Upsetting news. The California Supreme Court has ruled to uphold Proposition 8, thereby keeping same-sex marriage illegal in the state of California. However, a tiny silver lining can be seen in the fact that the Court also ruled to keep the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed prior to Prop 8 valid. From MSNBC:

The 6-1 decision written by Chief Justice Ron George rejected an argument from gay-rights activists that the ban, Proposition 8, revised the California constitution's equal protection clause to such a dramatic degree that it first needed the Legislature's approval.

The court said the people have a right, through the ballot box, to change their constitution.

"In a sense, petitioners' and the attorney general's complaint is that it is just too easy to amend the California constitution through the initiative process. But it is not a proper function of this court to curtail that process; we are constitutionally bound to uphold it," the ruling said.

The justices said the 136-page majority ruling does not speak to whether they agree with the voter-approved Proposition 8 or "believe it should be a part of the California Constitution."

They said they were "limited to interpreting and applying the principles and rules embodied in the California Constitution, setting aside our own personal beliefs and values."

Protests are commencing across the United States. Please do anything you can to help - from spreading the word (via mouth, blogs, Twitter, etc) to making a donation to finding a rally near you to participate in. We will overturn Prop 8 and we will achieve marriage equality for all the people who deserve it.