Free Republic

St. Paul, Minn. — A group of Twin Cities Quakers has decided to stop signing marriage certificates for opposite-sex couples until the state legalizes gay marriage. "We're simply trying to be consistent with the will of God as we perceive it," said Paul Landskroener, clerk of the Twin Cities Friends Meeting, in an interview with MPR's All Things Considered on Monday. The congregation will continue to hold both opposite-sex and same-sex weddings at its meeting house, but will no longer sign the legal marriage certificate for opposite-sex couples. Instead, couples will need to have the certificate signed by a justice...

The effort to get same sex marriage on the California ballot in 2010 took a hit Monday. Rick Jacbos, the leader of the 700,000-member Courage Campaign just told us that after spending more than $200,000 on "qualitative research" into the issue in California that "We do not see a path to victory." So, the Courage Campaign sent a note to its supporters Monday calling for "for more research and time to change hearts and minds before returning to the ballot." Lambda Legal, a LGBT legal organization, said largely the same thing Monday. Jacobs told us that the research -- led...

A group called Love Honor Cherish launched an Internet-based effort today to collect enough signatures to place a measure repealing Prop. 8, the anti-gay marriage law, on the state ballot by next year. The signature-gathering drive will use social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter, organizers said in a statement. “We’re taking names,” said John Henning, who is heading the SignForEquality.com effort launched to collect the signatures. "People throughout California can now help us win marriage back by the simple act of signing and collecting signatures.” Prop. 8 was approved by California voters a year ago, reversing a California...

Abstract: Supporters of Proposition 8 in California have been subjected to harassment, intimidation, vandalism, racial scapegoating, blacklisting, loss of employment, economic hardships, angry protests, violence, at least one death threat, and gross expressions of anti-religious bigotry. Arguments for same-sex marriage are based fundamentally on the idea that limiting marriage to the union of husband and wife is a form of bigotry, irrational prejudice, and even hatred against homosexual persons. As this ideology seeps into the culture more generally, individuals and institutions that support marriage as the union of husband and wife risk paying a price for that belief in many...

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge said sponsors of California's ban on same-sex marriage may not delay in handing over campaign strategy documents to gay-rights groups that are looking for evidence of anti-gay bias as they try to overturn the measure. The sponsors had sought to keep the documents while challenging the order to turn them over in an appeals court. But in a ruling late Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker of San Francisco said backers of Proposition 8 had failed to show that disclosing internal memos and e-mails would violate their freedom of speech or subject them...

Abstract: Supporters of Proposition 8 in California have been subjected to harassment, intimidation, vandalism, racial scapegoating, blacklisting, loss of employment, economic hardships, angry protests, violence, at least one death threat, and gross expressions of anti-religious bigotry. Arguments for same-sex marriage are based fundamentally on the idea that limiting marriage to the union of husband and wife is a form of bigotry, irrational prejudice, and even hatred against homosexual persons. As this ideology seeps into the culture more generally, individuals and institutions that support marriage as the union of husband and wife risk paying a price for that belief in many...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed two gay rights bills, one honoring late activist Harvey Milk and another recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states. In the last of hundreds of bill actions taken before midnight Sunday, Schwarzenegger approved the two bills by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. The governor last year vetoed the measure declaring May 22 a state day of recognition for Milk, suggesting that the former San Francisco supervisor be honored locally. But he subsequently named him to the California Hall of Fame. Leno's SB 54, meanwhile, requires California to recognize marriages performed in other states where same...

In November 1987, two Gay Activists penned an article published in a Gay Magazine titled THE OVERHAULING OF STRAIGHT AMERICA, which was essentially the outline of “a propaganda campaign to confuse and deceive the American people about their objectives.” Tactics mentioned include “intimidation, lies, and fear to silence opposition.” Nowhere is then seen any better than in California after passage of their Proposition 8, overturning the legislative action allowing same-sex marriage in that state. It can also be seen quite vividly today in Washington State as a measure allowing Domestic Partnerships legal standing, laughably referred to as “Everything but marriage,”...

