Emma Ruby-Sachs: As a movement, the LGBT community has always seen legal strategies as a central part of the march towards equality. But their strategy has been one of incremental change. So imagine the uproar when two star lawyers, both straight, white men, marched into the Proposition 8 controversy with little prior experience with LGBT struggles and announces a federal challenge to marriage discrimination. What resulted was an internal struggle between incremental change and bold gestures for equality. Today, bold gestures certainly seems to be winning the struggle. Click here to read more.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
From the Courage Campaign Institute:
The Associated Press is reporting that Protect Marriage -- the coalition of right-wing religious groups that sponsored Prop 8 -- filed an appeal today in response to Judge Vaughn Walker's historic ruling yesterday striking down the discriminatory initiative. Walker has ordered both sides to submit written arguments by Friday as he determines whether to grant a stay in the case.
Meanwhile, Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage launched a counter-attack to rally the religious right, calling Walker's decision a sign of a "Soviet-style" government takeover of marriage, leading the way as conservative groups stoke a backlash against the decision.
With the opposition going on the attack, we need your support now to defend Judge Walker's historic decision in the court of public opinion. Less than 24 hours after we sent you the message below, our community blew through Tom Dolby and Drew Frist's $25,000 matching grant challenge, raising $62,729. Because of that smashing success, we're setting a huge new $100,000 goal to go on offense against the Prop 8 campaign, NOM and Focus on the Family. Will you help us reach this critical goal? DEADLINE: FRIDAY, 11:59 PM:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/DefendTheDecison
Dear Daniel --
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Judge Vaughn Walker just released his decision, ruling that PROP 8 IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL!
Judge Walker's federal court decision is an historic milestone in the fight for full equality, but it is only a first step: The decision will inevitably be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
After denying Americans the opportunity to watch this historic trial on television, Prop 8 campaign leaders and extreme right-wing organizations like the National Organization for Marriage and Focus on the Family will stop at nothing to delegitimize this decision before it ever reaches the Supreme Court.
But this time, we're fighting back by launching our biggest campaign ever -- an unprecedented online storytelling project to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of the American people and transform the debate over marriage equality.
As the next phase in our year-long "Testimony: Equality on Trial" project, our new campaign will empower same-sex couples, their families, and allies to fundamentally change the conversation about same-sex marriage in America -- establishing today's ruling as the social and cultural foundation for victory in the Supreme Court.
To defend Judge Walker's historic decision, we need to go on offense against the Prop 8 campaign, NOM and Focus on the Family. That's why Tom Dolby and Drew Frist, just married last year, have pledged to contribute $25,000 if our community can match it in the next 48 hours. Will you help us make the match and defend Judge Walker's decision in the court of public opinion? Click here to contribute $25, $50, $100 or more right now! DEADLINE: FRIDAY, 11:59 PM:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/DefendTheDecision
Ted Olson, the legendary attorney who teamed up with one-time adversary David Boies to successfully lead this case against Prop 8, said it better than anyone:
"If there was ever a trial in the history of our country that the American people should have seen, it was this one."I couldn't agree more. To prevent the right-wing from spouting the same lies that were debunked and destroyed in Judge Walker's courtroom, we must translate today's victory in court to victory in the hearts and minds of Americans.
That's why we collected nearly 140,000 signatures to televise the Prop 8 trial -- a campaign cited in a dissenting opinion to the the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision against broadcast. It's also why we launched the Prop 8 Trial Tracker and the NOM Tour Tracker -- generating more than 2.5 million views and 44,121 comments combined. And it's why we are bringing this trial to life across America with the next phase of Testimony: Equality on Trial.
Today's historic decision must be defended in the court of public opinion. That's why Tom Dolby and Drew Frist have stepped up to make a $25,000 matching grant challenge to the Courage community so we can fight back together against the right-wing's framing of this trial, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. But we need your help now to make the match in the next 48 hours. Click here to contribute $25, $50, $100 or whatever you can afford. DEADLINE: FRIDAY, 11:59 PM:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/DefendTheDecision
Thank you for all you have done to make today's victory possible. With your ongoing support, full equality will eventually be the law of the land.
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
To power our campaign to defend the Prop 8 decision, please chip in what you can today:
Via JMG: Is Mexico Next For Marriage Equality?
Today Mexico's Supreme Court ruled 8-2 that the legalization of same-sex marriage in the nation's capital did not violate the Mexican constitution. Mexico City legalized gay marriage in March, but the ruling was challenged with the backing of the Catholic Church. Today's decision not only squashed that challenge, it further stipulated that gay couples were free to adopt. How long before we see the expansion of marriage equality to all of Mexico?
