Watch Bill Maher's latest stand up for FREE on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD...
Yahoo! Screen and Bill Maher, comedian and critic-at-large, together bring you Yahoo!’s first-ever live-streaming standup event. The language and content may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised. This comedy series has more original hilarious video shows to come. For updates and funnies, follow Yahoo! Screen and Bill Maher on Twitter.
The next step in the Prop 8 case has reared its ugly head, with the proponents of Prop 8 filing paperwork to have the Ninth Circuit reconsider the ruling by the three judge panel.
The panel majority erred in breaking with the uniform and binding precedent upholding the constitutionality of laws adopting the traditional definition of marriage, and the Court, sitting en banc, should rehear this profoundly important case.
The panel majority concluded that the Supreme Court's decision in Romer v. Evans directly "governs" and "controls" this case because it struck down a "remarkably similar" constitutional amendment—Colorado's Amendment 2. This conclusion, however, rests on a patently implausible reading of Romer.
[I]n declaring a state constitutional right to same-sex marriage in the Marriage Cases, the California Supreme Court not only overturned the statutory will of the People in Proposition 22, it also refused to defer its decision until the constitutional will of the People could be expressed on Proposition 8 at the ballot. And that decision, according to the panel majority in this case, rendered the will of the People irrelevant in any event; for once the California Supreme Court redefined marriage to include same-sex couples, the People of California were powerless, as a matter of federal constitutional law, to exercise their reserved right to [amend their state constitution.]
The move means a larger panel of judges from the Ninth Circuit will likely hear the case and present their judgment as to the Proposition's constitutionality.
Survey Respondents Wanted! Getting along with the in-laws
Written by Administrator
Tuesday, 21 February 2012 18:37
California State University, Fresno and the West Virginia University are looking to get YOUR views on your relationship with your in-laws. Please view the flyer below and take a moment to complete their survey at:
Taking on The Stress - Spurring on the Conversation
Written by Jacob Woods
Tuesday, 21 February 2012 09:47
I am living in a state that is flirting with the idea of writing discrimination into their constitution. Knowing in the back of my mind that thirty other states have voted to discriminate against same sex couples by defining marriage between one man and one woman, it is sometimes easy to look over the historic changes that have occurred over the last two weeks. From the appellate court ruling proposition 8 unconstitutional, to the partnership between JC and Ellen DeGeneres, to the state of Washington legalizing same sex marriage with Maryland following close behind, nationally, the debate is looking very optimistic.
Fueling that optimism, it is good to know I am not the only one being vocal about marriage equality. Yet, sometimes under this extraordinary pressure, every event from attending weddings to interjecting when overhearing homophobic rhetoric becomes a moment where I find myself thinking about the Minnesota Marriage Amendment. This causes me to feel very upset, stressed, and often times displaced when I feel like all I do is talk about queer activism. However, come to find out, my friends, family, and peers feel the exact same way I do on the matter and are becoming just as vocal and frustrated as the political year brings us closer together and closer to voting day.
In the meantime, when something is on my mind, I head over to the Center for Student Diversity to talk to the “Assistant Director of Gender and Sexual Orientation Initiative”. Who I like to call the queer guru and a good friend. The last time I went in to chat, I ranted about how a student on campus had used the words gay and fag near me and how I had interjected asking him to stop using his derogatory rhetoric. From there, we briefly tied this into the Minnesota Marriage Amendment and I had plenty to share about that. Fortunately, I was reassured that there were a lot of people like me who had become more vocal and irritated since the moment the amendment was introduced. I’m not the only one who see's through this, and to those who are just as irritated, it's important to remember we are in this fight together.
This spirit of pacifist outrage through vocalization is definitely a stressor that many Minnesotans both allies and queers alike are experiencing. Only through pursuing this often times stressful and emotionally draining dialogue through Minnesota United’s method of spurring on the conversation, can Minnesota be a catalyst as the first state to defeat a state amendment to write marriage discrimination into their constitution. Keeping the conversation alive and talking to other supporters in times of stress will continue the historic and progressive wave of success.
Gay Central Valley will be hosting our first LGBT Health Fair on Saturday, March 24th from 10AM – 2PM. This year’s National Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Health Awareness Week is March 26-31, 2012. The Fresno County Dept. of Public Health will be attending and providing free HIV testing on site.
The Health Fair will take place in the parking lot of the office complex which houses the Fresno LGBT Community Center, operated by Gay Central Valley. The address is 1055 N Van Ness Avenue in the Tower District. The Community Center is located in Suite A.
We will take up the parking lot during the event, which provides the opportunity for interested groups and organizations to set up booths and tables. We will also have entertainment and a raffle. We are also requesting a raffle prize donation from those organizations participating, although it is not mandatory. Participation is free.
The play deals with the aftermath of the Matthew Shepard murder...
