San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced this month that he was instructing the county clerk to "issue marriage licenses in order to provide marriage licenses on a non-discriminatory basis, without regard to gender or sexual orientation."

The mayor found the old policy of granting marriage licenses just to heterosexual couples a violation of the California Constitution, which he swore to uphold when he took office. Furthermore, Newsom declares that, "There is no rationale for discrimination against any individuals in California."

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement on Feb. 19 stating that the marriage licenses submitted by San Francisco "fail to meet legal standards."

He notes that he is sworn to uphold California laws, including Proposition 22, passed in 2000, which limits legally recognizable marriage to unions between a man and a woman. As such, he instructed the attorney general to "vigorously defend the constitutionality of Proposition 22."

While the reaction on campus has been rather muted, with no major rallies or protests, the issue of same-sex marriage has not gone unnoticed.

Freshman Sam Altman, Executive Director of ForGayMarriage.org, a group that he started at Stanford but which now has national presence, praises Newsom's decision as "another step towards equality." However, he notes, "I wish [Newsom] could uphold the law and the Constitution," but as "the Constitution is above the law," and allowing same-sex marriage is "the right thing," he is on the whole in favor of the measure.

There have been strong national reactions, both positive and negative to the granting of marriage licenses to homosexual couples.

The Washington, D.C-based gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender advocacy group Human Rights Campaign is strongly in favor of Mayor Newsom's decision.

HRC President Cheryl Jacques stresses the effect of the decision on individuals: "Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon [a couple allowed to wed because of Newsom's decision], have spent the last 51 years of their lives together. There is absolutely no good reason for a couple so loving and so committed to each other to be denied the right to marry and the thousands of protections that come with it. [This] historic step will result only in making families a like Del and Phyllis a stronger."

Tony Perkins, President of the socially conservative Family Research Council, also based in Washington, condemns Newsom's decision, citing the snowball effect. Sandoval County, New Mexico, has started granting marriage licenses to homosexual couples as well, and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced his support for same-sex marriage in Chicago when San Francisco stopped discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation when granting marriage licenses.

"We cannot permit a few states and cities to force same-sex 'marriage' on the rest of America...," Perkins declared.