California Supreme Court overturns gay marriage ban

By Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court ruled today that same-sex couples should be permitted to marry, rejecting state marriage laws as discriminatory.

The long-awaited court decision stemmed from San Francisco's highly publicized same-sex weddings, which in 2004 helped spur a conservative backlash in a presidential election year and a national dialogue over gay rights.

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Political Notebook: Award recognizes Mixner's pioneering ways

by Matthew S. Bajko
The Bay Area Reporter

There isn't much that David Mixner hasn't done in the course of his 61 years. Nor is there a chapter in American political history over the last five decades in which Mixner didn't play some role.

He became an activist in the civil rights movement over the objections of his parents and protested the Vietnam War. He worked closely with the late San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk to defeat an anti-gay measure that would have barred gays from being teachers.

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'Hate crimes' target Jewish, LGBT students

Written by PATRICK McCARTNEY
The California Aggie
UC Davis

A pair of acts of vandalism targeting the Jewish and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities has angered student groups, who have decried the incidents as hate crimes.

At the beginning of last week's La Raza Cultural Days,sophomorepsychology major Joel Juarez placed over 75 posters in Olson, Hart, Wellman and Young halls advertising "Consciencia y Resistancia," an event recognizing the intersection of the queer and Latino identities.
The posters depicted two men embracing each other,but nothing "graphic or offensive," said Juarez, the Gender & Sexuality Coordinator for Yik'al Kuyum, the Chicano/a and Latino/a Holistic Student Support Program for the Student Recruitment and Retention Center.

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Lawyer blames school in shooting of gay Oxnard student

By Catherine Saillant The Los Angeles Times

As 14-year-old Brandon McInerney prepares to be arraigned today in the slaying of 15-year-old Lawrence "Larry" King at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, his lawyer is advancing a defense that at least partly blames school officials for the tragedy.

Educators should have moved aggressively to quell rising tensions between the two boys, which began when King openly flirted with McInerney, said Deputy Public Defender William Quest.

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T.R. Knight Hosts A Celebration of “LOVE and PRIDE” In an Effort to Erase Hate

National Gay Pride Month Kicks-Off with Commitment Ceremony
June 4, 2008 at The Abbey in West Hollywood

West Hollywood, CA. - On June 4, 2008, T.R. Knight will join the Matthew Shepard Foundation to help kick off National Gay-Pride month with a symbolic dusk commitment ceremony at the famed West Hollywood hotspot, The Abbey.

At 8pm, couples from around the nation will “tie the knot” in an event officiated by the Mayor of West Hollywood and witnessed by Judy Shepard. Couples will be wearing the Matthew Shepard Erase Hate pendant courtesy of Love and Pride jewelry designer, Udi Behr. Love and Pride is the first online jewelry destination for people who believe in equality, diversity and tolerance for all. http://www.loveandpride.com/

Behr created the Erase Hate pendant for Judy Shepard, in memory of her son, Matthew Shepard, who was the victim of a brutal anti-gay hate crime in rural Wyoming ten years ago. His murder brought national attention to the issue of hate crime legislation and was a watershed moment in the fight for gay civil rights.

Behr remarks, “A public commitment ceremony is a great way to join together and strengthen our two messages; ‘Celebrating Love’ and ‘Erasing Hate.’” 100% of net proceeds from sales of the pendant assist the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

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Marriage fight casts shadow on Senate race

by Matthew S. Bajko
Bay Area Reporter

The likelihood that California will be convulsed by another fight over same-sex marriage at the polls in November is casting a shadow on the heated Senate race between two of the state's most powerful gay lawmakers.

Now that anti-gay groups are claiming they have collected enough signatures to place a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the ballot this fall, the question arises who is better suited to lead the fight to defeat it: state Senator Carole Migden or Assemblyman Mark Leno?

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Gay rights group leaves Manchester Hyatt event

view backstory here

from the Union-Tribune newsroom

SACRAMENTO - A gay rights organization that's upset by Doug Manchester's funding of a same-sex marriage ban has withdrawn from an event scheduled for the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation announced that it has withdrawn from a "Pride Rocks" event scheduled for the summer at the Hyatt owned by Doug Manchester. The event celebrates gay pride.

Manchester, a local developer, contributed $125,000 to a drive to put a same-sex marriage ban before voters in November. Backers of the ban have said this week that they have gathered enough signatures to qualify the proposed constitutional amendment for the ballot.

The president of the gay and lesbian alliance , Neil Giuliano, said in a news release that Manchester's decision to fund an initiative that would "hurt loving, committed gay couples makes it impossible for us" to take part in an event that promotes his hotel.

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California Teen could be charged with hate crime

Times-Delta/Advance-Register

A Tulare teenager suspected of robbery could also be charged with committing a hate crime, police said.

Two youths, ages 13 and 14, were skateboarding at Tulare Western High School on Friday evening when they were approached by three older juveniles, who began harassing them, police said.

