Recently in Gay Marriage 2 Category

Cherry Jones, the Tony Award winning actress who is currently playing the President of the United States on "24," was asked about gay marriage and her relationship with actress Sarah Paulson with whom she has been with for five years.

On Prop. 8: "i hope it will be repleased because I don't think the majority should be allowed to take away the rights of the minority. I originally wanted the movement to be about civil unions, because to me, "marriage" is more of a religious bond and civil union is about the state. But I now appreciate that they went for broke, and I do believe that in another four or five years, the majority of those who voted for Prop. 8 will be ashamed of themselves."

Would she ever want marriage with Paulson who she met on the set of the film "Swimmers"?

"Never," she said. "I'm not the marrying type. I was in an 18-year relationship (with architect Mary O'Connor) and we discussed it, but it wasn;t something we felt we needed to do. And in my current relationship with Sarah, we feel similarly about it."

Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey was asked by CelebsGoneGood about the passage of Proposition 8 at the Happy Hearts Gala:

Here is part of the interivew:

CGG: How do you feel about President-Elect Obama?
KS: Hope is in the air, and it's palpable. It's an exciting and generous spirit that has happened since ten days ago. And I think that the American public is ready for it, and I think he's ready for it, and I believe the world is ready for it.

CGG: What about Proposition 8? Do you hope California will fight the ban on gay marriage?
KS: Well there's no doubt that election night was a bittersweet night. But in some ways, these kinds of setbacks allow for a bigger fight, more challenges, and eventually we're going to get it right. Eventually the American public will figure out that it really isn't right to deny citizens basic civil human rights. And we can no longer allow that to happen.

So the fact that these things were voted in, to me, it's just an example of the fact that they had more money. How much money did the Mormon church put in? So I hope, like Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "Don't give up. Keep protesting."

CGG: Do you think that the UK has it right with Elton John pushing for civil unions, not marriage?
KS: Well, I haven't heard what Elton has said about it, and I don't really know the particular laws in London with respect to whether they just have civil unions or...Look, I think at the end of the day, if people are given rights, and the same basic rights that any individual is given, then we are in fact honoring the Constitution of the United States. Anything less than that is unfair.

Joy Behar guest hosted "Larry King Live" on Friday and her main guest was the great actress Cynthia Nixon. These two redheads discussed gay marriage and it's so great to see these two intelligent women together on TV.

Joy opened by saying: "I've made my vuews on gay rights well known. I'm a big supporter. That said, expect an even-handed spirited debate where both sides of the issue are fairly represented." Thank God the other side wasn't repped by Elisabeth "talking points" Hasselbeck.

Nixon, as usual, knows her stuff and is a very good spokesperson for the LGBT community. She's in a relationship, she's a mother, and she's not afraid to be political: Of Prop. 8's passage she said: "I think it's disappointing, I think it's a setback but I think it's a minor setback. I think we might have lost these particular battle but there's no question that time is on our side and we are going to win the war."

I had been wishing Rosie O'Donnell (who like Cynthia does not live in California) would speak out some but with someone like Nixon willing to do so, it does fill Rosie's void rather nicely and Rosie can focus on her variety specials, movies and going to Broadway shows. She deserves to enjoy herself even if, to those of us who have admired her for her activism in the past, remain baffled at her lack of action at this very important time in the gay rights movement.

I'm missing Rosie O'Donnell the gay activist right now. She waged a brave battle against the ban on gay adoption in Florida, started the gay family cruises, dramatically traveled across the country to get married in San Francisco in 2004, and during her year as co-host of "The View," she talked about partner Kelli and their four children on the show all the time and I think opened some people's minds.

But as people are marching for equal rights in dozens of states this weekend, Rosie has come off as indifferent. At Friday night's Broadway opening of "Billy Elliot," Rosie spoke to "Extra" and was asked to react to the passing of Proposition 8: "I was married four years and I was annulled three years ago, so for me this fight is not new. Prop 8 is nothing new for me. This has been a long journey...and eventually the world will catch up."

