Walt Disney - Ferdinand The Bull - 1938
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Via Courage Campaign:
Author Tom Dolby and his husband, Drew Frist, wrote the following message to the Courage Campaign community in the aftermath of the 9th Circuit stay of Judge Walker's historic decision striking down Proposition 8. Tom and Drew have been phenomenal supporters of our work, from funding Camp Courage to our Testimony campaign. Please read their very personal message below and help us build the "Courageous Families Photo Project" today. Thanks!
-- Rick and everyone at Courage
-- Rick and everyone at Courage
When we were married in Connecticut last year, we knew that the federal Prop 8 trial might change our lives in 2010. What we didn't know was that we would be anxiously awaiting the birth of twin girls, via a surrogate and egg donor.
So when we heard the news a few weeks ago that Judge Vaughn Walker had ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional, we were overcome by emotion. In that moment, we realized that by the time our daughters were born, our family might have the same rights and dignities as every other loving family in California.
Unfortunately, that possibility of equality is on hold yet again, following the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision to stay Judge Walker's ruling indefinitely.
Still, we know that this journey to marriage equality is just the beginning. And we know that if we want our daughters to be raised with the inherent belief that their family is no less important than anyone else's family, we need to change the way Americans think and feel about LGBT families.
We need to change hearts and minds. All of us -- LGBT and straight -- together. Starting now.
That's why we're inviting you to join the Courageous Families Photo Project today. Will you send us a picture of yourself or your family, just like the one of us at our wedding below? We'll add it to a nationwide body of evidence demonstrating the joys of full equality and countering the destructive power of discrimination. Your family photo may even be chosen to be featured prominently on the Courage Campaign's web site. Just click here to upload your photo now:
So when we heard the news a few weeks ago that Judge Vaughn Walker had ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional, we were overcome by emotion. In that moment, we realized that by the time our daughters were born, our family might have the same rights and dignities as every other loving family in California.
Unfortunately, that possibility of equality is on hold yet again, following the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision to stay Judge Walker's ruling indefinitely.
Still, we know that this journey to marriage equality is just the beginning. And we know that if we want our daughters to be raised with the inherent belief that their family is no less important than anyone else's family, we need to change the way Americans think and feel about LGBT families.
We need to change hearts and minds. All of us -- LGBT and straight -- together. Starting now.
That's why we're inviting you to join the Courageous Families Photo Project today. Will you send us a picture of yourself or your family, just like the one of us at our wedding below? We'll add it to a nationwide body of evidence demonstrating the joys of full equality and countering the destructive power of discrimination. Your family photo may even be chosen to be featured prominently on the Courage Campaign's web site. Just click here to upload your photo now:
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As we progress along this new journey of parenthood, with the joy and fear that every prospective parent feels, we've found ourselves wondering: Will our children feel that they are valued in the world, that their parents are just the same as any other loving couple?
We hope so. That's why we are supporting the Courage Campaign as it launches the next phase of Testimony: Equality on Trial -- an unprecedented online storytelling project to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of Americans and change the conversation about marriage equality across the country.
In the coming year, the Testimony project will collect your depositions in the form of videos, pictures and written submissions. Every two weeks, the Courage Campaign home page will feature a real family picture selected from those pictures submitted through the Courageous Families Photo Project. This campaign will demonstrate that no two families look alike, but all families share the common bonds of love and -- most importantly -- deserve equal dignity and respect.
All families are welcome in the Courageous Families Photo Project: LGBT or straight. Single or coupled. Legally married or not. Together for one month or 50 years. We are all in this together. Will you help to change the way Americans think about families by sending a picture of you or your family today? Just click here to upload your photo:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/CourageousFamilies
At our wedding celebration for family and friends in Sonoma, our celebrant quoted the activist Parker Palmer as saying, "There is often a tragic gap between what is and what could and should be. To live in this world, we must learn how to stand in the tragic gap with faith and hope."
