Tag Archives: California

In another sign of the tidal change in how young people view gays, two 16 year-old boyfriends in Davis, California have been elected Homecoming “Princes” after a successful write-in campaign. For what appears to be the first time in school history, the Davis Senior High student body has elected a gay couple into homecoming royalty. With each boasting a white …

In the UK, an 11 year-old boy is being removed from the custody of his foster parents, both ministers, after they refused to sign new sexual equality regulations which stipulate that they would not teach their foster children to discriminate against gays. According to the Labour party’s new Sexual Orientation Regulations, part of the Equality Act 2006, discrimination on the …

As he’d promised he would, Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed California’s same-sex marriage bill on Friday. He vetoed a similar bill in 2005. Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, which sponsored the bill: “This will be part of his legacy. He single-handedly is standing in the way of lifting the cloud of discrimination for millions of Californians.” Schwarzenegger announced the veto …

Here’s the moving video from the Equality California Institute, which is working for marriage equality in the Golden State. The clip, part of a new multi-million dollar education campaign called “Let California Ring“, was created by the Seattle office of DDB Worldwide.

Last month I mentioned Folsom Street Fair’s fabulous “Last Supper” poster for this year’s event. Now Matt Barber, alpha male for the mousy Xtian hausfraus advocacy group, the Concerned Women For America (CWA), is up in arms, petitioning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-SF), California Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein, and Gov. Schwarzengger to “publicly condemn this unprovoked attack against …

“San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders’ emotional statement brought me – and I know millions of other gay and lesbian people – to tears. Simply, directly, and most importantly from the heart, he said what we yearn to hear from our leaders – that our relationships are just as meaningful and just as deserving of the same protections as everyone else’s. …

Just one day after pledging to veto Tuesday’s pro-gay marriage resolution by the San Diego City Council, Republican Mayor Jerry Sanders abruptly switched gears yesterday and signed the resolution, outing his lesbian daughter in the process. Fighting back tears, Sanders told reporters, “Two years ago, I believed that civil unions were a fair alternative. Those beliefs, in my case, have …

From the LA Gay & Lesbian Center: “Chanting ‘Sign AB 43, equal rights for you and me’ more than 200 activists on Tuesday marched to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame where they left pens and urged him to sign legislation ending discrimination against gay and lesbian couples who wish to marry their partners.” You can …

I’m hoping this news won’t dissuade anybody from attending tonight’s marches and rallies, but the Governator has announced that he will once again veto California’s marriage equality legislation. Yesterday, Schwarzenegger said that he would only approve gay marriage if voters overturned 2000’s Proposition 22, which banned same-sex marriage, but which courts have said only applied to those married out-of-state. Geoff …

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Marriage Equality has posted a list of cities across California who are also staging marches and rallies on Tuesday, September 18th. Click here to find your city and where to stage for the demonstration. Tuesday, September 18th (tomorrow), the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center will sponsor a march and rally in support of the recently approved California …

HIV-positive men in California can now become fathers, as the ban on a sperm-washing procedure has now been lifted. The procedure, which removes the virus from semen before artificial insemination, has been available for 10 years, but California inadvertently blocked its use through a blanket ban on any transferring any tissues or fluids from HIV positive people. Tuesday, Gov. Schwartzenegger …

California legislators have approved a bill called the “Student Civil Rights Act” to protect all California students from harassment and bias in public schools based on their gender identity or sexual orientation. A similar bill was passed last year but vetoed by Gov. Schwartzenegger. Of course, the right-wing is going apoplectic (see graphic), claiming that gay sex will now be …

For the second time, today the California legislature approved same-sex marriage. And Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to veto the gay marriage bill as he did in 2005. He has until October 14th to sign or veto. California presently permits same-sex couples to register as domestic partners. Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors said, “We call on the governor to …

A California lesbian is suing dating site eHarmony.com for discrimination because it does not offer any not-hetero options. Linda Carlson is citing California law that prohibits sexual orientation discrimination in business and is moving to make hers a class-action suit, with a jury trial and unspecified damages requested. Recently, competing dating site Chemistry.com launched a widely praised ad that mocked …

Yesterday the California Assembly passed a bill making it easier for same-sex partners to take the surname of their partners or to create a new surname entirely. The bill must pass the state Senate and by signed by Schwarzenegger to become law. Currently only seven states (including New York) allow a man to take the last name of his wife …

AIDS Healthcare Foundation filed suit against the state of California yesterday, accusing the state of ignoring California law and refusing to provide care for HIV/AIDS patients. You may recall that AHF recently sued Pfizer, claiming that the pharmaceutical giant was promoting unsafe sex via its Viagra advertising. In the latest suit, AHF says that California is being deliberately slow to …

An 18 year old girl is suing her former school district in California for violating her right to free speech when they disciplined her in 2002 for saying “That’s so gay!”, when classmates teased her for being Mormon by asking if she had ten moms. The Santa Rosa School District had adopted a strict hate speech policy after two students …

State Senator Carole Migden (D-SF), a potential San Francisco mayoral candidate, has proposed a bill which will require all chain restaurants, even those with only one California location, to post the caloric count for their food items in “plain view” on menus or menu boards. I’ve seen these sort of posters in McDonald’s and Burger King, usually hidden behind a …