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Prop 8 - The Musical: Starring Jack Black as Jesus

LibertySugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:29:24 -0800

With an all-star cast including Jack Black, Neil Patrick Harris, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, Rashida Jones, and Margaret Cho, "Prop 8 - The Musical" harmoniously chronicles how California came to pass its gay marriage ban.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Jack Black appears as Jesus Christ to point out that the Bible says a lot of interesting things, like you can stone your wife, or sell your daughter into slavery. He says that Prop 8's supporters simply pick and chose teachings from the Holy Book that support their social agenda. And Neil Patrick Harris points out that the gay wedding industry could save the US economy! This is all explained in song of course!

Check out the musical put together by Funny or Die. Do you think satire or song can help change the minds of those who voted to ban gay marriage?

Do You Think Prop. 8 Should Be Repealed?

LibertySugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:01:12 -0800

This weekend CA Attorney General Jerry Brown asked the CA Supreme Court to void Proposition 8 because it is unconstitutional. The attorney general must defend the laws of California. Yet Brown says Prop 8 makes his job impossible, because the amendment contradicts another part of the state Constitution: the equal protection clause.

Right after 52 percent of voters passed the gay marriage ban, Brown claimed he would uphold the will of the voters, and when the Court legalized same-sex marriage earlier this year, Brown had argued against it. But now, Brown says:

"Proposition 8 must be invalidated because the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification."

Brown thinks that in the conflict between the people's amendment power, and the court's duty to protect minorities and liberties, the court's duty should prevail. What do you think?

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Briefing Book! Mormon Church Investigated For Role in Prop. 8

LibertySugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:40:33 -0800

Prop. 8: Did Mormon leaders conceal their role in California's same-sex marriage ban? Fair Political Practices Commission will investigate the LDS Church and its work in supporting Proposition 8. - SFist
Palin: Will she help? Sarah Palin goes back on the campaign trail in Georgia. - Huffington Post
Conservatives: Democratic party unity to fade after inauguration? A new conservative agenda can trump the Democrats' three agendas. - Townhall
Economy: State corporatism doesn't equal free markets? Why you shouldn't blame the "free market" for the current economic crisis. - Donklephant

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California Director Quits After Supporting Prop. 8 - Right Call?

LibertySugar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:01:35 -0800

Even though 52 percent of California seems to agree with Scott Eckern's stance on gay marriage, the artistic director of the California Musical Theatre stepped down after it was revealed that he donated $1,000 to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign.

In a statement, coming after a boycott of the theater was called Tuesday, Eckern said:

I am leaving California Musical Theatre after prayerful consideration to protect the organization and to help the healing in the local theatre-going and creative community. I am disappointed that my personal convictions have cost me the opportunity to do what I love the most.

The director's support for Prop. 8 was discovered on AnitGayBlacklist.com, a website that lists individuals who donated to the efforts to ban same-sex marriage. Do you think the director made the right call by resigning?

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Gay Activists Ready to Fight DADT and Wait For Prop 8 Repeal

TresSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0700

From fighting for the right to serve in the military to pushing for the right to marry their partners, gay Americans face battles for equality on many fronts. It appears that progress is about to be made toward the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, while the fight for marriage equality in California is set to sit on the back burner for some time.

This Fall, the Senate will hold hearings on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It's the first time since 1993 that lawmakers will take up the policy that prevents openly gay people from serving in the military. NY Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, whose legislation prompted the hearings, points out that 265 men and women have been dismissed from the military under the policy since President Obama took office. According to polls, 69 percent of Americans think gays should be allowed to serve.

In California, backers of same-sex marriage are thinking about waiting until at least 2012 to campaign to overturn Proposition 8. Major gay rights activists believe that the only thing worse than losing the fight for marriage equality in 2008 would be losing in 2010, and based on current poll numbers, a loss could be very likely.

So what's the moral of this story? It appears that the fate of gay rights is closely tied to poll numbers.

Prop. 8 Upheld, While Existing Marriages Ruled Valid

TresSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 10:25:14 -0700

Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban approved by California voters last November, has been upheld by the state supreme court by a 6-1 vote. The court also ruled that the 18,000 existing same-sex marriages issued between June and November 2008 are valid as well. Thanks to Proposition 8, some of California's same-sex couples will be legally married, while others will no longer have access to the privilege.

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Prop 8 Hearing

colleenb — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:36:05 -0800

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Jon Stewart on Irony: 69% of Blacks Voted For Prop. 8

LibertySugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:30:00 -0800

While opponents of California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, protest carrying signs that say "Separate Is Never Equal," they failed to find effective allies in other traditionally marginalized groups. Sixty-nine percent of African-Americans voted for Proposition 8. Thus, high turnout among that demographic eager to vote for Barack Obama also led to a defeat for proponents of marriage equality. On last night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart discussed Tuesday night's irony: America elected its first African-American president, as California wrote discrimination into its constitution.

