Although it’s only one of 50 states, California is commanding the attention of the nation as it anxiously waits to hear the fate of Proposition 8. By now, everyone knows that tomorrow is the “Day of Decision” (termed “D-day”) for Proposition 8. The California Supreme Court will announce their ruling on Tuesday, May 26th with one of the following three possible outcomes:

• Repeal Proposition 8 and legalize same-sex marriage in the state of California
• Uphold Proposition 8 while still upholding the 18,000 same-sex marriages that have already been performed.
• Uphold Proposition 8 and invalidate the 18,000 same-sex marriages that have already been performed.

Clearly we are only interested in one of those three options… and it’s not either of the last two!

Organizations on both sides of the fight have been mobilizing since the announcement came that Tuesday is to be the big day. Many protests/celebrations have been planned around the US and Canada, ready for the decision to go either way, and there’s a good chance there’s a rally in your area. Check out the link below to find information: Click here for more

In the wake of Carrie Prejean’s anti-gay answer during the Miss USA pageant, two of our fave celebrity girls have joined the ranks of so many others and stepped to our defense. (Yes… I said TWO because you can all pretend like you didn’t LOVE “See You Again” by Miley but we all know you’d be lying!) Because of the unique ability celebrities have to reach such a broad audience, I wanted to write this article.

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I don’t know if there’s been much published about this, but this is something I’ve been wondering for a little while. In Canada, over the last decade or so, we have seen the gay marriage issue come and go. Many long and hard battles were fought over the right for the definition of “marriage” to include same-sex couples as case after case and appeal after appeal dragged on in court. In the end, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the law that limited marriage between a man and a woman was essentially unconstitutional and made it legal in the Spring of 2004. It was a proud moment: I remember exactly where I was when I heard the ruling too, and I’m sure many other homos do as well.

There was much political posturing at the time as this issue was forced front and center by the court case mentioned above; all political parties were forced to take a stance on the issue. The LGBTQ community was certainly focused on getting this passed and kept it in the forefront of politicians minds and in the media spotlight. Politicians needed to decide where they stood- voters needed to decide where they stood. Gay rights issues were everywhere. Many a political career was made and lost. It was a pretty damn exciting time.

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As you’ve no doubt figured out by this point, same-sex marriage is a big deal to me (and to a lot of other people of course). So, with that, I have been thrilled to see the progress being made in Vermont and New Hampshire towards legalizing gay marriage!

Nearly a decade ago, Vermont lead the nation with legislation that granted civil unions to same-sex couples. On March 24th, the Vermont State Senate passed a bill which would legalize same-sex marriage with a 26 to 4 vote. The bill- which would replace Civil Unions in the State- would take affect Sept. 1, 2009. At that time, Civil Unions would no longer be issued in the state, although those performed in the last 9 years- since their legalization- would still be honored.

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I’ve just realized that I have a lot of posts about gay marriage already… but I couldn’t resist putting this up as well. Ellen Degeneres is one of my favorite celebrities, and her wife- Portia De Rossi- is brilliant in her own right as well. This satirical video is from the Jimmy Kimmel show and it’s awesome. Love, love, love it.

Part of me thinks I should really stop reading Utah newspapers. It’s the part of me that strives to keep my temper in check; believe the best about people & the world; and, give people the benefit of the doubt. Those damn papers are really giving me a run for my money!

As I mentioned in The Gay Stigma article, I am not anti-religion. I believe that religion can be a means for some to try and do good things and be better people. I usually use the metaphor of religion being like a car: different people need different cars to get around based on their own personal needs, and some people don’t need a car at all. Myself, I am not part of an organized religion at this point in my life, however, I respect the decision of anyone who has decided to join a congregation. Everyone is free to choose, and just as I expect their respect for choosing my own path, I will afford them the same courtesy.

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Howdy Y’all (I’m allowed to say that, I’m American!)

Last night, Stephen and I returned from a trip back to Salt Lake City, Utah to visit my family & friends.  It was a fantastic trip full of fun times… but it also served as a harsh reminder of just how much better us homos have it north of the border.

Everyone is familiar with some of the fights being fought south of the border when it comes to Gay & Civil rights.  Things like Prop 8 have been all over the news and have thrown states like California into world news… but there’s more going on than just that (not to say Prop 8 isn’t important, because overturning that piece of hateful, discriminatory legislation is paramount for California and for getting the US on track with Civil Rights in general).

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Do you know what organizations your neighbors are donating to? More importantly, do you even care? I’m not going to go into great detail on what Prop 8 is nor the arguments for the ‘YES’ and ‘NO’ supporters. Simply put, Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition in California trying to restrict the definition of marriage between only a man and a woman. Since it was passed during the November 4, 2008 general election, it eliminated same-sex couples’ right to marry. Obviously, this topic affects me greatly as part of the homorazzi crew.  Also, it affects my cousins and friends living in California who have same-sex marriages – and Ellen Degeneres.  In fact, one of my cousin’s just got married in April 2008 in a lavish wedding on top of Nob Hill.

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