Perez Hilton – He’s Not My Spokesman, Really!

Is anyone else sick of Perez Hilton?  I mean, he’s just a blogger.  Now he’s found his own fame.  Sure, we wouldn’t have had the drama and fun of outing Carrie Prejean as an opportunistic glamour-girl wannabe, but still.

Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, continues to flout his inanity in front of everyone – making himself and more importantly, our community at large look like fools.

The event was a recent altercation with Black Eyed Peas lead singer will.i.am at a Toronto nightclub.  Here’s an amusing video summarizing, in Hilton’s own words, what went down.  If you want a more level synopsis, go here.

Dude, your 15 minutes is up.

Prop 8 Upheld – Next Steps

The rally at the capitol building last night was attended by about 300 people by the time I got there at 7 pm. There were some inspiring words spoken that remind us that equality does not come easily, but does come if we don’t give up. I share the disappointment of all of us that the California Supreme Court did not feel our class was trod upon enough to require a revision to the constitution instead of a simple majority vote. If they have ever walked in our shoes, they might have changed their mind.

CA Supreme Court Decision on Prop 8 Imminent

In case you haven’t heard, the California Supreme Court is announcing their decision regarding the legality of last fall’s Proposition 8 decision to deny marriage rights to gays and lesbians at 10 PST on May 26th.  You can view the filing of opinion here: http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/archive/S147999.PDF. Ironically, this decision was rumored to have been planned for May 21st, which was also the 30th anniversary of the San Francisco White Knight riots which took place after former supervisor Dan White received a lenient sentence for gunning down out Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Barricades were rumored to have been dropped off in The Castro, the historic gay neighborhood tucked in the hills of San Francisco. It was reported by one major gay news blog that his inside source stated that Mayor Gavin Newsom personally asked the Court to delay the ruling to avoid having the announcement made on this anniversary. Newsom’s camp denied, denied, denied.

If the CA Supremes rule in favor of letting Prop 8 stand, I believe they will have made a mistake that will haunt them forever. The ramifications of bowing to pressure by a simple majority of people making decisions not grounded in law and the tenets of our California and Federal Constitutions will be great.

To make such decisions by popular vote that affect HUMAN lives and set one group above another in their “equalness” is plain wrong. Especially when it’s based on some theological doctrine most of them don’t really understand and surely don’t practice well based on what I’ve seen of a general pick-and-choose type of religious behavior of many people I know who oppose equal rights.

I get angry with some African-American leadership who claim we dare not grab onto the words “civil rights” because we were not oppressed for hundreds of years. Should I, or anyone, have to be oppressed for even ONE MINUTE living in the United States of America? Should one group be allowed to own a history of oppression? Have not our young died at their own hand or the hands of others for “acting” or “looking” a certain way. Have not our people been raped, beaten, and bashed and a hope for justice swept under so many rugs for decades? Have not our youth left their home towns and families – often alienated from them forever – so they could live as openly and freely who they are? Isn’t this country’s storied history of freedom for all people and cultures why we are all still here? Because we can rely on the fact that the rights of the minority will be protected?

After the Prop 8 win last fall, many of those who voted in favor of discrimination were shocked and appalled that we didn’t just shut up and go away. The vote decided it. In their minds, it was over. We kept rallying and protesting. We kept up the messaging – some of it even angrier than before, but some of it changing direction to come to a place where we might get greater understanding.

Our own activist organizations were thrown in tumult as blame was bandied about for our failure to win support great enough that we would no longer be fighting this fight. The old guard and the up-and-coming activists tussled mightily over what the proper course would be. And, we had some bad actors who did some things they shouldn’t, like vandalize churches and temples. I think this just goes to show that we are indeed human, just like those who would further oppress us.

I was heartened to see that our major loss in California did not deter those who were fighting in other states and that we have had several wins over the past few months in both states which have approved gay marriage and those who have amendments against gay marriage who have passed other laws to grant gay couples some form of recognition to protect their families.

What seems to be missing in the Yes on 8 people’s equation of their version of the perfect California is that we work and live beside them and must now do so knowing they think we are less than or deserve less than what they have the ability to have. To get that, on a gut level, has been horrifying to me. I don’t think I ever got what it must feel like, even in some small part, to be a racial minority the way I did when this realization sunk in.