Been there, done that I guess.

She's glad Sarah Palin was not elected veep but said: "I'd like to have a beer with her. I'd like to meet her kids. She seems like a pretty nice woman. Although I have to say, I am thrilled her party did not win. [But] you got to give it to her for spunk."

What has happened to our Rosie?

Ashton Kutcher was on Bill Maher's show Friday night and his comments on Proposition 8 were from the heart. Take a look.

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Good grief, this a three-parter! Good thing I took a nap when I got home from the march late this afternoon!
I certainly didn't want to give short shrift to Lorri L. Jean, the CEO of the LA Gay & Lesbian Center who has been so passionate about this fight, been talking about it, and calling for action long before this past election. On Saturday, she looked out over the huge crowd and said of its size: "This is what happens when we are denied our rights! ... Everybody is here to speak out against injustice at all levels. I want to thank all of you for coming today and I especially want to thank the young leaders who did most of the work of pulling this event together. They have found their voice, they're helping to lead, they are using the Internet to organize and are teaching many of us grizzled old veterans some new ways to power."

"Last night on the Larry King show on CNN, they kept running a banner calling this the war over gay marriage. That's not quite right. This is a war for fundamental civil rights and basic human decency. (applause). And let there be no doubt about it, we might have lost this particular battle, but we are going to win this war." (more applause).

Lorri added: "November 4 is a day that will live in imfamy because it was the very first time in our nation's history that a majority of voters went to the ballot box and stripped a minority of their fundamental rights. That is an outrage!"

She closed by saying: "All of us here must vow today to do everything we can to oveturn this travesty of justice, to make right this horrible wrong that has been done."

Following Lorri onto the stage were three lovely ladies with huge gay followings: Ricki Lake, Lucy Lawless and Marissa Jaret Winokur,

Said Ricki: "There's a line that I say (in the first 'Hairpray' movie') "I wish I was dark-skinned. Well today, I wish I was gay! I'm thrilled to be here to show my suport."

Chimed in Marissa: "I am here to support all of you and to support my son in marrying a man someday. He's only three months old but we're hoping!"

Added Lucy: "We rode the soul train (subway) in this morning and it was so great with everybody piling in at each station, it was really exciting. There's an old Chinese saying which is: 'Do not fear, the enemy is outside the walls. Fear the wall builders.' But can you feel that wall coming down? And you know what? They will fight back with their bag of dirty tricks but keep spreading the love and do the right thing...Be warriors for equality!"

As the rally was wrapping up and the march beginning, I had a quick word with Ricki Lake in the VIP area. She said the election of Barack Obama and passage of Prop. 8 on the same night reminded her of the divide she often addressed on her old talk show: "We even did gay marriage back then and you always have these groups of people that are homophobic, that are ignorant, that are un-Christian-like and I think it's just heartbreaking. ..It's fear, it's also self-hatred, it's self-loathing. It's all this fear-based information that's out there. We need to stop hating people and start loving everyone."

Then it was off to march!

I grabbed a beautiful poster that had been taped to the back of the stage to march with because I had given my rainbow flag to some little kid earlier.

Did the first part down Spring Street and beyond with Brad Fuhr of PrideRadio, Michael Fererra, the CEO of Lifeworks Mentoring and his husband Gregg Boyd.

\Then caught up with my pal Jim Key and Thomas Soule )pictured above) who has just begun working in public information at the LA Gay & Lesbian Center and who I had met at the NLGJA convention a few years back. It was damned hot by this time, about 95 degrees. At one point we passed by a rough-looking pool bar and discussed how out of place we might seem if we went in there. Jim jokingly imagined we'd say: "Three Appletinis please." We also were getting just a tad tired of doing the same chant: "What do we want? Equal rights! When do we want 'em?" "Now!" It's a good chant but we were just thirsty for a little variety.

