Ah, that Rick Jacobs. Don’t you just wish you could be there in Washington DC to watch the founder and Chair of the Courage Campaign have a few words with the National Organization for Marriage-backed and white evangelical favorite Bishop Harry Jackson over “freedom” and “equality” (pictured here). Some of you may remember that Bishop Jackson started his big national career right here in Southern California when he stood side-by-side with the Traditional Values Coalition head Rev. Lou Sheldon to launch his “High Impact” book tour. At the news conference, also attended by Jasmyne Cannick and Dr. Sylvia Rhue, Jackson promised that while he was opposed to marriage rights for same sex couples, he was not really antigay. He seemed to leave the smarmier opposition to LGBTs up to Sheldon.
Fifteen minutes after the rally was scheduled to begin in a park between the U.S. Capitol and The Supreme Court, Brian Brown took to the stage to announce that the event will begin in 10 minutes.
“Another bus is on the way,” Brown said to the 44 attendees before him who decided to brave the on and off rain showers here in D.C.
Please click inside to read the rest of the NOMTourTracker report.
So many of us are so excited at the prospect of having Judge Walker lift the stay of his ruling on Prop 8 and having the right for same sex couple to marry again in California. That decision will come down between 9:00am and noon today.
But we must not forget that the LGBT community often experiences a spike in hate crimes around times of great visibility – especially when something good goes our way.
This is no idle statistic or scary sign at a National Organization for Marriage rally. This is real. This morning I received a comment on a story I posted on July 19about the 17 people murdered and 18 injured at an apparently gay-organized birthday party in the Mexican city of Torreon.
The poster simply identified as “kf” but the comment address was killfaggots@hmamail.com. It said:
“kf @ 2010-08-11 22:48
Hurrah, I hope the mexican mafia soon invades West Hollywood. Right now they are in Hemet attacking the Police station there. Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia Mexican Mafia”
Now clearly this “kill faggots” person is loony – perhaps a follower of “Reverend” Fred Phelps. But nonetheless, the comment is a stark reminder that we must still be alert and vigilant even as we hopefully celebrate the return of marriage equality in California because some people really do want us dead.
The Family Research Council is freaking out – which is always a great excuse to raise money. Thursday morning the D.C Court of Appeals denied National Organization for Marriage-backed Bishop Harry Jackson his effort to place an antigay marriage initiative on the ballot in Washington D.C. to overturn DC’s marriage equality law. In a 5-4 ruling, the court held that the proposed measure would violate the District’s Human Rights Act. Read more from Chris Geidner at MetroWeekly.
FRC President Tony Perkins (pictured here at the big Prop 8 rally sponsored by Lou Engle’s TheCall) used the ruling as an excuse to issue a “special alert” fundraising letter that skips the DC ruling and goes right to DOMA: “If DOMA falls, it will be catastrophic for America, for the values taught to our children, and for your freedom as a Christian because . . .The homosexual Left will be able to bring the weight of the federal government down on anyone who refuses to go along with counterfeit marriage and the rest of the homosexual “rights” campaign. Are you going to surrender to the homosexual agenda?”
Please click inside for FRC’s “special alert” fundraising appeal.
In a radio interview that aired on KHVH 830 AM last Thursday, Hawaii governor Linda Lingle seemed to reveal one of the reasons why she vetoed the state’s civil union bill last week:
“For those people who want to make this into a civil rights issue, and of course those in favor of the bill, they see it as a civil rights issue. And I understand them drawing that conclusion. But people on the other side would point out, well, we don’t allow other people to marry even — it’s not a civil right for them. First cousins couldn’t marry, or a brother and a sister and that sort of thing. So there are restrictions, not to put it in the exact same category. But the bottom line is, it really can’t be a civil right if we are restricting it in other cases, and it’s been found to be legal in those other cases, that the restrictions (are constitutional).”
The Honolulu Civil Beat reported that later “a caller who identified himself as Joe from Maryland told the governor that first cousins can get married in Hawaii. Lingle’s response: ”Whether or not a first cousin can marry in Hawaii, I’ll have to go back and check. I don’t know that that’s untrue, but let me go back and check on that.”
Honolulu Civil Beat followed up an reported that “the Hawaii Department of Health says, ‘Cousins may marry. However, the blood relationship between the prospective bride and groom cannot be closer than first cousins.’”