We ask that you stand with us in faith and hope as we work to ensure a safe and loving society for all of our children.
Thank you for joining us in launching this special project.
Tom Dolby and Drew Frist
Courage Campaign Institute is a part of the Courage Campaign's multi-issue online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California and across the country. To get involved in the Courage Campaign Institute, visit "Testimony: Equality on Trial" -- our year-long campaign to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of Americans.
To power our campaign to defend Judge Walker's decision striking down Prop 8, please chip in what you can today:
Via JMG: Mexico City Mayor Sues Catholic Cardinal Over Gay Marriage Accusations
Mexico City's Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has filed a defamation lawsuit against Cardinal Juan Sandoval after the cardinal told the press that Ebrard had bribed Mexico's Supreme Court justices to legalize same-sex marriage and gay adoption. Sandoval made the allegations on Sunday during an event in Aguascalientes state. He also used a slur against gays while decrying the recent high court decisions that were called victories for the gay-rights community, as L.A. Times correspondent Tracy Wilkinson analyzes in this story. Church authorities were not backing down. Sandoval said Monday he would not retract his comments, and the archdiocese in Guadalajara later said it had proof of the allegations against the Supreme Court justices. Statements in support were issued from the archdiocese in Mexico City, while the Bishops' Conference of Mexico also said it supports Sandoval. In the secular institutional corner, the Supreme Court censured Sandoval's statements unanimously, and Ebrard issued a stark warning to the highest-ranking prelate of Mexico's second-largest city: "We live in a secular state, and here, whether we like it or not, the law rules the land," Ebrard said, according to La Jornada. "The cardinal must submit to the law of the land, like all other citizens of this country."Earlier this month Mexico's Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages performed in the nation's capital must be recognized in all 31 states. Last week the same court upheld the constitutionality of allowing gay adoption in Mexico City.
ViaJMG: SAN DIEGO: 12 Activists Arrested In Marriage Protest At County Clerk's Office
A dozen activists were arrested today at a San Diego county clerk's office when they refused to leave without being issued marriage licenses. On the day hundreds of gay and lesbian couples statewide planned to obtain their long-awaited marriage licenses, a crowd of about 50 people gathered at the county clerk's office Thursday to protest a federal judge's stay of a federal ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Three people were taken away in plastic handcuffs by sheriff's deputies early in the demonstration and an additional nine people were removed later. A deputy said they were detained for blocking access to a county office. Tony and Tyler Dylan-Hyde and at least one other couple came to the county clerk's office this morning at 8 a.m. asking to receive their marriage license. "We believe that county officials and the Attorney General have the authority and the obligation to allow marriage licenses to proceed based on both federal court findings and that Prop. 8 is unconstitutional and the governor's filings in Prop. 8 cases," Tyler Dylan-Hyde said. "We are asking you to do what's right."According to the linked news story, those arrested had blocked the entrance of heterosexual couples with appointments to get licenses.
