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Courtesy of The New York Times and hot off the ‘net:
California Supreme Court Overturns Gay Marriage Ban
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: May 15, 2008
Filed at 1:50 p.m. ET
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved gay marriage ban Thursday in a ruling that would make the nation’s largest state the second one to allow gay and lesbian weddings.
The justices released the 4-3 decision, saying that domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage in an opinion written by Chief Justice Ron George. Justices Joyce Kennard, Kathryn Werdegar and Carlos Moreno joined the majority.
Outside the courthouse, gay marriage supporters cried and cheered as news spread of the decision.
In striking down the ban, the court said, “In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation, and, more generally, that an individual’s sexual orientation — like a person’s race or gender — does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights.”
While agreeing with many arguments of the majority, Justice Marvin Baxter said in a dissenting opinion that the high court overstepped its authority. Changes to marriage laws should be decided by the voters, Baxter wrote. Justices Ming Chin and Carol Corrigan joined in dissenting.
The cases were brought by the city of San Francisco, two dozen gay and lesbian couples, Equality California and another gay rights group in March 2004 after the court halted San Francisco’s monthlong same-sex wedding march that took place at Mayor Gavin Newsom’s direction.
“Today the California Supreme Court took a giant leap to ensure that everybody — not just in the state of California, but throughout the country — will have equal treatment under the law,” said City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who argued the case for San Francisco.
The challenge for gay rights advocates, however, is not over.
A coalition of religious and social conservative groups is attempting to put a measure on the November ballot that would enshrine laws banning gay marriage in the state constitution.
The Secretary of State is expected to rule by the end of June whether the sponsors gathered enough signatures to qualify the marriage amendment, similar to ones enacted in 26 other states.
If voters pass the measure in November, it would overrule the court decision.
From The Southern Boys, we hear…
Come to Charleston on Wednesday June 11th, 8pm to see Dixie Longate’s Tupperware Party Show! Proceeds go to benefit Lowcountry AIDS Services and The Alliance For Full Acceptance; AFFA.
Another benefit brought to you by The Southern Boys!
To get tickets, go to www.southernboys.org and pay on paypal for will call tickets. OR, buy your tickets from one of the Southern Boys.
$20 in advance $25 at the door- Pantheon Club, 28 Ann Street.
Tickets are limited for this show, so please do not wait to buy them!!
This is a hilarious show not to be missed! After doing a summer “Off Broadway” in New York, Dixie has taken her show on the road. We are lucky enough to have her land in Charleston, back in the “Start of Dixie!”
Not only is this show entertaining, but she sells some damn good Tupperware, so bring your checkbook!
We hope you will make it and please feel free to pass this news along!!
THE SOUTHERN BOYS!
Note: My observations about Columbia are from the perspective of someone who hasn’t been in that scene for a good four years.
My other job (the one I get paid for) is to cover local and state politics for the City Paper. It’s always interesting when the two blogs bump into each other. With Charleston’s smoking ban (now nearing a year old) just exiting the news cycle around here, I saw this story about Columbia’s plans for a smoking ban, with an interesting note at the end.
Opponents of the ordinance like Tony Snell, who owns Club Fusion in the Vista, are not giving up.
Club Fusion is the little gay bar that could in Columbia and I can tell you they’ve got good reason to be scared. Where Club Pantheon here in Charleston has an option for a make-shift smokers patio (which is really just off the second exit), I don’t really remember any reasonable area for Fusion to use. Smokers would just have to walk out the front door.
They might also have some stiff competition next door from the Art Bar, which has a well-established smokers patio.
I would say that Sen. Robert Ford’s support in the gay community is mixed. I’ve heard very good things and I’ve gotten very disturbing scowls when his name has come up among gay friends.
That said, nobody can argue with his recent record supporting gay causes. When I heard he had a challenger for the seat, I was personally concerned that we might be losing a strong advocate in the legislature. In a recent interview with challenger Dwayne Green (part of our continuing election coverage that will appear in May 14 issue) he addressed that concern, suggesting I wasn’t the first to ask.
One issue where Ford has been a pioneer on in the legislature has been gay rights. He’s introduced legislation to create a statewide hate crime law that would include penalties for targeting people because of their sexuality and transgendered status, among other things. He’s also pioneered civil union legislation and laws protecting gay rights in housing and employment as well as a bill that would allow hospital visitations, a frequent concern for gay partners.
Green applauds Ford for his support for gays and lesbians and says that he’ll continue those fights if elected.
“As a member of a minority group, I believe in equal rights for everybody,” he says. “This is an issue I agree with Robert strongly on. What I would want the community to know is that they wouldn’t be losing anything with me.”
The Alliance for Full Acceptance is holding a unique art auction called “Stix N’ Stonz” from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, June 20, at the Urban Outfitters on King Street.
 The group is challenging up 40 artists to use popular Munny figures (blank canvas collectible dolls) to symbolize the power of abusive school-yard slang.
