Friday, July 31, 2009

Steinberg, Bass, Perez agree on line-item vetoes: Not the last word

Governor Schwarzenegger chose to cut $52 million worth of funding for HIV/AIDS services. He is balancing the state budget on the backs of its most vulnerable residents. The cuts affect services like education and prevention, therapeutic monitoring, counseling and testing, early intervention, home- and community-based care, and housing.

But you can make a difference. Call Governor Schwarzenegger at 916.445.2841 and tell him you're unhappy with the cuts and that they will impact real peoples’ lives.

Speaker Karen Bass said,
“The cuts the governor made today have broken the lifeline to the state’s most vulnerable and underserved. We sent the governor budget solutions that solved the deficit. He knows that. He knows we pledged to work with him on building up the reserve in August. He knows all that and still chose to take punitive measures against children and AIDS patients.”

Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said,
“We will fight to restore every dollar of additional cuts to health and human services. The Senate held the line and passed a budget revision package with a sufficient reserve that met the Governor’s test. We question whether the majority of these vetoes are legal. The Governor has the right to blue pencil an appropriation. The funding levels identified in the budget revision in many cases are not new appropriations. This is not the last word.”

Assemblymember John. A. Perez of the LGBT Legislative Caucus urged visitors to his website to “Tell the Governor to stop the CONTRADICTIONS. Tell the Governor it's time to care.” Perez also posted a video about the situation:



For more information about the ongoing budget situation, check out our post from yesterday, "Strong reactions and a potential legal challenge to the governor’s devastating budget cuts."
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Posted by George Simpson at 4:37 PM 0 comments
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The Gay Agenda


Cross-posted from NCLR’s blog by Kate Kendell

Today, the White House announced the recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor. The list of 16 exemplary individuals includes Harvey Milk, awarded the medal posthumously, and tennis legend and gender equity champion Billie Jean King. This marks the first time the Medal of Freedom has been awarded to openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals. This is a remarkable honor and recognition of two of our community’s greatest heroes. I certainly am grateful to President Obama for acknowledging Harvey and Billie Jean among the 16 powerful, diverse, and outstanding men and women whose company they join.

Hopefully, today marks the beginning of the end of such honors being regarded as unprecedented. In the coming years when openly LGBT individuals are honored with the Medal of Freedom, we hope the announcement is unremarkable—except, of course, for the remarkable nature of the honor itself. And in that hope lies the real “Gay Agenda.” It is my great wish that the place of LGBT folks in the civil and cultural life of this nation will become routine and commonplace. While an honor like the Medal of Freedom will be worth celebration and reflection, it will not be historic or rare. We are everywhere, but our presence has been too often stifled, ignored, or shamed into silence.

The “Gay Agenda” includes Medals of Freedom, but more than that, it means that we are simply an acknowledged and accepted part of the rich and varied fabric of our country. It means that when John marries his boyfriend Lawrence, his co-workers at the software company all go in on the perfect wedding gift. When Marjorie and Josie and their daughters come back from a summer vacation, they share their pictures with the neighbors over a block-party BBQ. It means that when a new school year starts, of the millions of kids heading back to classes, a good number will be coming from homes with two moms or two dads or a transgender parent—and that is just fine. In short, it means a day when LGBT people just are. Yes, we contribute some very special and fabulous elements to the culture, but day in and day out, no one raises an eyebrow, or hyperventilates, or tells jokes about us, or worries about their kids playing with our kids, or ever attacks, harms, disparages, or fears us.

I know that day is still some ways off. So in the meantime, I am grateful to the Obama Administration for acknowledging the amazing contributions of Harvey Milk and Billie Jean King with this unprecedented honor and for accelerating the moment when it won’t be such a big deal. But today it is. Congratulations.

In solidarity,

Kate Kendell
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Posted by George Simpson at 2:53 PM 0 comments
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Obama to honor Harvey Milk with Presidential Medal of Freedom


President Obama announced that he will bestow Harvey Milk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor recognizing significant contributions to the nation and the world.

The ceremony will take place on August 12. Other recipients will include Senator Ted Kennedy and Billie Jean King, the lesbian tennis icon.

"President Obama understands that Harvey Milk's legacy reaches far beyond San Francisco, and that his story is an inspiration to everyone who believes in equality and fairness," said Geoff Kors, EQCA executive director. "Harvey Milk risked everything to change the course of history and to secure many of the civil rights and protections we enjoy today.”

With the President honoring Milk, we are hoping that Governor Schwarzenegger will do the same by signing the Harvey Milk Day Bill. The legislation would annually designate May 22 as a day of remembrance for the activist's work.

Last year, EQCA sponsored the first bill in the country to officially honor Milk, the nation's first openly gay man elected to major political office, but the governor vetoed it. At that time Schwarzenegger claimed that Milk was not well known enough to receive a day of special significance.

Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) introduced the Harvey Milk Day Bill, sponsored by EQCA, again this year. After passing key Assembly committees, it now awaits a vote in the full
Assembly and the Governor’s approval.

Hopefully this time around Schwarzenegger will have a change of heart, but it won’t be easy with anti-LGBT organizations lobbying the Governor to veto the bill once more. Schwarzenegger’s weariness and the mounting opposition is why EQCA is calling on Californians to write to the Governor letting him know the impact Harvey and his legacy has had on their lives.
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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Strong reactions and a potential legal challenge to the governor’s devastating budget cuts begin

Gov. Schwarzenegger slashed HIV/AIDS funding significantly this week by an estimated $52.133 million. That total does not include the $30 million in cuts previously approved by the state legislature.

Enacting a line item veto, Schwarzenegger made $489 million worth of reductions to the state budget. The programs that received the most devastating blows included services for the poor, elderly, disabled, and sick.

There are many leaders, legislators, and community activists not too happy with the cuts, and rightfully so!

“These cuts are both fiscally short-sighted and immoral, given the grave human cost,” said Geoff Kors, EQCA Executive Director. “People will die from AIDS younger or have a harder time managing their disease because we are not investing in early intervention, testing, or counseling. More residents will be at risk of infection because of these dramatic cuts to education and prevention efforts and low-income people living with HIV and AIDS will be more likely to become homeless. The Governor is dismantling a proven model of wrap-around care for HIV that has made California a leader. The Governor must not solve California’s fiscal crisis on the backs of our state’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Phil Curtis, the Director of Government Affairs for AIDS Project Los Angeles, at a press conference told reporters, “This is a public health disaster for the state of California.”

Lori L. Jean, the Chief Executive Officer of the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, in a statement on the organization’s website wrote, “There are no easy answers for balancing the budget—and we don’t yet know the full impact of his actions—but these reckless and dangerous cuts, which include the elimination of all state funding for HIV prevention and testing, will no doubt turn back the clock on the progress we have made in fighting HIV.”

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the budget reductions may be challenged in court. It is unclear if the governor had the authority to slash funding using a line item veto after the legislature had previously made cuts to the programs.

Keep a look out for more details.
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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 1:09 PM 1 comments
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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

What really happened at the Repeal Prop 8 Leadership Summit


Cross posted from Bilerico Project by Karen Ocamb

The California LGBT community is in the throes of a transformation, catalyzed by the movement for marriage equality. In addition to the important Ted Olson-David Boies challenge to Prop 8, new grassroots and institutional LGBT organizations are struggling with each other over when and how to return to the ballot box to repeal Prop 8 in a state that is issuing IOUs.

Since I was apparently the only full time reporter covering the statewide LGBT Leadership Summit, I want to report back as fully as possible.

My report will be published in three parts:

A blog for the San Francisco Chronicle came out fairly quickly after Saturday's statewide LGBT "Leadership Summit" in San Bernardino, California with the results of a non-binding straw poll about when the LGBT community wants to return to the ballot to repeal Prop 8: "93 people voted to go in 2010, 49 in 2012 and 20 undecided."

I was there. The count's accurate but it's far from the whole story. What really happened was that a vote was taken around 5:00pm - an hour after the meeting was supposed to end and a good number of people had left - and 93 people voted for 2010 and 69 opposed that idea. The count was justified as being taken among those who cared enough to show up in San Bernardino in late July ("sweltering" is one word that comes to mind) and stay until the bitter end.

Let's look at the demographics.

At its height, the over-heated church hall was filled with about 250 grassroots activists, mostly from the San Diego and Los Angeles area - a point loudly noted by leaders from Northern California who were receiving text messages from friends watching the Unite the Fight streaming video. Their online votes on a question just prior to the straw poll about how to best create a campaign structure had been discounted.

Additionally, before the two votes, when the room was about at 200 people, I counted the number of people of color and came up with 37. I asked both a grassroots activist and an "institutional" leader - stretching the number to 40 in case I missed a couple of people in the way back or outside - and they both independently concurred.

So while the straw poll accurately reflects the wishes of that late audience, the 162 people whose votes were counted do not necessarily reflect the wishes of the California LGBT community.

The point was underscored late Sunday night in a New York Times story about how major donors to the No on Prop 8 campaign such as Los Angeles-based philanthropist David Bohnett in Southern California and Leonie Walker and her partner, Kate O'Hanlan, in Northern California are not inclined to contribute to any new campaign without a clear strategy and high probability of winning.

While there was a strong showing among women and several heterosexuals spoke out at the summit, there seemed to be a heavy representation of young activists, few representatives of the mainstream middle (the range of working professionals), few transgender people, only one bisexual (to my knowledge) and no one identified themselves as Independent or Republican.

The Coalition of the Willing

In fact, the straw poll was actually an aberration. The previous question on how to proceed in creating a campaign came down to a tie between having a convention where regional and organizational delegates decide and having a "Coalition of the Willing" that would create a plan to present to the community. Equality Network's David Comfort, who is part of the "Coalition of the Willing," told me the coalition is moving forward anyway. I noted that the name they're using is the same term President George W. Bush used to describe the countries the US would lead in a preemptive invasion into Iraq.

Comfort's primary interest is in building a grassroots movement, using the marriage campaign as a catalyst:
"For better or for worse, the larger LGBTQ community has shown that it is very motivated by the fight for marriage equality. In order to build a grassroots movement, we need a motive force. Otherwise, it will be stillborn. The repeal of Prop 8 is such a force. We have been given lemons, from which we need to make the sweetest lemonade. Hence, in order to build upon the movement moment which arose after the passage of Prop 8, we need to overturn Prop 8 with all haste, by building a movement of grassroots organizers."

