Boi From Troy

In both the first and final ads for the Yes on 8 campaign - supporting a Constitutional Amendment to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California - proponents argued that the people, not San Francisco-based judges, should be the final arbiters of the matter.

Today, in a stroke of irony, the Yes on 8 campaign lawyers are asking the California Supreme Court to decide the referendum’s fate, after prevailing by a narrow margin on November 4th. And it doesn’t sound as though the battle between the courts and the voters will end on the day that the California Supreme Court makes its ruling.

More surprising, given the threats to recall any judges who disagree on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, it’s clear the religious right would rather undo decades of work to build a conservative judiciary than allow two loving people to get married.

Continue Reading, “Judicial Review Gone Wrong“… 

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Although he has fulfilled more potholes than promise in his three and a half years as Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa is proving that voters may well have picked the right man for the times when they elected him in 2005.

Villaraigosa held three news conferences Saturday to discuss efforts by the fire and police departments and the Department of Water and Power to cope with the blaze. He appeared with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and declared a state of emergency — the first step toward securing relief funds.

The mayor went to a Sylmar High School emergency shelter, where families anxiously waited to learn if they had lost their homes. During one visit, he expressed his sympathy to the 300 evacuees, embracing some who had been sitting forlornly on the gymnasium’s metal folding chairs. A few wept on his shoulder.

Those efforts set exactly the right tone, said Councilman Richard Alarcon, whose northeast San Fernando Valley district has been ravaged by fires.

“The mayor’s primary role is to send the right message and convey the right information that the community needs, and I think the mayor is doing an outstanding job,” he said.

Although he has had his missteps–like attending a Dodgers playoff game in the midst of the last round of wildfires–Villaraigosa has proven much more adept at reassuring the people of Los Angeles that someone is in charge and working to keep the City safe, even in the face of God’s wrath.

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Come January, marriage equality could be moving forward legislatively in both New York and now, the nation’s Capitol, according to Councilman David Catania.

Catania reaffirmed that a same-sex marriage bill will be introduced to the Council in January, and that he is sure it will pass.

“Many of us on the Council believe that there is no better time that exists than now,” Catania said.

Much of the concern about the viability of D.C.’s marriage equality bill has been whether the success of California’s Prop 8, which repealed same-sex marriage in the state, would mean that Congress might feel compelled to veto the legislation.

After seeing the backlash to the passage of Proposition 8–not just in big cities like Los Angeles and San Diego, but in small towns across the country–I would think a Democratic Congress would be loathe to take a right away from one of their party’s major constituencies.

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For the second week in a row, I missed the USC game because it wasn’t being televised where I was.  That is to say, Versus is as available in West Hollywood as ABC is in Paris.  Kinda sad.

But we won. Yay!

If USC and Oregon State win out, that could make for a fun Fiesta Bowl against Texas!

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After ten days of protests with no real leadership, Cleve Jones and Lance Black give direction for the gay and lesbian community–ask for everything.

It has been 30 years since Milk gave his life in our struggle for equality. We will not wait 30 years more. We demand that the federal government act immediately, decisively and unequivocally to ensure equal protection under law throughout the United States of America.

We call on President-elect Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to draft and submit to the Congress comprehensive legislation protecting the civil rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens in all areas, including civil marriage, military service, adoption, Social Security, taxation, immigration, employment, housing and access to health care, social services and education.

We call on our country’s leaders to take personal responsibility for involving our nation’s religious leaders and the GLBT community in a national dialogue to encourage understanding and reconciliation.

We call on everyone to carry this message of hope and equality throughout our nation, to every place of worship, to every school and factory and shopping center, every city, suburb and farming town. We call on you to march together, demonstrate together, to pray together and dream together of a future America where, finally, all are free.

I was with Lance the night after the election, and saw how he was taking from the lessons of Harvey Milk and his organization of the protests and rallies, and putting them to use in the streets–let’s hope leadership like his can win more than an Oscar  (for writing Milk) but equality for all.

