The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) has joined the “No on Prop. 8 — Equality for All” campaign in support of marriage equality in the state of California.

This campaign is an effort to defeat Proposition 8, which is on the November ballot. If enacted, the state would not recognize any marriage that is not between a man and a woman.

The JACL has been an advocate of marriage equality for years, being one of the first non-LGBT (lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender) organizations in the nation to support this issue.

When the California Supreme Court overturned the ban on gay marriage in May, JACL National President Larry Oda stated, “The JACL commends the California Supreme Court for its decision regarding marriage equality for all Californians. We feel all people should have the right to marry whom they choose.”

Oda also said that Proposition 8 “would blatantly deny a specific group of people the respect and dignity of equal treatment under the law.”

Several JACL chapters have already made statements against Proposition 8.

“We are proud to work with the Japanese American Citizens League on the No on Prop. 8 campaign to ensure that no Californian is treated differently under the laws of our state,” said Steve Smith, senior strategist for the campaign.

“Gay and lesbian people are our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers and our family members. We should not hurt gay and lesbian couples in California by voting to eliminate their freedom to marry the person they love. Together we will work to ensure that no one is singled out for unfair treatment under our constitution.”

Civil rights organizations that are part of the anti-Proposition 8 coalition include Asian and Pacific Islander Equality (Los Angeles and San Francisco), Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California, and Chinese for Affirmative Action (San Francisco).