One of the many rallies across the USA

It’s not been the most widely reported issues in the UK but I’m sure many of you lnow about Prop 8 in California. On Nov 4th on the general election ballot for President in many states there also elections for senators, various local representatives and issues. California narrowly voted Yes on Prop 8 to ban gay marriage. Gay marriage had been legalised by the California Supreme Court just months before and many high profile LGBTQ people had tied the knot, most famoulsy Ellen DeGeneres. There are now a number of legal challenges to the issue. Yep, on the same day America elected its first African-American president, it gave the LGBTQ community a damn good wallop.

a) What happens to the 18k already married?

b) Is it legal for people to vote on a constitutional revision? (This would normally be a decision made by the state legislature and not by public vote)

But maybe what’s more amazing than the bizzarre legal issues (yes I’m a law geek, gonna stop now) is the amazing direct action going on across the USA. Many of these are aimed at Californian Mormons who were some of the biggest fundraisers to ‘protect marriange and the family’. Whoopi Goldberg and Drew Barrymore are among those who have taken to the streets.

Nothing’ll be definite on this situation until early 2009. I know its weird to sort of report this as a pseudo-news article but I find the efforts against this Proposition to be truly inspiring. It shows that direct action is working as the courts are now allowing several appeals funded by the NO campaign.

I do love watching televised comeuppance and it doesn’t get much better than Boris getting called on his patchy record supporting the LGBTQ community. Boris had previously stated that in principle gay marriage was the same as three men marrying a dog and has continously berated what he claimed was ‘Labour’s appalling agenda, encouraging the teaching of homosexuality in schools, and all the rest of it.’ Lovely. Which is why it amuses me no end to see him taken to task over his poor record of supporting LGBTQ rights at the recent Stonewall hustings for the Mayor of London election.

Enjoy.