Page 1 Consider (01/28)

I'm sorry, but who gives a flying fuck what the Mormon -- or ANY OTHER -- church thinks about gay rights? Does no one remember the separation of church and state anymore? Why are we even reporting on this? THEY don't make the laws. THEY don't get to decide who gets rights. And they're only saying this to try to embed their own discriminatory policies into the law. Fuck off.

Steve Young's Touchdown Pass

Sure, Craig James -- No. 9 on my Hottest NFL Players of All Time list -- may have let us down by saying we were all going to hell. But then Steve Young -- No. 13 -- turns around and agrees to speak at a Mormon conference on LGBT acceptance! This doesn't come as a complete surprise seeing as Young's wife rallied aginast Prop 8 while her church worked to fund it. But Steve stayed out of that fight, so it's nice to see him getting involved, especially given the number of suicides of LGBT youth in the LSD church. Might be time to re-rank the men! Read HERE.

UPDATE: Watch Young speak at the conference HERE.

E-Book on Gay Marriage Rulings Now Available

The "definitive story of the struggle over same-sex marriage," by New York Times Supreme Court correspondent Adam Liptak is now available as a Kindle Single for $1.99 HERE.

NYT: HBO to Produce Documentary on Gay Marriage Legal Fight

The New York Times reports:

HBO on Tuesday announced a documentary film project that will chronicle the court battle to overturn California’s ban on same-sex marriage. HBO said that two directors, Ben Cotner and Ryan White, have for years had exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the legal team that argued the recent Supreme Court case over Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative that banned gay marriage in the state. The Supreme Court late last month declined to rule on the case, effectively ending the ban. The still-untitled documentary will be completed by the end of the year and make its debut on HBO sometime next year. Michael Lombardo, HBO’s programming president, in a statement called the movie “the story of a modern-day American revolution” and said it was intended to be “the film of record on this landmark case.”

Read HERE.

Check This Out

From the Facebook page of my friend Ken in Los Angeles:

Just a little media coverage of the marriages happening at West Hollywood Library. #gaymarrriage #westhollywoodlibrary #weho #gay #media #Instagood #westhollywood

Back in Business, Baby!

Attorney General Kamala Harris is to marry the Prop 8 plaintiffs at approx. 4:45 PT at SF City Hall.

UPDATE: This just happened!

Page 1 Consider (06/27)

Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA, Ignores Prop 8

I guess I should just be jumping for joy, but talk about a pussy decision. The court still hasn't decided if we have a fundamental right to marry. And while striking down the so-called Defense of Marriage Act is huge -- and the beginning of something big -- today's two "rulings" said this: It's up to the states to decide if we have a right to marry. And if a state says yes, it's a violation under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution to disparage it. But when a state said no -- as in California, where they voted against same-sex marriage -- the Supreme Court decided not to weigh in or respect the state's right to vote against it. (Huh?) It makes no sense -- well, other than to have the most narrow ruling possible -- but woo-hoo! We "won"! Read HERE.

Watch What Happens (to Our) Live(s)

Lawyer and Towleroad contributor Ari Ezra Waldman offers pointers on what to watch for in the Supreme Court Prop 8 case, Hollingsworth v. Perry HERE.

You're Invited

Here is a message -- and invitation -- from my friend David Mixner:

The week of March 24 will be a historic week for the LGBT community, family and friends. For two days on that week, the United States Supreme Court is hearing arguments on both the DOMA and Proposition 8 cases. Rarely has a time called for dignified reflections and 'giving witness' to the moment. 

Not acknowledging the importance of those hearings in our lives is unacceptable. All over America at sunset either on Sunday March 24 or Monday, March 25 there will be vigils, visits to Congressional offices and editorial boards, LGBT couples seeking marriage licenses and even some getting arrested. 

Show up and be counted somewhere in America. Just do it. 

On Sunday evening (March 24) at 7:00PM, I will be taking a candle to Times Square - the window to the world and standing silently for one hour to give witness. I will be standing behind the half price ticket booth. There will be no speeches (although music is always welcomed) and no anger. 

