Results tagged “prop8”

One year ago tonight, thousands of disappointed voters hit the streets to protest the passing of Prop 8 which banned gay marriage in California. Tonight, people will gather again.

While elections locally weren't exactly a topic around town, they were nationally and the outcomes are still relevant to Los Angeles and California. One year after Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, Maine faced a similar fate. After the state's assembly and governor approved gay marriage earlier this year, the voter-initiated Question 1 was placed on the ballot asking "Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?" Question 1 passed with XX% of the vote.

Foes of gay marriage tried to get a U.S. District Judge to dismiss a case against Proposition 8, a voter-approved initiative that reinstated a ban on gay marriage last November. As expected, Judge Vaughn Walker denied the motion, which means a court case could begin as early as January, according to the LA Weekly.

The fourth hearing over a pending federal court case challenging the legality of Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, will take place in San Francisco today. Backers of the ban are asking U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker to dismiss the challenge because the law is clearly written and, get this, "there is no constitutional right for gays and lesbians to marry because marriage has long been defined as a union between a man and a woman," according to the LA Times.

Among the hundreds of bills signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last night, two gay rights ones were authored by San Francisco's Senator Mark Leno. One names May 22nd as Harvey Milk Day and the other recognizes same-sex marriages from other states by providing "the same legal protections that would otherwise be available to couples that enter into civil unions or domestic partnerships out-of-state," according to the bill's language. "In short, this measure honors the will of the People in enacting Proposition 8 while providing important protections to those unions legally entered into in other states."

The next big date in all things Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California, will be January 11th, 2010. In this morning's hearing about the case, backers of Prop 8 desired a 2010 summer date, but proponents of striking the ban down wanted it much earlier. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker denied three gay rights group the ability to join the lawsuit, as well as a anti-gay marriage group's request, too. However, he did allow the City of San Francisco to join, but only to assess the impacts to local governments, explained the Associated Press. Expert witnesses will be designated by October 2nd with discovery concluding on November 30th. The pretrial conference will be on December 16th followed by the designation of rebuttal expert witnesses on December 31st, said the Mercury News.

It's just after 10 a.m. and case against the unconstitutionality of Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, is being heard for the second time in a federal district court in San Francisco. Before the first hearing in July, Judge Vaughn R. Walker said "given that serious questions are raised in these proceedings ... the court is inclined to proceed directly and expeditiously to the merits of plaintiffs' claims. ... The just, speedy and inexpensive determination of these issues would appear to call for proceeding promptly to trial.”

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.

Backers of restoring gay marriage in California announced today that they will focus their energies on a 2012 ballot proposition, based on "information, research and feedback" from analysts, pollsters and the community-at-large. Equality California stepped back from attempting to win a measure on the 2010 ballot, but said in an e-mail that they refuse to wait until there is full confidence of winning, which could be later than the 2012 election.

On Monday, following the taping of their rousing performance on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, cast members from the Broadway revival of Hair stopped by Here Lounge in West Hollywood for a "Be In" aimed at promoting marriage equality.

As the case against Prop 8 goes to Federal Court, the presiding judge has warned that he will likely not approve an injunction against Prop 8 during trial. Even gay marriage supporters such as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown have warned of the confusion and uncertainty if that were to happen and Prop 8 was found to be law. However, the judge wants to get the trial going soon. "To avoid the procedural and practical problems surrounding a preliminary injunction," U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, "the court is inclined to proceed directly and expeditiously to the merits" of the case. Tomorrow will be the hearing for the preliminary injunction. Walker will also explore whether or not Prop 8 was "discriminatory intent" and whether the "sole motivation for Prop. 8 was moral disapproval of gays and lesbians," according to the LA Times.

In a move that some feel is risky, Prop 8 will be tested in Federal Court Thursday when it will go before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker in the Northern District of California, according to Karen Ocamb at The Bilerico Project.

As this week marked the bittersweet one-year anniversary of legal gay marriage in California, two political leaders made big moves in the advancement of gay rights. In California, Governor Schwarzenegger on Tuesday decided not to defend the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, in a federal court case. Disappointing traditional marriage advocates, he said it will be up to the courts to decide because the case "presents important constitutional questions that require and warrant judicial determination."

For California's gays and lesbians, today marks the bittersweet one year anniversary of the California Supreme Court's decision to allow LGBT folks to get married in the Sunshine State. Of course, things didn't turn out exactly as planned and in November, Proposition 8 passed, leaving gays and lesbians high and dry at the aisle. Cue the scenes of protesters marching on the Mormon Church, the streets of Silver Lake and Downtown and ultimately, last month's decision by the Supreme Court to uphold Prop. 8 while allowing the approximately 18,000 couples who were hitched to stay that way.