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How Republican Meg Whitman Plans on Winning Women's Vote

TresSugar — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Last week San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom announced his candidacy for CA governor with a tweet heard round the state. But he's not the only candidate with technological savvy. Meg Whitman, the former CEO of Internet giant eBay, announced her bid back in February. Whitman, a Republican, wants to become the first woman to run the golden state. She was a national co-chair of John McCain's campaign, but her work experience lies in the private sector.

I chatted with the chair of Meg's Women's Coalition, Jillian Manis, to find out how Meg plans to appeal to women for votes. From our conversation, I got the sense that Meg sees herself as a different breed of Republican than, say, a certain female governor from Alaska.

While she's fiscally conservative, Meg is pro-choice and has a bit of a tangled stance on gay marriage - she voted for Prop. 8 because she personally feels marriage should be between a man and a woman, but she claims to respect everyone's position. In other words, she doesn't want to make opposition to same-sex marriage a crucial plank in her platform. Here's a recap of my conversation with Jillian.

Why will Meg appeal to women?
First of all, I don't think women vote for a gender. I really don't think they vote for a party for the most part, either. I think they vote for the person. And I think that Meg is a person that represents a leadership perspective that is both domestic and global, which will be extremely helpful right now as this world is flat and we do need to create relationships with other states and countries to move our state forward. (By working at eBay) she understands what interdependence is, what community building is.
Positions on female reproductive rights, especially abortion, typically separate the two parties. How does Meg explain her pro-choice position, since it's unlikely for a Republican candidate?
I think Meg has always preached inclusion. I think she very much respects people's choices. . . She's not going to force her own personal choices on others. That's not about working together that's about driving each other apart. I would say I'm socially moderate and fiscally conservative, but that has been redefined here in California and definitely in the Republican party. We are definitely more progressive and more inclusive than the rest of the country vis-a-vis our party. I know Sarah Palin doesn't represent me.
So Meg is pro-choice because she doesn't want to force her own choices on others. How was her Pro Proposition 8 stance consistence with her stance on abortion?

To see Jillian's response to this question, and for more on Meg's thoughts on gay marriage, read more.

Meg never gave money to Prop 8. She never made a public stand on Prop 8. It basically came down to when she went into the voting booth she voted for her personal choice. And that is something we have to respect. It doesn't mean she's going to change the laws. I am personally pro-life, but I am publicly pro-choice. I would never force my choice, nor would she, on somebody else.
Miss California came out against gay marriage personally, which she says cost her the crown. Obviously Miss USA and governor are different, but do you think that Meg's personal support of a constitutional amendment that ended gay marriage could derail her chance to be governor?
Well, I would hope not because we have too many big problems on our plate here in California and everything that Meg Whitman represents should be weighed equally. . . Her ability to stimulate this economy, to give people jobs, to re-energize, to apply technology to make government more efficient, to look at clean tech solutions for our environment, these are things that we should look at. . . So to make gay marriage the center piece of this election than shame us! And by the way we need to respect her as she's respecting us. And she does respect a women's right to choice and she does respect every body's choice.

From what you've read, do you think Meg sounds like a different kind of Republican candidate, or do you find her stances predictable?

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Do Pride Parades Hurt the Gay Rights Movement?

TresSugar — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0700

June is Gay Pride Month, a time when the LGBT community and its supporters celebrate its heritage, culture, and liberation. Cities around the world typically hold festive "pride parades" where members of the community show that they are proud of their sexuality and gender identity. But some supporters believe that the spirit of such parades furthers the stereotypes that homosexuals are flamboyant, sex-crazed deviants.

Writing in the Root, Cord Jefferson makes the point that the LGBT community should take cues from Martin Luther King, Jr. during this crucial moment in the struggle for equal rights. He points out that MLK dressed in gentleman's clothes, practiced his oration, and advocated nonviolence, because to do otherwise would have played into his detractors' expectations.

Jefferson thinks that the pride parades either entertain those who already support equal rights or feed into dangerous stereotypes. He writes:

Knowing that there are people - voters who have the power to deny them rights - who will judge them based on the flamboyance of their appearance in one parade, why hasn't the gay community decided to tone down the pride festivals?

It's impossible to compare civil rights struggles as perfect parallels. For more on this, read more.

While the civil rights marches of the last century were somber occasions, pride parades are typically celebrations during which gay people proudly assert: "We're here, we're queer, get used to it." In addition, the parades are characterized by their diversity - one float may feature proudly, flamingly flamboyant dancers in skimpy outfits, and the next one could be the PFLAG float with gay parents and their children all dressed in khakis. (PFLAG is Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.)

Ass-less chaps and thongs might not be appropriate at a rally protesting Prop. 8, for example, but does the LGBT community have to get rid of them altogether?

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