Today, a federal judge tossed out yet another challenge to Proposition 8. (Prop 8 is a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as only between a man and a woman in California) This time the challenge was on "federal constitutional grounds..."

New poll finds only 33 percent of Americans favor, a 9-point drop since April The number of Americans who support same-sex marriage has plunged over the last few months, according to a new poll. The CBS News/New York Times study found that 33 percent of respondents favor same-sex marriage. That represents a 9 percent drop since April. Everett Rice, legislative coordinator for the California Family Council, said he has a theory about the decrease. "People really recognize their core and their values, their heritage," he said. "When people want to go in and redefine that, it really goes against everybody's...

SALT LAKE CITY — An activist who worked alongside slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk announced plans Sunday for a march on Washington this fall to demand that Congress establish equality and marriage rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Cleve Jones said the march, planned for Oct. 11, will coincide with National Coming Out Day and launch a new chapter in the gay rights movement. He made the announcement during a rally at the annual Utah Pride Festival. "We seek nothing more and nothing less than equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all...

After yesterday’s ruling from the California Supreme Court upholding Proposition 8’s ban on gay marriage but allowing the already-existing gay marriages to remain legal, I predicted that an inventive attorney would attack the judgment in federal court on equal-protection arguments arising from that Solomonic split. That challenge came more quickly than even I predicted, and from an unusual choice of attorneys. Byron York profiles Ted Olson’s decision to make a federal case out of Prop 8: ----------------------------------------------- "The suit argues that the state’s marriage ban, upheld Tuesday by the California Supreme Court, violates the federal constitutional right for same-sex couples...

Yesterday - less than three months after Kenneth W. Starr and I appeared in the California Supreme Court on behalf of our ProtectMarriage.com Campaign to defend Prop 8 - the Court finally issued its decision... all 185 pages of it! By a 6 to 1 vote, a nearly-unanimous majority of the Supreme Court upheld the vote of the people by which Prop 8 was passed into law to protect traditional marriage in our State Constitution. You can read the decision here as it appears on the Court's website. While there were no real surprises in the decision, and it looks...

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- On Tuesday morning, the California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8 — the gay marriage ban passed back in November 2008 — and on Tuesday night some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities joined thousands of protesters in the streets of West Hollywood to voice their anger, frustration and hope of a future overturning of the proposition. Celebrities in attendance included Drew Barrymore, Kathy Griffin and her mother Maggie Griffin, George Takei and husband Brad Altman, Kelly Osbourne and finance Luke Worrell, Deborah Gibson, Emmy Rossum, Sophia Bush, Perez Hilton and Shanna Moakler. Access Hollywood caught up with Kathy...

Filed 5/26/09       IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA       KAREN L. STRAUSS et al.,                                                               )     Petitioners,                                                                                                              )             v.                                                                                                           ) MARK B. HORTON, as State Registrar of Vital Statistics, etc., et al., )    S168047     Respondents;                                                                                               ) DENNIS HOLLINGSWORTH et al.,                                                            )     Interveners.                                                                                                  ) ———————————————————————————— ) ROBIN TYLER et al.,                                                                                     )     Petitioners,                                                                                                              )             v.                                                                                                           ) THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA et al.,                                                            )    S168066     Respondents;                                                                                               ) DENNIS HOLLINGSWORTH et al.,                                                            )     Interveners.                                                                                                  ) ———————————————————————————— ) CITY...

The California Supreme Court rules to UPHOLD Proposition 8 (which put into the California state constitution that marriage is defined as being between a man and woman) The court also ruled on the validation of the pseudo-marriages performed before passage of Prop 8.

