On March 7, 2000, Californians will vote on Proposition 22, the measure stating that “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Proposition 22, also known as the Knight Initiative after its sponsor, Republican state Senator Pete Knight, will prohibit same-sex marriage in California, and could possibly prevent California from recognizing same-sex marriages from other states. The ballot measure threatens hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights, and other equal rights and protections for people in same-sex relationships.
Currently gay marriage is not legal in any state, and ballot measures similar to Proposition 22 have already passed in Alaska and Hawaii. Since 1993, Congress and 30 states, mostly in the South and Midwest, have passed laws similar to the Knight Initiative, stating that they will not recognize same-sex marriages even if they are legalized in other states.
