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16 Jun 2010 11:15

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U.S.: The Prop. 8 trial hits the closing arguments. What’s next?

  • A final decision will be coming in a few weeks. A lot of people are watching California’s gay marriage trial, and it’s one that should have a lot of fireworks. In the closing arguments, Judge Vaughn Walker is looking to see if gay marriage threatens the institution of marriage, if being gay is a choice, and if California voters were justified in banning gay marriage. Today could change everything. source

05 Apr 2010 21:46

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U.S.: Get out your tinfoil hats: Census wants to count gay couples, too

  • George Takei’s husband has great taste in headwear. The former “Star Trek” star used his Starfleet uniform to get attention for this ad, which encourages same-sex couples to fill out the Census’ marital status section how they feel it should be filled out. It’s an encouraging step for the Census that they’re choosing to count gay couples this way. source

12 Mar 2010 13:19

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Politics: Gavin Newsom puts his left foot in, puts his left foot out, puts his…

  • … left foot in, and he shakes it all about. The San Francisco mayor is doing the hokey pokey, with his political ambitions, reportedly announcing he’s running for lieutenant governor of California months after dipping out of a gubernatorial bid. Beyond being a less glamorous job, his dip-out from before gives his primary opponent, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, an obvious thing to attack him on. She’ll say, “Oh, he’s indecisive!” Just wait for that. We gave you a preview of the primary. source

11 Mar 2010 20:31

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Politics: Is the mainstream media missing the gay marriage boat?

  • 16% of all links on the blogosphere last week were related to same-sex marriage, as many as Chile
  • 0.1% of newspaper coverage focused
    on it, and instead was health-care-obsessed source

09 Mar 2010 09:53

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U.S.: A win for gay rights: D.C. marries its first same-sex couple

  • They got married right outside the courthouse. Robert Hawthorne and James Betz are now husband and husband. The two George Washington University students were among the first to pick up their marriage licenses and tie the knot this morning. They weren’t alone – a crowd that had waited since 3:30 a.m. had multiple couples ready to marry. Jeremy Moon and Bryan Legaspi married in the judge’s chambers. A great day for D.C. source

03 Mar 2010 11:02

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U.S.: Gay marriage is now legal in D.C. It’s a good reason to celebrate!

  • I didn’t want to get married anywhere else. This is my city standing up for marriage equality.
  • D.C. resident Rocky Galloway • On his now-legal marriage to Reggie Stanley, his partner of six years. Gay marriage became legal today after the Supreme Court chose not to intervene in a last-ditch effort to stop it. We wonder what that means for the court case currently grinding through in California. source

22 Jan 2010 18:32

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U.S.: The plaintiffs in the Prop. 8 case just finished arguing their side

  • At the beginning of this trial we said we would prove three points: that marriage is a fundamental right; that gays and lesbians, and the children they are raising, are harmed from the prohibition of their being able to marry; and allowing them to marry will not harm anyone … we proved all of those points.
  • Lawyer David Boies • On finishing up his side of arguing the landmark Proposition 8 court case in a California federal court. Boies says that he and fellow lawyer Theodore Olson are “pleased to be finishing our case today.” Now the pro-Prop. 8 side goes up, and argues against the legalization of gay marriage. Anyone think this case is like our Scopes trial? Seems like it has that kind of intrigue to it. source
 

17 Jan 2010 10:36

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Politics: The Supreme Court’s blocking of Prop. 8 cameras: Unfair?

  • Everything about the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the broadcast (and the Proposition 8 camp’s request to black out the trial in the first place) betrays a deep ambivalence about the same humble American voter whose very rights the court purports to be defending.
  • Slate writer Dahlia Lithwick • Discussing the Supreme Court’s decision to ban cameras during the Proposition 8 gay marriage trial in California. Lithwick claims the trial itself is somewhat questionable, but the banning of cameras in the courtroom is beyond absurd and is completely disrespectful to the rights of the American public. She further explains: “As it explains in its order: ‘This case, too, involves issues subject to intense debate in our society’ and it ‘is therefore not a good one for a pilot program.’ So, um, we the people are only fit to watch low-profile, boring cases?” source

13 Jan 2010 22:10

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U.S.: Prop 8 trial: No cameras in the courtroom. Thanks, Supreme Court!

  • 5-4 the righties beat the lefties again at the High Court source

11 Jan 2010 20:35

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U.S.: The Prop. 8 trial’s proposed cameras waiting on the Supreme Court

  • good The trial on the legality of Prop. 8 began today, and should have cameras in the courtroom, due to the intense attention the gay marriage trial has been getting, with clips posted on YouTube.
  • bad The Supreme Court decided 8-1 to temporarily block the measure for at least the next couple of days, while the court considers arguments against it made by those in favor of the California law. source