"The most consistent and smartest thinking and writing about progressive politics isn't happening in Sacramento, but being churned out day after day on sites and by organizations like Calitics, Orange County Progressive, and the California Budget Project." - CalBuzz
In case you haven't yet heard, none other than Rick Jacobs of Courage Campaign will be in Orange County this week to talk about the future of the California campaign for marriage equality. Can Prop H8 be repealed next year? And if so, how will it work? And what needs to be done?
Come on over this Thursday and get your Repeal Prop H8 questions answered! Here are some more details on what will happen and how you can join in:
We are very happy and excited to tell you: Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the Courage Campaign, is coming to Orange County!
Rick will be speaking to us about the elements of a successful campaign to repeal Proposition 8. We will also discuss specific first steps and ways to get involved on the ground floor.
As a member of Team Courage, you are invited to join us. Help us welcome Rick and show that Orange County has a great local activist community!
A cake raffle to benefit Team Courage Orange County will be held. Light refreshments will be provided.
Please RSVP by sending an email to TeamCourageOrangeCounty@gmail.com or by clicking here.
Any questions? Contact Alex Gorman at (949) 573-0846 or alexgorman1@gmail.com
Directions: Take the 22 / Garden Grove Fwy to the Garden Grove Blvd Exit, head East on Garden Grove Blvd., it will be on the first block on the right. Here's the Google Map link.
Yeah, I know. I'm also wondering what's going on. But apparently, even Mr. "I don't like brown people!" had to laugh at Maggie Gallagher's incoherent defense of such blatant discrimination happening at the federal level thanks to DOMA.
Click here to watch. (For some reason, Soapblox won't let me embed the video here.)
Oh yes, and legal eagle Tobias Wolff was fabulous in revealing the total stupidity of everything "The Queen of NOM" had to say to try to make up look like down and right look like wrong. DOMA is unconstitutional and discriminatory. Simple as that.
The news today has come from San Francisco that U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker set a rather quick trial date and has denied the request of several LGBT community groups in California - represented by the ACLU, Lambda Legal and NCLR - to intervene in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger lawsuit challenging the constitutional validity of Proposition 8. The similar request of the Campaign for California Families, which had supported Proposition 8, to intervene also was denied.
Judge Walker did, however, grant the request of the City of San Francisco to intervene. According to Lambda Legal's Jason Howe, the judge "said they showed a government interest that wasn't represented by any of the current parties."
What this means, basically, is that Ted Olson and David Boies, along with San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, will be the lawyers now controlling this challenge to Proposition 8, considered by many to be the most broad, grand-scale attack on marriage discrimination of all those brought in recent years. It is not yet clear how Vaughn ruled in terms of whether both plaintiff groups - the AFER plaintiffs and the City Intervenor-Plaintiff - will be responsible for all decisions or whether Walker named one lead plaintiff in the case.
The ramifications of an appellate or Supreme Court ruling would have impact far outside California's borders, with a success for the plaintiffs calling into question other state amendments banning lesbian and gay couples from marrying, as well as the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
To be fair, I'll include the joint Lambda Legal/ACLU/NCLR statement after the flip. However, I first want to make a quick comment.
It wasn't that long ago when these same organizations that are supposed to advocate for the LGBT community were trying to prevent this law suit from even happening. They publicly maligned the American Foundation for Equal Rights in the press. And now they want to hijack this case since it will be heard in federal court after all?
Now don't get me wrong, I appreciate what these groups have done in the past to advance our legal rights in the courts. I think they did their best in the Strauss v. Horton case in the California Supreme Court challenging Prop H8. But since they didn't even want the case in federal court to start with, why should they be allowed to intervene in this case? Let Chad Griffin, David Boies, and Ted Olson handle it. We'll see how successful they will ultimately be.
You can see EQCA's new plan for 2012 here. You can see Love Honor Cherish's (another pro-marriage-equality in 2010 group) plan for 2010 here. And if you want to help Courage Campaign build the campaign for marriage equality in California AND help the "No on 1" campaign preserve marriage equality in Maine this fall, you can go here.