Speaking of thirst, we were soon near Olvera Street - parched - so Thomas and I darted over to get drinks, losing Jim in the process. Then we marched, and marched, and marched. But there was no more chanting and once we went over the freeway overpass and were in front of Chinatown, we wondered where everyone was heading - there were thousands of people going up Alameda but we decided not to be two of them. Thomas and I joined hundreds of other people at the subway station and headed back to Union Station then onto the red line for the ride back to Hollywood.

An amazing day.

Photos courtesy of Jim Key, LAist and Advocate.com

If you want your rally to move along nicely with a little bit of humor mixed in, then try and get Alec Mapa, the self-proclaimed "America's Gaysian Sweetheart" as your host. He bounded to the stage set up at First and Spring streets Saturday morning and greeted the estimed 10,000 to 11,000 people there to support marriage equality for gays and lesbians.

Alec opened with the day's most used chant: "What do we want?" "Equal Rights!" When Do we want 'em?" "Now!" Then he said: "Good morning! And welcome to the future!"

Loud cheers.

Alec: "The passage of Prop. 8 was not the ending of our movement toward marriage equality, it was only the beginning! Look around you! This is not over by a long shot. We are one of hundreds of cities worldwide in nine different countries standing in solidarity for this movement today."

Mapa, who recently married his partner of seven years, encouraged conversation with family and friends and encouraged everyone "to make this the most interesting Thanksgiving you've ever had!" He also recalled the emotions of his wedding day: "On the day that we got married, my husband's Church of Christ parents were there, my own Filipino Catholic family was there. And on that day we realized that there is only one kind of love. On that day all of our families realized that we all want the same things. The only difference is, we're gay so we want nicer things!"

Here are excerpts from some of the speeches:

Bill Rosendahl, the only openly gay member of the Los Angeles City Council: "This is the birth of Stonewall 2! And we will never, ever get off the streets, out of the courts or not make demands for full equality. ...
Rosendahl was joined on the stage by Diane Olson and Robin Tyler, the couple whose lawsuit was the basis for the California Supreme Court ruling last spring that granted marriage rights to same-sex couples.
"On May 16 we were granted equality and on June 16 they kicked off 18,000 weddings.," he said of the couple. "They are the lesbians who started this all and they're the Rosa Parks of our fight for equality."

A few minutes before 11 a.m., about a half-hour into the rally, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villariagosa arrived at the rally coming directly from the fires in the San Fernando Valley. His speech was at times very inspiring:

"I love you Los Angeles!" the mayor began. "I love you in every sense of the word!"

"Some have said, 'Well Mr. Villariagosa, I don't like your position on Proposition 8.' They said, 'Who are you to get involved in this issue?' Well I think we got elected to stand up for a constitution. I think we got elected to stand up for the idea that in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of God, thou shall not discriminate! (long applause). "You know, I didn't live - none of us did - during the times of Jesus. But I'd like to believe that the Jesus I love, the Jesus I pray to, didn't just talk about being a shepherd, he knew that the role of the shepherd was to bring the flock in. All of the flock. Every one of us."

The mayor later added: "You can't deny a fundamental right just because a majority says so (applause).

"We come today to begin a conversation because it's not just gonna be about demonstrations. It's not just gonna be about the Internet. We're gonna have conversations in our neghborhoods, in our schools, in our churches ... in city halls and the halls of congress, in the legislature. We're gonna take every opportunity to begin that conversation all the way to The White House!"

He then prepared to head back to the fires but first said: "Every one of us here has to commit to going back home, to talking to our friends and our family. This is not about a march on November 15. This is not about the anger and the pain and the disappointment that we all feel just a few short days after this election. ...We believe in this great state, we believe in this great America. We believe that all things are possible and we will continue our fight until every one of us has the right, the fundamental right, to marry, to live in liberty and freedom, to be able to participate. To have the same civil rights that we expect in this great country we love so much."

That was an awesome speech! Why was Villariagosa not featured in any of the No on Prop. 8 commercials I wonder (unless i missed it).