Via JMG: BREAKING: Target Apologizes For Funding Minnesota Anti-Gay Political Group
Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel has bowed to national outrage and issued an apology (just to his employees, so far) for funding an anti-gay Minnesota PAC to the tune of $150,000. Steinhafel's letter says the company "will more closely scrutinize" political donations in the future. Minnesota Forward, the recipient of Target's dough, funneled the money to anti-gay candidate for governor, Tom Emmer. Is this enough to call off the LGBT dogs? We shall see. And no word yet from Best Buy, who made a similar donation.Via HRC:
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Dear Daniel,
Yesterday, when a California court ruled that Proposition 8 violated the U.S. Constitution, the radical-right "National Organization for Marriage" (NOM) immediately went ballistic, saying the case could "strip millions of Americans of our core civil right to vote..." The ruling has fueled a right-wing fire that was already raging: NOM is in the midst of holding anti-equality rallies in 20 cities, and rabidly anti-marriage candidates are making headway – including one who's received major support despite his ties to a group that condoned executing gay people. It all adds up to a right-wing onslaught – groups firing up their activists for a make-or-break election this November and anti-equality candidates bolstered by new sources of funding. And yesterday's court decision kicked it into high gear. This is the next big moment for marriage. To have the strength to fight back, we need to raise $100,000 in the coming week. With your help, we're mounting a major grassroots campaign against the right-wing effort to shift the balance of power – by getting lawmakers elected who support equality, voting out those who don't, and preventing hateful initiatives. But it won't be easy. We face a wave of anti-equality candidates backed by Tea Partiers and front groups. The stakes are enormous, Daniel, and the danger of defeat is real. And that's why we need you in the fold as an HRC member. Can you help? Between yesterday's historic Prop. 8 decision and the recent rebuke of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the right wing is spitting mad. NOM’s leaders have raised the specter of a "culture war" and threatened retribution at the ballot box: "Let me promise you one thing: This is going to light a fire for November." The Family Research Council called an earlier DOMA ruling "an attack on America's moral foundations." When extremists lash out, it's not just about rhetoric. They raise money – a lot of it – off their bare-knuckle tactics. And the right-wing candidates they've gotten on the ballot – people who could stand in the way of marriage equality in states like Minnesota – are also enjoying an unprecedented flow of donations in the wake of relaxed campaign finance rules. To fight back, we're counting on the generous financial support of our members. We need to get grassroots organizers into the field, train and mobilize volunteers, run ads, speak out in the media, and fight the right-wing rhetoric daily. The victories we've earned this year could be short-lived. They could spark a devastating backlash unless we're there to defend and build on them. Thanks in advance for being there when your help is needed most. Warmly,  Joe Solmonese President  This link is specific to you, so please make your own gift before you forward to your friends. Having trouble clicking on the links above? Simply copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar to reach the donation form: https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Donation2?df_id=5543&5543.donation=form1 |
via AFER:
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SACBEE.COM BREAKING NEWS ALERT
Proponents of California's gay marriage ban have formally appealed a federal judge's ruling striking down the voter-approved law. |
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via sacbee:
Gay couples in Sacramento area rejoice over Prop. 8 ruling but have to wait to wed
By Cynthia Hubert
By Cynthia Hubert
Within an hour after a federal judge declared that gay people in California have the right to marry, Wendy Rae Hill gathered her partner, two children and mother and headed to the Sacramento County clerk's office. - Read More
Via o Globo: Juiz derruba proposição que impede casamento gay na Califórnia
Para juiz federal, proposição 8 viola a Constituição norte-americana.
Aprovada há 2 anos por californianos, proposta vetava união homossexual.
Na decisão, o juiz federal Vaughn Walker afirma que a proposição, aprovada por referendo em 2008, é "inconstitucional", já que viola o 14º artigo da Constituição americana, que prevê proteção igual a todos os cidadãos.
Spencer Jones (esq) beija o marido Tyler Barrick após ouvirem decisão em frente à Corte Federal em São Francisco, na Califórnia (Foto: Jeff Chiu / AP)A decisão foi uma resposta à ação impetrada por um casal de lésbicas que questionava a proposta 8, cuja aprovação em novembro de 2008 por 52% dos californianos anulou a decisão da Suprema Corte de Justiça do estado que autorizava os casamentos gays.
Nem os adversários nem os partidários do casamento homossexual acreditam que esta seja a decisão final sobre o caso. Ambos os lados disseram que a decisão deve ser objeto de recurso e, eventualmente, deve acabar na Suprema Corte dos EUA.
Schwarzenegger comemora
Pelo Twitter, o governador da Califórnia, Arnold Schwazenegger, comemorou a decisão do juiz. "Esta decisão confirma as completas proteções legais e as garantias que acredito que todos merecem", postou.
Na declaração completa, publicada no site do governo, o governador diz que o juiz "ouviu em profundidade todos os argumentos de ambos os lados sobre as questões fundamentais do devido processo legal, da igual proteção e da liberdade da discriminação".
Ao mesmo tempo, afirma Schwazenegger, a decisão "fornece uma oportunidade para todos os californianos para considerar a nossa história de liderar o caminho para o futuro, e nossa crescente reputação de tratar todas as pessoas e suas relações com igual respeito e dignidade."
*(Com informações da Reuters, France Presse e EFE)
via tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com
A federal judge in California has ruled that Prop 8 -- the voter initiative that banned gay marriage -- is unconstitutional, CNN and NYT are reporting. Supporters of Prop 8 (that is, opponents of gay marriage) have already promised to...
