Briefing should be completed by January 2009. The petition against Proposition 8 makes pretty compelling arguments, but we'll have to wait and see what the full reply brief on the merits says before we can judge the strength of the opposition. At least we've cleared the first hurdle.

I'm cautiously optimistic!

I came across this article today (even though it's 2 days old) & was glad to read this:

Typo In Proposition 8 Defines Marriage As Between 'One Man And One Wolfman'

LOL @ the Onion

The arguments are being broadcast on TV and the web right now...it's not looking very promising for the good guys.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp=22...1&#22887521

This may sound bad but I'm really getting tired of all this Prop talk and all the Obama talk. I've had the majority of my classes halt their normal procedure and discuss all these things. While at the same time I'm taking finals next week. This is the one time I hate being in California.

You're right. It does sound bad.

I detect a hint of sarcasm there.

Maybe it's because I'm a cranky guy this week. There's no reason for a majority of professors to side-step their class outline and discuss something completely irrelevant to their subject for 4+ hours a day for a week. I've made good use of email and emailed my professors with multiple questions which they answered and printed out for me. I just pick the packets up in the morning.

I mean, don't get me wrong here. I'm all for same sex marriage. I'm not sure about other people here. I mean, not to be rude but there's always a few homophobes on every forum out there.

Um, D.J., your professors are teaching you about real life, in real time. You do not get that opportunity too often in life. Enjoy it while you can. Don't lose sight of the forest for the trees. By the way, what school are you attending? Does any of this have relevance to your studies? I sure hope so!

A school in California, and not necessarily. Unless it was about what makes a male or female gay, bi or straight. Then no, it really doesn't have a bearing on what I'm studying. I mean, 15-30 minutes of the class is understandable. But not the entire class for days. I'm not the only one complaining about it for what its worth. I'm going to college to learn something completely different than this.

Maybe I'm just bitter. Maybe I need some sexual release.

Edit: I just realized I said there's probably some homophobes on this forum in my previous post. WTH was I thinking?

Edit #2: I'm extremely interested what happens to the 18 thousand some marriages already made. I've got a faint clue of what will be used to determine that judgment foreseeing those legal marriages between May 08 till November 08 but I can't say for certain. If there's a lawyer here, may he or she please step in?

This article might give you some insight.

I caught that a bit ago, but thanks for linking it for others. I agree with the author of that article. It'll be an extremely weird divide between two groups of people who wanted the same thing.

I did speak up in class yesterday and say if California can't be the playground for equality rights, then I guess Massachusetts will become the playground for equality for all.

I prefer battleground to playground.

I'll take that as you prefer bedroom to public?

And Connecticut, which also now has full marriage equality for all.

Who says the bedroom can't be a playground? In the waning days of a relationship, it CAN be a battleground!

Right, thank you. And I believe New York recognizes marriages from Canada, states that allow it and countries that have it?



Yeah, so I guess bursts of semen would be anti-aircraft cannon fire?

Tuesday, 10 am, the decision is to be handed down by the court.

That is one of the cutest pics I have ever seen on the internet. Yes, prayer double-time! God speed to justice for all!

Ditto on the pic.

And if they're straight let's pray that neither the kid nor the dog will suffer discrimination for being used as a symbol to promote gay rights.

We need all the straight allies we can get.

The California supremes have upheld Proposition 8. Existing marriages will remain valid.

I'm just reading the decision now. From what I've seen so far, aside from the particular question of whether Prop. 8 was a revision or an amendment to CA's constitution, the opinion is VERY supportive of gay equality takes some pains to point out that same-sex couples still have full equality under the state's Domestic Partnership statutes, and it's only the word "marriage" that's at stake.

Anyway, it's back to the legislature, or likely more duelling referenda from the people of California. Is this any way to run a state?