Darryl Stephens, who I had spoken to before the rally, followed the mayor onto the stage and talked about his euphoria over Barack Obama being elected president then the crashing down of emotions over the passage of Prop. 8. "I got stuck on the question: 'Had I done enough?' If we had this kind of turnout at the No on Prop. 8 phone banks, we might not be here. And with that disappointment and frustration, came anger. And anger can be dangerous: it can make a lot of amazing things happen but it can also tear them down even faster."

He said his "heart broke" when he learned that blacks had overwhelmingly voted in favor of the measure, more than any other ethnic group: "What were my people thinking? But, just as it was ignorance that fueled the yes on 8 vote, it was just as ignorant to point to one group for a failure that was all of ours. Don;t get me wrong, it sucks that it passed. It sucks that it was on the ballot in the first place. But perhaps now it is time for us as the gay community to reach out - out of our bubble. And perhaps now people of color will see how important it is to come out to our families because so many of us who come out, get out. And when we move away, that community grows up not seeing gay brothers and sisters that look like them, that live down the street with them, went to school with them, swam in their pools, played basketball in their driveway... The black community and the gay community are not mutually exclusive."

Civil rights attorney Connie Rice talked strategy with the crowd: "Listen up: we';re fighting with you in the courts. If the courts don't do it, then we have a long campaign and it;s gonna take strategy - smart strategy.... Don't blow it. Let me tell you why the country is coming with us. Because of the manifest dignity of those wonderful couples together longer than most of the folks in the straight community I know."

Rice reminded people to not let their anger get the best of them: "If you think Martin Luther King wasn't pissed as hell, you're wrong. But you want to know something? They put that in the trunk of the car, in the back of the bus while they went to the front of the bus and we've got to do the same thing. Dignity! Equality! Now!"

Wow. what an amazing speaker. I'm so glad Connie Rice is on our side.

Coming up: The passionate speech of LA Gay and Lesbian Center CEO Lorri L. Jean, my post-rally interview with Rikki Lake and the march around the streets of downtown LA to Chinatown.

Photos courtesy of Jim Key

An amazing day.

I was among the estimated 12,000 to 13,000 people who descended upon downtown Los Angeles this morning for a major rally and march in support of same-sex marriage. It was such an adventuire and so inspiring. The fires that are raging in SoCal were also on everybody's mind but the event did go on as planned and was a rousing success.

I'm first going to share with you my adventure in getting downtown from my home in the Fairfax District. I confess, I've never taken the subway in Los Angeles. In New York City, DC, London, Paris and Chicago yes. Los Angeles? Never. It was an experience - a really good one. I hopped on the red line at the Hollywood & Highland station at around 9:15 with dozens of other marchers toting signs. The crowd grew with every stop. A friend remarked: "I don't think I've ever seen this many queens in a subway." It made me laugh and he insisted I not quote him by name!

Actor David Dean Bottrell ("Boston Legal") was standing nearby in our subway car and I wanted to get his thoughts on the uprising that has taken place since the passage of Prop. 8 last week.

"I don't love crowds but I'm willing to go down and brave it today because I really do believe that Prop. 8 has got to be repealed," David said. "I am very proud not only of the gay community but of the straight community that has come out to support this. It's very, very important that the people of California know what happened: a very large group of people lost their civil rights and it was done in a popular vote which is not how we do things in this country. This is a judicial issue and it should be settled in the courts the way that all civil rights issues are settled."

Got to First and Spring streets pretty early but there were already lots of people there toting such signs as "I Can See Hate from My House" (a riff on Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on SNL), "Thank You Gavin Newsom," "Justice For All," "Marriage is a Human Right,"

I quickly staked out a place with fellow journalist Karen Ocamb (pictured above) in the front so we could see the speeches clearly. But our friend Jim Key of the LA Gay & Lesbian Center soon got us into the VIP section and we were able to roam around and chat with various folks before the "official" festivities began including well-known civil rights attorney Connie Rice who told Karen and I why she was at the rally:

"I have fought exclusion based on race, gender, national orgin, class, disability, age, you name it. If I'm against exclusion and on those basis, I have to be, absolutely, against exclusion based on sexual orientation. We cannot have a two-tier separate and unequal allocation of basic rights. This is about equal access to basic rights."

