This session of the Supreme Court ended on a supremely non-shitty note today, as Justices struck down the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Prop 8 as the big discriminatory junkpiles that they were. Biggest, gayest news ever!
The Supreme Court will decide once and for all* whether gays and lesbians can get married in California and whether the federal government can effectively discriminate against same-sex couples by denying them benefits.
A federal appeals court in California decided today that Proposition 8, which would ban gay marriage in the state, is unconstitutional.
ProtectMarriage, the group backing California's Proposition 8 limiting marriage to a man and a woman, has asked a district court to overturn Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling against the law.
Well, that was a letdown. It looked like at least a brief window would open up in California for marriage equality, but a Ninth Circuit panel has just closed it. Here's what's next in the fight.
Blame godless San Francisco. It's the site of the ruling against Proposition 8, which had its stay lifted yesterday, and where the Human Rights Campaign is hoping to leverage its political muscle with Target.
Judge Vaughn Walker has lifted the stay on his own ruling overturning Proposition 8, meaning gay and lesbian marriages can resume
immediately
August 18 —pending a decision on the appeal to the Ninth Circuit. Couples are already lined up.
Yesterday's historic decision deeming Proposition 8 unconstitutional and discriminatory was a major victory for equal rights for gays and lesbians. Here's what you need to know about what the decision means, and what's next.
Here's some good news for a change: A California judge has ruled that "Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license." Here's the full decision.
Constance McMillen's high school (and its fake prom) made Mississippi look pretty bad in terms of gay rights. But there's good evidence that the South as a whole is less narrow-minded than a few assholes make it seem.
According to the census, in 2008, same-sex couples were raising close to 250,000 children. Today's NY Times takes a look at the growing numbers of kids helping to redefine the term "family values."
Today, expert testimony begins in Perry v. Schwarzenegger - the trial to overturn Proposition 8 in California, and two historians - one specializing in marriage, the other in gay rights - are preparing to take the stand.
As pre-trial proceedings in the fight to overturn Proposition 8 begin, advocates to uphold and to overturn the ban are taking their cases to the media, in hopes of swaying the court of public opinion.
A judge ruled on Wednesday to allow camera coverage of the Proposition 8 trial. Videos will be made available on YouTube starting on January 11th and will be posted daily throughout the proceedings. [CNN, Variety]
Californian John Marcotte is working to ban divorce. He says, "Since California has decided to protect traditional marriage, [...] it would be hypocritical of us not to sacrifice some of our own rights to protect traditional marriage even more." [CBS]
[Hollywood, May 26. Image via Getty]
[San Francisco, May 26. Image via Getty]
[Los Angeles, May 26. Image via Getty]
[San Francisco, May 26. Image via Getty]
