Gregory Maguire, author of "Wicked," will be coming to Fresno State in May, 2010, for "Oz - The Books Conference." Read more about it HERE. More details coming soon.

 

OZ: THE BOOKS CONFERENCE
May 14-16, 2010 California State University, Fresno

Guest speakers and book signings by authors including:
• Gregory Maguire –  author of “Wicked,” “Son of a Witch” and “Lion Among Men”
• Eric Shanower – author of “Adventures in Oz” and “The Age of Bronze”
• Dee Michel –  author of “Friends of Dorothy: Why Gay Men and Boys Love Oz”
• David Maxine –  producer of Grammy-award nominated Best Historical Album: “Vintage Recordings of the 1903 Musical: The Wizard of Oz”

From the LA Times

Gregory Maguire, author of seven books for adults and five for young readers, is probably best known for "Wicked," his retelling of "The Wizard of Oz" from the witch's point of view.

But creating stories that explore the nature of evil, or what we perceive as evil, hasn't made him bad. In fact, he's done something very good with his new book, "The Next Queen of Heaven." A comic novel set in upstate New York in late 1999, the book features a teen girl as troublesome as they come; her devout mother, who, after a bump on the head from a religious statue, either begins speaking in her own profane code or in tongues; a local semi-out choirmaster; and a surprising nun. Maguire moves easily in and out of even minor characters, so the town comes alive in many dimensions, most of them funny and slightly bonkers.

Did I mention that "The Next Queen of Heaven" is free?

That's the good part. Maguire has chosen to publish the book with the Concord Free Press, which will distribute all 2,500 copies of the novel, for free, to anyone who asks. They ask two things in return:

• That you make a donation to charity and tell them what it was.
• That you pass on the book and ask the next reader to do the same.

So far, more than $97,000 has been donated through the distribution of its books -- Maguire's, which has been out for just a couple of weeks, is the publishing house's third.

"I admire that the books as well as the publishing model raise questions about art's inherent value and the commodification of content," Maguire says in the book's press materials. "I like knowing that this book is out in the world, helping generate donations for great causes."

It's not Maguire's first good deed -- he founded a children's literacy nonprofit in New England way back in 1987.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Gregory Maguire. Credit: Chitose Suzuki / Associated Press

SOURCE: LA Times

 

Is it déjà vu? Is it me? Seems like a repeat, but here we go again...

Rumors of a secret LGBT strategy meeting in the hills of Tennessee are confirmed. The group, which includes Kip Williams and Robin McGehee, has holed up for 4 days in Tennessee to "discuss ways to build a national network of activists to demand full equality now".

That sounds awfully familiar...I think we heard it at Meet In The Middle and during the National March promotion. In fact, according to what's left of the website that was behind the National March, Equality Across America, (the most recent posting on the site is dated November 20th 2009), the goal was... Equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states. We will accept no less and will work until it is achieved. Equality Across America exists to support grassroots organizing in all 435 Congressional Districts to achieve full equality.

The promise of the organization behind the National March was that the march was just the beginning of their efforts. Immediately following the DC March, the organizers would work to create independent grassroots teams in all congressional districts across the United States. In reality, the march was the end of the organization. The group fell apart a month later, with Williams, McGehee and many others choosing to leave the organization. Now, it appears to be defunct. The website, by the way, is still accepting donations, as it just processed my contribution, although I have no idea where my money went. (It was just a dollar, so no big loss.)

Williams and McGehee have joined forces again, inviting some 45 others to join them in Tennessee to discuss the "next project". After a few days of rumor, amid mysterious tweets, Williams and McGehee issued the following statement on his Facebook page...

 

Oh, that's why he looked so miserable all the time...he beat himself with a belt. Wouldn't it have been easier just to head to a Bear Bar? I'm sure there are plenty of people who would have lined up to whack this mental patient...and their belts are often studded...oooohhhhh...hope he remembers his safe word...

(CNN) -- Pope John Paul II used to beat himself with a belt and sleep on a bare floor to bring himself closer to Christ, a book published Wednesday says. The late pope had a particular belt for self-flagellation and brought it with him to his summer residence, according to the book, "Why he is a Saint: The True story of John Paul II."

"In the closet, among the cloaks, a particular pant-belt hung from a hook, which he utilized as a whip and one which he always had brought to Castel Gandolfo," the book says.

Mother Teresa is among famous Catholics who self-flagellated in some way, said Michael Barrett, a priest of the Catholic Opus Dei sect.

Read the whole story here...

 

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Mexican federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that they will try to overturn Mexico City's gay marriage law, which allows same-sex couples to adopt children, on the grounds it violates the constitution.

The Mexico City law, approved in December and due to take effect in March, is the first of its kind in Latin America.

The federal Attorney General's Office said in a statement that it believes the law "violates the principle of legality, because it strays from the constitutional principle of protecting the family."

Read the rest of this article here... 

OBAMA: Madam Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Our Constitution declares that from time to time, the president shall give to Congress information about the state of our union. For 220 years, our leaders have fulfilled this duty. They've done so during periods of prosperity and tranquility. And they've done so in the midst of war and depression, at moments of great strife and great struggle.

It's tempting to look back on these moments and assume that our progress was inevitable - that America was always destined to succeed. But when the Union was turned back at Bull Run, and the Allies first landed at Omaha Beach, victory was very much in doubt. When the market crashed on Black Tuesday, and civil rights marchers were beaten on Bloody Sunday, the future was anything but certain. These were the times that tested the courage of our convictions and the strength of our union. And despite all our divisions and disagreements, our hesitations and our fears, America prevailed because we chose to move forward as one nation, as one people.

Again, we are tested. And again, we must answer history's call.

 

 

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to pass a law extending benefits to same-sex partners, a day after he renewed his support for repealing the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.

Obama was responding to a question during a town hall meeting Thursday in Tampa, Fla.. He noted a bill is pending that would extend to domestic partners benefits such as granting Social Security survivor payments and allowing hospital visitation.

Obama said: "My hope is we can get it done."

Obama has acted administratively to extend some benefits to federal employees with same-sex partners. He has called for a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, which bars federal recognition of gay unions and the granting of benefits.

NEWS UPDATE ON DADT FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell says the Defense Department next week will say for the first time how it would lift the ban on gays from serving openly in the military, as President Barack Obama wants.

Morrell says that after studying the issue for a year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, will discuss their "proposed way forward" before the Senate Armed Services Committee next Tuesday.

Gates and Mullen were already scheduled to testify on the Pentagon's 2011 budget request. A separate hourlong discussion will be devoted to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The first federal case to decide if the U.S. Constitution prevents states from stopping same-sex weddings came to an anti-climatic break Wednesday after a judge heard nearly 12 days of wide-ranging testimony on the meaning of marriage, the nature of sexual orientation, and the role of religion in shaping attitudes about both.

Attorneys for sponsors of California's Proposition 8 tentatively rested their case after introducing materials from the 2008 election campaign.