2010 or 2012: No Consensus

The "tie" or no consensus was previewed in a slew of position papers distributed prior to the summit, as well. API Equality, HONOR PAC and the Jordan/Rustin Coalition issued a statement entitled "Prepare to Prevail" outlining reasons to wait until 2012, with a slew of signatories.

In the statement, Doreena Wong, Co-Chair of API Equality-LA, says, "From the 2008 campaign, we know that all communities in California need to be engaged for us to win - including communities of color. And from our intensive work over the past four years, we know it takes time to build the trusting relationships and strong coalitions that make education campaigns effective."

Love Honor Cherish, which has firmly committed to a 2010 campaign, responded with their own statement and a Blueprint for how to proceed. Their response, "Why we can't wait until 2012" says, in part:
"Proposition 8 passes every day, until it's repealed. That's right. When you woke up this morning, Prop 8 passed, and tomorrow morning it will pass again. Until Prop 8 is repealed by a new ballot initiative, each day will be a day in which the precious right to marry is stolen from millions of Californians - just as though Prop 8 were voted on again."

Courage Campaign chair and founder Rick Jacobs noted the success of the activist training Camp Courage events and also issued a statement:
"'The 'Prepare to Prevail' letter, along with Love Honor Cherish's compelling statement on moving forward in 2010, is part of a healthy, vigorous debate that should help to inform the community as we begin the process of choosing the best path to victory....[W]e have been building the infrastructure to win marriage equality rights at the ballot box sooner, rather than later. Our members are ready to do the hard work needed to win."

Among the groups supporting the grassroots effort to go in 2010 is the mainstream Stonewall Democratic Club out of LA. Stonewall president John M. Cleary also distributed an emotional statement called "This I Believe."

Cleary wrote, in part:
"THIS I BELIEVE: If we have a reasonable and reasoned chance at victory in 2010 - even if less than an even chance - then I am now convinced we have a moral imperative to wage this campaign. This isn't blind. This isn't in the face of defeat. This is seizing an opportunity for victory, and recognizing at the same time that a campaign has now become vital to staunching the degradation of us as a people and healing the divisions of our community. We must finally shed the despair of our defeat in 2008 and the insidious fear it has inspired. To borrow a phrase, we must instead look forward to Wednesday, November 3, 2010, when we wake up to equality."

Solomon: The Earliest Time We Can Win

Marc Solomon, director of Equality California's Marriage Project and hero of the marriage equality movement in Massachusetts, noted in a May memo that 69% of those polled by EQCA wanted to return to the ballot in 2010. "We agree with you," he wrote, specifying many of the same reasons given by the grassroots: momentum, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee will be supportive, the difficulty in getting volunteers in 2012, and the TV airtime cost will be lower.

But Solomon added this caveat:
"While we believe conditions are such that there's real potential for victory in 2010, without a powerful and comprehensive campaign plan and well-designed campaign structure that is supported and owned by us all (donors, grassroots, LGBT groups--both new and established, organized labor, etc.), we believe we will fall short and lose."

On his July 14 blog, Solomon added:
"Our threshold has always been that we want to go back to the ballot at the earliest time that we have a strong chance of prevailing."

Political Consultants Weigh In

Since the Day of Decision, when the California Supreme Court upheld Prop 8, Solomon has been talking to activists, organizational leaders - and political consultants, which he blogs about, posting their responses to questions about strategy for returning to the ballot.

Here's an excerpt from Sue Burnside:
"As a professional campaign consultant, one of California's 18,000 gay married couples, the Field Director of the first same-sex marriage ballot initiative in the United States (Hawaii in 1997), and co-chair of the National Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund Campaign Board, I have both a professional and highly personal stake in the fight to overturn Prop 8.

Having crunched the demographics backwards and forwards, I am convinced that we should refrain from rushing in 2010, and instead to build on grassroots passion and strategically prepare for a "Yes on Marriage Equality" referendum in 2012. We have passionate supporters of marriage equality - but we need to convert that passion into an organized, sophisticated grassroots campaign that can systematically reach out to soft opponents and convert them into supporters of marriage equality. If we cannot harness our passion, we will not win - no matter if we are going in 2010 or 2012."

Here's an excerpt from David Fleischer's analysis:
"[T]he most scarce resource in every campaign is time. There are 66 weeks between July 25, 2009 and November 2, 2010. 66 weeks is a very brief time to raise $40-50 million. Based on my experience fundraising, and looking at the remarkable fundraising success of the No on 8 campaign, I think the minimum immediate fundraising goals to be ready for 2010 - to see if we can get on track to raise $40-50 million -- would be $2 million by October 1, 2009, and $5 million by December 1, 2009. This represents roughly the cost of qualifying for the ballot and beginning to set up a campaign. This is much less than the average weekly amount we would need to raise over the 66 weeks ($600-700,000 each week, every week). But it would cover start-up costs and demonstrate some of the breadth of support necessary to assure donors we could get to the level reached in No on 8, and hopefully beyond it."

At the Leadership Summit, Marriage for Equality's John Lewis moderated opening presentations from political consultants invited by different groups: Paul Mandabach (invited by Yes on Equality), Sarah Callahan (COO of the Courage Campaign), Steve Kaplan (invited by Yes on Equality), Sheri Sadler (invited by Love Honor Cherish), and Richie Ross (invited by EQCA).

Before the presentations, there was some debate over why the group needed to listen to experts, some saying the LGBTs in the room were experts enough. But Lewis and facilitator Vincent Jones from the Liberty Hill Foundation (the only real agreement among participants was that Jones did a good job under difficult conditions) explained that they were sticking to an agreed-upon agenda and please give some respect to the consultants who'd been invited by the groups.

There is an important deadline that intensifies the debate: September 25 is when the California Secretary of State recommends that initiative language be filed a November 2010 ballot.

This afternoon I'll continue my report on the day's events - including the firestorm over political consultants, youth, and ballot wording. Wednesday morning I'll also share my interview with the unnoticed Democratic Party bigwig that was in the room.

Read more:



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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 1:29 PM 1 comments
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Anti-LGBT extremists crank up the noise

Another installment of Anti-LGBT Industry Watch

I’m on several email lists for far-right groups that seek to stall our movement and take away our rights. Like many on our side, I monitor them to keep abreast of what they’re up to and to answer the perennial question: “why?” Why would this group of people spend so much time and energy just to hurt a persecuted minority?

There are many theories but I’ll just table that one for a different discussion…

Anyway, most of their commotion is really just mindless hand-wringing, but today I got not one but, two email blasts that really got my goat.

The first was from the Randy Thomasson fan-club, Save California, with yet another doom and gloom warning about how EQCA’s Harvey Milk Day bill, authored by Senator Mark Leno, is somehow going to bring about the apocalypse and turn all kids gay or something. I’ve counted SIX of these emails so far. Am I missing any? Thanks for all the free publicity, Randy!

Snarkiness aside, this important legislation is under a serious threat. You can do something about it and urge the governor to sign the Harvey Milk Day bill through EQCA’s Action Center. Don’t let him veto it again!

The second lovely missive came from our favorite Rick Santorum on behalf the National Organization for (straight only) Marriage:

“Make no mistake, the plot to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act is a ruthless attempt by a rich, politically powerful minority to take away the rights of the vast majority of Americans and faith communities.”

Apparently this lie-filled and incredibly insulting rhetoric has been working because they’ve expanded their goal from 1 Million for (straight only) Marriage to 2 Million for (straight only) Marriage.

They mean business, but so do we. Do what you can to stop them. Volunteer, contribute and share your story with everyone you know!

--George Simpson
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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 12:26 PM 2 comments
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Monday, July 27, 2009

La Opinión covers the marriage movement

The United States’ most widely read Spanish language newspaper recently spoke with EQCA’s Jorge Amaro about current push to repeal Prop, particularly outreach in the Latino community. Lea más >>


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Posted by George Simpson at 4:52 PM 0 comments
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Friday, July 24, 2009

Thoughts on Tomorrow's Summit


Posted by EQCA Marriage Director Marc Solomon

Dear Friends:

I’m looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow in San Bernardino.

There have been lots of powerful contributions to our deliberations since we last met. The Prepare to Prevail statement; the Love Honor Cherish campaign plan; the thinking of Courage’s Sarah Callahan on the Unite the Fight website; the soon-to-be-released report from the Get Engaged Tour; and the back-and-forth conversation on blogs, email groups, etc, are all adding a great deal to the discussion about when and how to return to the ballot.

I know that the consultant guidance that EQCA asked for has made the rounds. I also want to share again our mid-summer field update. There will be a field presentation tomorrow, but it will be short. This, I think, gives it some more texture.

My deepest hope for tomorrow is that we listen to one another, and that we hear one another. We can put our best efforts forward, but only if we battle one another less and respect and listen to one another more (even through some real disagreements). The meeting will be much more effective if we are not so locked in to our positions that we cannot hear and appreciate what the other is saying.

I’ve been working in and around LGBT marriage campaigns for nearly a decade now, both as a volunteer and as full-time staff. And I know one of our tendencies as LGBT people--a group that has had a rough go at it--is to strike out against one another, rather than focus on who our real opponents are and operate under the assumption that we are all doing the community’s work in the way we each think is best.

A couple of specific questions I want to address. First, I agree with Sarah Callahan of the Courage Campaign that we cannot let the decision about going, or not, in 2010 be made for us because we have allowed the clock to run out. Equality California is committed to working with the community to reach a decision in the next few weeks, with plenty of time to submit ballot language that has been tested and vetted.

Second, I have heard concerns that a decision to not return to the ballot in 2010 would have the result, whether intentional or not, of making it very challenging for some of the new grassroots organizations to survive. I take that concern seriously. From my vantage point, we need the grassroots activists and organizations that emerged Post-Prop 8, and the energy, creativity and boldness they bring, if we are to have any hope of reinstating the freedom to marry--whenever we return to the ballot. As a larger organization, we have a responsibility to support new leadership and new ideas. One of the things that’s been so exciting for me about being in California right now is that many of the newer activists that I’ve gotten to know are people who I know will be leaders in the movement for many years to come. That’s extremely exciting.