"I'm the great-granddaughter of slaves and slave owners. We are talking about civil law, not religious law. In the realm of civil law, my great-grandparents who were slaves could not marry. My grandparents, because they were African-Americans, they did not have full rights. My marriage to a Jewish man was at one time illegal under civil law. We changed all of those laws. Now, it;s time to end separate and unequal marriage for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals. If you have civil law and its a fundamental right, the majority does not have the whim tio change it. It cannot be changed on a whim."

I then spotted West Hollywood City Councilman John J. Duran who has spoken so eloquently about the issue before and after the election. I wondered what his thoughts were about this uprising that has occured since the election and the unprecedented activism among younger people. Here's what Duran had to say:

"I'm pleasantly surprised and I'll tell you why. A lot of these kids, and I call them My kids, they didn't experience the battle during the AIDS epidemic in the 80s. They were children or not even born yet. This is sort of the first time that they've felt the sting of some sort of state-sponsored oppression. Half the people in this state just told them they belong as second-class citizens. That's very upsetting. I guess for some of the old-timers like myself, this is the nature of the game: three steps forward, two back. But for them, this is the first time they've had the back of the hand come across them and they;ve responded as I did when I was their age. So out of these ranks is the future of the gay and lesbian community of Southern California. It's absolutely thrilling."

And then there was Darryl Stephens who I have written a lot about on the blog recently in connection to his performance as the title character in the film "Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom." What I'm discovering is that he isn't just Darryl Stephens the actor, he is a very well-spoken activist and leader.

"It's really impressive that so many groups came together, leaders of organizations in Los Angeles came together to pull this into a cohesive rally and it's great to have the support of the police and the city and the mayor and straight allies. It's so inspiring on so many levels. It's awful that Proposition 8 passed, but I have to say, the rallies that have happened since then, seeing all these people come together in the streets, it's awe-inspiring and it's really moving. I'm so happy to be here."

So where do we go from here? Here's what Darryl had to say:
"The fact is, gay folks kind of live in a bubble in West Hollywood and other gay neighborhoods. We held Prop. 8 protest rallies on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Robertson where we didn't really need to convince anybody. We really need to get out of our bubble and start reaching out to people in our communities because the gay community encompasses everybody. There are Black, Latino, Catholic, Morman. Everybody is here and we have to start reaching out to those people in our communities and in our families who don't quite get it yet. Realy I think it's a matter of exposure, it's a matter of knowing people who you love who are gay. I think we're so used to moving out of our communities, moving away from those people who don't quite know what to do with us yet. We have to go back and we have to let them know how important equality is for us and that we are living the same lives that they're living and we want the same rights that they have."

I found myself a nice spot by the stage and listened to the speeches that followed, so full of passion. Kudos to Mayor Antonio Villariagosa for coming straight from the fires in Sylmar to keep his appointment with us.

Photos courtesy of Jim Key and LAist

Melissa Etheridge and her wife Tammy Lynn appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" Friday from their home office to talk about their frustrations concerning the passage of Proposition 8. Melissa said Election Day was bittersweet for her. "We were celebrating Obama's victory. We were so happy for our nation moving forward, and yet we felt this pull backward. We felt a kick in the gut."
Melissa said she thinks part of the reason Proposition 8 passed was that the wording on the ballot was confusing. "If you vote yes, it means no, [you don't want gay marriage to be legal]. If you vote no, it means yes, [you want gay marriage to be legal]. It was very complicated."

The passage of Proposition 8 also brings up complex issues about the separation of church and state, Melissa said. Some people believe marriage is about religion, whereas she believes it's about civil rights. "We are a country that allows all religious freedoms. It's wonderful," Mellissa told Oprah. "But, I [should] still get to have the same rights as you do."

