Gay Marriage Watch: May 24th-30th

Here's our Sunday weekly recap of the latest news on gay marriage from around the world. Our favorite thing this week? Meet in the Middle - the amazing rally/march/leadership conference organized by Robin McGehee and the MITM team - over three thousand showed up in Fresno, of all places, including TR Knight, Eric McCormick, Charlize Theron, Michelle Clunie, Kyan Douglas, and many more. Kudos to Robin, a gracious mother, wife, and community organizer, for doing such a great job. Meet in the Middle's next project? The March on Washington, DC, set for October 10th-11th. Make your travel plans now! Hero of the Week: This video from blogger David Moretti on a response he got to a gay marriage posting - Go, David, go! Woody Award: Our woody award this week goes to Stanley Kurtz, the Stanford "professor" who claims: "Above all, marriage is protected by the ethos of monogamy — and by the associated taboo against adultery. The real danger of gay marriage is that it will undermine the taboo on adultery, thereby destroying the final bastion protecting marriage: the ethos of monogamy." OK, let me (pardon the pun) get this straight - the only thing holding heterosexual marriages together is the ban on me marrying my partner? Millions of otherwise matrimonially happy husbands (and wives, one would assume) are just itching to get out there and cheat on their spouses, if only the gays would get married first? Gotta give it to Prof Kurtz - the bigger the lie... Enjoy your woody, Professor! And thanks to Americablog for bringing this to our attention. Gay Marriage Watch: Now on to this week's Gay Marriage Watch. The blog is now organized almost entirely by area, with news of the week, upcoming marriage equality events, and great recent articles and columns. For a longer history of past news stories, just click on one of the older Gay Marriage Watch blogs from our archives. To subscribe to this blog, or if you have any thoughts about how we can make this feature better or easier to use or any updates on the issues covered here, let me know at info@purpleunions.com. We now publish updates daily, and a weekly recap on Sundays. You can also now find us on Facebook - just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you'll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We're also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc Enjoy the rest of the Watch! --Scott ---------------------------------------------- AUSTRALIA: --news--> 5/26: Rainbow Labor NSW’s civil union proposal to the National ALP Conference in July has drawn criticism from within the Australian gay and lesbian activist community for pandering to anti-gay prejudices. The motion being circulated among branches seeks to replace the current unfulfilled policy of state-based relationship registers with federal civil unions like the New Zealand example. Source ---------------------------------------------- MALTA: --news--> 5/24: PN party candidates endorse gay rights petition. ">Source ---------------------------------------------- NETHERLANDS: --upcoming events--> Amsterdam: 7/31-8/2: Organizers of Amsterdam Gay Pride have announced that during the celebration in August, Mayor Marius Job Cohen will marry five same-sex couples compromised of one American and one Dutch national. The action commemorates the 400 years of links between the Dutch and the American city they called New Amsterdam, with the hope it will inspire progress toward full marriage equality in the United States. More Info ---------------------------------------------- UNITED KINGDOM: --upcoming events--> Cardiff: 10/4: Gay wedding show. More Info Manchester: 10/18: Gay wedding show. More Info Brighton: 11/15: Gay wedding show. More Info ---------------------------------------------- USA: --news--> 5/28: Attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies, who argued against each other in the landmark 2000 case Bush v. Gore, have teamed up to bring the debate over Prop 8 to the US Supreme Court. Source 5/29: --In company-owned stores across the country, Levis has affixed to its mannequins white knots in support of marriage equality. Source --David Hyde Pierce says he married long-time partner last year before Prop. 8 passed. Source --The Alliance Defense Fund wants to fight Prop 8 in federal court. Source --Fresno's Meet in the Middle organizers plan March on Washington for October 10th-11th, 2009. Source --upcoming events--> --6/28: Million Gay March: Annual event on the 40th anniversary of Stonewall in all 50 states. More Info --articles--> How I came to support gay marriage, by Brittany Smith Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, ARIZONA: --news--> 5/26: Phoenix: An estimated 300 people marched on Camelback Road in Phoenix to protest the California Supreme Court decision twhich upheld an amendment to that state's constitution, banning same-sex marriage. Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, CALIFORNIA: --news--> 5/25: A dozen representatives of faiths ranging from Buddhism to •Judaism led hundreds of San Franciscans in prayer and song in support of marriage equality the night before the California Supreme Court is expected to decide whether a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage is legal. Source 5/26: --The California Supreme Court upholds Prop 8, but also upholds the 18,000 gay and lesbian marriages performed before it passed. Source --Hollywood: Last night, thousands of protesters hit the streets of Los Angeles (moving from West Hollywood to Hollywood) to protest the California Supreme Court's decision to uphold Prop 8, which bans gay marriage in the state. Drew Barrymore, Kathy Griffin, Pete Wentz, Shanna Moakler, Eliza Dushku, Haylie Duff, Emmy Rossum, Mark Hoppus, Kelly Osbourne and Sophia Bush were among the celebs that attended the rally, and Drew even took the podium at one point during the night. Source --Orange County: 500 gathered at the Old Red Courthouse at 6 p.m. tonight. Three brave political figures showed up to offer support: Santa Ana City Councilwoman Michele Martinez, ex-state senator Joe Dunn and ex-Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook. Source --San Francisco police arrest approximately 80 protesters at civil disobediance rally for gay marriage. Source --Santa Rosa: An evening gathering attracted between 150 and 200 people to downtown. Source --West Hollyweood: Marchers gathered at San Vicente and Santa Monica boulevards, estimated at no more than 1,000 people. Source --70 gay marriage activists take over San Diego County Clerk's office, demand