Via Service Members:
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Daniel, We've been working with SLDN's Susan LaBombard, who stopped by our home in Missouri last month, on an opinion piece that CNN.com published Tuesday. The piece tells the story of our son, Pfc. Barry Winchell, who was murdered 11 years ago at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Barry lived by the values of respect, selfless sacrifice, integrity and honor throughout his service in the Army. With the continued commitment of supporters like you who are working to repeal DADT, we can make sure that Barry's legacy of courage and love for country lives on. Thank you. -Pat & Wally Kutteles Murdered soldier's parents: Repeal 'don't ask, don't tell' Kansas City, Missouri (CNN) -- The coffee was brewing and we were just starting our day when the telephone rang the morning of July 5, 1999. It was a call that every parent prays never will come. The Army colonel was calling from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where our son was based in the U.S. Army. A fellow soldier had attacked our son, Barry Winchell. He had been taken to a civilian hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. We raced to the Kansas City airport. When we arrived at the hospital, Barry was clinging to life. His face was unrecognizable. Contrary to what the colonel had said on the telephone, Barry had not been kicked in the head by the other soldier. He had been beaten with a baseball bat as he slept in the barracks. The doctor said he had irreparable brain damage and recovery was unlikely. Barry had been a victim of constant, vicious harassment after another soldier -- one of two involved in his murder -- started a rumor that he was gay. Continue reading by clicking here...   Share Pat and Wally's story on Facebook and Twitter today! http://bit.ly/aIHbvw  |
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
via JMG: HomoQuotable - Richard Socarides
"Can President Obama, who once supported gay marriage, only to oppose it now, change his position again? The answer is yes — and he in fact has no choice. People understand that most public officials who now support gay marriage once opposed it. It wasn’t until after they left office that Bill Clinton and Al Gore (and, most recently, Laura Bush) said that they favored marriage equality. As Nate Silver recently wrote on his blog FiveThirtyEight.com: “Does anyone really believe, in a country that is becoming close to evenly divided on gay marriage, that Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Kerry are among the half who oppose it? “"The sooner Obama changes his answer on this most important equal-rights issue of the day, the better off he will be. The Perry ruling provides the right opportunity to shift his emphasis and provide real leadership, reminding people that in this country, we look to the courts for direction on what our Constitution requires. It might also help the president’s popularity with those that elected him, and it puts him and his party on the right side of the equality question, where he, of course, belongs and presumably wants to be." - Former Clinton White House adviser Richard Socarides, writing for Politico.
reposted from Joe
via JMG: Hate Group Vs. Hate Group!
The anti-gay Liberty Counsel wanted to be one of the hate groups arguing Prop 8. The anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund blocked their involvement, saying, "No fucking way, bitches. We're the only haters up in this here case." Protect Marriage even dissed the Liberty Counsel as the "extreme fringe" of the hate movement and "not part of the coalition that got Prop 8 passed." And ever since Walker ruled, the Liberty Counsel's Matt Staver has been screaming about the lousy job the ADF did, whining that ADF didn't hate nearly hard enough during the case. Why, they never even said that dirty homos were doomed to eternal damnation!
"First was a misplaced idea of competition or domination of the case," he said. "And second, a desire to narrow the defense so as not to focus or even address the consequences of homosexuality and homosexual marriage." "We wanted to include that as part of our defense," he continued. According to Staver, the ADF "basically gave away the essence of the case, because they wanted to shy away from homosexuality and really were not willing to take the issue directly head on." The ADF wished to stipulate, he said, that counseling some homosexuals to change could be harmful, that homosexual partners form long and lasting relationships, and that homosexuality does not impair any area of life. Liberty Counsel was not willing to do so.Staver further bitches that none of the Liberty Counsel's suggested witnesses, all of whom were ready to testify about the inherent eeee-ville of teh gay, were ever contacted, much less asked to appear in court.
Regardless of the reason that the ADF opposed Liberty Counsel’s entrance, the attitude that the ADF wished to project towards the court was reflected in the witnesses they planned on calling: at least three seemed to think that homosexuality, in itself, was perfectly fine. Katherine Young and Paul Nathanson had been slated to testify before the court for the proponents of Proposition 8, but they were both withdrawn before they did so.
Advocates of same-sex “marriage,” however, used Young’s and Nathanson’s videotaped depositions to help bolster their own arguments. In Nathanson's deposition he stated that homosexuals can be good parents, while Young said in his videotaped testimony that homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexuality and that homosexuals have the same potential and desire as heterosexual couples to raise children. In 2003, Katherine Young and Paul Nathanson wrote that although legalizing "same sex marriage is a bad idea" they only opposed "gay marriage, not gay relationships." "There's nothing wrong with homosexuality," they stated. "One of us, in fact, is gay."
Labels: Alliance Defense Fund, HA HA HA, hate groups, infighting is funny, Liberty Counsel, Matt Staver, Proposition 8
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Via TBP: Which Supreme Court Justices Will Uphold Judge Walker's Ruling?
