News of the Day
Boies, Olson Voice Prop 8 Optimism
Gay City News
by Paul Schindler
March 11, 2010
"Every person in America should see this, and we would end this
now," Ted Olson, one of two superstar attorneys challenging
California's Proposition 8, said of the case he and fellow litigator
David Boies have mounted in a San Francisco federal court.
Olson
was referring not only to what the two attorneys, in their first public
appearance since the trial began in January, said was the clear
superiority of their arguments compared to those put forward by Prop
8's supporters, but also to the one disappointment marriage equality
advocates have so far sustained during the trial –- the US Supreme
Court's refusal to allow cameras to record the proceedings, even for
narrowcasting to a handful of federal courthouses outside San Francisco.
That
decision, coupled with an earlier jettisoning of the trial court
judge's plan to post each day's testimony on YouTube, to some degree
reined in their hopes to, in Boies' words, "move the public debate."
Click here to read the complete article.
Florida Ponders Tax as Tool to Aid Family-Values Films
New York Times, March 9, 2010
MIAMI - The movie "Bait Shop" had too much boozing to earn the extra rebate from Florida's "family friendly" program of incentives for film production. "Confessions of a Shopaholic" was, well, just too violent.
"There's a scene where the woman is fighting over shoes and she is
beating another woman with a shoe," said Lucia Fishburne, the state's
film commissioner, adding: "We err on the side of conservative."
But for Florida's Republican leaders, that is apparently not enough. A
bill that aims to expand the state's film incentive program - an effort
to attract jobs, which is likely to pass - would add language limiting
a proposed 5 percent tax credit to productions that do not exhibit or
imply "nontraditional family values."
The bill's sponsor, Representative Stephen L. Precourt, an Orlando Republican, told The Palm Beach Post that he wanted to encourage filmmaking akin to "The Andy Griffith Show."
On Tuesday, after declining requests to clarify what he meant, he
released a statement denying that the new requirement for the tax break
was in any way discriminatory.
Click here to read the complete article.
Soon-to-wed D.C. gay couple shares their journey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 They met in grad school. Angelisa Young and Sinjoyla Townsend were assigned to debate opposing sides of the same issue in a constitutional law class at the University of the District of Columbia, and both were so nerdily over-prepared -- typical Washingtonians -- that the other members of their group decided the debate was a draw.
Young felt the attraction first. Throughout the semester, she found excuses to pass Townsend fliers for the political activist group that she belonged to on campus; she was devastated when she later found those fliers left behind after class. She would go to watch Townsend shoot hoops, even though she hates sports. Click here to read the complete article.
Jason Mraz Joins the Fight for Gay Marriage
Gayopolis.com
March 8, 2010
Singer and songwriter Jason Mraz is standing up for LGBT people and
wants to be proactive in the community. In a recent trip to the San
Diego LGBT Center he says:
"I came down here to learn more about how I can get involved in the
fight for equality. Not just marriage equality, but equality for all.
And why it's important to me is that it affects my life."
Click here to read the complete article.
Closing Arguments Of Gay Marriage Trial Won't Be Broadcast
By On Top Magazine Staff
Published: March 08, 2010
The closing arguments by both sides in the legal battle over California's gay marriage ban won't be broadcast, the Ninth U.S. District Court announced last week.
Speculation that lawyer's final arguments in the high-profile trial considering the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban narrowly approved by California voters in 2008, would be broadcast jumped after the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the court might consider such an option.
“Despite a rebuff from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Bay Area's federal judges are again proposing to allow cameras in their courtrooms, a plan that could lead to telecasting of closing arguments in a suit challenging California's ban on sex-sex marriage,” the paper reported. Click here to read the complete article.
Gay couples find one marriage barrier gone, others still rigid
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, March 8, 2010
Dominic Russoli retired in 2001 from an Air Force squadron that flies
national leaders, and he is now a paralegal at the Justice Department.
He had been in the military for 22 years, almost as long as he has been
with his partner, Rolf Preisendorfer.
Julie Garnier is a veterinarian at the Food and Drug Administration.
Her mother and father were married for 63 years, and she has been with
Charlene Evans for nine. This week, they can pick up the marriage
license they've applied for at D.C. Superior Court. "We get married and
we stay married in my family," Garnier said.
