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A pamphlet set to be distributed by the California secretary of state warns voters that if they do not pass Proposition 8 in November to constitutionally define marriage between one man and one woman, thay will face an unexpected consequence: children as young as kindergarten will be subject to mandatory teaching on the virtues of homosexual marriage. Opponents of Proposition 8 are calling the education argument a smokescreen, a scare tactic and a fabrication. Supporters, however, are saying it addresses a reality Californians will face if voters don't stand up and insist on a constitutional, traditional definition of marriage. Randy...

'They've given us no choice but to be married forever,' says a Rhode Island woman. Her state doesn't recognize gay marriage, and the state where she was wed limits divorces to residents. PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- On the morning of May 26, 2004, Cassandra Ormiston and her long-time partner Margaret Chambers arose early, hopped in the car and raced across the border into Massachusetts. Then-Gov. Mitt Romney, a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage, had already ordered some Massachusetts cities to stop issuing marriage licenses to gay couples who lived outside the state, and Ormiston and Chambers hoped to get to nearby...

LAPD Police Chief William J. Bratton has come out -- in favor of gay marriage. As a wedding gift to friend and celebrity publicist Howard Bragman and his longtime partner, Chuck O'Donnell, Bratton made it official: He and his wife, former Court TV diva Rikki Kleiman, strongly believe that gays have a right to marry. And in honor of Bragman and O'Donnell, who wed this past week in Norwalk, the chief and Kleiman have made a donation to Equality California, a group seeking to stop a state ballot measure this November that would ban same-sex marriages. "The Constitution guarantees life,...

The Democratic National Committee is actively working to foil the campaign to ban same-sex "marriage" in California. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) contributed $25,000 on February 28 to Equality for All for the purpose of opposing the proposed California marriage protection amendment known as Proposition 8. Equality for All is a homosexual group that pledges to defeat Prop 8 "one voter at a time." According to the group, "a loss in November will dramatically slow, if not halt, progress toward full equality for LGBT Americans." Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs with Liberty Counsel, argues that the DNC is slipping...

Californians are likely to support same-sex marriage in the coming November election, suggests to an opinion poll released Friday. According to the Field Poll, 51% of California voters surveyed said they would oppose Proposition 8, a ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, thus banning same-sex marriage. Forty-one percent of voters surveyed said they would vote "yes" on the measure, according to the statewide survey that was completed this week. Those results are nearly identical to findings of a Field Poll in May that found 51% of Californian voters...

Fifty-one percent of likely voters in the state oppose Proposition 8 on the November ballot, a constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage by defining marriage as only between a man and woman, according to a Field Poll released today. The poll shows voters are divided by where they live, their age, gender and political party. For Prop. 8: "I see nothing wrong with gay marriage. It's only controversial to narrow-minded people. ... I think the opposition (to same-sex marriage) has to do with being close-minded about homosexuality. Or maybe people are afraid of it."

SAN FRANCISCO – The California Supreme Court refused Wednesday to take up a case by gay rights advocates that sought to keep a same-sex marriage ban off the November ballot. The justices' unanimous decision to reject the petition means that barring further legal action, voters will consider a constitutional amendment that would again limit marriage in California to a union between a man and a woman. If it passes, the amendment, known as Proposition 8, would overrule the Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the state as of June 16. “This was a frivolous lawsuit. It was a...

SAN FRANCISCO -- The state Supreme Court refused today to remove a proposed ban on same-sex marriage from the November ballot. The initiative, Proposition 8, is a state constitutional amendment that would overturn the court's May 15 ruling allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry in California. Gay-rights advocates sued June 19 to block a vote on Prop. 8, arguing that the measure would destroy fundamental rights that can't legally be abolished by an initiative.

Many Californians applauded the state Supreme Court decision to allow same-sex couples to marry. Hundreds more raced to have their partnerships officially recognized by the state. But now, same-sex newlyweds in both California and Massachusetts are facing a different battle: being counted. The U.S. Census Bureau, reacting to the federal Defense of Marriage Act and similar mandates, will edit responses from same-sex couples who marry legally in California and Massachusetts for the 2010 census, changing their responses from "married" to "unmarried partner." The move has infuriated some LGBT civil-rights groups. "This is not an acceptable way to count same-sex couples,"...