Here’s the audio of the interview (hat tip Think Progress and advocate.com):
A federal court in Washington state is currently weighing whether signers of a 2009 ballot petition face a grave enough threat of reprisal for their support of “traditional marriage,” to warrant blocking the release of their names as required under a state law. The petition they signed aimed to strip domestic partner protections from gay and lesbian couples, but voters approved Ref. 71 and kept the protections intact.
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled strongly in favor of disclosure, rejecting in their 8-1 decision in Doe v. Reed the notion that publicly disclosing the names of petition signers generally violates their First Amendment rights. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that disclosure helps root out fraud in signature gathering, and “promotes transparency and accountability in the electoral process to an extent that other measures cannot.”
What the Court mostly eschewed, and left for the Washington state court to address, is whether the particular case of Washington’s Ref. 71 presents special circumstances warranting an exception to disclosure, due to a “reasonable probability” that disclosure of these petitions will subject petition signers to “threats, harassment, or reprisals.”
Justice Samuel Alito tries to make the case in his Doe v. Reedconcurring opinion that “the widespread harassment and intimidation suffered by supporters of California’s Proposition 8 provides strong support for an as-applied exemption [from disclosure] in the present case.”
Evidence of this purported harassment and intimidation suffered by backers of Prop. 8 — the ballot measure that stripped the rights of gays and lesbians to wed in California in 2008 — has been trumpeted far and wide by anti-gay groups wishing to perpetuate a meme that they are in fact victims in their campaigns to codify gay Americans as second-class citizens.
Last month Equality California Marriage Director Marc Solomon posted a piece on LGBT POV asking for your help with messaging on marriage equality. EQCA hosted roundtables around the state, including in the Inland Empire where EQCA has an office and has been working with local groups such as Equality Inland Empire and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) to figure out how best to reach their conservative religious neighbors. Vincent Pompei, a public school teacher who is President of PFLAG Temecula, wrote this post about what happened at their messaging roundtable.
As a resident of Inland Empire, one of the most conservative religious and anti-gay areas of our wonderful state, I was thrilled when I heard that Equality California opened up a field office in Riverside earlier last year. With already having offices in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, some were wondering who was going to be brave enough to come to our area to begin the challenge of opening up the hearts and minds of a population with strong and cemented convictions against equal rights for LGBT people.
Here in the Inland Empire, it is still politically correct to be blunt, open and up front about being anti-LGBT. Religious based intolerance against LGBT people and their families is all too abundant and the local youth are the ones who suffer the most. I know this not only because I am a gay male living here, but I also a public school teacher and the PFLAG Temecula President, where I hear the stories from the local youth, as well as hear blatant homophobia in the staff lounge.
A hearty congratulations to Pastor Samuel Chu who was just named Executive Director of the important inter-faith LGBT/straight allies organization, California Faith for Equality. Syd Peterson profiled Chu for LGBT POV last October.
Chu, who is straight, said in a press release:
“People of faith have always worked powerfully and provocatively at the intersections of various struggles for justice and equality. I am honored to be part of CFE’s commitment to continuing that tradition as we work for full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in California. We know that commitment will require the very best of what people of faith have to offer and contribute — and we look forward to partnering with our secular allies as we work together toward our common goal of equality for LGBT Californians.
It has been my deep belief that faith should always be a force for good — not to be used to harm or to deny a person’s humanity. I am honored to continue to lead California Faith for Equality at this critical moment when we must reclaim this powerful force — not just for those on the religious left or the religious right – but for all people.”
Please click inside for more information and several photos of Chu at various Prop 8-related events.
A new Los Angles Times poll published Tuesday reported much the same results as a similar Public Policy Institute of California poll two weeks ago – that the majority of California voters now support same sex marriage. But the new trend does not automatically translate into support for a repeal of Prop 8.
The new poll found that 52 percent of registered voters in California support legal marriage for same sex couples – compared to 40 percent opposed.
Marc Solomon is director of Equality California’s Marriage Project and is here asking for the LGBT community’s help in figuring out good and appropriate messaging to advance the movement for marriage equality. LGBT POV was on a conference call about Let California Ring’s latest report and will post several stories in the coming days. – Karen Ocamb
Messaging on Marriage – We Need You!