Click here to read the complete article.
The hypocrisy of an anti-gay senator and those who protected his secret
Ken Williams - SDGLN Editor in Chief
Sat, 03/06/2010 - 11:00am Oh, such hypocrisy!
News of the DUI arrest of an anti-gay state senator who had
allegedly just left a popular Sacramento gay bar with a younger man has
spread across the globe faster than a California wildfire moves.
The scandalous news had become the fodder of jokes on late-night
television talk shows, the topic of endless speculation by bloggers and
the fascination of the foreign press.
And it has opened a Pandora’s box on a number of issues.
Click here to read the complete article.
Same-sex marriage and adoption law implemented in Mexico city !
March 6, 2010 Entertainmentandshowbiz.com
Finally on Thursday Mexico City implemented the same-sex marriage and adoption of child by the same-sex partners. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard the Mexico City mayor has said that the officials will do everything to implement the law. Since gay rights activists are quite apprehensive about the implementation of the law as the conservative politicians have said that they would do everything in their power to chip away the same-sexmarriage rights. Last month the Mexican Institute for sexology held a workshop for 60 Civil Registry judges who will be performing the weddings. The institute's founder and director Juan Luis Alvarez-Gayou said that this week another workshop for 120 civil judges will be held who might have to give rulings on domestic issues after themarriage.
Click here to read the complete article.
Gay pride swells after science admits animals can be queer as folk
March 6, 2010
TheAustralian.com
MALE ostriches bat for both teams.
When they woo females, they perform a raunchy dance designed to show
off the length and health of their feathers. When courting other males,
they perform the same flamboyant hustle but with a special pirouette
that's only ever been observed in boy-on-boy ostrich action.
"One
of the most common arguments meant to convince us of the unnatural
nature of homosexuality is that even when it does occur in nature, it
is a case of coincidence, mistaken identity or aberrant behaviour,"
Taronga Zoo's manager of research and conservation told hundreds of
rapt diners in the zoo's ballroom on Wednesday night. "[The male
ostrich pirouette] indicates that these males haven't been mistaken for
females but targeted specifically."
Click here to read the complete article.
RI gubernatorial candidates all for gay marriage
by Hannah Clay Wareham
Staff Reporter
Thursday Mar 4, 2010
The three major candidates for Rhode Island governor have each publicly committed to signing a bill legalizing same-sex marriage for the state if elected.
General Treasurer Frank Caprio and Attorney General Patrick Lynch, both Democrats, and former Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who is running in November as an independent, made the pledge at a Statehouse rally on Wednesday, March 3.
Current RI Governor Don Carcieri steadfastly opposes marriage equality.
Click here to read the complete article.
Family values redefined: Children of same-sex parents enter the battle for marriage equality
Thursday, March 4, 2010
by stacey palevsky, staff writer - JWeekly.com
A new voice has crept into the same-sex marriage debate.
Across the country and in California, an increasing number of
children of gay and lesbian parents are finding their voices in
courtrooms, newspapers and public demonstrations.
A 10-year-old took the stand in a December court case in New Jersey; an
11-year-old signed on as a co-plaintiff in the Iowa Supreme Court case
that ultimately legalized marriage in that state.
Click here to read the complete article.
Same-sex marriage ban increases anxiety
UPI - March 4, 2010
NEW YORK, March 4 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers found an increase in
psychiatric disorders among the lesbian, gay, bisexual population
living in states that ban same-sex marriage.
Senior author Deborah Hasin, a professor of clinical epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health
at Columbia University, and colleagues at the New York state
Psychiatric Institute and Harvard University analyzed data from the
National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.
Participants were initially interviewed from 2001-2002 and again
during 2004-2005, at which time participants' sexual orientation was
assessed.
Click here to read the complete article.
How Churches May Actually Help Gays Win the Marriage Fight
 By Byard Duncan, AlterNet
Posted on August 8, 2009, Printed on August 8, 2009
At the top of a hill in Berkeley, California -- above the city's stucco angles, crinkled palm fronds and coffee shops -- Rev. Mark Wilson is seated at a piano. Horizontal bands of evening sun pour through the stained glass to his right, dotting his forehead with pearls of sweat. He closes his eyes.