US Christian group boycotts McDonald's for association with gay organisation Elana Schor in Washington guardian.co.uk, Tuesday July 15, 2008 The US Christian group that pressured Heinz to pull an UK commercial featuring two men kissing is now targeting McDonald's, accusing the fast-food chain of refusing "to remain neutral in the culture war". The American Family Association began a boycott campaign against McDonald's in response to the company's membership in the Washington-based National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

The Massachusetts Senate today passed a bill that would repeal a 1913 state law that prevents gay and lesbian couples from most other states from marrying in Massachusetts. The bill, which had the support of Senate President Therese Murray, passed with no objections on a voice vote. Proponents of the repeal called the 1913 law archaic and discriminatory. "There are very few laws on the books that I can say that I'm ashamed that they're on the books," said State Senator Mark Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat. He said he opposed the law because of the "immorality of discrimination." "This...

The irony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) wading into California’s same-sex marriage debate is too delicious to ignore. Earlier this week, the church sent a letter signed by its president, Thomas B. Monson, to all Mormon bishops in California. The document refers to the California Marriage Protection Act on the November 4 ballot, a state constitutional amendment that would prohibit the legal recognition of same-sex unions so recently won by a California Supreme Court decision. The letter is to be read aloud during June 29 services. In part, it states, “We ask that...

A famous Chinese proverb teaches that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. For Meg Sneed, a 25-year-old Arizona lesbian, journeys to change a thousand hearts begin with a single thought: There's power in sharing personal stories. In 2006, she and other young activists in Soulforce, a gay rights group devoted to the kind of peaceful confrontation practiced by Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King, traveled eight weeks by bus to evangelical colleges to share what it's like to be gay. The next year, Sneed, who was fighting cancer, was weak from chemotherapy but walked...

Mass. Legislature poised to export our "gay marriage" across the country by repealing "1913 Law". National gay groups pouring in money to lobby. Pressure needed NOW to stop Senate vote Tuesday - (see our new fax feature!) The national homosexual movement is funding a huge lobbying effort over the next few days to persuade the Massachusetts Legislature to repeal the "1913 Law" which would allow out-of-state "gay" couples to legally "marry" in Massachusetts -- and then cause havoc in their home states. Currently, out-of-state couples can not marry in Massachusetts if that marriage would be illegal in their home state....

A Christian registrar who was harassed and discriminated against after she refused to carry out same-sex civil partnership ceremonies has won a key legal battle. Lillian Ladele, 47, said that she was treated like a pariah by colleagues at Islington council in North London after she said that she could not carry out the ceremonies as a matter of religious conscience. An employment tribunal found that the council showed no respect for Ms Ladele’s rights “by virtue of her orthodox Christian beliefs”. Employment lawyers said that while the case set no binding legal precedent, it would make councils much more...

BOSTON, July 10 (UPI) -- Massachusetts lawmakers say they are preparing to vote on whether to repeal a 1913 law that bans out-of-state same-sex couples from marrying in the state. Lawmakers say they expect the state Senate to take up the law Tuesday and the state House to do the same soon after. House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray back the repeal, but their support alone may not be enough to secure other lawmakers' votes, The Boston Globe reported Thursday. Supporters of gay marriage rights say they are optimistic the repeal will be approved because of...

State lawmakers are expected to vote next week on repealing a 1913 law that prevents out-of-state gay and lesbian couples from getting married in Massachusetts, reigniting a divisive debate on an issue that has stirred passions and put the state in the national spotlight. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation Tuesday, and the House will follow shortly afterward, according to several lawmakers. House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray favor the repeal, but their support on such a hot-button social issue does not guarantee that rank-and-file lawmakers will follow. Advocates of same-sex marriage rights...

"I just believe, frankly, in the sanctity and unique status of marriage between man and woman. That's what I believe. And that's what I support. And that's what I will fight for."

At least two counties in California have begun reviewing a plan to uphold the state's laws regarding marriage as being between one man and one woman and disregard a state Supreme Court opinion that has yet to be implemented by the Legislature. In the next step in the state's war over marriage – defined by voters as involving only one man and one woman and by the Supreme Court as two people of either gender – traditional marriage supporters will be attending the Kern County board of supervisors meeting tomorrow when the issue will be discussed. In an alert from...

About a month ago, the California Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, issued a declaratory opinion that Proposition 22, which states that, “Only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California,” enshrined into statutory law by 61.4% of California voters in 2000 (over four million voters), was “unconstitutional” on the basis that "gender discrimination" violates the equal protection clause of the state constitution. The LA Times reported that: "The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday in a broadly worded decision that would invalidate virtually any law that discriminates...

