Proposition 102 – Marriage

Proposition 102 – Marriage would amend the Arizona Constitution to provide only a union of one man and one woman to be valid or recognized as marriage in Arizona.

Proponents cite marriage between a man and a woman is the basic structure of society, built on fundamental values that are fostered in strong, traditional families.

Opponents, such as the League of Women Voters of Arizona, state, “Why would anyone want to write discrimination into the Arizona Constitution?”

The answer to that question can be easily found by looking at California’s new marriage law, which now discriminates against traditional marriages by completely doing away with “bride and groom” and “husband and wife.”

California marriage license applications no longer include a place to even state the gender of each party, or if either is the bride or groom. The parties are simply referred to as Party A and Party B. If the applicants write in “bride” or “groom” to designate which is which on the application, it invalidates the application and a new one must be filled out.

It’s not clear what the two are pronounced during the ceremony, perhaps they become Party C.

Along with the ACLU, NOW, Arizona Transexual Alliance, Southern Arizona Stonewall Democrats and Winspan, a few elected officials also submitted opposition statements.

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon claims Proposition 102 “will send a very un-American message” and said, “As Mayor, I have been focused on making our community safer, strengthening our economy and creating more educational opportunities for our children … Let’s not permit a hateful few to define us to the rest of our country by painting a target on a specific group of citizens.”

U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, says our elected officials are entrusted by the people to make decisions of great importance and confront the real problems Arizonans face. He wrote, “Instead, they have decided to put the divisive, mean-spirited and discriminatory amendment on the ballot – again,” and asked why they weren’t addressing urgent issues such as jobs, education, the economy and the cost of gas, food and health care?”

Pima County Board of Supervisors Chair Richard Elias calls the measure “extremely divisive at a time when both Arizonans and the nation see the need and echo the call to bring people together.”

And, Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup called the measure “divisive and hurtful.”