Today is July 5, 2009 -- the day after Independence Day. Wilson, a broad, boisterous man with a neatly etched triangle of beard, is feeling political.
Click here to read the complete article.
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The Faces of Family are everywhere. They are the common thread that runs through us all. Regardless of color, race, spiritual belief, love orientation or political persuasion, we all share a family heritage.
The Wedding Party is proud to announce The Faces of Family project! The Faces of Family project will continue The Wedding Party's promise to provide the media and the world with the honest and provocative truth about same-sex relationships and families.
How can you be a part? Send us your story! Tell us about your family and why it is important. Tell us what family means to you and how your understanding of marriage was affected by your experience of family. Send us your picture and we will tell your story.
The Faces of Family Project is raising funds
to send the message to Albany to leave no family
behind and that all families deserve protection
through marriage. Click
here to contribute to our Faces of Family
Project.
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Values Are For Everyone
Rebecca A. Kanis Captain, U.S. Army (1991-2000)
I was investigated for being a lesbian while I was at West Point in 1989, before the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. I lied to the investigators and was allowed to continue at the academy. I didn't believe I had other options and the possibility of returning to my family in Kansas as a "disgraced" lesbian was unthinkable. In a crisis at 19 years old, I chose to lie to keep an opportunity open to me, instead of losing it all for the truth. I would choose differently today, but no one should be put in that situation.
Click here to read her complete story!
Elizabeth Grosse - Mother and Friend
My son Charlie was an ordinary man who lived an ordinary life. But to his family and friends, he was extraordinary. The fact that he was gay was only a part of who he was, what was really extraordinary about him was that he was funny, and had a big heart. He was a man that could make you laugh until tears rolled down your face, and when he befriended you, he loved you wholly and completely and his loyalty had no boundaries. Just when Charlie had found someone whom he really loved and wanted to spend his life with, he died rather tragically.
Click here to read her complete story!
Community Bulletin Board
Marriage Equality Event Schedule
Check here for MENY events!
Click here for event information!
Lambda Legal's Upcoming Events
Every year Lambda Legal hosts award galas, garden parties, intimate dinners and other events. We also hold educational forums, seminars and rallies, sometimes with partner organizations - and our attorneys and public education staff participate in a wide range of conferences and workshops open to the public. Click through below to find out what's happening in a town near you!
Click here for more information!
ACLU LGBT Project UpdateThe LGBT Project brings impact lawsuits in state and federal courts throughout the country -
cases designed to have a significant effect on the lives of LGBT people. Visit our LGBT web page for information on everything that the ACLU LGBT Project is doing!
Click here to visit the website now!
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| Prop 8 Trial Gets Online Reenactment |
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 | In its January 13, 2010 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the public broadcast of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, a U.S. District Court case challenging the constitutional validity of California Proposition 8
Working from court transcripts and first-hand accounts from bloggers who are present at the trial, marriagetrial.com is re-enacting the trial and posting it here for public viewing.
Click here to watch the trial reenactment! |
| Wedding Party Forums |
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BE OUTSPOKEN -
JOIN OUR FORUM
The right to marry is a fight for civil rights. What can you do? Stay in action by transforming the conversation. You possess the power of words, help enlighten others - share your thoughts - voice your opinions. Be out spoken, go to the new forums area of the website.
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| HALL OF SHAME |
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 | Antigay Calif. Lawmaker at Gay Club Before DUIAdvocate.com, by Julie Bolcer - March 4, 2010
Antigay California state senator Roy Ashburn was arrested on drunk
driving charges early Wednesday morning after leaving a popular
Sacramento gay bar with another man.
According to CBS 13,
Ashburn, from Southern California, was pulled over by the state highway
patrol at 2 a.m. because his black Chevy Tahoe was swerving.
Click here to read more. |
| From the Heart - A CD tribute to marriage equality |
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Looking for a compilation of todays best new artists? How about a collection of songs devoted to equality? Check out FROM THE HEART, a CD celebration of love benefitting The Wedding Party!