RFFM.org Guest Column by Gregg Jackson * About a month ago, the California Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, issued a declaratory opinion that Proposition 22, which states that, "Only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California," enshrined into statutory law by 61.4% of California voters in 2000 (over four million voters), was "unconstitutional" on the basis that "gender discrimination" violates the equal protection clause of the state constitution. The LA Times reported: "The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday in a broadly worded decision that would...

The American Family Association, whose earlier boycott of Ford Motor Co. over its promotion of homosexuality was dropped after company sales fell 8 percent per month for two years, now is asking consumers to stop buying Big Macs and Happy Meals at McDonald's. In a brief announcement today, AFA, whose constituents number in the millions, said it is "asking its supporters to boycott the restaurant chain." "This boycott is not about hiring homosexuals, or homosexuals eating at McDonald's or how homosexual employees are treated. It is about McDonald's, as a corporation, choosing to put the full weight of their organization...

Barack Obama is now on record as supporting same-sex marriage in California. He has previously said that he does not favor gay marriage, but he is opposing an effort by citizens in California that would ban same-sex marriage and overturn the decision of the far-left court that allowed it to go forward. It seems Obama does not want the citizens of the state to decide this issue . . .

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who previously said the issue of gay marriage should be left up to each state, has announced his opposition to a California ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriages. In a letter to Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club read Sunday at the group's annual Pride Breakfast in San Francisco, the Illinois senator said he supports extending "fully equal rights and benefits to same-sex couples under both state and federal law." "And that is why I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution...

Marriage laws, lack of church commitment from newlyweds make faith leaders think twice. Some clergy think churches should divorce themselves from the wedding business.The controversy over same-sex marriage – along with a growing sense that many couples who marry in churches never return – has prompted faith leaders to say it's time to reconsider how California couples tie the knot.After the California Supreme Court ruled gay marriage legal, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California began encouraging all couples to marry outside the church. "I urge you to encourage all couples, regardless of orientation, to follow the pattern of...

In a press release issued last week, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union and Equality California claimed that a November ballot initiative that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman is unconstitutional. The four groups filed a petition with the state Supreme Court on June 20, asking it to remove the initiative from the ballot because, “the rules for revising the California Constitution were not properly followed.” [[Volokh062808.jpg]]The argument of the four groups against the initiative turns on the distinction in constitutional law between an amendment and a...

U.S. Senator John McCain yesterday declared his support for the California Protection of Marriage initiative on the state's November ballot, leaders of the ProtectMarriage.com campaign announced. In an email received by the ProtectMarriage.com campaign, Senator McCain issued the following statement: "I support the efforts of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman, just as we did in my home state of Arizona. I do not believe judges should be making these decisions." Commenting on the endorsement of Senator McCain, ProtectMarriage.com Chairman Ron Prentice said, "We are honored to have the...

Via Townhall, Reuters reports Obama claims to be against same-sex marriage, but also against the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) or any other effort to defend the traditional definition of marriage: She [Michelle Obama] said he [Barack Obama] supported a complete repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which only recognizes marriages between men and women and upholds states' rights not to honor same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. He also opposes a "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays in the U.S. military and was against a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, she added. He supports...

People are lining up for licenses, including locally, now that California is allowing same-sex marriages. I doesn't affect me, I don't care. (102 Votes, 14%) Didn't the people vote to outlaw this? (230 Votes, 32%) This must be stopped (135 Votes, 19%) As long as they love each other, what's the problem? (248 Votes, 35%) Close this Window

What do May 17, 2004, and May 15, 2008, have in common? One judge and a redefinition of marriage against the will of the people. Both the Massachusetts Superior Court and the California Supreme Court by a one-judge margin redefined what marriage has always been in every culture and every religion for more than 5,000 years of recorded history. Why does this matter?

RICHMOND | The couple walked into a Norfolk courthouse on a spring day, exchanged a few words and, within 10 minutes, were seemingly husband and wife. It was an unremarkable ceremony - except that several weeks later, officials realized that the shapely bride might not have been a woman. Now authorities in the state, where same-sex marriages are illegal, are weighing whether to file misdemeanor charges against the couple, Antonio E. Blount, 31, and Justin L. McCain, 18. An announcement is expected this week. At issue is whether the couple lied on their marriage license. A prosecutor says the decision...