This ruling is a victory for the Rule of Law. I'm glad the Justices didn't try to use their personal beliefs to rule the other way. Now this battle can return to where it belongs: the people and their elected representatives. It's time, then, to get enough voters to repeal the amendment. After all, if a majority of those who voted passed this amendment, a majority can repeal it through another vote.

Time & a young generation of voters will eventually take care of this if it isnt overturned in the next election cycle but in the meantime the LGBT community should be reaching out to the Latino and black communities whose support will be needed.
Of course minority rights should never be put to a public vote but that unfortunately isn't the way things are done in the US.

This battle was lost, but there's a war to be fought & won! That's the way I see it. & as sib said, time & the younger generation IS on our side!

Edit to add:

I don't mean to offend anyone here, but f**k the Mormon & Catholic conservative leaders! I'm fed up w/ their shyte!

It breaks my heart that California has now banned gay and lesbian marriages. It is sickening. America is supposed to be about democracy and equal rights. The religous fascists have to be stopped. The national organization for marriage and other hate groups are creating a climate of fear and oppression for gay and lesbian Americans. Its just damn appalling.

The good news (if you can call it that) is that gay people are once again organizing, protesting, and becoming more visible. And coming out. And taking stands. This issue will not go away. With several states already having same sex marriage, this issue will not go away.

This is the first time I have seen my state (AZ) come out and protest anything. They didn't even give a sh*t when a gay guy was murdered because some idiot all of a sudden was embarrassed.

Do you mean the law that the majority can strip any minority group of its Constitutional rights based on a whim?

If that is the case (and that was NOT what I was taught when I learned about alleged American freedoms), then clearly the next step is an amendment process to strip all Mormons of rights to "marriage" - after all, why should Satan-worshipping heretics have the same rights as real human beings?

Or better yet, to avoid any pesky problems with the First Amendment (is that still in force? It's so hard to remember what parts of our shredded Constitution remain), an amendment process to strip divorced people of the right to ever marry again. After all, the "Christian" definition of marriage, now encoded into our allegedly secular laws, does not allow for divorce, so why should we consider Cindy Hensley ("Mrs." John McCain) or Judith Nathan ("Mrs." Rudy Guiliani) as anything but whores?



NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!! We cannot acquiese to this clearly unConstitutional process of majority tyranny - in California or any other state that has passed an anti-gay hate amendment. The Supreme Court, in Romer v. Evans, ruled that states cannot pass laws or amendments to strip basic human rights (one of which is marriage - according to the same Supreme Court) from minority groups, particularly when the reason for doing so is pure animus against the group.

We therefore cannot simply use the same unConstitutional process to try and reclaim that which has been stolen. Not only should we be filing every possible federal case against these amendments, we should also be working to prove they are nothing but anti-gay hate statements by forcing their enforcement.

Currently neither the federal nor state anti-gay hate laws define the "man" and "woman" required for a valid marriage. Why should someone like Jamie Lee Curtis, who is intersex and genetically male, enjoy a same-sex marriage when I cannot, simply because she happens to be a man who looks like a woman. We should be filing challenges to every single marriage license issued in anti-gay hate states, demanding they not be provided until and unless the parties involved undergo genetic testing to prove they are the genders they present. We should be demanding the same genetic testing of every single member of Congress and their "spouses," to ensure our tax dollars are not being spent in a way that does not meet DOMA.

I say it is high time to ensure the breeders reap what they've sown. They created this mess when they decided to enshrine their superiority into law, and we should see the mess is plopped right in their laps.

Davide Hyde Pierce reveals on The View that he and his partner of 25 years were married in California during that brief window of opportunity.

Ahnold says that Prop 8 may violate US Constitution. Interesting. Oooohhh he's gonna anger many more in his party. He's already in deep shyte w/ them. But he doesn't care, he can't run again.

Nice editorial on Prop H8. Most of what the LA Times says, in terms strategizing to overturn it, has already been expressed on this thread. I found it interesting that the Times is as smart as we are .