Since the California Supreme Court ruled that gay citizens should be allowed to marry in May 2008, more than 18,000 same-sex couples have tied the knot. What will happen to newlywed couples like Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, now that Proposition 8 has passed?

Melissa said their fate is still undecided. "What I've heard is the courts are trying to decide [if] this nullifies those [18,000] marriages or if they can still go forward," she says. "If you nullify it, just taking rights away from people blows my mind. But if you okay it, then Ellen and Portia can be married, but Tammy and I can't? What sense does that make?"

Here's some video of the appearance:

Oftentimes, Tammy says people get hung up on the word "marriage" when discussing gay couples. "I would like to see more people looking at just making sure we all have the same rights. Who cares what kind of fistful of letters you want to call your relationship?"

Currently, Melissa and Tammy are bound by a civil union, which was made legal by former California Governor Gray Davis. They may be recognized as domestic partners, but Melissa says this classification does not guarantee them the same rights as married couples. For instance, Melissa says they can't file the same income tax return. "There's a lot of things people take for granted in a marriage--[like] combining two incomes into a household," she said.

Despite this setback, Melissa remains hopeful. She says the fight for same-sex marriage has gone beyond the gay community, and straight people are starting to stand up for gay rights as well. "There are people really coming out because they're starting to understand that what you do to someone else, you do to yourself," she says. "None of us can be free unless all of us are free."

Melissa said she was also inspired by the unity she saw on Election Day. "We feel this feeling of unity coming over not only just our country ... this feeling of oneness, this feeling of understanding," she says. "I feel you all know we can't be left behind. There's no more 'us' and 'them.' There's no more, 'We get these rights, but they don't.' That's last century--we're moving on."

"I feel that hope too," Oprah said. "You said it as beautifully as could be said."

Recap courtesy of Oprah.com.

*** Actress Ricki Lake will be among those participating in tomorrow's rally at Los Angeles City Hall which is part of a national "Day of Action." The event is organized by Freedom-Action-Inclusion-Rights (F.A.I.R.) with the support and involvement of many other organizations, and was developed in the wake of the recent passage of Proposition 8. It is being held simultaneously with rallies at city halls across the nation and around the world. The Los Angeles rally will be followed by a march through Downtown Los Angeles, which will end at the Los Angeles Historic Park, commonly known as "the Cornfield."

To find a rally near you, go to the JointheImpact site.

*** This poster, created by graphic designer and illustrator Shepard Fairey (she created many of the images for the Obama campaign) is intended for use at this weekend's rallies in California and across the nation. It'sd a very powerful image.

*** Opponents of Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment approved by voters last week that bans same-sex marriage in California, are ready to take a mulligan on the election and try it all over again in two years, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, said in an e-mail Wednesday that backers of same-sex marriage are planning to collect signatures to put an initiative on the 2010 ballot that would overturn the gay marriage ban.

The Chronicle writes that If that wins, it's likely that opponents of same-sex marriage would gather signatures to place a new ban on the 2012 ballot, followed by gay rights advocates planning their own new initiative for 2014, with religious groups then looking to 2016 ... and so forth.

The signature drive will only happen if the state Supreme Court declines to toss out the Prop. 8 vote, as opponents of the measure have urged.

"We hope we don't have to go back to the voters," Kors said. "These things shouldn't be decided by voters."

*** More than 2,300 donors stepped up to the plate by donating nearly $60,000 in less than a week through InvalidateProp8.org to support the effort to overturn Prop 8. The LA Gay and Lesbian Center launched the website on November 7 to support the fight to invalidate Prop 8. The effort offers donors an opportunity to contribute while sending a message to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which played a leading role in funding the deceptive Yes on 8 campaign. For each donation of $5 or more at InvalidateProp8.org, the Center sends Thomas Monson, president of the Mormon church, a postcard to let him know a donation was made in his name to fund legal and grass-roots efforts supporting marriage equality.

