READ Attorney General Jerry Brown's Motion

2010.08.06 AG. Opp to Def Mtn for Stay

Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger filed a motion for No Stay on the Prop 8 Decision

It's moving along, folks!

No Stay on the Prop 8 ruling!!!

SF Weekly has the story:

Attorney General Jerry Brown has filed a motion with Judge Vaughn Walker requesting that no stay be placed on the ruling overturning Prop. 8. If Walker lifts the current stay, it would lead to a brief period of legalized same-sex marriage until the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals officially takes the case and imposes its own stay. "As the Attorney General has consistently stated and as was convincingly demonstrated at trial, Proposition 8 violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution," reads Brown's motion. "Defendant-Intervenors thus cannot demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits in their appeal of this Court's Order." Brown's motion was filed moments before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's -- which also argued against continuing the stay.

Rachel Maddow on Prop 8

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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Quick Update of the Prop 8 Ruling

Judge Vaughn Walker has just issued a stay on his ruling until Friday, effectively putting his ruling that Prop 8 is unconstitutional, on hold.

There already is an appeal filed by Protect Marriage so far, I feel that more will come.

But for now.... Celebrate!

Prop 8 Ruled Unconstitutional!!!

Prop 8 Ruling

Bye, Bye Arkansas Adoption Ban

I didn't see this coming at all.

Arkansas overturned the stupid adoption ban that targeted unwed and gay couples:

Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza said in a two-page ruling that people in "non-marital relationships" are forced to choose between becoming an adoptive parent and sustaining that relationship.

"Due process and equal protection are not hollow words without substance," Piazza said. "They are rights enumerated in our constitution that must not be construed in such a way as to deny or disparage other rights retained by the people."

A group of families, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, sued in 2008 to overturn the ban. They argued that there are too few families willing to adopt or foster in Arkansas, which has an average of 1,600 children on waiting lists, and that good homes were being arbitrarily cut from the list.

The law effectively banned gays and lesbians from adopting or fostering children because they are unable to legally marry in Arkansas.

Piazza, a former prosecutor, agreed with claims by families who said the ban lessened the number of available adoptive and foster parents to the point where thousands of children could go without homes.

Yes, times are changing down South.

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Sore Losers in DC place Ads on Buses

Still bitter over their loss, Stand for Marriage DC has placed ads on metrobuses that reads “Let the People Vote on Marriage”.

The ads are sponsored by Stand for Marriage DC, a group closely affiliated with the National Organization for Marriage, which was largely responsible for ending marriage equality in Maine by putting the issue on the ballot in that state. The D.C. council and the district’s election board have denied repeated attempts by SFMDC to put marriage up to a popular vote.

The gay group Full Equality Now DC has come out against the ad campaign, writing a letter to the city’s transportation authority demanding that the ads be taken down because they force gay people to “stare down discrimination as they board the bus to go somewhere or are even passed by an advertisement on the street.”

But not all pro-gay people are falling in line behind FENDC’s demands. Another group, led the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance’s president Mitch Woods and a number of other activists, has come out in favor of SFMDC’s freedom of speech. In its own letter to the transportation authority, this group writes, “Free speech is not only for those whose beliefs we find acceptable. The proper response to offensive speech is more speech. Your proper response to Full Equality Now DC, therefore, is that those who object to ads for Stand For Marriage DC are free to place their own ads.”

Stand for Marriage DC hopes to rally enough support overturn marriage equality, but even that attempt seems far fetched. We will see how this goes.

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NOM plans to attack D.C.

Here's the cultural terrorists press release:

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE VOWS TO DC COUNCIL:
We Will Overturn Your Same-Sex Marriage Bill

"We have one message for David Catania and the rest of these politicians today: this fight is not over.
We will go to Congress, we will go to the courts, we will fight for the people’s right to vote and we will win!"
- Brian Brown, Executive Director, NOM -

(WASHINGTON) - The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) released the following statement today in response to the D.C. Council’s passage of a same-sex marriage bill: "The people of D.C. have a right, guaranteed by the charter, which is D.C.'s constitution, to vote to protect marriage.

Politicians on the city council are acting as if they have the right through legislation to deprive citizens of D.C. of their core civil right to vote, but we will not let them get away with it," said Brian Brown, Executive Director of NOM. "

We have one message for David Catania and the rest of these politicians today: this fight is not over. We will go to Congress, we will go to the courts, we will fight for the people’s right to vote and we will win!"

NOM has led successful campaigns to protect marriage in states across the country, including victories in California in 2008 and most recently in Maine in November, 2009, as well as legislative battles to block gay marriage in New York (where gay marriage failed in the Senate by a lopsided vote of 38 no to 24 yes).

Don't let them win!

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Good News, Bad News: R-71

Bad News:R-71 may have enough signatures to bring gay marriage to a vote Washington.

Good News: Families Standing Together filed a lawsuit asking for an injunction to keep the referendum off the ballot.

Washington Families Standing Together says the secretary of state has not complied with the law in processing R-71. Signature gatherers are supposed to sign declarations saying that signatures they've collected are valid to the best of their knowledge and that they personally circulated the petition, the lawsuit says. Attorney David Burman said there were petitions with 2,058 signatures in which there was no name and no signature from the person collecting them.

