LGBT POV

LGBT POV is among the many LGBT and MSM blogs that have been covering the federal challenge to Prop 8 (see here and here, for example).  And with the decision by the US Supreme Court not to allow broadcasts of the trial outside the San Francisco federal courthouse, bloggers such as Courage Campaign’s Rick Jacobs have been live-blogging the events.

But many of us also begged the American Foundation for Equal Rights – the group sponsoring the plaintiff’s legal team lead by Ted Olson and David Boies, to please secure the expensive trial transcripts and post them on their website so everyone can see what’s happening. LA-based political strategist Chad Griffin, chair of AFER’s board, said they’d do everything legally possible to ensure public access to the trial.

They have been doing all of this without any public request for financial help, other than a button to a page on their website. Late Thursday, however, Chad sent out a fundraising letter asking the community for help in keeping this trial going. With local activism at a standstill and political attention shifted to the upcoming elections and winning federal benefits, many are counting on the Prop 8 trial team to win full marriage equality. This is them asking for your help to do that. Here’s Chad’s letter:

Dear Friends,

Every day that Prop. 8 remains on the books is a day when people’s Constitutional rights are being violated. But those days are numbered because the American Foundation for Equal Rights has challenged this discriminatory initiative in federal court.
 
The trial we’ve seen in the news over the last three weeks is just the beginning.

The American Foundation for Equal Rights had the two finest lawyers in the nation arguing for our side. But we need to keep up the fight until marriage equality for all Americans is a reality.
 
The nationwide coalition behind Prop. 8 will do whatever it takes to win.
 They raised more than $40 million to pass Prop. 8 and now they’re bankrolling a prominent Washington, D.C. law firm to defend it in court.

We need your help to fight back.

Our lawyers, Ted Olson and David Boies faced-off against each other in Bush v. Gore, which decided the presidency in 2000. Now, they’ve joined forces — not as Republican and Democrat, but as Americans — to fight for the fundamental Constitutional rights to which we are entitled. But while they are giving us as much as they can, this case requires the support of a large team of attorneys, who have been dealing with tens of thousands of documents and pieces of evidence, sophisticated legal research, briefs and more.

We need your help to ensure we will be able to keep up the fight during the years of appeals it will take to win.

Alongside Olson & Boies we are lucky to have the cream of the crop — valedictorians of their law schools, the head attorneys of their offices.
And leading up to trial, they also fought for our rights three times in the 9th Circuit and even once in the United States Supreme Court. This is specialized work that requires massive amounts of time and rare talent.

At trial, Olson and Boies proved that:

• Marriage is vitally important in American society.

• Prop. 8 causes grievous harm to gays and lesbians and their children throughout California, and adds another chapter to the long history of discrimination they have endured.

• Prop. 8 perpetrates irreparable, immeasurable, discriminatory harm for no good reason.

That case was made by our witnesses and theirs.
 
This historic trial culminated with the defendant’s own witnesses bolstering our case, and crumbling under cross-examination. It showed that the arguments against marriage equality cannot withstand close scrutiny and cross-examination.

A victory at this level is critical and the American Foundation for Equal Rights has presented the strongest possible case in court. Help us continue this fight.

Sincerely,

Chad Griffin,

Board President

American Foundation for Equal Rights