Results tagged “equality”

Although Equality California announced putting support a ballot measure to strike down Prop 8, another group, The Courage Campaign, said today they are shooting for 2010 and just raised $135,000 in the last two days--an amazing amount for August fundraising in an off-year during this economy--for research. Chatter among some within the anti-Prop 8 movement has the house divided.

Hundreds of people marched over 14 miles from Selma to Fresno this morning kicking off the Meet in the Middle 4 Equality rally in downtown Fresno. Police were expecting 3,000 to 5,000 people to descend upon the city's city hall, but the number of people who have shown up is currently unknown. Notable names attending to speak include Charlize Theron, Eric McCormick from Will and Grace and T.R. Knight from Grey's Anatomy.

Just two days after Saturday's nationwide candlelight vigil regarding the passing of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California, organizers from Join the Impact announced another cross-county event that will address President-Elect Barack Obama directly, reminding him of a campaign promise made in February.

       

It was quiet, people seemed happy and overall, the Prop 8 candlelight vigil on Saturday night in Hollywood was positive. Light Up the Night was a nationwide demonstration that aimed to make an impact on the private sector by holding the vigils in high traffic business or shopping areas. Organizers estimate the vigils reached one million people with the message of equality.

Albeit a great idea, yesterday's "call in gay" day seemed to have little effect. It "drew spotty participation nationwide," found the Daily News and one participant e-mailed LAist saying that the event in West Hollywood last night was a "huge flop." He said a meager 150 people turned out to march on the streets. Up in San Francisco, a larger and much more peaceful (than those in early November) march took to the streets.

Marjorie Christoffersen, who was the most popular person at the 77-year-old restaurant, reportedly resigned Saturday after coming under fire for a $100 donation to support banning gay marriage in Califiornia. For her, she was going with what her Mormon leaders were saying even though her restaurant had been a gay friendly hang for years. El Coyote became one of the centerpieces of the boycott debate over where the line should be drawn on employee/management donations political causes. A protest was held outside the restaurant (see photos here) and many vowed never to eat thre again.

The California Supreme Court agreed yesterday to consider Prop 8 opponents' arguments on the validity of the proposition that banned gay marriage in California on November 4th (court motion in PDF here). However, the justices denied a stay that would have let county clerks resume issuing marriage license to gay couples until the case finished.

       

It seems Saturday's National Prop 8 protest in all 50 states was a tipping point. Not the same tipping point that beget large passionate protests and rallies on a daily basis outside the Mormon Temple in Westwood, but the type of tipping point where people are done protesting and now starting to put the pieces back together, plan for the next move and wait (but yes, protests are still going to happen no matter what).

    

Mark (last name unknown) from Stop8.org made these Barack Obama styled posters that reflect the mood of Prop 8's opposition. They're humorous in one way, but sadly true in another way.

But Marjorie Chrisoffersen, who is also a Mormon, is not feeling good about her actions. She wants to speak to people about it tomorrow before lunch at the restaurant on Beverly Blvd. near La Brea:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who publicly supported the opposition to Prop 8, which sought to eliminate gay marriage in California, said Sunday that opponents should not give up and he would like to see the Supreme Court take up the issue again. "It's unfortunate, obviously, but it's not the end," he said in an interview Sunday on CNN per the LA Times. "I think that we will again maybe undo that, if the court is willing to do that, and then move forward from there and again lead in that area... I learned that you should never ever give up," he said comparing it to a learnt lesson from his bodybuilding days when he tried to lift weights too heavy at first. "They should never give up. They should be on it and on it until they get it done."

                     

Thursday's protest and march against the passing of Proposition 8 stirred many emotions and reactions from those involved, those in agreement, and those who are happy to have seen the controversial proposition--which amends the state Constitution to define marriage as limited to being between a man and a woman--pass, even by a slim margin. While the discussion continues about the ramifications of this proposition passing, the next steps for those who oppose the measure, how the voting population arrived at their choice on the issue, and what will become of the marriages of those same-sex couples who were married between May and November, the current movement has been concentrated on rallies, marches, and protests.

The rally and march began last night at around 7, and by 10 had made its way back to the starting point at Broadway and Redondo Avenues in Long Beach. Although the local police and the LA Co. Sheriffs had been keeping a watchful eye on the crowds, by the end of the evening they were "met with resistance" when they urged the protesters to bring the even to a close. After they were reportedly "urged to move on or face arrest," three people were "detained on suspicion of inciting a riot," reports cbs2.com. A group of people in favor of Prop 8 were also present, but remained across the street holding up signs.

