Modesto, Calfornia resident submits constitutional challenge

A Modesto, California resident, Ben Mesches, submits a challenge to readers of the Modesto Bee.

I have a challenge for Bee readers: to provide a constitutional argument for a ban on gay marriage. This means that the basis for your ban must not be, "because the Bible says so," or, "because that's what my pastor told me." Make sure that your ban follows the provisions of the Constitution.

Feel free to post your constitutional legal arguements here, or better yet, visit the Modesto Bee article to make sure Ben has the benefit of your wisdom.

California: National Day of Silence

Local high school Gay-Straight Alliance groups and the Stanislaus PRIDE Center will mark this year's National Day of Silence with two consecutive evening events at the King Kennedy Center, 601 N. Martin Luther King Drive in Modesto. Both events will be at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $2 for students and $5 for adults.

Thursday, the traveling youth performing arts group, YouthAware, will perform its new play, "Outspoken." There will be a post-show question-and-answer session with the cast and director. Friday, a GSA-led "Make Some Noise Rally" will take place. The rally will feature students from local high schools, who will bring a close to National Day of Silence activities. The event is sponsored by Stanislaus PRIDE and the King-Kennedy board of directors.

National Day of Silence is a student-led day of action in which concerned students, from middle school to college, take some form of a vow of silence to bring attention to name-calling, bullying and harassment experienced by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students and allies. This year's events will be in memory of Lawrence King. Police say the California eighth-grader was shot and killed Feb. 12 by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression.

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