On June 3, just a few weeks after the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, San Francisco Catholic Charities-CYO held its 2008 Red House Fundraiser. [[SachetMiller062208.jpg]]According to the Catholic Charities-CYO web site, the annual event has been held since 2004. This year’s fundraiser, reports the site, was held “in the heart of the Castro.” The co-chairs of the event and the honorary committee members were a Who’s Who of same-sex “marriage” supporters. They included: Nanette Lee Miller, treasurer of CCCYO, who “married” another woman in 2004, yet still serves on CCCYO’s board. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who said of...

By order of its state Supreme Court, California began legally marrying same-sex couples this week. The first to be wed in San Francisco were Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, pioneering gay-rights activists who have been a couple for more than 50 years. More ceremonies will follow, at least until November, when gay marriage will go before California's voters. They should choose to keep it. To understand why, imagine your life without marriage. Meaning, not merely your life if you didn't happen to get married. What I am asking you to imagine is life without even the possibility of marriage. Re-enter...

The demand for marriage licenses in Orange County has stayed far higher than usual in recent days as gay and lesbian couples exercised their newly won right to wed. California became only the second state in the country to allow same-sex marriage on Tuesday. As expected, that day saw a jump in the number of couples applying for marriage licenses in Orange County. But the numbers have stayed high throughout the week. In fact, the county issued more marriage licenses on Thursday and Friday than it did amid all the celebrations, media attention and wedding cake of Tuesday. "It didn't...

Now that the media have shared with us their joy over the advent of homosexual “marriage” in California, here’s the other shoe that will drop in the next few weeks. Get used to this term: “The sky is not falling.” It will be used by pro-gay spokespeople that the media showcase to make the point that nobody will be substantially affected. Shortly after May 17, 2004, when Mitt Romney’s administration began handing out same-sex marriage licenses in Massachusetts despite no legislative action on the law, which was required under the Massachusetts Constitution, the media eagerly showcased gay activists who...

Allow me to show you a couple of mental snapshots. First imagine a picture of a family in a modern SUV. Mom and dad up front with three kids in the back, safely secured with their seat belts on. That’s snapshot number one. Now, imagine two men dressed in tuxedos embracing and kissing at their wedding ceremony. Both are wearing flowers in their lapels and a beaming clergyman is standing behind them having just pronounced them “husband and husband.” That’s snapshot number two. Now, hold these pictures in front of you and ask yourself this question: Which of these represents...

At least 14 employees in the San Diego County Clerk's Office raised religious objections to performing gay wedding ceremonies but were told by their boss they couldn't pick and choose between marriage applicants. Clerk Greg Smith said last month that he would allow employees with religious objections to avoid performing the ceremonies, but the response was apparently more than his office could accommodate. “It would unfairly burden other employees and would directly compromise the services we provide to the public, particularly given that so many employees have requested the same arrangement,” Smith's office told 14 employees by e-mail. ... “The...

Go to California and get "married," but don't file a lawsuit when you get home. Those are the instructions several pro-homosexual organizations are handing out following the creation by judges and bureaucrats of same-sex "marriage" in a state that doesn't require residency for a "marriage" license.

SAN DIEGO -- Employees who refuse to perform gay wedding ceremonies at the San Diego County Clerk's Office are facing reassignment. At least 14 employees who raised religious objections to performing same-sex weddings have been told they cannot pick and choose between marriage applicants. California began gay marriages this week. Clerk Greg Smith had told workers earlier that those who object on religious grounds wouldn't have to perform the ceremonies, but 14 employees balked and that was more than his office could accommodate. Only 30 workers in the clerk's office perform wedding ceremonies. Smith's office said in an e-mail to...

Bishop William Murphy Rockville Centre, NY, Jun 20, 2008 / 05:07 am (CNA).- Rockville Centre Bishop William Murphy has criticized New York Governor David A. Paterson for ignoring the democratic process in order to recognize same-sex “marriages” in the state and for acting contrary of the common good of the state. In his weekly column in Long Island Catholic, the prelate began by recalling that in the wake of the decision to approve same-sex “marriages” in Massachusetts, the New York judicial system declared any ruling on the matter beyond its mandate. However, the bishop pointed out, “previous governors indicated...

SAN FRANCISCO (BP)--If the major homosexual activist groups have their way, there won't be and outbreak of "gay marriage" lawsuits nationwide now that California has legalized such unions--at least not yet. Nine of the nation's largest homosexual activist organizations have issued a joint six-page statement urging couples not to sue in their home states or in federal court. The reason? Losses in such lawsuits could set the "gay marriage" movement back for years.