The language of Proposition 8 may have ended gay marriages in California, but it was silent on invalidating marriages before the prop was passed on November 4th. The big question on 18,000 couples' minds is what will happen to their marriages? California Attorney General Jerry Brown and a number of equality groups are saying that marriages between June 16th and Nov. 4th "are still valid in the state of California and must continue to be honored by the state," according to the ACLU. However, a final definite answer on that is still unknown, they warn. "Although it is extremely unlikely that California courts would apply the initiative retroactively, the proponents of Proposition 8 may file a legal challenge trying to invalidate the marriages of those who married before Proposition 8 possibly passed."

A fight that broke out between opponents and proponents of Prop 8, the November 4th ballot initiative that sought to ban gay marriage in California, ended with two people apparently being sent to the hospital. Leah Murphy of Westwood said she was walking with a group of ten friends at Thursday's protest outside the Mormon Temple on Santa Monica Blvd. when two women who were said to have come from within church grounds began to call them derogatory names.

Hundreds of people gathered for a 2 p.m. press conference at the Mormon temple on Santa Monica Blvd. at Overland (map) where LA Gay & Lesbian Center CEO Lorri L. Jean announced the launch of a new website, http://invalidateprop8.org/.

After LAist learned that Los Angeles County was suspending marriage licenses for gay couples, we asked Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan for some more detail on why and what next, especially in light of the millions of uncounted ballots. Here's what he said:

       

An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people gathered protested in the streets of West Hollywood and Hollywood last night (as well as in San Francisco). "Maybe losing a right was what our community needed to get us out of the bars and into the streets, but I feel more energized than ever tonight," wrote blogger Boi from Troy who left the march early when the LAPD showed up. "Things started getting tense, as the crowd was blocked in on both sides by LAPD... LAPD’s mistake was stopping the crowd rather than directing it back to West Hollywood. LAPD went on tactical alert, which seemed like an over-reaction, when they should have coordinated with the Sheriff, which handled things well."

Although not all precincts have reported in (5%) more to go as of 8:45 a.m., the writing is on the wall--Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that sought to eliminate gay marriage in California has done just that. A close race, yes, but yes votes outnumbered no votes by over 400,000, or 4.2%. Even in LA County, the majority of voters said yes on Prop 8.

Look at Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent, he just looks so angry in that photo. Well, he's sort of angry all the time, probably even when he donated $15,000 to the Yes on Prop 8 campaign that seeks to ban gay marriage in California. "In a disclosure filed with the California secretary of state, Kent listed his occupation as professional baseball player for the Dodgers and his address as Austin, Texas. He gave the $15,000 in a transaction dated Monday but which only now is public," reported the LA Times blog Top of the Ticket. "A review of campaign records shows no other donations to federal or California state campaigns by Kent." Does this mean Kent hates gays? We don't know, but he does appear to be an equal-opportunity hater.

A late-night denial-of-service attack shut down the official website of opponents of Prop 8, the ballot initiative that seeks to ban gay marriage in California. "We're getting on the order of 1000 connections from the same IP addresses, so yeah--it looks like an attack," a No on 8 campaign staffer wrote in an e-mail during the attack. At the same time across the country in Florida, the same type of attack sunk the website of opponents of a similar proposed ban. UPDATE: More details emerge, click here to read.

This Sunday, October 26th, from 3:30pm until evening, the Los Angeles chapter of INCITE!, hosts SISTERFIRE LA, a Women of Color and Trans People of Color multimedia art performance showcase against violence, featuring local artists, musicians, and other creative souls.

If you've enjoyed legally walking topless around the streets of New York City (yes, it is legal there and if you do get busted, you can take the police to court and win), then you might be interested in protesting for the equal opportunity to go topless in California, too. Tomorrow is National Go Topless Protest Day (with one protest at the Democratic National Convention next week) where those in support of this constitutional cause will march clad in nothing or slightly more. The Venice Beach protest begins at noon on the boardwalk at Navy St. As the neighborhood blog Yo Venice says, "CA Ladies, if you want the same rights as your NY sisters…be at the beach this Saturday."