The plaintiffs in the case also say the secretary of state was ignoring requirements that say only registered voters can sign petitions. The lawsuit says that on Aug. 17 Secretary of State Sam Reed told his staff to ignore the date in voter files as the voter registration date and accept signatures from people who were not cleared to vote when they signed.

"If the secretary of state had followed what we believe was the correct legal advice this referendum would not have qualified," Burman told the judge.

A decision will be issued Wednesday.

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Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the Face of Stupidity

Talk about sticking your nose into other folk's business. Since D.C. recognizes gay marriage performed in other states and countries, you know there would be haters. And in some sense we have seen them in action, like Marion Berry and other foolish minsters. But their newest champion is an outsider of the state, Utah's Rep. Jason Chaffetz.

Yes, he's from Utah and guess what y'all...He's a Mormon! This fool is leading the charge in Congress to overturn the D.C.'s newly inked bill.

But you may ask...How can he do that when he represents Utah?

Well, here's why:

Unlike any other American city, Washington has no ultimate control over its own laws and budgets and Congress has 30 days in which to cancel the 12-1 vote by the City Council to recognize same-sex marriage licenses from other states. The district, home to nearly 600,000 residents, has no voting member of Congress.

"People in Salt Lake City are paying for the operation and government in the District of Columbia."

So he thinks he can just prance on in there and overturn their laws. How strong and Republican of you, Jason.

But this plan of his is pretty much a fool's game. It is less likely to be overturned and to be real, Jason just got into Congress. They don't want some silly upstart causing problems. Jason's advisers should get him to back down. This will hurt him more than it will us.

Source

Today is the Day

It's March 5th and the California Supreme Court will hear arguments to overturn Prop 8. Last night, 1000s marched in the Eve of Justice event to inspire and motivate people to make a change.

While it will be an uphill battle, I am hopeful for a change. The marches yesterday were powerful and telling about where people stand. If we are lucky, we will have our rights back and true justice will be served.
I hope for best as the hearings begin.

Labor Unions join the Fight

A super power of labor unions are filing amicus briefs to urge the California Supreme Court to overturn Prop 8. That's big news, because this an predominately non-gay like group coming to our aid.

More than 50 labor unions are a part of this brief. They are: the California Federation of Teachers, SEIU California State Council, the California Labor Federation, the Screen Actors Guild, the California Faculty Association, UNITE HERE! and the California Nurses Association.

In the brief, they state: If a simple majority of voters can take away one fundamental right, it can take away another. If it can deprive one class of citizens of their rights, it can deprive another class too. Today it is gays and lesbians who are singled out. Tomorrow it could be trade unionists."

Bold move, but a good move. Here are the other groups involved

California Labor Federation
National Federation of Federal Employees
Screen Actors Guild
UNITE HERE!
Alameda Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Fresno-Madera-Tulare-Kings Counties Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
Sacramento Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
San Mateo County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO
South Bay Labor Council, AFL-CIO
California Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
California Faculty Association
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, District Council 57, AFL-CIO
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 2019, AFL-CIO
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 2428, AFL-CIO
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 3299, AFL-CIO
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 3916, AFL-CIO
American Federation of Teachers, Local 6119,Compton Council of Classified Employees
American Federation of Teachers, Local 6157, San Jose/Evergreen Faculty Association, AFL-CIO
El Camino College Federation of Teachers, Local 1388, California Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
United Educators of San Francisco, AFT/CFT Local 61, AFL-CIO, NEA/CTA
University Council-American Federation of Teachers
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Council 97
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Council 99
Communications Workers of America District 9, AFL-CIO
Communications Workers of America, Local 9000, AFL-CIO
Communications Workers of America, Local 9503, AFL-CIO
Communications Workers of America, Local 9505, AFL-CIO
Communications Workers of America, Local 9421, AFL-CIO
Communications Workers of America, Local 9575, AFL-CIO
District Council of Ironworkers of the State of California and Vicinity
Jewish Labor Committee Western Region
Maintenance Cooperation Trust Fund
National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1450
Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' Local 300, AFL-CIO
Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' Local 400, AFL-CIO
Pride at Work, AFL-CIO
SEIU California State Council
SEIU Local 521
SEIU Local 721
SEIU Local 1000
SEIU Local 1021
SEIU Local 1877
SEIU United Healthcare Workers West
Teamsters Joint Council 7, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Teamsters Local 853, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 5
UNITE HERE Local 19
United Steelworkers, Local 5, Martinez, Ca.
University Professional and Technical Employees, Communications Workers of America, Local 9119, AFL-CIO

In Florida?

Miami Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman flipped the script today. She overturned the Florida ban on gay adoptions, saying there's "no rational basis" for prohibiting gays from adopting children.

Florida has one of the strictest bans on gay adoptions in the country. A judge in Key West ruled in September that the ban was unconstitutional, but that ruling has had limited legal impact.

This is great news to hear and inspiring for our future with the adoption process. Now I know that the state will appeal, but I still think this is amazing.

Perhaps change is coming in small packages?

Prop 8 Update!!

The California Supreme Court will hear lawsuits filed by marriage equality advocates to overturn Prop H8, which banned same-sex marriage in Cali-Cal, though the court has refused to prevent the ban from going into effect.

So here we go, the historic moment starts here!!