As I explained in my previous post, Judge Walker held that Prop 8 failed the easiest of constitutional tests, even though it perhaps deserved a much more difficult test.
In other words, he could have used a sledgehammer to test the Prop 8 brick, but he threw some jello at it and it collapsed. Which it deserved to do, because Prop 8 has no rational basis except for "we hate teh gayz," and that is not a "legitimate government interest."
Justices Scalia and Thomas, however, would definitely love to strike down Judge Walker's ruling with lighting and thunder. Not because they hate gays, but because they don't believe in using the Constitution's Due Process clause to invalidate laws unless it involves gun restrictions. They wouldn't use the jello test like Judge Walker does.
But there are nine justices on the Supreme Court. Five are needed for a majority. Do we have five?
Now, scientific studies show that there are 101 ways to eat jello. (That hilarious video after the jump.)
Our job is to figure out how each of the Supremes like their jello, and what that will mean for Judge Walker's opinion.
Continue reading "Which Supreme Court Justices Will Uphold Judge Walker's Ruling?" »
In other words, he could have used a sledgehammer to test the Prop 8 brick, but he threw some jello at it and it collapsed. Which it deserved to do, because Prop 8 has no rational basis except for "we hate teh gayz," and that is not a "legitimate government interest."
Justices Scalia and Thomas, however, would definitely love to strike down Judge Walker's ruling with lighting and thunder. Not because they hate gays, but because they don't believe in using the Constitution's Due Process clause to invalidate laws unless it involves gun restrictions. They wouldn't use the jello test like Judge Walker does.
But there are nine justices on the Supreme Court. Five are needed for a majority. Do we have five?
Now, scientific studies show that there are 101 ways to eat jello. (That hilarious video after the jump.)
Our job is to figure out how each of the Supremes like their jello, and what that will mean for Judge Walker's opinion.
Continue reading "Which Supreme Court Justices Will Uphold Judge Walker's Ruling?" »
Via TBP: Terror Babies, Mosques in Manhattan, and Gay Marriage
In case you missed it, Republican leadership has completely gone off the deep end. I mean, completely.
From Texas's Congressmen Lou Gohmert (whose insanity brought us "terror babies." I swear they are real. There was one at brunch on Sunday who wouldn't stop screaming. No, I don't have evidence. Stop badgering me!) to Newt Gingrich's attack on the First Amendment. Gingrich has led some low IQ Americans into a frothy idiotic mess over a mosque in Manhattan that happens to be near the 9/11 wound on New York. Manhattan is a small Island. Everything on Manhattan is near the 9/11 memorial. (Even this NSFW link.)
President Obama, wisely and accurately, made a statement on Friday defending the First Amendment and the right for every American to practice the religion of his or her choosing.
What did Newt Gingrich do? He poured gasoline and lit a match.
Continue reading "Terror Babies, Mosques in Manhattan, and Gay Marriage" »
From Texas's Congressmen Lou Gohmert (whose insanity brought us "terror babies." I swear they are real. There was one at brunch on Sunday who wouldn't stop screaming. No, I don't have evidence. Stop badgering me!) to Newt Gingrich's attack on the First Amendment. Gingrich has led some low IQ Americans into a frothy idiotic mess over a mosque in Manhattan that happens to be near the 9/11 wound on New York. Manhattan is a small Island. Everything on Manhattan is near the 9/11 memorial. (Even this NSFW link.)President Obama, wisely and accurately, made a statement on Friday defending the First Amendment and the right for every American to practice the religion of his or her choosing.
What did Newt Gingrich do? He poured gasoline and lit a match.
Continue reading "Terror Babies, Mosques in Manhattan, and Gay Marriage" »
Via Belirico:
"As the leading proponent of stopping bullying in America, I was not allowed to be bullied out of my job. I've been preaching for 25 years that bullying is not OK. There was no way I could then say, 'OK, you can bully me.'[...]
