Statements from Religious Leaders on the West Coast to Proposition 8 Ruling

From the Just Out blog:

Clergy and religious leaders up and down the West Coast are among those celebrating today's California District Court ruling.

From Portland's Rev. Tara Wilkins, a United Church of Christ minister and executive director of the Community of Welcoming Congregations: "This is a victory for all those who work on the front lines to ensure equality. As a Christian, I must stand on the side of love, while insisting on justice. Civil marriage is separate from religious marriage and should not be denied for religious reasons."

"As people of faith we rejoice in this decision. … The American values of fairness and equal treatment under the law have won out and we thank God that justice has prevailed." — The Pacific School of Religion's Bernard Schlager, executive director of the school's Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry

"Today, love prevailed over hate and justice prevailed over fear, as this country moved closer to living out its core values of liberty and justice for all. We celebrate this important decision with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families, knowing that where love is, God is there also." — Rev. Dr. Karen P. Oliveto, pastor of San Francisco's Glide Memorial Methodist Church

"Today's ruling is an important step forward in a long and valiant march in the direction of justice and hope. This victory should energize us for the next part of our journey together. When that journey ends and we have achieved full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, all of us will be able to look back with gratitude for the chances we have had to make such a positive difference in people's lives." — Rabbi Alan Bennett, of Temple Israel, Alameda, Calif.

"For my church, the court's ruling is a celebration, a moment in which our values are reflected in the policies and decisions of our country." — Rev. Dr. Brooks Brandt of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Vancouver

"[Judge Walker's] decision lives into the spirit of our country where there is equal protection for us all." — Rev. Natasha Brubaker-Garrison, priest at Eugene's Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Eugene

"As a Unitarian Universalist and as a human being, I am thrilled that more and more people are seeing more and more clearly that the right to marry who we love is a basic human right. When two people who love each other choose to marry, something new and holy arises in the world." — Rev. Dana Worsnop, minister at Atkinson Memorial Church in Oregon City