The contributions have poured in from nearly all 50 states and from countries around the world including Canada, Mexico, Australia, Denmark, England, Germany, Japan, Singapore and South Africa.

*** The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Chief of Staff, Darrel Cummings, has issued the following statement: "Today, the Mormon temple in Los Angeles received an envelope containing white powder, raising the specter of anthrax. While the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center organized a peaceful demonstration against the involvement of the leadership of the Mormon Church in the deceitful Yes on Prop 8 campaign, we decry the use or threat of violence. Just as the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community seeks the right to be treated equally under the law, all Americans should have the right to live lives free from fear and violence."

*** The Advocate reports that Los Angeles Film Festival director Richard Raddon turned up on the secretary of state's donation list as having given money to Yes on 8, backing the California ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage throughout the state.

Movie City News blogger David Poland turned up the $1,500 donation Wednesday morning on the California secretary of state's website. Raddon is a Mormon and the producer of a number of independent films, including the Lili Taylor-Guy Pearce movie "A Slipping-Down Life." Raddon has been with the festival since 2000. Film Independent made a statement to Poland, saying no employee can be fired for their religious affiliation.

A Socialite's Life got this quote from Josh Brolin at last night's LA Premiere of "Milk" in which he is one of the stars:

He had this to say about gauy marriage: "Who gives a s***! Who cares! Doesn't mean [gay and lesbian people] are going to stop kissing in the streets, just cause they can't get married. And that's the issue for the religious, that it's visible and it's always going to be visible, it ain't going to go away. ... Gay life is more mainstream, but at the same time, things like this happen and you go, 'You got to be kidding me!' especially in California. I think it's awful, but I understand it, everybody has their perspective."

I was not at the "Milk" premiere last night (invitation lost in the mail I guess) but I was covering the Environmental Media Awards a few miles away at Ebell Theatre. Asked some of the celebs about Prop. 8 when they stopped by for a chat.

Wilmer Valderrama: "Honestly, we live in such an incredible country where all of us have the freedom to say, do and aspire higher to whatever we can and I believe that everybody should do with their life whatever they want to do. I think as long as all of us are happy and inspiring each other, we're in a country that should be moving forward and understanding that if we have Obama as the president, then anything else should be acceptable."

(I'm not sure what he;'s saying but I think Wilmer is unhappy with the Prop. 8 passage)

Hart Bochner, the handsome actor-director currently on USA's "A Starter Wife" said: "I think given we are evolving as a civilization, I think it is extremely unfortunate that we can't recognize that there's room for everybody on this planet. Everyone should be afforded dignity in living a life they want as long as their not imposing their values on anybody else. I think it's really unfortunate that the populace didn't get that and hopefully that will be overturned."

...and I'm gonna be there! It's the first day of a two-week vacation for me and I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be.

Here are the details:

Please join a peaceful rally at L.A. City Hall this Saturday, November 15, at 10:30 a.m. in support of marriage equality for all. Saturday's rally, which is being organized by FAIR, will be part of a national statement. It's one of many rallies at city halls all over the country at the same time on Saturday.

L.A. City Hall is located at 200 Spring Street, and participants are encouraged to use the Metro. To reach city hall, take the Purple/Red Line to Civic Center station.

This seems to be much-needed and I'm glad to see it.

Dear Community,

We are on the cusp of a new era as our country has elected its first African-American president, Barack Obama. We hope this unprecedented event will usher in a new chapter in our nation's history.
This past week has been a difficult time. With the passage of Proposition 8 in California to change the state constitution to eliminate the right to marry, our community has experienced a difficult defeat. We are angry and upset by the passage of Proposition 8 and the betrayal of the promise of equality that has been the hallmark of the Golden State. Yet, we know that this is only a setback in--not the end of--our journey toward full equality for the LGBT community.