Click here to buy the CD! |
| What about gay couples? |
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 | Living Together First Doesn't Make Marriage Last, Study Finds
March 2, 2010
New York Times
Couples who live together before they get married are less likely to stay married, a new study has found. But their chances improve if they were already engaged when they began living together.
The likelihood that a marriage would last for a decade or more decreased by six percentage points if the couple had cohabited first, the study found.
The study of men and women ages 15 to 44 was done by the National Center for Health Statistics using data from the National Survey of Family Growth conducted in 2002. The authors define cohabitation as people who live with a sexual partner of the opposite sex.
Click here to read the complete article. |
| Faces of Family Postcard Project |
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 | Send us a self-addressed stamped envelope, and we will send you 2 photo postcards at no cost!
These simple but effective tools allow you to affix your picture to the postcard and tell your story to whomever you wish. Just mail your request to:
"TWP Postcard Project"
332 Bleecker St., #d24
New York NY 10014
A picture of your family will tell a thousand words, if you let it. So let us help you tell your story. Send us a SASE today! |
| The Difference Between Marriage and Civil Unions |
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 | Portability of Rights, Medical Decisions in Emergencies, Gift and Property Transfer Tax, Inheritance and many more to name a few! GLAAD has recently published and comprehensive explanation of these very real differences. Check it out!
Click here for more information. |
| A New Symbol For Marriage Equality |
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WhiteKnot.org is the website for White Knot for Equality, a non-profit organization founded by Frank Voci in November 2008 in response to the passing of Proposition 8 in California and bans on same-sex marriage and denial of other civil rights for gays and lesbians across the nation.
Click here to visit whiteknot.org! |
| How To Contact Your Elected Officials |
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 | Now more than ever, contacting your elected officials to tell them what is important to you is CRITICAL! Writing letters, sending emails and making phone calls are powerful tools in the fight for equality. Take action today!
Click this link to find your elected official. |
| 15 Questions Couples Should Ask Before They Marry |
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 | (December 17, 2006 New York Times)
Relationship experts report that too many couples fail to ask each other critical questions before marrying. Here are a few key ones that couples should consider asking:
1) Have we discussed whether or not to have children, and if the answer is yes, who is going to be the primary care giver?
2) Do we have a clear idea of each other's financial obligations and goals, and do our ideas about spending and saving mesh?
3) Have we discussed our expectations for how the household will be maintained, and are we in agreement on who will manage the chores?
Click here for more information. |
| Box of Intolerance |
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Ugandan anti-gay pastor airs gay porn in church
By The Associated Press
02.18.2010 10:05am EST
(Kampala, Uganda) A Ugandan pastor is showing gay pornography at church to try to garner support for a proposed law that would impose the death penalty for some gays.
Martin Ssempa showed the videos to some 100 adults during a church service Wednesday in Uganda's capital.
He says he plans to show the films regularly to educate churchgoers on gay sex and also plans to show the videos to parliamentarians. He says some churchgoers cried after watching the videos, which he said he downloaded from the Internet.
Click here to read more. |
| Human Rights Alert |
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Anti-gay sentiment growing in Kenya
By Ruth Schneider, 365gay.com
02.19.2010 11:59am EST
The wave of anti-gay sentiment in Kenya continues to grow. The mob violence on Feb. 12 over the alleged wedding of two gay men has lead to house-to-house searches for gays, attacks on gays in the street and the sacking of an AIDS clinic.
Denis Nzioka, a gay activist in Kenya told Gay City News, "Ever since the outburst of violence in Mtwapa, gay people have had to fear for their lives. Vigilante groups are hunting down gay men, going door to door, and anyone who is overly flamboyant is attacked in the street."
Click here to read the complete article. |
| A Dose of Reality, a Bid to Restore Magic |
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 | January 28, 2010
News York Times
WASHINGTON - By now, President Obama can hardly be under any illusions about the depth of the partisan divide as he seeks to reboot his presidency. Yet he still seemed surprised on Wednesday night when he could not get Republicans to applaud tax cuts.
As he boasted in his first State of the Union address that his economic program had cut taxes for 95 percent of working families, Democrats jumped to their feet to cheer. Republicans sat quietly. Mr. Obama paused as he glanced over to their side of the House chamber. "I thought I'd get some applause on that one," he said.
Click here to read the entire article |
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