Same-Sex Marriage

New York State recognizes, but won’t perform, gay marriage

Rumor Mill: Historic Day For Gay Marriage in May?

Monday: Phelps Camp VS. Gays and Gavin Newsom at City Hall

Tourists Live It Up While Poor San Franciscans Take Stay-Cations

Prop 8 Ad Wars: The Counterattack

Still No Gay Couples in No on 8 Ads?

Obama Supports 'Separate But Equal' Principle For Gays

Oh, the irony of it all: When it comes to his views on same-sex marriage, the first black man elected president in the U.S. uses the same principle employed in the past by whites to justify segregation in this country. Barack Obama opposes gay marriage, but he supports civil unions. Separate but ... More >>

Campaign for California Families' Efforts to Intervene in Prop 8 Litigation Denied

By Ashley Harrell The California Supreme Court's reentry into the Prop 8 war satisfied almost everybody. Yes on 8 and its supporters figure that the three new court cases, which challenge the legality of a same-sex marriage amendment to the state constitution, don't stand a chance. No on 8 and it s ... More >>

Do Gay Rights Have a Future Outside of California? Do We Care?

By Benjamin Wachs Although it’s easy to get lost in the fact that California voters recently decided to put discrimination in the state constitution, a little perspective is in order: gay couples in California still have (almost) full equality under the law, with provisions for civil unions, ado ... More >>

Marriage equality can be achieved by separating church and state

By Benjamin Wachs Although it’s easy to get lost in the fact that California voters recently decided to put discrimination in the state constitution, a little perspective is in order: gay couples in California still have (almost) full equality under the law, with provisions for civil unions, ado ... More >>

Will Gay Mecca Relocate From San Francisco To Des Moines?

Disdain of San Franciscans' disdain of all things Midwestern has become nearly as clichéd as the original sin. And, yet, there's always a touch of schadenfreude anticipating city residents' chagrin whenever legitimately good news emanates from the Midwest indicating its denizens have out-progressiv ... More >>

Gay Iowan Transplants to California Ponder Today's Gay Marriage Ruling

They are a rare species, these gay Iowans who have moved out to the Golden State, the perfect journalistic formula to comment on today's news of the Iowa Supreme Court approving gay marriage while its California colleagues mull this same issue. But we put on our intrepid reporter cap and found two s ... More >>

Against All Odds

Fundamentalists want to ban same-sex marriage. All across California, people are mad as hell. So how come nobody's doing anything about it?

He's No Menace

Gay marriage has been very, very good to Dennis Herrera.

The Gay Divorcees

Gay marriage is new. Gay divorce isn't.

I Wish I'd Written That

Deceased journalist Joe Dignan led coverage of California's movement toward gay equal rights

Letters to the Editor

Week of Wednesday, April 13, 2005

"I Do" Redux

Do you subconsciously oppose gay marriage? Take our quiz and set your id free!

Looking Ahead

Aides insist that Mayor Gavin Newsom is focused on City Hall; his sudden celebrity has spawned speculation about higher office. Much higher.

Institute of Hate

Right-wingers are targeting liberal pastors -- including at least one in S.F. -- who favor gay marriage

South to the Future

Feminists Protest Gay Marriages

Beautiful Dreamers

John and Tom Henning hope to beat Sen. William "Pete" Knight at his own game, with a ballot initiative to legalize gay marriage in California

Beautiful Dreamers

The anti-Knight initiative

The Holy War Over Gay Marriage

Eighty Methodist pastors from Northern California plan to challenge church law by co-officiating at a lesbian wedding. It's an act of conscience that could sunder America's second-largest denomination -- and bring gay marriage to the center of national co

Letters

Eighty Methodist pastors from Northern California plan to challenge church law by co-officiating at a lesbian wedding. It's an act of conscience that could sunder America's second-largest denomination -- and bring gay marriage to the center of national co

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

A risky proposition: the Prop. 8 debate continues

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 >>

I Now Pronounce You Incorporated: A Novel Approach to Same-Sex Marriage

I now declare this corporation merged...​Melding legal principles does not always follow the "You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!" "You got your peanut butter in my chocolate!" path. But humor us, here. In San Francisco, the plaintiffs have made their case in an attempt to overturn Proposi ... 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 >>

Korean Americans Hate Gay Marriage Most, New Poll Reveals

FIFANot yet ready to root for same-sex marriage...​This morning the Field Poll published new results on California voters' support for same-sex marriage. On the whole, the poll was inconclusive. About 51 percent of those surveyed said they approved of gay marriage, with some 42 percent opposed. Th ... More >>

Latino Catholics Strongest Supporters of Same-Sex Marriage, Survey Finds

Stan WiestComing to a same-sex wedding near you? ​A survey released today polling religious Californians revealed that Latinos both support -- and heavily oppose -- same-sex marriage. Que pasa? The poll, undertaken by the Public Religion Research Institute, found that the subset of religiously aff ... More >>

Prop. 8 Backers Cover Their Asses

​Those reading the tea leaves prior to Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling in the Proposition 8 trial this afternoon may want to pay attention to this large lump: The anti-gay marriage defendants in the case late yesterday filed a motion to stay the judgment pending an appeal.What this means: The defense ... More >>

