Equality California

A More Perfect Union: Prop. 8 May Lead to Gay-Marriage Rights

Illegal Immigrant Student Interned At California State Capitol

The new "coming out." ​Coming out of the closet as gay is so circa 1999. Now it's all about coming out as an illegal immigrant. Everyone is doing it: Fresno State University student body president Pedro Ramirez came out as illegal last year. Last month, former Washington Post reporter Jose Antonio ... More >>

Gay Couples Can't Get Married ... Still

Nope​There will be no white weddings for gay couples -- at least not yet. A San Francisco federal court ruled today that same-sex marriages would not be allowed while courts decide whether Proposition 8 -- the state's ban on gay marriage -- is constitutional or not. It's another blow for same-sex ... More >>

Tom Ammiano Goes After Gay Bullying With New Legislation

Ammiano ... trying to make it get better for gay teens ​Call it Assemblyman Tom Ammiano's new twist to the "It gets better" campaign. The seasoned pol, who is openly gay, is trying to truly make things better for gay teens with new legislation requiring schools to intervene when kids are bullied. ... More >>

New Year Brings Us The Same Ol' Gay Hot Potato: Marriage

Bring In The Gays​Where did we leave off?  In December, a (sort of) repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell was passed by the Senate and signed by the President. I predicted a long, slow and agonizing death of the policy while John McCain lamented the end of DADT saying that soldiers will lose their l ... More >>

What a Week in Gay it Was!

Photo illustration | Audrey FukumanJudge Vaughn Walker gave Prop. 8 the pimp slap​Seriously, this was one mother fu**ing gay week! Can I hear a what what?You may have heard that Vaughn Walker, the gayest judge in the world -- even gayer than Supreme Court's new softball coach, Justice Elena Ka ... More >>

The Week in Gay: Gays Invade San Francisco!

Adam Hood loves you​What is the best way to kick off San Francisco Pride Weekend? By listening to an ex-gay, ex-San Franciscan who wears an ascot and just loves him some pussy! Adam Hood doesn't want the gays to bring the gangrene into heaven but he does want to bring flavor savers. Imagine hi ... More >>

The Week in Gay: Prop 8 Trial Slam Dunk! Elton is worse than we thought! San Francisco attacked by bad gay films!

In the movies​Last night the Frameline34 film festival celebrated opening night with a premiere at the Castro Theater followed by booze and wine and liquor and drinks and dancing out in the avenues. Of course, not all of the films are bad...some of them have promise. Closing night features Jame ... More >>

Studies: EQCA's plan to repeal Prop 8 will fail

Has a posse​ Patrick J. Egan Ph.D. released a study Wednesday called "Findings from a Decade of Polling on Ballot Measures Regarding the Legal Status of Same-Sex Couples" that shows how a multi-million dollar campaign to repeal Prop 8 at the ballot box is unnecessary and likely to be unsuccessful ... More >>

Study: Millions Spent on Campaigns For and Against Gay Marriage Totally Pointless

​A New York University professor analyzed dozens of ballot measures concerning gay marriage over the last 20 years and came up with one mighty conclusion in a study released today: expensive campaigns for and against legal recognition of gay couples do jack squat to change voters' opinions.The rep ... More >>

The Week in Gay: You Call *That* a Repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell'?

You'll still have to stay in the closet for now, sailor​Thursday night the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that claims to repeal the ban on gays serving in the military (Don't Ask Don't Tell). But the details of the bill reveal that the policy is not really repealed and it won't be unt ... More >>

Nancy Pelosi Pledges Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell by Christmas. Hmmm.

I can't wait for Christmas. The holiday means nothing to me ordinarily, but this year I'm going to put my stockings on the mantle early. Does anyone know where I can get a blue spruce in May? Speaker Nancy Pelosi was the headlining act last Friday night at the Equality California fund raising e ... More >>

The Week in Gay: Celebrate Milk Day By Giving Money to Do-Nothing Politicians

Which ineffective politician would Harvey donate money to? ​Everybody knows what today is, right? Harvey Milk Day Eve!! Get ready to have trouble falling asleep tonight and prepare for visions of trod-upon dog poop (Harvey's legislative legacy) to be dancing in your head. Speaking of Milk and hi ... More >>

Humphry Slocombe Making Super-Gay Ice Cream for Harvey Milk Day

Terry Schmitt/ChronicleWill it taste like rainbows?​Equality California is gearing up to host the local festivities for Saturday's first State-recognized Harvey Milk Day, and has asked ice cream kingpins Humphry Slocombe to create a special flavor to honor the late Supervisor and activist. The ... More >>

San Francisco's Harvey Milk Day Plans Are Pathetic

Jerry PritikinHarvey Milk stood for ... tricycle races? ​This Saturday, May 22, is the inaugural Harvey Milk Day in the State of California. As you'd expect, there's lots of stuff happening in San Francisco commemorating the gay icon. What you might not expect is how tame San Francisco's event ... More >>

Prop. 8 Trial -- Constipated No More

Justice delayed is justice ... wait, what were we talking about?​Remember the Prop. 8 trial that started in San Francisco in January starring Judge Vaughn Walker (gay) and featuring David Bois (liberal) and Ted Olson (conservative)? The trial that has been on hiatus longer than the presentation of ... More >>

The Week in Gay: New Trend in 2010 -- Same-Sex Bedpans!