In the next week, Equality California will offer its blueprint for returning to the ballot in 2010 and 2012, as well as provide our analysis and best thinking. We will share this blueprint for community feedback and look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Here’s to a great day tomorrow in San Bernardino.

With deep respect,

Marc
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Posted by George Simpson at 7:32 PM 1 comments
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Problems in Porterville: SB 54 under attack

Porterville, California was the scene of an impromptu public debate last night over an EQCA-sponsored bill that would clarify the status of same-sex couples married out of state.

A former Porterville mayor proposed that the city council issue a resolution opposing SB 54 at their meeting, causing some unexpected controversy. Previously, the small town’s councilmembers had unanimously endorsed a resolution in favor of Prop 8, but this time local marriage activists stood up and made their voice heard, dividing the council who voted to postpone the decision for a future meeting, with almost half the councilmembers wishing to table the discussion entirely.

Porterville members of Marriage Equality USA have been mobilizing for some time now and EQCA field organizers in the Central Valley also called local EQCA-members urging them to attend.

Mark Leno’s SB 54, the Marriage Recognition and Family Protection Act, is squarely in line with the California Supreme Court’s rulings, yet anti-LGBT forces are trying to stop it any way they can. You can contact the governor and your legislator at EQCA’s Action Center. Urge them to sign SB 54!
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Posted by George Simpson at 6:11 PM 1 comments
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

From the field: Sacramento field office opening

Posted by Team Win Sacramento Field Managers Jennie Reiken and Ben Hudson

Win Marriage Back, Make it Real is now in full force here in Sac. Our office opening took place on Friday, July 17th and was a HUGE success!


Coalition partners from EAN, Sac NOW, Courage Campaign, CA Faith for Equality, Sac Transgender Coalition and more showed up to give thanks.Take a look at some pictures below.

Councilmember Kevin McCarty expressed great appreciation for all EQCA is doing for our community and is looking forward to the change to come.

Friends and family were also in attendance. We can’t thank them enough. Without their support and commitment we know none of this is possible.

During our opening, folks enjoyed great food, music, conversation and signed up to phone bank and canvass. We are very excited for the team that is being built here in Sac.

Again, thanks to EVERYONE that has helped, donated and supported us.

-Team Sac

A family shows their dedication to winning marriage back.

Friends Jade, Jennie, and Angela gear up for the celebration.

Regional field managers, Jennie and Ben, pose with EQCA's Government Affairs Director Alice Kessler.

Supporters sitting around planning the next move.

The new crew hanging out in the new space.

A few wedding pictures to remind us of what we are fighting for.

Volunteers signing up for our next event.

This is where I'm going to be living until we win.

There was plenty of delicious food and drinks.

Tina Reynolds delivered a wonderful speech.

Dr. Milazzo inspired the crowd.

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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 4:13 PM 0 comments
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TAKE ACTION: Save Marriages!

The forces behind Prop 8 are now going after out-of-state marriages, too. Contact your elected officials right away to stop them!

While the California Supreme Court upheld Prop 8 in May, the justices also made it clear that they could not rule on the issue of out-of-state same-sex marriages since none of the cases involved such a couple.

In order to clarify the situation, a bill that calls for the recognition of same-sex marriages performed outside of California is coming up to a vote in the State Assembly, but it is facing serious opposition.

Introduced by state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and sponsored by EQCA, Senate Bill 54 would grant same-sex marriages performed outside of California before Prop 8 the same status of any other marriage performed within the state.

The bill, which recently passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee, also calls for same-sex couples married in other jurisdictions after Proposition 8 to receive the same legal rights of a marriage. Such unions though could not use the word "marriage" to define themselves.

Opponents of same-sex marriage claim the bill violates Prop 8 and is therefore unconstitutional, but the Courts explicitly did not rule on the issue of out-of-state same-sex couples.

Despite the legislation being squarely in line with the Court’s ruling, anti-LGBT forces are flooding legislators and the governor with letters and phone calls opposing the bill.

We must act now. This bill is not a perfect fix, but it helps. The only perfect fix is restoring marriage for all same-sex couples in California.

To stand up for marriage equality, send a message to your local representative and the governor through the EQCA Action Center.
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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 3:29 PM 0 comments
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Larry King murder hearing begins

The pretrial hearing for the murder of 15-year-old Larry King by fellow student Brandon McInerney began yesterday.

King was shot twice in a classroom at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard in February 2008.

McInerney, who is being tried as an adult, pleaded not guilty to the murder and is also claiming that the incident was not a hate crime.

During the hearing, McInerney’s attorney, Scott Wippert, repeatedly implied that King provoked his client by flirting with him. Wippert went as far as to liken the flirting to sexual harassment.

I cannot believe that the gay panic defense is still being used in 2009? What are they going to try next, the Twinkie defense?

The trial begins amongst new ploys to kill the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act by adding extreme amendments in the Senate.

Besides the EQCA-sponsored resolution in support of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, EQCA has sponsored several pieces of legislation to protect LGBT youth, including Safe Place to Learn Act, Student Civil Rights Act, the California School Safety and Violence Prevention Act and the Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act.
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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 2:33 PM 0 comments
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From the field: it’s happening in the Central Valley

Post by Team Win Central Valley Regional Field Managers Scotti Maldonando and Vanessa Lopez

The Central Valley has had a good week in the name of equality! A reporter followed Scotti and another volunteer going door-to-door talking to our neighbors. You can see the video here.


Then, during the Fresno County stop of the Get Engaged Tour on Saturday we had a really great conversation with about 30 community members.

We are up and running in our new space, and even have our sign up in front of the building. So official!


We can’t wait for our Central Valley Field Office Grand Opening! Join us on Saturday, August 8 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. We are planning for about 100 people from around the community to come and join in the celebration. We are looking forward to Inflight Nymphs, a local band, as well as local progressive DJ, Devoya Mayo, performing at the event. A local artist, Xelsey Ramirez (pronounced Chelsey) has also committed to donate some of her art work to auction.

And last but not least, thank you so much to our intern, Katrina, who has been most helpful in helping us organize this event.

--Scotti & Vanessa


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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 12:30 PM 0 comments
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Monday, July 20, 2009

Going back to the ballot: top political consultants give their perspectives

Post by EQCA Marriage Director Marc Solomon

As I mentioned last week, ever since the Day of Decision and our announcement that we favored a 2010 return to the ballot, I’ve spent a great deal of my time listening and talking to many different people and organizations to get their insights and thinking about returning to the ballot. I have spoken extensively to LGBT organizations that are working in the African-American, Latino and API communities. I have been in close contact with many of the newer grassroots organizations, in Los Angeles and around the state. I have had several meetings with those who work with LGBT young people and advocate for LGBT families. I’ve reached out to LGBT centers; our legal advocates; our national civil rights organizations; and some of our allies in the labor movement. I’ve talked to many of the leading funders of the No on 8 campaign—those who invested five, six and even seven figures in that effort. I’ve talked to some of the strongest critics of the No on 8 campaign; as well as those who were very involved with it.

Among those I’ve reached out to are political consultants and pollsters. I understand, following the No on 8 loss, the skepticism that many people have about them. I get it. At the same time, it can be helpful to at least consider the thinking of those who have been the most successful at running state-wide initiative campaigns in California and elsewhere. One of the consultants I asked for guidance, Gale Kaufman, led a progressive coalition in defeating Governor Schwarzenegger in 2005 on four initiatives that would have been detrimental to unions, schools, and teachers. Another, Richie Ross, who began his career as an organizer for Cesar Chavez and has won awards for protecting immigrants from xenophobic ballot initiatives and enhancing Latino voting strength, has managed 479 winning election campaigns at every level of local, state and federal government over 37 years.

Of the seven I asked to write something for us, three are openly-LGBT, including two—Sue Burnside and Jill Darling—who are married to their partners, and one—Dave Fleischer—who has developed field strategy for more LGBT ballot initiatives than anyone else in the country, including strategy on some of our most notable wins.

We asked the consultants to give us their best advice, free from any pressure to choose one year over another. I asked a representative group of seven to write up what they were telling me, and why. I wanted our community to hear and benefit from what they have to say.

The two questions I asked them to write about were:

Based on the research and data that is presently available, when do you recommend returning to the ballot to try to overturn Proposition 8: 2010, 2012, or other? On what do you base your conclusion?

What do you believe are the most important steps that the LGBT community and its allies must take to prepare to return to the ballot?

Read their statements:

Read their bios >>

Remember, information is power. The more informed each of us is as we collectively reach a decision and set a path for restoring marriage equality together, the better off we all will be. Therefore, I am sharing this information for the community’s consideration.

The next step from EQCA is for me to share my own best thinking, based on all these inputs, on how and when we should return to the ballot. It will include an approach to a 2010 ballot initiative and a 2012 ballot initiative, and an analysis of both options. Again, your thoughts, feedback, and suggestions are encouraged, both now and as this work progresses.

With deep respect,

Marc
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Posted by George Simpson at 5:24 PM 18 comments
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Go Team Win: an update on EQCA's field program

Post by EQCA Marriage Director Marc Solomon

We are about halfway through the summer, and so we wanted to update the community on our Win Marriage Back: Make it Real! field program.

Our program is based on the two concepts that—in our experience – are most effective in moving voters our way:
  1. Personal persuasion. Sharing why we support marriage equality, face-to-face, person-to-person, in a way that engages people and draws them in.

  2. Organizing locally. Having conversations where people are (at their doors, at local festivals, etc.), preferably from people who live in or near their communities.
I know many of you have gotten to know Amy Mello, our field director. For those of you who haven’t, check out this story about Amy. Amy has been working feverishly to set up a field program that embodies these two principles and measurably moves voters our way. Her mantra is that if you can’t measure it, it didn’t happen.

We started building our field program by, first, listening to activists on the ground who were doing amazing work. Groups like Marriage Equality USA’s San Diego chapter that was out leading canvasses every weekend, the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Vote for Equality program, which was consistently refining and improving a cutting-edge canvass program, and the many other groups around the state actively working in their local areas. We wanted to support and enhance the work on the ground, not replicate it—and certainly not co-opt it (all of which were concerns). So in over a dozen town hall meetings, we listened very carefully to what people were doing, what their concerns were, and how we could support the field efforts.

