Orange County Equality Coalition

[UPDATED: Coroner Rules Suicide] Katherine Darmer, Chapman Professor and Gay Rights Champion, Falls From a Building in a Possible Suicide

​UPDATE, FEB. 22, 3:46 P.M.: The Orange County coroner's office has ruled Katherine Darmer's death a suicide. Questions remain as to why she would want to end her life.   ORIGINAL POST, FEB. 21, 12:32 P.M.: Katherine Darmer, a Chapman law professor and a founding member of the Orange Cou ... More >>

What We Learned, Feb. 11-17

​A look back at the last week and the snark that came from it all.FEB. 11: Whitney Houston dies in Beverly Hills, and a shrine goes up in . . . Laguna Hills? It's at the home of Mike and Mahi Pasha now, but in 2006 the legendary singer rented the place to be closer to her drug counselor. What We L ... More >>

Let Them Eat (a Gay Wedding) Cake: Gay Activists Get Their Valentine's Day on at Orange County Courthouse

​Linda May said it took her a long time to bake the "domestic partnership" cake she displayed Tuesday outside the Orange County Courthouse at 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd. in downtown Santa Ana.She said the cake is symbolic of the gay community's efforts to overturn laws against same-sex marriage. " ... More >>

Teach Your Children Well, Anti-Bullying and -Homophobia Documentary, Screens Tonight

​A short documentary about homophobia, bullying and school violence screens tonight in Huntington Beach.Admission is $5 to Teach Your Children Well at 7 p.m. in Huntington Beach Central Library, with proceeds going to the Huntington Beach Human Relations Task Force.

Harvey Milk Day

Downtown Santa Ana French Plaza

Election 2010: Moxley Watches The OC Republicans

Jonathan Ho / OC WeeklyTran: Not time to concede. ​1:00 a.m.: Van Tran Remains HopefulInside the converted Garden Grove Blockbuster store, Van Tran continues to hold onto his dream of defeating Loretta Sanchez. Tran is trailing by more than 5,000 votes--and the gap seems to be getting larger. But ... More >>

Carly Fiorina Bus Pandering to Latinos is in Santa Ana (or is It?)

​A bus that represents Republican U.S. Senate nominee Carly Fiorina's outreach to Latinos was scheduled to park right now at the Santa Ana intersection of Main and 17th streets--home of Norm's, bus stops and the Weekly's former world HQ. But, as a wag over at the Orange Juice blog has noted, it's ... More >>

First a Victory, Now a War

Same-sex marriage supporters and detractors react to Proposition 8 ruling, what happens next

Demonstrators Welcome Ex-Gay Conference

Christopher Victorio​Orange County's ex-gay-dar rocketed off the charts this past week as roughly 600 people gathered to attend Exodus International's Freedom Conference at Concordia University, while about 60 demonstrated outside the gates of the fortress-like campus last Saturday.

Ex-Rated Criticism of Exodus International

Michael Bussee and other activists denounce the upcoming conference of the 'ex-gay' ministry

What You Missed: The Anti-"Ex-Gay" Conference

Christopher Victorio / OC WeeklyExodus founder and critic Michael Bussee.​A small but impassioned group of gay-rights supporters convened in Irvine on Saturday in response to the upcoming Exodus International Freedom Conference. Exodus' notoriety for "praying the gay away" has effectively prayed ... More >>

Locals Gather to Ixnay the Ex-Gay Conference

OC WeeklyMichael Bussee​Among the many charming events that Orange County attracts year after year--ranging from conferences held by holocaust deniers to 9/11 truthers--none might be more charming than Exodus International's "Freedom Conference" in Irvine, at which panels and workshops are he ... More >>

A New Holiday Approaches: Harvey Milk Day

Based on a true story.​Various conservative-types flipped their lids (closet doors?) when, last year, the governor and the state legislature approved giving the late, gay San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk his own holiday: May 22.So how are you going to be spending your very first Harvey Mi ... More >>

Mormon Fight In Irvine this Weekend!

No, Mitt Romney and David Archuleta aren't going to be brawling in the Great Park. Even better: This Saturday will bring two prominent local members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to debate how much government and religion should mingle. tracy out west / Flickr / Creative Commons ... More >>

OC Activist Compiles Prop. 8 Trial Tweets

​Anyone who thought the trial in the federal lawsuit challenging California's ban on gay marriage would be a dry, legalistic affair has been proven wrong by accounts of the first two days inside the San Fransisco courtroom. It's a case about the constitution, but the testimony thus far has delved ... More >>

A Rainbow of Patriots/Crazies Greet Nancy Pelosi in Irvine

Chris Victorio​America is diverse! Yes it's true. For proof, we present a list, with commentary, of the various demographics we encountered at Friday night's catch-all protest of Nancy Pelosi's arrival at the Irvine Hilton for a Democratic Party of OC event:

Proposition 8 Is Keeping Same-Sex Couples From Marrying, But It Has United OC's Gay Community

More on OC's Reinvigorated Gay-Rights Movement

Jennie Warren / OC Weekly​A few ideas I couldn't quite fit into this week's cover story on gay-rights activism in Orange County: - LGBT-rights doesn't necessarily mean LGBT: Most of the LGBT activists working in Orange County told me that one of the most remarkable thing about the network that has ... More >>

Mom of Harassed Corona Del Mar Student Keeps Fighting

A still from the video mentioned in the lawsuit. Watch the full thing here.​We reported back in September that the American Civil Liberties Union had settled a lawsuit against Newport-Mesa School District and Corona del Mar High School administrators brought by the Orange County Equality Coalition ... More >>

UPDATED: ACLU Announces Settlement of Suit Tied to Corona del Mar High's Production of "Rent"

Photo by Matt Coker Karyl Ketchum and Mike Wiggins talk about the hell their 17-year-old daughter Hail endured at Corona del Mar High School last school year.​Three varsity football players at Corona del Mar High School posted a video on the school's Facebook page in January in which they describe ... More >>

Time Has Arrived to Send In the Drag Queens

Photo by Christopher VictorioSal Landers, performing at the Aug. 15 OC Pride festival in Irvine, is on the bill for Equality California's Aug. 27 show.​Marines, Teamsters and wildcats have helped pull this country out of some sticky situations, but when it comes to an issue that's divided Californ ... More >>

Resurrected, Boisterous OC Pride Festival "a Smashing Success"

Photo by Christopher VictorioPark rangers talk with OC Pride participants about the noise at Mason Regional Park in Irvine on Saturday.​The crowd was small but boisterous, there was a minor issue with the noise and some participants did not know at first that the showy police presence was for thei ... More >>

Orange County LGBT Pride Festival "Revival" Starts Small

Sasha Baron Cohen's comedy has nothing to do with OC pride festivals. We just can't find photos from past fests. ​Orange County's first-ever gay and lesbian pride festival was held in Santa Ana's Centennial Park in 1988, when angry Christian conservatives showed up not because they'd finally come ... More >>