The following is written by Seth Hemmelgarn, from the Bay Area Reporter...

Three bills that were signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger go into effect Thursday, January 1 and will give new legal protections to California's foster youth and the state's LGBTs.

"We begin the new year knowing that all LGBT people, including youth and seniors, have better protections and rights than ever before," said Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, a sponsor of the legislation. "The new laws provide important protections for members of our community and reinforce our state's commitment to treat all people with respect and dignity under the law, regardless of their differences."

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(San Francisco, California) California Attorney General Jerry Brown told the state Supreme Court Friday that it should invalidate Proposition 8, the voter approved amendment to the state constitution that bans same-sex marriage.

In a brief submitted to the court Friday, Brown’s office said the measure should be invalidated because it deprives people of the right to marry—an aspect of liberty that the Supreme Court has concluded is guaranteed by the California Constitution.

“Proposition 8 must be invalidated because the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification,” Brown’s brief said. Click HERE  to read the rest of this story...

United Nations — Alone among major Western nations, the United States has refused to sign a declaration presented Thursday at the United Nations calling for worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality.

In all, 66 of the U.N.'s 192 member countries signed the nonbinding declaration _ which backers called a historic step to push the General Assembly to deal more forthrightly with any-gay discrimination. More than 70 U.N. members outlaw homosexuality, and in several of them homosexual acts can be punished by execution. Co-sponsored by France and the Netherlands, the declaration was signed by all 27 European Union members, as well as Japan, Australia, Mexico and three dozen other countries. There was broad opposition from Muslim nations, and the United States refused to sign, indicating that some parts of the declaration raised legal questions that needed further review. Click HERE to read the rest of this story...

President Elect Barack Obama is creating controversy over his choice of Rick Warren to deliver the invocation on January 20th. Warren, a pastor and friend of Obama's, stands in direct opposition to such things as gay rights, women's choice and stem cell research. Personally, my one problem with Obama is  the depth of his "faith" platform, which is detailed on his website. When will the day come in America when faith and religion are pointedly excluded from politics? Maybe never. Read the story HERE

A lot of discussion is going on concerning the strategies of the No On 8 Campaign, in the wake of the devastating loss on November 4th. As with any other political campaign in the history of the United States, any loss tends to focus on how the campaigns played their cards, and this one is no different.

There's also been a lot of backlash against those criticizing the No On 8 strategies, which is, of course, ludicrous. To move forward we have to analyze what went wrong, if we were even working in the right direction, and what we should do next. To criticize legitimate debate about the campaign is, in itself, working against the struggle for equal rights. Protest is never enough to solve complex miscarriages of justice. You have to understand how state and federal constitutions work, what it takes to overcome a majority prejudice, etc.

It may turn out that the Yes On 8 campaign, in putting the issue to voters after the California Supreme Court made the decision to legalize same sex marriage, has done themselves in. Their "amendment" may really be a "revision", which by the rules of the state constitution, can only be enforced through different methods. Click on Read More below for the rest of this article...

Fresno businesses and large contributors who supported Proposition 8

Fresno's Offical Boycott List!  Please print a copy and keep it with you at all times.  Spend your money at businesses that do not use your purchases to discriminate against you.

View the list sorted by: Donor, Amount or Business Name