ACTION: Help the nationwide fight for LGBT equality

Many of us have focused--rightfully so--on pressuring Obama and Congress to repeal anti-equality measures such as the Defense of Marriage Act and Don't Ask, Don't Tell. But there are still important fights at the ballot box NEXT WEEK! As many of you know, Maine is ground zero--our chance to win marriage equality at the ballot box for the first time! But there are also two other issues on the ba...

Daily Kos • Oct 28, 2009

What You Can Do Right Now To Protect Marriage Equality In Maine

The No on 1/Protect Maine Equality campaign is hoping to make 500,000 calls to Maine voters between now and election day next Tuesday. You don't have to be in Maine to make the calls....

The Stranger • Oct 28, 2009

Judge Refuses to Stay Discovery in Prop 8 Case

In their motion, they argued that they needed a stay pending appeal of Walker's order because once the information was "disclosed" it could never be "un-disclosed," so they should not be required to disclose it until an appellate court had rejected their arguments. Walker disagreed with this reasoning, evidently. (I've not seen a written opinion, just the newspaper report.) One of the tests for...

Leonard Link • Oct 27, 2009

Parents may not exempt their children from anti-bullying curriculum about non-traditional families, says school district in lawsuit

The case shows that even in a state with a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, opponents of same-sex marriage still allege that public schools "indoctrinate" students in lessons about non-traditional families, contrary to the religious values of their parents. They characterize "indoctrination" as a requirement that all public school students, without exception, participate in any program abo...

Prop 8 Legal Commentary • Oct 27, 2009

Show Me the Money! The Geography of Contributions to California's Proposition 8

Provides an overview of disclosure with regard to contributions in favor of and against California's Proposition 8 measure that banned same-sex marriage. Using publicly available data, out-of-state and in-state contributions are mapped, and the geography of California state politics and the consequences of disclosure are discussed....

California Journal of Politics and Policy • Oct 26, 2009

Three questions for ... Theodore Olson

I'm getting some looks, and I'm getting some comments. (I tell them) if individuals love one another and want to live in a stable relationship recognized by the state as a community and a family, that strikes me as a conservative value. ... I don't think I've persuaded everyone, or necessarily anyone, but some people have said, "If you feel that way, I'm willing to listen. I'm willing to think abo...

SF Gate • Oct 19, 2009

Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License By Louisiana Judge

"I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," Bardwell said. "In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer." If he does an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said. "I try to treat everyone equally," he said....

Huffington Post • Oct 15, 2009

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: EQCA's Marc Solomon Talks About Relaunching 'Let California Ring', 2010 and 2012 T

"We want to raise at least 15 million over the next three years," Marc said. "The primary focus of this work is going to be to move POC communities on the issue of marriage." By partnering with organizations represented in the LCR's Executive Committee, as well as faith organizations, such as California Faith For Equality, Marc informed they plan "to do message testing development across the boar...

Unite the Fight • Oct 15, 2009

Schwarzenegger same-sex marriage bill called 'unconstitutional'

Former Rep. Tom Campbell supports same-sex marriage and disagreed with the successful ballot initiative, Proposition 8, that put in place a constitutional ban on such marriages in the state. But he opposes elements of the bill Schwarzenegger signed on Sunday, SB 54, which recognizes same-sex marriages performed in states other than California before November 5, 2008, when voters approved Proposit...

CNN • Oct 15, 2009

Judge Walker Rules Prop 8 Trial Will Proceed, Hammers Prop 8 Proponents

Though we already knew this, Cooper and Prop 8 proponents will do anything to avoid going to trial because 1) They obviously don't know how to defend Prop 8 by strict scrutiny and 2) They really don't want to hand over internal campaign documents, which they've been ordered to do and are appealing. Must be some good stuff in those docs. Walker is deciding whether or not to let cameras roll during...

Unite the Fight • Oct 15, 2009

Judge refuses to dismiss challenge to Prop. 8

U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker, ruling after nearly two hours of arguments in San Francisco, rejected contentions by Proposition 8's proponents that precedent and tradition clearly showed last November's ballot measure permissible under the U.S. Constitution....

LA Times • Oct 14, 2009

Gay-marriage battle in Calif. back in court

Tomorrow, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker is to consider a motion from Prop 8 backers that would scrap plans for a January trial and put a quick end to the effort to overturn the ban. The measure's defenders say U.S. Supreme Court precedent and the historical underpinnings of the definition of marriage negate the need for a trial. That argument is strongly rejected by same-sex-marriage a...

Philadelphia Enquirer • Oct 13, 2009

Reid rips LDS Church's Prop. 8 support

In a meeting with gay-rights activists last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized the LDS Church for backing a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage in California, saying the leaders of his faith should have stayed out of the contentious political fight. Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, is the highest ranking elected official who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da...