They called just two expert witnesses, including David Blankenhorn, president of the New York-based Institute for American Values, who capped the historic proceedings by saying the rights of same-sex couples should come second to preserving the cherished social institution of marriage.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker heard the case without a jury and said he will take time to review the evidence before allowing closing arguments, probably in March or April. He has no deadline for reaching a decision.

Read the rest of this article here...

It appears that Wednesday, January 27th, will be the last day of evidence in the Prop 8 Trial in SF. The judge has indicated that he will take a few weeks off to review the evidence before scheduling the closing arguments. It's unsure if he will immediately return a ruling or if there will be another period of reflection before a final ruling is made.

 

Only 5 days ago I wrote about the Supreme Court's decision to lift the restrictions on Corporations campaign spending. I labeled the court the "5-4 Court" and as far as I'm concerned, until they demonstrate some allegiance to the constitution rather than ideology or political affiliation, that's who they'll remain. It's the one stumbling block I fear will halt the current Prop 8 trial, which in its current incarnation, is proving powerful against the opposition, literally wiping the floor with supporters of Prop 8.

But if the Supreme Court truly has become the "5-4 Court", I find it hard to imagine any success for LGBT rights on a federal level. 5 of the "5-4 Court" are simply not ruling based on the constitution, they're now ruling according to party affiliation. Despite the fact that it's obvious and insidiously tramples on the foundation of this nation, they'll continue to get away with it, at least until we can stack the deck with rational, thoughtful justices, instead of pawns for the shameful conservative "movement" in this nation.

Mark Sherman of the Associated Press authored a piece on Jan 23rd, on the same subject.

Thursday's decision to strike down restrictions on corporate campaign spending more than 60 years old was the third time in nine days that the court divided 5-4, with liberals on one side and conservatives on the other. The other cases involved an appeal from a death row inmate in Georgia and the prospect of broadcasting a gay marriage trial in California.

The rulings demonstrate the extent to which ideology - not fidelity to precedent or a particular interpretation of the Constitution - is the driving force on the court.

Read the full article here...

 

FYI:  It's been reported that once both sides have rested in the Prop 8 trial, the judge will take a "few weeks" off to consider the case, then return for closing arguments, then rule in the case. I've yet to find an answer to whether the ruling will be immediate or if there will be another prolonged consideration (as with the CA Supreme Court) before a ruling is issued...

I have to say that while I want to be excited about the ongoing events at the Prop 8 trial in San Francisco, I'm restraining myself. The unbelievable and irrational setbacks for LGBT rights in recent months forces me to not to be too optimistic. Still, given just the developments in court it seems our side is not only winning, but virtually obliterating the opposition.

Another expert witness for the defense in the Prop 8 trial was decimated today by attorneys for the plaintiffs in this case. The AP reports that when Blankenhorn took the stand, he stated that traditional marriage is so weak that allowing same sex marriage could be its "death blow".  He then threw out the absurd argument that legal same sex marriage would open the door to polygamy, in an attempt to convey the ultimate danger to children, caused by an even more unstable marriage paradigm.

Plaintiff attorney David Boies was on point when cross examining the witness, who, like all those who spread such fallacies about the dangers of same sex marriage, provided not only no proof to what he was asserting, but also that he's never bothered to do any research himself. Under further cross examination he even admitted that allowing same sex couples the right to legal marriage would, in fact, benefit children living in those households.

The AP reports...

David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American Values, a private think tank in New York, took the stand as the second and final expert witness for the defense in the federal trial challenging California's ban on same-sex marriage.

Blankenhorn acknowledged that heterosexuals were responsible for rising divorce and out-of-wedlock birth rates, but said allowing gays to marry could accelerate the process and possibly lead to the legalization of polygamy.

"The man-woman customary basis for marriage in turn reinforces limiting marriage to two," he said. "If you knock out one of those pillars, the other becomes less comprehensible and therefore less defensible."

Boies tried to discredit Blankenhorn by getting him to acknowledge that he has conducted no independent research on same-sex marriage and his only advanced degree is in comparative labor history.

"I have not engaged in a scientific study were I find data and write up an article that would be published of that nature," Blankenhorn said. "I have read articles and had conversations with people and tried to be an informed person about it, and that really has been the extent of it."

Under cross-examination, Blankenhorn said he unaware of any studies showing that children raised by gay or lesbian couples since birth fared worse than children brought up by their biological mother and father.

"Do you believe that legalizing same-sex marriage would improve the well-being of children raised by those households?" Boies asked.

"Adopting same-sex marriage would be likely to improve the well-being of gay and lesbian households and their children," Blankenhorn said.

Read the story here...

 

Now they're pulling dictionaries out of schools because a kid might stumble across a sexual term. And not because of an uprising from parents, but a complaint from ONE PARENT. And the books were pulled without consulting the school board. Just for the record, folks, there's no such thing as a bad word. It doesn't exist. It's a myth created by fearful parents and ignorant people of faith. Words are not good or bad, they're simply words.

Also for the record, when my parents were raising me, the same words were around, and just as accessible to any kid. The difference at that time was that parents actually, you know, PARENTED! The "F" word was used by my older brothers and sister, right in front of me, but I wasn't allowed to use it. Seems strange, I know, to all you parents out there today who live in this fantasy land where children have the same rights as adults, but you can raise your children to understand that adults are allowed certain freedoms, which children are not. So it's not about shielding your children from information, it's about explaining the limitations children are bound by. Where the hell did all the parents go anyway??

The story starts...

The Menifee Union School District is forming a committee to review whether dictionaries containing the definitions for sexual terms should be permanently banned from the district's classrooms, a district official said Friday.

The 9,000-student K-8 district this week pulled all copies of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary after an Oak Meadows Elementary School parent complained about a child stumbling across definitions for "oral sex."

The decision was made without consultation with the district's school board and has raised concerns among First Amendment experts and some parents.

Read the rest of the story HERE...

College Professor Kenneth Miller was brought to the stand yesterday by the defense in the current Prop 8 trial. The point of his testimony yesterday was to say that gays had significant political power. Today, attorneys for the plaintiff's worked diligently to draw statements from Miller which support that theory that Prop 8 was motivated by religion and prejudice. They seem to have succeeded.

From ABC News...

Claremont McKenna College Professor Kenneth Miller said under cross-examination that he could not say what proportion of voters supported the 2008 measure because of either bias or theological beliefs.

But he acknowledged that at least some people voted for Proposition 8 on the basis of anti-gay stereotypes and prejudice and that in the election a critically important factor was the religious character of Democratic voters.

Miller went on to say, when asked when it would be appropriate for the courts to step in and overturn a voter supported initiative...

"My view is it is appropriate when an initiative, just like any other statute enacted by a legislature, violates, in this case, the federal Constitution," Miller answered.

Read the rest of this article here...

 

STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH IS SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEDNESDAY

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is expected to talk about the "Don't ask, don't tell" rule that bars openly gay Americans from serving in the military during his State of the Union address this week, a senior lawmaker said on Monday.