Included after the flip is the latest Courage email from Rick Jacobs and Obama campaign veteran Steve Hildebrand. Oh, and I'll also include the latest EQCA email from Geoff Kors. And again, I just want to say I hope this means we can all at least agree to stop fighting each other and get working so we can at least win back our civil rights some day. I just hope that day will be in November 2010. ;-)
Our LGBT community in California has waited far too long. Our allies have waited far too long. The people most affected by the discriminatory marriage ban have waited far too long. It's unfair to any one concerned about Prop H8 to have the decision on when to return to the ballot left in limbo. A decision really needs to be made on when to return to the ballot and win marriage equality.
I have the full letter from Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs after the flip. If you agree with him (and with us), then please take the next step if you can. Thanks.
According to Columbia University, there's been major movement nationwide on public opinion of LGBT civil rights. Throughout the nation, more and more Americans in more and more states now favor full civil marriage rights, anti-discrimination protections, same-sex family adoptions, and domestic partner health benefits. And guess what? We have some encouraging news for California. It looks like support for Prop H8 really may be slipping.
Support in California for:
- 2nd parent adoption is 51%
- hate crimes protection is 78%
- domestic partner health benefits is 65%
- anti-discrimination protection for housing is 81%
- anti-discrimination protection for jobs is 68%
- civil unions (aka domestic partnerships [DPs]) is 58%
- full civil marriage equality is 50%
Yes, California has really come a long way since the dark days of Prop 22. We had limited DPs then, but expanded them in 2005. We now have more comprehensive anti-discrimination laws that cover the entire LGBT community. And yes, we're so close to getting rid of H8.
Obviously however, we still have plenty of work to do. Prop H8 does need to be repealed. And on the national level, DOMA & DADT need to go as we get ENDA passed.
It's at least heartening to see public opinion move in the right direction. I'm sure the Yes on H8 folks will spin this as just one meaningless poll, but it does show that progress is probably being made. And hopefully, we can make some more progress in the next year as a real pro-marriage equality campaign is being built.
Judging from the blogreports, last weekend's Repeal Prop H8 Leadership Summit was a complete disaster. But was it really? Who's really to blame for what happened? And who's really been working hard on a way forward to undo the H8?
UPDATE: Courage Campaign has just released their own statement on the "Prepare to Prevail" letter. And surprisingly, they're finally taking a firm position in favor of 2010! Good on Courage for standing up for its own activist members who voted 82% for 2010. Hopefully, more of the "big LGBT groups" will follow suit and do as their members asked them to do.
There's been some buzz lately over a letter being circulated by some California LGBT leaders, "Prepare to Prevail", urging that we wait until 2012 to try to repeal Prop H8 and restore marriage equality in California. Love Honor Cherish, a grassroots pro-equality organization that's been strongly supporting a 2010 Repeal H8 campaign, has just released its response to this letter. I'll post the entire response after the flip for you to see, but let me first say something myself.
There's no question whatsoever that I prefer keep our eyes on the prize for 2010 over delaying justice until 2012. Personally, I think it's unfair to LGBT people to force our community to wait for equal rights. And furthermore, I think this is very much doable in 2010 if we don't delay in doing the hard work needed to build a winning campaign. Polls already show a close race, and the dynamics of 2010 and 2012 may change depending on who will be facing whom in the Governor's race in 2010, how President Obama will fare in 2012, what other ballot initiatives will be voted on in 2010, how many competitive Legislature races we have in 2012, and much more. So really, I don't see any real advantage in waiting for 2012 over going for it next year.
But hey, that's just my point of view. I'll let you jump the flip now to see the "Prepare to Prevail" arguments and Love Honor Cherish's rebuttals.
Why spend another Saturday night at home doing nothing? Why sit around when blatant discrimination still plagues California? Why not do something about it? Come and get engaged with Marriage Equality USA, OCEC, and a number of other local activist groups working to overturn Prop H8 and make equality happen!
There are over 60 groups working in coalition statewide on marriage equality in California. These groups are shaping the upcoming campaign, and they want to hear from YOU!
The statewide coalition has commissioned polling data that will be shared in a short presentation. The remainder of the time will be for the community to give feedback and response.
Across the state, over 70 cities are holding a Get Engaged! Town Hall this month. Here in Orange County, we'll be bringing information to you, and even more importantly, hearing from you exactly how YOU want to shape the upcoming campaign.
