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CA: Courage Campaign Says No Clear Path to Victory in 2010 for Gay Marriage

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

The effort to get same sex marriage on the California ballot in 2010 took a hit Monday. Rick Jacobs, the leader of the 700,000-member Courage Campaign sent out an email announcing that after spending more than $200,000 on “qualitative research” into the issue in California that “We do not see a path to victory.”

So, the Courage Campaign sent a note to its supporters Monday calling “for more research and time to change hearts and minds before returning to the ballot.”

In his email, Jacobs said that the research — led by Obama confidante Steve Hildebrand — found that “The biggest hangup people have is that right wing has done a very good job of telling people that somehow children will be affected” should same sex marriage become legal. It worked in both Maine and California, even though top public officials in both places said it would not.

Full Story from Cal Coast News: http://calcoastnews.com/2009/12/no-clear-path-to-victory-for-gay-marriage/

Click here for gay marriage resources in California.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in 2010, ca, california, courage campaign, Gay Marriage, prop 8, proposition 8 | No Responses »

CA: Fresno's Robin McGehee Fights for Gay Marriage

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

College of the Sequoias speech instructor Robin McGehee sees herself as a product of the civil rights movement in her native South. So she was shocked and disturbed last year when officials at the Fresno Catholic school her son attends forced her to resign as president of the parent-teacher organization.

The reason, she says: her public stance against Proposition 8, which bars same-sex marriage and ultimately was passed by voters.

McGehee is the openly gay mother of two children, Sebastian, 6, and Jackson, 3, who share two mothers and two fathers. “The priest just called and said because of my public stance on Proposition 8 to resign and not volunteer at the school,” said the 36-year-old, a native of Jackson, Miss., who’s lived in California since the mid-’90s, teaching at COS since 1999.

Full Story from the Visalia Times-Delta: http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20091123/NEWS01/911230320/1002/COS-instructor-Robin-McGehee-seeks-better-future-for-LGBT-community-as-organizer

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in activist, ca, california, Fresno, Gay Marriage, interview, prop 8, proposition 8, Robin McGehee | No Responses »

New Poll: 60% of Californians Don't Want to See Gay Marriage on Ballot in 2010

Saturday, November 7th, 2009

A small majority of California voters supports the right of gay couples to marry, but a much larger portion of voters opposes efforts to place the issue back on the ballot next year, a new Los Angeles Times/USC poll has found.

Views on same-sex marriage were sharply polarized based on political party, with 66% of Democrats thinking it should be legal and 71% of Republicans in opposition. Nonpartisan voters were less enthusiastic than Democrats but still backed it, 59%-34%.

Overall, 51% of California voters favored marriage rights for same-sex couples and 43% were opposed. Strikingly, however, almost 60% of Californians did not want to revisit the issue in 2010, just one election cycle after it last hit the ballot.

Full Story from the LA Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/11/voters-opposed-new-gay-marriage-ballot-measure-timesusc-poll-finds.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in California.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in 2010, 2012, ca, california, Gay Marriage, poll, prop 8, proposition 8, repeal | No Responses »

Analysis of the Federal Case Over Prop 8, Gay Marriage in California

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

In a San Francisco courtroom two weeks ago, a prominent lawyer opposed to same-sex marriage made a concession that could mark a turning point in the legal wars over the purpose and meaning of marriage.

The lawyer, Charles J. Cooper, has studied the matter deeply, and his erudite briefs are steeped in history. He cannot have been blindsided by the question Judge Vaughn R. Walker asked him: What would be the harm of permitting gay men and lesbians to marry?

“Your honor, my answer is: I don’t know,” Mr. Cooper said. “I don’t know.”

A couple of hours later, Judge Walker denied Mr. Cooper’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to establish a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. The concession and the ruling that followed it have transformed a federal lawsuit that had been viewed with suspicion by many gay rights advocates into something with the scent of promise.

Full Story from Gainesville.com: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091027/ZNYT02/910273002/1002/NEWS01?Title=In-Battle-Over-Gay-Marriage-Timing-May-Be-Key

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in ca, california, federal lawsuit, Gay Marriage, prop 8, proposition 8 | No Responses »

Defying Inequality in SF Just a Week Away – Save 50% On Gay Marriage Benefit Tickets

Monday, October 19th, 2009

The San Francisco cast of Wicked, along with members of the San Francisco arts community (and beyond), is coming together for one of the most important events of the year – Defying Inequality: The San Francisco Concert, a one-night only concert benefitting Marriage Equality USA and Garden State Equality – two equal rights organizations. Featuring stars from stage & screen, the concert will be held at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre (3301 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA). A VIP reception will be held in the lobby immediately following the event.

The special evening, presented by the San Francisco cast of Wicked, will include Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker, Valley of the Dolls), Bruce Vilanch (writer – Academy Awards, Hairspray National Tour), Judy Gold (Emmy Award winner), Laughing Pizza (Parents Choice Awards, PBS daily), Matt Alber (singer/songwriter – Hide Nothing), Clifford Banagale (Bruno, Altar Boyz), Boylesque, Connie Champagne (Christmas with the Crawfords, Valley of the Dolls – stage production), Carmen Cusack (South Pacific, Wicked), Ava Garter (burlesque star), Selene Luna (The Cho Show), Meg Mackay & Billy Philadelphia (Winner of seven Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award), Scott Matthew (singer/songwriter – Scott Matthew, Shortbus), Ryan Rigazzi (Beach Blanket Babylon), Vocal Minority – An SFGMC Ensemble, Suzanne Whang (Househunters, Las Vegas), and many more.

