CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

AFTER COUNTLESS HOURS AND THE EFFORTS OF HUNDREDS,

BOTH CAMFT AND AAMFT HAVE ADOPTED STATEMENTS ENDORSING MARRIAGE EQUALITY

California Therapists for Marriage Equality is a coalition of mental health professionals that was created after the passage of Proposition 8 in California in response to CAMFT’s silence on the issue of Marriage Equality.

Although the representatives of every other mental health organization took a public stand against Proposition 8, the organizations representing Marriage Family Therapists in the State of California did not. 

We believed that Marriage and Family Therapists in California must be represented by an organization that strongly supports Marriage and Family Equality.  To this end, members of CTME made 3 presentations to the board of CAMFT, and presented to the Boards of both AAMFT and AAMFT-CA. The results of these efforts are below.

AAMFT-CA

The policy adopted states:

 

Whereas the Board appointed the Relationships and Health Task Force in 2003,

and,

Whereas upon receipt and approval of the report in 2005, the Board adopted the “AAMFT Position on Couples and Families” 10/17/2005, which reads:

 

AAMFT believes that all couples who willingly commit themselves to each other, and their children, have a right to expect equal support and benefits in civil society. Thus, we affirm the right of all committed couples and their families to legally equal benefits, protection, and responsibility

 

 and,

 

Whereas the benefits and protection of marriage have been given to same sex couples in California, but subsequently removed by Proposition 8

 

Therefore be it resolved, that the AAMFT-CA Division affirms that all committed couples and their families should have legally equal benefits, protection, and responsibility, and that this includes marriage equality in our state of California.

 

AAMFT (National) 

CTME has asked AAMFT to sign on to an amicus brief regarding Prop. 8 based on these positions.

THEY HAVE AGREED.

The National Board and Executive Director are invested the process of signing on to the amicus generated by the APA. Michael Bowers states that he will continue to the pursuit of signing onto the amicus brief previously submitted by APA to the CA Supreme Court as it is submitted in the federal case now pending. He states: ”It’s too late to sign on in CA, because that action is over, but we are looking ahead....The amicus brief is a 72 page legal document that our Board did review, and that is what they want to be part of”

 

 CAMFT

 

CAMFT’s Ethical Standards state that Marriage and Family Therapists do not condone or engage in discrimination or refuse professional services to anyone on the basis of race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, or marital status.  While the language of this broad statement does not specifically address the issue of marriage equality, its spirit and intent are clear.

The CAMFT Board of Directors reaffirms CAMFT’s broad and long-standing prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and/or marital status by endorsing marriage equality.  By doing so, the CAMFT Board of Directors recognizes and affirms traditional and contemporary configurations of marriage, and recognizes and affirms traditional and contemporary definitions of families.

MEMBER NEWS

SB 54

CTME initiated conversations with AAMFT-CA and CAMFT about supporting SB54. Both agreed to contact the Governor’s office to express support. AAMFT-CA went further and became a signatory to the bill. The Governor has, this month, signed the bill into law.

SB 54 does two things. First, it confirms that same-sex couples who married outside of California before the passage of Proposition 8 are entitled to full recognition as married spouses, regardless of whether they married in-state or out-of-state.

Second, SB 54 also confirms that same-sex couples who marry outside of California after November 5, 2008, must have the same rights, protections, obligations of spouses under California law with the sole exception of the designation of “marriage.” Although Proposition 8 prevents California from designating same-gender couples who marry in another jurisdiction after November 5, 2008 as “married,” the Court’s decision in Strauss v. Horton requires the state to give those couples all of the substantive protections of marriage. This clarification benefits California residents who travel outside the state to marry, as well as same-sex married couples who are visiting California.

Congratulations to the many members who took part in the success of this important legislation.

FUTURE ACTIONS

CTME remains committed to the cause of Marriage and Family Equality, LGBT advocacy, as well as other social justice issues within our professional communities. To this end, some of the CTME leadership have decided to run for office within both CAMFT and AAMFT.

AAMFT-CA

Ralph Bruneau, a CTME founder was recently elected by the AAMFT-CA Division membership to the Board position of Member-at-Large and member Naveen Jonathan was elected Division Treasurer. Congratulations to both of you.

CAMFT

Angela Kahn, a CTME founder was recently selected by the nominating committee for the Board position of Member-at-Large. CTME member Jurgen Braungardt was not selected.