Ten years after the brutal death of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, five members of Tectonic Theatre Project returned to Laramie to try to understand the long-term effect of the murder. They found a town wrestling with its legacy and its place in history.
The first performance is Saturday, June 16th at 7:30PM. Ticket prices for this performance are $20 for ADULT PLUS (One adult ticket plus the sponsorship of one YOUTH ticket for the Sunday afternoon performance), $15 for General Admission and $7.50 for Seniors and Youth.
The second performance is Sunday, June 17th at 3PM. Ticket prices for this performance are $15 for ADULT PLUS (One adult ticket plus the sponsorship of one YOUTH ticket for the Sunday afternoon performance), $10 General Admission and $5 for Seniors & Youth. (Youth will not have to pay a ticket price for Sundayif sponsorship is available through PLUS ticket sales).
You may purchase tickets starting March 1st by clicking on the following link...
Do NOT miss this amazing documentary documenting the struggle by the Lovings, an interracial couple in Virginia in the 1960's, to overturn bans on interracial marriage.
Listen to the case, the arguments and the eventual ruling, and notice how similar it all is to the struggle for LGBT marriage rights today.
The wave continues...The Maryland House has just passed a bill legalizing same sex marriage. Next is the Senate, which appears to be a slam dunk and then the Governor, who has vocally supported the legislation.
The Maryland House of Delegates needed 71 votes to pass the bill. Whether the chamber had the requisite votes was a matter of much speculation just hours before the vote. Pro-marriage equality lawmakers Thursday had to delay consideration of the legislation until today, when it passed 71 to 67 as cheers erupted from the gallery and on the floor.
Nearly a year ago, the House voted to shelve a marriage bill by sending the legislation back to committee — this after it became clear that supporters simply did not have enough votes. But the Senate passed the bill and is expected to do so again this year. Gov. Martin O’Malley has pushed for the law and pledged to sign it. "Today, the House of Delegates voted for human dignity," he said in a statement after the vote.
Obama Administration Refuses To Defend Biased Military Policy
Written by Chris Jarvis
Friday, 17 February 2012 16:15
Last year the Obama administration caused a controversy when they announced they would no longer defend certain parts of the Defense Of Marriage Act in federal court, saying to do so would be unconstitutional.
Now, in a similar move, the administration has declared it will no longer defend in court, laws which deny legally married same sex couples in the military the same benefits as heterosexual married partners. This is in response to a Massachusetts lawsuit filed by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network on behalf of a lesbian couple.
Attorney General Eric Holder wrote the following in a letter to Congress...
The legislative record of these provisions contains no rationale for providing veterans' benefits to opposite-sex couples of veterans but not to legally married same-sex spouses of veterans. Neither the Department of Defense nor the Department of Veterans Affairs identified any justifications for that distinction that would warrant treating these provisions differently from Section 3 of DOMA.
Holder points out that the benefits which are in dispute are...
"medical and dental benefits, basic housing allowances, travel and transportation allowances, family separation benefits, military identification cards, visitation rights in military hospitals, survivor benefits and the right to be buried together in military cemeteries."
Just as he said he'd do, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has vetoed the state's gay marriage bill. Christie has stated he believes this issue should be left up to the voters.
The veto came a day after the state Assembly passed the bill. The state Senate had passed it on Monday. Christie, a Republican who opposes same-sex marriage, had vowed "very swift action" once the measure reached his desk.
"I am adhering to what I've said since this bill was first introduced – an issue of this magnitude and importance, which requires a constitutional amendment, should be left to the people of New Jersey to decide," Christie said in a statement. "I continue to encourage the Legislature to trust the people of New Jersey and seek their input by allowing our citizens to vote on a question that represents a profoundly significant societal change. This is the only path to amend our State Constitution and the best way to resolve the issue of same-sex marriage in our state.
“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. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others, especially if it denies people’s civil rights.” – the late Mildred Loving, speaking out for marriage equality on June 12, 2007, the 40th anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia announcement.
Washington State Becomes 7th State for Marriage Equality
Written by Chris Jarvis
Monday, 13 February 2012 20:40
It's official in Washington State. Governor Gregoire signed the same sex marriage bill into law. Couples won't be able to marry until early June, but the law makes Washington the SEVENTH U.S. state to legalize same sex marriage.
Opponents filed Referendum 73 Monday afternoon. If they collect the more than 120,577 valid voter signatures by June 6, the law will be put on hold pending the outcome of a November vote. Separately, an initiative was filed at the beginning of the legislative session that opponents of gay marriage say could also lead to the new law being overturned.
Gay marriage supporters said that while they are ready for a campaign battle, they are allowing themselves to celebrate first.
"You have to relish this moment," said 31-year-old Bret Tiderman of Seattle.
The state reception room at the Capitol was packed with hundreds of gay rights supporters and at least 40 lawmakers from the House and Senate to watch Gregoire sign the bill.
