Larry and Ed

If you have checked out our Civil Union pages you are now ready to continue our journey. Same-sex Marriage, over the years, since our Civil Union in 2001 had been a rocky road. We had thought of getting married in California, but the Federal government did not recognize same-sex marriage for Federal benefits, so we opted to live with the Domestic Partnership created by our Civil Union. Starting in 2008 there was significant movement towards full equality for same-sex couples. Finally in 2013 Federal benefits were provided to same-sex couple by the Supreme Court. That led us to having a private Civil Ceremony on November 29, 2013 followed by a traditional Jewish wedding attended by a large number of friends on May 17, 2014 (Lag BaOmer, on the Jewish calendar).

In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages must be recognized in all 50 states. Here is a brief summary of the legal challenges from 2008 to 2015.

A brief history (2008-2015) of California Same Sex Marriage

• May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage. The ruling took effect on June 16, 2008.
• November 4, 2008, to overturn the May 15, 2008 decision, opponents of same-sex marriage placed a state constitutional amendment on the ballot. Known as Proposition 8, it passed, ending the licensing and recognition of same-sex marriages in California after less than six months.
• August 4, 2010, the U.S. District Court of Northern California declares that Proposition 8, violates due process and equal protection clauses in the U.S. Constitution. Supporters of the proposition eventually appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, which issued a ruling in June 2013.
• June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that supporters of Proposition 8 lacked standing to appeal a court’s 2010 decision that deemed the ban unconstitutional, thus legalizing same-sex marriage in California. Marriages resumed in the California two days later. The Supreme Court also declares Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, the portion of the law that barred federal recognition of same-sex marriages, unconstitutional.
• November 27, 2013, Larry and Ed Sogolow were married in a private ceremony. In May 17, 2014 we were married in a traditional Jewish ceremony.
• June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court announces its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. The court rules that same-sex marriage cannot be banned in the United States and that all same-sex marriages must be recognized nationwide, granting same-sex couples equal rights to heterosexual couples under the law.