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 |
A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Via HRC:
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.
Do G1, com agências internacionais *
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 Sacbee: Judge rules Proposition 8 unconstitutional
By Susan Ferriss and Cynthia Hubert - Updated: 4:34 pm
Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/prop8/#ixzz0vgZpQkFL
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" »
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.”
Via ACLU:
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Via JMG: Hate Groups React
NOM:
“Big surprise! We expected nothing different from Judge Vaughn Walker, after the biased way he conducted this trial,” said Brian Brown, President of NOM. "With a stroke of his pen, Judge Walker has overruled the votes and values of 7 million Californians who voted for marriage as one man and one woman. This ruling, if allowed to stand, threatens not only Prop 8 in California but the laws in 45 other states that define marriage as one man and one woman.” "Never in the history of America has a federal judge ruled that there is a federal constitutional right to same sex marriage. The reason for this is simple – there isn’t!” added Brown. “The ‘trial’ in San Francisco in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case is a unique, and disturbing, episode in American jurisprudence. Here we have an openly gay (according to the San Francisco Chronicle) federal judge substituting his views for those of the American people and of our Founding Fathers who I promise you would be shocked by courts that imagine they have the right to put gay marriage in our Constitution. We call on the Supreme Court and Congress to protect the people’s right to vote for marriage,” stated Maggie Gallagher, Chairman of the Board of NOM.Family Research Council:
"This lawsuit, should it be upheld on appeal and in the Supreme Court, would become the 'Roe v. Wade' of same-sex 'marriage,' overturning the marriage laws of 45 states. As with abortion, the Supreme Court's involvement would only make the issue more volatile. It's time for the far Left to stop insisting that judges redefine our most fundamental social institution and using liberal courts to obtain a political goal they cannot obtain at the ballot box. "Marriage is recognized as a public institution, rather than a purely private one, because of its role in bringing together men and women for the reproduction of the human race and keeping them together to raise the children produced by their union. The fact that homosexuals prefer not to enter into marriages as historically defined does not give them a right to change the definition of what a 'marriage' is.Focus On The Family:
“Judge Walker’s ruling raises a shocking notion that a single federal judge can nullify the votes of more than 7 million California voters, binding Supreme Court precedent, and several millennia-worth of evidence that children need both a mom and a dad. “During these legal proceedings, the millions of California residents who supported Prop 8 have been wrongfully accused of being bigots and haters. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, they are concerned citizens, moms and dads who simply wanted to restore to California the long-standing understanding that marriage is between one woman and one man – a common-sense position that was taken away by the actions of another out-of-control state court in May 2008. “Fortunately for them, who make up the majority of Californians, this disturbing decision is not the last word."Concerned Women For America:
“Judge Walker’s decision goes far beyond homosexual ‘marriage’ to strike at the heart of our representative democracy. Judge Walker has declared, in effect, that his opinion is supreme and ‘We the People’ are no longer free to govern ourselves. The ruling should be appealed and overturned immediately. “Marriage is not a political toy. It is too important to treat as a means for already powerful people to gain preferred status or acceptance. Marriage between one man and one woman undergirds a stable society and cannot be replaced by any other living arrangement. “Citizens of California voted to uphold marriage because they understood the sacred nature of marriage and that homosexual activists use same-sex ‘marriage’ as a political juggernaut to indoctrinate young children in schools to reject their parent’s values and to harass, sue and punish people who disagree. “CWA stands in prayer for our nation as we continue to defend marriage as the holy union God created between one man and one woman.”Liberty Counsel (Hilariously Blames Another Hate Group!!!):
Although Liberty Counsel has defended the marriage laws in California since the battle began in 2004, the Alliance Defense Fund, representing the Prop 8 LCinitiative, opposed Liberty Counsel’s attempt to intervene on behalf of Campaign for California Families. The California Attorney General did not oppose Liberty Counsel’s intervention, but ADF did. Liberty Counsel sought to provide additional defense to Prop 8 because of concern that the case was not being adequately defended. After ADF actively opposed Liberty Counsel, ADF presented only two witnesses at trial, following the 15 witnesses presented by those who challenged the amendment. Even Judge Walker commented that he was concerned by the lack of evidence presented by ADF on behalf of Prop 8. Liberty Counsel will file an amicus brief at the court of appeals in defense of Prop 8.(All quotes via Jeremy Hooper at Good As You)
Via JMG: the christinist wacko right will not go lightly...
A Freeper's Solution To Prop 8 Ruling
The level of hatred and violence being expressed on Free Republic at the this moment in unrivaled, even for them. Screen grab tipped by JMG reader Ralph.
Via JMG: Schwarzenegger Reacts
"Judge Walker had the great responsibility of deciding whether Proposition 8 violates the Constitution of the United States. He heard in-depth arguments from both sides on fundamental questions of due process, equal protection and freedom from discrimination. There are strong feelings on both sides of this issue, and I am glad that all viewpoints were respected throughout the proceedings. We should also recognize that there will continue to be different points of view in the wake of this decision.
"For the hundreds of thousands of Californians in gay and lesbian households who are managing their day-to-day lives, this decision affirms the full legal protections and safeguards I believe everyone deserves. At the same time, it provides an opportunity for all Californians to consider our history of leading the way to the future, and our growing reputation of treating all people and their relationships with equal respect and dignity. Today's decision is by no means California's first milestone, nor our last, on America's road to equality and freedom for all people."
(Via - Rex Wockner)
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