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Should Judge Walker's Sexual Orientation Disqualify Him From Prop 8 Case? The Short Answer is No

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Editor’s note: In a February 7 column, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on “the biggest open secret in the landmark trial over same-sex marriage”: that U.S. district judge Vaughn R. Walker, who is presiding over the federal lawsuit challenging California’s Proposition 8, is gay. Erwin Chemerinsky, a top constitutional law scholar and founding dean of the University of California, Irvine, School of Law, discusses the ramifications of the outing, and what effect — if any — it has on the case.

Judges constantly decide cases that might personally affect them or their family members. Female judges of reproductive age are allowed to decide cases involving the availability of abortion. Catholic judges can hear challenges to abortion laws even if their church threatens to deny them communion if they support abortion rights. Judges who are also parents can hear challenges to affirmative action programs even if they have children who might benefit or be hurt by the eventual decision.

The list of situations in which a judge’s life might be affected by the decision is endless. This is insufficient by itself to challenge a judge’s hearing of a case or an ultimate decision.

Full Story from The Advocate
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 Gay Marriage, Judge Vaughn Walker, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage | No Responses »

CA: NOM Tries to Muddy the Water With Post on Prop 8 Judge's Impartiality

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

What’s that adage about spin – say it long enough, hard enough, loud enough and eventually it will take on the cloak of truth? Well, the latest missive from National Organization Executive Director Brian Brown reads more like a fairy tale – showing that this Emperor has no clothes.

Brown’s email to supporters was in response a San Francisco Chronicle column published Sunday ostensibly “outing” Judge Vaugn Walker – who was not in the closet. That bit of “news” was not really new – which blogger Michael Petrelis pointed out with a Cheshire cat grin since he was the one who first raised the issue publicly in July. Queerty picked it up as a stand-alone story, while other bloggers and reporters referenced it in passing or didn’t feel it was relevant to Walker’s ability to try the case. After all, if Walker’s sexual orientation is an issue in him deciding an LGBT-related case, well then, what about a straight judge who’s been divorced judging a case involving marital relations? Indeed, US Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas would have to recuse himself from any case involving gender equality or sexual harassment.

Here’s Brown’s email so I’m not accused of taking anything out of context- after which I’ll have some fun with facts.

Full Story from the Huffington Post
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 federal trial, gay, Gay Marriage, judge vaugn walker, marriage equality, national organization for marriage, nom, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage | No Responses »

CA: Prop 8 Trial's Judge Walker is Gay

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

The biggest open secret in the landmark trial over same-sex marriage being heard in San Francisco is that the federal judge who will decide the case, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, is himself gay. Many gay politicians in San Francisco and lawyers who have had dealings with Walker say the 65-year-old jurist, appointed to the bench by President George H.W. Bush in 1989, has never taken pains to disguise – or advertise – his orientation.

They also don’t believe it will influence how he rules on the case he’s now hearing – whether Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure approved by state voters to ban same-sex marriage, unconstitutionally discriminates against gays and lesbians.

“There is nothing about Walker as a judge to indicate that his sexual orientation, other than being an interesting factor, will in any way bias his view,” said Kate Kendell, head of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which is supporting the lawsuit to overturn Prop. 8. As evidence, she cites the judge’s conservative – albeit libertarian – reputation, and says, “There wasn’t anyone who thought (overturning Prop. was a cakewalk given his sexual orientation.”

Full Story from SFGate
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 gay, Gay Marriage, Judge walker, lawsuit, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8 trial, same sex marriage | No Responses »

Profile of One of the Prop 8 Trial Couples

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo had hoped for years to get married, but as they watched anti-same-sex marriage campaign material proliferate in their Burbank community, the obstacles facing them became clear. More than a dozen “Yes on 8” signs — supporting the 2008 initiative that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman — cropped up in one neighbor’s yard as the election approached.

“It was a slap in the face every time you left for work, and it was a slap in the face every time you came home,” Katami said. But when the campaigning was over, and the state’s law prohibiting their union was passed, the couple decided to challenge it.

Together with a lesbian couple from Berkeley, the men are part of a federal lawsuit in San Francisco claiming that the same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional because it discriminates against a minority group. Proposition 8, the couple said, was too troubling of an affront on their rights to allow it to stand, particularly after they had built a relationship together and fallen in love like any other couple.

Full Story from the Burbank Leader
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 gay couple, Gay Marriage, Jeff Zarrillo, marriage equality, Paul Katami, plaintiffs, prop 8, proposition 8 trial, same sex marriage | No Responses »

CA: Join the Largest Signature Gathering Event of the Prop 8 Repeal Campaign Tomorrow

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Feb. 6th is the Day of Action for the repeal of Prop 8! Equality supporters from all over the state will be out collecting signatures to reverse 2008′s divisive ballot measure. RE2010′s goal is to collect 100,000 signatures in just one day. The bigger the number of volunteers, and the bigger the number of volunteers those volunteers invite to the event, the more easily that goal will be met! This is a crucial day for marriage equality, and one that all supporters of equality should have a chance to be a part of.

