In a long-awaited decision, the California Supreme Court ruled 6-1 to uphold Proposition 8, a measure passed by voters last year to ban same-sex marriage in the state, earlier today

Defending the decision, Chief Justice Ronald George said citizens had the right to define marriage as between male and females only. He stated that same-sex couples have the same core rights as heterosexual couples, but with “the sole, albeit significant, exception that the designation of ‘marriage’ is … now reserved for opposite-sex couples.”

George went on to say that the only way the decision could be overturned would be through another vote. Proposition 8 with a slim majority of 52% last November after a bitter battle between conservative groups and gay rights advocates, who are considering putting the issue to vote again in 2010 or 2012.

The thousands of same-sex marriages made before the passing of Proposition 8 will stand.

While the decision of the people of California to ban gay marriage and the upholding of their decision by the state’s high court is not a defeat. It is merely a delay of the inevitable.

Source: SFGate
Photo: Flickr

ABC News ran a feature today about being gay in Saudi Arabia. In this country home to the most sacred place in Islam, Mecca, being gay is a crime punishable by corporal punishment or death.

Going under the pseudonym Samir, a 34-year-old gay man discusses life in a society where homosexuality is considered one of the worst sins.

I pray to God to help me be straight, just to avoid hell. But I know that I’m gay and I’m living as one, so I can’t see a clear vision for the future.

Samir has to guard his sexuality with the utmost secrecy. He cannot show any affection towards the same sex without arousing suspicion from family and coworkers.

The Saudi has a secret boyfriend in Thailand, where he takes long vacations. He also visits the more tolerent Lebanon on weekends.

Gays in Saudi Arabia are under constant threat from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, a religious police force that recently arrested a man because his jeans and shirt were too tight.

The oil-rich country is notorious for remaining behind the times. It didn’t abolish slavery until 1962.

Liberty University, a “Christian” school in Virginia cofounded by Rev. Jerry Falwell, has banned its one-year-old College Democrats club because of the party’s views on various social issues, most notably LGBT rights.

An email from the school to the club officers stated the following:

[W]e are unable to lend support to a club whose parent organization stands against the moral principles held by [Liberty University]. The Democratic Party platform is contrary to the mission of Liberty University and to Christian doctrine

The message went on to indicate specific issues on the Democratic agenda that the university was most concerned about: abortion, the LGBT agenda, socialism, and attempts to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.

According to an announcement published about the formation of the club last year in The Liberty Champion, the purpose of the club was “to promote the values of: tolerance, equal opportunity for all, and a commitment to social justice. Liberty democrats are here to educate fellow peers about the Democratic Party and the principles the party stands for.”

The university has had an active Republican club for some time. According to the article, many Republicans on campus supported the creation of the College Democrats.

In regards to the 30 or so club members, Falwell said, “They are good Christian kids who sit with me at ball games. I just hope they find a pro-life family organization to affiliate with so they can be endorsed by Liberty again.”

Brian Diaz, President of the club, stated, “I want to be able to share the love of Christ, but I guess I can’t do that on campus because I’m a Democrat as well.”

Photo: Flickr

Before taking office, President Barack Obama pledged to end the ban on openly gay personnel in all branches of the armed forces. He has yet to do this, but most analysts believe hs is just biding his time, waiting for the right moment.

A senior military official speaking on the condition of anonymity yesterday stated that the Pentagon wants more time before the ban on openly gay servicemen is repealed. He is concerned about the change sparking a polarizing debate and splitting unity among personnel.

There have been instances of gays serving openly in the military for years without problem, though. What about Lt. Daniel Choi, who graduated from West Point and was recently discharged? He said, “My subordinates know I’m gay. They don’t care. They are professional.”

If some of our servicemen and women aren’t able to handle a few openly gay individuals, then perhaps these dissenters aren’t mature enough for the military. Don’t our armed forces call upon recruits to be more professional and mature than the average citizen, after all?

The fact of the matter is “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” doesn’t work. It represses the rights of those brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day, but also discourages qualified individuals from entering the military because of a sexual preference.

Photo: Flickr

Citizens of the central Texas city San Angelo were shocked to hear the resignation for their mayor, J.W. Lown, yesterday- only ten days after being reelected to a fourth term.

Lown said made his decision in order to pursue a relationship with a non-citizen in Mexico, where he is currently residing. The ex-mayor will return to the United States once his partner, who has been kept anonymous, obtains a visa.

“I made the final decision when I knew it was the right decision to make for me and my partner and our future — and for the community,” Lown said.

In poll on GoSanAngelo.com, the city newspaper’s website, 69% of respondents rated his performance as “excellent.” Another 13% rated him as “good,” while only 7% said he was “poor.” In the recent election, he received 89% of the vote.

In a letter to City Manager Harold Dominguez, Lown announced his resignation:

While I know that the timing of this announcement is less than ideal, I have my own compelling reasons for making this decision. I have made thousands of decisions on behalf of our community, and I weighed this decision in the same manner that I approached other decisions.

Lown’s position paid $600 a year. He is the owner of Lown Properties, a real estate agency in San Angelo. He was the city’s youngest mayor on record when first elected six years ago at the age of 26.

Photo: Flickr

There have been quite a news stories online today about gay marriage.

In Maine, a statewide gay marriage referendum was approved as “one of the biggest grass-roots movements” in the state’s history was announced to oppose the recently enacted same-sex marriage law.

In Nevada, the Democrat-controlled legislature approved an amendment that would give same-sex couples the same rights as married individuals. However, Republican Governor Jim Gibbons has announced his plans to veto it. I would imagine a state with such a huge tourist attraction as Las Vegas would see a huge economic benefit from the bill.

