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:
Monday, August 16, 2010
Via Beyond the Chron: Out Christianing Each Other
James Lankford & Kevin Calvey
Out Christianing Each Other It’s not hard to court conservative Christian voters. All a politician has to do these days is spew lots of hatred towards the LGBT community and oppose abortion, national healthcare and of course gay marriage. Such is the case in Oklahoma with Republicans James Lankford and Kevin Calvey, who are in a heated runoff for their party’s nomination to fill the seat vacated by retiring Congress woman Mary Fallin, a right-winger who opposes abortion and believes in border fences and walls and the right of every man, woman and child (and possibly pet dog) to carry a gun. [more]->
Via EQCA:
August 16, 2010 | ||||
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| Dear Daniel, Right-wing, anti-equality groups are targeting Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic Attorney General Brown, urging them to appeal Judge Walker’s historic decision. We need to make sure they don’t succeed. Email Gov. Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Brown and urge them to stand strong against right-wing attacks. At a time when the state is strapped for cash, our leaders should be concentrating resources on keeping teachers, firefighters and police on the job, not defending discrimination in court. So far the Governor and Attorney General’s offices have stood with the majority of Californians who now support marriage for same-sex couples. Urge Governor and Attorney General to keep doing the right thing: not defending bigotry in court. And urge your friends and family to do the same. www.eqca.org/standstrong On Wednesday evening, the U. S. Constitution’s promise of equality for all will hopefully be restored and couples will start getting married again. We need to protect their marriages by making sure the state stays out of the business of discrimination. Thank the Governor and Attorney General for standing on the side of equality, and urge them to continue to stand strong. Warmly,  Geoff Kors Executive Director Equality California  |  
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Via JMG: Here's Protect Marriage's Final Motion
Protect Marriage's final motion claims that the state's job of promoting "responsible procreation" would be irrevocably harmed by gay marriage. Because in California, there has been ABSOLUTELY no irresponsible procreation so far. Hilarious. Considering that the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference is kicking off today in Hawaii, don't be surprised if we get a ruling before the end of the office day in California. It's important to note that some anti-gay evangelicals don't want this appealed to the Supreme Court. They'd rather "sacrifice" California to the evil homos than risk losing at SCOTUS and seeing same-sex marriage become the law of the nation.
CA9Doc 11
Via JMG: BREAKING: Ninth Circuit Court Grants Stay Of Prop 8 Overturn Pending Appeal
No same-sex marriage for California, for now. Via Rex Wockner, here's the legalese:
Filed order (EDWARD LEAVY, MICHAEL DALY HAWKINS and SIDNEY R. THOMAS) Appellants' motion for a stay of the district court's order of August 4, 2010 pending appeal is GRANTED. The court sua sponte orders that this appeal be expedited pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 2. The provisions of Ninth Circuit Rule 31-2.2(a) (pertaining to grants of time extensions) shall not apply to this appeal. This appeal shall be calendared during the week of December 6, 2010, at The James R. Browning Courthouse in San Francisco, California. The previously established briefing schedule is vacated. The opening brief is now due September 17, 2010. The answering brief is due October 18, 2010. The reply brief is due November 1, 2010. In addition to any issues appellants wish to raise on appeal, appellants are directed to include in their opening brief a discussion of why this appeal should not be dismissed for lack of Article III standing. See Arizonans For Official English v. Arizona, 520 U.S. 43, 66 (1997). IT IS SO ORDERED. [7441574] (JS)This may get to the Supreme Court yet.
Labels: California, marriage equality, Ninth Circuit Court., Proposition 8, Supreme Court, Vaughn Walker
Via JMG: Prop 8 Plaintiffs Respond To Stay
From Ted Olson and the American Foundation for Equal Rights:
Today the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit set a highly expedited schedule for briefing and argument of proponents' appeal from the district court's August 4, 2010 decision striking down California's Proposition 8 as an unconstitutional violation of the rights of gay and lesbian citizens to due process and equal protection of the law under the Fourteenth Amendment, and it granted proponents' request to stay the judgment of the district court's order while the appeal is decided. This means that although Californians who were denied equality by Proposition 8 cannot marry immediately, the Ninth Circuit, like the district court, will move swiftly to address and decide the merits of Plaintiffs' claims on their merits.
"We are very gratified that the Ninth Circuit has recognized the importance and pressing nature of this case and the need to resolve it as quickly as possible by issuing this extremely expedited briefing schedule. As Chief Judge Walker found, Proposition 8 harms gay and lesbian citizens each day it remains on the books. We look forward to moving to the next stage of this case,” said Attorney Theodore B. Olson.
