tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37670801983129165692011-07-28T23:34:07.507-07:00Thoughts and news about the ongoing struggle over marriage rights in California.Phoenixnoreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-32228052912410938552010-09-20T16:14:00.000-07:002010-09-20T18:04:59.480-07:00

So we had an amazing, excruciating trial, an agonizing wait, an exhilarating victory, a crushing stagnation in the form of the hold on the ruling, and now we have another wait, this one more frightening in a number of ways.I feel I should say something about how my opinion on the court case changed between first learning about it (when I feared the worst) to the first rough summary of a day in

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-69579045058843569102010-08-05T16:53:00.000-07:002010-08-06T12:17:30.538-07:00

So you've all probably seen the news about the current court case. You've quite probably also seen quotes from the ruling, and you may have read the entire thing. What I suspect, though, is that people who are less involved will look at that huge document full of legalese and their eyes will glaze over, and people who don't approve of the decision will definitely not read it. So I want to provide

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-87753186072144839852010-01-11T13:26:00.000-08:002010-01-11T14:01:19.699-08:00

Any last doubts I may have had about the federal case have gone out the window today. First there's the stupid delay on being able to broadcast the trial, because gay people might pressure the anti-gay witnesses into changing their testimony -- bullshit. Fucking bullshit. Homophobes, you're the majority, with the power to define the debate and strip away our rights -- you're not fucking oppressed

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-40333255854393905852009-11-06T13:47:00.000-08:002009-11-06T14:50:32.704-08:00

So, to recap: We lost Maine by an even larger percentage than we lost California. The question of who's to blame has come up all over, of course, and the usual voices are saying we need to give up on marriage and work on other people's pet issues (see this post for my thoughts on that.) Discussion of whether the Democratic leadership is failing to lead on this (yes, it is, says Phoenix the Green,

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-46125649392653864982009-10-30T16:40:00.000-07:002009-10-30T16:43:06.916-07:00

We're on our own.I actually screamed "no" several times when I got the word. I suspect later I'll cry. Our options are getting too limited here.

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-21989488596022121332009-10-16T16:02:00.000-07:002009-10-16T16:46:15.655-07:00

Two unrelated news items led me to this post. I will address each, in turn, and then we'll see where we are. First up, a blast from the distant past:"Two civil and constitutional rights organizations called on a Louisiana justice of the peace to resign Friday after he refused to marry an interracial couple, saying any children the couple might have would suffer."When I was investigating the

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-90801704927153464352009-10-03T13:19:00.000-07:002009-10-03T15:01:05.084-07:00

Q: "What are 'family values'?"A: "When one family is more valuable than another family."-approximate quote from The Cartoon History of the Universe Volume II by Larry GonickI was thinking about the future I dream about today, not the gloomy one where my entire waking life is spent working away in a little cubicle and sneakily playing Nethack for entertainment, but the one where I have a wonderful

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-46237759329490789872009-09-28T11:35:00.000-07:002009-09-28T12:48:35.541-07:00

Recently I read the book Stonewall by Martin Duberman. It is, as you might be able to deduce, an account of the famous riot that changed the American movement for GLBT rights forever, but it's also a fairly in-depth historical look at the GLBT rights movement in the '60s and '70s. And a fascinating aspect of that movement, for me, is how splintered it has always been.I'll enumerate the worst

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-64329167908799002442009-09-11T18:33:00.000-07:002009-09-11T18:34:08.453-07:00

Due to the power of the initiative process, California's people have the ability to directly fuck things up without any interference from our elected officials, but that doesn't mean the latter don't do an excellent job of fucking up things the general population can't or won't handle. Today, I'd like to take a moment to talk about some of those things, as off-topic as it may be here.I've been a

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-52355265032778985882009-08-11T14:34:00.000-07:002009-08-11T15:46:07.319-07:00

There's some controversy (I hate that word, but I can't think of a better one) about just when the best time is to try to put Prop. 8's overthrow on the ballot. Do we immediately spring back, trying to bring the vote in 2010, or do we keep our heads down this round and wait until 2012? Reading The Bilerico Project posts on the subject, I'd tend to believe that the 2010 side used dishonest means

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-60418055958926921642009-08-06T18:21:00.000-07:002009-08-06T18:58:21.571-07:00

