Protect Marriage Equality

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For up-to-date information and analysis, please consult the following blogs and websites:

• Beyond Homophobia
• Box Turtle Bulletin
• California Gay Marriage Blog
• California Ripple Effect
• Ex-Gay Watch
• Family Equality Council Blog
• Gay News Blog
• Leonard Link
• Pam’s House Blend
• Straight Talk On Marriage
• To Form A More Perfect Union
• We The People

If you were touched by the campaigns in California, Arizona, Florida, or Arkansas, and if you’ve been experiencing post-election psychological distress — whether it takes the form of anger, sadness, irritability, feelings of betrayal, revenge fantasies, sleep difficulties, or something else — the research suggests you’re not alone. What you’re feeling these days is a natural and normal response to the attacks you endured during the months leading up to November 4, and to the trauma of election night.

What can you do about it? Different people have different coping styles and, as a nonclinician, I don’t have the expertise to offer mental health advice. But I believe it’s important to understand that the research described above not only documents the damage inflicted by antigay ballot campaigns — it also shows that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people are remarkably resilient in dealing with those assaults….

Read the full analysis by Prof. Gregory Herek at Beyond Homophobia.

Gay rights leaders hope to build a $1-million war chest to defend any judge threatened with recall for ruling in favor of gay marriage, leaders announced during a conference call with supporters Tuesday night.

Leaders of the failed campaign to oppose Proposition 8, which amended the state Constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman, also said they would meet in January to plot the course for the movement’s future. Supporters of gay marriage have sued to overturn Proposition 8, and the California Supreme Court will hear the case as early as spring….

Read the full story by Jessica Garrison at the Los Angeles Times.

The debate over the future of Iowa’s Defense of Marriage Act, a decade-old law that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, comes after a ruling by a lower court judge last year….

Given that two state Supreme Courts are likely to weigh in on the subject next year, and that many state legislatures were in recess during California’s fight over the matter, “I think it’s highly likely that lawmakers across the country will be looking to get something on the ballot in 2009,” said Christine Nelson, a policy analyst who focuses on same-sex marriage and family law for the National Conference of State Legislatures….

Read the full story by P.J. Huffstutter at the Los Angeles Times.

The approval of Proposition 8 in California, a constitutional change designed to prohibit marriage between couples of the same sex, was not just a defeat for fairness. It raised serious legal questions about the validity of using the Election Day initiative process to obliterate an existing right for a targeted minority….

The court has correctly determined that the equal protection clause prohibits governmental discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which extends the right of marriage to same-sex couples. But the issue goes well beyond gay rights. Allowing Proposition 8 to stand would greatly limit the court’s ability to uphold the basic rights of all Californians and preclude the Legislature from performing its constitutional duty to weigh such monumental changes before they go to voters….

In California, sitting judges are subject to elections, and some supporters of Proposition 8 raise the threat of trying to oust justices who do not go along with trouncing on people’s rights and proper constitutional procedure. We trust the court will not be intimidated. The justices’ job is to protect minority rights and the State Constitution - even when, for the moment at least, it may not be the popular thing to do.

Read the entire editorial in the New York Times.

Australian lawmakers have approved legislation giving homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexuals but have ruled out legalizing same-sex marriages.

The Senate passed amendments late Monday to around 100 family, health and taxation laws that give homosexual couples access to the same services as opposite-sex couples living together in “de facto,” or common-law, relationships.

Among the major changes, the reforms allow homosexuals family benefits under the state-run health care program, and to leave their retirement benefits to their partners if they die. They also confer parental rights on gay and lesbian couples with children.

The legislation now goes to House of Representatives where it is expected to pass….

Read the full story by Meraiah Foley in the New York Times.

California’s political watchdog agency is investigating a complaint alleging the Mormon church failed to report non-monetary contributions to the Yes on 8 campaign, a state official said Monday.

The sworn complaint by a group called Californians Against Hate contends the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized phone banks from Utah and Idaho and sent direct mail to voters.

The complaint, filed four days after Californians voted to end gay marriage in the state, also alleges the Utah-based church transported people to California to walk precincts and distributed thousands of lawn signs and other campaign materials.

The church is also accused of establishing Web sites and producing commercials and other video broadcasts geared toward nonmembers….

Read the full story by  Aurelio Rojas in the Sacramento Bee.

Nearly 60 percent of Iowa voters support gay marriage or civil unions, according to poll results released today by the University of Iowa.

