California Tries to Legalize Gay Marriage - Again

SACRAMENTO, CA -- The California Assembly will this week make another try to pass a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in California, even though Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that he will veto it.

The bill, called the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, is expected to pass easily but is unlikely to garner enough votes to protect it from being vetoed by the Governor. The bill will go before the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

The new law would redefine marriage as a civil contract between two persons, instead of today's narrow definition as a contract between a man and a woman.

Schwarzenegger has earlier spoken about his reasons for vetoing the bill, saying that it should be up to the voters, and not the legislature, to define marriage, and according to his spokesperson the governor has not changed his position.

A recent poll showed that Californians are becoming more comfortable with the idea of gay marriage. A Field Poll released last month found that 43 percent of Californians support gay marriage, up from 38 percent in 1997 and 30 percent in 1985.