SACRAMENTO – California Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles), the state's first openly gay legislative leader, issued the following statement regarding today's federal court ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional:

“Judge Walker's thoughtful, eloquent decision in Perry v. Schwarzenegger is a powerful validation of our nation's tradition of full equality in the eyes of the law. This is a decision which reaffirms the principles and ideals enshrined in our Constitution, and only serves to underscore the fact that recognition of full equality for LGBT Americans is simply a matter of time.  

“I also want to express my congratulations to the legal team of David Boies and Ted Olson, as well as Therese Stewart and Dennis Herrera representing the City and County of San Francisco for their brilliant, inspiring and historic arguments in this case. They have won a major victory on behalf of our Constitution and LGBT Americans everywhere.”

Website of Speaker John A. Pérez: www.asmdc.org/speaker

CONTACT: Shannon Murphy (916) 319-2408