In a brief submitted late Tuesday that responded to a new challenge to Proposition 8, Governor Schwarzenegger chose not to defend the constitutionality of the gay marriage ban that was upheld by the California Supreme Court by a 6-1 vote last month, s... ...

An update on domestic disturbia R&B stars Chris Brown and Rihanna. Nineteen-year-old Brown, accused of the brutal beating of popstar girlfriend Rihanna in February, has pleaded for delays all the way to the California Supreme Court, which is normally reserved... ...

Until 2004, same-sex couples couldn't wed anywhere in the country. Now, gay marriage is legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine and most recently New Hampshire.Despite these historic strides by the gay rights movement, though, the United States is still a nation divided over whether to redefine marriage.The California Supreme Court on May 26 upheld the state's voter-approved constitutional ban on gay marriage, but ruled that some 18,000 same-sex couples who wed before Proposition 8 took effect would still be married under state law.Twenty-nine other states have enshrined voter-approved prohibitions blocking same-sex marriage in their state constitution as a way ...

Thousands of supporters of California's ban on same-sex marriage rallied in Fresno and San Diego on Sunday in what organizers described as a celebration of traditional wedlock and a thank-you to the California Supreme Court for upholding their voter-approved measure.The demonstrations followed Saturday's gathering of gay rights supporters in Fresno to renew efforts to reverse Proposition 8, which the high court let stand early last week. See Thousands rally in support of gay marriage banLos Angeles Times * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual ...

WASHINGTON — Gays and lesbians voted for President Barack Obama almost en masse after he pledged to be a relentless advocate for their civil rights while making his run for the White House.But now the disappointment felt among the gay community about Obama's inaction on issues that include same-sex marriage and the military's so-called "don't ask, don't tell" policy is turning into outright anger."It's disgraceful ... shame on him," Kate Waldeck, a 26-year-old medical student in New York City who voted for Obama believing he represented change on issues affecting the community.The outrage is growing in the aftermath of last ...

On The View yesterday, a fired-up David Hyde Pearce talked passionately about a host of gay issues — outing, his marriage to his husband in California last year, the passing of Prop 8, and the California Supreme Court’s upholding of Prop 8. His exasperation points to the absurdity of putting one’s marriage to a popular vote. Like this. ...

SACRAMENTO — Yes, tying the knot gave them a huge emotional lift. But getting married also made practical sense to Paul Curtis and Ray Allen. Marriage means more than just a ceremony and a certificate, according to legal specialists. It gives couples both gay and straight numerous rights and protections, having to do with everything from parenting to health care. "It's about being equal in the eyes of the law as well as culturally," said Curtis, of Sacramento, who married his longtime partner in September, during a brief window of opportunity for gay couples in California. On Tuesday, the California ...

Clearly buoyed by Tuesday's decision by the California Supreme Court to let stand the voter-approved initiative that banned same-sex marriage, the publicity-hungry gay-bashing Bishop Harry Jackson and a group of local ministers filed papers requesting a voter referendum to overturn... ...

Obama made note fun of the LGBT protestors outside the Beverly Hilton hotel when he spoke at the DNC Benefit held there last night. The NYT reports: "A gaggle of sign-waving protestors milled around outside The Beverly Hilton, the sprawling hotel on Wilshire Boulevard. They must have caught the president’s eye when he arrived at the hotel from an earlier stop in Las Vegas because he relayed one of their messages to the crowd. "'One of them said, 'Obama keep your promise,’ ' the president said. 'I thought that’s fair. I don’t know which promise he was talking about.' "The people in the ...

NEW YORK – In response to the California Supreme Court decision allowing Prop 8 to stand, four LGBT legal organizations and five other leading national LGBT groups are reminding the LGBT community that ill-timed lawsuits could set the fight for marriage back.  The groups released a new publication, "Why the ballot box and not the courts should be the next step on marriage in California."  This publication discourages people from bringing premature lawsuits based on the federal Constitution because, without more groundwork, the U.S. Supreme Court likely is not yet ready to rule that same-sex couples cannot be barred from marriage.  The groups ...