Back in June, FiveThirtyEight.com posted some interesting poll data on how differently gay marriage polls depending on the wording. Specifically, the difference was that one poll asked "if the government has a right to pass laws to prohibit or allow" marriages based on various categorizations of the relationships in question (interfaith, interracial, same-sex, polygamous, and involving children

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-81381335038628097152009-07-27T09:54:00.001-07:002010-09-17T20:41:04.091-07:00

It's been a while, hasn't it? I'll explain why later, but I want to start off by mentioning that Washington state is apparently going to have a vote on their domestic partnerships that eerily parallels Prop. 8 -- potentially taking away the rights granted to the GLB people of Washington by their legislature last year. The most telling part of this? From the article:The newest version [of the law

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-60239546991979644922009-04-21T00:12:00.000-07:002009-08-06T18:35:22.499-07:00

I wear a pin identifying myself in some way every day. Usually, it's the one that says "I was affected by Proposition 8." And I have had many discussions triggered by that, besides the coincidental Prop. 8 talks, and I feel called to talk about some of the common themes.The number one, of course, is people who say "I'm sorry -- I voted no" or "yeah, me too." There's not much to say about this,

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-57242595949983707652009-02-24T15:08:00.000-08:002009-02-24T15:22:31.975-08:00

There's an old talking point that goes like this: marriage is between a man and a woman. Sure, same-sex couples should have basic legal recognition/protections of some kind, but call it something else. This is the primary argument of moderates opposed to marriage equality, and something many conservatives pay lipservice to. It's bollocks.Two articles today about Colorado, which has passed a

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-81139746523318665872009-02-02T17:08:00.000-08:002009-02-02T17:33:52.771-08:00

Of course as soon as I comment on how little news there is, I get this: Mormon Church admits it spent 100 times more for Prop 8 than reported. OUCH.I admit to a certain level of happiness at the knowledge that this is out there, even if it hasn't hit the mainstream press (which AFAIK it hasn't.) They lied; it's good that they are being exposed. On the other hand, it's frustrating because I know

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-28914582780422892292009-01-31T16:50:00.000-08:002009-01-31T17:28:50.655-08:00

I haven't posted here in over a month because, well, nothing's changing. We got some interesting data, most significantly that knowing GLB people didn't affect how people voted that much. I'd say this is really significant, but once the first surprise sank in I realized that it made sense.We accept that people may not think they have "anything against" us while still expressing raging bigotry.

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-8189295595866377872008-12-23T10:15:00.000-08:002008-12-23T10:59:41.762-08:00

Link first: "It's not Obama I'm mad at; it's way too many of you."There're a lot of people, including some quite close to me, who don't get why this Rick Warren thing is a big deal. Or they argue that it's about bringing together diverse views, or reaching out to the right, and that it's somehow admirable for this. Here're my two cents:Bull-fucking-shit. Hem. This isn't just one isolated event;

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-12115755356354518572008-12-20T13:27:00.000-08:002008-12-20T14:09:46.292-08:00

Yes On 8 wants to annul all the same-sex marriages performed in the state to date. I am completely unsurprised.I just don't get it, friends. I don't understand how other people living their lives can be so offensive to anyone that they're willing to put their time and money into tearing us down. The nearest I can figure is that there's some severe difference in word definitions between us and

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-48204891023594634342008-12-07T22:44:00.000-08:002008-12-07T23:26:33.727-08:00

We've got a long haul until March. Let's have analysis to fill it up!Someone was talking about the importance of communication and understanding and how the other side had their reasons today, and that got me thinking. It's hard for me, because on the one hand, I hate having to do this. We shouldn't have to fight this one. We have a society that, by and large, recognizes the importance of

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-86226433657639843732008-11-20T17:57:00.002-08:002009-04-21T00:39:05.361-07:00

An interesting look at how various hypothetical votes from the African-American community would have affected Prop. 8.You've probably heard by now that the Supreme Court is going to review the challenges to Prop. 8, but won't be staying it. We probably won't know the outcome until at least March, so while we're waiting I suggest we continue to fight where we can.The latest I've been seeing is

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-73236855730420271462008-11-14T23:15:00.000-08:002008-11-14T23:28:59.449-08:00