Tomorrow, if we win. I will celebrate on my front lawn. I will invite all the gay people I know to celebrate with me so my neighbors who tied their Yes on 8-ness to their Americanism can see our joy. If we lose, I will go to the capitol and protest – once again – and hope that eventually we will overcome.

“If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian he can live in peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.” ~ Chief Joseph

Anniversary of the White Night Riots

Today is the 30th anniversary of the White Night Riots in San Francisco. It also would have been Harvey Milk’s 79th birthday. To read about both, go here.

I see pissed off queers can make a bit of a fuss. And who could blame them? Murdered and justice allows the “twinkie defense” to be the excuse.

Maybe it’s a good thing the Prop 8 decision didn’t come out today, huh?

CA Supremes Rumored to be Announcing Prop 8 Decision TOMORROW

Since this morning, the rumor has been refuted.  No decision pending on the justices’ schedule. 

This in from the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center:

“RUMOR HAS IT! Hello everyone! We have UNOFFICIAL word (from SF Police Dept) that the CA Supreme Court will announce its decision on Prop 8 this Thursday, May 21. We just wanted you to know earlier. OFFICIAL word will be given out as soon as we hear directly from the CA Supreme Court tomorrow morning. Again this is still unofficial but we need to be prepared. Please alert your organizations and our allies. Sacramento’s Equality Action NOW is coordinating efforts with the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center, Marriage Equality USA, Yes On Equality, as well as several other organizations to sponsor community events for the day of the Supreme Court decision on Proposition 8. This will happen no matter the outcome of the decision, win or lose. We cannot stress the importance of your participation. Come out, come out, wherever you are and flood the streets! Please note that the Friday before or the Wednesday before, it will be published that on the following Monday or Thursday at 9:00am, the California Supreme Court will release its decision. The deadline for the court to do this is fast approaching. Please prepare for D-Day now! Regardless of whether the Supreme Court decision is for or against upholding Prop 8, on Decision Day, the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center, (1927 L Street, Sacramento, CA 95811) will open by 9:00am and will remain open all day for members of the community who want to gather. The Center will house sign- making activities, a first-aid station and on site counseling or counseling referrals if needed through its LGBT Counseling Program. A News Conference is being called for 10:30am. We will will host a community rally from 5:30pm to 6:30pm on the steps of the Gay and Lesbian Center with entertainment and speeches by community leaders. Street closings will include 20th Street from K Street past L Street, and the intersection of 20th and L prior to 5:30pm and will remain closed until the crowd disperses. The Sacramento Police Department will provide security. A sound system with multiple speakers surrounding the intersection will be provided by the Gay and Lesbian Center. If the decision is to uphold Prop 8, at 6:30pm Equality Action NOW will lead a march from the Center to the State Capitol West Steps, where a second rally with speakers and entertainment will take place, followed by a march around the Capitol grounds. On return to the West Capitol Steps, participants will be invited to speak at an open mic. Please volunteer to tell your story. We need speakers all ages, all walks of life, gay, straight, children of gay couples, parents of gay individuals, students and couples who were married and who want to marry. If crowd interest remains high, EAN will lead an all-night vigil at the Capitol. If the decision is to overturn Prop 8, following the rally at the Center, the Crowd will be invited to move to the street just south of the intersection of 20th and K, where a stage and sound system will be in place featuring music and entertainment. The streets will remain closed for a street dance and celebration until the crowd disperses for the evening. Equality Action NOW is also helping to sponsor, along with 50 other organizations, Meet Me In The Middle. On the Saturday after D-Day, the entire state will be converging on Fresno, CA. Meet at the Gay and Lesbian Center at 7:30 am the Saturday after D-Day for a group trek to Fresno. An “Equality Bus to Fresno” will be available, and will be carpooling – all decked out in Equality signs. The rally will start at 1 pm at the Fresno City Hall building. PLEASE RESERVE NOW (only 45 seats) your seat on the bus – email events@equalityactionnow.org. Angela will set you up with your bus seat. Also if you plan on carpooling (especially with an empty seat) let Angela know. There will be a group of protesters including Dolores Huerta, marching from Selma CA at 8 am to Fresno City Hall.”