Calif. governor signs marriage bill removing gender-specific terms

Sen. Mark Leno

Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed a bill into law to replace the words "husband" or "wife" with "spouse" in the state's constitution. 

The elimination of the phrasing is said to represent the removal of a final barrier to marriage equality since the 2013 Supreme Court ruling that declared Proposition 8's marriage equality ban unconstitutional. The bill "makes it explicitly clear in state law that every loving couple has the right to marry in California," said state Sen. Mark Leno, who introduced the bill.