marriage licenses. Source 5/28: --Signs protesting the California Supreme Court's ruling on Proposition 8, which upheld the state's gay marriage ban earlier this week have popped on several Sacramento area highway overpasses. Source --Poet Maya Angelou calling NY state senators in support of gay marriage bill. Source --Some pollsters and legal experts think gay marriage supporters have a better chance to win in 2012 than in 2010. Source 5/30: --Several hundred march 14.5 miles from Selma, CA to Fresno to kick off Meet in the Middle rally. Source --Meet in the Middle draws 3.000 LGBT attendees, and celebrities including TR Knight, Charlize Theron, Michelle Clunie, and Erick McCormick, to Fresno. More Info --upcoming events--> Fresno: 6/6: Fresno Pride. More Info Los Angeles: --6/12-6/14: Los Angeles Pride More Info --7/9-7/19: Outfest is the oldest continuous film festival in Southern California. Since its founding in 1982, Outfest has presented more than 4,500 films and videos for audiences of over half a million people. More Info --8/1: Los Angeles Equality Awards. More Info --Every Monday: LA Equal Roots Meeting. More Info Palm Springs: --10/17: Palm Springs Equality Awards More Info --11/7-11/8: Palm Springs Pride More Info San Diego: 7/18-7/19: San Diego Pride More Info San Francisco: 6/27-6/28: San Francisco: Pride More Info San Jose: 6/20: San Jose Canvassing: Friends of mine and I are setting up a canvassing event at my house on Saturday June 20. We will be talking to voters about same-sex marriage so we can vote Prop 8 out of our constitution in 2010 (if it is upheld by the State Supreme Court). We will be focusing on voters who are likely friendly/open to our cause. More Info --articles--> The 'Lucky' Ones, by David Schmader Source Disappointed, but gay as ever, by Bob Morris Source No separation between church and 8, by Hardy Haberman Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, COLORADO: --news--> 5/26: Denver: 50 protesters descended upon the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building following the California ruling to stage what organizers said was one of more than 100 such demonstrations across the country. Source ---------------------------------------------- USA, GEORGIA: --news--> 5/26: Atlanta: Roughly 100 people rallied at Piedmont Park Tuesday night in opposition to the California Supreme Court’s ruling that upheld the state’s gay marriage ban. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, IOWA: --news--> 5/25: After the Iowa Supreme Court's decision last month to legalize same-sex marriage, it appears that the Iowa City area could become a hotspot for gay and lesbian weddings. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, KENTUCKY: --upcoming events--> Cincinnatti: 6/20: Equality - Don't Stop Believin', Kentucky Equality Federation's first major fundraiser will take place at Adonis in Cincinnati, with after party events taking place at Yadda Club in Covington, KY. More Info --------------------------------------------- USA, MARYLAND: --news--> 5/25: A key Senate committee chairman has agreed to co-sponsor legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, MISSOURI: --news--> 5/26: St. Louis: Aldermen at the rally here, held at City Hall, included Board President Lewis Reed, the Sixth Ward’s Kacie Starr Triplett, and new Alderman Shane Cohn, the city’s first openly-gay lawmaker. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, NEW HAMPSHIRE: --news--> 5/24: Republicans want NH to vote on gay marriage. Source 5/28: The state Senate turned down a nonbinding referendum on same-sex marriage and agreed to name a team of negotiators in hopes of reaching a new compromise. Source 5/29: House and senate negotiators reached a compromise on the gay marriage bill, and Governor Lynch said he approves of the changes. Source --------------------------------------------- USA, NEW YORK: --news--> 5/24: The mayor of Rochester, NY comes out in support of gay marriage. Source 5/25: 10 peop[le protest gay marriage in Utica, NY. Source 5/26: New York City: Chanting and waving signs, hundreds of supporters of gay marriage marched through Greenwich Village to a rally in Union Square. Source 5/27: The National Organization for Marriage, a conservative Christian group that has fought efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. Source --upcoming events--> Brooklyn: 9/9: Family Law Day, In Conjunction with Lavender Law 2009, Brooklyn, NY, Co-sponsored by the National Lesbian & Gay Law Association and the National Family Law Advisory Council of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. More Info ----------------------------------------------- USA, NEVADA: --news--> 5/26: As expected, Governor Jim Gibbons vetoed Nevada's domestic partner bill. Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, PENNSYLVANIA: --news--> 5/26: State Senate Republican thinks he has enough votes in House and Senate to pass gay marriage ban. Source 5/28: Civil rights organizations across Pennsylvania today commended Pennsylvania State Senator Daylin Leach for his intention to introduce legislation that would grant full marriage equality to same-sex couples. Source --upcoming events--> Philadelphia: 6/14: Philadelphia Pride More Info --articles--> Where's proof gay marriage is bad? by Gil Smart Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, RHODE ISLAND: --news--> 5/28: 60% of Rhode Islanders support gay marriage, a new poll finds. Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, TEXAS: --news--> 5/26: El Paso: Protesters left signs for El Paso City Hall employees to find when they arrived for work Wednesday. Souce ----------------------------------------------- USA, VIRGINIA --news--> 5/26: Charlottesville: a group of about 15 equal rights supporters, including Democratic candidate for Delegate Cynthia Neff, stood in front of the Free Speech Monument at the end of the Downtown Mall to protest the decision of the Supreme Court. Source ----------------------------------------------- USA, WASHINGTON DC --news--> 5/28: --Opponents of same-sex marriage have formally requested a referendum to block the District of Columbia from recognizing gay marriages. Source -- D.C.'s Board of Elections and Ethics announced Thursday it will hold a hearing June 10 on whether to allow a referendum to block the District of Columbia from recognizing gay marriages performed elsewhere. Activists predict a divisive battle. Source --upcoming events--> 6/10: Hearing on public referendum on gay marriage. More Info ----------------------------------------------- fini