Lawmakers had become comfortable voting for gay rights bills. And they saw that many of their constituents supported those bills, said Kors, of Equality California. Also, Kors' group and others were quick to give campaign contributions as rewards to legislators who voted for gay rights bills.
In 2003, then-Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg won passage of a domestic partner law that gave same-sex couples many of the rights married couples have in such areas as custody and community property.
During its most recent session, the Legislature -- which now includes five openly gay members -- approved five more gay civil rights bills, bringing the total in the last 10 years to 50.
The progress has been so substantial, Kors said, that "the vast bulk of achieving equality for LGBT people legislatively has been accomplished in California."
Some legislators were uncomfortable with the rapid changes and the pressure to vote with the majority. Assemblyman Anthony Adams (R-Hesperia) said that although he supported some of the bills, including provision for domestic partnerships, he does not support gay marriage.
He said he voted for domestic partnerships out of "respect and understanding" but that now people who support partnerships but not marriage are being "abused and maligned." This, he said, "can only lead to a greater degree of mistrust in any future debate."
'Independent history'
As the Legislature passed more gay rights laws, the California Supreme Court found itself handling more cases involving gay issues.
Six of the seven sitting justices, including Chief Justice Ronald M. George, were appointed by Republican governors. But the justices considered themselves bound to uphold the Legislature's intent.
"The court has shown an independent history of holding that lesbian and gay people are entitled to equal protection," said Shannon Price Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. "But the court also relied heavily on the enormous body of legislation passed by the California Legislature."
As the Legislature was passing domestic partnership bills, the court grappled with cases involving child support and custody in lesbian parent disputes.
Between 2002 and 2005, the court decided four parental rights cases involving lesbians, and the rulings reflected a growing consensus by the court that more gays were having families and that discriminatory laws were affecting their children.