Uppity Fag has his eye on the one on the bottom left...​Late yesterday afternoon President Barack Obama signed a mandate that extends hospital visitation rights to same-sex couples in hospitals throughout the country. Whatever. While some may hail this as a victory for gay rights, the bot ... More >>

Same-Sex Marriage in 2012? That'll Be the Day.

Sorry, pal. Maybe next year. Or the year after that. Or not. ​Yesterday Restore Equality 2010 announced it was abandoning its efforts to repeal Prop 8 on the November ballot. The not-unforeseen announcement was also posted at a handful of blogs on Monday: Autumn Sandeen reported at Pam's House ... More >>

No Gay Marriage For You in 2010, California

Maybe it'll be a tastier 2012...​Restore Equality 2010 announced today that it fell short in its effort to gather the 695,000 signatures needed by today to place a same-sex marriage measure on this year's ballot. The organization's chairman, Sean Bohac, attributed the failure to the lack of supp ... More >>

ACLU: Keep Your Hands Off Our Prop. 8 E-Mails!

​Yesterday, federal judge Vaughn Walker lowered the boom on the ACLU and Equality California, and insisted the organizations turn over their internal e-mails and memos even though they aren't actually part of the ongoing legal challenge to Proposition 8.Today, the ACLU employed the vaunted oh hell ... More >>

Explained: The Clusterfuck That Lost the Proposition 8 Campaign

​During testimony, filings, and deliberations in the Proposition 8 trial, an unasked question reverberated through the federal courthouse in San Francisco: Why, exactly, are we here?A step outside into the reality of still separate and unequal California provided an answer: An inept anti-Prop. 8 c ... More >>

Prop. 8 Trial Roundup: Gay Couples Don't Want To Be 'Glorified Roommates'

​A roundup of the action on Day One of the Proposition 8 trial at San Francisco's Federal Courthouse.The attorney for the Prop. 8 backers argues: "Marriage is essentially the sexual embodiment of the man and the woman who formed the marital union." Did this guy not get the news that marriage is th ... More >>

A risky proposition: the Prop. 8 debate continues

Maine Setback Won't Deter Californians Seeking Prop. 8 Repeal in 2010 -- Unless it Does

Bad day for cake yesterday​For those who support same-sex marriage, yesterday's defeat in Maine was both a head-scratcher and a stomach-punch. The "No on 1" campaign was well-run, well-financed, not hamstrung by, say, the mayor of Bangor crowing about "whether you like it or not," and a huge perce ... More >>

Local Dems' Prop. 8 War Chest Hits $245,000, Still Growing. When Will It Be Spent?

These lads may have a nice dowry by 2012​Despite a prominent pro-gay-marriage group's suggestion that activists wait until 2012 to try to repeal Proposition 8, San Francisco's Democratic County Central Committee is moving full steam ahead with fund-raising efforts for the campaign. In fact, the DC ... More >>

Obama Administration Fails In Attempt To Have Its Gay Wedding Cake and Eat It, Too

But does President Obama 'feel your pain'?​In the gay marriage wars, you can never make everybody happy. But a court filing by the Obama administration today may well piss off everyone.  Social conservatives surely have had their tighty-whiteys worked into a twist by the Department of Justice ... More >>

Equality California Says Same Sex Marriage Should Wait Until 2012

You'll need a new cake by 2012...​Equality California announced Wednesday morning it recommends that same-sex marriage advocates wait until the 2012 election to bring the issue back to California voters. Citing the difficulty of changing voters' deeply entrenched views on the subject, ... More >>

Would Gay Marriage Not Being on the 2010 Ballot Help or Hurt Gavin Newsom? The Answer: Yes.

Being emotionally charged up can certainly affect how demonstratively one waves his or her placard in a street protest, but it's of less use in the voting booth. No matter how emphatically you punch your ballot, it still only counts for one vote. This appears to be the crux of Equality California's ... More >>

Should Gay Marriage Supporters Go to The Ballot In 2010 or 2012?

At this point it seems like a given that California voters will consider the issue of same-sex marriage in the near future. The strategic question being asked by leaders in the gay community is whether an initiative undoing Prop. 8 would have a better chance of passing next year or in three years. ... More >>

Flirting With the Times

Shaw's Victorian-era comedy speaks to modern gay issues