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CA Assembly Passes Domestic Partnership Equality Act

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

By Melanie Nathan
Bill Fixing Inequalities Between Domestic Partnership, Marriage Advances: SB 651, the Domestic Partnership Equality Act, eliminates statutory differences between marriage and domestic partnerships

Sacramento: The Capitol by Kristina Lapinski, GAY USA the Movie

SACRAMENTO – Legislation that removes inequalities between domestic partnership and marriage passed the Assembly today. Senate Bill 651, authored by Senator Mark Leno, eliminates important legal differences that continue to exist between domestic partnerships and marriage. The legislation, known as the Domestic Partnership Equality Act, ends the requirement that couples must reside in the same household, allows same-sex couples to enter into a confidential domestic partnership and removes age restrictions that do not apply to marriages.

“By maintaining different requirements for domestic partners and married couples, California law continues to be inconsistent with the Supreme Court’s ruling that all couples be treated equally,” said Senator Leno (D-San Francisco). “This bill will remedy some of those final inequities, including whether couples must live at the same residence before applying for a domestic partnership. As we inch ever closer to equality, the only way to ensure fair treatment is to allow all loving couples the right to marry, but this is a step in the right direction.” he said.

SB 651 closes the gap on some of the remaining differences between marriage and domestic partnership in California. However, same-sex couples still are denied more than 1,000 federal rights that come only with marriage.

The Domestic Partnership Equality Act is sponsored by Equality California.

“Committed same-sex couples in California continue to experience harm every day without the freedom to marry,” said Roland Palencia, Executive Director of Equality California. “The Domestic Partnership Equality Act helps to lessen some of those harms and inequities in the state of California, and we thank Senator Leno for his continued leadership in the fight for full equality.”

In addition to addressing inequalities between domestic partnership and marriage, SB 651 allows same-sex couples who married in California, but have since moved to another state, to petition for a divorce if one is not allowed in the state where the couple currently resides. The bill now returns to the Senate for a concurrence vote on amendments taken in the Assembly before heading to Governor Jerry Brown’s desk.

Photo by Kristina Lapinski – www.gayusathemovie.com

Posted in california, domestic partnerships, domestic partnerships ca, domestic partnershp | 2 Responses »
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CA: Gather Signatures to Repeal Prop 8 This Weekend

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Just got this from Love Honor Cherish:

Help get signatures this weekend

This weekend volunteers throughout the state will gather to collect signatures to put a new initiative on the ballot in November 2010 that would repeal Proposition 8 and restore equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. In the Los Angeles area join us at these events:

Saturday:

Saturday, Feb 27
8 a.m. to 12 noon
Burbank Farmers Market
Meet at corner of 3rd and Orange Grove in Burbank (park at City Hall, same corner)

Saturday, Feb 27
9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Torrance Farmer’s Market
2400 Jefferson St. (park in parking lot)
Meet at 8:50 a.m. for a brief training

Saturday, Feb 27
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Whole Foods Market – Redondo Beach
405 N. Pacific Coast Hwy (park in parking lot)
Meet at 9:45 a.m. for a brief training

Sunday:


Sunday, Feb 28
8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Hollywood Farmers Market
Meet at Cinerama Dome, 6360 Sunset Blvd (park on street or at lot at Ivar & Delongpre – $2 for first 2 hrs w/validation at market)

Sunday, Feb 28
9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Santa Monica Farmers Market (Ocean Park)
Meet at grassy area near SW corner of Main St. and Ocean Park (park on street)

Sunday, Feb 28
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Studio City Farmers Market
Meet at main gate of CBS Studios, 4024 Radford (free parking at CBS)

THINGS TO REMEMBER:


Please come on time, but if you’re late, look for the volunteers in the yellow SignForEquality T-shirts. And, be sure to bring:

1. A couple of clipboards and a few pens (if you can).
2. Plenty of quarters for parking meters (City of Los Angeles meters now operate on Sundays!)
3. $10 donation for our Sign For Equality volunteer t-shirt

To find out more about signature gathering, or to learn how you can help, go to SignForEquality.com, the first-ever social networking site for volunteer signature gatherers. Download a petition, print it, get signatures and then send it in. You can also:
- Get trained using online videos.
- Join or create a signature gathering team and set goals for yourself and your team.
- Share tips and learn about events where signature gathering is taking place.

P.S. Join us for our next weekly meeting Tuesday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Crescent Heights United Methodist Church, 1296 N Fairfax Ave.