By Marc Solomon
Monday, Let California Ring—the coalition of 50-plus organizations hosted by the Equality California Institute to do education work on the freedom to marry —embarked on something not often seen in our work together. We’ve publicly released our findings on messaging and we’re asking the community of LGBT people and allies for their best ideas to help us take our messaging work to the next level.
Why are we doing this? While experts can be very helpful and we’ve learned a great deal from them, it is our community of marriage equality supporters who are actually changing minds on this issue every day. They’re doing this work in all aspects of their lives, in communities throughout the state. They’re having conversations at church and synagogue, at the family dinner table, in the workplace, at the park, making the case about why they (or their children, siblings, or friends) should be able to marry. Through these real, tough conversations with those who are not yet with us,they’re changing minds and they are learning what works in making the case and what does not. We really want the benefit of this learning so that we can try out some new, innovative approaches, and then bring back to the community what’s most effective….
Please click inside to read more of Marc’s post and how you can help.
The annual Human Rights Campaign gala is generally a night for gay politicos to schmooze with HRC President Joe Solmonese (pictured here with HRC board member Alan Uphold and his partner Jeff Olde) about the DC gossip and pending legislation.
So it uncommon for a self-proclaimed “D-List” celebrity to make more news than the politicos. But comedienne Kathy Griffin’s call to protest the antigay military policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (Thursday at noon at Freedom Plaza in DC) was a significant highlight at the Human Rights Campaign gala March 13 at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel. Actress Portia de Rossi was also a hit with the story about her political evolution.
Please click inside to read excerpts from remarks by Griffin, US Sen. Barbara Boxer, HRC’s Joe Solmonese, and Portia de Rossi.
Ted Olson and David Boies, the two famed straight attorneys mounting the federal challenge to Prop 8, were in New York City Wednesday night speaking at an invitation-only event moderated by New York Times Supreme Court correspondent Adam Liptak at The Times headquarters. Before their talk, Olson and Boies spoke with Towleroad political director Corey Johnson and stressed that they believe they produced a “bullet proof” case before District Court Judge Vaughn Walker. (See video below) Paul Schindler of Gay City News also covered the talk before the audience of 100-150 people.
But while Olson and Boies said they expect to deliver closing arguments by the end of March or beginning of April – the fight over document discovery is still not over. And, as the court order is written, the privilege of protection does not extend to many – including bloggers – who helped strategize with the No on Prop 8 campaign. Please click inside for a link to and excerpts from the order – including the names of those the court deems protected. UPDATE: KORS SAYS EQCA IS APPEALING SPERO’S RULING TO JUDGE WALKER. SATURDAY UPDATE: JUDGE WALKER GRANTED A HEARING ON KOR’S MOTION OBJECTING TO SPERO’S COURT SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 16.
Tuesday, March 9th marks the first day that same-sex couples in the District of Columbia were able to marry. The Human Rights Campaign hosted three ceremonies at our DC headquarters building. Here’s the video of those ceremonies. Please click inside for more info on the couples and photos from Cathy Renna.
Thursday, a new law in Mexico City goes into effect that grants civil marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples.
HONOR PAC, an LGBT Latina/o political organization, will celebrate Marriage Equality in Mexico City with special guest speakers, an oversized “congratulations on your wedding” card “for our family in Mexico,” and a delicious Mexican wedding cake.
After a failed last minute attempt to stop Washington DC from issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples, the day has finally arrived and couples are lining up to get that piece of paper that will allow them to get hitched.
Angelisa Young and Sinjoyla Townsend, together for 13 years, were the first couple in line. According to the Human Rights Campaign, which provided this photo of the couple, “neither of them could sleep and they stayed up all night thrilled about this historic opportunity. Sinjoyla told us: ”I’m just excited because we’re able to get married. The institution of marriage is an institution that’s respected in every culture. Anywhere we go, people know what marriage is and we’re so excited to be a part of it.”
At 8:30am, Eastern time, Young and Townsend received their license.
Please check HRCbackstory.org and dcagenda.com throughout the day as the story unfolds. BTW – with the passage of the Sen. Mark Leno authored/ Equality California-sponsored marriage recognition bill last year – California couples can get married in DC (or the other states that permit marriage) and come home to have their marriage recognized by the state – everything but the word. Please click inside for more.