In San Francisco or Northern California? Defying Inequality Tickets Now 50% Off! Get your tickets to the biggest Marriage Equality concert of the year: Defying Inequality, Monday, October 26th, Palace of Fine Arts. Guests include Patty Duke and the cast of Wicked, Carol Kane, Bruce Vilanch, and more. To buy your discount tickets go to http://www.defyinginequality.com/sanfran/. Click on “Tickets” (upper right menu bar) and complete the purchase tickets process. After selecting your seats you will go to the Shopping Cart page. Click “Apply Discount” and enter the discount code defy50 next to your chosen ticket price. The discount will be reflected at check out.

Full Story from MEUSA: http://www.marriageequality.org/

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in California.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in benefit, ca, concert, defying inequality, Gay Marriage, marriage equality USA, san francisco | No Responses »

Judge in Prop 8 Gay Marriage Lawsuit Refuses to Toss Case

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

As a most unusual October mega storm left our Bay Area, with downed electrical lines and trees in it’s a wake, a delightfully fresh aroma reveals another unique event– but this one we like…for the first time a Federal Judge in San Francisco asked the backers of California’s voter-enacted ban on same-sex marriage to explain how allowing gay couples to wed threatens straight marriages. Much to my personal delight the lawyer for the supporters of Prop 8, Charles Cooper acknowledged he did not know.

U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker, wants to examine other issues that are part of the political rhetoric surrounding same-sex marriage but rarely surface in courtrooms. Among the questions he plans to entertain at the trial are whether sexual orientation is a “fixed or immutable characteristic, whether gays are a politically powerful group, and if same-sex marriage bans such as Proposition 8 were motivated by anti-gay bias.”

This refreshing exchange between the Judge and Cooper, came during a hearing on a lawsuit challenging the measure as discriminatory under the U.S. Constitution. Cooper had asked Walker to throw out the suit or make it more difficult for those civil rights claims to prevail.

Full Story from Lez Get Real: http://lezgetreal.com/?p=22258

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in California.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in ca, california, Gay Marriage, judge, prop 8, proposition 8 | No Responses »

Gay Marriage Supporters Seeking Access to Yes on 8's Internal Campaign Documents

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Even the discovery fights in a federal challenge to Proposition 8 are weighty.

Gay marriage opponents trooped into Northern District of California Chief Judge Vaughn Walker’s courtroom Friday to quash requests for internal campaign e-mails and other documents from last year’s “Yes on 8″ effort. Marriage supporters, meanwhile, argued that the motivations of those behind the ballot initiative are highly relevant because discriminatory intent would undermine opponents’ claims of a rational state interest in the ban.

First Amendment protections on political speech and free association should shield much of the evidence sought by gay marriage supporters, argued Yes on 8 attorney Charles Cooper of Cooper & Kirk. Communications made to the public at large are subject to discovery, Cooper conceded, but interactions among political consultants, volunteers and other campaign leaders should remain private.

Full Story from Law.com: http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202434112536&Discovery_Fight_in_Suit_Challenging_Calif_Ban_on_Gay_Marriages

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in California.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com with “subscribe blog” as the subject. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in ca, california, Gay Marriage, internal communications, prop 8, proposition 8, yes on 8 campaign | No Responses »

Gay Marriage Groups File Ballot Challenge to Prop 8

Friday, September 25th, 2009

A coalition of gay groups have filed language to repeal Proposition 8, the initiative that banned gay marriage in California.

Although larger gay groups such as Equality California have opted to wait until 2012 to challenge the ban, groups such as Love Honor Cherish, WhiteKnot.org, and Equality Network have submitted the proposal for the November 2010 election.

If passed, the proposal will replace Section 7.5 of the state constitution – “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California” – with “Marriage is between only two persons and shall not be restricted on the basis of race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.”

Full Story from Pink News: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-14250.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in California.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com with “subscribe blog” as the subject. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in ballot, ca, california, gm, prop 8, proposition 8, repeal | No Responses »

Daughter Talks About Gay Fathers' Wedding on YouTube

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Chelsea Montgomery-Duban wanted to invite people to see inside her family, so she used YouTube. There, she posted a message told through laughter and tears the speech the 16-year-old gave while standing at the wedding altar of the men she refers to as “Dad” and “Daddy.”

“According to me, marriage is not just a man and a woman. It is two people who love each other and promise to be together in sickness and in health,” Montgomery-Duban says in the video.

“Marriage is not even a beautiful white dress. But it is love blossoming between two individuals and the promise that what they have together can only get better.”

Full Story from the Sun Herald: http://www.sunherald.com/love/story/1624785.html

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com with “subscribe blog” as the subject. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in ca, califronia, daughter, gay dads, Gay Marriage, gay wedding, parents, youtube | No Responses »

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