LGBT POV

KABC News Channel 7, the local ABC News affiliate, featured a story at the top of their newscast about the upcoming ruling from Chief US District Court Judge Vaughn Walker on the constitutionality of Prop 8. That ruling will be issued between 1:00p and 3:00p today.

KABC News interviewed LA Gay & Lesbian Center CEO Lorri Jean: ”Most of the experts believe that the case that the other side put on was so weak that they expect Judge Walker to issue a decision that says that the United States constitution protects gay people too, just like everybody else.”

Noting that the losing side will appeal the case for to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, then to the Supreme Court, Jean said: ”That is the scary part. This is the most conservative Supreme Court in 70 years in this country so it’s not a slam dunk.”

Possible GOP presidential candidate Fred Karger of Rights Equal Rights (formerly Californians Against Hate) told KGTV in San Diego that he is confident that Walker will overturn Prop 8.  ”I’m very optimistic,” Karger said. “It is an equal protection issue. Everyone should be treated equally.”

There has been some discussion about whether same sex couples should dash out and get married if Walker rules to overturn Prop 98, as expected. Protect Marriage has asked Walker to immediately stay his own ruling so as not to create more legal confusion. Walker is expected to order the stay.

Please note: San Diego-based veteran gay journalist Rex Wockner is keeping track of Day of Decision events at his blog. So far, he has information for 40 cities in 9 states.  There are two sites in Los Angeles: 6 pm at West Hollywood Park and at 8 pm Downtown Los Angeles at Olvera Street Plaza.

ADVISORY: I am also on deadline for Frontiers In LA and my news writer is on vacation. Posting may be light here as I write the other news for the magazine in order to be free to blog consistently once the decision is issued.  Don’t want to miss history!

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Right wing-leaning lesbian radio talk show host Tammy Bruce drew about 40 people to a private “Don’t Tread on Us” reception hosted by the gay Republican group GOProud at the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel in San Diego Saturday.  (Pictured: Jimmy LaSalvia, Jessica Lee, Tammy Bruce, Christopher Barron. Photo by Rex Wockner)) About 20 mostly LGBT people protested the event outside. The Manchester Grand Hyatt has been under an LGBT/union boycott since July 2008.

The LGBT/labor coalition Sleep With The Right People points out that Manchester’s $125,000 contribution to Protect Marriage for a paid signature-gathering campaign put Prop 8 on the ballot. UNITE HERE! wants the Hyatt hotels to provide better working conditions and job security. On the one year anniversary, boycott organizer Fred Karger said the boycott cost Doug Manchester $7 million, noting, “His flagship hotel is now a pariah.”

The National Association of Black Journalists also held their annual convention at the Manchester Grand Hyatt over the weekend, with a workshop conducted by Dannie Tillman from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. In phone and email interviews, NABJ and GLAAD explained why they were there.

Please click inside to read an in-depth report on questions raised by the GOProud event, the boycott and if the LGBT community may be a political turning point.

GOProud, the Washington D.C.-based conservative gay Republican group, is holding a private reception Saturday at the Manchester Hyatt hotel, which has been the target of a boycott by the LGBT community and the UNITE HERE! Labor union since July 2008.

The LGBT/labor coalition Sleep With The Right People plans to protest the event starting at 4:30 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, 1 Market Place in San Diego. The GOProud event runs from 5pm to 7pm.

Cleve Jones, friend of Harvey Milk and founder of the NAMES PROJECT AIDS Memorial Quilt, is a UNITE HERE organizer trying to remedy the drastic conditions for workers and lack of job security at the hotel. Cleve says:

“The solidarity between the labor movement and the LGBT movement is a powerful coalition. In San Diego, the owner of the Manchester Grand Hyatt—the second largest Hyatt in North America—gave $125,000 to put Proposition 8 on the ballot. Our union and the LGBT community are boycotting the Manchester Grand Hyatt, because there is power in the union and there is power in coalition.”

Pause for a second and consider this: Manchester’s $125,000 came in February 2008 at a time when the antigay campaigners did not have enough money to put the measure on the ballot. That money not only paid for the signature-gathering campaign but also gave the then-lackluster Gail Knight-led ProtectMarriage fiscal viability that brought in new money and support. Equality for All countered with a Decline to Sign effort.

Equality for All was non-partisan and reached out to gay Republicans and independents, as well as progressives to fight Prop 8. Political consultant Scott Schmidt of the Los Angeles chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, later created Republicans Against Prop 8 to specifically target Republicans after the measure qualified. Log Cabin has also honored the boycott.

So why is GOProud holding their Tea Party-sounding “Don’t Tread on Us” reception at the Manchester Hyatt hotel?  I don’t think it’s because they need the $18,000 Manchester gave them to break the boycott and fund their 527.

I think this is a PR move aimed at a larger, conservative audience – not the LGBT community.

Please click inside to read my thoughts on the boycott, GOProud, Log Cabin, and the influence of Tammy Bruce.

Remember that slogan “Just Do It!” Well, Southern California political consultant Fred Karger took that to heart and hit the road to explore the possibility of becoming a candidate for the presidential nomination from the Republican Party. His latest missive from the road finds him in Iowa.

If you think this is just play – consider this: the Chicago Tribune’s Jon Margolis did a story on Fred called “The Gayest Republican.”

Here’s the open:

“Ye who doubt that the 2012 presidential campaign has begun, consider this: Fred Karger campaigned in Iowa this week and spent several days in New Hampshire earlier this month.

Fred Who?

Ah, he’s anticipated that. Those are the very words on the logo atop his web site.