We then made decisions about where to focus our field work. We looked carefully at the map and decided to station organizers in the places where most of the Yes on 8 votes came from. For example, 23 percent of the Yes vote came from Los Angeles County; 10 percent came from Orange County; and 10 percent came from San Diego County. Check out this map to see what we’re talking about.

We then went about hiring a team of organizers. We were looking for people who had real, grassroots organizing experience. Knocking on doors, talking to voters experience. We wanted organizers who were rooted in their communities. And we wanted a team that was as diverse as California. On all scores, we are exceptionally proud of what Amy has put together. Team Win—which is what our field team calls itself—is truly amazing. We have 18 full-time organizers now on the ground—three in LA; two in Orange County; two in San Diego; two in the Inland Empire; two in Fresno; two in Sacramento; one in the Coachella Valley; two in the South Bay/San Jose area, and two in San Francisco. Thanks to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, we also have on permanent loan our deputy field director, Moof Mayeda. Eight of our 18 organizers are people of color, something we are especially proud of. Meet Team Win here.

Our field program is focused on face-to-face persuasion to change hearts and minds of voters who voted Yes on Proposition 8. The job of our organizers is defined roughly as follows: canvassing—50 percent of the organizers’ time is spent organizing door-to-door canvasses. This entails recruiting volunteers (and confirming and re-confirming them), training them, “cutting the turf”—preparing maps and voter lists to make it easy, debriefing with the volunteers, etc. Another 25 percent of their time is spent talking to voters and potential volunteers at high-traffic areas—festivals, farmers’ markets, shopping centers and the like; And the final 25 percent is spent coalition-building—outreach to supportive churches, labor unions, elected officials, etc., with the goal of expanding the base of volunteers and supporters.

The canvass program we are using is the model developed by Vote for Equality at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, and it’s the most sophisticated canvassing model with which we’ve ever worked. It’s designed with two goals in mind: persuading supportive voters to be even more supportive of marriage equality and testing which messages are most persuasive with undecided and opposed voters.

Rather than simply delivering a message, canvassers are trained to focus on listening to voters as well as sharing their personal story. Early canvassing has revealed three main reasons that people give for voting Yes on 8: religion, children, and tradition/concerns about the word “marriage.” Canvassers are trained to use questions to try to dig deeper at whichever point the voter mentions and coached on using their personal story to respond to voters’ concerns.
Each conversation with an undecided or Yes on Prop. 8 voter is tracked so that we can analyze which messages are working best. After every canvass, the script is updated with the latest lessons learned, and all updates are shared by Vote for Equality with organizers across the state—not only Equality California organizers, but every group that is doing door-to-door work, including Marriage Equality USA, the Courage Campaign, and others.

We of course speak with every voter who answers the door (we only knock on the doors of registered voters). We tell them right off the bat what we’re doing and ask them how they voted on Proposition 8. For those who are already with us, we ask them to volunteer and contribute. But the main focus is to engage those who voted against us. We are working in precincts in which a majority of voters voted Yes on 8, but not an overwhelming majority (50-60 percent). Our supposition is that people who live in more “swing" communities are more likely to be persuadable. We began our canvass program in “swing” turf with 50 – 55% Yes on 8 results and have stepped up the level of opposition turf to 60% in the last two weeks.

We’ve just kicked off the canvassing in each of our field locations. To date, volunteers have completed 347 canvass shifts and have knocked on 8,362 doors. Our average volunteer is achieving 21 door knocks and having 5.74 conversations per shift, and thus far this has totaled 1,992 conversations with voters. Out of these conversations the persuasion rate – the rate at which undecided or opposed voters move their position to reflect increased support – is 22.31%. This reflects an increase of about 4% from our first month of canvassing.

As we’ve added additional field staff and office locations, and as our organizers get used to the canvassing, our capacity is increasing steadily. Last weekend, for instance, we knocked on 2,700 doors with over 120 volunteers participating in 9 canvasses. Two of our canvasses targeted predominantly African-American neighborhoods in South LA and Oakland for the first time. Working with Vote for Equality and the Jordan/Rustin Coalition in Los Angeles, we knocked on over 1,600 doors and achieved a persuasion rate of about 29%. In Oakland the persuasion rate was 39%. These have been our two most successful efforts at persuading voters to date.

Following our conversation, we track exactly where each voter is and what issue is important to her or him. We will then follow up for further discussions and to see if the voter has actually moved. For those who are truly conflicted, we will ask married couples to contact them to share more of their personal stories about why marriage is so important.

Working in Partnership:

At the local level in the field, Equality California is working side-by-side with coalition partners, many of whom have been doing strong field work for a while. In each community where we are working, our local organizer participates in coalitions of locally-based grassroots groups. In fact, many of our organizers were volunteer leaders in these local groups and already had these relationships.

Starting in June, Equality California began jointly organizing the LA canvasses with Vote for Equality, contributing staff resources to work alongside VFE staff to recruit and train volunteers and prepare lists and maps for canvassing. The Jordan / Rustin Coalition, an African-American LGBT group, joined as a partner in the July 11 canvass held in South LA, and other coalition partners, including Equal Roots and Love Honor Cherish, have participated in these events as well.

In San Diego, our canvass program is run jointly with Marriage Equality USA and is an extension of a street canvassing program they had been managing for several months. We are just moving into shared office space with ME USA in San Diego and have been working closely with their volunteer leadership.

Most recently, Equality California has been a proud participant throughout the state in the Get Engaged Tour—whose lead organizer has been ME USA.

Volunteer Recruitment levels:

The make-or-break for our field effort is volunteer recruitment. So far this summer, we’ve recruited 3,811 volunteer shifts. In our phonebanking, about 30 percent of those we reach on the phone are signing up to volunteer. Through volunteer phonebanks, we’ve recorded 18,596 dials and recruited 1,891 shifts. In- person volunteer recruitment shifts (at Prides, on the street, and elsewhere) have been successful in returning about 3.5 volunteers recruited per shift, or a total of 1,289 volunteer sign ups. Our challenge in the upcoming months is to build a larger team of volunteer recruiters in order to maximize the numbers of voters we speak to at our field events (which are now well over a hundred events per month).

Analysis:

The canvass program is working and achieving even better results than anticipated. We have confidence going forward that we’re developing a model that is effective in many communities across the state, given the wide scope of communities in which our organizers are currently working.

With over 150 field actions to date, our on-the-ground efforts are providing numerous opportunities for grassroots activists to do meaningful work that builds a foundation to win marriage back in California.

Our organizers are still in the process of training, setting up offices, and meeting with local leaders. With every meeting, we’re learning more both about what is already happening on the ground and what still needs to be done. While every community is different, one thing is clear across the state: we need more people to join us to change enough hearts and minds to close the gap, one voter at a time.

Can This Really Work?

Some may wonder if we’ll ever win marriage back through field work, speaking to one voter at a time. In my experience, it is a critical piece of building a winning effort for many reasons.

First, even if a voter doesn’t show movement in a first conversation, in many cases, this is the first time they’ve had a real discussion about this issue with an LGBT person or an ally. For many, it will be a conversation starter with their spouse, children, or friends—“you won’t believe who came to the door today, here in Riverside (or Fresno, or Irvine…you name it)….” That’s exactly what we need to crack through long-held positions.

Second, by having an active presence at events, festivals, places where people congregate, especially with local people doing the volunteering, you provoke discussion that otherwise would never happen. “I never knew that Jenny and Jeff’s daughter was lesbian and married…they just told me about it when I ran into them volunteering at the fair.” These are the conversation starters that are invaluable, that actually do change people’s minds, sometimes in one conversation.

Third, by building a strong presence, we show local leaders—electeds, civic leaders, religious leaders, the media, etc., that we truly are everywhere and will be at it until we win marriage back, even in their communities. This, in turn, causes more of them to support us and be more vocal. As Harvey Milk always stressed, it is only through being visible, and engaging people where they are (both geographically and ideologically), that people take us seriously.

Fourth, we are building a cadre of volunteers at the local level who are gaining confidence, every time they do the work, that they can change hearts and minds. So when we go into a referendum campaign, we’ll have experienced, skilled local leaders who are confident media spokespeople, who know how to speak to the issue in a way that their neighbors understand. This is truly invaluable.

One more thing: while local activists are the heart of the local door-to-door efforts, they need help. I can’t tell you what a huge boost it is to our friends who are doing the hard work on the ground in Fresno, San Bernardino, Orange County, and elsewhere to have people from liberal parts of LA, San Francisco, and elsewhere join them. It’s hard work, both physically and emotionally. And for them to know that we’re all in this together makes an enormous difference.

Also, know that we have phonebanks from LA, San Francisco, Palm Springs and elsewhere to recruit volunteers throughout the state, so you can help out even if you can’t make it to a canvass.

Please let us know what you think; give us your ideas; and join in the work!

Marc Solomon
Marriage Director
Equality California
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Posted by George Simpson at 10:04 AM 4 comments
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Thursday, July 16, 2009

From the Field: Santa Barbara Pride


Post by Team Win Orange County field manager Elizabeth Aversa

We had a wonderful time at Santa Barbara Pride on Saturday. Thank you all for coming out.

It was a beautiful, sunny day – of course.

Not only were we serenaded by the music of 80’s icon Tiffany, but also we received over 200 pledges!!

We even got 5 amazing married couples to pose in front of our booth for us!

Take a look at some of our pictures below.







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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 4:40 PM 0 comments

Episcopal bishops give ground on gay bishops, marriage

Just one day after the Episcopal General Convention voted to ordain more openly gay bishops, church leaders compromised over the issue of same-sex unions.

After two days of debate at a convention in Anaheim, Episcopal bishops passed a measure that allows bishops to bless same-sex unions.

While the resolution stops short at establishing an official rite for such unions, it does not rule out the potential for holding same-sex unions in the future.

The measure says that bishops in states “where same-sex marriages, civil unions or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this Church.”

The vague phrasing and the word “may” were included to make it clear that no bishop is required perform a same-sex blessing.

The two gay-friendly measures passed at the convention are expected to elicit even more pressure from conservatives in the global Anglican Communion to cut ties with the Episcopal Church, the American branch.
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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 4:38 PM 0 comments

State of California urges passage of federal hate crimes law

California officially endorsed a federal law combating hate crimes against LGBT individuals today when the state Senate passed the Federal Hate Crimes Resolution with 53-13 vote.