“This art show will not be for the faint of heart,” the release states. “Some pieces may be viewed as too provocative or offensive. Some artists may choose to embrace a word and put an empowering spin on it. The bottom line, our goal is to educate.”
The auction is also expected to promote the upcoming Reel Grits LGBT film festival.
The Alliance for Full Acceptance will be hosting a coming out seminar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday (lunch provided) at the Charleston County Public Library on Calhoun Street. It’s a free event, through the help of members of the Lowcountry Gay and Lesbian Alliance.
From AFFA:
Learning to live openly and freely is a process that can be very difficult for many LGBT persons and their straight allies. Many of us waste precious time and energy hiding, if only partially, this important part of our lives. For allies, coming out and defending LGBT persons can be just as difficult. This workshop is about taking responsibility for your life, moving ahead and changing the world inside and around you.
When I first moved to Beaufort a few years ago, I wasn’t hiding anything. My resume included my inclusion in the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association. Since we all know the way that offices talk, it may not surprise anyone that I never had to come out to anyone at my office for more than four years — everyone just seemed to know.
The thing about coming out is that it’s not something we’re done with after the first day. I’m always meeting new people and they’ll often ask “What does your wife do?” And these types of seminars aren’t just for gay people, but friends and families of gay people (think about how many times your mother gets the question “Are your kids married?” or “Is Greg seeing anyone?”).
The front-page article in this weekend’s New York Times Magazine looked at the twenty-something married couples sprouting up after Massachusetts made it legal for gays and lesbians to wed.
The author talks about a conversation he had with other young gay Bostonians in 2004.
In the end, most of us agreed that we would like to be married — just not yet. We still had a lot of living, and growing up, to do. While many of our heterosexual peers undoubtedly did as well, we were immune from the pressure some of them felt to marry. No one — not our friends, not our families, not the gay community — expected us to wed.
By that time, my partner and I had been “married” for two years and were in our mid-20s. I put the word in quotation marks because, as I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, our relationship is not recognized by the State of South Carolina.
The story is an interesting read in showing the ways that we’ve come a long way (the lesbian-Uhaul joke has been passed on to the world) and in the ways we haven’t (one groom-to-be doesn’t talk to his family about his sexuality). The way our families responded (and in one case, didn’t respond) to the news of our wedding plans was one of the more emotional aspects of the whole event.
This paragraph from the NYT story sums it all up.
But most of the young married men I spent time with insisted their marriages weren’t a “reaction” to anything. They valued their connection to modern gay culture, and they weren’t interested in choosing between being a married man and a young gay man. They could be both, and they could make it work.
I found the story less about marriage as much as it was about young gay couples. The nervous excitement about the wedding day was the same for Shane and I in the backyard of our friends house in Columbia as it seemed for these couples on the courthouse steps in Boston. There were only a few words peppered in the story that sounded different: alimony, shared last names, marriage license.
That said, we’re still quite the oddity in our social circle. A few weeks back, we ran into another couple at the gay bar and excitedly chatted amongst ourselves. And gay guys we meet do look at us with shock when we tell them we’ve been together eight years. But, of course, that’s the “bar crowd.” I know there are suburban couples who make it out to the club on rare occasions, but are happy to live out of that scene.
April 24, 2008 – 11:06 am
In this week’s Cuisine section, The City Paper has a story on one Dining with Friends event.
Parties are going on all over town each year when Dining with Friends rolls around. Now in its 16th year, this mega-fund-raiser is easily one of the most recognizable events on the social calendar. Expect 80-plus parties on and around May 3 this year, with themes ranging from black tie to backyard barbecue, enough to exhaust even the most ambitious party crawler.
Didn’t think it would hurt if we threw the information out here as well:
Dining with Friends
For info on participating:
Lowcountry AIDS Services
(843) 747-2273 ext. 206
www.aids-services.com/dwfinfo.html
April 24, 2008 – 11:00 am
Soulforce, the group that has targeted schools with policies that hurt LGBT students, sent us a flier about a new effort called The American Family Outing, with gay and gay-friendly families visiting six mega-churches around the nation. The closest to Charleston is New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., on May 30 and June 1.
From the postcard:
We visit these churches because we recognize the enormous influences each has within Christianity and the larger culture, through ministries, radio and television programs, and books that reach millions. We believe these churches have the potential to be a positive force in ending the physical and spiritual violence perpetuated by some religious voices against LGBT people and their families. Some of these churches have exercised inspirational leadership on social issues such as poverty and AIDS, and we believe they can exercise comparable, courageous leadership in ending spiritual and physical violence against LGBT people.
Those looking to participate or donate can apply for the visit at www.soulforce.org.
It’s a busy busy busy Thursday in Charleston April 3.
Linda Ketner’s campaign for the 1st Congressional House Seat will kick off at 10 a.m. at Cannon Park on Calhoun (at the intersection with Rutledge). The word is that Mayor Joe Riley also will be there.
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