California Senate Passes Same-Sex Marriage Bill

On Thursday the California Senate became the first legislative chamber in the country to approve a bill legalizing same-sex marriage by a vote of 21-15. The historic move was hailed by gay rights advocates across the United States. "This is a bill whose time has come," said Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, one of six gay members of the state Senate. "Gay and lesbian people fall in love. We settle down. We commit our lives to one another. We raise our children. We protect them. We try to be good citizens." September 1, 2005