As you may recall, the State Assembly passed a companion measure in June.

Together, the resolutions, sponsored by EQCA, call on the United States Senate to immediately pass the Matthew Shepard Act, which expands the 1969 United States federal hate crimes law to include crimes motivated by a victim's real or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.

"It is time the federal government fulfills its obligation to protect and empower the people of this nation, including LGBT people," said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. "We applaud the U.S. House for passing this necessary legislation and now look to the Senate to immediately do the same."

In April, the U.S. House passed the Matthew Shepard Act by a vote of 249 to 175.

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the legislation tomorrow.

If the bill passes the Senate, it moves to President Obama who can either veto or sign the bill into law. Obama met with Judy Shepherd in May to discuss the legislation named after her slain son and is expected to support the legislation, but there has been no public statement of support or opposition.

Currently California is one of 32 states (including the District of Columbia) where sexual orientation is already included in state hate crimes laws and one of only 11 states where gender identity is included.

EQCA has consistently led efforts to strengthen the state's anti-discrimination laws, including sponsoring legislation like 2004's Omnibus Hate Crimes Act, 2006's Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act, and 2007's Student Civil Rights Act.


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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 4:34 PM 1 comments
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GLAAD targets online gamers

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and a group of gaming companies are holding a free roundtable discussion on the use of gay slurs by online gamers in Redwood City, California.

The panel, titled “Homophobia in Virtual Communities - Highlighting the Problem and Working Towards Sustainable Solutions,” will focus on what gaming companies can do to eradicate the use of slurs, create safe spaces for LGBT people online, and educate gamers on their language use.

Justin Cole, director of digital and online media at GLAAD and the panel moderator, said that this is a prevalent issue among online gamers.

According to a 2006 University of Illinois survey of gay gamers, 52.7 percent of the participants said the gaming community is "somewhat hostile" to LGBT gamers, while 14 percent said "very hostile."

87.7 percent of respondents also reported hearing the phrase, "That's so gay," used by gamers.

Besides Cole, confirmed panelists include: Flynn DeMarco, Founder of GayGamer.net, Dan Hewitt, Senior Director of Communications & Industry Affairs for the Entertainment Software Association, Caryl Shaw, Senior Producer in the Maxis Studio, Cyn Skyberg, VP of Customer Relations at Linden Lab, and Stephen Toulouse, Program Manager for Policy and Enforcement on Microsoft's XBox LIVE.

The event, which is open to the public, will take place on Saturday, July 18 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in 50 Shoreline Drive, Redwood City, CA.

You can RSVP for the event on the GLAAD website.
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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 4:29 PM 0 comments
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Inequality is Messy Business

Post from Alice Kessler, EQCA Government Affairs Director

In the aftermath of the California Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Proposition 8, which eliminated the right to marry for same-sex couples, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community members have been grappling with the injustices and uncertainties the discriminatory ban has created.

Although Proposition 8 has produced an irrational, unequal situation for all same-sex couples, it has left same-sex couples who married outside the state especially confused about their rights. After the marriage ban was left intact, thousands of same-sex couples and their families who had married outside of California were left in the dark – the Court didn’t address how Proposition 8 impacted them.

In order to clarify the rights of same-sex couples married outside the state, Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) introduced the Marriage Recognition and Family Protection Act, SB 54, sponsored by Equality California.

The bill eases the anxieties of LGBT couples and their families by addressing two key issues. First, it confirms that same-sex couples who married outside of California before the passage of Proposition 8 are entitled to full recognition as married spouses, regardless of whether they married in-state or out-of-state. That rule is consistent with existing law, including the California Supreme Court’s holding in In re Marriage Cases that California cannot treat marriages differently based on whether they were performed in-state or out-of-state.

Second, SB 54 underscores that same-sex couples married outside of California after Proposition 8 passed, must be given all of the rights, protections, and responsibilities of spouses under California law, with the sole exception of the designation of “marriage.”

California residents Alex Ingersoll and his husband Martin Tannenbaum, who were married in Massachusetts last September before Proposition 8 passed, testified before the Assembly Judiciary Committee last week urging legislators to support the bill and addressing the uncertainty they’ve faced ever since the ban passed.

“Imagine if you were married in front of your closest friends and family; shared your joy with your neighbors, congregation and co-workers and then were suddenly told your marriage may not be considered valid. Imagine how upset and confused you would feel,” said Ingersoll. He added, “When we heard the CA Supreme Court’s decision [on Proposition 8] in May, we were deeply disappointed that same-sex couples could no longer wed and since came to learn that the court did not include our marriage in their decision.”

The Marriage Recognition and Family Protection Act will help thousands of same-sex couples such as Alex and Martin navigate this fundamentally unfair system in the wake of Proposition 8. Couples who are visiting or who move to California need and deserve to know that their substantive rights are protected, even if they must suffer the indignity of not being designated as “married” by the state.

At the same time, the sheer need for this legislation underscores the absurd situation that Proposition 8 has created in California. The rights of same-sex couples should not depend on whether they married before or after a particular date. Moreover, whether or not a couple is entitled to have their marriage respected by the government should not depend on whether they married before or after a certain date.

We cannot have one set of laws for some Californians, and another set of laws for others. It is nonsensical that some same-sex couples are recognized as married in every respect, including their formal legal status, and others can only be given the rights and responsibilities of marriage but not the designation of “married.” This is an extremely confusing and demeaning situation, and one that should make all Californians ashamed of the mess we have created in this state by denying equality to some families. We are better than this.

Ultimately, to ensure people are truly treated equally under the law, we must restore the freedom to marry for all Californians. Unless same-sex couples are able to marry, Californians will live under an unequal, flawed and arbitrary system where a minority group can be singled out and stripped of its protections and basic humanity.

--Alice

Cross-posted from California Progress Report
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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 9:54 AM 1 comments
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Judy Chu heading to Congress


State Board of Equalization member Judy Chu is headed for a landslide victory in the 32nd Congressional District, located around the San Gabriel Valley.

Chu has always had our back, and has been one of our fiercest and most vocal advocates from the very beginning, pushing pro-LGBT legislation, forging ties between the LGBT and API communities and actively ensuring that LGBT people were treated fairly during her tenure on the Board of Equalization. She never fails to devote her time and resources to our cause, and we couldn’t be more thrilled by her election.

That’s why EQCA is honoring her at our Los Angeles Equality Awards on August 1, along with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and West Hollywood Councilmember John Duran.

Way to go, Judy!
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Posted by George Simpson at 4:11 PM 0 comments
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From the field: Canvassing in South LA

Post by Regional Field Manager Joseph Arroyo and Team Win Los Angeles Get involved >>

We can win marriage back if we continue to see results like we did this past weekend during our South Los Angeles Canvass. Saturday, July 11, Equality California partnered with Vote For Equality, Jordan/Rustin Coalition, Equal Roots, and Stonewall Young Democrats for our first South Los Angeles Canvass.

Watch this video shot by my fellow Team Winner, Mike Ai, and check out some photos from the day, after the jump.




Together we recruited over 70 volunteers and knocked on over 1,500 doors, had 515 conversations with voters, and persuaded 29% of unsupportive/undecided voters to reconsider or support the freedom to marry!

If we continue to make it real for our fellow Californians by having these one-on-one conversations with voters it will only be a matter of time before a majority supports our fundamental rights.

We still need more volunteers out there having conversations like these. Join us at our next canvass Sunday, July 26 in Pasadena from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. This is a day after the Statewide Leadership Conference in the Inland Empire.

Take a look below at some pictures from the successful canvass!



EQCA’s LA Regional Field Manager, Milton Davis leads the lesson on how to talk to voters.


The recruits took at a crash course on canvassing 101.

See more photos from the South LA Canvass >>
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Posted by George Simpson at 1:25 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Civil rights org. threatens removing LA president for supporting same-sex marriage


Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, may remove the president of its Los Angeles chapter because of his support of same-sex marriage.

Rev. Eric P. Lee, president of the SCLC of Greater Los Angeles, has spoken openly in favor of same-sex marriage and participated in last May’s Meet in the Middle rally.

“It was clear to me that any time you deny one group of people the same right that other groups have, that is a clear violation of civil rights and I have to speak up on that,” said Lee to the NYT.

As a result of his public support, the SCLC’s National Board of Directors notified the LGBT ally that he must fly to Atlanta, where the organization is based, and explain why he had taken a position on the issue.

Unable to attend on a short notice, Lee received two letters from the organization’s lawyer, Dexter M. Wimbish, threatening him with suspension or removal as president of the Los Angeles chapter if he did not come.

According to Lee, the tension he faces highlights the lack of outreach done to persuade the religious African-American community to approve of same-sex marriage.

“The black church played a significant role in Proposition 8 passing. The failure of the campaign was to presume that African-Americans would see this as a civil rights issue” said Lee.

EQCA is attempting to address this concern by engaging both the African-American community and people of faith.

Keep an eye on this blog for updates on our outreach to these communities!

Photo credit:  Michal Czerwonka for The New York Times


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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 4:21 PM 1 comments
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From the field: EQCA at Outfest


Post from Team Win Los Angeles Regional Field Manager Joseph Arroyo

At this year’s Outfest, EQCA was a community partner at the screening of the moving documentary Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement, so I was given the opportunity to reach out to members of the audience and ask them to get involved in our work.

This is a beautiful film is about a lesbian couple’s enduring love and quest for marriage equality. After 42 years of partnership, the two finally tie the knot once one of the women is diagnosed with a life threatening disease.

Let me tell you, by the closing credits there was not a dry eye in the theater! You may think you know this story and have heard it before, but the connection between these two is unparalleled.

Ultimately, the film reminds me why working to win back marriage is so important, and that there is a level of recognition that only comes through the word marriage.

Watch the trailer the below.




Outfest is one of oldest, largest and most respected LGBT film festivals in the world. Closing night is this Sunday.
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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 4:19 PM 0 comments
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From the field: EQCA canvasses in the South Bay


Post from Team Win South Bay/San Jose Regional Field Manager Chris Riley

This weekend staffers and volunteers from EQCA hit the pavement in the South Bay to start conversations about same sex marriage.

