Just be patient and don’t call anybody stupid. Read Nr. 36 and what Dong has written, if the justices were all closeted gays their decision has to go along the lines and rules that go beyond the understanding of most of us, me included. We can only hope for the best. The most important thing is to keep on fighting and not give up. Something good is that the U.K. prime minister unleashed against proposition 8 in a public speech, I also have a google alert and each time prop 8 is mentioned I get an e-mail and whenever I run into a Christian wipe I give them my two cents.

I think you got something wrong there. I am a French speaking Belgian, it is also the second country in the world to have adopted gay marriage right after the Netherlands for which I am proud. I am well traveled geographically, socially and intellectually, my career goes from reform school to partying at the home of the president for Chrysler Europe. I have no intention of returning to the U.S. just because of the ban on smokers, I missed the vigils and demonstration with the no on 8 but I might end up fighting non smoker gay people. As for objectivity….

Best of luck to you on the West Coast.

@Mark: Religion is important to many people, when I twisted my ankle I also needed a crutch, the evil and danger of religions lies with its leaders the example being Pakistan where the religious leaders are wrestling the power out of a democratically elected government, one of the pope said it clearly once that the Vatican was no democracy. Our problems started in AD 325 when emperor Constantin gave power to the Christians, I guess the lions were fed up with them too.

Let’s hope for the best and btw your marriage will be recognized in Belgium and the Netherlands.

This is the legacy of worshiping an invisible Jewish sky god. Invisible, being the key word. Oh, and don’t forget the charlatan who MADE UP the Mormon religion. Completely. Made. It. Up.

Now, those people who were duped by a charlatan – and who believe in invisible daddies – are sh*tting on us.

This is America? Our laws allow this?

Justice is still not done. Apparently, it’s never done.

You and I are wasting our time in debating the relevancy of parades and I certainly would not want to create a wedge within the GLBT movement. Unity is required here and we all know too well that if prop 8 is overturned it won’t take long for the fed level to go along which is what I want.
If I knew all it took was for me to dress in feathers with a tutu to overturn prop 8 I would do it.

But the point is did Obama win and the US did sign on to the UN Declaration. To be sure it’s a symbolic and not a substantive gesture but symbols are important, nevertheless.

Regarding Prop 8, I have no legal background but fear that Prop 8 will not be invalidated. And in an attempt to look “balanced” the Court will not void the existing marriages. Try to make everyone somewhat unhappy instead of making the truly fair decision.

THIS TIME!

@Forrest:
“Disparaging differences within the GLBT community is ignorant and demeaning.” I am not doing any such thing and had you read with more attention you might have noticed that it was more about perception or semiotics than disparaging. As for parades I never felt good in a crowd so I avoid them, heck I won’t enter a bar when it looks overcrowded but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to party.

As for the poor and uneducated, the church is involved with them at many different levels, so when I was 11 some kids took me to some Catholic scouts thing and after that I became an altar boy, the church also teaches you to accept your fate as God’s will, so when the powers that be repress you you say thank you and ask for more. I didn’t buy that and at 13 I was slowly on my way to become the atheist I am now. I also knew about gay bashing and all those who bragged about it were cowards just like those who beat on women.
Your fight is dear to me if it were not I wouldn’t spend my two cents on it.

Don

@fern – You are right in regards to your first comment, this is a legal issue the court is deciding in their eyes (as it should be), nothing more or less. They are interpreting the constitution of the State of California. Encouraging is how they have previously ruled of course.

@Pragmatist – You are right, do not expect a quick decision, possible that it won’t be three months, but I have actually heard people who thought we would know this week. NO WAY

@Forrest – Possible, but unlikely, especially within a month. In regards to pride, I agree. I at one point when I was very young thought they weren’t for me, until I experienced them and saw you can get out of it what you want. I cried the first one I marched in, and don’t laugh, but I probably had a suit on.

may.

It’s too bad some people seem to think that all pride events are just a bunch of drunk, horny, outrageous queers making the community look bad because from my (admittedly) limited experience that’s just not true.

Ignore Flex. It’s sad when people feel the need to be rude. We have a long way to go in listening to other perspectives. We have to get rid of “us vs. them” mentality. I understand when fellow gays get angry, but it just creates a greater divide and accomplishes nothing towards gaining equal rights.

March, April, June…Pride Month. Wasn’t it like that when the Supreme Court rendered Lawrence. Yeah, I would rather it be over sooner than later but…wow, what a Pride Month if they overturn in June…

Rather, it will provide an opportunity for both sides to be heard, for the judges to clarify the parties’ respective positions, and (perhaps most centrally) to put on a bit of pomp and circumstance for the citizens of California.

The actual judgment won’t come for another three months, and it will be the product of undocumented negotiations between the justices.

But it’s a lot more than drinking and partying – it’s a show of solidarity and a chance to make connections – business, political and personal. Even if you’re not into the celebration it’s probably the most public event where our opponents get to see that we are here and not ever going away.

For that reason alone, it deserves our support even if you personally have problems with taking part.

So am I! Some years I go, some years I don’t.

By the way, I’m clean and sober and I attend the Pride Parade and surrounding events. I can’t offer an opinion of whether I’m annoying or not…I’m generally low-key.

I go to the Pride Parade every year and have marched in it several times in the past 15 years. I find it very spirtually satisfying and an amazing visual representation of the universality of the LGBT rights struggle.

There are all sorts of people represented and, in general, everyone is friendly and happy to be there.

Maybe you considered hundreds of LGBT families and their children, along with the many religious groups and community service orgs, to be lowest common denominators as well?

I’d be happy to attend a Pride Parade with you, so long as you leave that negative attitude at home.

CA is about 12% of the US population but point taken.