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.

Labels: Best Buy, boycotts, Minnesota, Target

reposted from Joe

Via HRC:

Dear Daniel, The right wing is coming out swinging, with their sights set on the election. Can you help us raise $100,000 in the next week to fight back? We'll send you an HRC luggage tag as a thank-you. Yes! I want to become an HRC member and fund the next big battle for marriage equality. Join now and receive an equality luggage tag as our gift » 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? Join HRC right now and provide the financial support for this major campaign. 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. Join this historic struggle by becoming an HRC member today. 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:

The American Foundation for Equal Rights needs your support now more than ever. Donate now!

Dear Daniel, Prop 8 proponents are appealing the federal court's decision right now – they have vowed to take this fight all the way to the Supreme Court. We need your support now more than ever. Join me and support American Foundation for Equal Rights Today. Donate Now! When the federal court struck down Prop 8, it was a profound moment for millions of people who have been living with the denial of their fundamental rights. It sent a signal to gay and lesbian people everywhere that their love, relationships, and families will be honored and protected equally across our whole country. But make no mistake—if we give up now, our victory will be fleeting. Right now, anti-marriage forces are filing their appeal, and they are committed to fighting against us all the way to the Supreme Court. Your contribution today means we can fight back and protect this ruling for everyone. The defendants in this case, having already lost in court, will stop at nothing in their attempt to block equal rights for all Americans. They will tap their national fundraising network. They will redeploy the hateful and divisive rhetoric we heard during the Prop 8 campaign. They will flood the airwaves and the courtroom with their supporters, pseudo-science and deception. We won this landmark case because we are morally and legally right. This case is about nothing more—and nothing less—than ensuring every American is treated equally in the eyes of the law. It’s about two people who want to get married not having the government stand in their way. It's about not having the government categorize them and their families as second-class, unworthy of the recognition and rights open to every other American. Help us make our case: The fight is long from over, but when it is, with your help, this nation will be a more equal place. Sincerely, Dustin Lance Black, Board Member, American Foundation for Equal Rights

SACBEE.COM BREAKING NEWS ALERT

Gay marriage ban backers appeal court ruling 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

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 *

imprimir

A Corte Federal de São Francisco, na Califórnia, derrubou nesta quarta-feira (4) a proposição 8, que havia impedido os casamentos entre pessoas do mesmo sexo no estado norte-americano.

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

Prop 8 Ruled Unconstitutional

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

Sam Harris

Judge Strikes Down Proposition 8! Equal rights for all in 2010!

Via JMG: Lady Gaga Reacts

Labels: gay icons, Lady Gaga, Proposition 8

posted by Joe

Rachel via JMG

Via JMG: Speaker Pelosi Reacts

Labels: California, Nancy Pelosi, Proposition 8

reposted from Joe

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