Our group canvassed in Milpitas, a city north of San Jose that had been overlooked in previous campaigns.

Volunteers engaged individuals in a conversation on the issue of same-sex marriage, and we particularly sought those who had previously voted yes on Prop 8.

Read one volunteer’s great account of his time volunteering with Team Win South Bay/San Jose.
I was even quoted in the news!

"We've been going door-to-door in LA for about the past six months, but here in the South Bay we just started going door-to-door this weekend. It puts a face on the issue. An email is very impersonal." More >>

Volunteer with Team Win >>


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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 4:14 PM 0 comments
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Going Back to the Ballot—Update from Marc Solomon


Yesterday, a number of organizations—led by people of color LGBT organizations—issued a statement entitled Prepare to Prevail: Why We Must Wait in Order to Win, which made the case that we are not ready to return to the ballot in November 2010, and recommitted to the work to move voters our way. The American Civil Liberties Union put out a statement making the case that benchmarks be established before a date for returning to the ballot is set.

In response, Love Honor Cherish issued a statement of its own entitled Why We Cannot Wait, arguing that we should return to the ballot in 2010.

We thought this was a good opportunity to share our present thinking.

In late May, we told the community that, preliminarily, based on all we knew at the time, we believed we should return to the ballot in 2010. We also promised that we would not go back to the ballot on our own, but only together with coalition partners. And we said that, before we concluded what the right timing was, we would perform extensive “due diligence,” speaking with and listening to our coalition partners, volunteers in the field, donors, political consultants, pollsters, and many others. As we said in late May, a roadmap to victory includes:
  • A realistic and executable fundraising plan. We must be able to raise between $25 and $50 million, with a good portion of that coming early on in the campaign when much of the persuasion work needs to be done.
  • A governance structure that works. We need a campaign structure that engenders the confidence of the community and balances the need for inclusive representation with the need to act decisively and quickly.
  • A winnable campaign plan. Polling shows that we have approximately the same level of support for marriage equality as we did when Proposition 8 passed. We need to know that if we can raise the funds and have a solid governance structure, we have a well-thought out program of how we are going to prevail.
  • A commitment to doing the hard work. In order to move enough people to win, we must be out speaking to voters who are not yet with us, relentlessly. Tomorrow we will report on the results of our field efforts to date.

Our threshold has always been that we want to go back to the ballot at the earliest time that we have a strong chance of prevailing.

Throughout the state, our community has been having lively discussions and debate about when and how to return to the ballot. Equality California has joined Marriage Equality USA and a number of other coalition partners on the Get Engaged Tour, which solicits grassroots feedback on what the next initiative campaign should look like and when it should take place. The results of the Get Engaged Tour are being compiled by ME USA and will be shared with community leaders at the July 25 Community Leadership Summit in San Bernardino.

Information is power. We all owe it to ourselves to be as informed as possible as we develop our opinion about what we think is the best time to go back to the ballot.

To assist the community in reaching a decision, Equality California has asked several well-respected political consultants who represent different perspectives to provide us with answers to the following two questions:
Based on your professional experience with ballot initiatives and the research and data that is presently available, when do you recommend returning to the ballot to try to overturn Proposition 8: 2010, 2012, or other? On what do you base your conclusion?

What do you believe are the most important steps that the LGBT community and its allies must take to prepare to return to the ballot?

Each of the people below has generously volunteered to provide responses within the week, and we will post them when we receive them. We will also submit them to ME USA for inclusion in the Get Engaged Tour results.

  • Mark Armour, Armour Media, who served as Al Gore’s press secretary, leads an LA-based progressive media and political consulting firm. Armour has successfully led ballot initiative campaigns to require the generation of more clean energy and to tax tobacco companies to support early childhood development in California.

  • Sue Burnside, Burnside & Associates, is a Los Angeles-based grassroots/field consultant. Her firm, the first national field-consulting firm in the country, specializes in sophisticated grassroots field operations, turnout programs, ground-based vote-by-mail programs and coalition building. Burnside co-chairs the National Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund's Campaign Board. The Victory Fund is dedicated to electing openly LGBT officials to office.

  • Rick Claussen, Partner, Goddard Claussen is among the most respected and successful Republican consultants in California. His firm has won 93% of its statewide ballot issue campaigns in California and many other states.

  • Jill Darling served as Associate Director of the award-winning Los Angeles Times Poll and the Times/Bloomberg Poll from 1988 until the Times Poll was disbanded in 2008. She has national, state and local election exit polling expertise, after two decades of designing samples, questionnaires, and analysis models for primaries, general elections and absentee voter polls. Formerly president of the Pacific Association of Public Opinion Researchers, she is currently working on a history of gay-related legislation in California.

  • Dave Fleischer. For many years, Dave was Director of Organizing and Training for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. In that role, Fleischer played a lead part in devising strategy on literally dozens of LGBT-related ballot initiatives. Fleischer is now advising the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center’s Vote for Equality canvass project, the most extensive door-to-door effort on marriage equality in California.

  • Gale Kaufman, President, Kaufman Campaign Consultants, a Sacramento-based Democratic political consultant, was awarded, in March 2006, the coveted “National Campaign Manager of the Year” by the American Association of Political Consultants for leading the coalition that defeated all four of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Special Election Initiatives in November 2005. She represents many unions including California’s largest union, the California Teachers’ Association, and is known as one of the most formidable ballot campaign specialists in California.

  • Richie Ross is one of the most revered Democratic political consultants in Sacramento. A former aide to Cesar Chavez and organizer for the United Farm Workers, Ross ran the successful Proposition 98 campaign that guarantees schools a certain percentage of tax revenues. He was top adviser and consultant to former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, a long-time leader on immigration-related initiatives, a top adviser to many Latino candidates and has one of California’s most successful records of winning elections over the last 30 years.

We also want to know what you think. We invite your comments both now and as their statements are posted. Please leave us your feedback and questions, and know that we’re keeping everyone’s perspective in mind as we weigh out this tough decision.
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Posted by George Simpson at 11:29 AM 40 comments
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Monday, July 13, 2009

Meet my friend Regina Benjamin, your next Surgeon General

Post by EQCA Marriage Director Marc Solomon

I was riding on the exercise bike this morning, watching the Sotomayor hearings on TV, when I saw that President Obama had selected Dr. Regina Benjamin as Surgeon General. I was deeply, deeply moved.

Regina is a friend, and someone I hold in incredibly high esteem. I had the great fortune of participating in a two-year fellowship with Regina, through the Rockefeller Foundation, called Next Generation Leadership (LA City Council President Eric Garcetti was among the 24 people in our cohort). We traveled the country, and the world, exploring and discussing different aspects of American democracy. We came to LA to look at immigration; to Mississippi to examine race and poverty; and South Africa to consider the profound issues facing that new democracy with such an awful past.

At the time, Regina was running a rural health clinic in her native Alabama. She was serving patients who were the poorest of the poor. She was also the first African-American woman to be president of a state medical association, having served as chair of the Alabama Medical Association.

I’ll never forget the emails Regina sent right after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the clinic in 2005. Very matter-of-fact; never filled with pity; but the facts themselves were just devastating. Regina is exceptionally determined, and she figured out a way to get it rebuilt. Then, heartbreakingly, it burned down just before it re-opened.

Not one who engages in small-talk, Regina is a passionate advocate for the health and well-being of all, and especially those who have had a rougher go at it.

And she is a strong advocate for equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. At a time when I was just figuring out what role I wanted to play, Regina was a quiet yet forceful support to me as I decided to take a more public role advocating for our community.

I can’t think of a better choice. Our community, and all of us, are lucky indeed.

Marc Solomon
Marriage Director
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Posted by George Simpson at 3:38 PM 0 comments
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Friday, July 10, 2009

Friday round-up of California LGBT news: Wanda Sykes, Steve Pougnet, Rockstar, Outfest...

:: Fundraising is gearing up in the US Congressional race between out Palm Springs mayor Steve Pougnet and incumbent Mary Bono Mack. (Advocate)

:: Equality California Institute Board Member Wanda Sykes interviewed by Texas newspaper about headlining True Colors tour, coming out and her work on LGBT issues. (DallasVoice)

:: Conflict between Rockstar energy drink and bloggers finally over? We shall see. (Bilerico)

:: Premiere LGBT film festival Outfest begins tonight in Los Angeles. (Outfest)
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Posted by George Simpson at 1:24 PM 1 comments
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Anti-LGBT group ramps up efforts to stop Harvey Milk Day

Infamous anti-LGBT leader Randy Thomasson just sent the members of his group an offensive email calling SB 572 a “horrible bill” and urging them to contact the governor and their legislators through any means possible—email, fax, phone—to try to stop it.

You can help end this madness and make sure the governor doesn’t cave to their pressure. Call the governor’s office at 916.445.2841 and sign our petition.

Let’s not let this be the message that rules the day:
“I'm asking you to take renewed action to protect the minds, hearts and souls of innocent children. Protect them from "Harvey Milk Gay Day," which would openly indoctrinate kids to make them think that the "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender" (LGBT) agenda is good and natural and maybe even for them.”

LGBT students are more likely to face bullying and contemplate suicide, and California would only benefit from this non-fiscal day of commemoration for one of our state’s boldest and bravest leaders.
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Posted by George Simpson at 1:20 PM 0 comments
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Thursday, July 9, 2009

Prop 8 author using illegal fundraising tactics in Assembly campaign?

The political campaign of Prop 8 architect, Andrew Pugno, has been receiving even more scrutiny.

As we reported last month, Andrew Pugno is running for the California Assembly in 2010. The adamantly anti-gay rights attorney is seeking to represent the 5th Assembly district, an area that covers parts of Sacramento and Placer counties.

Now questions about illegal fundraising tactics have surfaced.

Pugno’s campaign has collected a quarter of a million dollars from utilizing mailing lists of Yes on 8 contributors.

Fundraising emails for Pugno were signed by Ron Prentice, president of ProtectMarriage.com, and featured a Yes on 8 logo and header.

The e-mail "appears to violate the Protectmarriage.com's stated privacy policy," wrote blogger Justin McLachlan, believing "it could all lead to a violation of California's Online Privacy Protection Act."