It is natural to analyze what went wrong. But in recent days there has been a tendency to assign blame to specific communities, in particular, the African American community. The fact is, 52 percent of all Californians, the vast majority of whom were not African Americans, voted against us. In addition, the most recent analysis of the exit poll that drove much of this speculation determined that it was too small to draw any conclusion on the African American vote, and further polling shows that the margin was much closer than first reported. Most importantly, though, none of this discourse changes the outcome of the vote. It only serves to divide our community and hinder our ability to create a stronger and more diverse coalition to help us overturn Proposition 8 and restore full equality and human rights to LGBT people. It also deflects responsibility from the group that is responsible for this miscarriage of justice: The Yes on 8 campaign. They waged a deceitful and immoral campaign that brought about this violation of our human rights and dignity.
We as a community have come so far. Let's not lose sight of this. Since Proposition 22 passed eight years ago by 22 percentage points, we have made our case to the people of California. We have talked to our families, co-workers and friends about what true equality looks like. In so doing, we have narrowed the gap substantially since that time. And, in the last week, we have continued to move forward with a great wave of non-violent protest and a strong and powerful legal case put together by some of the keenest legal minds, supported by the governor, our senators and many other elected officials in our state. Moreover, we have seen a great national movement growing in support of equal rights for the LGBT community as a result of our actions in California.

We are hopeful the election of Barack Obama signals a new spirit of collaboration among diverse groups of people. There are many allied communities--straight, African-American, Latino, Asian Pacific Islander, people of faith, and secular people--who are energized to join with us as never before. This is progress! LGBT people are a part of all those communities, and with the support of our straight allies, we know that justice will prevail.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: "The arc of moral justice is long, but it bends toward justice." Now is the time to come together as one community working together toward human rights and full equality. We are confident that with our growing coalition we will ultimately win this fight.

Sincerely,

Ron Buckmire
Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition

Rea Carey
Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

Jennifer Chrisler
Executive Director, Family Equality Council

Oscar De La O
President & CEO, Bienestar

John Duran
Member, West Hollywood City Council

Rabbi Denise L. Eger
Congregation Kol Ami

Lorri L. Jean
CEO, L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

Kate Kendell
Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights

Geoff Kors
Executive Director, Equality California

Francine Ramsey
Executive Director, Zuna Institute

Rev. Susan Russell and Rev. Ed Bacon
All Saints Episcopal Church, Pasadena

Rodney Scott
President, Christopher Street West/LA Pride

Joe Solmonese
\President, Human Rights Campaign

Rev. Dr. Neil G. Thomas
Metropolitan Community Church/LA

Vallerie D. Wagner
National Black Justice Coalition

Marshall Wong
Co-Chair, API Equality--L.A.

I'm glad Dan Savage is on ,my side is all I gotta say. Check this out.

Just love Whoopi Goldberg, the Oscar winning actress ("Ghost") and Tony winning producer ("Thoroughly Modern Millie") who is currently the moderator on "The View." She is an intelligent, thoughtful voice on television and God bless her for marching in NYC last night for equal rights for gays and lesbians. Protesters lined both sides of an avenue outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints near Lincoln Center. Leaders of the Mormon church had encouraged their members to support passage of California's Proposition 8, From the temple, protesters marched south to Columbus Circle.

Organizers of the rally estimated at least 10,000 people participated. Andy Towle of Towleroad.com has just posted a terrific report on the NYC march with more pics and video. Check it out!

Here's some video from the NYC march:

Elton John is an opinionated man, as we all know. And sometimes, his opinions rub people the wrong way - like now: Elton was rather dismissive of the fight for marriage in California, a place where he holds his annual Oscar night AIDS fundraiser and where he has spent plenty of time.

"I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership," Elton said in New York this week at a benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. "The word 'marriage,' I think, puts a lot of people off."

So it puts them off Elton. Does that mean we should not have it?

In December 2005, Elton and David Furnish tied the knot in a civil partnership ceremony in Windsor, England. But, clarified the singer, "We're not married. Let's get that right. We have a civil partnership. What is wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word marriage."

"You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships."

Elton, I am very disappointed with you. You had an opportunity to speak out for our equal rights and you blew it.

Thanks a lot.