MARY ALICE WILLIAMS, guest anchor: California’s gay marriage law remains in legal limbo. The state’s Supreme Court judges have less than two weeks to either uphold or strike down the gay marriage ban known as Proposition 8. Prop 8 passed last Election Day, in large part because Mormon churches mobilized for it. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints withstood blistering criticism from outside the faith. Now resentments are festering inside the Mormon community. Lucky Severson reports. LUCKY SEVERSON: Dr. Pam Chan is an OB/GYN and a lifelong Mormon living in San Francisco. She found herself deeply conflicted when...

The California Supreme Court has announced that it will rule Tuesday on three cases challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, . . .

California Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage ban nears The clock is ticking down on the California Supreme Court's imminent decision on whether to uphold Proposition 8, the voter-approved ballot measure restoring the state's ban on same-sex marriage. Based on regulations that require the justices to rule within 90 days of oral arguments in a case, the Supreme Court's decision in the legal challenge to Proposition 8 now will fall on one of three remaining days: Tuesday or next Thursday, or June 1. The high court normally only rules on Mondays and Thursdays, but will issue rulings next Tuesday because...

Last week, Washington, D.C., City Councilman Marion Barry raised eyebrowns when he predicted that there would be a “civil war” if the District of Columbia endorsed gay marriage legislation. "All hell is going to break loose," warned Barry, the former D.C. mayor and one-time convicted felon, after the council voted 12-to-1 Tuesday to recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere in America. "We may have a civil war," declared Barry. "The black community is just adamant against this." .... During the Prop 8 campaign in California, the tensions spilled onto the streets and got ugly. “It was like being at a klan...

Six months ago, California voters passed Proposition 8, denying legal recognition to same gender marriages. Petitions are now being circulated to put the issue back to the voters in June 2010. Before venturing into this thorny thicket again, the media should realize what a poor job it did in covering the fundraising for Prop 8. The reporting blunders include gross inaccuracies and one where the media did not recognize a good story right before their eyes. All the blunders could have been avoided had news organizations more fully understood the campaign finance reporting laws of California and/or been more diligent...

Former Miss Californias Tamiko Nash and Raquel Beezley, with former Miss USA Shanna Moakler (center). Former Miss California Raquel Beezley. Former Miss California Tamiko Nash. 1997?s Miss Hawaii-turned Miss USA-turned Miss Universe, Brook Lee, donned a white evening gown and sash that said "Miss Equality." Brook Lee had previously taken part in the anti-Prop 8 campaign. Former "Laguna Beach" star Kristin Cavallari.

Is Donald Trump angry at Miss California Carrie Prejean? Or is it just another trumped up charge from the liberal media? The April 22 episode of "Access Hollywood" teased viewers that Miss California was under a serious threat of losing her crown - since she was late for a meeting with Donald Trump, the organizer of the Miss USA pageant in which Prejean was the runner-up, and that her position on same-sex marriage somehow contradicted what Miss California's position was supposed to be. "New and serious trouble for Miss California you will only find out here," "Access Hollywood" co-host Nancy...

I don't know what to say: If the makers of this video weren't intentionally looking to portray almost every stereotype about homosexuals ...

On Thursday, April 16, in a Council chamber overflowing with students, the Student Council of American River College voted 11-5 to pass a resolution putting the 42,000-student Community College on record as opposing the LGBT National "Day of Silence". "The passage of this resolution marks new progress for Community Colleges," commented Vladimir Musorivschi. "The 'Day of Silence' project has been used as an opportunity to suspend Christian students at local schools for wearing Bible verses on their shirts. The 'Day of Silence' is truly about silencing the voices of Christian students and we will oppose this censorship."

A Washington, DC, pastor and outspoken opponent of same-sex "marriage" says California mega-church pastor Rick Warren has done "tremendous damage" by apologizing for his support last fall of California's marriage protection amendment. Rick Warren said Monday on CNN's Larry King Live that he has "never been and never will be" an "anti-gay marriage activist," and made a point to inform the program's host that he apologized to his homosexual friends for comments he made in October to his church in support of Proposition 8 in California. Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr., with the High Impact Leadership Coalition says he was very...