Executive Director Geoff Kors had this to say:

"The last thing the Legislature needs is an anti-equality extremist who is trying to build a political career for himself by denying others the same rights he enjoys. EQCA's PAC looks forward to endorsing and supporting a candidate who supports equality for all their constituents."
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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 3:22 PM 1 comments
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Long Beach Councilman Proposes Equal Benefits Ordinance

First District City Councilman Robert Garcia wants Long Beach to only offer city contracts to companies that provide equal spousal benefits packages for straight and gay employees.

At next Tuesday's council meeting Garcia is requesting that the city attorney draft an equal benefits ordinance.

"Everyone deserves equal treatment in the workplace," said Garcia, one of two openly gay council members.

While the state of California already has an equal benefits ordinance in place, the new piece of legislation would apply to municipal contracts.

Other cities with similar ordinances include Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, San Francisco, Portland and Minneapolis. According to Garcia, "This is an important step forward for equality and civil rights in Long Beach."

San Francisco passed one of the first equal benefits ordinances in the world, thanks in part to the hard work of EQCA’s Geoff Kors. This is the same ordinance that is at the center around the current See’s Candy closure in SF.

The legislation would make an exception in the case of a public emergency or if there are too few companies that offer a particular service.


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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 3:19 PM 0 comments
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Bill that addresses status of out-of-state same-sex marriage passes committee

Today a bill that seeks to address the ambiguous status of out-of-state same-sex marriages in California passed its first Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing today by a 7-3 vote. Introduced by state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and sponsored by EQCA, the legislation would provide definitive answers to the legal limbo such couples are currently experiencing.

When same-sex marriage became legal last summer, marriages performed outside the state were also recognized as valid.

But unlike the 18,000 same-sex couples that received California marriage licenses, there was no mechanism for out-of-state couples to register their newly legal marriages.

Then there was that whole Prop 8 fiasco.

While the California Supreme Court determined that the same-sex marriages performed prior to November 5, 2008 were valid, the Court also claimed that it was not within their power to address whether same-sex couples married in another jurisdiction were entitled to have their marriage recognized in California.

In response to this injustice, Senator Leno wrote Senate Bill 54, a law that would make same-sex marriages performed outside of California before Prop 8 recognized as valid.

The legislation would also ensure that out-of-state same-sex marriages from this point forward would receive the same benefits as married couples, but they would not have the title of marriage.

The bill is co-authored by the three other members of the LGBT Legislative Caucus: Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego), Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), and John A. Perez (D-Los Angeles).
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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 3:12 PM 0 comments
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Marc Solomon on the Masshachusetts challenge to DOMA


Thank You, Martha!

Early last year, I—along with my colleagues from Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders—met with the Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, with whom I’d worked very closely during the marriage battles. We talked about two items—enlisting her support for a transgender non-discrimination bill (which she did right away!) and encouraging her to sue the federal government over the Defense of Marriage Act.

I saw her briefly at an event this past May and she told me to expect a surprise very soon. My fingers were crossed. Well, today I—and all friends of LGBT equality—got a wonderful surprise. On behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, she challenged DOMA in federal court—the first time a state has ever done so.

Her case is simple, and actually quite conservative. Marriage has always been the province of the states—until DOMA was enacted. Why should big brother Uncle Sam not respect some of the marriages performed in Massachusetts and recognized by Massachusetts law? Are the conservative defenders of DOMA really prepared to argue that Washington knows better than the Commonwealth of Massachusetts what’s best for MA’s citizens?

Coakley is an impassioned advocate of equality. I remember so poignantly her talk to the Massachusetts Democratic Party a couple of years ago when she addressed the issue of marriage equality. She talked about how she married later in life and didn’t have children. But, she said, her vision is of a society where her children could marry the person they love, whether that person turned out to be a man or a woman, and that that decision would be respected, valued and appreciated equally, either way.

Thank you, Martha Coakley, for standing up for equality.

Marc Solomon
Marriage Director

Photo: Bay Windows/Marilyn Humphries
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Posted by George Simpson at 6:11 PM 1 comments
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See’s Candies: Letters Show Noncompliance with Equal Benefits Ordinance

I have been working the phones this morning to dig up some more information on the reason behind See’s Candies closing its Union Square store. I’ve been able to obtain some public record letters on the store’s lease renewal and statements from the company and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.

Thanks to everyone who gave us feedback on our original post and to the other bloggers covering the issue. It continues to appear that See’s Candies chose to end the lease with the city on its Union Square branch rather than fully comply with the city’s Equal Benefits Ordinance, which requires that companies provide the same benefits for domestic partners as they do for married couples. This policy was originally orchestrated by EQCA’s Geoff Kors in 1996 and has provided the basis for similar ordinances across the country.

Please see below for the statements and letters. We’ll update you with any new information that comes in.

****************************

Below are the two letters on the public record. The first letter, from the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, documents the company’s failure to comply with the Equal Benefits Ordinance. It appears that See’s Candies was either not in compliance with the city’s requirements for equal protection, or unwilling to demonstrate the proper documentation. The second, from See’s Candies to the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department (which oversaw the contract for the store), shows a decision to end the lease rather than comply with the ordinance.



The San Francisco Human Rights Commission also sent us a statement. There are still some questions left unanswered about the benefits enjoyed by See’s union employees. Note the Commission’s willingness to continue working with the company.
Thank you for contacting us to discuss the Equal Benefits compliance status of See's Candies. Please note that in addition to Equal Benefits issues there may be other reasons that we are not aware of that caused See's Candies to vacate the kiosk in Union Square.

The San Francisco Equal Benefits Ordinance requires companies that have leases with or provide goods or services to the City and County of San Francisco to offer the same benefits to employees with spouses and employees with domestic partners. Domestic partners are defined as same-sex and opposite-sex couples who are registered with any state or local domestic partner registry. To comply with the Equal Benefits Ordinance, contractors must submit a declaration of their employee benefits and provide supporting documentation that demonstrates that domestic partners are receiving the same benefits as spouses.

The Human Rights Commission worked with See's Candies last year with the goal of completing the Equal Benefits compliance process. We were unable to make a determination of compliance because See's Candies did not provide a complete set of employee benefit information. See's Candies expressed concern that the documentation for their employees who receive their benefits through collective bargaining agreements would be insufficient. Information about the benefits that are provided to their non-union employees was also incomplete.

The Human Rights Commission remains willing to assist See's Candies in completing the Equal Benefits compliance process whenever they choose to proceed.

Please contact me or Larry Brinkin, 415-252-2510, if you have further questions that we can help with.

Warm regards,
Tamra
________________________
Tamra Winchester
Contract Compliance Officer
City & County of San Francisco
Human Rights Commission

A representative from See’s sent us the following statement today. It is the same statement that was previously distributed on the See’s Candies in San Francisco blog and elsewhere:
See's Candies was mentioned in an article in the San Francisco Examiner written by Katie Worth that was published on June 20, 2009. We first learned of the article on Monday June 22nd. The article is factually untrue and the inaccuracies were addressed with the Examiner which prompted them to edit the story. For years See's Candies has provided domestic partner benefits including health insurance, with some of these benefits negotiated in labor agreements with unions representing See's workers. These benefits continue to be offered today to union and non-union employees of See's. Recently, our Union Square location lease was taken over by the City of San Francisco who has additional requirements for benefits beyond those offered by See's. As any change to the benefits offered would require opening all related union contracts for negotiation, and the added benefits required were relatively minor and not consistent with our overall benefit plan, See's attempted to seek a compromise with the City on its required benefit package. Unable to agree, and not wishing to renegotiate the union benefits offered to a single store in San Francisco, we elected to not renew our Union Square lease when it expired. See's was not "evicted", and we do offer health and welfare coverage for domestic partners on the same basis as for spouses. The allegations in the article were not discussed with See's prior to the article being run.

Thank you for your interest in See's Candies.

Diane Ihrig
See's Candies
Consumer Affairs Department

We asked Diane via email for the name of the union to which the employees belonged. She responded, “I’m sorry, I do not have that information available to share with you.” We called UFCW Local 648 and they confirmed they had represented the store’s employees.  
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Posted by George Simpson at 1:51 PM 11 comments
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Team Win goes to LA Black Pride

This holiday weekend, Team Win Los Angeles went to support At the Beach – Black Pride for a day of fun in the sun, signing up volunteers and talking to folks about winning marriage back.

--Joseph, Mike and Milton


Milton from Team Win LA


Mike Ai with a Team Win LA Volunteer
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Posted by George Simpson at 1:28 PM 0 comments
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Anti-LGBT organization making a fuss about EQCA legislation

Focus on the Family is trying to rile up its rank and file to oppose three key pieces of EQCA’s 2009 legislative agenda.

In a characteristic bit of sensationalism, Ron Prentice, CEO of the California Family Council (a state organization affiliated with Focus on the Family), described these bills as “a direct assault on California families.”

We beg to differ.

Prop 8 was the real assault on California families, creating confusion and legal ambiguity for same-sex couples and their children. SB 54, one of the bills cited, helps clarify the status of couples married out of state, but is only a temporary fix until Prop 8 is ultimately overturned.

As for the other two, SB 572 establishes Harvey Milk Day to celebrate the achievements of a real California hero, and SB 543 allows youth to seek potentially life-saving counseling without being outed to their parents.
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Posted by George Simpson at 1:17 PM 0 comments
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Slain San Diego soldier’s family comes to town, seeking answers

The family of gay Navy Seaman August Provost has come to San Diego to seek answers about their son’s murder at Camp Pendleton and to participate in a memorial yesterday.

The National Center For Lesbian Rights has joined EQCA and other groups in calling for a thorough investigation to determine any possible hate-motivation.
“At a time when our nation most needs talented service members, August Provost was serving his country honorably and with dedication. There is a significant basis for concern that he was targeted and murdered based on his sexual orientation. The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy marks LGBT service members as inferior and sends a message that they are unable to serve this nation with honor and distinction. Seaman Provost’s death may have been preventable and the military has a profound responsibility to investigate and learn the true circumstances. The loss of Navy Seaman Provost is a deeply upsetting tragedy and we call upon the military to conduct a thorough investigation into this unthinkable act of violence and to do everything possible to protect the health and safety of our men and women serving our country from this senseless violence.” –Kate Kendell, NCLR’s Executive Director

EQCA is sponsoring a Senate resolution to call for DADT to be overturned. As long as our military continues to discriminate against LGBT servicemembers, the possibility of anti-LGBT hate crimes within the military will remain a looming threat.

