Dear Gov. Schwarzenegger:

I grew up in California, and my parents still live there. No matter where I reside, I will always think of California as my home.

So it was with pride and happiness that I read this morning that the state Assembly, following on the heels of the state Senate, had approved a measure providing equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

It was my California upbringing that led me to appreciate the importance of treating all humans with respect, and granting them equal rights before the law. So it only makes sense that California would become the first state to legislatively approve same-sex marriage. California has long been the leader of the nation in so many ways, and I am deeply moved that it is doing so once again, on this vital issue. As other states pass hateful measures stripping away gay people's rights, California is leading the way with the spirit that animates the US -- an expansion of protections for individual rights.

I live in Massachusetts now, and so I have personal experience with same-sex marriage. My wife and I were legally married on May 22, 2004, five and a half years after we were married in all other respects before our families and friends. There is a tremendous difference in our lives, and in the life of our young son, now that our family has been granted the dignity of official recognition. And, as is plain to see, none of the dire warnings of those opposing gay marriage have panned out. Opposition to gay marriage fades away once it becomes commonplace, and opponents are forced to admit that it doesn't change their lives one bit, while enormously enhancing the lives of their gay neighbors and their neighbors' children.

Governor, I urge you to sign AB849 into law, and allow California to become the first in the nation once again, in a vital step toward the expansion of human rights in this country. Next month, I will be in California for a family wedding. As my wife and I celebrate our niece's marriage, I hope that my heart can swell with pride that her wedding is taking place in a state where all people have the same rights to form the families of their choice.