CNN's Irresponsible 'Ex-Gay' Interview Regarding Prop 8

CNN's Belief Blog interviewed Alan Chambers President of Exodus International, a nonprofit "ex-gay" ministry on the recent prop 8 ruling. Chambers is a self identified "ex-gay" who admits he still struggles with homosexual attractions.

In the article Chambers is quoted as saying that “It’s disappointing that a judge would rule against the will of the people” but he also maintains that the decision shows more openness to people who are LGBT "We’re entering a time when we are more compassionate and loving toward people who deserve our compassion,” he says, “and that’s gay and lesbian people.”

CNN is completely irresponsible for running this piece for a host of reasons.

1. Exodus International is a fringe anti-gay organization that has been repudiated by all major scientific and psychological organizations.

2. If Chambers and Exodus indeed represent people who claim they are no longer gay, why is CNN collecting their thoughts on same-sex marriage? They can get married to the opposite sex and the issue is not relevant to them.

3. CNN gave free advertising to this sham organization and did nothing to set the facts straight on the proposition 8 ruling or the truth behind the "ex-gay" movement.

Contact CNN via their general feedback form or Twitter to let them know that this biased reporting is unacceptable! Feel free to also leave comments on their blog posting.

Manchester Hotels Boycott Going Global

Manchester hotels has reportedly suffered a loss of atleast 7 million dollars thanks to an LGBT boycott after the owner Doug Manchester donated $125,000 to the anti-gay proposition 8 referendum in California which eliminated the states marriage rights for same-sex couples.

There have been calls for conferences scheduled there to be moved, with over a dozen of them such as the American Association for Justice heeding the call.

Boycott organizers are taking their message global creating posters in English, Spanish, and Japanese.

Please make sure to continue boycotting these properties and alert your friends and family.

Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, CA

Grand del Mar Resort, San Diego, CA

Whitetail Club and Resort, McCall, Idaho

http://www.boycottmanchesterhotels.com/

American Association for Justice Join Boycott of Manchester Grand Hyatt

The boycott damages that have come as a result of support by some for proposition 8 have not ended. The Manchester Grand Hyatt has been a target by gay rights activists and has suffered millions of dollars in losses as a result of the owners support for the anti-gay marriage amendment.

The American Association for Justice (AAJ) – and its 2,000-plus attorney members are moving their annual summer convention to San Francisco. The event was originally scheduled to be held at Manchester’s Hyatt in San Diego, but after Manchester contributed $125,000 to the “Yes on Proposition 8” campaign and the ensuing boycott, the AAJ decided to take its lucrative business away.

Manchester Hyatt has already lost a purported $7 million in the last year as a coalition of labor and GLBT organizations have banded together for the boycott. Californians Against Hate partnered with Unite Here Local 30 (the hotel worker’s union) and several other GLBT organizations, including San Diego Pride July 18, 2008. (Lavender Liberal).

Contact the American Association for Justice and let them know you take pride in their choice to move the conference away from the Manchester hotel.

American Association for Justice
777 6th Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
800.424.2725 or 202.965.3500

Human Resources - hr@justice.org

Regina Spektor Calls Prop 8 "Disgusting," We Call Her Correct!

Regina Spektor, famous singer, song-writer and pianist has come out with more statements about proposition 8. First, she allowed use of her song in anti-prop 8 videos and now she is calling the court decision not to allow marriage equality "disgusting" but she maintains that she feels optimistic about the future.

"I'm just waiting for this whole 'not allowing gay people to marry' thing goes into the dark, yucky part of our history -- like white-only drinking fountains," she says. "It's just disgusting that it's not just a given already."

Despite the court's decision, Spektor is not only optimistic about marriage equality, she believes it's inevitable. "I know for sure this isn't going to be an issue in 20 years," she says. "It's just unfortunate that people fall victim to their time. Freedom always wins out -- it's just a matter of time, and people should learn by now to give freedom sooner rather than later, because it becomes a really crude, embarrassing part of national history" (Spinner).

Let Regina Spektor's publicity agent know you approve of this message and thank her for being proactive on the issue.

Steven Trachtenbroit
212-619-1360
steven@bighassle.com

Stonewall 2.0 Protests and Rallies

This thread began with marriage equality demonstrations in California before and after proposition 8 passed. It has grown into a nationwide phenomenon sparking demonstrations in every state demanding state and federal recognition for LGBT people. This list is now the Stonewall 2.0 listing and will continually be updated with new demos.

If you have info on a demonstration/event please use the contact form to let us know!

