Schwarzenegger Says Married Gays Will Stay Wed

Arnold Schwarzenegger gave his strongest support yet to gays and lesbians in California yesterday, saying that currently married same-sex couples would remain legally wed and that he hoped the courts would overturn Proposition 8. The ballot initiative, which amended California's constitution to define marriage as explicitly heterosexual, has left the status of 18,000 gay and lesbian couples' marriages in doubt.

"It's unfortunate, obviously, but it's not the end," said the California governor, who opposed Proposition 8 but had previously said he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. Schwarzenegger's comments came as gay rights advocates took to the streets of California for a fifth consecutive day; hundreds of protesters gathered outside of the megachurch of Rick Warren, who backed the ballot initiative.
(More Arnold Schwarzenegger stories.)