You can get engaged this Saturday at Irvine United Congregational Church at 4915 Alton Pkwy in Irvine. Click here to RSVP or call 949-940-6376 for more information. We hope to see you there!
Don't forget to join us in Seal Beach this Saturday for our next Team Courage OC Walk for Equality! The campaign to repeal Prop H8 continues, and our summer schedule is moving full steam ahead. Check the listing below, and please join us to make a difference and advance equality for all.
Well, we may finally get the answer to that question we've all been asking: "Is he or isn't he?" That is: Is Arnold for marriage equality or not? He famously told Jay Leno he "didn't care" about it in 2003, then infamously put a halt to the "Winter of Love" San Francisco marriages in 2004. He twice vetoed marriage equality legislation in 2005 and 2006, then publicly spoke against Prop H8 in 2008 (but never regretted vetoing marriage equality).
Basically, our Governator has been pretty notorious on flip-flopping on a number of LGBT civil rights issues, especially marriage equality. But now, he may finally be taking a clear position on the issue. According to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, Arnold has filed its response to the Boies-Olson Prop H8 federal challenge... And he's finally called the marriage ban unconstitutional.
But wait, he also wants it overturned? That's the news EQCA broke. Apparently even though Jerry Brown wants H8 enforced now, he ultimately wants it overturned in the future by the federal courts.
After the flip is the announcement from Geoff Kors. I guess this is ultimately good news, but it's hard to keep up with all the new twists and turns in the ongoing Prop H8 saga.
The Department of Justice, under Obama, has just written and filed a brief on a gay marriage suit in federal court that could well have been written by the Bush Justice Department.
I haven't said too much about these failings on civil rights so far, but Obama both through statements from spokeman Robert Gibbs and through inaction and dissembling on repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the Obama Administration doesn't seem to put LGBT civil rights on its list of priorities.
Now this: the Justice Department defending DOMA in federal court:
Under this view, Congress obviously acted within its plenary effects power in enacting Section 2 of DOMA. If the Constitution itself does not declare "the effect" of the law of "one state in another state," McElmoyle, 38 U.S. (13 Pet.) at 325, but instead leaves that "power in congress," Mills, 11 U.S. (7 Cranch) at 485, then Congress clearly had the authority in DOMA to declare that no State is "required to give effect" to the same-sex marriage laws of other States. 28 U.S.C. ยง 1738C.
The Justice Department also in the suit declares gays have no constitutional rights to marriage, or marriage recognition rights, and that DOMA is constitutional.
Look, the LGBT community has been waiting and waiting for federal civil rights protections in housing and employment, which are basic protections. Still nothing. Nothing.
It's way past time for action on these issues. There's no real reasoning to wait. But with court filings like the one in this case, it looks like Obama is not going to lead on LGBT issues anytime soon.
Wasn't last week amazing? Out of the ashes of that Tuesday's horrifying California Supreme Court decision, the civil rights movement has been reinvigorated. We saw major protests throughout the week, which culminated in last weekend's historic Meet in the Middle event in Fresno. But hey, this isn't the end... Just the beginning of a new and vigorous campaign for equality.
This is why Team Courage OC will be going door-to-door in the coming days, weeks, and months to raise awareness and support for marriage equality and LGBT civil rights in California. The California Supreme Court may have ruled, but they won't have the last word. The voters will, so we must work now to build majority support for marriage equality. Face-to-face contact has been proven time and again to be the most effective ways of influencing opinion, so please join us to change hearts and minds in these critical battleground areas of Orange County!
Please follow me after the flip to see where our next walks will be and how you can help us organize an event in your neighborhood.
This week, some in the media have stirred up "controversy" over last Sunday's Meet in the Middle Leadership Summit in Fresno. Why, you ask? We talked about polling data that couldn't yet be released to the public. Oh noez, so we can't give away our entire campaign strategy to NOM?
But now, finally, much of the poll data done by David Binder for Poll 4 Equality, an umbrella coalition consisting of groups like Courage Campaign, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Marriage Equality U.S.A., and Equality California, is being made public. Yes, you can finally see where we stand after the flip.