California mega-church pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren says he apologized to his homosexual friends for making comments in support of California's Proposition 8, and now claims he "never once even gave an endorsement" of the marriage amendment. Pastor Rick WarrenMonday night on CNN's Larry King Live, Pastor Rick Warren apologized for his support of Prop. 8, California's voter-approved marriage protection amendment, saying he has "never been and never will be" an "anti-gay or anti-gay marriage activist." "During the whole Proposition 8 thing, I never once went to a meeting, never once issued a statement, never...

California Attorney General Jerry Brown has assigned titles to two proposed initiatives that would repeal Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment adopted by the state’s voters last November that bans same-sex marriages. Now that the attorney general has given the proposed initiatives a title and summary, the secretary of state has authorized the circulation of petitions seeking to qualify the initiatives for the November 2010 ballot. Since each is an initiative constitutional amendment, backers must collect 694,354 from registered voters to qualify them. The two initiatives come as the California Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of Proposition 8. Should the high...

Pestered Prop 8 donors file suit Aim to restrict campaign rules Valerie Richardson Monday, March 23, 2009 After giving $10,000 to California's Proposition 8 campaign last year, Charles LiMandri began receiving some unexpected correspondence. "I got about two dozen e-mails and hate phone calls," said Mr. LiMandri, who lives in San Diego. "They were calling me Nazi, homophobe, bigot. I tried to engage people once or twice - I said that Proposition 8 had nothing to do with being bigoted, it was about preserving marriage - but people don't want to engage on the issue." As a lawyer, however, Mr....

Another marriage measure cleared for Calif. Associated Press March 20, 2009. SACRAMENTO -- The sponsors of a second ballot measure seeking to repeal California's ban on same-sex marriage have been cleared to start collecting signatures. The secretary of state on Friday gave the group Yes on Equality until August 17 to collect the nearly 700,000 signatures needed to qualify its initiative for the 2010 ballot. If approved by voters, the group's proposed constitutional amendment would rescind Proposition 8, which passed last November. The California Supreme Court is

Proposition 8 opponents received permission Tuesday from the California Secretary of State's office to begin collecting petition signatures toward a repeal of the state's same-sex marriage ban. Wed, Mar. 11, 2009 Posted: 08:19 AM EDT Proposition 8 opponents received permission Tuesday from the California Secretary of State's office to begin collecting petition signatures toward a repeal of the state's same-sex marriage ban. The initiative would side step the issue of same-sex marriage by making all couples eligible for marriage benefits regardless of their sexual orientation. If approved, the initiative would strike the word "marriage" from all state laws and replace...

SACRAMENTO, March 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - California same-sex "marriage" supporters are collecting signatures to support a ballot initiative that would remove civil marriage from California law entirely, as well as the provision codifying marriage as between a man and a woman. The "Domestic Partnership Initiative" proposes to categorize all unions simply as "domestic partnerships," while retaining all the rights of marriage for heterosexual couples, and extending them to homosexual couples. According to the initiative's summary, "Legally speaking, 'Marriage' itself would become a social ceremony, recognized by only non-governmental institutions." State Attorney General Jerry Brown submitted the official title and summary...

Strange times we live in when it takes a ballot initiative to confirm the definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Stranger still when endorsing that definition through the democratic process brings threats and reprisals. In November, the San Francisco Chronicle published the names and home addresses of everyone who donated money in support of California's Proposition 8 marriage initiative. All available information, plus the amount donated, was broadcast. My name is on that list. Emails started coming. Heavy with epithets and ad hominems, most in the you-disgust-me vein. Several accused me, personally, of denying...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The mood was somber among gay rights supporters after a bruising, three-hour hearing before the justices of California's highest court, who expressed considerable skepticism at the idea of overturning the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. Thursday's arguments pitted the right of the people to change their constitution against the right to wed. The California Supreme Court's seven justices indicated a wariness to override the will of voters, who approved Proposition 8 in November - 4 1/2 months after the same court had ruled 4-3 to legalize gay marriage. Couples like Chloe Harris, 28, and Frankie...