Justice Carlos R. Moreno The New York Times story on the Proposition 8 ruling contains this fabulous analogy which gets to the heart of why the California Supreme Court's ruling in Strauss was so wrong:Karl M. Manheim, a professor at Loyola Law School Los Angeles who had filed a brief with the court opposing Proposition 8, called the decision a “safe” one from justices who can be recalled by voters. The change wrought by Proposition 8 was anything but narrow, Professor Manheim said, and claiming that the word “marriage” is essentially symbolic is like telling black people that ...

The ruling yesterday by the California Supreme Court upholding Proposition 8's same-sex marriage ban sent thousands into the streets of San Francisco, Los Angeles and dozens of cities across the country to protest. Long-time activist Robin Tyler, who was a... ...

Last Thursday you will recall that Rod 2.0 mentioned President Barack Obama was scheduled to attend the Democratic National Committee's fundraiser at the Beverly Hilton. Obama's visit comes one day the California Supreme Court's decision to uphold Proposition 8, and,... ...

I welcomed conservative Attorney Theodore Olson’s eagerness to try to overturn Prop 8 in federal court. But when I wrote that, I only addressed the fact that even conservatives are coming around to the idea that discrimination is fundamentally un-American. What I didn’t address was the wisdom of trying to bring about change in the courts, especially when this particular tactic has almost no chance for success. I don’t think it’s wise to proceed in the courts. Eight prominent LGBT organizations agree: In response to the California Supreme Court decision allowing Prop 8 to stand, four LGBT legal organizations and five ...

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve updated my blog. The California Supreme Court released their ruling on Proposition 8. Their ruling was unsurprising, uninspired, and lacked any originality. There’s a video at the end of this post that appropriately anchors my feelings. Then there are whackjobs who want to go to the local U.S. consulate or Embassy [...] ...

Justice Moreno’s Concurring and Dissenting Opinion on the constitutional challenge to Proposition 8. San Francisco, Calif. — Yesterday, (May 26, 2009) the California Supreme Court, by a 6-1 vote, rejected a constitutional challenge to Proposition 8, an initiative measure adopted by the voters at the November 4, 2008 election that added a section to the California [...] ...

About 75 people armed with signs and some with whistles took to the streets of Midtown on Tuesday to protest a ruling that upheld a ban on same-sex unions in California. Decision Day Rally in AtlantaThe 6-1 decision from the California Supreme Court upholding the voter-approved Proposition 8, announced earlier in the day, spurred nearly 100 protests across the U.S. as part of Day of Decision. Though some of the events resulted in scores of arrests, the 75 or so people that gathered at the 14th Street entrance to Piedmont Park Tuesday evening just chanted, blew whistles and carried signs as they ...

Well, the big news is no doubt yesterday’s decision by the California Supreme Court that Proposition 8, a referendum banning same-sex marriage in the state, is a legally valid constitutional amendment. While I’m disappointed, I’m not sure I can add to what many other commentators have put more eloquently than I could. All I can say is to keep up the fight. Equality is not inevitable; it must be fought for, and I wish California all the best in overturning Prop 8 in the next referendum!

• California high court upholds same-sex marriage ban [CBC News]

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Update: The ruling is in. Basically, they split the baby. The good news is that there are 18,000 gay and lesbian Americans who are that much closer to full U.S. citizenship status. I’ll have more later, after I’ve had some time to read the decision and think about it. So, as usual, I’m not going to be one of those bloggers with a new post up immediately after the news breaks. It’s going to take me a little longer. Today’s the day. The California Supreme Court will rule this morning on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the November ballot ...

The Chicago Tribune is reporting On the same day that the California Supreme Court upheld a ban on gay marriage, an Illinois House committee advanced a measure that at would allow civil unions for same-sex couples in the state. This is an attachment to the “shell bill” (SB 1716) that we told you about last week. Harris said he is unsure if he has enough support for the measure to pass the full House. The Senate and the governor also would need to sign off for civil unions to become legal in Illinois. With the legislative adjournment date set for ...