“Quick report from the DC courthouse: great spirit this morning, with happy same-sex couples applying for marriage licenses and then sharing their joy with a huge phalanx of media and cameras. One fantastic moment: when the Phelps clan of professional haters showed up and started singing and chanting, pro-equality clergy gathered nearby and overwhelmed them by singing “this little light of mine.” Some great solidarity also from other allies, including a straight couple who had held off getting married for six years until marriage was also open to same-sex couples.”
Scottish poet Sir Walter Scott once wrote: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” Please – I beseech you – try to follow the logic of this Family Research Council minister who tries to make it OK to hate gays, as long as it’s done with Christian love. Pray on it, in fact. FRC sends out regular missives to their Christian “Prayer Warriors” specifying what “targets” to pray at each week. These guys are making it really, really hard to believe that old Sunday School song, “Jesus loves me, this I know – for the Bible tells me so.” You decide.
Dear Praying Friends,
Opposing the radical homosexual rights agenda is distasteful to Bible-believing Christians and leaders. Eager to follow the law of love, they sometimes sympathize with those who accuse opponents of homosexual rights as guilty of “hate.” These believers prefer to hold their tongues regarding this and other cultural sins that Scripture condemns, preferring to preach “grace.” But without God’s law there is no grace. And God’s warnings to society must not be ignored. We genuinely love those caught in this and other aberrant sinful addictions, but we cannot cease to warn society of the consequences of approving such behaviors. We must neither keep silent, nor compromise, nor succumb to those who seek to “normalize” homosexuality. The consequences are simply too great. Bible-believing Christians are motivated by love, not hate. But in a culture in which speaking the truth in love on such matters is viewed as “hate,” we must risk the accusation and speak the truth in love, accompanied by much prayer (see Mt 10:12-42; Eph 6:1-20; 2 Tim 2:24-4:5).
Next Thursday – Feb. 25 – I am going to be on a Los Angeles Press Club panel with Andrew Harmon, senior editor for The Advocate, advocate.com and my legally married friend, Ted Johnson, managing editor of Variety and blogger at wilshireandwashington.com. The discussion topic is: “Covering the Prop. 8 Trial: Can the Gay Press Maintain Objectivity (and Should It)?”
Having served on the board of the LA Press Club with Ted, I suspect this topic was selected long before the San Francisco Chronicle published a political column noting the “open secret” that Prop 8 trial Judge Vaughn Walker is gay – which I wrote about citing some facts to counter the spin from the National Organization for Marriage. But the timing is terrific because it may well draw many more straight people who quietly have questions and harbor a lingering doubt about Walker – and our coverage, which is sometimes cited by the mainstream media.
The panel will be moderated by openly gay radio news star and college professor Jon Beaupre who moderated another Prop 8 panel I was on last year. That lead to a political awakening for at least one of his students. Watch:
Despite being among those considered by President Barack Obama to fill a vacancy for the U.S. Supreme Court, Los Angeles native Moreno stuck to his principles and was the lone dissenting voice when the California high court voted to uphold Prop 8. Obama picked federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor instead.
It’s a strange anxiety that permeates my psychotherapy practice these weeks of waiting, after the end of testimony in the Prop 8 trial, and before the final ruling.
It seems like most of my clients are talking about marriages, their own or others’, among their families and friends. Conversations start and stop—halting, hesitant. Some of my politically active heterosexual clients hesitate to talk about their marriages or engagements while their lesbian, gay and transgender friends are in awkward, political limbo.
Queer clients talk cautiously about the struggles in their partnerships as though fearing any exposure of problems in queer marriages works against the cause. It’s a vulnerable time. My clients walk through the world with heightened awareness of visibility and vulnerability. And so do I…..Please click inside to read Keiko’s essay.
Bay Area bloggers are hitting the streets this weekend to build support for marriage equality. If you can make it out, please join us at 10:00 am this Saturday in San Francisco. The canvass is a great excuse to meet and mingle with a crowd of awesome online writers, and learn about some of the work being done to restore marriage for same-sex couples in California. Non-bloggers will also be there and are highly welcome. Please click inside to read more about the canvassing.
I’ve known prodigious producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron since 1995 when I covered their important gays-in-the-military film, “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story.”
Now I know the team is devoted to the musical (“Chicago,” “Annie”) so I’m sure their latest venture “Promises, Promises” with Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth set to preview on Broadway on March 27 – is straight-up fun. Think “Mad Men” set to Burt Bacharach tunes.
