Ban on gay marriage moves to CA’s highest court

The Supreme Court of California agreed to hear a legal challenge against the state’s voter-approved ban on gay marriage on Wednesday, but let the ban stand in the meantime.

A decision by the court in May allowed marriage for same-sex couples in America’s most populated state, one of a group of states, provinces and mostly European countries where these unions are recognized.

When voters passed the ban on November 4, social conservatives celebrated. However, since then, nationwide protests by gays and other opponents of the ban have breathed new life into the debate.

California is divided over the issue, with 52 percent of the vote coming from supporters of the ban. Cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles are more open to gay marriage, and areas like the inland valleys are being compared to the socially conservative Midwest.