Wednesday June 3rd

Concord, New Hampshire
9:00am - till vote
The State House Plaza
107 N Main Street

Equality Bus from Vermont to New Hampshire

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Saturday, June 27

Arizona
Jun 27 12AM-Jun 29 11AM
Driving Equality Arizona
arizona@marriageequality.org

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Sunday, June 28th

Nationwide
March for Equality

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Saturday, August 1st

Melbourne, Australia

DATE Saturday 1 August, 2009, 1.00pm
VENUE Federation Square
INFO Rally and mass illegal wedding
CONTACT Martin Baldock (0423 912 766)

Sydney, Australia

DATE Saturday 1 August, 2009
VENUE Starts at Sydney Town Hall
INFO March to Darling Harbour for mass illegal wedding outside Labor Party
National Conference, CONTACT Ben Cooper (0432 957 213)

Brisbane, Australia

DATE Saturday 1 August, 2009, 1.00pm
VENUE Queens Park
INFO
CONTACT Ingrid Nielsen, inielsen_07@hotmail.com

Canberra, Australia

DATE Saturday 1 August, 2009. 1pm.
VENUE Main stage, Garema Place, Civic.
INFO Rally & illegal gay wedding, followed by march to Bob McMullan's office.
CONTACT John Kloprogge (0422 913 942)

Locations and times to be determined at... Check back with Equal Love.

Adelaide, Australia

Darwin, Australia

Geelong, Australia

Lismore, Australia

Hobart, Australia

Perth, Australia

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Sunday, Oct 10 (2010)
National March for Equality
National Mall, Washington D.C.

Two Short Films About Protecting "Traditional Marriage" in Response to Prop 8

Two short films, 'The Defenders', and 'The License' have been created in response to the Supreme Court of California upholding proposition 8 which allowed the majority to take away rights from a minority segment of the population. The films are by Keith Hartman and are a clever, funny, yet scary and accurate assessment of how dangerous proposition 8 is to the civil liberties of all Americans. The films question how far society will go to enforce "traditional marriage" and how much hypocrisy exists.

Open Forum: Is the Federal Prop 8 Challenge Wise?

Once on opposite sides of a major U.S. court case Bush V Gore to determine the outcome of the 2000 presidential contest, Ted Olson and David Boies are now filing a federal challenge over the courts ruling on proposition 8.

The two attorney powerhouses are arguing that prop 8 violates the U.S. constitutional guarantee of equal protection and due process and maintain that federal courts will recognize sexual orientation as a suspect class that must be protected nationwide.

Below is a video of Ted Olson and David Boies discussing their case and plans with CNN's Larry King.


The loudest critics against this move are coming from those within the LGBT community. They are suspicious over Ted Olson who doesn't try to hide the fact that he is conservative. They also feel that there are not enough federal protections to have sexual orientation deemed a class that needs protection and don't believe they have the votes needed at the U.S. Supreme Court level to bring forth federal marriage equality. The activists and organizations prefer to take the state by state route, and feel that the Supreme Court issuing a ruling against same-sex marriage would set a very bad precedent for the movement.

What are your thoughts about this federal case for marriage equality? Regardless of the outcome should the push be made. Can we compare it to other civil rights struggles, where states refused to grant rights until mandated by the courts?

Yes On Equality - 2010 Marriage Equality Initiative!

The new 'Yes on Equality' campaign has learned from the mistakes of the prop 8 battle, the protests, etc. They are starting early with their campaign to put an initiative on the 2010 ballot to legalize same-sex marriage in California. The group has an online petition, and will be working hard to mobilize people to overturn prop 8.

Sign the petition to support the invalidation of proposition 8.

Finally – Prop 8 Goes on Trial

The following is a guest post by Holly McCarthy:

Well, it seems the time we have all awaited so anxiously is upon us. California's high court will hear both sides of the gay marriage argument starting Thursday. It is hard to believe the decision was made a year ago to deny gay and lesbian couples the right to marry. And what a long damn year it's been!

It is incredible how many groups have stood up to file friend-of-the-court (what a great term!) briefs including: NAACP, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the National Organization for Women. Prop 8 is interesting to so many because it is a completely arbitrary and bigoted response to the differences of others.

By curtailing the rights of gays and lesbians, hate groups think they will get the upper hand. It seems all they have done is gain the ire of every minority group in the entire country.

More than 18,000 couples who married since California made it legal for same-sex couples to do as such. That is a staggering number of people being told they do not have the same rights as other human beings. Prop 8 is despicable on so many levels. Not the least of which is that is makes the LGBT community feel as though they are “less.” Well, no more.

According to an Associated Press news brief: “In a rare departure, the state's own top lawyer, Attorney General Jerry Brown, has refused to defend the initiative and is urging the justices to invalidate it. Brown says Proposition 8 itself is unconstitutional because the Supreme Court's 4-3 decision last year recognized gays as a minority group entitled to judicial protection and established marriage as a fundamental right.”

So, Jerry Brown gets it, which is good to know. Since it passed, one question has been on the minds of all who could not believe it ever saw daylight: “Would it pass again?”

The answer most people agree on is “No.” People were lied to by all the hate groups lobbying so hard to get the bill passed and they fell prey to the idiocy. The voters are definitely complicit when it comes to the passage of Prop 8 but they were not alone in pushing it through. Church groups and other anti-gay groups spent millions on getting this thing passed. The grassroots efforts of the opposition never stood a chance.

Stand tall this week as you always do and do what you can if you are in California and anywhere near Sacramento. While Ken Starr and his clan press on to keep this ridiculous farce in effect, it would seem the state will be very reticent to void 18,000 marriages it deemed perfectly legal just one year ago. We can only hope the rest of us will be that lucky.

This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of the best online colleges. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12@gmail.com

Evidence Mormon Church Violated Tax Exempt Status!

The Mormon Church may lose their tax-exempt status over their overwhelming financial and social support for proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California. The video below shows the evidence of support by the LDS church including an audio record of the elders plans to pass proposition 8.

1 Million to Invalidate Prop 8

Through the beauty of technology provided by Equality California, more than half a million of you have sent letters to your law makers in California urging them to invalidate proposition 8. The resolution would be non-binding but send a strong signal that proposition 8 in the eyes of the state government is unconstitutional and immoral.

New goal - Help EQCA send 1 million letters to lawmakers. Click here to fill out their online form, and be sure to send it to friends!

Prop 8 The Musical

Call to Action: Urge Governor Schwarzenegger to Uphold the Constitution!

Our anti-gay foes over at the Family Research Council are urging their constituents to email Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and let him know that he should "defend the people's decision on marriage."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) since the election has come out saying prop 8 was a bad move, and that LGBT groups must keep on fighting till we win.

Please join me in contacting the governor urging him to remain committed to marriage equality, and to overturning prop 8.

E-contact Form.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841

Signing for Something - Resign From the Mormon Church

Hundreds of gay and straight Mormons are resigning from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints over the Church's funding and propaganda regarding proposition 8, that led to a ban on same-sex marriage in California.

Many families with deep ties to the LDS Church are resigning in droves because they feel it was wrong for the church to get involved with a political issue, especially one that is as divisive as gay marriage. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been taught, “We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government …” (Doctrine and Covenants 134:9). In addition many Mormons do not feel their faith represents them on the issue of homosexuality, and marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

Below is a recent news assignment done covering the Signing for Something movement which has now helped hundreds of people leave the LDS movement.



http://signingforsomething.org/blog/

Friend or Foe? - Track the Dollars Spent

SF Gate has a database showing who contributed money supporting and opposing proposition 8. This is a nationwide database, listing all donors.

This will be an invaluable tool in knowing who our friends are and who are our enemies. We must boycott the businesses of those who seek to destroy our lives.
http://www.sfgate.com/webdb/prop8/

The Queer Spirit Will Live On...

Today is a mixed bag of emotions for America's LGBTQ community. We stand in solidarity with our African-American brothers and sisters witnessing the historic occasion of the election of a bi-racial president. We have a president-elect who respects LGBTQ people and even mentioned us in his victory speech. We have also made gains of pro-equality seats throughout the national and state governments.

Regardless of whether one is a republican, democrat, moderate or apathetic, one cannot help but be elated to be part of the history that has been made last night. However, one break through is not enough. We have also witnessed last night that a history of oppression and a denial of civil liberties continues. The LGBT community had five important propositions on the ballot and we have lost most. Florida and Arizona have passed marriage bans. California will likely write discrimination into the constitution and a legal mess will ensue as to how to deal with the 18,000 plus gay/lesbian couples who have tied the knot. Arkansas is denying unmarried parents the right to adopt or foster children, which is a direct aim at gay adoption rights. Connecticut has rejected a constitutional convention.

President-elect Barack Obama inspires me when he says "we are not a red America or a blue America, a black America or white America, a gay America, or a straight America, we are the United States of America." I think right now this is a vision of hope, and that currently we are divided. The passing of these propositions shows that America still has deep fear, hatred, and disgust for queer people. It is hurtful and it is depressing but we must continue our fight.

We are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersexual, asexual, and straight allies. We must be united and not divided in our fight for true equality for all sexual and gender minorities. We have our differences, but our passions are the same. We want to live our lives as who are, with whom we want, and the way we want. We want protections for our families. That is our vision that is our hope, please don't give up. We never thought we would see the day when an African-American man becomes president. Now we know we will see the day for a brighter America, where the rainbow will shine and one day LGBT people too will rise above the bigotry and hatred that the majority has bestowed upon us.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Comes Out Against Prop 8

Web Spotlight: Mormons for Marriage

Mormons for Marriage are gay and straight Mormons who stand for marriage equality and strongly oppose proposition 8 in California. They offer information, support, and resources on the pro-equality Mormon position.

Check their website out at...
http://mormonsformarriage.com/

Kathy Griffin: "Don't Let Anyone Hurt Your Gay & Lesbian Friends"

Volunteer with "No on 8" for Election Visibility!

Volunteer for Election Visibility

Be part of the largest grassroots visibility effort California has ever seen. Be part of the thousands who are saying No to Proposition 8!

"Picture it: 10,000 people from Eureka to San Diego—standing together, waving signs and talking to voters. This is our moment to show California and the nation that we will not tolerate unfairness and inequality."

From Thursday, October 30 through Tuesday, November 4, we need 10,000 volunteers on the ground—5,000 on Election Day alone.

Election Visibility Sign-up Form