students here on campus, and specifically those of Skyline’s Gay-Straight Alliance.

“Proposition 8 and the California ban on same-sex marriage is discriminatory and unjustly targets one subset of the population, creating a second-class citizen status,” said GSA advisor A.J. Bates. “This kind of discrimination goes against the fundamental ideas of equality and liberty that make our state and nation great.”

Although the proposition has officially been overturned at this time, gay couples in California can’t get married just yet. According to the court of appeals, marriages will be put on hold until Prop 8’s supporters have filed an appeal to a larger panel of the Ninth Circuit, which they very likely will.

It’s becoming more and more likely that the case for gay marriage in California will go to the Supreme Court. A ruling here may have huge repercussions for not just for California. It’s conceivable that any ruling that the Supreme Court decides for California may set the standard for the rest of the country.

We at the Skyline View will continue to support equal rights for gay and lesbian couples as long as it remains an issue. We urge our readers to do the same.