Via MSN
- California Gay Marriage Ban Overturned A federal judge's decision to overturn voter-approved Proposition 8 is likely to be appealed.
- Mormon church regrets ruling
- Video: Ruling likely not last word on Proposition 8
This from a great former student in Fairbanks:
Btw: woopie here in California! We are still married!
Well - honestly folks will always be married.
End of story there. Enough folks will keep standing
up for what is simply right. Not special, not different, just right.
I believe with every fiber of my being that the force of good is
much more powerful than the force of evil.
The cretins will never 'get it'.
But it is cause for the happy dance that it is still legal - HOORAY and CONGRATS
for sadly - another teeny tiny step in the right direction.
Dang, I cannot even imagine as to how frustrating and - gadzooks - even ANGERING
- that is. It just shouldn't be.
Just as no human being can be illegal.
Love cannot be legislated.
It is just stupid.
Ah, but I am prolly just 'preaching to the choir'.
hugs
cbs
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Via Belirco: Our Constitution Is a Living, Breathing Document
Reading the words of Judge Walker moves me deeply. Once again, our constitution is a living, breathing document, and today it protects our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, just as it should protect all people and peoples when the government treats them unequally because of who they are.
Our community should take great pride in this ruling--all of us. For while the ruling is the direct result of a wise judge and a skilled legal team, the conditions that enabled this ruling are the result of the brave, courageous, and hard work of so, so many, in California and elsewhere. Equal protection and due process are abstract legal concepts until we, individually and collectively, bring them to life. Only nine years ago, in 2001, when I first got involved in the fight for marriage equality in Massachusetts, there were many--including a large number in our own community--who argued that asserting the right to marry would hurt our cause dramatically, even leading to the reversal of the most basic civil rights laws protecting our community.
But those fears did not prevail because same-sex couples and LGBT individuals--and those who love and care about them--knew what was right, and stood up and made strong, brave and compelling cases for their own love and dignity. It's not that they weren't afraid--many who I knew, in Massachusetts, California and elsewhere--were frightened about speaking out authentically about their lives. But they did it anyway, because they knew of its fundamental importance. And not one person that I know regretted afterwards having done so
Continue reading "Our Constitution Is a Living, Breathing Document" »
Our community should take great pride in this ruling--all of us. For while the ruling is the direct result of a wise judge and a skilled legal team, the conditions that enabled this ruling are the result of the brave, courageous, and hard work of so, so many, in California and elsewhere. Equal protection and due process are abstract legal concepts until we, individually and collectively, bring them to life. Only nine years ago, in 2001, when I first got involved in the fight for marriage equality in Massachusetts, there were many--including a large number in our own community--who argued that asserting the right to marry would hurt our cause dramatically, even leading to the reversal of the most basic civil rights laws protecting our community.
But those fears did not prevail because same-sex couples and LGBT individuals--and those who love and care about them--knew what was right, and stood up and made strong, brave and compelling cases for their own love and dignity. It's not that they weren't afraid--many who I knew, in Massachusetts, California and elsewhere--were frightened about speaking out authentically about their lives. But they did it anyway, because they knew of its fundamental importance. And not one person that I know regretted afterwards having done so
Continue reading "Our Constitution Is a Living, Breathing Document" »
Via Belirico: Good Riddance Prop 8
Well, it's official: Proposition 8 is history - hopefully, for good. Today, U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional and violates the United States Constitution's 
guarantees of due process and equal protection of the laws. The ruling is a tour de force--a grand slam on every count.
The court held that Prop 8 violates the fundamental right to marry and discriminates on the basis of both sex and sexual orientation in violation of the equal protection clause. The court held that laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation must be subject to the highest level of constitutional review, but that Prop 8 would fail even the lowest test, because it is based solely on moral disapproval of gay people. The court made detailed findings of fact about all of the evidence presented and the credibility of the witnesses.
This is without a doubt a game-changing ruling. Today's decision is the most comprehensive, detailed decision addressing the constitutional rights of same-sex couples to affirmative recognition and support ever to be issued by a federal court. There are many "money quotes" in the decision but among them:
Continue reading "Good Riddance Prop 8" »
guarantees of due process and equal protection of the laws. The ruling is a tour de force--a grand slam on every count. The court held that Prop 8 violates the fundamental right to marry and discriminates on the basis of both sex and sexual orientation in violation of the equal protection clause. The court held that laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation must be subject to the highest level of constitutional review, but that Prop 8 would fail even the lowest test, because it is based solely on moral disapproval of gay people. The court made detailed findings of fact about all of the evidence presented and the credibility of the witnesses.
This is without a doubt a game-changing ruling. Today's decision is the most comprehensive, detailed decision addressing the constitutional rights of same-sex couples to affirmative recognition and support ever to be issued by a federal court. There are many "money quotes" in the decision but among them:
Continue reading "Good Riddance Prop 8" »
Via the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center:
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Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center | 1927 L Street | Sacramento | CA | 95811 |
Via Advocate: The White House Reacts
White House Statement on Proposition 8
By Kerry Eleveld“The President has spoken out in opposition to Proposition 8 because it is divisive and discriminatory. He will continue to promote equality for LGBT Americans.”
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