During his 2008 campaign for the presidency, Obama vowed to end the rule discriminating against gays and he renewed that pledge in a speech last year.

"We were told by the Pentagon that they expected the president to say something in the State of the Union on it," said Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, referring to the speech Obama will deliver on Wednesday evening to a joint session of the U.S. Congress.

But Levin added: "I have no idea" what Obama will say.

Read the rest of this story here...

 

On Monday, January 25th, the 10th day of the Prop 8 case being heard in San Francisco, Ted Olson and David Boies, attorneys for the plaintiffs, rested their case. Now, the defense team makes their case...

The Washington Post reports...

Kenneth Miller, a professor at Claremont McKenna College who teaches California politics and researches ballot initiatives, was the first defense witness in the trial over the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban.

Miller said one indication of the gay rights movement's clout in California was that neither Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger nor any other statewide office holders endorsed Proposition 8. But perhaps the best measure of the movement's strength was the $43 million amassed to defeat the gay marriage ban in 2008, he said. That was $3.4 million more than initiative backers raised.

Boies pushed back at Miller, asking if he thought Prop 8 was inherently discriminatory...

"It's differential treatment. Whether it's legally discriminatory, I don't know," Miller said.

Read the rest of this article here...

The New York Times reports on the cross examination of Kenneth Miller, at the hand of Attorney David Boies. Boies tried to illuminate Miller's lack of knowledge when it comes to LGBT discrimination, both currently and historically...

Mr. Boies pointed out that during his deposition, Dr. Miller did not know how many states had laws regarding discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Mr. Boies continued to ask Dr. Miller to answer a range of difficult questions, ranging from political history to gay and lesbian politics and scholarship.

“What academic books and articles are you familiar with regarding the discrimination against minority groups?”

Dr. Miller demurred.

“You mean you can’t think of any titles?” Mr. Boies asked.

“No, I can’t,” Dr. Miller responded.

Mr. Boies, minutes later, asked, “Nationally, do you believe the African-American minority or the gay and lesbian minority has the greater political power?”

Dr. Miller responded, “I’d have to say I don’t know.”

Read the rest of this article here...

Shannon Minter, who was a lead attorney in the California Supreme Court case concerning legal same sex marriage, open up and provides his take on the current Prop 8 case, as reported by the Advocate...

Aside from the judge and litigants of the case, perhaps no one has been more present during Perry v. Schwarzenegger over the past several weeks than Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights (if you’re following the case but haven’t seen his commentary via Twitter, take note: He’s at @nclrights).

As lead attorney in the California state supreme court case that opened the door for gay couples to marry before Proposition 8 slammed it shut, Minter is no stranger to the arguments that the ballot measure’s defenders are using — ones that have ranged in this trial from dubious to utterly baffling. Minter recently put his tweeting aside for a few minutes to speak with Advocate.com about the landmark case as it heads into its third week.

The Advocate Interview touches on the matter of Paul Nathanson and Katherine Young, handpicked and paid for by the defense, who then withdrew from the case. Video depositions later revealed they made statements indicating the plaintiffs were correct in this matter. Minter comments....

"I have never seen a situation like that before in any case. Keep in mind that these were experts handpicked and paid for by the defense. To have a party’s own experts make admissions in depositions that the other side is completely correct about issues that are central to their case is almost unheard of."

Read the interview here...

Minter has also been posting his updates of the trial on Twitter. You can follow those postings here: http://twitter.com/nclrights

Mercury News provides a time breakdown of the 10th day of the trial, including this entry...

4:52 p.m.: Plaintiffs' lawyer and prof spar over whether Prop 8 is discriminatory

Another day is done in the Proposition 8 trial. Kenneth Miller, a Claremont McKenna professor and the Proposition 8 team's first witness, remains on the stand, under cross-examination by plaintiffs attorney David Boies. As the afternoon progressed, Boies moved on to sparring with Miller about the professor's view of whether Proposition 8 and other same-sex marriage bans amount to discrimination. The lawyer and witness went around and around on the topic, with Miller only conceding that it just defines marriage as between a man and a woman and "excludes other forms of marriage." He also at one point said "it creates a distinction between the two groups."

Read the entire article here...

 

The California Democrat -- who told the New York Times's Maureen Dowd that his political future was so fuzzy he could, in a couple years, end up "as the clerk of a wine store" -- called Obama's slow walking on support for gay marriage "fundamentally inexcusable."

"Oh, I can't get in trouble here," Newsom said with a playful wince. "I want him to succeed. But I am very upset by what he's not done in terms of rights of gays and lesbians. I understand it tactically in a campaign, but at this point I don't know. There is some belief that he actually doesn't believe in same-sex marriage. But it's fundamentally inexcusable for a member of the Democratic party to stand on the principle that separate is now equal, but only on the basis of sexual orientation. We've always fought for the rights of minorities and against the whims of majorities."

Read More HERE

 

So how about us renaming the Supreme Court of the United States to call it THE 5-4 COURT OF THE UNITED STATES?? Virtually every ruling that comes out of this politically motivated court is 5-4. Even the ruling on whether the current Prop 8 trial could be televised or not was 5-4. Think about that. The question as to whether to televise that trial cannot be a conservative or liberal question. This is a judicial question, based on protections for ALL Americans and relies on a uniform justice and fairness for all. Still, the ruling was 5-4, which means only one thing, that even on issues which are NOT inherently conservative or liberal, we'll still get a 5-4 ruling if the issue concerns certain (LGBT, etc) American's rights.

For some time now, the Supreme Court, which is supposed to uniformly issue their rulings based on the UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION, are not doing so. 5 of them consistently rule politically, not constitutionally. This doesn't bode well for any of us should the current Prop 8 case see the doors of the Supreme Court. Clearly, the constitution is not the basis for the legal system anymore, political affiliation is.

As was evidenced once again as the Supreme Court ruled today 5-4 to abandon the restrictions on corporate contributions in the political arena.

From Huffington Post...

By a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court on Thursday rolled back restrictions on corporate spending on federal campaigns. The decision could unleash a torrent of corporate-funded attack ads in upcoming elections.

"Because speech is an essential mechanism of democracy -- it is the means to hold officials accountable to the people -- political speech must prevail against laws that would suppress it by design or inadvertence," wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy for the majority.

In his dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens accused the majority of judicial activism and attacked the use of corporate personhood in the case: "The conceit that corporations must be treated identically to natural persons in the political sphere is not only inaccurate but also inadequate to justify the Court's disposition of this case."

READ MORE HERE

Download These Posters Here

 

One of the tactics attorneys for the plaintiffs in the Prop 8 trial is to show that LGBT Americans lack political power. As such they are a disadvantaged group and therefore the ban on same sex marriage is unconstitutional because it targets such a group. Attorneys for Prop 8 are attempting to use such things as economic boycotts, rallies and alleged threats of violence to claim these actions illustrated political power which resulted in more Californians voting in favor of Prop 8, due to animosity over LGBT tactics.