Posted in ca, california, petitions, prop 8, proposition 8, repeal, signatures, weekend | No Responses »

CA: EQCA Sponsors Bill Allowing Dissolution of a Gay Marriage/Civil Union at the Same Time

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Equality California is sponsoring a new bill introduced last Friday by Assemblymember Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) that would create a consolidated form and procedure to dissolve both a civil marriage and domestic partnership.

AB 2700 would amend the state’s family code, allowing for couples who first registered as domestic partners and who legally married thereafter, to dissolve both contracts through a single, uniform procedure. The current system forces couples to go through a separate process for each.

“Currently, couples must navigate a confusing system that is especially daunting for those who lack legal representation,” said Geoff Kors, Equality California executive director. “Since the State of California treats the relationships of same-sex couples differently, we need this legislation to prevent couples from having to jump through bureaucratic hoops until we restore a system of fairness and equality.”

Full Story from EQCA
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 california, dissolve, divorce, domestic partnerships ca, Gay Marriage, marriage equality, new bill, same sex marriage | No Responses »

Marriage Equality USA Dance for Equality in Oakland, CA on February 6th!

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Uptown Dance for Equality in Downtown Oakland!
Saturday, February 6, 2010 8pm – midnight
Tickets are $30/online $35/door

* Emcee Molly McKay, National Media Director of Marriage Equality USA, and the Fairy Butch aka Karlyn Lotney, will keep the party going while we revel in our shared intention of marriage equality.

* Swing lesson led by Bay Area Dance Teacher Extraordinaire Laurie Ann Lepoff!

* Fabulous spotlight dance performances by:
- Vernon Newton and the Bollywood Babes: Hip-hop
- Lynne Jassem: Tap
- Zoe Balfour and Citabria Phillips: Foxtrot
- Calvin Hamilton and Partner: Salsa
- Jean Ma and Bromley Palamountain: Lindy Hop
- and more!

* Food and beverages provided!

Location: Uptown Body & Fender
401 26th Street (between Broadway/Telegraph)
Oakland, CA 94612

Purchase Tickets in advance and SAVE!
www.dance4equal.com
http://www.facebook.com/l/e1416;www.dance4equal.com
- $30 per ticket in advance
- Buy five or more tickets in advance online and receive a $25 discount (applied during the transaction)
- $35 at the door
Includes food and beverages!
Bring your friends: partnered and single, straight and gay – let’s all have a good time together for the cause!

Posted in australia capital territory, bay area, california, dance for equality, fundraisers, marriage equality USA, mequsa, oakland, san francisco | No Responses »

CA: Proposed Law Would Take Away One of Prop 8's Main Arguments

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

San Francisco state Sen. Mark Leno supports gay marriage – but he doesn’t think clergy should have to perform the ceremonies. Leno, who is gay, is introducing legislation that says no religious leader would be forced to perform a marriage that goes against their own beliefs or that of their faith. The bill would also re-emphasize the tax-exempt status of churches, and states that they would not lose this status by refusing to perform same-sex marriages.

Leno, a Democrat, contends the bill would not actually change the law because the First Amendment already offers these protections.

Instead, Leno said, it is a clarification aimed right at the ongoing debate over Proposition 8, the 2008 initiative that ended California’s brief experiment with same sex marriage. The measure won by six points after a campaign in which proponents sought to mislead voters, Leno contends.

Full Story from Capitol Weekly
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 california, Gay Marriage, mark leno, marriage equality, proposed bill, religious exemption, same sex marriage | No Responses »

CA: New Law Recognizes Gay Marriage From Out of State… Sort Of

Friday, January 1st, 2010

SB54 specifies that same sex marriages are recognized in California. The marriages must meet one of two qualifications: a) they must have been entered into legally during the period of time when California offered gay marriage; b) they must have taken place before 11-05-2008 in a state that legally performs same sex marriage.

Additionally, any gay marriage taking place after that date in a state that legally performs it will also be recognized in California – affording the brides or grooms all the rights and responsibilities that come with a marriage — but the union will not legally be designated as “marriage.”

Full Story from KESQ: http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=11753324

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, new law, out of state, recognition | No Responses »

CA: 9th Circuit Affirms Campaign Document Ruling

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

A federal appeals court reaffirmed its ruling Wednesday that allowed sponsors of California’s ban on same-sex marriage to withhold campaign strategy documents from gay rights advocates who are seeking to overturn the ballot measure.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Dec. 11 had overturned a judge’s order to produce the documents, ruling 3-0 that their disclosure might discourage participation in future campaigns and inhibit strategists from speaking candidly. An appellate judge then sought a rehearing before an 11-judge panel, but the court said Wednesday that the request failed to gain majority support from its members. No vote total was announced.