Salt Lake Tribune • Oct 13, 2009

The Governator signs major pro-gay bills overnight - but vetos trans rights bill

Late last night, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Harvey Milk Day, out-of-state marriages bill and domestic violence protection bill. "This is huge!" Equality California legislative director Alice Kessler tweeted early this morning. However, Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 1185 (Lieu), which Kessler described as "a simple bill allowing better access to birth certificates for transgender people." H...

Pam's House Blend • Oct 12, 2009

Discovery Dispute May Delay Trial in Prop 8 Case

A dispute about a discovery demand in the pending federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of California Proposition 8 may delay the trial in the case, which has been scheduled to begin in January. The attorneys for the Proposition 8 Official Proponents are asking U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker to stay discovery while they ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to reverse...

Leonard Link • Oct 12, 2009

Harvey Milk Finally Gets His Day

Harvey Milk, the legendary LGBT activist and San Francisco Supervisor who was assassinated in 1978, has finally been given official recognition by the state of California with his own day. The bill to establish May 22 -- Harvey's birthday -- as Harvey Milk Day was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last night, capping off a whirlwind year in which Milk Day was originally vetoed by the Terminator...

Change.org • Oct 12, 2009

Obama's Big Gay Speech

Failing to mention Maine royally stinks, especially after the debacle of Prop 8 last year where anti-gay activists all too easily used Obama to champion "traditional marriage."...

Change.org • Oct 11, 2009

Dear HRC dinner attendees:

The president does not deserve a standing ovation on anything involving our relationship recognition unless and until he comes out for FULL marriage equality. He did not do that. On this issue, let's not rise to our feet (in a supportive way) until he does. A polite applause? Sure. Even a standing O when he vows to repeal DOMA? Okay, fine. But when the official position is still "one man, one wom...

Good As You • Oct 11, 2009

Is President Obama a sissy?

How in the world can he have the gumption - the audacity - to speak so movingly about freedom and equality and then tell us it will come for us "one day." That he is "unwavering" in his commitment to us - but WE are the ones who need to fight for equality and justice, individual by individual. How can he talk about the values laid down in our founding documents, the values we all share as America...

LGBT POV • Oct 11, 2009

Obama's HRC Dinner Speech - We Don't Need a Cheerleader, We Need a President

President Obama needed to convince me of a lot in his speech at the HRC dinner tonight. I needed to be convinced that he had a plan, that he truly understood what was at stake for all of us in the LGBT population, and that he was aware that there possibly isn't as much time left to get actions accomplished as he may think. What I heard convinced me, again, that President Obama sure knows how to d...

Unite the Fight • Oct 11, 2009

Prop. 8 forces seek to hang on to blueprints

Walker has scheduled a trial in January on the suit by two same-sex couples, a gay-rights organization and the city of San Francisco. He will hear arguments Wednesday on a request by Prop. 8's sponsors to dismiss the suit without a trial....

SF Gate • Oct 9, 2009

A profile of Cooper & Kirk's Charles Cooper, attorney for official Prop. 8 proponents in the Perry case

Charles Cooper, of Cooper & Kirk, represents the official Prop. 8 proponents in the Perry case. According to The Recorder, he is a close friend of plaintiffs' attorney Theodore Olson. Both were colleagues in Reagen's Justice Department....

Prop 8 Legal Commentary • Oct 7, 2009

On Prop 8 Case, Judge Walker is Ready for His Closeup

The national Judicial Conference thinks cameras shouldn't be allowed in district court proceedings, and many circuits around the country -- including the Ninth -- have followed that line. Just last week, the Seventh Circuit chided a Peoria, Ill., jurist for allowing cameras into a civil proceeding there. So, if Walker is really serious, it appears he would need special permission from the Ninth C...

Legal Pad • Oct 6, 2009

Prop. 8 backers seek to bump AG Brown to other side of same-sex marriage legal fight

Same-sex marriage opponents have asked a federal judge to shift Attorney General Jerry Brown to the plaintiffs' side of a lawsuit challenging Proposition 8, arguing that his refusal to defend the law makes him an adversary in the legal fight....

Mercury News • Oct 6, 2009

Prop 8 Campaign Attitudes to be Revealed

The most relevant information will be in relation to what messages the campaign decided not to present to voters as this will put those they did use in perspective. But I'm sure that the virulent homophobia and blind hate expressed in the communications will also go far to illuminate the attitudes of the campaign against marriage....

Box Turtle Bulletin • Oct 4, 2009

Meeting on strategies to topple Prop. 8 in 2010 set for Saturday in Riverside

Inland gay-rights supporters are meeting Saturday to plan strategy for a proposed 2010 ballot measure that would overturn Prop. 8, the 2008 voter initiative that banned same-sex marriage. Gay-marriage proponents, led by Los Angeles-based Love Honor Cherish, submitted ballot proposals Sept. 24 to legalize same-sex matrimonies. They need nearly 700,000 valid signatures by April. The state's large...

Press-Enterprise • Oct 2, 2009