From the Washington Post...

Lawyers for two same-sex couples suing to overturn Proposition 8 are trying to demonstrate that gay Americans lack meaningful political power. The point is central to their contention that state bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional because they single out a disadvantaged group.

Segura scoffed at Thompson's suggestion that Proposition 8 passed with 52 percent of the vote in part because large numbers of voters were turned off by sporadic reports of campaign-related hostilities.

"That the number of individuals this would be true of would come close to the margin for the proposition is ridiculous in the extreme," he said.

Thompson also sought to undercut Segura's earlier testimony that gays faced an unprecedented opponent in a coalition of Mormon, Roman Catholic and evangelical Christian that joined forces to back the 2008 ballot measure.

He produced campaign fliers and other documents showing some churches opposed the ban.

Read the rest of this story HERE

Plaintiff attorneys are once again questioning Hack Sing William Tam, who was part of the trial defense, then dropped out, then was brought back in when it was revealed he was heavily involved in the Prop 8 campaign, as well as promoting his opinion that gay marriage would lead to laws allowing sex with children and that LGBT rights have satanic foundations.

He is being questioned today...the following courtesy of the Courage Campaign Trial Tracker

B: You were original proponent of 8. You worked with Shubert et al.

T: Yes and maybe some clerks who asked me to go to a press conference.

B: You supervised the language of Prop. 8?

T: Not sure what “supervise” means.

B: Look at declaration in which Tam says he supervised the appropriate language for Prop. 8.

T: I don’t quite remember what that particular document is.

B: Which document?

T: If it is about fourteen words of Prop. 8, I would go along with it.

B: This declaration that you have, did you prepare this declaration?

T: No.

B: Protect Marriage.com prepared this declaration for you and you signed it?

T: Yes.

Read more HERE

Today at the federal Prop 8 trial, attorneys worked to make the connection between the Prop 8 campaign and the Mormon Church, including manipulations by the church and it's associates...

From the Courage Campaign's Trial Tracker...

This is perhaps the most explosive bit of all, from a document between the LDS Church and the campaign:

With respect to Prop. 8 campaign, key talking points will come from campaign, but cautious, strategic, not to take the lead so as to provide plausible deniability or respectable distance so as not to show that church is directly involved.

Get that? The LDS Church intentionally worked to hide behind the scenes to disguise their involvement in the public realm. The LDS Church is well aware that the general public does not have the most favorable opinion of them. Attention on their involvement could have hurt their cause, namely passing Prop 8.

Read More HERE

 

The American Foundation For Equal Rights is now posting full, downloadable transcripts from each day of the Prop 8 trial. Click on the following link to access these transcripts...Prop 8 Trial Daily Transcripts

 

 

 

The first video is the full coverage of Martin Luther King Jr's famous "I Have A Dream" speech on August 28th, 1963. Coretta Scott King confirmed before her death that Dr. King would have been fully supportive of LGBT equal rights today. Let's face it, despite the fact that much has been said decrying LGBT Americans for comparing our struggle for equal rights with the struggle of black Americans, equal rights is equal rights...The second video is the CBS Evening News report of King's assassination...

It's frustrating for those following the current Prop 8 trial in San Francisco to have to wade through the blogs and tweets in order to piece the case together. The Supreme Court has barred the use of live or delayed video of the trial, and understandably, much of the information coming out via bloggers is incomplete, given the difficulty of transferring an ongoing trial immediately into words. But an answer seems to have arrived. It appears we'll now be able to watch daily re-enactments of the trial, starting on Tuesday, January 19th, thanks to John Ireland.

John Ireland, (pictured above) is a freelance journalist and filmmaker, based in Los Angeles, who has "focused on the gay rights movement, the electoral process and the effects of linguistics and semantics on everyday exchanges that connect us to one another." You can check out Ireland's previous works by clicking here.

Ireland made this statement over the weekend... “People want to see this drama unfold and there is a tremendous narrative that was propelled by that first day of testimony…. I don’t think you need to be gay or lesbian to see there is a tremendous human story being told but so few people are actually hearing it.” Read the full interview here... On Top Magazine Interview with John Ireland

The project's mission, according to their website...

In its January 13, 2010 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the public broadcasting of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, a U.S. District Court case challenging the constitutional validity of California Proposition 8. Working from partial transcripts and first-hand accounts from bloggers who are present at the trial, we will re-create the trial proceedings and post them here, for public viewing.

Ireland posted this Craigslist Ad to get the people he needed for the project. All work on the project is volunteer only.

Apparently Day One of the trial has been filmed over the weekend and is in the bag, to be released Tuesday, January 19th. We'll post the ongoing video series here for you to see. For updates on the project follow this link... Prop 8 Trial Re-enactment

These are photos of some of the "characters" involved in the case...

Pictured, left to right...VAUGHN WALKER (JUDGE) - DAVID BOIES (PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY) - TED OLSON (PLAINTIFF ATTORNEY) - DAVID KATAMI (PLAINTIFF) - JEFFREY ZARILLO (PLAINTIFF) - KRISTEN PERRY (PLAINTIFF) - SANDY STIER (PLAINTIFF)

HONOLULU - When Hawaii legislators reconvene on Wednesday, all eyes will be focused not on teacher furloughs that resulted in the nation’s shortest school year or the state’s $1 billion budget deficit, but legislation that would allow same-sex couples to form civil unions.

The measure would grant gay couples the rights and benefits the state provides to married couples and is among a handful of similar proposals that could pop up in several other states. At the same time, a federal judge in San Francisco is considering the constitutionality of California’s same-sex marriage ban.

"This bill has already been voted on, so there isn’t as much convincing to do anymore," said Alan Spector of Equality Hawaii, a leading supporter of the bill. "I think (legislators) get the substance of the bill and the need for the bill."

To Continue Reading, CLICK HERE

The Supreme Court on Friday got involved for the second time this week in a case in which opponents of gay rights fear they will be harassed if their views are made public.

The high court will consider whether Washington state officials can release more than 138,500 names on a petition seeking a vote on overturning the state’s domestic partnership rights.

Protect Marriage Washington, which unsuccessfully opposed the law giving gay couples expanded rights, wants to shield from disclosure the signers of the petition for a referendum on that law. The group says it fears harassment by gay rights supporters, some of whom have vowed to post signers’ names on the Internet.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has said before the Nov. 3 vote that the names could be made public, but the Supreme Court blocked their release until it decided whether to hear the case. Arguments will be heard later this year.

To Continue Reading CLICK HERE

BLANTYRE, MALAWI (AP) -- Malawi's government said Monday that it is unmoved by international criticism of the trial of a gay couple charged with unnatural acts and gross indecency, felonies for which they could be imprisoned for up to 14 years.

In a statement Monday, Malawi's Information Minister Leckford Mwanza Thoto made no apology for the laws that criminalize homosexual acts. He said Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were "clearly breaking the laws of Malawi."