“Today’s order from the Ninth Circuit for an expedited hearing schedule ensures that we will triumph over Prop. 8 as quickly as possible. This case is about fundamental constitutional rights and we at the American Foundation for Equal Rights, our Plaintiffs and our attorneys are ready to take this case all the way through the appeals court and to the United States Supreme Court,” said Chad Griffin, Board President, American Foundation for Equal Rights.
Via Marriage Equality USA:
Marriage Equality USA has just received word that Ninth Circuit has granted the stay but expedites appeal.
Filed order (EDWARD LEAVY, MICHAEL DALY HAWKINS and SIDNEY R. THOMAS) Appellants’ motion for a stay of the district court’s order of August 4, 2010 pending appeal is GRANTED. The court sua sponte orders that this appeal be expedited pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 2. The provisions of Ninth Circuit Rule 31-2.2(a) (pertaining to grants of time extensions) shall not apply to this appeal. This appeal shall be calendared during the week of December 6, 2010, at The James R. Browning Courthouse in San Francisco, California. The previously established briefing schedule is vacated. The opening brief is now due September 17, 2010. The answering brief is due October 18, 2010. The reply brief is due November 1, 2010. In addition to any issues appellants wish to raise on appeal, appellants are directed to include in their opening brief a discussion of why this appeal should not be dismissed for lack of Article III standing. See Arizonans For Official English v. Arizona, 520 U.S. 43, 66 (1997). IT IS SO ORDERED. [7441574] (JS)
We were hoping that Wednesday would mark the day that marriage equality would return to California. But there is some good news with this decision.
The Ninth Circuit has asked for opening briefs by September 17th and that parties must discuss why the appeal should not be dismissed due to lack of standing. Also, the schedule for the briefs are similar to what Plaintiff attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies requested. And oral arguments should begin by the end of this year.
So it's not what we wanted, but Harvey Milk would want us to keep hope alive. We have an amazing legal team (including our friends with the City & County of San Francisco). We have a fact-based district trial court decision that overwhelmingly explains why Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. And we know that eventually we will win.
Stay engaged with Marriage Equality USA. Join our facebook page, get involved with your local chapter, donate, and volunteer. And go out an make every moment a marriage equality moment.
Founded in 1998, Marriage Equality USA is a national grassroots organization whose mission is to secure legally recognized civil marriage equality for all, at the federal and state level, without regard to gender identity or sexual orientation. For more information go to www.marriageequality.org
Filed order (EDWARD LEAVY, MICHAEL DALY HAWKINS and SIDNEY R. THOMAS) Appellants’ motion for a stay of the district court’s order of August 4, 2010 pending appeal is GRANTED. The court sua sponte orders that this appeal be expedited pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 2. The provisions of Ninth Circuit Rule 31-2.2(a) (pertaining to grants of time extensions) shall not apply to this appeal. This appeal shall be calendared during the week of December 6, 2010, at The James R. Browning Courthouse in San Francisco, California. The previously established briefing schedule is vacated. The opening brief is now due September 17, 2010. The answering brief is due October 18, 2010. The reply brief is due November 1, 2010. In addition to any issues appellants wish to raise on appeal, appellants are directed to include in their opening brief a discussion of why this appeal should not be dismissed for lack of Article III standing. See Arizonans For Official English v. Arizona, 520 U.S. 43, 66 (1997). IT IS SO ORDERED. [7441574] (JS)
We were hoping that Wednesday would mark the day that marriage equality would return to California. But there is some good news with this decision.
The Ninth Circuit has asked for opening briefs by September 17th and that parties must discuss why the appeal should not be dismissed due to lack of standing. Also, the schedule for the briefs are similar to what Plaintiff attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies requested. And oral arguments should begin by the end of this year.
So it's not what we wanted, but Harvey Milk would want us to keep hope alive. We have an amazing legal team (including our friends with the City & County of San Francisco). We have a fact-based district trial court decision that overwhelmingly explains why Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. And we know that eventually we will win.
Stay engaged with Marriage Equality USA. Join our facebook page, get involved with your local chapter, donate, and volunteer. And go out an make every moment a marriage equality moment.
Founded in 1998, Marriage Equality USA is a national grassroots organization whose mission is to secure legally recognized civil marriage equality for all, at the federal and state level, without regard to gender identity or sexual orientation. For more information go to www.marriageequality.org
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Via JMG: This Week In Holy Crimes
Over the last seven days...
Israel: Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira arrested for incitement to kill non-Jews.
Arkansas: Pastor Joshua Wilson arrested in prostitution sting.
