By Matthew Keys FOX40 News

August 30, 2010
SACRAMENTO—
Citing same-sex marriage equality, Senator Roy Ashburn has asked Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto a senate bill that would seek to further define the separation of church and state and would afford churches who refuse to perform same-sex marriages protection when it came to their tax-exempt status.

Ashburn, who came out as a gay man earlier this year after a media frenzy surrounding his DUI conviction, told the Governor in a letter Monday that the bill would limit marriage equality for gay couples.

"SB 906 seeks to redefine the definition of marriage by inserting the word "civil" before the word "marriage" throughout state statue," Senator Ashburn said in the letter. "This measure complicates the issue by creating 'second class' marriages for gay people. What I seek is full, equal marriage rights for all people, regardless of sexual orientation."

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The Senator had a previous record of voting against equality issues as they pertained to gay individuals and couples, including same-sex marriage. The Senator had previously said his voting record reflected that of his constituents and not those of his personal interest.

Senate Bill 906, dubbed the "Civil Marriage Religious Freedom Act," was introduced earlier this year by San Francisco Democratic Senator Mark Leno. The bill seeks to protect churches from losing their tax-exempt status should they refuse to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies.