“Prop. 8 strips same-sex couples of a fundamental freedom, as defined by the California State Supreme Court. In so doing, it poses a serious threat to all Americans. Prop. 8 is a discriminatory, unprecedented change to the California Constitution that, if allowed to stand, would undermine the very purpose of a constitution and courts - assuring equal protection and opportunity for all and safeguarding minorities from the tyranny of the majority."
Equality California and the National Black Justice Coalition issued a joint statement praising the NAACP’s stance."Their wins and acceptance speeches were powerful reminders of the need to continue fighting for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, that same fight for which Harvey Milk gave his life.":: Dustin Lance Black blogs on Towleroad “30 Years Later”
"Good morning Chairman Feuer and committee members. My name is Geoffrey Kors and I am the Executive Director of Equality California, the sponsor of HR 5 and am greatly appreciative of Assemblymember Tom Ammiano for carrying this resolution. This resolution along with its Senate companion will make it the official policy of the legislature that proposition 8 is an invalid revision to the State Constitution since proposition 8 was not first passed by both houses of the legislature as required for such a drastic change to our state constitution.
"That radical and unprecedented proposition seeks to mandate discrimination against one group of Californians. But if the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection means anything, then it must mean that the majority cannot deny a protected minority the same fundamental rights the majority enjoys.
"Yet Proposition 8, if allowed to stand, would mean that any group of Californians could be at risk at any time of losing their constitutional rights simply because the majority voting in a given election so decides. And we could see groups targeted with discriminatory and costly ballot measures that they would be forced to fight year after year. Minorities and other groups could win their constitutional rights in one election, lose them in the next, win them back, and then lose them again. The fundamental rights of Californians should not be treated like a candidate for office – with all due respect – with the voters deciding if some of us are entitled to equality at each and every election.
"It is for this reason that the constitution provides that prior to making a major change to our constitution, like dismantling its guarantee of equal protection, the legislature must first consider the issue in a deliberative manner and then vote by a two-thirds majority in each house to place such a change before the voters. This ensures that people do not lose their rights virtually overnight and have them voted on year after year. If this process is not followed, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Californians, and others, will likely see a series of initiatives designed to deny us the very rights that this legislature and the Court has granted. And it would result in the Court, this committee and the entire legislature being deemed irrelevant when it comes to protecting minorities as rights became a popularity contest.
"Our State and our nation are great in large part because we have established safeguards to prevent the very kind of discrimination Proposition 8 seeks to require. I urge your aye vote."
"One of the primary roles of the State Bar is to provide greater access to the justice system for all people. How can they in good faith patronize a company whose owner has worked so hard to take away the fundamental rights of one group of people as guaranteed by the California Constitution?” –Geoff Kors
"I am a resident of California, I live here, I got married here… Equality California, they have passed so much legislation in the past 10 years, like the domestic partners bill, and the marriage bill twice now, I just really wanted to be a part of what they were doing." (BAR)
“Because domestic-partner records are centralized with the secretary of state, anyone can request a list of all registrants. Same-sex partners, some of whom have faced years of discrimination, are forced to publicly declare their sexuality in order to gain their rights.”--Alice Kessler
"Republican and Democratic voters alike know that the only way to win statewide elections in California is to nominate candidates who will work for all Californians and bring people together, not politicians who pit one group against another in an attempt to divide us.
"As our country and our State move forward, Meg Whitman is stuck in the past, practicing the politics of divisiveness by publicly supporting Prop 8. Whitman is wrong for LGBT people and wrong for California."
“It was from the heart. I just said what I said; I don’t really talk about my sexual orientation. I wasn’t in the closet, but I was just living my life. Everybody who knows me personally knows I’m gay. And that’s the way people should be able to live their lives, really. We shouldn’t have to be standing out here demanding something we automatically should have as citizens of this country.”
“I hate identifying myself as a celebrity. I’m still not there. I’m a closeted celebrity.”
EQCA Government Affairs Director Alice Kessler blogs from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Creating Change conference.
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