Sounds like it is time for a march on Washington!

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Although voters rejected redistricting reform three years ago as part of Governor Schwarzenegger’s reform package, the passage of Proposition 11 is giving a new hope to real reform of the State Government.  George Skelton gives some ideas for fixing Sacramento.

Next up in efforts to untangle the partisan gridlock and make the state Capitol more functional: A probable ballot initiative in 2010 to return state elections to some form of open primary system. All candidates would compete in the same primary and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, would advance to the November runoff — similar to the way local officials are elected.

The idea is to force candidates in the primary to appeal to a wider swath of voters than merely their own party members. Presumably that would result in the election of more pragmatic moderates…

Also increasingly possible now that Californians are in a political reform mood: Controlling the runaway initiative process, which has become a tool of deep-pocket special interests and a full employment act for political consultants. Reformers talk about giving the Legislature a crack at tinkering with initiatives before they reach the ballot. If the lawmakers and initiative sponsors compromised, that could result in better law.

And likewise more conceivable: relaxing legislative term limits. But next time, it would need to be a term limits proposal that doesn’t blatantly benefit incumbents. Such a legislative-backed initiative was rejected by voters in February.

There also could be a budget reform package: stronger spending constraints coupled with elimination of the unworkable two-thirds legislative vote requirement for budget passage.

Skelton can’t seem to let go of his desire for a budget by simple majority–which is wholly impractical until such time as the other reforms–fixing the political system so the simple majority is not one of partisan extremists–have been accomplished.

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Log Cabin President Patrick Sammon announced his departure from the organization this morning, effective early 2009. Among Sammon’s accomplishments listed in the LCR press release at the organization are:

• Log Cabin helped secure 35 Republican House votes on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Their votes provided the margin of victory.

• Sammon expanded Log Cabin’s work on HIV/AIDS issues with the addition of Dr. David Reznik as a health policy advisor.

• Log Cabin built strong ties to New York GOP state lawmakers. In the Assembly, the organization helped gain unprecedented bi-partisan support on a marriage equality bill. Log Cabin also built close ties with inclusive GOP State Senators, whose votes will be needed to bring marriage equality to the Empire State.

• Log Cabin’s “Republicans Against 8” campaign helped secure GOP opposition to California’s marriage amendment. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his opposition to Proposition 8 at Log Cabin’s national convention in April. “It is deeply saddening that Proposition 8 passed, but I’m proud of our work in gaining GOP allies to oppose the measure,” said Sammon.

Having worked with Sammon on Republicans Against 8, I must say that he was a true professional. Although at times a bit conservative and risk-averse, Sammon struck the kind of balance necessary to keep an organization running–and his refocusing of the organization on its members (not just its major donors) was refreshing.

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To win the White House, President-elect Barack Obama seized on two simple words that summed up what he meant to voters and the world: “change” and “hope”.

Obama would signal a change from a Bush Administration which had squandered the goodwill of the world and the American public over the last six years, and he became the embodiment of the hopes of a nation - and the world.

And therein lies the greatest danger for an Obama presidency. He may well be giving people false hope.

In Barack Obama, the auto-worker in Michigan saw the revival of an ailing industry.

In New York, Barack Obama represented the possibility of a more stable financial system.

In small towns like Wasilla, Alaska, Barack Obama represented the hope that maybe their boys won’t have to go on yet another tour in Iraq.

Continue Reading, “The Dangers of False Hope“… 

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Here is a map breaking down precinct-by-precinct how folks voted on Proposition 8.

I am proud to point out that the two places I electioneered in the final days–the USC campus and the Marine Park precincts in Santa Monica–were among the largest NO voting areas outside of West Hollywood, Silverlake and Long Beach.

Perhaps this should be more than a guide to where minorities and old folks live, but also too a map for where we should be holding our demonstrations!