"As government we cannot interfere in the court process," Thoto said. "We depend on our Western friends, yes, but we are a sovereign country."

To Continue Reading, CLICK HERE

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Getting married brought big changes to the lives of author Helen Zia and her partner Lia Shigemura.

At family reunions, funerals and other gatherings, the Oakland couple found their relationship much more accepted after their parents could start saying they had a daughter-in-law.

"My mother, an immigrant from China, she really doesn't get what 'partner' is," Zia, 57, testified Friday during the fifth day of a federal civil trial challenging California's same-sex marriage ban.

"Marriage made it very clear that I was family, that we were family, and I was where I belonged," she said.

To Continue Reading, CLICK HERE

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Getting married brought big changes to the lives of author Helen Zia and her partner Lia Shigemura.

At family reunions, funerals and other gatherings, the Oakland couple found their relationship much more accepted after their parents could start saying they had a daughter-in-law.

"My mother, an immigrant from China, she really doesn't get what 'partner' is," Zia, 57, testified Friday during the fifth day of a federal civil trial challenging California's same-sex marriage ban.

"Marriage made it very clear that I was family, that we were family, and I was where I belonged," she said.

To Continue Reading, CLICK HERE

 

For information, visit www.equalrightsfoundation.org

Ten witnesses, including Kris Perry, Sandy Stier, Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo and five eminent experts, clearly and convincingly demonstrated critical points in the federal trial on the unconstitutionality of Prop. 8 during its opening week:

• Marriage is vitally important in American society;

• By denying gay men and lesbians the right to marry, Proposition 8 causes grievous harm to the plaintiffs and other gay men and lesbians throughout California, and adds yet another chapter to the long history of discrimination they have suffered;

• Proposition 8 perpetrates irreparable, immeasurable and discriminatory harm for no good reason.

DISCRIMINATORY MOTIVATIONS OF PROP. 8

The court also viewed video footage from the deposition of William Tam. Tam is one of the five Official Proponents of Prop. 8, and as such was personally responsible for putting it on the ballot and for intervening in this case to take over the defense of the initiative.

The video footage of his deposition included statements from Tam such as this one, from a pro-Prop. 8 email he wrote: “They lose no time in pushing the gay agenda — after legalizing same-sex marriage, they want to legalize prostitution. What will be next? On their agenda list is: legalize having sex with children.”

Please see http://www.equalrightsfoundation.org/press-releases/discriminatory-motivations-of-prop-8-exposed-in-court-today/ for additional quotes and details.

To continue reading, CLICK HERE

We've just received word that the Disney Give A Day - Get A Day Volunteer Program has already given out 300,000 tickets to their parks, and it's only been up and running since January 1st!! Disney is pledged to one million tickets before the program shuts down, so at the rate it's going this program will not anywhere near as long as the year of 2010, as was thought.

Gay Central Valley has already utilized local volunteers and verified their service so that they can receive free tickets. Visit the link above to learn all about the program and how you can be a part of it.

One of my favorite fish restaurants is in Chinatown at the Central Fish Market on G Street and Kern Street.  The menu includes both American and Japanese options.  This is one of those restaurants that you have to be careful what you order. Some stuff they do better than others. I find the rice and salad they serve with most meals utterly boring. The white rice is not bad or anything, but it is not like steamed white rice is ever going to be exciting, and the salad likely came out of a bag. I tried their Salmon Teriyaki one time and it was seriously overcooked. Fish should be barely done. 

Now that we have handled the bad, it is time to handle the exceptional, and why Central Fish deserves a review. Their fried fish is amazing whether you get the usual fish, shrimp, clams, squid, or oysters. Yes, they actually call it squid and not the more fashionable “calamari”. The fish is very fresh and fried to perfection. There is no other place in Fresno you can get cheap fried fish this good. The fries are decent and you can substitute them for the rice and salad which accompanies most of their meals, but often I just order the fish a la carte. Their popular soups have a great combination of noodles with beef, chicken, squid or a few other choices.

This place is very casual. You order at a counter, pick up your food and seat yourself. Soy sauce is on the table, along with Tapatio for those with hotter tastes. Remember to bring cash because the restaurant does not take cards, even though the store does. All in all, the Central Fish Restaurant is a treasure in a city where it is very hard to find good fish and chips. For more info visit their website. http://www.centralfish.com/

YOU could help The Trevor Project win $1 million.
 
The Trevor Project is one of 100 finalists in the Chase Community Giving Challenge, a contest through Facebook to award $5 million to charities.
 
Over 1,000,000 people voted during Round 1 to determine the top 100 charities. But that was just the beginning.
 
During Round 2, the top charity by votes will win $1 million, with $100,000 being awarded to the five runners-up. Votes can be cast Jan. 15 through Jan. 22 by visiting our charity page. On January 8, you can read about our BIG IDEA and how we would use this money within our organization.
 
There are two other organizations among the 100 finalists that work to improve the lives of LGBTQ youth: The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. In order to ensure that these organizations' life-saving work receives as much support as possible, we are pleased to announce that we will be pooling our resources to offer each other support in hopes of all reaching one of the top six places.
 
So what can you do to help? Besides casting your vote between Jan. 15 and Jan. 22, please spread word among your friends and contacts. Update your Facebook status, post a link on your profile/fan page wall, send private messages and tweet about the contest. Every person you reach out to is another vote and we can't win this without your help!
 
If you are willing to do any of these starting January 15, we will send you a follow-up email closer to the competition launch with specific language to use.
 
Thank you for your continued support.
 
 
About The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioningyouth. Every day, The Trevor Project saves young lives through its free and confidential helpline, in-school workshops, educational materials, online resources and public policy advocacy.

Reported by Nate Silver @ FiveThirtyEight.com

Over the past decade or so, divorce has gradually become more uncommon in the United States. Since 2003, however, the decline in divorce rates has been largely confined to states which have not passed a state constitutional ban on gay marriage. These states saw their divorce rates decrease by an average of 8 percent between 2003 and 2008. States which had passed a same-sex marriage ban as of January 1, 2008, however, saw their divorce rates rise by about 1 percent over the same period.

Click here for the story

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to block the broadcast of a federal trial in California testing whether a voter initiative against gay marriage violates the Constitution.

The high court's five conservatives formed the majority. They said federal judge Vaughan Walker didn't follow court rules when he ordered proceedings broadcast by closed circuit to federal courthouses in several cities.

The Supreme Court's four liberals joined a dissent written by Justice Stephen Breyer.

Click here for more

Part of the strategy of the legal team working in court in San Francisco is to show that the Prop 8 campaign and those behind it were motivated by an animosity and even hatred of gays. They made this perfectly clear today (Wednesday) when the confronted Hak-Shing William Tam, a defendant in the case, regarding statements he's made about gays wanting to make it legal to have sex with children.

From Lisa Leff with the Associated Press...

SAN FRANCISCO -- A proponent of California's same-sex marriage ban warned voters during the 2008 campaign that gay rights activists would try to legalize sex with children if same-sex couples had the right to wed, according to evidence presented Wednesday in a lawsuit seeking to overturn the measure.