At the peak of the attacks on me last fall, when I had Federal Protective Service in my office because there had been so many death threats, I thought, 'This is the right thing to do?' All I could think is, no matter how this ends, it's better than sitting at home wondering, 'Gosh, I wonder what it would have been like to be part of the Obama administration?'
Get into the arena. You won't win every time. You may find yourself like me with 1.1 million Google hits, most of which are negative, thanks to the Fox News Network."
--Kevin Jennings
Via JMG: Rachel Maddow To Get Cronkite Award
Rachel Maddow will receive an award named after CBS newsman Walter Cronkite for her coverage of religion and politics. The award, which will be presented at a gala dinner in New York in October, "recognizes individuals who courageously promote democratic values, defend religious freedom and reinvigorate informed civic participation," according to the announcement. Cronkite served as Honorary Chairman of the Interfaith Alliance until his death last year. "Walter Cronkite once told me that no less than the future of our nation was at stake in the work of Interfaith Alliance, and I can think of no two people who contribute more to advancing our mission than Rachel Maddow and Joan Brown Campbell," said Interfaith Alliance President Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy. "Rachel's passionate coverage of the intersection of religion and politics exhibits a strong personal intellect coupled with constitutional sensitivity to the proper boundaries between religion and government."Very deserved!
Via JMG: GOProud's HomoCon 2010 Agenda
reposted from Joe
Via Courage Campaign:
"I cried when I heard the news... This straight ally will not give up the fight... I will do everything I can to see (that) your love gets the recognition it deserves... Until all of us are free, none of us are." -- John, who posted this comment on Courage's Prop 8 Trial Tracker web site, one of 463 comments shared by the P8TT community last night.Dear Daniel --
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It breaks our hearts as well, John.
Late yesterday, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals announced an indefinite stay of Judge Walker's ruling striking down Proposition 8. No matter the legal justification for the stay, this news is deeply painful for millions of Americans.
The (very) good news is that the 9th Circuit expedited the case for a hearing on December 6 -- an unusual fast-tracking of the appeals process and a positive sign of what may come.
Still, this is a difficult reminder that the work to restore marriage equality to California -- and to make marriage equality the law across America -- will be a roller-coaster full of ups and downs.
That's why we're relaunching "It Breaks Your Heart" -- a 60-second version of an online video we released last year that was viewed by more than 1.3 million people. Featuring the hit song "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor, the video's message is crystal clear: fundamental civil rights should never be put up for a vote.
Please watch "It Breaks Your Heart" now. Then join more than 700,000 other Courage Campaign members in taking our "1 Million for Marriage Equality" pledge today. It only takes one minute to watch the video and 10 seconds to sign the short pledge. Click here now to join us:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/1Million
When you sign the pledge, you'll be joining a movement to change the conversation about equality across our country and bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of Americans. It started with our Testimony: Equality on Trial campaign and it won't stop until a court ruling strikes down Prop 8. Forever.
In the coming weeks and months, we'll be launching several actions to give Americans -- straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender -- the opportunity to provide your own Testimony about the Prop 8 trial.
Whether in writing, video, or through family photos, your personal testimony will help us defend Judge Walker's ruling in the court of public opinion -- establishing his decision as the social and cultural foundation for victory in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Just like John said above, we must stay in this fight until we win. That's why we're asking you to spend one minute watching "It Breaks Your Heart" -- and then 10 more seconds to sign our "1 Million for Marriage Equality" pledge. Click here to take action now:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/1Million
Thank you for staying in this fight until Prop 8 is gone. For good. We can't do it without you.
Rick Jacobs
Chair, Courage Campaign Institute
Courage Campaign Institute is a part of the Courage Campaign's multi-issue online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California and across the country. To get involved in the Courage Campaign Institute, visit "Testimony: Equality on Trial" -- our year-long campaign to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of Americans.
To power our campaign to defend Judge Walker's Prop 8 decision, please chip in what you can today:
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