New York: Convicted child molester Rabbi Baruch Leibovits demands and gets special kosher meals in prison.
New York: Father Thomas Kresier resigns in embezzlement scandal.
Virginia: Pastor James Bolton arrested for statutory rape.
Ontario: Father Kenneth O'Keefe arrested for child molestation.
British Columbia: Father Philip Jacobs arrested on numerous counts of child molestation.
Ireland: Father Patrick McCabe arrested on numerous counts of child molestation. McCabe was transferred to the U.S. twenty years ago when the accusations first began.
Ontario: Father William Marshall charged with numerous counts of child molestation. Marshall was principal at a Catholic high school.
Pennsylvania: Diocese of Pittsburgh sued after molestation victim commits suicide.
North Carolina: Father William Casey pleads guilty to child molestation.
Illinois: Father Daniel McCormick sued by child molestation victim.
Ohio: Pastor James Blaine pleads guilty to embezzling over $100K from his parishioners.
This Week's Winner
Texas: Pastor Randy Scott has been arrested for meeting young men online and forcing them into sex. Posing as a young man, Scott would exchange emails with his victims, then appear at their homes pretending to be the step-father of the person they thought they'd been corresponding with. Scott would then threaten to call the police unless the young men gave him oral sex. At least one of the victims is underage. Scott, who is married with children, has resigned from his church.
Via JMG: PhoboQuotable - Pat Buchanan
"When did the Creator indicate that among these rights was for homosexuals to have their unions recognized as marriages? The author of that declaration, Thomas Jefferson, equated homosexual acts with rape and wrote that male homosexuals (they used the term sodomites in that time) should be castrated and lesbians should have a hole cut into their noses."Undeniably, homosexuals have the same constitutional rights of free speech, peaceable assembly and trial by jury. But what the judge has done is declare the life choices and lifestyles of gays and lesbians to be equal to the life choice of married men and women. This is nothing but Walker's personal opinion.
"But he is declaring it to be the only rational conclusion that can be reached. And having reached it, he has seized upon a phrase in the 14th amendment, 'equal protection,' distorted its meaning and dictated that this means his view and his values henceforth are the law in California, the voters be damned.
"And what the judge dismisses and rejects as irrational is a conviction rooted in the history of the human race, biblical truth, natural law and basic common sense. For, in recent decades, male homosexuality has been linked to enteric diseases, hepatitis, AIDS and early death. Historically, from the late Roman Empire to Weimar, flagrant homosexuality has been associated with sick societies, decadent cultures and dying civilizations. Today would appear to be no exception." - Pat Buchanan, writing for the Christofascist site World Net Daily.
reposted by Joe
I left the following at Sacbee:
I am so grateful to live in a country that has a system of checks and balances... I appreciate the constitution more now than ever... People who are so worried about gays and lesbians ruining their marriage should focus on making their own marriages exemplary. I hope and pray that religious people take a look at themselves, themselves, many churches have welcomed glbt people with open arms, other religious groups Catholics, Mormons, and Baha'i's seek to exclude glbt from their membership and are behaving disgracefully. All sides have been tested, and to my mind the communities that are inclusive have taught us so much, and I am very grateful to them. If a religious community doesn't want glbt members so be it, you are free to exclude us. To those communities who are open, loving and inclusive... I say thank you!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Via Belirico: The karate lessons ads, improved
Waymon posted some ads for karate lessons yesterday, and a few people pointed out in the comments that you can't really tell the message without more text, so I added some. The other ad is after the jump.
Vua Huffington: Why Jews Should Rejoice at the Overturning of Prop 8
The rights of homosexuals are supported by an overwhelming majority of the American Jewish community. That support is not only based on a memory of shared victimhood, but also on the core values of our own Jewish tradition.
Via Huffington: Prop 8 Ruling Exposes Democrats' Weak Support For LGBT Community
 | Prop 8 Ruling Exposes Democrats' Weak Support For LGBT Community Right now, LGBT citizens are trapped in a choice between a party that opposes their very existence and a party that, you know, kind of wishes them well. And so the typical policy among Democrats is to do as little as possible for as long as they can, figuring that if the Republican party never changes its position, they can string along the LGBT community for a long while before they have to lay their marker down and risk the vote of any single voter who opposes gay rights. |
via huffington post
Fight OUT Loud Co-Founder Waymon Hudson's My New Essay on the Huffington Post~ The Everyday "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". Rate it, "like" it on Facebook, and share it!
www.huffingtonpost.com
So what is this "everyday" policy, you may ask? It's how so many of us live our lives. We don't let our friends or families know about the discrimination or legal barriers we face just for being who we are.
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