The taped statements were made by San Francisco resident Hak-Shing William Tam, a defendant in the federal case.

Read the rest of the story by clicking here

This video explains a part of the back story of the current Prop 8 trial. Much more of the story can be read about in a compelling article from The New Yorker... The New Yorker - A Risky Proposal

 

 

APPLY FOR 1 OF 4 $2,000 BPF SCHOLARSHIPS
The Bulldog Pride Fund at Fresno State expects to provide four $2,000 scholarships ($8,000 total) for the 2010-11 academic year. The BPF scholarship criteria is that a Fresno State incoming or returning student with good academic standing that has demonstrated pride in the community be selected as its recipient(s). The BPF also bestows the GSA Network Award. The deadline to apply for the Bulldog Pride Fund, as well as all scholarships at Fresno State, is Feb. 28, 2010. See www.bulldogpride.org for details.

TOTAL DONATIONS TO BPF SURPASS $170,000
Earlier this month, total donations to the Bulldog Pride Fund surpassed $170,000. One-hundred percent (100%) of each and every donation is directly deposited into a stand-alone endowment account that is invested in a diverse portfolio with the assistance and guidance of Merrill Lynch (Fresno), one of the world's leading financial management and advisory companies. (No percentage of any donation is used for operating and/or related administrative expenses).

The Bulldog Pride Fund accepts cash, checks and credit card gifts, as well as donations in the form of securities, real property and corporate matching gifts. Also, gifts derived from beneficiary designations on life insurance policies, retirement plan accounts, living wills and trusts are welcome. Include the Bulldog Pride Fund in your estate plans today and support student scholars at Fresno State in the future.

SPECIAL THANKS FROM INAUGURAL BPF SCHOLAR JARED LINDO ‘09
My time as a Fresno State student has been valuable. Every moment has been filled with learning and growing experiences inside and outside the classroom. Fresno State has given me much more than a first-class education; it has given me the opportunity to build character and grow as an individual. Three years ago, when I received my initial scholarship from the Bulldog Pride Fund, I realized there were others in the community who held the same values that I have found at Fresno State. The Bulldog Pride Fund is fueled by understanding individuals in the community who have entrusted their treasures to support students. This great generosity has made it possible for me to attend and graduate from Fresno State.

My future personal and professional success won’t be found in what I have achieved, but in what I continue to support. I pledge to contribute to the Bulldog Pride Fund and to donate my time as a mentor to future students for the rest of my life. I offer heartfelt and sincere thanks to the donors of the Bulldog Pride Fund who have helped make my educational dream come true.

— Jared Lindo, three-time BPF scholar, donor and graduate; B.S., Civil Engineering, Class of 2009

ABOUT THE BPF AT FRESNO STATE
Founded in 2005 and officially recognized in 2006 under the auspices of the Fresno State Alumni Association, the Bulldog Pride Fund is an endowment dedicated to providing an annuity to support student scholarships at Fresno State. Since its inception, the Bulldog Pride Fund has awarded $13,000 in scholarships to deserving students. All made possible by the generosity of donors that are transforming the lives of BPF scholars, which represent some of the best and brightest students attending Fresno State. Donations to the Bulldog Pride Fund are always welcome and tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Thank you for your support.

BPF Non-Discrimination Policy
In compliance with federal and state legislation, all Bulldog Pride Fund at Fresno State applicants and awardees are considered without regard to: sex, race, age, color, creed, religion, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, disability or covered veterans status. The BPF actively seeks and encourages applicants from all segments of our diverse society.

GIVE TODAY. FOR TOMORROW AND BEYOND.
www.bulldogpride.org 

• twitter: http://www.facebook.com/pages/bulldogprideorg/191443374086?ref=ts
• facebook: http://twitter.com/bulldogprideorg

At the moment, the internet is inundated with links and quotes and analysis of all the pieces involved with the Federal Court Case in San Francisco which is attempting to classify Proposition 8 as unconstitutional and therefore invalid. There is one article, however, which should not be missed. That article is by Margaret Talbot, writing for The New Yorker. This article details the ideas and inception of the Federal lawsuit, the people inspired with the fire of action on the issue of federally legalized, same sex marriage. It's told in an intimate manner which brings a dense reality to the case which so many others have missed.

The article contains the following passage, emotionally overwhelming in it's original incarnation as well as it's application to the current court case. It concerns the selection of plaintiffs for the federal case, and involves the couple who were plaintiffs in Loving V Virginia, the landmark case that overturned the ban on inter-racial marriage in the United States...

Though it doesn’t matter from a legal point of view what happens to plaintiffs after their case is resolved, their post-Supreme Court life can affect how people view their cause. The Lovings, who had three children, remained married until Richard Loving died, in a car accident, in 1975. They seldom gave interviews, though on the fortieth anniversary of the decision Mildred Loving issued a statement: “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the ‘wrong kind of person’ for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry.”

Do yourself a favor and read this article...The New Yorker - A Risky Proposal

 

Just as we're following the monumental Federal Court Case in San Francisco which may be turning the tide for Federal same sex marriage equality, we have to hear more insanity from the disgraceful Catholic Church and their foul and evil leader, Der Pope, who "called laws ignoring the difference between the sexes an "attack" on creation just days after Portugal moved to legalize gay marriage." Source   Read the rest here...

Will someone get this man out that ratty dress and right into a sleek white garment with arms that tie around the back? Or maybe we can provide that woman who attacked him recently with some assistance. How is this "man" so confident in his antiquated insanity?

Just compare his pious speeches with what REALLY goes on within the Catholic Church. Simply visit the website JoeMyGod, where religious crimes are charted on a regular basis in his column JoeMyGod - This Week In Holy Crimes. His winner this week?

Australia: Nine Catholics priests are about to go to separate trials on more than 200 counts of sexually abusing boys at the St. Stanislaus Boarding School. Father Brian Spillane faces 146 counts of sexual abuse over 22 years. Spillane's lawyer claims "mass contamination" of the case due to the website of one former St. Stanislaus student, who has been paid a settlement by the local diocese.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Virtually every week Joe compiles yet another countdown of the heinous crimes perpetuated by the "faithful". You think these acts are random? You think this is just a "small segment" of the religious? Then mosey on over to JoeMyGod - This Week In Holy Crimes, and gaze at the astronomical number of crimes he continues to cite. Then tell me religion doesn't need to be abandoned, or at the very least, TAXED! 

Yet another source for keeping track of the Federal Prop 8 case. This one is through the Courage Campaign with Rick Jacobs writing from the courtroom. Many lengthy dialogues which are occurring in the courtroom are written out here. Prop 8 Trial Tracker - Courage Campaign

 

For the best up to minute information on the Federal Prop 8 case, visit The American Foundation for Equal Rights which is the group bringing the case against Prop 8. This site is the best resource for information about the trial, although we have provided various other links to keep track of the proceedings.

From their About Us page...

