SACRAMENTO - Backers of Proposition 8, a November ballot initiative that would amend California's constitution to ban same-sex marriage, had, as of last week, raised nearly $2.3 million while foes had raised about $1.3 million. Fund-raising for the campaigns is only now beginning in earnest, and consultants predict that by the time voters go to the polls, each side will have raised as much as $15 million. "In many people's minds, it is the civil rights issue of the day, if not the decade," said Steve Smith, the main consultant seeking to kill the initiative and keep same-sex marriage ...

Via Ex-Gay Watch. This doesn’t surprise me at all. Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) sent out a mailing today titled “NAACP Rocks,” referencing a 2006 letter of appreciation from the organization to PFOX. According to the attached copy, PFOX held an exhibit at the NAACP annual convention that year. It is not yet known if they participated in 2007 or if they will be there this year, but the email suggests they plan on participating in 2009. The PFOX exhibit displayed useful information on unwanted same-sex attractions and tolerance for the ex-gay community. We distributed many brochures, ...

SACRAMENTO -- Since June 16, Californians have been bombarded with images of gay marriage: men kissing men, women embracing women, with friends and family celebrating alongside. Now both backers and foes of Proposition 8, a November ballot initiative that would amend California's Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, are employing those images and others in their fundraising strategies. As of Friday, the initiative's supporters had raised nearly $2.3 million, its foes about $1.3 million. Consultants predict that by the time voters go to the polls 4 1/2 months from now, each side will have raised $15 million or more. "In ...

Broadway bares! State Dept. denies Boy George a visa. New York City goes chasing waterfalls. Early footage of the first gay pride march. Largest pink triangle to top SF's Twin Peaks. Matt Damon: The huskiest sexiest man alive. Bear model hits runway for Vivienne Westwood. Cuba gay rights march over before it begins. More... Evandro Soldati gets sheepish for Dolce & Gabbana. Neil Patrick Harris: Old Spice, TV spot, Dr. Horrible. Flagstaff, Arizona: Four arrested after anti-gay assault. Will Smith and David Letterman ...

In early June, capital gains tax cut loving homos at the Log Cabin Republicans began attacking the Human Rights Campaign for an exhaustive report that documents the John McCain's long history opposing the gays. The gay Republicans defended McCain's anti-gay... ...

As gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people prepare to celebrate gay pride in San Francisco this weekend, many of them also are organizing a boycott and protest of the country's largest gay rights organization. Activists plan to be on the streets during the festivities to inform people of the boycott and protest of the Human Rights Campaign's annual fundraising dinner in San Francisco next month, a major event that raises tens of thousands of dollars for the organization. Similar actions took place at fundraising dinners in Philadelphia and New York City earlier this year. The controversy stems from the ...

The campaign against Human Rights Campaign continues. HRC came under fire last year after flip-flopping on an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. After vowing to fight for trans rights, the non-profit did an about face and began pushing for a gays-only version of the legislation. Now, months later, the after shocks are being felt in San Francisco, where two of the city’s gay politicos have vowed to boycott HRC’s annual dinner next month: On Tuesday, San Francisco Supervisors Tom Ammiano and Bevan Dufty introduced a resolution at City Hall calling for a bill that includes transgender people and recognizing the ...

San Francisco Supervisors Tom Ammiano and Bevan Dufty are among those local politicians supporting a boycott and protest of the Human Rights Campaign dinner in that city next month, over the organization's failure to support a trans-inclusive employment non-discrimination bill (ENDA) last year. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "The city's two LGBT Democratic clubs support the boycott, as does the San Francisco Labor Council. Assemblyman Mark Leno and state Sen. Carole Migden, both of San Francisco, also are not attending the event." It's a scene that has played out in New York (pictured) and other cities. The ...