California Religious Group Raises Alarm About Siblings Getting Married

A California religious group has warned that a ballot measure intended to protect same-sex marriage would have "unintended consequences" such as paving the way for the legalization of incestuous relationships.

California still has a law on the books that banned same-sex marriage. Proposition 8, passed by California voters in 2008, was rendered unconstitutional in 2015 after the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage should be legal nationwide. But many in the LGBTQ+ community have feared that the court could backtrack on that decision, as hinted by Justice Clarence Thomas after it overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

California voters will vote on an amendment in November that would overturn Proposition 8 and establish legal protections for same-sex marriage in the Golden State should the Supreme Court end nationwide protections. The bill has passed the California's legislature with bipartisan support, as polls show more Americans support LGBTQ+ rights.

Conservative groups, such as the California Family Council, which was instrumental in passing Proposition 8, are opposing the amendment. The Southern Poverty Law Center has recently classified the organization as a hate group, reported The Sacramento Bee on Monday.

In a press release, the organization issued a warning about what they view as risks they believe would come with overturning the anti-same-sex marriage law.

"The absence of any clear definition of marriage is alarming and paves the way for the legalization of polygamy, child marriage, and incestuous relationships. Stable, traditional marriages are vital for the well-being of children and society," said Jonathan Keller, the group's president, in a statement.

Despite this warning, California already allows marriage between first cousins and is one of few states that have no age limits on marriage, something that advocates have sought to change in recent years.

Notably, after same-sex marriage became legal nationwide, no states have passed laws supporting incestuous relationships or child marriage, and marriage equality advocates have long dismissed this slippery slope argument as baseless.

In fact, many states ended child marriage in the past few years, while Tennessee lawmakers have tried to pass legislation to ban marriage between cousins but faced opposition from some Republicans.

Assemblymember Evan Low, who introduced the amendment, told ABC7 Los Angeles that it is crucial to pass this amendment due to concerns about the Supreme Court.

"Given the direction of the United States Supreme Court, if they show you who they are, we need to believe them. Same-sex protections. That is next on the chopping block. They were not done with just reproductive freedom. They are coming for us," Low said.

Newsweek reached out to the California Family Council and Low for comment via email.

Since 2008, when California voters backed the same-sex marriage ban, attitudes on same-sex marriage have changed across the United States.

Gallup found in May 2023 that 71 percent of Americans believed that "marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages," while 28 percent disagreed and 1 percent had no opinion.

In May 2008, however, 56 percent of Americans disagreed that same-sex marriages should not be recognized, while only 40 percent supported their recognition.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, rallied in support of the amendment in San Francisco last Friday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Here we are in 2024, and we're not experiencing a rights expansion; we're experiencing a rights regression," he warned.

Correction 06/12/2024, 10:08 a.m. ET: This article was updated to reflect that California voters, not legislators, will vote on the amendment in November.

Update 06/12/2004, 11:20 a.m. ET: The headline on this article was updated.