The American Foundation for Equal Rights is dedicated to protecting and advancing equal rights for every American.

Through its groundbreaking federal court case against to California’s Proposition 8, The Foundation is leading the fight for marriage equality and equality under the law for every American.

The Foundation’s case, known as Perry v. Schwarzenegger, goes to trial on January 11, 2010. The Foundation has assembled a legal team led by Theodore Olson and David Boies to demonstrate that Proposition 8 violates the U.S. Constitution by denying millions of people equal protection under the law. More information on the case is available here.

The American Foundation for Equal Rights is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Jennifer Vanasco of 365Gay.com is also providing live Tweet updates from the Federal Prop 8 Case. You can view her contributions HERE

From the American Foundation for Equal Rights...

The federal trial over the unconstitutionality of Proposition 8 began today with an opening statement by attorney Theodore Olson, who with David Boies is leading the legal team assembled by the American Foundation for Equal Rights to litigate the case Perry v. Schwarzenegger. Opening statements will be followed by testimony from Kris Perry, Sandy Stier, Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, who comprise two couples who wish to be married but who were denied marriage licenses because of Proposition 8.

After the opening statement David Boies gave the direct examination of Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami.

Read Olson's opening statement by clicking here

You can follow live Twitter updates from the trial by clicking on the following link...Live Updates From the Trial

Two hours before trial was scheduled to start, the high court blocked video of the proceedings from being posted on YouTube.com. It said justices need more time to review that issue and put the order in place at least until Wednesday.

Over the weekend, Proposition 8’s sponsors sought to block YouTube broadcasts. Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker, who is overseeing the trial, had approved the plan last week, saying the case was appropriate for wide dissemination because it dealt with an issue of wide interest and importance. Source: 365Gay.com

These are the people who, starting on Monday, January 11th, 2010, will be in court to try to convince the judge that the discrimination enforced due to California Proposition 8 is unconstitutional...Photos courtesy of The American Foundation for Equal Rights

Click on images to enlarge...

Photo Information, in order of appearance... 

Left to right: Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo - Left to right: Kris Perry, Sandy Stier - Ted Olson - Chad Griffin - Left to right: David Boies, Ted Olson, Lady Booth Olson - Ted Olson - Left to right: Chad Griffin, Adam Umhoefer, Kris Perry, Sandy Stier, Lisa McIntire - Ted Boies. Foreground: Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami - Left to right: Ted Olson, Kristina Schake, Chad Griffin - Left to right: Sandy Stier, Kris Perry, Jeff Zarrillo, Paul Katami, Chad Griffin.

 

The blog LGBT POV posted an excellent piece on January 8th concerning some behind the scenes actions in the Federal Prop 8 case, which begins on Monday, January 11th. The most interesting quote is from Brian Brown, Executive Director of the National Organization for Marriage, who states in a recent fundraising letter...

"We do not expect to win at the trial level, but with God’s help, at least five members of the current Supreme Court will have the courage to defend our Constitution from this grave attack."

Blog Excerpt:

In his latest fundraising letter sent out Friday, Brian Brown, Executive Director of the National Organization for Marriage, crows about the defeat of the marriage equality bill in the New Jersey Senate Thursday, talks about how Stand for Marriage D.C. has filed a referendum seeking to “overturn gay marriage as the peple [sic] in California did in 2008, and thye [sic] people of Maine did in 2009.”

But the “third big piece of news this week,” he writes, is the “federal trial over the constitutionality of Prop 8 begins.” Brown complains that Judge Vaughn Walker, “in another display of his eagerness to cater to the pro-gay-marriage side,” announced that he will “televise this trial” – discounting the objections of lawyers for Protect Marriage who are worried that their witnesses will face “threats and harassment.”

Well, the trial will not exactly be televised – it will be recorded for uploading on YouTube, which requires someone to have and know how to use the Internet to find and watch the considerably small and delayed trial.

The posting also delivers still more astounding (did I say astounding? I meant asinine) statements from Maggie Gallegher, of the National Organization for Marriage, such as the fact that the innocent victims in all this have been the supporters of Prop 8. These poor people, just because they're choosing to restrict the rights of a minority group of Americans for no reason whatsoever, 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.”

LGBT Americans, of course, have no experience with any of that...

Read the entire posting here...LGBT POV

From the AP:

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey's state Senate has defeated a bill to legalize gay marriage, leaving it unlikely the state will have a gay marriage law in the very near future.

The bill needed 21 votes to pass; only 14 senators approved the measure Thursday.

Gay rights advocates had pushed hard to get the bill passed before Jan. 19, when Republican Chris Christie becomes governor. Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine promised to sign the bill if approved by the Legislature but Christie has said he would veto it.

New Jersey offers civil unions that grant the legal rights of marriage to gay couples. Five states – Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont – allow gay marriage. Source 

UPDATE: Lambda Legal has announced, after the defeat in the New Jersey to head back to court to force the legislature to enact the equal marriage edict issued by the state Supreme Court in 2006. 

Read the story here

WASHINGTON – Beginning in 2010, the Obama administration, through the Office of Personnel Management, has started to list gender identity among the classes protected by federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies. By including gender identity as a protected class, the federal government is stating its commitment to protecting transgender employees and has taken a significant step toward ending employment discrimination of LGBT people in the federal workforce.

Although a long-standing federal law prohibits any federal employment decisions that are not based on merit and another law prohibits sex discrimination, the new EEO policy marks the first time that gender identity discrimination has been explicitly banned from the federal workplace. The policy is now on the federal government’s jobs Web site as a link from more than 20,000 current federal job listings. The American Civil Liberties Union praised the Obama administration for initiating the change in EEO policy and urged Congress to continue to work for further protections for LGBT Americans. Read the rest of the story here.

From MercuryNews.com...

A judge today approved a limited form of broadcasting the trial in the legal challenge to California's ban on same-sex marriage, concluding it is the type of case that warrants breaking with traditions that generally ban cameras in federal courts.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker approved court-operated cameras in his courtroom for delayed release on YouTube, but rejected a bid by media organizations to televise the proceedings themselves for live broadcast.

Walker, by approving some broadcast of the Proposition 8 trial, became the first federal judge in the West to make use of an experimental program put in place recently by the 9th Circuit Judicial Council, which sets policy for federal courts in nine states, including California.

Walker rejected the arguments of Proposition 8's defenders, who opposed any broadcast of the proceedings outside the San Francisco federal building. It was not clear from Walker's remarks how long the delay would be for the video to be posted on the Internet.

The trial is scheduled to begin Monday in a challenge to Proposition 8, approved by voters last year to restore California's ban on same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples sued in May 2009 to overturn the law. The trial is expected to last several weeks.

My family and I decided to go to Hunan Chinese Restaurant at Cedar and Herndon on New Year’s Day.   I have not been to Hunan in quite some time, since I do not find myself at Cedar and Herndon often, and had forgotten how good Hunan is. The name comes from the province in China where the cuisine originated.

