08/14/2010
From AFER's press release last night:
Attorneys for the Plaintiffs in Perry v. Schwarzenegger tonight filed a motion with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit opposing the emergency motion for stay pending appeal filed by Proposition 8 Official Proponents.
“The Proponents’ motion, while exceptionally lengthy, does not come close to showing they have a strong chance of winning on appeal, which is what they must demonstrate to get a stay,” said Theodore Boutrous, attorney for the Plaintiffs. “And they completely fail to show that they or anyone else will be irreparably harmed — or harmed at all — by allowing people to get married while the appellate process proceeds. The public interest strongly favors allowing Chief Judge Walker’s ruling to take effect immediately.
Meanwhile, California Attorney General Jerry Brown is once again urging the courts to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. You'll recall he made a similar request after Judge Walker's initial ruling last week. The AP reports:
Attorney General Jerry Brown urged a federal appeals court Friday to waste no time in allowing gay marriages to resume in California now that a lower court has overturned the state's same-sex marriage ban. The brief legal papers came in response to efforts by same-sex marriage opponents to get the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals to block a lower court judge's ruling striking down Proposition 8 from taking effect next week.
Said Brown: "While there is still the potential for limited administrative burdens should future marriages of same-sex couples be later declared invalid, these potential burdens are outweighed by the district court's conclusion, based on the overwhelming evidence, that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional,
Brown is running for the governorship against Republican Meg Whitman and the Ebay CEO has said time and time again that she does not support marriage equality. She's issued only guarded statements about the Prop 8 ruling: "... my view is the process needs to go on here. We should not have an administrative action that creates uncertainty at this juncture, so my advice is let's let the legal process continue."
Politico best sums up her strategy: "Since Whitman supports Prop. 8, she’ll likely avoid the issue altogether in order to attract wavering Democrats and independents."
Also, The LA Times today published an opinion piece by Harvard professor Michael Klarman who focuses on public opinion and judicial rulings. He uses Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954 as an example: "Present-day perspectives on past judicial decisions shift as public opinion changes. When Brown was decided, Americans were almost evenly divided on whether it was right. Today, well over 90% of the country agrees that state-mandated school segregation is unconstitutional. Since at least 1970, no prospective justice could have been confirmed for the Supreme Court without an unqualified endorsement of Brown. Ultimately, Americans evaluate court decisions according to the justness of the result, not on whether judges showed appropriate deference to legislatures or strayed from precedent and original understanding."
Posted 1:02 PM EST by Steve Pep in California, Gay Marriage, Jerry Brown, Proposition 8 | Permalink
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Transgender gospel singer Our Lady J does a
one on one with ultra gay-friendly pal Daniel Radcliffe for the new issue of Out. You may recall that the two made news after they were
spotted hanging out around town last year.
She asks him about the stigma attached to men who date transgendered women:
"I think to a certain extent, there would be a stigma -- it depends on which person you’re talking to. But I certainly think in this day and age it would be less of an issue. I was on the [Harry Potter] film set when all that tabloid stuff happened with us hanging out last year and none of my friends gave me shit about it. Nobody took the piss. And the film set encompasses groups from every area of society, and I have to say it’s a pretty good cross-section. There was certainly no stigma."
The article includes a playful spread of the duo by Terry Richardson. One more AFTER THE JUMP.
Continue reading "Daniel Radcliffe: No Big Deal If Men Date Transgendered Women"
Posted 11:00 AM EST by Steve Pep in Daniel Radcliffe, Terry Richardson, Transgender | Permalink
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A man who was part of the first gay couple to marry in the city of Mar del Plata in Argentina died suddenly. Sadly, it happened on his wedding day.
Bloomberg reports:
"One of the first gay men in Argentina to be wed under a new law permitting same-sex marriages died after falling ill at his wedding party, newspaper Clarin reported."
"Nestor Berchot, 45, died at about 5 a.m. local time after fainting during the celebration because of high blood pressure, the Buenos Aires-based newspaper said, citing Karina Freire, head of a human rights group."
"Berchot and Gustavo Garcia, both hairdressers, were the first gay couple married in the coastal city of Mar del Plata after the country’s Congress approved same-sex marriage last month, Clarin said."
If there's any good news in this story, it's that at least Berchot was able to live long enough to finally marry his long-time partner.
Posted 9:09 AM EST by Steve Pep in Argentina | Permalink
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Progressive talk radio host Stephanie Miller came out on her show yesterday. She prefaced the big announcement with two back to back tweets: "There may be a lot of crying next hour" and "Stick around for the next hour. Mama's got something to tell you." Once on the air, she revealed: "I'm a gay woman. I've got the gay on me."
Miller, who has been out to her friends and family for years, credited Chely Wright's recent coming out as inspiration. She joked to the country music star, who joined her on the show after the big reveal, "You get a toaster oven for recruiting me."
Miller's father was William E. Miller, who was Republican Barry Goldwater's running mate in his unsuccessful bid for the US presidency in 1964. Goldwater himself famously said about gays serving in the military: "you don't have to be straight to shoot straight."
Miller says that, despite being a lesbian, she still thinks firemen are "hot." Then again, who doesn't?
Listen to her coming out, via Pam, AFTER THE JUMP.
Continue reading "Talk Radio Host Stephanie Miller: "I'm A Gay Woman""
Posted 5:02 AM EST by Steve Pep in Chely Wright, Radio | Permalink
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08/13/2010
Bellyflop of the week.
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...
Continue reading "Watch: Corgi Flop"
Posted 9:32 PM EST by Andy Towle | Permalink
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A man attacked at least six people on Sydney's Oxford Street on Monday night.
Same Same reports:
"Police arrested a man in his 30s who swung karate kicks at several people walking down the ‘gay golden mile’ on Monday night.
Gay equality campaigner Simon Margan was left with a shattered eye socket – he was victim number three of one man’s six-assault anti-gay rage, he believes.
Wearing chunky military-style boots, the man, believed to be aged in his 30’s, began his rampage from Taylor Square and continued to outside Gloria Jean’s two blocks away, around 9pm on Monday, Margan tells Same Same.
'I’d seen him before, tearing down gay event posters and mumbling about ‘eradicating gays’. He tried to kick me and at first he missed – I stood back, but he took aim, hitting me in the eye. I’d thought he’d had a knife. I screamed for help, as my face started bleeding. The attacker had been so calm. He didn’t say anything. I think his attacks were premeditated – he was doing it because he hated gays.' His assailant did not seem drunk, Margan adds."
A man was apprehended at the scene. He faces nine charges.
Posted 7:03 PM EST by Andy Towle | Permalink
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