Tomorrow, 10:30 AM PST.Join The Impact is, not surprisingly, planning more actions. Check out their ideas.This is pretty awesome. I have to say I love those Mormons, whether they're acting for themselves or for their friends or just because they know it's right.An interesting side-note about that latter link: during the campaign, my father got a call from someone claiming to be doing a poll about

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-31751712875266952502008-11-13T17:53:00.001-08:002009-10-23T20:44:58.105-07:00

(This unobligingly posted with only part of the subject line written. Crossing my fingers that it doesn't do so again.)This article talks about the abstraction of the No campaign, and of course the fallout in terms of blame.Here's an awesome analysis of the term "traditional marriage" and how it's misleading.We can expect a ruling on Prop. 8's legality any day now, according to the Sacramento

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-85832877779517141702008-11-12T20:28:00.000-08:002008-11-12T20:32:07.730-08:00

I know I do go on dreadfully about the importance of not being racist, but here, have an analysis of why Obama's getting out the black vote didn't pass Prop. 8.And, you guys, I have to say, I'm less and less thrilled with the Mormons all the time. I love the ones who are sticking their necks out, though, in the face of excommunication threats and goodness only knows what else. Thank you,

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-68693724847334933492008-11-11T15:22:00.000-08:002008-11-11T15:36:29.513-08:00

It's always the same -- no sooner do I post a round of links than I find new ones to add. Here we go:Coverage on Pam's House Blend and The Advocate of how 43 California Legislators have filed a friend-of-court brief in the case to overturn Prop. 8 on constitutional grounds. They're in favor of constitutional changes of this magnitude going through them, not just directly to the people.Shame On

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-73031659206082669892008-11-10T09:44:00.000-08:002008-11-10T20:45:14.594-08:00

Arnold Schwarzenegger has had an up-and-down relationship with the gay community. He's officially opposed marriage equality, favoring civil unions; he has vetoed two bills to legalize same-sex marriage, claiming that the courts should settle the constitutionality first; he has spoken out against Prop. 8 and for maintaining the right to marry; and he is now telling us not to give up. Basically,

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-22732571695507376242008-11-09T17:34:00.000-08:002008-11-09T18:08:37.248-08:00

First I'd like to point out "Join The Impact," which is organizing national protests, at the moment for November 15th but I expect other dates will emerge if nothing changes.Second, I've been reading the text of the ACLU's writ petition (PDF format) which they've submitted to the Supreme Court, and I feel comfortable saying that their argument is convincing. I'd like to, for the benefit of those

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-38093069340762016382008-11-07T22:21:00.000-08:002008-11-07T22:59:25.104-08:00

I thought people should read this opinion piece from the Advocate which highlights what I suppose might be called the positive effect of Prop. 8.This piece in the Huffington Post talks about why the decisions in California, Florida, Arizona and Arkansas are particularly crushing in light of Obama's victory.Finally, a petition to revoke the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' tax-exempt

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-62489250127633618192008-11-07T14:12:00.000-08:002008-11-07T16:15:10.355-08:00

Links of the day:-Anti-8 protesters were allegedly beaten and arrested in West Hollywood. I say "alleged" because I don't know the details, but there is photographic evidence.-The Bilerico Project has a collection of links, including Melissa Etheridge's refusal to pay state taxes and accounts of racism at anti-8 protests.-Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out has written an excellent column about that

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-18367543706196059392008-11-06T20:58:00.000-08:002008-11-06T23:02:42.141-08:00

Today the No On 8 campaign officially admitted defeat. I am not surprised. There are, I understand, two challenges to the method by which the constitution was changed. The legal impact, thus, may not be significant, but the psychological impact on both sides of the battle is likely to be huge, as the GLB community is demoralized by popular opposition, particularly from liberals and members of

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3767080198312916569.post-76594763130534559502008-11-05T20:32:00.000-08:002008-11-05T20:47:02.169-08:00

Dear people of California:Do you know what it feels like to have your heart torn out and stomped on?Because if not, I invite you to spend an hour as me. Specifically, the hour starting when I woke up this morning and checked the Secretary of State's website to find that there was no longer any doubt: Prop. 8 is passing.That was my life you just legislated. My future. My dreams. It had nothing to

Phoenixnoreply@blogger.com2