Sen. Ed Murray, a Seattle Democrat who is gay and has sponsored gay rights legislation for years, told the cheering crowd: "My friends, welcome to the other side of the rainbow. No matter what the future holds, nothing will take this moment in history away from us."
Among conservatives, one often hears homosexuality referred to as a choice, while most of us insist—quite vehemently sometimes—that our sexual orientation was set from the moment we were born. I believe we and conservatives are talking about two different things, each of which is interesting and important to study.
Conservatives may well cede that some of us may born with gay or lesbian inclinations, a belief that still has not been proven by scientific investigations. That may not be what they are talking about; that is what we are talking about. Conservatives are talking about behaviors more than inclinations or attractions. We may or may not act on those impulses, and if we choose to live without acting on them, we are not homosexual, at least in their way of thinking. One does not become one unless one acts upon one’s interests and embraces the life, providing a handy label of gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.
For some of us, the label may have come first, before any sexual activities had taken place. It can become part of our identity before it becomes part of our behavioral repertoire. It is a plan in the making, a choice already made. There is support for the young and the questioning throughout our community, people who have made the choice and live their lives the way they have chosen.
In this sense, we all make a choice about whether to act on our feelings. While conservatives might believe it is better to choose to ignore those feelings and push them away, we imagine a lonely, unhappy life if we follow that path.
Choice is an American expectation, we believe, and our choices are ours to make. We accept the consequences, both good and bad, of all of our decisions. They may come with a label or they may not.
If you, like me, were thrilled with the outcome from the ninth circuit court on Tuesday, you'll want to read on...
Although the courts ruled in our favor, again, we don't have marriage equality in California. The court issued a stay on performing marriages. That makes this year's Marriage Equality action even MORE important.
STAND UP - BE SEEN - Let them know Marriage Equality Matters!
Tuesday, Feb 14th (Valentine's Day) 1PM - 2PM
Unmarried same-sex couples, married same-sex couples and all who support them are invited to attend this important annual event!
NEW THIS YEAR! Get Equal is working on a non-violent civil disobedience action along with this event. If you want to take part, please email ca-fresno @ marriageequality.org and we'll get you all the details to stand up and take even MORE action!
We'll meet at the Fresno County Clerk's office at 1pm and unmarried same-sex couples will ask for marriage licenses. The media will be present to document their experience as they are denied the fundamental right to marry. Supporters will cheer on those who want to marry! Also, some time will be set aside to view a photo presentation of couples who married in 2008 and to hold signs for the cause.
We especially NEED married LGBTQI couples, our allies and supporters to cheer on their friends and take a stand on this important issue are DEFINITELY ENCOURAGED TO COME!
Please help us spread the word about this event on Facebook and Twitter. Please also send text messages to your friends to let them know!
Your attendance is greatly needed to show this issue is still important to our community.
If you want a text reminder the day prior, please send "Fresno" to 559-862-4559
Fresno Medical Team presents it's next monthly free Clinic event: Feb 11, 2012 (Saturday) from 9 am - 3 pm at Manchester Mall, 1901 E Shields Ave., Fresno, CA 93726.
We hold monthly free medical outreach and weekly mobile clinic (every Tuesday) to serve the underprivileged group in central valley. The services provided included Blood Pressure Test, Blood Sugar Test, Adult Medicine, Pediatrics, Dental, Acupuncture, Chiropractics, Vision and Hair Cut.
If you or someone you know can use these services, please be sure to attend. The group is also seeking volunteers. Their website is located at: http://tzuchi.fresnomedicalteam.org/
The Laramie Project - 10 Years Later...an original play examing the aftermath of the Matthew Shepard murder in Laramie, Wyoming, 10 years after the event...
A production by the San Francisco New Conservatory Theater Company
Sponsored by Gay Central Valley in collaboration with MY LGBT Plus...Community Link...Bulldog Pride Fund...GSA Networks...GetEQUAL & Rainbow Delegation
VENUE: Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno...DATES: June 16th & 17th
Official Facebook Event to be posted soon...TICKETS ON SALE SOON...
A FUNDRAISER for Gay Central Valley and the Fresno LGBT Community Center
The Fresno LGBT Community Center is now listed in the Blade California Magazine, a Lifestyle & News
Written by Chris Jarvis
Thursday, 09 February 2012 00:58
The Fresno LGBT Community Center is now listed in the BLADE CALIFORNIA MAGAZINE, a Lifestyle & News Magazine for LGBT California.
The Blade Magazine regularly runs articles and items related to the Fresno LGBT Community. The Magazine is available FREE at the Fresno LGBT Community Center.
You can visit and LIKE the California LGBT Publication on FACEBOOK by clicking here... http://www.facebook.com/BladeCalifornia and we encourage you to do so...
