If it is even possible, there will be a greater concentration of gay and lesbian people in San Francisco on March 5, when the California Supreme Court
hears oral arguments in the challenge of Proposition 8, which banned
same-sex marriage. On the flipside, the day could also see a huge spike
in intolerant religious zealot homophobic nutbars.
Paaaartay!
With the backing of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Attorney General Jerry Brown
will ask the Supremes to invalidate Prop. 8 on grounds that certain
fundamental rights, including that to marry, are inalienable and cannot
be put to a popular vote. Backed by civil rights groups, religious
organizations, labor unions and legal scholars, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal and the ACLU
will pile onto Brown's argument by contending the ballot measure
violates the California Constitution-guaranteed right to equal
treatment under the law.
Same-sex marriage ban proponents will neener-neener that California's state charter gives the people broad
latitude to make laws and set policy, which the Court cannot change. So there,
The Cali Supreme Court has 90 days to render a decision.
Meanwhile . . .
]
-With $85 million pumped in by both sides, Prop. 8 was the costliest social-issue campaign in U.S. history.
-Among those who gave $1,000 to Yes on 8 was a New York artist who uses gay-pride images in her paintings.
-Mormons caught in a $188,000 lie?
-Unions are anti-marraige?
-Even if the Supremes uphold the ban, legal scholars say it will eventually be knocked down . . . in 10 years, tops.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.