Hunan serves their food a la carte family style.  We decided to order three of the dishes from the chef’s recommendations section of the menu. Actually I picked, because my parents trust my taste. No fried rice or chow mien, just the good stuff.

I ordered the BBQ Mongolian Beef, the Sweet and Sour Fish and the Hunan Chicken, which is their specialty. The Mongolian BBQ Beef was superb, the seasoning was perfect, and the vegetables were stir fried just right. The Sweet and Sour Fish was possibly one of the most amazing dishes I have ever had. The fish was very fresh and fried with a crunchy batter. The sauce was just the perfect combination of sweet and sour. Even my mother loved it. She does not usually like fish and was originally skeptical about the dish. The Hunan Chicken came last. It was good and the sauce was very tasty, however the meat was slightly dry.  It was also a little hard to eat since Hunan, like most Chinese restaurants, does not provide a knife.

The restaurant is tastefully decorated in the typical style of an upscale Chinese restaurant. The large tables in the middle had the usual sliding glass tray so large groups can easily access every dish. The staff was friendly and attentive. All in all, Hunan was an enjoyable experience. It is a gem in a city with a lot of lousy Chinese food. For more in go to their website. http://www.thehunanrestaurant.com/ 

The people behind the groundbreaking federal case to overturn California Prop 8 have set up an official website...Equal Rights Foundation. On their website you'll be able to learn more about the case as well as keep up on the ongoing news. They are also pushing to have the trial, which begins January 11th, to be televised. The website declares the following as its purpose...

The American Foundation for Equal Rights is dedicated to protecting and advancing equal rights for every American.

Through its groundbreaking federal court case against to California’s Proposition 8, The Foundation is leading the fight for marriage equality and equality under the law for every American.

The Foundation’s case, known as Perry v. Schwarzenegger, goes to trial on January 11, 2010. The Foundation has assembled a legal team led by Theodore Olson and David Boies to demonstrate that Proposition 8 violates the U.S. Constitution by denying millions of people equal protection under the law. More information on the case is available here.

The American Foundation for Equal Rights is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

New Year's Eve 2009 CNN broadcast...Anderson Cooper, Kathy Griffin and Lance Bass...Anderson has never been more cute or more GAY...watch Anderson let loose his inner gay (doing a Cher impersonation)...and Kathy reassuring Anderson that they're "going all the way with that ball drop"...Videos 1 & 2 are embedded, click on the links for the rest...

Cooper Griffin 3

Cooper Griffin 4

Cooper Griffin 5

Cooper Griffin 6

Gay Central Valley is pleased to announce that we have joined as a sponsor for the Proyecto Poderoso’s “Orgullo y Poder Latino” Leadership Conference, which will be held in Fresno on Saturday, January 23rd. Below you can find all the details of the event, courtesy their official website... http://www.crla.org/index.php?page=orgullo-y-poder-latino-conference

Proyecto Poderoso’s “Orgullo y Poder Latino” Leadership Conference - Your Voice is Your Power! A leadership conference for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
people in rural California, and our allies.

Conference Overview: Our goal is to empower lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and allies, in particular those who speak Spanish, to build understanding and support for LGBT people and their families in rural California. The central theme of the conference is “Your voice is your power.” The conference will inspire and train leaders to share their stories and build peer support networks in rural communities. The conference dovetails with California Rural Legal Assistance’s new speakers bureau — a bilingual (Spanish and English-speaking) pool of LGBT people and allies, who will share their personal stories with community groups, agencies, schools, churches, and media outlets in order to humanize LGBT people and their families. Personal story-telling and social networks of LGBT people and supportive friends and family members can dispel anti-LGBT myths and stereotypes to promote greater inclusion in otherwise socially conservative communities. Our day-long conference will train 75 leaders from the following California communities: Fresno, Salinas, Watsonville, El Centro, Bakersfield, Coachella, Delano, Visalia, Madera, Stockton and Modesto.

You can learn more about CRLA’s LGBT focused program, Proyecto Poderoso, by visiting our website at http://www.crla.org/index.php?page=orgullo-y-poder-latino-conference. This program is a joint project with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and has received widespread recognition for its success in improving LGBT-related legal services and advocacy in rural California.

Training Tracks:

1. How to share your story

2. How to create a peer support group

3. Developing positive self-identities as LGBT Latinos

Conference Date & Time: 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday, January 23th

Conference Location: First Congregational Church of Fresno, 2131 N. Van Ness Blvd. Fresno, CA 93704

Contact Information: Angeles Jimenez, orgulloypoder@crla.org

Lisa Cisneros, lcisneros@crla.org (831) 757-5221

Conferencia de lideazgo: “Orgullo y Poder Latino” de Proyecto Poderoso

La Conferencia: Nuestra meta es empoderar a lesbianas, gays, bisexuales, transgéneros (LGBT) y aliados, en particular aquellos que hablan español, para crear entendimiento y apoyo por las personas LGBT y sus familias en California rural. El tema central de la conferencia es “Su voz es su poder”. La conferencia inspirará y entrenará líderes para compartir sus historias, además de crear networks de apoyo en las comunidades rurales. La conferencia se complementa con el nuevo foro de voceros LGBT de CRLA - un grupo bilingüe (español e ingles), de personas LBGT y aliados, que compartirán sus historias personales con grupos comunitarios, agencias, escuelas, templos, y medios de comunicación para así humanizar a las personas LGBT y sus familiares. Las historias personales y networks sociales de personas LGBT además de familiares y amigos que apoyen pueden disipar mitos anti-LGBT y estereotipos para promover su inclusión en comunidades que de otra manera fueran conservativas socialmente.

Nuestra conferencia que durará un día, entrenará a 75 lideres de las siguientes comunidades: Fresno, Salinas, Watsonville, El Centro, Bakersfield, Coachella, Delano, Visalia, Madera, Stockton and Modesto. Puedes enterarte más acerca de Proyecto Poderoso, el programa de CRLA enfocado en la comunidad LGBT, visitando nuestra pagina de internet http://www.crla.org/index.php?page=conferencia-orgullo-y-poder-latino. Este programa trabaja en colaboración con el Centro Nacional por Derechos Lésbicos (NCLR) y ha recibido una gran cantidad de reconocimiento por su éxito en mejorar los servicios legales relacionados a la comunidad LGBT, además de su apoyo en las zonas rurales de California.

Entrenamientos:

1. Como compartir tu historia.

2. Como crear un grupo de apoyo mutuo.

3. Desarrollando identidades positivas como latinos LGBT.

Fecha de la Conferencia: 9am a 5pm, sábado, enero 23 de 2010 Lugar: First Congressional Church of Fresno, 2131 N. Van Ness Blvd. Fresno, Ca 93704 

Contacto: Angeles Jimenez, Orgulloypoder@crla.org

Lisa Cisneros, lcisneros@crla.org (831) 757-5221

GAY CENTRAL VALLEY is a participating nonprofit in the "Give A Day - Get A Disney Day" program. Click HERE for all the details...