Hat tip: Queerty 

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“We’ve got a problemo,” a text message read early Sunday afternoon as I waited to meet friends at the Cafe des Philosophes in the Marais.  By my math it was nearly 4 AM back in Los Angeles, and I feared the worst (drunken friends doing stupid things).

“If it is big enough to call me, then do so,” I responded, thinking that my friend would understand that I only wanted to pay $1 a minute if it was something I and only I could resolve from a street cafe in Paris.

Apparently, a mutual friend, Jason, had used the “N-word” in a tirade about our should-be allies who voted overwhelmingly in favor or Proposition 8.  And he is not alone in feeling the hate towards those who took our rights away a week ago today, be they black-skinned or white-shirted.

With all due respect to my friend, I told him we could discuss it when I get back, but now he knows how I feel as a gay Republican.

The anger directed at Mormons and Blacks and Latinos today has been directed at Republicans for decades, rightly or wrongly.  I would say wrongly.

As Councilman John Duran said last Wednesday:

Never again will I assume that just because somebody is of one race they are more likely to be supportive or opposed to me. Or if somebody is of one religion – that he or she is more supportive or opposed to me. Or of one political affiliation.

I need to start the same question with every person I meet, regardless of those characteristics: Are you with the gay and lesbian community or are you not?

It’s just wrong to judge people, positively or negatively, by one characteristic–isn’t that the message that no one should be treated differently under the law?

That’s why I support non-violent protests like those of last Wednesday night, where the chants were for equal rights–not out of spite.

We MUST speak up, and continue to do so–but we need to be civil and respectful and peaceful in doing so, even if that doesn’t get us headlines or television coverage.

We know who the opponents of our freedom are, and we should target them discreetly with out protestations.  Look them up and find out who is in your neighborhood.

We fought with dignity, and lost with dignity, and we must accept the loss with dignity.

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A blogger I care very much about gives his Catholic take on the passage of Proposition 8–which has resulted in one of his most-widely viewed posts ever.

Great job, I bet Jesus is really cheering you on.

You hypocrites! You are being cruel to people just because they are different and too weak to defend themselves politically. You are teaching the rest of the world that your church is about cowardly hate. You are perverting the core values of Christianity, and you are undermining the freedoms of our state.

You are driving people away from the church, not bringing people in.

Yes, I know, you think these people are sinning and you think sinners should be punished. Do you sin? Does that mean we should be able to stop you from visiting your loved ones in the hospital? Or we should bar you from raising your kids? Or you should have to pay more taxes upon the death of your spouse? Would any of these things stop you from sinning?

Of course, there’s a must-read follow-up on the subject, and a funny anecdote about how a five year old sees the logic of marriage laws.

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Had I not been with my friend Ludo on Sunday afternoon taking a stroll through the Left Bank, I would have never gone into the Laduree Bakery.  And even then I would not have realized my brush with celebrity had he not pointed it out…

At Saint Germain-des-Pres shop, we ran into Jane Birkin, widow of French singer Serge Gainsbourg.

I am a big Gainsbourg fan, because of his clever plays on words–a trick I try to employ in French but with rare success, unless a woman has a female cat that I can play with.

I resisted the urge to get a photo with Birkin, but could not resist the “aha!” moment of saying, “Oh, elle est l’ile nue!”

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Um, yesterday, I ran across a tourist in a Cal jacket and shouted, “sorry about the game!”

He seemed even less clued-in to Cal’s 17-3 loss to USC than I was, being on the continent and all.

It seems the tale of the tape is defense, defense, defense–but that’s about all I know…

Right now, I am going to jump on the RER, then onto a plane to Munich, then San Francisco and Los Angeles…

A plus tard!

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After marching for miles and miles on Wednesday night, I can barely walk to refill my glass of water in the Cigar Lounge at the FCT in Frankfurt Airport. For the second time in two trips to Paris, I am kicking myself for very bad timing.

