PANORAMA CITY, CA-February 14, 2007: In recognition of Freedom to Marry Week, the California Libertarian Party issued the following statement:

This Valentine's Day, as we celebrate Freedom to Marry Week, the Libertarian Party of California wants to congratulate gay and lesbian families across the country for their successes and reflect upon the problems that government policies have created for gay and lesbian people everywhere.

California Libertarians recognize the crucial role that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) individuals hold in our society, and support an end to government-sanctioned discrimination. Government policies on marriage—such as excluding gay families' relationships from "official recognition" and efforts to make gay lives more difficult—have a deleterious effect on families of all types.

Said Aaron Starr, chairman of the Libertarian Party of California, "People should have the freedom to marry, or not to marry, as they see fit. Government needn't have a role at all, and certainly should not discriminate against anyone—straight or gay, black or white, married or single—so long as it remains involved in the institution of marriage."

Libertarian candidates at all levels of government have consistently called for government to end its marriage discrimination. The Libertarian Party has enshrined that value in its official platform, calling for an end to the "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) laws passed by Republican and Democratic politicians in legislatures from the nation's capital in Washington to statehouses across the country.

As we celebrate Freedom To Marry Week, California Libertarians reemphasize our call to end anti-gay government discrimination and reinforce our party's unwavering commitment to ending DOMA, anti-gay adoption laws, unequal tax treatment, discrimination in inheritance, and other laws targeted at gay American families.

About the Libertarian Party of California:

The Libertarian Party of California is the third largest political party in California, having fielded over 60 candidates for partisan office in the just-completed mid-term general election.