Police said one of the older boys, who was later identified as the robber, attacked the 13-year-old, grabbing him by the head, placing him in a head lock, throwing him to the ground and punching him in the face — before beating him with a skateboard.

Police said the accused robber, addressing the older of the two victims, used a slur tied to sexual orientation.

Officers later tracked down the 16-year-old still in possession of the two skateboards.

Two additional suspects remain free.


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Brief Buddies: Gay Men Explore Buddy Relationships

Performance artist Ian MacKinnon asserts that "Gay men are constantly connecting with each other in radically unconventional, and often sexually nonconformist ways. From baths to bars to chat rooms to the theatre, these fierce performers search for pleasure, meaning, and ultimately their own Gay Souls." Presumably, MacKinnon's up-coming weekend of gay male duo and solo performances, centered on the uniquely gay relationship of The Buddy, explores the evolution of this form of social interaction and kinship from a hitherto hidden aspect of male bonding within the existential condition to the post-stonewall gay male hedonism and identity politics of today's speed-dating, consumer-fetishist pop culture.

Entitled Brief Buddies, the evening begins pre-show in the lobby where Buddy Boys in briefs serve drinks and hand out “boxers or briefs“ nametags. Cocktails are followed by short pieces from Ian MacKinnon, theatrical activist Corey Saucier, "boy-lesque" dancer Gregory Barnett and video artist David Quantic. In order to render the evening as interactive as possible, MacKinnon invites audience members to "bring a buddy of your own or meet a new one. So much can happen when two men get together."

Detailed schedule information:

8:30 pm

Contact:

Highways Performance Space
1651 18th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Tel: (1) 310 315 14 59

Experimenting with boundaries of identity

The play, "The Barber of East L.A.," focuses on the stories of the gay Latino community in Los Angeles.

Discovering what it means to be a gay minority, while trying to find a place of belonging in the cultural minefield that is Los Angeles, is a theme that is explored in "The Barber of East L.A.," a performance that will be held at Ground Zero Coffeehouse tonight and Saturday night.

This play demonstrates the double marginalization of being gay and being Latino in Los Angeles and is performed by the dynamic trio of Butchlalis de Panochtitlan, a multimedia ensemble that got its start in 2002 as community activists.

"We basically crafted a story around this woman's trajectory, and the life she spent in the piece of the world that had her name on it: the barbershop she owned," said Raquel Gutierrez, a member of BdP and assistant director of the Center for Feminist Research.

In "The Barber of East L.A." and in many of its other sketch-driven performances, the overarching theme is experimenting with the boundaries of identity and creating visibility of gay and Latino experiences that are often brushed over in society's portrait of sexuality.

"As a queer performer, I've always been galvanized by queer performance. It made up for the fact I didn't see myself represented in the real world, and it called me to find my own voice," Gutierrez said. "The play is about the consequence of trying to be yourself in the places you are from and about not having to compromise who you are to satisfy the expectations of others."

"The Barber of East L.A." starts at 7 p.m. tonight and 6 p.m. Saturday night at Ground Zero Coffeehouse.

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Hate crime in Redwood City, California

On March 30, Herbert Perez Santos-Coy, 30, remained behind bars Wednesday on one count of felony assault for hate crime purposes, two counts of felony commission of a hate crime and one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest.

If convicted, he faces up to eight years in state prison. 'There’s nothing the victims did that would have provoked this. It’s an outrage,' Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

Santos-Coy and his wife lived next door to the couple on Buckeye Street. On Sunday, the victims were working on their car when Santos-Coy, according to the District Attorney’s Office, started yelling offensive slurs such as “f—ing gays, dirty nasty people, bitches".

Santos-Coy then allegedly struck one man in the face repeatedly before picking up a wrought iron table and swinging it at the couple. Santos-Coy had been drinking but prosecutors do not believe he was drunk at the time of the incident, Wagstaffe said."

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comment: This is the second time, recently, that I've heard a hate crime being minimalized because the perpetrator was intoxicated. Does it make any difference if he was drunk? Does that somehow release or reduce his liability? Because if that's the case how can a DUI ever end up with a conviction?

Call to Boycott San Diego Marriott, Hyatt

UPDATE:Gay rights group leaves Manchester Hyatt event

view backstory here
Developer Doug Manchester and other prominent San Diego County businessmen have given significant financial support to an initiative that would ban same-sex marriage targeted for the November statewide ballot.

In addition to Manchester, Mission Valley developer Terry Caster has donated $162,500; Robert Hoehn, owner of Hoehn Motors in Carlsbad, has given $25,000; and La Jolla businessman Roger Benson has given $50,000, state records show.
Manchester said he was motivated by his strong Catholic faith.

“I personally believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman,” he said.

Caster, who heads Caster Cos., which owns A-1 Self-Storage and other commercial properties, said he believes that marriage between a man and a woman is fundamental to society.

“Without solid marriage, you are going to have a sick society,” he said.