Judge Vaughn Walker May Lift Stay on Prop. 8 Ruling Today; Crowds Gather at City Hall

What'll it be today, Judge Vaughn Walker?​A number of would-be same-sex married couples are already gathering at San Francisco's City Hall, anticipating Judge Vaughn Walker may lift the stay on his ruling overturning Proposition 8 -- which would trigger a same-sex marriage bonanza. A ruling from W ... More >>

Prop. 8 Overturned: Ecstasy and Agony at City Hall

It's uncertain when Rod Wood and Roger Hunt will use these wedding rings.​No guarantee same-sex couples can wed next week, when Prop. 8 is officially overturnedFor 10 whole minutes, Thom Watson was a happy man. The 30-odd same-sex couples crammed into a balmy corridor of City Hall awaiting the wor ... More >>

Torturer's Apprentice John Yoo Says It's Constitutional to Ban Gay Marriage

John Yoo​You gotta hand it to John Yoo, the former Bush Administration attorney who provided a legal rationale for torturing prisoners of war. It must be tough being an anti-human-rights playa in the midst of Collectivist Berkeley, where Yoo is a professor of -- wait for it -- constitutional law. ... More >>

Prop. 8 Stay Granted -- No Gay Marriage Wednesday

Calibree PhotographyMaybe next year, lads​The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals moments ago granted a stay of Judge Vaughn Walker's Aug. 4 ruling overturning Proposition 8 -- meaning there will be no same-sex marriages on Wednesday. The appeal was granted "sua sponte" -- meaning it was not made in rega ... More >>

Supreme Court Rules State Not Required to Appeal Prop. 8 Ruling

​The California Supreme Court yesterday dismissed a right-wing group's suit that would have compelled the state to appeal Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Both Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown have come down in favor of Walker's ruling ... More >>

Vaughn Walker, Prop. 8 Judge, Announces Retirement

Judge Vaughn Walker is out ... of the building​Vaughn Walker, the Republican-appointed judge loathed in the LGBT community for much of his career -- who went on to strike down California's anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 -- has announced he's hanging up his robes. Walker will give up the mantle of ... More >>

Republican Election Ploy: Gays Marry Goats, Dogs, and ... Clocks?

Dating material perhaps. But you want to marry this? ​The Week In GayHave you noticed that the midterm election is around the goddamned corner? If your home is like mine you shovel 10 pounds of crap out of the mailbox and into the recycling bin every day; you have stopped answering the phone altog ... More >>

Iowa Ousts Three Judges Who Approved Gay Marriage

​LGBT Advocates Blast Special Interests' Campaign To Intimidate Judges NationwideThe huge shift to the right in yesterday's election probably doesn't bode well for any LGBT-friendly legislation coming down the pipeline. But perhaps the harshest rebuke of those who support LGBT rights came from Iow ... More >>

Kamala Harris Wants Federal Appeals Court To Allow Gay Marriages Now

Harris: Let the people marry​Supporters of same-sex marriage just got a powerful ally: California Attorney General Kamala Harris. The newly minted AG is urging the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to allow gay couples to marry while it considers a federal appeal over the constitutionality of Propositi ... More >>

Gay Binational Couples to File Lawsuit Challenging DOMA

Gay couples are ready to rumble for equality in immigration law. ​Consider it the next major court battle against the Defense of Marriage Act: Gay Americans will file the first lawsuit to challenge DOMA on the grounds that it bars them from sponsoring a gay foreign spouse for a visa like straight ... 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 >>

Judge Vaughn Walker Admits He Is Gay

Gay!​As if he hadn't riled up opponents of same-sex marriage enough, Judge Vaughn Walker on Wednesday publicly announced that he is indeed gay. Already an icon in the gay community, the retired judge, who ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, reportedly told a group of reporters that he has been i ... More >>

Obama Fundraiser To Draw Protesters Advocating Green Cards For Gay Couples

Rallying at Obama's door. ​Protesters from all walks of life -- potheads, gays, and antiwar folks -- will be greeting President Obama upon his arrival to San Francisco tomorrow afternoon. While antiwar demonstrators recruit people for their cause, multiple organizations for gay rights are gatherin ... More >>

It Doesn't Matter That Judge Vaughn Walker Is Gay

You can be gay and impartial​At least that's what a federal judge decided today. Chief U.S. District Judge James Ware ruled on Tuesday that there is no proof that Judge Vaughn Walker, who last year struck down the state's ban on gay marriage, would benefit from his own ruling. Walker only recently ... More >>

Federal Backruptcy Court Declares DOMA Unconstitutional

Gay couples go broke, too. ​The latest assault on the federal law that only recognizes straight spouses comes from an institution that's not exactly known for making rousing statements about civil rights: the federal bankruptcy court.According to news reports., the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Ce ... More >>

Proposition 8 Is Unconstitutional, Appeals Court Says

​A federal appeals court ruled this morning that California's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.  New outlets are reporting that the ban will still remain in effect as the case makes its way to the Supreme Court. Both sides had vowed to appeal the ruling if the outcome wasn't in th ... More >>