Here are the current locations and dates:

San Diego Central:
Place – The Bamboo Lounge
Address – 1475 University Ave
Time – 10 AM

San Diego North County – Oceanside:
Place – The Hill Street Cafe
Address – 524 South Coast Highway
Time – 10 AM

San Diego South:
Place – Chicano Park
Address – National Ave & Dewey St
Time – 10 AM

San Francisco:
Place – Justin Herman Plaza, San Francisco
Address – 1 Market St. Embarcadero Plaza
Time – 11 AM
Bay Area:
Place – Justin Herman Plaza, San Francisco
Address – 1 Market St. Embarcadero Plaza
Time – 11 AM

Chico:
Place – Congregational Church of Chico
Address -1190 E. First Avenue
Time – 10 AM

Bakersfield:
Place – Casablanca Club
Address – 1825 N Street, Bakersfield
Time – 10:00 PM – 2:00 AM

Fresno:
Place -just outside the Chicken Pie Shop
Address – 835 E. Olive (Tower District)
Time – 10:00am

Sanger / South Fresno County:
Place – Sanger Wal-Mart Parking lot (South-East Parking lot area near Jamba Juice)
Address: 2761 Jensen Ave., Sanger, CA
Time – 2:00PM – 4:30PM

Inland Empire – Riverside:
Place – Riverside Plaza (in front of Borders)
Address – 3615 Riverside Plaza Dr, Riverside, CA 92506
Time – 11-3pm
Orange County:
Location: Metro Q Bar & Grill
Street: 19092 Beach Blvd Ste J Huntington Beach, CA
Time: 11:15am – 4:00pm
See more information on Facebook

Los Angeles:
Place – Echo Park United Methodist Church
Address – 1226 North Alvarado Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Time – 1:00pm to 4:30pm

Place – Hollywood Lutheran Church
Address – 1733 North New Hampshire Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Time – TBA
Latino Unity @ Olvera Street
Community Education, Outreach & Signature Gathering for Marriage Equality
Place – Iglesia Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles
Address – 535 N Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Time – Check-In 11:30 am in front of La Placita Church

Place – Michael & Nowlin’s Home
Address – 15426 Lull Street, Van Nuys, CA 91406
Time – TBA

Long Beach:
Place – East Village Long Beach Certified Farmers Market
Address – 1st Street between Elm and Linden
Time – 9:15 AM to 11:30 PM

Oxnard:
Place -Oxnard Flea Market. Oxnard Community College.
Address – 4000 South Rose Ave.
Time – 9AM to 1 PM

Ventura:
Place -Ventura Flea Market and Swap Meet. County Fairgrounds.
Address – 10 Harbor Boulevard
Time – 9am-3pm

North San Fernando Valley:
Place – TBA
Address -
Time -

Oakland:
Place – Rockridge BART Station Parking Lot
Address – 5660 College Avenue, Oakland
Time – 10:30 AM

For updates, visit the Restore Equality 2010 Website at http://restoreequality2010.com/pressroom.htm

Posted in doma Defense of Marriage Act repeal effort democratic indifference frank pelosi, prop 8, proposition 8, restore equality. saturday, signature gathering | No Responses »

NY: NoH8 Holds Photoshoot in New York City

Friday, February 5th, 2010

You’ve certainly seen the photos — white backdrop with white t-shirts, mouths taped shut, glossy bright eyes and the standard “NOH8″ logo on the cheek. Since November 4, 2008 (the night Prop 8 passed in California), Adam Bouska (the photographer) and his partner, Jeff Parshley (the visionary), have been photographing thousands of individuals in California for the photo project and silent protest known as the NOH8 Campaign. The project has grown exponentially over the last year to include notable celebrities and politicians: Jane Lynch, Kathy Griffin, Cindy McCain, Meghan McCain, Ashlee Simpson, Pete Wentz, Marlee Matlin, and Isaiah Washington have all posed for the campaign.

However, until this week only those in LA LA land had the opportunity to participate (shoots have also been held in San Diego and Palm Springs). On February 1, an open shoot was held at the Empire Hotel in New York City, inviting everyone and anyone to throw on their best white t-shirt and strike a pose. Over 500 New Yorkers lined up from 2 – 8pm (despite the cold) to have their photo taken by Bouska and during the time I was there, I saw a healthy mix of ages, races and gender.

While in line among strangers, I chatted with two adorable men living in Brooklyn, Steven and Abdul, ages 31 and 26, who had been following the campaign since the beginning: “I had been following them online and just waiting for them to come to New York, just stalking them til they got here. We stand and get photographed for tons of other things that aren’t important at all, so why not be photographed for something and make a statement? We support the idea of marriage quality.”

