California Gov. Brown signs bill deleting ‘husband,’ ‘wife’ from marriage law

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Monday a bill that deletes the terms “husband” and “wife” from the state’s marriage law and replaces it with “spouse” in order to accommodate same-sex marriages.

The bill, put forth by Democratic Sen. Mark Leno, takes a provision of the California Constitution that recognizes marriage as being between a man and a woman and replaces it with more gender-neutral language.

The legislation takes effect Jan. 1 and reflects the legality of gay marriage in California after a decade of litigation. The law also removes limits on recognizing same-sex marriages performed out of state, the Associated Press reported.

“I am pleased Governor Brown has recognized the importance of this bill, which makes it explicitly clear in state law that every loving couple has the right to marry in California,” Mr. Leno said. “This legislation removes outdated and biased language from state codes and recognizes all married spouses equally, regardless of their gender.”