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Politics & Government

Conservative Murrieta Law Firm Helps Reignite Battle Over Prop. 8

Inland Empire gay marriage advocates are hopeful they will make judicial gains in spite of local opposition.

The battle to uphold Proposition 8’s restrictions against gay marriage found new support from a Murrieta-based nonprofit law firm.

Advocates for Faith & Freedom plans to file legal briefs with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by March 15 as it defends the Imperial County Clerk’s ability to enforce the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. Advocates for Faith & Freedom announced their backing of newly-elected Imperial County Clerk Chuck Storey on Feb. 25.

Storey was sworn into office Jan. 3, and filed papers Feb. 25 to become one of the defendants in a federal lawsuit over the state’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriages.

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Last year, U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional. The lawsuit has now gone to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Robert Tyler, a Murrieta resident and the lead attorney for Advocates for Faith & Freedom, said he stepped into the contentious foray because state judges are dismissing the will of California voters.

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“It goes against the basic principle of democratic values…the idea that each person’s vote counts and that a single judge in San Francisco would single-handedly overturn the vote of the people of California is unbelievable,” Tyler said.

“You have turmoil in the Middle East right now because they want democracy, they want liberty, they want the right to vote. And in America we are squandering that right. Someone needs to stand up for the people and that’s what we are doing.”

About 70 percent of Imperial County voters passed Proposition 8 in November of 2008--an emphatic decision compared to other counties in the state.

Areas such as the Inland Empire have many conservative groups that are taking a lead role in defending Proposition 8, Tyler said.

“There are a lot of organizations, but the media doesn't show that side. The conservative voice in America often comes from a religious perspective and the media does not give attention to those organizations.”

While the Inland Empire may retain a stigma for being home to a strong conservative voter base, there is a thriving community of gay rights advocates who have stepped forward and are helping to change the perceptions and attitudes of the region--a move that could eventually influence attitudes about same-sex marriage, said Rachel Ours, co-executive director of Equality Inland Empire (EQIE).

EQIE is a coalition focused on LGBT civil rights and advocating same-sex marriage.

Ours, a Colorado native, moved to the Inland Empire in 2009 and joined EQIE. The group has made strides to improve conditions in the region for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community through dialogue with the conservative community, she said.

“I thought because the Inland Empire was a more conservative area, that there would be no gay people. But when I moved here, I saw that Prop. 8 had galvanized the community. I saw that people who had been in the closet for decades had started to come out, to find their voices,” Ours said.

“I think the Inland Empire is one of the strongest LGBT communities because people have had so much to fight against and because they see exactly how important it is to reach out to those who aren't yet on our side,” she said.

EQIE is now using conversation as an approach with the faith-based communities, reaching out to various religious denominations to bolster its chances of creating a more inclusive community. Ours believes these steps are ultimately important in shifting the tide toward acceptance of same-sex marriage.

“We know exactly what we are up against. We know what it’s like to live in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and how to organize and to get our friends and family involved,” Ours said.

“I don’t think it’s a losing battle.”

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