Full Story from Autostraddle
Click here for gay marriage resources in New York.
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 Gay Marriage, marriage equality, new york city, noh8, ny, photo shoot, prop 8, proposition 8, protest, same sex marriage | No Responses »

CA: First Episode of the Prop 8 Trial Re-enactment Posted

Monday, February 1st, 2010

In its January 13, 2010 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the public broadcast of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, a U.S. District Court case challenging the constitutional validity of California Proposition 8. Working from court transcripts and first-hand accounts from bloggers who are present at the trial, we are re-enacting the trial and posting it here for public viewing.

We offer context for each episode from our two experts, David Cruz and Linda Hirshman. First, Cruz gives an overview of what is happening during the day’s proceedings–introducing the players and providing an explanation for the legal strategies being employed. Then, Hirshman recounts her first-person experience in the courtroom from San Francisco–describing the dynamics in the room and pointing out the social significance of what you are watching unfold.

See the First Episode Here
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 federal trial, Gay Marriage, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, re-enactment, same sex marriage | No Responses »

CA: Therese Stewart Fights for Marriage Equality at the Prop 8 Trial

Monday, February 1st, 2010

The fact that Therese Stewart didn’t get much publicity during the landmark federal court trial challenging Proposition 8 isn’t really a surprise: Lesbians do tend to be invisible. But Therese (pronounced tuh-REZ) Stewart had a fairly visible role—right up there with the big guns of Ted Olson, David Boies, and Charles Cooper –the nationally known attorneys at the center of the publicity.

Stewart, known as Terry to family and friends, gave an opening statement for the City of San Francisco, right after Olson did for the plaintiff couples and Cooper did for the Yes on 8 defense. She provided direct examination of George Chauncey, an expert witness on the history of gay discrimination. And she’ll be giving a closing argument, too.

She was born in San Francisco in 1957 and grew up in Marin, thinking she might run for Congress someday. As a kid, she recalls, she put on a man’s suit and carried a briefcase that, in retrospect should have been a hint that she might grow up to be gay. “But I didn’t figure it out til I was 24,” said Stewart. Her spouse, Carole Scagnetti, an attorney and head of Marriage Equality USA, teases her about that.

Full Story from Keen News Service
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 attorney, Gay Marriage, lawyer, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage, terry, therese stewart, trial | No Responses »

CA: SF Gay Men's Chorus Goes on Freedom Tour in Prop 8 Territory

Monday, February 1st, 2010

They came. They sang. They wore pink cowboy hats. When the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus embarked on its Freedom Tour into the heart of Proposition 8 territory over the weekend, there were concerns. Would red-state towns like Redding and Chico turn out to see gay men in tuxedos singing “Over the Rainbow”? Would there be protests, threats or fear-mongering from Shasta County’s fundamentalist community?

But chorus artistic director and conductor Kathleen McGuire asked: “Who is afraid of a choir?”

Make no mistake, this isn’t a tour. It’s a groundbreaking political action. In the upcoming months, they’ll visit Bakersfield, Fresno and Tracy, all strongholds for Prop. 8, the measure that banned same-sex marriage in California. They hope their music will help personalize the fight for gays to marry. It is more than a small gamble. They could face protests, fights or even worse – complete indifference.

Posted in bakersfield, chico, choir, freedom tour, Fresno, prop 8, proposition 8, redding, san francisco gay men's chorus, tracy | No Responses »

Repeal Prop 8 Signature Gathering This Weekend

Friday, January 29th, 2010

From Love Honor Cherish:

Help Us Get to 1 Million Signatures!
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:

Saturday, Jan. 30
8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Santa Monica Farmers Market (S.M. Promenade)
Meet at corner of 3rd St. and Arizona Ave. (park on street)

Sunday, Jan. 31
8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Hollywood Farmers Market
Meet at NE corner of Ivar and Sunset (park on street or at lot at Ivar & Delongpre – $2 for first 2 hrs w/validation at market). Call Mike at (310) 433-5915 for more info.

Sunday, Jan. 31
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)

Sunday, Jan. 31
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)

Sunday, Jan. 31
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Grammy Awards (Staples Center)
Meet at SW corner of Chick Hearn (11th) and Figueroa. Park in private lots east of Figueroa on Olympic Blvd. & 11th streets (cheaper the further east you go)

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

We need 1 million signatures in the next 13 weeks. Let’s get thousands this weekend!

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

For more on this effort, go to SignForEquality.com, where you can:

- download a petition form
- 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.

Posted in doma Defense of Marriage Act repeal effort democratic indifference frank pelosi, Gay Marriage, marriage equality, prop 8, proposition 8, same sex marriage, signature gathering | No Responses »

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