The last time I flew through Frankfurt en route to Charles de Gaulle, the California Supreme Court had just given me the right to marry. That right was taken away Tuesday, which has inspired a new activism in the LGBT community.

But activism has its costs. My friend Darrell writes of his experience at Thursday’s protests outside the Mormon temple in Westwood.

Tonight after several hours of partaking in loud but peaceful protests with tens of thousands of gay, straight, black, brown & white, old and young people spanning several miles of Los Angeles, I was finally leaving the protest at the Mormon Temple at 9pm or so. My friends had long left and the march had moved on to take over more intersections and block more traffic. We had pretty much brought West LA to a halt during rush hour.

After going to my car I heard much louder noise coming from the Temple again, 3 blocks away. I grabbed my No on 8 sign, shut the door and started walking back to see what was going on. I met up with a 20 year old woman along the way and we walked together.

Shortly after we were approached by a man who told us not to proceed if we “knew what was good for us”. Having been there all day we hadn’t given it much thought. Long story short. The 20 year old woman, Amy, and I continued walking and were quickly jumped from behind by three men screaming at us that we had no business being outside THEIR temple. They knocked us on the ground and kicked us a couple times til the police ran over. Of course, the cowards ran away. The officer offered to help us up. Amy and I looked at each other, said no thank you, pulled ourselves up and brushed ourselves off.

We did choose not to go to the protest as we were both hurt and couldn’t walk so well. We figured we were safe. We got to my car, turned up the side street and there were 20 more of them who tried to attack us in the car. They tried to smash my windows, while blocking the road. I frankly closed my eyes and hit the gas.and left the incident only with a dent in the side of my car.

I think the LAPD has a problem on their hands.  Wednesday night, unprepared, they treated peaceful protestors like they were dangerous to more than just the traffic flow–and their tactics nearly incited the crowd at Hollywood and Highland.  I can only imagine if the crowd had followed my suggestion to approach Hollywood from La Brea and we had cornered the riot police between two 1000-person groups!

Now, LAPD must fulfill their mission to protect and serve the gay and lesbian protestors from those who not only took away their freedom on Tuesday but intend to do us real harm.

While I regret skipping town at this moment, I have a feeling that this new activism will continue well beyone next week.  We should take our anger to Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Boulevards–to MacArthur Park and Koreatown–and demand that those people who took away our rights give them back.

Throughout the No on 8 campaign, we never saw gays and lesbians asking people for their vote.  That genie is out of the bottle, and our community needs to channel this energy into efforts that will make real change happen again.  It won’t be easy, and it won’t be cheap, but nothing worth fighting for ever is.

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A rally in West Hollywood Park turned into a street protest this evening, as gay and lesbian Californians upset over losing the right to marry took to the streets.

Milk scribe Lance Black and I marched towards the head of the pack as they crossed Santa Monica Boulevard to march up to Sunset on San Vicente Boulevard, working with the self-appointed leaders of the mob, asking them to work and coordinate with the Sheriff, etc.

The crowd went up to Sunset then headed East.

Fears of the LAPD sent the crowd back down Crescent Heights.

Rather than sit down, the group went East to La Brea, then North to Sunset.

As we marched by one strip club, we chanted “zip up your flies and fight for our rights!”

At that point, the Sheriff went no further, and the crowd merged with another group at Hollywood and Highland, where LAPD was waiting with riot gear and batons.

Things started getting tense, as the crowd was blocked in on both sides by LAPD…

But TV cameras were there when they broke them out on people.

At that point, my roommate and I decided it was too tense so we walked away.  You can see his video of the police batons being broken out on Facebook.

LAPD’s mistake was stopping the crowd rather than directing it back to West Hollywood. LAPD went on tactical alert, which seemed like an over-reaction, when they should have coordinated with the Sheriff, which handled things well.

News accounts say there were 2-3000 marchers in all, who broke into four separate groups, going throughout Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Century City.

Maybe losing a right was what our community needed to get us out of the bars and into the streets, but I feel more energized than ever tonight…

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