              

"So what's with the Prop 8 bullshit anyway?"

Is New England the new California? New Hampshire became the sixth state, the fifth in New England, to legalize gay marriage today. After months of back and forth revisions, the legislature approved it this morning following by Governor John Lynch approval this afternoon when he signed it into law.

       

About 3,000 people descended upon on Fresno Saturday for the Meet in the Middle 4 Equality to protest Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California and was upheld by the state Supreme Court last week. First, a group marched 14.5-miles from Selma to Fresno's city hall followed by a rally with speakers including Charlize Theron, T.R. Knight, Eric McCormack, Cleve Jones, Rick Jacobs, Robin McGehee and Robin Tyler.

       

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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.

One will address the war and the other, Prop 8. At 3:30 and until 5 p.m., activists from CODEPINK and ANSWER LA will protest troops in Afghanistan and war funding outside the Beverly HIlton, where President Obama is attending a Democratic National Committee fundraiser. Then at 6 p.m., the Courage Campaign is organizing one about Prop 8. "Let's take this opportunity, just one day after the CA Supreme Court makes its decision on Proposition 8, to show our President our support for his daring promise to our community and to highlight the growing movement towards FULL FEDERAL EQUALITY," their website says.

We first met the roving band Killsonic last year on Valentine's Day roaming the streets of downtown during the monthly art walk. The quality of music and the random nature of how it all felt gave us a fantastic feeling. Then last night, at the tail end of the Prop 8 march in Hollywood was the band, rocking it out, once again.

                     

Last night's large Day of Decision protest and march went peacefully through nearly six and half miles of West Hollywood and Los Angeles streets. There was lots of frustration, but also chants of encouragement, statements written in yellow chalk on the sidewalks and streets and people to meet.

In an e-mail yesterday from Protect Marriage, the official Yes on Prop 8 group, they are not too worried concerned about the 18,000 gay couples whose were marriages untouched in the state Supreme Court's ruling. Why? Cause, apparently, a lot of gays will divorce, they say: "if California goes as Massachusetts did after legalizing gay marriage, a substantial portion of the still-recognized gay marriages will be dissolved by divorce within a few years." Jeeezzz.

Two top attorneys who argued Bush v. Gore on opposite sides have now joined forces to strike down Prop 8 in federal court, filing for a preliminary injunction against same-sex marriage ban until the case is resolved, which would immediately reinstate the right for all Californians to marry. Theodore B. Olson and David will officially announce their case tomorrow morning in downtown, according to the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

              

One of the first protests of many in the Los Angeles area today took place at the East Los Angeles Recorder Office on Cesar Chavez Avenue. Around 100 people, who would have preferred to be celebrating, were prepared with Repeal Prop 8 in 2010 signs. They chanted in front of news cameras while a few couples waited in line to get marriage proposals, an exercise in purposeful futility. After being denied, the couples refused to leave saying they would wait until gay marriage is legal in California. Eventually, they left shortly after 3 p.m.

Speaking from Sacramento today as he works with legislators on our failed state budget (they want to take money away from cities), gay marriage supporter and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villariagosa addressed today's Prop 8 ruling in a statement.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has always been a supporter of gay marriage, but his duty is to uphold today's ruling. However, he believes that someday gay couples will get the right to marry in California. Here's what he said in a statement today: "While I believe that one day either the people or courts will recognize gay marriage, as governor of California I will uphold the decision of the California Supreme Court. Regarding the 18,000 marriages that took place prior to Proposition 8's passage, the court made the right decision in keeping them intact. I also want to encourage all those responding to today's court decision to do so peacefully and lawfully.''

Stop8.org founder and contributor to LAist's sister site to the north, SFist, Matt Baume put together this nice video. To him, it's not all that bad... here's to continuing the positive conversation for ultimate change.

After this morning's ruling that gay marriage will remain illegal in California, things outside the California Supreme Court in San Francisco started to get a little out of hand. Locally, the LAPD announced logistics to the media about tonight's permitted protest in Hollywood. They advised reporters of media staging areas, the route and what to do if the march is declared as an unlawful assembly.

A long awaited decision announced at 10 a.m. on Prop 8 and 18,000 already-married couples proved mostly a loss for the gay community. In a 6-1 vote, the California Supreme Court ruled that Prop 8 was indeed an amendment and therefore remains law, meaning gay marriage in the state is illegal. However, as expected by many, the 18,000 couples who married during the Rainbow Window last year will remain legally married (the full ruling is embedded below).