LIVE WEBCAST - 03/05/09 California Supreme Court Oral Arguments on Proposition 8 - Same Sex Marriage 9:00AM (PST) http://www.calchannel.com The California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Thursday, March 5, 2009, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., in three cases challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8, a statewide ballot initiative that was passed by a majority of California voters in November 2008. The California Channel will broadcast this event live via your local cable provider and on our website*.*Due to the high demand we expect for this event, if you have problems connecting then the server has reached its...

Calif. high court to hear challenge. There is little common ground between those on either side of the charged debate over marriage in California. But on the eve of the state Supreme Court hearing in San Francisco on Proposition 8, which prohibits same-sex marriage, advocates on both sides describe the issue in similar high-stakes rhetoric. “History swings on very small hinges sometimes,” said Jim Garlow, pastor at Skyline Church in La Mesa and one of the state's highest-profile supporters of Proposition 8. “On a broader scale, beyond the scope of the definition of marriage, this is about whether the social...

Eve of Justice Candlelight Demonstrations Planned for Prop 8 This Wednesday, March 4th, Eve of Justice will hold candlelight demonstrations in cities across the state of California in solidarity against the passing of Proposition 8. The event will fall on the evening before the California Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the validity of Prop 8. In Los Angeles, the demonstration will be held at 5:30 PM on Olvera Street, Downtown LA. MC’s will be Alec Mapa (Ugly Betty) and Lisa Powell. Also expected to attend is Jenny Pizer of Lambda Legal, who will be arguing before the Supreme Court...

Dueling lawyers in California Prop. 8 case are a study in opposites By Aurelio Rojas Mar. 1, 2009 Kenneth Starr and Shannon Minter, lead attorneys in the California Supreme Court case that will decide the fate of same-sex marriage in the state, are as different as the competing sides they represent. Starr, dean of Pepperdine University School of Law, is best known for leading the inquiry into President Bill Clinton's affair with a White House intern. Since then, the former federal judge and U.S. solicitor general has dedicated himself to conservative causes, including writing briefs for the Mormon church in...

Warning: This article contains sexually explicit language. I’ve been a libertarian my entire adult life. Libertarianism, as I’ve been an apologist for it, is a philosophy promoting individual rights, civil liberties, and the freedom to have manifest destiny over one’s own life and property. I am opposed to the government telling people what they can do with their minds and bodies. I am consistent on this whether the issue is consensual intimate relations between adults, or the freedom to self-medicate and self-entertain oneself using the agricultural or pharmaceutical product of one’s choice, or the responsibility of parents to choose...

Professor in Speech Class Refuses to Grade Student's Presentation, apparently because of the religious nature of the student's presentation, the student's expression of opposition for same-sex marriage in the presentation, or both. On top of that, he apparently called the student a "fascist bastard" in front of the class for having supported the anti-same-sex-marriage Prop. 8, and refused to allow the student to finish the presentation. Lovely. The student, helped by the Alliance Defense Fund, is suing (Lopez v. Candaele). The Complaint I linked to includes supporting documents. In particular, the evaluation sheet on p. 31 reflects that the teacher...

Homosexual activists are taking their famed “tolerance” to a whole new level and are using Google Maps to identify and target donors to California’s successful defense of marriage, Proposition 8. According to WorldNetDaily, a website called Prop 8 Maps combines Google Maps technology with a list of the names, donation amount and location of anyone who donated $100 or more to Prop 8. The article quotes homosexual activist Ruth Schneider as claiming the website ”should be an invitation to have an open conversation,” but it is clear that by providing the names and locations of these donors, this is an...

The California Supreme Court announced Tuesday it will hear arguments on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the state's ban on same-sex marriage, in San Francisco on March 5. The high court's written ruling on whether the voter initiative should be struck down will be due 90 days later. The measure, enacted by voters on Nov. 4, amended the state Constitution to provide that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." It overturned a decision in which the court said by a 4-3 vote in May that gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional...

