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RIVERSIDE, Calif. – A federal judge in San Francisco will make public today his decision on whether California’s ban on same-sex marriage, which voters approved in 2008, violates the constitutional rights of gay men and lesbians.

UC Riverside scholars are available to talk about the impact of the ruling by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker, gay marriage and the political process, and same-sex parenting.

Ben Bishin
Associate professor of political science
ben.bishin@ucr.edu

Bishin is writing a paper on gay marriage and the political process, exploring how different institutions tend to enhance gay rights while others impede them. He also is looking at how democratic societies should balance majority rule and the rights to liberty and equality when fundamental rights are at stake. He is author of “Tyranny of the Minority: The Subconstituency Politics Theory” (Temple University Press, 2010).

Jane Ward
Associate professor of women’s studies
jane.ward@ucr.edu

Ward is available to discuss same-sex marriage and parenting, and queer politics. She is working on a study of the racial politics of same-sex marriage, and is the author of “Respectably Queer: Diversity Culture in LGBT Activist Organizations” (Vanderbilt University Press, 2008) and the “Diversity Discourse and Multi-Identity Work in Lesbian and Gay Organizations” chapter which appears in “Identity Work in Social Movements: Negotiating Sameness and Difference in Activist Environments” (University of Minnesota Press, 2008).

The University of California, Riverside (www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment has exceeded 21,000 students. The campus opened a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion.

A broadcast studio with fiber cable to the AT&T Hollywood hub is available for live or taped interviews. UCR also has ISDN for radio interviews. To learn more, call (951) UCR-NEWS.