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CALIFORNIA: Brothers accused of hate crime

ESCALON - One man was arrested and his brother is being sought by authorities after the pair attacked two men because of their sexual orientation, then fought with deputies who attempted to detain them, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office reported.

The deputies were sent around 5 p.m. Thursday to the 22300 block of South McBride Avenue in Escalon on a report of an assault.

When they arrived, the deputies encountered Kenneth Huntley, age unspecified, and Gary Huntley, 38, who had allegedly assaulted two men, a 42-year-old and a 29-year-old, because of their sexual orientation.

Both Huntleys were characterized by deputies as irate, belligerent and so combative a stun gun and a K-9 had to be used, the Sheriff's Office said. A deputy injured his hand in the struggle to control the men. He was treated at San Joaquin General Hospital for his injuries.

Kenneth Huntley escaped from deputies, but Gary Huntley was arrested and booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on suspicion of battery as a hate crime and resisting arrest causing injury to a peace officer. He is being held in lieu of $525,000 bail.

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Hate groups abound

About 15.6 percent of hate crime offenses in the United States targeted homosexuals, according to the FBI's 2006 Hate Crime Statistics.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are currently 844 active hate groups in the United States.

In Louisiana, there are 24 hate groups, including the Black Separatists, Ku Klux Klan, White Nationalists and Neo-Nazis.

California, where Lawrence King was murdered, has 63 active hate groups - more than any state in the country.

I'm still waiting to hear more about Lawrence Kings' murderer. Anyone want to bet his family is strongly grounded in religious right beliefs?

We've heard nothing about the parents. The parents should be going to jail also!

If the kid took their car and killed someone the parents would be held responsible.

But Brandon McInerney uses a gun (where did that gun come from?) to kill Lawrence King (a gay 14 year old who recently had asked the murderer to be his valentine) and the parents aren't even mentioned!

That's VERY VERY WRONG!

California Supreme Court sets March date to hear gay marriage debate

The California Supreme Court has set arguments in the legal fight over gay marriage for March 4, assuring that a ruling will be issued by June.

The state's high court will hear the legal challenge in San Francisco, where the battle over same-sex marriage first unfolded four years ago when Mayor Gavin Newsom temporarily issued marriage licenses to gay couples.

San Francisco city officials and civil rights groups have challenged California's ban on gay marriage, arguing that it deprives same-sex couples of the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.

A divided state appeals court in 2006 upheld the state ban on same-sex marriage, overturning a San Francisco judge who previously declared it unconstitutional. The state Supreme Court will be reviewing that appeals court ruling.

Christians pulling children out of California public schools

If you can believe the biased religious sites many christians in California are pulling their children out of the public school system.

One of the sites making such claims is the notorious World Net Daily site. Here is a link to an article on their site: http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59033

Perhaps California has found a way to provide a higher quality of education. After all, this should result in smaller class sizes.

Perhaps the remaining children will be the winners with a higher quality of education.

Right Wing Activists Attempt to Repeal LGBT Youth Protections

SACRAMENTO - Conservative, anti-LGBT activists have taken the first step to ask California voters to repeal youth protections recently signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Student Civil Rights Act, which becomes law on January 1 of next year, protects students from harassment and bullying in public schools by making sure teachers and school administrators understand their responsibilities to protect youth. Students are protected based on gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.

"It is ironic that an organization that alleges to promote 'family values' has chosen to fight a law that will protect all California youth based on religion, race, nationality and gender, not just sexual orientation," said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. "In a desperate attempt to deny full equality to people - and in this case, youth - who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, right wing extremists continue to wage a misguided attack on the Student Civil Rights Act. They are using fear-based tactics and deceptive propaganda to repeal legislation that has already received the approval of the Legislature and Gov. Schwarzenegger."

Legislature Calls on Congress, President to Pass Federal Hate Crimes Act

SACRAMENTO - August 29 - The California Senate on Monday approved a resolution urging Congress and the president to strengthen the federal hate crimes law. Senators passed AJR 29 by a 22-1 vote.

AJR 29, authored by Assemblymember Mike Eng, D-Monterey Park, and sponsored by Equality California, urges Congress and the president to protect hate crime victims who are targeted based on their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It calls for passage of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act. The federal measure would expand the nation’s hate crimes protections and boost law enforcement’s ability to investigate and prosecute acts of violence against all protected communities of people. Current federal law only covers hate crimes that are motivated by race, color, national origin or religion.

In July, the Assembly passed the same resolution by a 70-1 bipartisan vote, with 46 Democrats and 24 Republicans casting an “aye” vote. That vote marked the most bipartisan support ever received in the California Legislature for a measure affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0829-05.htm

DNC holds summit on minority outreach with LGBT activists

The Democratic National Committee hosted its first American Majority Partnership Summit on August 23–25 in Las Vegas, where 600 participants, including more than 100 LGBT activists, gathered to strategize about the Democratic Party’s goals.

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid48447.asp