There will also be a candle light vigil Friday.
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Posted by George Simpson at 1:12 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Chris Mason and His Drive for Equality

Post from EQCA Marriage Director Marc Solomon

This July 4th weekend, one of my favorite people in the world came to town. Chris Mason, a queer activist from Boston, stopped by Los Angeles on his Driving Equality tour. Chris is visiting 48 states in 107 days, interviewing LGBTQ people across the country in an effort to raise awareness of the various forms of discrimination faced by our community in each state of the nation. After he finishes, he’s going to produce a documentary film about the trip.

Lots of people have big ideas but for most people, they stay just that—ideas. Chris is different. As much as anyone I know, he is focused on—and motivated by—social justice. When he has a big idea that will help people (especially queer people), he goes for it. Chris worked for MassEquality in several jobs, and I pushed him hard to go back to college (he calls me his gay mom). Now, he’s halfway through a great program at Tufts University. A proud gay mom I am!

While in LA, Chris interviewed me about the efforts to win marriage back. He also spoke with West Hollywood councilmember and EQCA president emiritus John Duran about his years of activism in LA, and with EQCA’s health network coordinator Daniel Gould about the work to promote the health of LGBT people in California.

Check out our interviews as well as the website (my favorite interview is one that Chris did with Shirley Phelps-Roper of the infamous Fred Phelps clan in Kansas [day 24, on page 3]). You can follow Chris in his sojourn through the country, and you can even see exactly where his Driving Equality van is.

Here’s to Chris and others like him who are not afraid to take a big idea to advance human rights, and just go for it—in this case, a long, long way!


Marc Solomon
Marriage Director

Interview with West Hollywood Councilmember, former Mayor and EQCA President emeritus, John Duran



Interview with EQCA Marriage Director Marc Solomon



Interview with EQCA Health and Human Services Network Coordinator Daniel Gould
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Posted by George Simpson at 6:10 PM 0 comments
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California LGBT news round-up

An open congressional seat in the Bay Area turns competitive as the lieutenant governor, two state lawmakers, a decorated openly gay Iraqi war veteran and a former newspaper reporter enter the race.


The Prop 8 case that has brought together the lawyers from Bush v. Gore received the green light from a federal judge in San Francisco. According to attorney Theodore Olson, "When it does get to the U.S. Supreme Court, we expect to win." 


The New York Times Magazine performs an extensive profile of the candidates running to be California’s next governor.


A group of LGBT activists waved a 300-foot rainbow flag in front of a Prop 8-supporting church in the San Diego area and received a surprising response from those inside. 



California Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-SF) has pledged to increase state funding for Colin Powell again calls for the discriminatory law to be reviewed. 

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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 4:57 PM 0 comments
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Vigil in SD for slain Navy sailor

On Friday, July 10 there will be a candle light vigil at Camp Pendleton in memory of Seaman August Provost.

Provost, a 29-year-old gay sailor, was found dead in a Camp Pendleton guard shack last week.

The vigil begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be located at 1328 North Pacific Coast Highway.

A carpool will leave from the San Diego LGBT Center in Hillcrest at 5:30 p.m.

EQCA is calling for a thorough investigation into the death to see if the attack had a homophobic or racist motivation. While authorities have not yet identified this as a hate crime, the military’s discriminatory ban on out service-members can make it risky to come forward with allegations of harassment until it’s too late, and may make this investigation much harder to carry out.


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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 4:54 PM 0 comments
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CA budget cuts will hurt LGBT people and their children

To deal with a $26.3 million budget deficit the California government plans to cut back on several programs that will impact the LGBT community.

In response, UCLA’s Williams Institute, an organization dedicated to the advancement of sexual orientation law and public policy through independent research, released a study. Based off figures from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the research shows that cuts to Medi-Cal, Food Stamps, and CalWORKS will be the most devastating to LGBT people.

According to the 2007 CHIS, 12% of California’s LGBT population receives Medi-Cal benefits. Cuts to Medi-Cal will therefore affect approximately 88,000 LGBT adults and 25,000 children.

Reductions in the funding for Food Stamps will affect 26,000 LGBT individuals, while cuts to CalWorks, a program that provides temporary financial assistance and employment to families, will impact 17,000 in the community.

Contact your legislators to ensure that HIV/AIDS programs do not face budget cuts or to sign up to receive action alerts from EQCA.

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Posted by Christopher Mangum-James at 4:48 PM 0 comments
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Monday, July 6, 2009

Candy company chooses closure over equality

Famous chocolate vendor See’s Candy chose to close one of its most prominent and historic outposts in Union Square, the heart of San Francisco, rather than comply with the city’s nondiscrimination requirements.

See’s Candy refuses to offer equal benefits to LGBT employees, which makes it ineligible to renew its lease from the city under San Francisco’s 1996 landmark equal benefits law. Originated and orchestrated by EQCA’s own Geoff Kors, it was one of the first ordinances of its kind, and inspired similar measures across the country.
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Posted by George Simpson at 1:37 PM 5 comments
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From the field: “Big Hair Bingo” OC Fundraiser

Post by Team Win Orange County field manager Elizabeth Aversa

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to thank all of you who came out to support us and ThinkofMe.org at our “Big Hair Bingo” fundraiser yesterday. It was a total blast! The OC Register has posted some great pics from the event, so check them out.

To get more involved in the equality movement in Orange County, go to http://www.eqca.org/volunteer/occ.

Photo: Ana Venegas/Orange County Register
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Posted by George Simpson at 1:30 PM 0 comments
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Family blames military for San Diego soldier's death

In what some are saying is a coverup of an anti-LGBT hate crime, reports are emerging of a gay soldier stationed at San Diego's Camp Pendleton found dead, who had been complaining of harrassment to his family and boyfriend.

He went to the Navy to serve and protect,” said the young man's mother, “he didn’t get protected at all.”

Incidents like these illuminate the potentially deadly costs of discriminatory polices like Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Service-members often don't come forward with allegations of abuse or harrassment in fear of being outed and facing discharge.

EQCA is sponsoring legislation authored by Senator Christine Kehoe which would call for DADT to be repealed. SJR 9 is a California resolution in support of the Military Readiness Act, a bill before the US Congress that would end the ban on serving openly once and for all.

SJR 9 already passed the Senate Veterans Affairs Committe on June 23.

DADT has been in the spotlight in recent weeks, with an Orange County mission critical Arabic linguist, Lt. Daniel Choi, fired for coming out last Tuesday, in addition to the thousands our military has already lost. The administration has said it's committed to repeal, but is vague on the details.

Hopefully at the very least the family of Navy Seaman August Provost III will see justice for their son.
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Posted by George Simpson at 8:26 AM 0 comments
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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office flooded with calls to stop Harvey Milk Day Bill


They are opposing SB 572 (sponsored by Mark Leno), a bill that would designate May 22 as an official state day to commemorate Milk's birthday and lasting impact on California and the world.

We must fight back to preserve the Legacy of Harvey Milk!

Please, pick up the phone and call the Governor's office right now. Follow the prompts to support SB 572 (Leno), the Harvey Milk Day bill.

  1. Dial (916) 445-2841.
  2. Press 1 to continue in English.
  3. Press 2 to voice your opinion on legislation.
  4. Press 1 to voice your opinion on SB 572, the Harvey Milk Day Bill.
  5. Press 1 to support the legislation.
Calling takes less than a minute--you don't even have to talk to anyone.

We KNOW that he’s been getting lots of calls about this, because he’s devoted a special line to it—and we have every reason to assume the calls have been coming from the other side.

Next step, make sure you and everyone you know has signed our petition: www.eqca.org/harveymilkday.

Over 30,000 people already have, and they’ve included some powerful stories with their signatures. Add yours!
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Posted by George Simpson at 12:07 PM 9 comments
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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Federal Prop 8 challenge goes before judge tomorrow

Veteran LGBT journalist Karen Ocamb sets the scene. Some say the outcome is unpredictable, but we’re all hoping for the best. Prop 8 is fundamentally unfair, and should be considered a violation of both the California and federal constitutions.

In my humble opinion, the extremely unique and confusing situation created by Prop 8, where no one knows exactly where they stand, calls for an immediate injunction. Prop 8 should be suspended until it’s finally repealed.

However, an injunction is looking unlikely for now.
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Posted by George Simpson at 2:53 PM 2 comments
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Lt. Daniel Choi to be discharged


Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell continues to undermine our military, as an Army National Guard review board in Syracuse yesterday recommended mission critical Arabic linguist Lt. Daniel Choi be discharged for coming out.

The Orange County native has been at the center of the current push to repeal DADT, which includes a pending EQCA-sponsored Senate resolution authored by Christine Kehoe that would call for the repeal of the discriminatory ban on lesbian and gay soldiers.

The president himself has called the ban a national security threat, but some have criticized Obama for refusing to issue a stop-loss order blocking firings until DADT is repealed by Congress.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is reportedly mulling ways to selectively enforce the law in a more “humane” way.

Discrimination like this continues to make a complicated mess for everyone.
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Posted by George Simpson at 1:38 PM 5 comments
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HIV/AIDS funding action alert: “lives still on the line”


At the beginning of June it was looking like urgent HIV/AIDS services that the lives of many Californians depend on--that health advocates worked tirelessly for years to secure--were on the chopping block.

Thanks to the sustained actions of outraged Californians, including protests across the state, contacting legislators, awareness-building and direct lobbying, a broad coalition of HIV/AIDS groups was able to strike a life-saving deal, for now.

EQCA members were among those who took a stand, sending thousands of letters to their representatives through EQCA’s Action Center.

Last week, California’s Democratic lawmakers presented a budget that will enable over 35,000 low-income Californians living with HIV/AIDS to keep their life-saving medication.

But, additional cuts to programs for those most in need—including funding for these drugs—are still possible. Legislators and the governor have yet to agree to the current budget.

Visit EQCA's Action Center to take action and email your legislators right now.

Urge them to keep provisions that protect essential HIV/AIDS programs.
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Posted by George Simpson at 1:33 PM 0 comments
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