SALT LAKE CITY 2 February 2009 Today The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints clarified erroneous news reports following the filing of its final report on donations to the ProtectMarriage.com coalition. On Friday, 30 January, the Church filed the final report of its contributions (all of which were non-monetary) to the ProtectMarriage.com coalition. The report, submitted in advance of the 31 January deadline, details in-kind donations totaling $189,903.58. The value of the Church’s in-kind (non-monetary) contribution is less than one half of one percent of the total funds (approximately $40 million) raised for the “Yes on 8” campaign. The...

A New York artist known for her colorful canvases of drag queens and gay pride parades gave $1,000 to help pass California's ban on same-sex marriage. Maureen Mullarkey, 66, made her sizable contribution to the National Organization for Marriage's "Yes on 8" fund in June, a Daily News review of campaign records found. The Westchester County woman was one of tens of thousands who poured a total of more than $83 million into the coffers of Proposition 8 support groups - money that helped convince California voters to overturn an earlier court decision granting gays the right to marry in...

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Mayor Sam Adams, who has admitted lying about a sexual relationship with a teenager, said Sunday that he would not resign. A city commissioner, Randy Leonard, told The Associated Press that Mr. Adams had left a phone message in the morning saying he had decided to remain in office. Two other commissioners told The Oregonian of Portland that Mr. Adams, the city’s first openly gay mayor, had told them the same thing. The fourth, Amanda Fritz, declined to comment. Efforts to reach Mr. Adams were unsuccessful. The Oregonian’s editorial page has called for his resignation, as...

Tom Hanks is rethinking his comments about Mormons who supported Proposition 8. Last week, the star, who is an executive producer for HBO's controversial series Big Love about a group of polygamist Mormons, spoke out about the religious group's involvement in passing the California law, which bans same-sex marriage. "The truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen," Hanks said at the show's premiere in Los Angeles last Wednesday. "There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them." A spokesperson for the...

Supporters of California's Proposition 8 say they are being harrassed by homosexual activists who use California campaign finance rules to get their names, addresses, and other personal information. (AP File Photo) (CNSNews.com) – Citizens who supported California’s Proposition 8 say they are being systematically harassed because of disclosures required by California campaign finance laws. A marriage protection group is now challenging the constitutionality of California campaign finance laws that compelled Prop 8 donors to submit personal information. Prop 8, a voter initiative that passed in November, amended the California Constitution to say, “Only marriage between a man and a woman...

Vandals spray-painted swastikas on a Catholic church in San Francisco's Castro District Saturday night. It appears the vandals are upset about the Catholic church's support of Proposition 8, which made same-sex marriage illegal in California. But, the Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church on Diamond Street is gay-friendly. Many parishioners voted against Prop 8 and they are upset their church was targeted. "We're very disturbed by the hierarchy's support of the Yes on Eight Campaign. We've been in conversation with the bishop, which is the way I think we need to handle it. I think Catholic teaching shows us we're all...

December 23, 2008, 4:00 a.m. Gross Dereliction of DutyBy the Editors As attorney general of California, Jerry Brown has a duty to defend the state and its laws in court. That duty requires him to offer the best grounds in defense of any law that may reasonably be defended. In a brief he filed last Friday in the case challenging Proposition 8 — the ballot measure that amended California’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage — Brown grossly violated that duty. On Election Day, California voters approved Proposition 8. Opponents of Proposition 8 then rushed to court to invalidate it...

Attorney General Jerry Brown's legal challenge to California's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage marks the first time that the state's top lawyer has refused to defend a newly enacted ballot measure since 1964 - another epic discrimination case that eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court. In November 1964, an overwhelming 65 percent majority of the state's voters approved Proposition 14, a constitutional amendment that overturned a fair-housing law and allowed racial discrimination in property sales and rentals.Attorney General Thomas Lynch - newly appointed to succeed Stanley Mosk, a Prop. 14 opponent who had just been named to the state Supreme...