But the plot of “Promises, Promises” – based on the award-winning Billy Wilder film “The Apartment” starring Jack Lemon and Shirley MacLaine – has at its core the societal acceptability of extra-marital affairs. Now coming off of covering the historic federal challenge to the constitutionality of Prop 8 where the ProtectMarriage side went on and on about the sanctity of marriage and how historically the purpose of marriage is the procreation of children – this show promises to be an laugh-out loud ode to heterosexual hypocrisy. Please click inside to see how.
Ah, that Rick Jacobs. Don’t you just wish you could be there in Washington DC to watch the founder and Chair of the Courage Campaign have a few words with the National Organization for Marriage-backed and white evangelical favorite Bishop Harry Jackson over “freedom” and “equality” (pictured here). Some of you may remember that Bishop Jackson started his big national career right here in Southern California when he stood side-by-side with the Traditional Values Coalition head Rev. Lou Sheldon to launch his “High Impact” book tour. At the news conference, also attended by Jasmyne Cannick and Dr. Sylvia Rhue, Jackson promised that while he was opposed to marriage rights for same sex couples, he was not really antigay. He seemed to leave the smarmier opposition to LGBTs up to Sheldon. 
So many of us are so excited at the prospect of having Judge Walker lift the stay of his ruling on Prop 8 and having the right for same sex couple to marry again in California. That decision will come down between 9:00am and noon today.
The Family Research Council is freaking out – which is always a great excuse to raise money. Thursday morning the D.C Court of Appeals denied National Organization for Marriage-backed Bishop Harry Jackson his effort to place an antigay marriage initiative on the ballot in Washington D.C. to overturn DC’s marriage equality law. In a 5-4 ruling, the court held that the proposed measure would violate the District’s Human Rights Act. Read more from 
In a radio interview that aired on KHVH 830 AM last Thursday, Hawaii governor Linda Lingle seemed to reveal one of the reasons why she vetoed the state’s civil union bill last week:
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court 
Last month Equality California Marriage Director Marc Solomon 
A hearty congratulations to Pastor Samuel Chu who was just named Executive Director of the important inter-faith LGBT/straight allies organization, California Faith for Equality. Syd Peterson
A 
Marc Solomon is director of Equality California’s Marriage Project and is here asking for the LGBT community’s help in figuring out good and appropriate messaging to advance the movement for marriage equality. LGBT POV was on a conference call about Let California Ring’s latest report and will post several stories in the coming days. – Karen Ocamb
The annual Human Rights Campaign gala is generally a night for gay politicos to schmooze with HRC President Joe Solmonese (pictured here with HRC board member Alan Uphold and his partner Jeff Olde) about the DC gossip and pending legislation.
Ted Olson and David Boies, the two famed straight attorneys mounting the federal challenge to Prop 8, were in New York City Wednesday night speaking at an invitation-only event moderated by New York Times Supreme Court correspondent Adam Liptak at The Times headquarters. Before their talk, Olson and Boies spoke with Towleroad political director Corey Johnson and stressed that they believe they produced a “bullet proof” case before District Court Judge Vaughn Walker. (See video below) Paul Schindler of 
Thursday, a new law in Mexico City goes into effect that grants civil marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples.
Scottish poet Sir Walter Scott once wrote: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” Please – I beseech you – try to follow the logic of this Family Research Council minister who tries to make it OK to hate gays, as long as it’s done with Christian love. Pray on it, in fact. FRC sends out regular missives to their Christian “Prayer Warriors” specifying what “targets” to pray at each week. These guys are making it really, really hard to believe that old Sunday School song, “Jesus loves me, this I know – for the Bible tells me so.” You decide.
Next Thursday – Feb. 25 – I am going to be on a Los Angeles Press Club panel with Andrew Harmon, senior editor for The Advocate, 
Despite being among those considered by President Barack Obama to fill a vacancy for the U.S. Supreme Court, Los Angeles native Moreno stuck to his principles and was the lone dissenting voice when the California 
Visible and Vulnerable: My marriage and the psychological impact of Prop 8
San Francisco Bloggers: Come Canvass for Equality!
I’ve known prodigious producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron since 1995 when I covered their important gays-in-the-military film, “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story.”
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