Let us take a moment and applaud Assemblymember Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, Assemblymember Lori Saldaña, D-San Diego, and the countless other politicians, lobbyists and activists involved in bringing the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act (AB 19) to the state Assembly floor last week. This piece of legislation – an admiral attempt at placing same-sex couples on equal footing with opposite-sex couples – was California’s best chance at legalizing same-sex marriage to date.

AB 19 did fail in the state Assembly last Thursday, but the effort was not a failure. Shy of a simple majority by four votes, it is important to recognize just how far we’ve come and continue to look forward.

We haven’t seen the last of AB 19. Thursday’s defeat is a temporary setback as our leaders begin strategizing our next move. One possibility is to add language to a bill in the state Senate, where it has a higher likelihood to pass, before reintroducing it into the Assembly. If passed by the Senate, it may be more “comfortable” politically to vote for same-sex legislation in the Assembly. Another option posed by Leno is to reintroduce the bill next year, spending considerable time lobbying the majority Democrats for support.

Being party to last week’s vote, you couldn’t help but feel betrayed by nearly a quarter of the Democratic Party for siding with the Republicans or abstaining in their vote. After all, just a few months ago, the California Democratic Party unanimously approved a resolution supporting civil marriage for all couples regardless of gender – officially calling for marriage equality. So, why did the measure fail?

Politics. It is safe to assume the 10 Democrats that either voted against marriage equality or opted out felt this hot-button item was too risky to waste any political capital on, and therefore played it safe instead of doing what was right. With many in the Assembly running for future political office, same-sex marriage is a formidable threat – in some cases making the difference in a tight race. The conservative right wing understands this reality and plays to every advantage they can.

One example of this scenario is Assemblymember Juan Vargas, D-San Diego: a Latino, supportive on GLBT issues in the past, who voted against AB 19, using the issue to secure the socially conservative constituency in his race against Congressmember Bob Filner for the 51st Congressional District. We’ve said it before: For any person of color to vote against the rights of another minority, especially to further their political career, is unconscionable. When (not if) the GLBT community obtains full equality under the law, as with the many other minorities in this country, history will look back on those who opposed our cause and remember. Juan Vargas, we will not forget.

We encourage everyone to write to Assemblymember Juan Vargas (and all of the other state Assembly members that voted against AB 19 for that matter) and tell him exactly what his vote meant to you and our community. You can write him at 678 Third Ave, Suite 105, Chula Vista, CA 91910-5844; or give him a call at (619) 409-7979.