Prop 8 Overturned

According to the Twitterverse, Prop 8 has officially been overturned, on the basis that the anti-gay marriage proposition is unconstitutional. A sample from the judge’s ruling:

“Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples.”

I leave you with this:

prog·ress

1 a (1) : a royal journey marked by pomp and pageant (2) : a state procession b : a tour or circuit made by an official (as a judge) c : an expedition, journey, or march through a region

2 : a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or to a goal) : advance

3 : gradual betterment; especially : the progressive development of humankind

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Sean Gardner

Children of Lesbian Parents May Do Better Than Their Peers

In a new study published in Pediatrics journal, researchers Nanette Gartrell and Henry Bos found that “children in lesbian homes scored higher than kids in straight families on some psychological measures of self-esteem and confidence, did better academically and were less likely to have behavioral problems, such as rule-breaking and aggression.”

The data was taken from “planned lesbian families”, or households where both mothers identified themselves as lesbian and went through artificial insemination.

The study also found that “children in same-sex-parent families whose mothers ended up separating did as well as children in lesbian families in which the moms stayed together.”

One theory presented was that lesbian parents tend to be very involved in their children’s lives, although that is not exclusive to lesbian households. Parenting that involves communication about social differences and prejudices are more of a priority in same-sex families which also may influence the findings.

Gartrell is a professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco and a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Bos is a behavioral scientist at the University of Amsterdam. Both have been studying gay and lesbian families for 24 years.

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Krysten Hughes

We Do Read The Newspaper, Obama. Thanks.

Big shout out to a former LYVEF employee! Last night, Kip Williams, co-founder of the gay rights group GetEqual, called out on Obama on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell during a fundraising speech for Barbara Boxer.

The President’s response was disappointing, at best. He told Kip that he should “buy a ticket to a guy who doesn’t support his point of view, and then you can yell as much as you want there”, and that he must “not be reading the newspapers”.

There’s no point in yelling at “a guy who doesn’t support” repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell when there’s a guy who does and has the power to make it happen but just isn’t doing it.

Check out Kip’s letter about the exchange and join the call for Obama to issue an Executive Order repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell!

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Rachel Bishop

Breaking News: Clarence Thomas May Be A Lesbian!

Let’s look at the facts. Clarence Thomas is not married. He’s pretty stout. Look at that haircut. He went to college in Massachusetts, which we all know is a hotbed of lesbianism. And no one has ever issued an official statement that he isn’t a lesbian.

All of this is to say, I don’t give a rat’s ass whether Elena Kagan is a lesbian or not, and I think it’s pretty weird that it’s not just conservatives who are obsessing over the question. People are relying on a pile of rumors and stereotypes that don’t apply any better to Elena Kagan than they do to Clarence Thomas. And even if she is a lesbian, Obama’s clearly not making any bold statement about gay rights by appointing her, as the administration is denying it.

So let’s all get over it and talk about her actual qualifications. Not only is the lesbian question a stupid distraction from the real questions at hand, but it’s forcing all of us to think about Supreme Court Justices naked, and that’s some pretty dangerous territory.

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Rachel Bishop

Fulton, Mississippi holds a fake prom for its famous lesbian

le sigh. I haven’t been doing a great job lately staying up on my home state Mississippi news, but just saw this factoid which is a couple days old though my outrage feels fresh:

After a federal judge ruled in her favor, Constance McMillen, a lesbian student at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, MS, took her girlfriend to the big event last Friday. Only problem: The big event was a sham. McMillen, along with only five other students, two with learning disabilities, was tricked into attending a “fake prom.” As documented on Facebook, the rest of the senior class held a secret parent-organized prom some 30 miles away.

Constance McMillen, you may recall from Biko’s earlier post, is a very brave young woman who happens to be a lesbian in an area of the country that is struggling to adopt its traditional (archaic/bigoted, yes, sometimes) family values to the realities of life today.

I still love you, MS, but listen: the future of our state is in the black and white and brown and yellow hands of the young gay and straight and undecided men and women and transgendered people who by blood and birthright call you home.

Wake Up!

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Sam Patton

Ricky Martin is so gay!!

Ricky Martin is no longer denying the rumors: He’s confirming that he is gay.

In a statement posted via Twitter in both Spanish and English, Martin said: “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.”

For many, Monday’s announcement will come as no surprise; the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer’s sexuality has been speculated about for years. But the Puerto Rican star, who got his start as a child in the teen group Menudo, never directly addressed it and was usually seen at events with beautiful women on his arm.

Martin, 38, said he decided to reveal the truth after working on his memoirs helped him realize that he had to be free with himself, and not keep any more secrets.

jacked via here

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The Editor

The Fight Against Love

If there’s something I personally hate, it’s when people abuse their power to accomplish their own personal vendettas. When TV hosts, politicians and famous people use their social standing to attack topics they have no right or basis to speak about. Especially when that topic is love.

This is why it makes my blood boil when discrimination about marriage or sexuality comes into play. When someone beats their definition of marriage as ‘it was in the bible’ into law, knowing this because they are religious and white, it undermines the progress towards unity that we’ve made over the past 50 years.

Frankly, some of these people know about as much about ‘traditional marriage’ as Falcon “Balloon Boy” Heene knows about flying – basically nothing.

Nevertheless, bigots pushing their own dated views are nothing new. Let’s take a look at a Justice of the Peace who denies marriage licenses for interracial couples and a bunch of politicians who are calling for a Department of Education appointee to be kicked out because he is.. wait for it.. gay. Stay tuned, after the jump.
… Continue Reading

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Steve Romain

Ain’t No Rain On The Pride Parade

If you were around Greenwich Village anytime during the end of June, chances are you caught glimpses of flashy colors, costumes and rainbow flags. Gay Pride festivities in New York span an entire week, with parties, parades, rallies, and festivals to celebrate and commemorate a landmark event in gay rights.

This year’s “Pride Week” was awe-inspiring not only in terms of the celebrations put on by the LGBT community, but also in the wider political context of this year’s festivities– especially the parade. With marriage equality a pivotal topic of contention between the gay community and conservatives, this year’s festivities were decidedly more pointed at the issues gays still face, rather than fun and frivolity. It was a widespread hope amongst the gay community that this year’s parade would sway some of the silent or indecisive voices on the issue of gay equality in their favor. The hope for change was even stronger this year than most; adding to the weight of the event was the 40 year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which took place on June 28, 1969, and spawned the Gay Rights Movement in The Village. The riots were, at the time, the gay community’s only response to continued police harassment and raids of known gay bars.
… Continue Reading

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Moni'ca Brown