The statewide survey of 586 Iowa voters found that 28.1 percent support gay marriage, while another 30.2 percent oppose gay marriage, but support civil unions. Thirty-two percent of respondents oppose both gay marriage and civil unions. Nearly 10 percent of respondents said they didn’t know or refused to answer, the U of I reported….

Read the full story by Erin Jordan at the Des Moines Register.

A Florida law that has banned adoptions by gay men and lesbians for over three decades is unconstitutional, a judge here ruled on Tuesday….

A spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office said the state would appeal, and the case is likely to end up before the State Supreme Court.

Florida is the only state with a law prohibiting gay men and lesbians - couples and individuals - from adopting children. The Legislature voted to prohibit adoptions by gay men and lesbians in 1977, in the midst of a campaign led by the entertainer Anita Bryant to repeal a gay rights ordinance adopted by Dade County….

The ruling on Tuesday will allow Frank Martin Gill, 47, a gay man from North Miami, to adopt two foster children whom he has raised since 2004. “Our family just got a lot more to be thankful for this Thanksgiving,” Mr. Gill said in a news release issued by the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented him….

Read the full story by Yolanne Almanzar in the New York Times.

The group that persuaded California voters this month to pass Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage, now is fighting its friends as well as its foes.

Other conservative groups that loudly backed Prop. 8 are being targeted as too extreme and off-putting by ProtectMarriage.com, which put the constitutional amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot and hopes to help persuade the state Supreme Court to uphold the measure….

Read the full story by John Wildermuth at the San Francisco Chronicle.

…Cheers sounded through downtown Sacramento as hundreds from throughout California — including contingents from Chico, San Jose and the Sacramento region — applauded and shouted encouragement to speakers. They carried signs that said “Prop. 8 is Un-American” and “No On Hate.”…

One of the early speakers at the rally, which began at 2 p.m., was attorney Gloria Allred who told the crowd there was a strong chance the State Supreme Court could overturn Proposition 8, which was approved by voters earlier this month….

Read the full story by Ed Fletcher at the Sacramento Bee.

According to the Associated Press, the California Highway Patrol estimated that about 5,000 people gathered for the protest.

Read the full AP report by Samantha Young.

…The convergence of “Milk,” which portrays gay-rights battles of 30 years ago, and a looming new culture war over homosexual marriage and other issues, has raised unusual expectations around Focus Features’ plan to release the film. It will be shown in a widening group of theaters, beginning with some in New York, Los Angeles and about a dozen other cities on Wednesday.

Proposition 8-related vigils have already occurred outside prerelease screenings in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amy Balliett, a founder of jointheimpact.com, a clearing house for gay rights information, said on Friday that her site would urge its network of supporters to see the film on Dec. 5 at one of a list of “gay-friendly” theaters….

In a particularly ticklish exercise, the studio continues to plan showings of “Milk” in theaters owned by the Cinemark chain, whose chief executive, Alan Stock, donated to the campaign for Proposition 8. Taking a cue from Milk — who made his political breakthrough by supporting a union boycott of Coors beer — opponents of the marriage ban have begun their own boycott through a Web site, NoMilkforCinemark.com….

Read the full story by Michael Cieply at the New York Times.

It was meant as a message of hope from a Christian church to the gay community.

But on Thursday, members of Seaside Community Church in Torrance were stunned to see a banner — which read “Someday everyone will have the right to legally marry. Don’t give up hope!” — pulled down from their front lawn and slashed with a knife…

Read the full story by Melissa Evans at the Daily Breeze.

Catholics played a pivotal role in the success of Proposition 8, from pulpits down to the pews. Bishops lobbied for its passage, priests preached about it, and laypeople overwhelmingly voted for it. Yet not all have been joyful in Bay Area parishes.

The Bay Area has a large and vibrant gay Catholic community, and they have many allies among straight Catholics. So it has led some to question how the region’s dioceses, which include myriad diverse groups, could be opposed to what many view as secular rights….

For many Catholics who voted no on the measure, it was particularly painful that San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer, the former bishop of Salt Lake City, played a pivotal role in bringing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into the Prop. 8 battle. The alliance had a powerful effect on the election — Mormons contributed up to half of the $40 million raised to support the measure….

Read the full story by Matthai Kuruvila at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Gay rights activists — still reeling from the passage of the statewide ballot measure banning same-sex marriage — hope to gather 10,000 supporters for a rally today at the state Capitol in Sacramento….

Comedian Margaret Cho, attorney Gloria Allred and state Sen. Darryl Steinberg, D-Sacramento, are slated as featured speakers at the 2 p.m. rally….

Read the full story by Ed Fletcher at the Sacramento Bee.