The answer to that “Fred Who?” question is “Fred Karger,” a 60-year-old Illinois-bred Californian who is the first person to be openly (if, for legal-financial reasons, not yet officially) campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination.

Also the first openly gay candidate to seek the presidential nomination of either major party, ever.

Please click inside to read Fred’s notes from Iowa with photos.

Fred Karger is nationally known for his dogged pursuit of the truth about Mormon spending in the battle over Prop 8 through his website Californians Against Hate. Now, as a potential presidential candidate in the Republican Party, Fred is hitting the usual presidential stops in a very unusual way – as an openly gay man. I asked him to drop me a note periodically to let me know about his experiences. Here’s his first missive, received Thursday night from New Hampshire, with photos.

Please click inside to read Fred’s note from the (maybe) campaign trail and photos.

Fred Karger, who is exploring the possibility of a run for the presidential nomination in the Republican Party, left Los Angeles for New Hampshire Monday for the first of a 5-state campaign swing. Karger says he has his first meet-and-greet in Keen, New Hampshire on Thursday and will later be speaking at a Gay Pride event at Dartmouth. Karger (pictured here with Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele), says he has a full week of meetings.

Here’s an excerpt from Karger’s open letter to talk show host, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee:

“During a recent interview with the College of New Jersey’s the Perspective, Governor Huckabee, you compared the relationships of gay Americans to that of drug use, incest and polygamy. As if that comment was not enough, you went on to ridicule gay parents and gay foster parents with a snide and nasty comment, “Children are not puppies. This is not a time to see if we can experiment and find out, how does this work?”

You have caused tremendous pain by your widely covered comments, even to people whom you know well, like former Vice President Dick Cheney. His younger daughter, Mary and her partner Heather Poe have a three year old son and another baby on the way. Are you referring to Dick Cheney’s grandchildren as “puppies? Governor Huckabee, you represent the absolute wrong direction for the Republican Party.”

Please click inside for more on Karger and the entire letter to Huckabee.

The Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC) apparently reveled in the presence of Sarah Palin during their convention in New Orleans over the weekend – expected GOP presidential contenders Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney skipped the event.

Also putting in an appearance at the Riverside Hilton was Californians Against Hate activist Fred Karger, a longtime gay Republican who announced that he is “strongly considering” becoming a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.

Karger ran into besieged Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele. Karger told me about the encounter:

“Charming guy. I just went up to him in the lounge at the Hilton on Friday night. I introduced myself, Kevin and Danielle and told him that I had worked for Presidents Ford, Reagan and George H W Bush. I gave him a press release – same one I sent out Friday that’s headlined “Gay Republican to Announce…..”. He looked at it and said, “You’re sure going to shake things up!” ,,,

Very exciting moment!”

Please click inside for more info plus photos.

Stop the Mormon Church’s Nasty Campaign Against Gay Marriage

By Fred Karger

Coming just two years ahead of New Hampshire’s First-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary, Californians Against Hate’s Fred Karger is running “Call Mitt Romney” ads in three major daily newspapers in states where Romney resides: the New Hampshire Union-Leader, the Boston Globe, and the Salt Lake Tribune.

The online ads ask former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney to use his vast influence with the president of his church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church), to get them out of the anti-gay marriage business. Click Here for Full Ad Copy We would hope that the Mormon Church would take a vow of ‘political neutrality’ on gay marriage, just like they pledge in partisan politics.

The Mormon Church has been running and paying for these campaigns to ban gay marriage throughout the country for the past 15 years. They have spent millions and millions of dollars in 31 states to take away marriage equality – $30 million in California alone!

PLEASE CLICK INSIDE TO READ THE REST OF FRED KARGER’S POST. MEANWHILE – Here is a trailer for the documentary 8 – The Mormon Proposition to be screened at Sundance Film Festival Sunday, in which Karger is interviewed.

Intrepid political citizen activist Fred Karger was subpoenaed by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and Protect Marriage, the official Yes on 8 campaign committee over Labor Day weekend as part of their federal law suit to prevent having to disclose their campaign contributions. Both California and Maine are investigating NOM based on complaints filed by Karger. He has started a defense fund called FiveforFred. But Karger is not intimidated or remaining silent. Click inside to read his latest missive on an IRS investigation into NOM.

Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics & Election Practices has posted the contributions given by Catholic Dioceses from around the country. California is not listed. Click inside for the numbers. (Hat tip to Fred Karger)

Californians Against Hate founder Fred Karger responds to news that the National Organization for Marriage has filed a federal lawsuit the state of Maine over their campaign finance disclosure laws. Karger challenged NOM to reveal the names of the donors to the antigay campaign Maine and the Maine Ethics Commission agreed to investigate. Click inside for details.

The National Organization for Marriage is “saddened” and “fighting mad” over developments in Maine. Here’s their just-released press release.

Californians Against Hate founder Fred Karger testified before the Maine Ethics Commission Thursday morning alleging that the National Organization for Marriage has been laundering money in their campaign to stop a marriage equality law from taking effect in that state. Here is his first-person account of today’s startling event. This is also a corrected update to my early post Maine Ethics Commission to Investigate NOM for Money Laundering. Please note the importance of the freelance journalist who testified. Oh – and Fred says the investigation will start immediately.

Californians Against Hate founder Fred Karger – the famed Mormon-chaser during the Prop 8 battle – appears to have scored a slight victory over the National Organization for Marriage in their antigay efforts in Maine. Only it may not come in time to help Maine keep their marriage equality law.