Happy Anniversary, Gay Marriage

by Michael A. Jones

Published November 18, 2008 @ 05:08AM PST

Oh how the years go by, as Vanessa Williams might say.

Today marks the five-year anniversary of the landmark Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Court, which is more popularly known as the case that made Massachusetts the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage.  Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts at the time, warned that the Bay State was about to become "the Las Vegas of same-sex marriage," and vowed to overturn gay marriage.

Instead, five years later, Massachusetts has become solidly behind gay marriage. The legislature has consistently blocked any measure that would place gay marriage on a statewide ballot (do you hear that, California State Supreme Court?), and earlier this year, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed legislation that allowed Massachusetts to begin marrying out-of-state gay and lesbian couples.

This is an exciting time for those who champion marriage equality.  Sure, there's Proposition 8, Florida's Amendment 2, and Arizona's Proposition 102, which seemed to spell doom for gay marriage.  But it's foolish to think that the anti-gay marriage crowd has won this debate.  One week ago, Connecticut recognized its first gay marriages. This past weekend, tens of thousands of LGBT rights supporters gathered at city halls around the country to stand up for marriage equality. Today we celebrate five years of marriage equality in Massachusetts. And in the coming months, we're likely to see major progress made in the area of marriage equality in states as diverse as New Jersey, Maine, New York, and possibly even Iowa.  (And there's always the hope that the California Supreme Court will repeal Proposition 8.)

So despite the national anger over Election 2008 and gay rights, today is really a day to celebrate the hard-fought victories on behalf of marriage equality.  Happy anniversary, gay marriage.

Layoffs at Focus on the Family Call Into Question Massive Anti-Gay Spending

by Michael A. Jones

Published November 17, 2008 @ 06:20PM PST

Despite spending more than $500,000 to help pass Proposition 8, while a member of their board gave an additional $450,000 for the measure, Colorado-based Focus on the Family is laying off more than 20 percent of their workforce. So instead of taking care of their own employees, Rev. James Dobson's Focus on the Family and their board member shelled out nearly $1,000,000 to take away marriage rights in California. Meanwhile, 202 employees start collecting unemployment checks.

To give this some extra context, the money that Focus on the Family distributed to pass Proposition 8 could have funded the salaries of dozens of employees.  And this isn't even necessarily news - 2008 marks the third year that Focus on the Family has had to lay off employees.

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CA Attorney General Jerry Brown: Court Should Review Constitutionality of Prop 8

by Michael A. Jones

Published November 17, 2008 @ 01:16PM PST

This certainly helps:

California Attorney General [Jerry] G. Brown Jr. today urged the California Supreme Court to accept review of the legal challenges to Proposition 8 and for this matter of widespread concern to be “promptly resolved.”

“The profound importance of the issues raised by Proposition 8 warrants that this matter be reviewed and promptly resolved by the California Supreme Court.” Attorney General Brown said.

In a set of briefs filed with the Court today, Attorney General Brown wrote that: “review by this Court is necessary to ensure uniformity of decision, finality and certainty for the citizens of California. The constitutionality of the change created by Proposition 8 impacts whether same-sex marriages may issue [sic] in California and whether same-sex marriages from other states will be recognized here. There is significant public interest in prompt resolution of the legality of Proposition 8. The Court can provide certainty and finality in this matter.”

With the Attorney General pushing, it seems even more likely that California's Supreme Court will be issuing a ruling on the validity of Proposition 8 in the very near future.  Stay tuned....

Gay Adoption Ban in Florida Challenged

by Michael A. Jones

Published November 17, 2008 @ 08:37AM PST

Banning gay adoption harms children.

I don't think that sentence can be repeated enough.  The American Psychological Association, the Child Welfare League of America, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Medical Association, the North American Council on Adoptable Children, the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all said the same thing.

Now, a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge will decide whether or not to overturn Florida's ban on gay adoption, after hearing arguments in a case involving a North Miami man who wants to adopt two children that he and his 34-year-old partner have been providing foster care to for the past four years.  Child welfare administrators in Florida have fully admitted that the children are thriving in the gay couple's home, but state law prevents gay adoption.

It's time to change Florida's law.

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Roundup: International Gay Rights News

by Michael A. Jones

Published November 16, 2008 @ 07:38PM PST

So much attention these past few weeks has been placed on the historic LGBT rights debate taking place over marriage equality, and especially California’s passage of Proposition 8. But a number of LGBT rights developments are happening outside of the States, so we’ll dedicate this roundup to news from around the globe.

Russia: Russian officials have made a living out of banning gay pride marches over the last few years. In May 2007, when gay rights supporters tried to present a petition to Moscow’s mayor asking him to lift the ban on a gay rights parade, the activists were systematically attacked by neo-Nazi groups and the Russian police. This week, Russian gay rights activists sent a letter to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, urging them to broach the subject of gay rights with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at this weekend’s European Union/Russia Summit. European governments have roundly condemned Russia for its poor record on protecting LGBT people from violence and discrimination. Russian activists were hoping that Sarkozy and Barroso could at least put the issue back on Russia’s radar screen.

Read More »

Harvey Milk Must Be Rolling in His Grave

by Michael A. Jones

Published November 16, 2008 @ 01:15PM PST

Ugh, the height of hypocrisy.

Alan Stock, the Cheif Executive Officer of Cinemark, gave nearly $10,000 to pass Proposition 8 in California, and steal the right to marry away from gay and lesbian couples. Now, he's hoping to reap profits from the November 26 opening of "Milk," the much anticipated film chronicling the life of gay rights activist and political leader Harvey Milk.  If only Milk were alive today, he'd be leading the boycott against Cinemark.

Thankfully, gay rights activists are taking note of this twisted irony.  A site has launched, No Milk for Cinemark, calling attention to Stock's attempt to have his cake (no gay marriage) and eat it too (reap money from "Milk" screenings).  Check the site out. Join their Facebook group. Print out a downloadable flyer and distribute it wherever you can. And when "Milk" opens up on November 26, go see it at a competitor's theater.

For information on how you can find a movie theater that is not Cinemark, go to No Milk for Cinemark's Web site.

Calitics: Covering Join the Impact Rallies Across the Country

by Michael A. Jones

Published November 15, 2008 @ 07:16PM PST

This is just a quick shout out to Calitics, a California political blog that is doing an excellent job of covering the Join the Impact rallies around the U.S.  We posted here pretty extensively tonight from the Boston, MA rally (with one more video to be uploaded later tonight, early tomorrow with State. Rep. Byron Rushing and U.S. Rep. Edward Markey).  So to see what went on in Boston, check out the posts below.

And then to see what's been happening all around the U.S. today, head on over to Calitics.  They've got diaries from Oakland, Sacramento, Chicago, Seattle, Albuquerque and more.