The California Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments next month regarding same-sex marriage. Scheduled for March 4, the court then has 90 days to rule on the case.

The case being heard challenges the constitutionality of the current voter-approved state law that bars marriage for gays and lesbians. The California legislature has twice passed bills to allow gay marriage, only to be vetoed both times by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger has said, “voters and the state Supreme Court, not lawmakers, should decide the issue.”

California was also one of the first states to start a public education program on marriage equality called Let California Ring. The group has been running ads and other programs educating Californians about why marriage equality matters. Perhaps now our community should begin a national education campaign similar to this to help move past some of the irrational fears associated with marriage equality and start a meaningful dialogue with all of America.