The November 2008 initiative, Proposition 8, amended the California Constitution to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman, overturning a May 2008 state Supreme Court ruling that allowed gay and lesbian couples to marry.

Full Story from SF Gate: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/31/BAGA1BBNTC.DTL&feed=rss.gay

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 9th circuit, affirms, ca, california, campaign documents, ninth circuit court of appeals, prop 8, proposition 8, ruling | No Responses »

CA: Federal Proposition 8 Trial Begins on January 11th

Monday, December 28th, 2009

The trial in the federal lawsuit seeking to overturn California’s Proposition 8 starts Jan. 11 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. It could last a month. Representing the gay side are famed attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies, who, in 2000, argued opposite sides of the Bush/Gore “hanging chad” election mess before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Intervening for the gay side are lawyers from Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Their request to join the case on the same level as Olson and Boies was denied after they angered Olson and Boies by speaking ill of the case, saying it was poorly timed and unwise. The city of San Francisco also has intervened on behalf of the gays.

The defendants in the case — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Attorney General Jerry Brown (who very likely is running for governor) and the counties of Alameda and Los Angeles — will not actually defend Prop. 8 because they agree with Olson and Boies that it violates the U.S. Constitution. It is highly unusual for a state attorney general to refuse to defend his state’s constitution. Prop. 8 amended the California Constitution to re-ban same-sex marriage.

Full Story from Bay Windows: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=100447

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, federal trial, Gay Marriage, january 11th, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage | No Responses »

Signature Gathering to Repeal Prop 8 This Weekend

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Help Us Get Signatures Before the Holidays!

Go to SignForEquality.com, where you can download a petition form and learn how to get signatures. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, join us for signature gathering on these dates:

Friday, Dec 18
7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Venice Farmer’s Market
501 Venice Boulevard
Meet at front of market, inside orange cones, at corner of Venice Blvd and Ocean Ave. (free parking at lot on Dell Ave. near corner of Venice Blvd)

Friday, Dec 18
3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Echo Park Farmers Market
1125 Logan Street (near Downtown L.A.)
Meet in front of market (park on street)

Saturday, Dec 19
8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Santa Monica Farmers Market (S.M. Promenade)
Meet at corner of 2nd Street and Arizona Ave (park on street)

Saturday, Dec 19
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sherman Oaks Galleria (San Fernando Valley)
Meet at NW corner of Sepulveda and Ventura blvds. (free parking in mall with validation)

Sunday, Dec 20
9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Santa Monica Farmers market (Ocean Park)
Meet at corner of Main St. and Ocean Park (park on street)

Monday, Dec. 21
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
West Hollywood Farmers Market (Plummer Park)
Meet at Fountain Avenue entrance, between Vista and Fuller avenues (park on street)

Mon, Tues and Wed – Dec. 21-23
5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. each night
Lady Gaga Concerts
Nokia Theater/Staples Center (Downtown L.A.)
Meet at lobby of 888 S. Figueroa Street (park at 827 N. Figueroa – $8 flat fee – or other private lots nearby). We’ll gather signatures from people waiting in line!

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

Please come on time, but if you’re late, look for the volunteers in the yellow SignForEquality T-shirts. And, be sure to bring:

1. A couple of clipboards and a few pens (if you can).
2. Plenty of quarters for parking meters
3. $10 donation for our Sign For Equality volunteer t-shirt

For more information about this or other team signature gathering events, contact Andy at andy@wlaequality.org

We need 1 million signatures in the next 16 weeks. Let’s get thousands this weekend!

P.S. Join us for our next weekly meeting Tuesday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Crescent Heights United Methodist Church, 1296 N Fairfax Ave. This week, we’ll meet briefly and then head over to Sheddy’s Pub at 361 S. Fairfax (near the Grove) for a social mixer.

Posted in california, Gay Marriage, love honor cherish, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, repeal, signature gathering | No Responses »

CA: County Wants to Join Prop 8 Defenders in Lawsuit

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Imperial County officials want to join the sponsors of California’s gay marriage ban in defending Proposition 8 during an upcoming trial. The Imperial County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of an emergency motion Tuesday to intervene in the case. Supervisors say the county’s participation is needed because Attorney General Jerry Brown supports overturning the voter-approved measure, while Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken a neutral position on it.

The case is scheduled to go to trial on Jan. 11. A final pretrial hearing is scheduled in San Francisco on Wednesday.

The papers filed by the county say that 70 percent of Imperial’s voters supported Proposition 8.

Full Story from SFGate: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/15/state/n172126S51.DTL&tsp=1

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 california, Gay Marriage, imperial county, lawsuit, prop 8, proposition 8 | No Responses »

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