Michael and his husband reside in California with their 18-month old adopted son. They hope to adopt another child soon. Michael contributes pertinent information on adoption issues on several websites and groups.

Regardless of your political affiliation, there is no denying that this past November’s election was historic. For the first time in our nation’s history, we had the choice of voting for an African-American presidential candidate and a female vice-presidential candidate. Future will tell if we made the right decision – I shall refrain from inserting my political opinion here!

Yet, in California, we faced an equally historic and hotly debated issue. For the first time in our state’s history Californians were asked to vote on a proposition that would amend our constitution and define marriage between a man and a woman. The proponents of proposition 8 argued that marriage has always been between a man and a woman, and thus it should remain that way. They insisted that marriage was a religious ceremony that dates back several centuries. The opposition argued that marriage was not about religion. Marriage, or the laws that protect those in a marriage, is a civil right, one that does not require a religious ceremony. In fact, many marriages are officiated not by a priest or religious figurehead, but by a justice of the peace. So who was right? Well, apparently 52% of the voting population decided that California’s constitution should be amended to reflect the new definition.