Have zero idea if it will be just me standing alone with my candle or just me and a few friends. However, I am inviting you to come and stand with me to give witness to the nation and the world how important that week will be for LGBT American obtaining freedom and equality. If the spirit moves you and you in New York City come on down to Times Square with your candle, your determination to fully equal and spend an hour with me. 

Much love and peace.

They Fought the Law

Rachel Maddow moderated a discussion about Brown vs. Perry with David Boies and Ted Olson today at the NYU School of Law, and my pal Kevin Sessums wrote a great recap of it on his Facebook wall. For those not following him there, I've posted it on my jump page. Kevin's take on the Republican co-counsel was rather provocative (Olson, you may know, is prepping the virulently anti-equality Paul Ryan for his debate against pro-equality Joe Biden), and the part about "the plaintiffs saying I do" was so moving that I just couldn't resist sharing. Read HERE.

California Supreme Court Might Uphold Prop. 8

This post was written by guest blogger Marc Lallanilla, who writes his own fab blog over HERE: 

According to numerous reports, the California Supreme Court seems to be heading toward validating Prop. 8 by ruling that the proposition is a permissible constitutional revision.

  

The good news is that the 18,000+ couples who were married before the gay marriage ban will not have their marriages annulled. (Phew! At least they won't be living in sin.)

Shall We Overcome?

 

I really was moved by Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Prop 8 last night. (If it doesn't touch you deeply then you might want to visit The Wizard sometime soon and see about getting a brain heart.) And I salute everyone who has been out passionately protesting the Mormon church in recent days (to what end I'm not sure; but those magic-underwear lovers were SHAMED into allowing blacks into the church back when, so maybe it's worth something -- and it has inspired the gays in Utah to fight back with a five-bill attack in legislature). 

But the more I think about this and the more I discuss it with my friends, the clearer it's become to me that as much as I would have liked Prop 8 to have failed (although I do agree with Gov. Schwarzenegger that this hate measure may well get struck down by the court), continuing to fight these state battles when same-sex marriage is actually best argued on federal grounds is ultimately a waste of time. (It's like playing what I call Gay Marriage Whack-a-'Mo.) Instead of trying to convince every bigot in America that gay people deserve civil rights too, isn't our best chance at getting the U.S. Supreme Court -- even today's Bush-ed lineup -- to turn this around in our favor to present it as such? By arguing that under the Full Faith and Credit clause of the U.S. Constitution a legal marriage of a same-sex couple from Massachusetts (or Connecticut) must be recognized in ALL 50 states just as opposite-sex marriages (and divorces) are, that would essentially take care of this whole hateful mess. (And by labeling it what it really is -- a boring old interstate-contracts issue -- it might even help remove some of the overwrought emotion of it all.). And once all states must recognize these marriages, then the economic side would probably kick in and force states to start allowing same-sex marriages to be performed there too (why have your residents spend money elsewhere if you're going to have to honor it here anyway?). While Antonin "Originalist" Scalia and Clarence Thomas would probably manage to come up with any reason to vote against it, Anthony Kennedy may well swing with us on this. And a 5-4 victory is still a victory. (OK, all my lawyer readers: tell me why this won't/hasn't worked.) 

And to readers like Jake who think a "strategic retreat" from the word "marriage" and a focus on civil unions is the way to go I say this: time to dust off your history books and read up on Plessy v. Ferguson (and Brown v. the Board of Education). No matter what you've been led to believe, there is absolutely no equality in "separate but equal."

Love, Requited

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This post was written by guest blogger Marc Lallanilla.)

Admit it, you loved Brad Pitt even when he was ripping off Thelma in Thelma & Louise. You loved him when he was monkeying around with Rachel from Friends. You still loved him, even though he started having babies with Laura Croft, Tomb Raider.

And now, your love has finally borne fruit, because Brad loves you back. He's donated a big, sweaty man-hunk of money to make sure the two of you can get married in California -- $100,000 of it. This is what he's telling the media:

"Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8."

But what he's not telling the media is that he's doing it for you. No wonder you've loved him for so long ... sigh ...