Finally, a survey released today regarding Protestant perceptions of gays and lesbians yielded some interesting information:

• 70% of mainstream laity support some from of gay union. This compares to 57% for the general population.
• 65% of clergy held the same view.
• 31% said homosexuality was a choice.
• 55% of clergy said they did not want their denomination to grant same-sex marriages.

Photo: Flickr

According to Star magazine, her mother, Francine Coppola, was involved in a gay affair with Valerie Vetrano, an openly lesbian sales rep.

Vetrano claims that the two broke up after the pageant because Francine wanted to keep the relationship secret, saying “…she was a Christian and that her loved ones would never accept her if she were gay.” She added, “Valerie feels that if Francine had just been open about her sexuality with her family, Carrie would have a better understanding of what gay people have to go through. They just want equal rights”

During a 1996 divorce, Carrie’s father made accusations that Coppola was lesbian. She in turn accused him of being gay.

Star was founded in 1974 as a competitor to the National Enquirer. Given the magazine’s tabloid status, I’m going to conclude that the story is false unless the information is confirmed by a more reliable news source.

Just a few months after garnering criticism for calling gay civil unions “crazy,” GOP Chairman Michael Steele has done it again. At a party conference with weekend in Georgia, the Maryland politician tried to caste gay marriage as a pocketbook issue. According to Steele, gay marriage would put too much financial strain on small businesses:

Now all of the a sudden I’ve got someone who wasn’t a spouse before, that I had no responsibility for, who is now getting claimed as a spouse that I now have financial responsibility for. So how do I pay for that? You just cost me money.

So apparently its ok for hard-working Americans to trade in their rights for the good of business. Steele said portraying gay marriage as a financial issue is one way the Republican Party can repositon itself with voters. Am I the only one who finds this insulting?

What Steele is suggesting is against fundamental human and moral values. He should apologize for his discriminatory comment.

Besides, I have yet to hear any business complain that having to pay health benefits and the like to gay spouses caused a financial difficulty. If marriage is so expensive for businesses, then why let anyone marry?

In other news, a study recently published by UCLA estimates that gay marriage brought in $111 million for Massachusetts over the last five years. A second study conducted by the same group found that young, educated gay couples were 2.5 times more likely to move to the state because of the marriage law.

Photo: Flickr

When most people think of the Air Force, they usually imagine aircraft like fighter jets and bombers. A report obtained in 2005 under the Freedom of Information Act by the Sunshine Project, however, paints a much different picture of the fighting force meant to protect and defend America’s skies. The secret document, written in 1994, reveals that Air Force scientists flirted with the idea of creating an aphrodisiac chemical weapon that could turn its victims into full-fledged homosexuals.

Drafted at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, “Harassing, Annoying, and ‘Bad Guy’ Identifying Chemicals” proposed a six-year program for developing non-lethal chemical weapons that could reduce enemy discipline and morale. Among the weapons suggested included an aphrodisiac that could be sprayed onto enemy combatants to make them permanently attracted to the same sex. Thankfully, the program was immediately dismissed upon review by higher authorities, or was it?

When asked about the weapons program in 2005, Lieutenant Colonel Barry Venable at the Pentagon had this to say: “it was a proposal that essentially came out of a brainstorming session as the best analogy. The proposal was dismissed out of hand.” However, further uncovering by the Sunshine Project shows that as late as 2000, the military’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD) sent out promotional materials to various segments of the military encouraging the development of “Harassing, Annoying, and ”Bad Guy” Identifying Chemicals.” End of story for the “gay weapon?” I don”t think so.

The weapons project itself is very reminiscent of the Cold War, when the government toyed with all sorts of ridiculous weaponry in hopes of competing with the Soviets. It also sounds much like World War II, when Nazi Germany toyed with a wide range of biological weapons also meant to alter human behavior. It is hard to imagine that in the twenty-first century, a country that considers liberty and freedom to be core values even thought of developing such a weapon.

Not only are openly gay individuals barred from joining the Air Force, but the thought that our military would put homosexuality in the same category as smallpox or anthrax and try to bottle it up is an insult to every gay American.

The Sunshine Project is a nongovernmental organization founded to prevent biological warfare and military abuse of biotechnology. The official “Harassing, Annoying, and ”Bad Guy” Identifying Chemicals” document may be download on their site here. ISN Security Watch has a good overview of the Sunshine Project’’s work in unraveling the secrets of the plan.

Daughter of acting Cuban President Raul Castro, Mariela Castro, made news today when she led a gay rights conga down the streets of Havana.

“We’re calling on the Cuban people to participate … so that the revolution can be deeper and include all the needs of the human being,” she said.

In the 1960s, Cuban homosexuals, seen by the government as products of capitalism, were sent to corrective labor camps. Since then, the regime has eased up its restrictions. Homosexuality was legalized in 1979. Though public display of affection between same-sex partners is still illegal, Havana has developed an active gay scene over the years.

The conga was sponsored by the Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual (CENESEX), which Mariela Castro heads. CENESEX, which educates Cubans about sexual topics including contraceptives and AIDS prevention, has become a champion of LGBT toleration. The center is primarily responsible for the passing of legislation in 2008 allowing citizens to receive free sex change operations.

Officially, no LGBT rights marches or organizations are permitted on the island. Mariela insists that Cuba has become a better place for gays, but as recently as 2004 Cuban police units have conducted anti-gay campaigns.

In his autobiography, My Life, Fidel Castro claims that homosexuals were never sent to internment camps. According to his explanation, they were sent to work on farms because they could not be called up for military service, then obligatory, without upsetting religious and other conservative groups. Gays also worked to build schools, churches, and hospitals.

Castro says this repression only lasted for three years and that homosexuals’ “meritorious role” in helping Cuba during the difficult times faced after the Revolution have earned them “the people’s gratitude and recognition.” He alleges that the Revolution has worked to overcome discrimination and prejudice.