VOA标准英语2013--Supporters of Gay Marriage Await US Court Rulings

 

Supporters of Gay Marriage Await US Court Rulings

Supporters of same-sex marriage are rallying this week in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities, urging the Supreme¹ Court to overturn California's 2008 gay marriage ban, called Proposition 8, and the Defense² of Marriage Act, a 1996 federal law that defines marriage as a union of one man and one woman.

About 18,000 same-sex couples married in California in a five-month period in 2008, before the state supreme court ruled that Proposition 8 is legally valid³. That prevented more same-sex marriages, but the justices allowed existing marriages to stand.

One Los Angeles lesbian couple is among the thousands who married, and Vangie Griego says they want that right for others.

“I should not be treated differently because I love a woman. And my children should not be treated differently because their mothers decided⁴ to fall in love and decided to adopt children,” Griego said.

The women, who have two school-age sons, say they face restrictions⁵ not faced by heterosexual couples. They have no spousal rights for federal pension benefits, and clear-cut inheritance rights if one of them dies. Griego's partner, Marita Forney, says it's not fair.

“Our love is the same, our needs, it's all the same, and I think the idea that we're somehow so different, it's so important for people to understand, we're not,” Forney said.

At the recent Los Angeles rally, supporters of same-sex marriage said they are optimistic. Alejandro Escoto and his partner Ramiro Vasquez hope a favorable ruling will allow them to get married.

“Because we have a life together for 15 years, and for the state or for someone to tell us that's not right, that's not OK,” Vasquez said.

Nine U.S. states and the District of Columbia permit gay marriage. Thirty-nine others states ban it. The court could rule narrowly on the California law, or more broadly on the issue nationwide. 

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制