After his public conference call with Clinton supporters (covered extensively by Jonathan Martin) Saturday, John McCain met privately with some 75 of those supporters at his Virginia headquarters, two people who were there said. McCain's staff extended the last-minute invitation to Clinton die-hards, including a founder of a group called "Party Unity, My Ass" (PUMA), and substantial numbers came from Washington and New York. They represented passionate campaign volunteers and supporters, but they're essentially a marginal group in Clinton's orbit, including no one with a prominent campaign role, public office or close relationship with the candidate. "He stayed for a...

Revealed! The most incredible string of words you've never heard before. Plus: Bill O'Reilly loses - It is nearly summertime in the Year of Our Google, and here in the golden land known as California the following startling and once-inconceivable lament can now be heard: Dammit, with gas zooming toward five bucks a gallon and airlines doubling fares and charging me for a single checked bag, how the hell am I going to afford to travel to all my gay friends' legal weddings across the state this summer? Please note the historic power therein. Because such a peculiar, momentous string...

I have not beena big fan of Supreme Court rulings these days. As you well know (as an informed individual browsing and commenting on stevelackner.com) the Supreme Court of our land declared that the terrorists at Gitmo have habeas rights. Before that we had the Supreme Court of California finding the ridiculous right to gay weddings that never existed in the California or American Constitution. This week the California ruling took effect. My main focues will therfore be this ruling. Social liberals tend to deride those that oppose gay marriage as primitive neandrathal bible-thumping throwbacks. They rely on words like...

... Sixty gay and lesbian couples had appointments today to get their marriage licenses in Santa Ana and at a second county office in Laguna Hills. Many others were expected to wait in line and get their licenses without an appointment. The California Supreme Court cleared the way for the same-sex wedding ceremonies in a ruling it issued last month. The ruling struck down a provision of state law that defined marriages only as between a man and a woman. Opponents of same-sex marriage have turned their attention to a ballot measure in November, which would embed that traditional definition...

Today, California same-sex couples are rushing to the altar. But this November, California voters will have their chance to say “I do� or “I do not� to gay marriage. In the meantime, what have we learned about what gay marriage will mean for gays, for marriage, and for the wider society? In just the last few months, a newly confident same-sex-marriage movement is becoming more open and revealing about the answers. The New York Times, of all places, gave us a glimpse in its front-page story this past Sunday, “Gay Couples Find Marriage Is a Mixed Bag.� What can we...

With a series of simple “I dos,” gay couples across California inaugurated the state’s court-approved and potentially short-lived legalization of same-sex marriage on Monday, the first of what is expected to be a crush of such unions in coming weeks. The weddings began in a handful of locations around the state at exactly 5:01 p.m., the earliest time allowed by last month’s decision by the California Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage. Many more ceremonies will be held on Tuesday when all 58 counties will be issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In San Francisco, Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon,...

Sixty gay and lesbian couples have arranged to get their marriage licenses in Santa Ana and Laguna Hills Tuesday when most California counties can officially issue same-sex marriage licenses. ... In 2000, 61.4 percent of voting Californians approved Proposition 22, which stated that only a marriage between a man and a woman is sanctioned by the state. In a 4-3 decision, the state Supreme Court ruled last month that the proposition was unconstitutional because it discriminated against gay couples and did not provide them with equal protection under the law. ...

First California Same-Sex Wedding June 16 By: ANDY HUMM 06/12/2008 Veteran lesbian activists Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 83, whose 2004 wedding in San Francisco was invalidated by the California Supreme Court, will be the first same-sex couple to legally marry there on Monday, June 16 at 5 p.m. when the high court's May ruling finding a constitutional right to marry for same-sex couples takes effect. It is the only one that Mayor Gavin Newsom will allow that day before county clerks across the state must begin issuing licenses to same-sex couples the next morning. The clerk in rural...

CALIFORNIA'S voters, unlike their counterparts in Massachusetts, will have the last word on what marriage means in their state. When the highest court in Massachusetts conjured up a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, 170,000 Bay State voters petitioned for an amendment to the state constitution that would restore the age-old definition. Their effort died on the vine when the Legislature derailed the measure before it could reach the ballot. But citizen initiatives aren't so easily thwarted in California, where last week the state supreme court, in a 4-3 ruling, likewise overturned the timeless understanding of marriage as a union of...