I can’t say I’m terribly surprised, but it is disappointing, especially that 8 Democrats voted against the bill, including Sen. Hiram Monserrate, who once slashed up his girlfriend’s face with a broken glass.

Also, California’s second most prominent marriage equality group, the Courage Campaign, has backed away from their earlier promise for a 2010 ballot repeal of Prop 8. To be honest, I don’t think a 2010 effort would succeed at this point, but I worry about the recent tide of events and start to become defeated and complacent. Then I get pissed off that we’re even arguing about marriage at all when so many other, more pressing concerns plague our country.

Watching Sen. Diane Savino does instill me with a sense of hope, however. She’s very eloquent and funny, remarking on the “sacred institution” of marriage that brought us such shows as “Bridezillas” and “The Littlest Groom” where 30 desperate women competed for the hand of a midget.