Defense of Marriage Act

Outfest 2013: 10 Films to See

Henry Rollins: Misguided Outrage Over DOMA's Demise

[Look for your weekly fix from the one and only Henry Rollins right here on West Coast Sound every Thursday, and come back tomorrow for the awesomely annotated playlist for his Sunday KCRW broadcast.] See also: Henry Rollins: Worried About the NSA? What About Google? When I read the Supreme Court ... More >>

In West Hollywood, Thousands of Queer Americans Celebrate A Stone-Cold Truth

Another blue sky day in West Hollywood, but it was unlike any other. On June 26, one day before the forty-fourth anniversary of the historic Stonewall riots in New York City, queer Americans in the Los Angeles area and across the country celebrated two U.S. Supreme Court rulings that told the worl ... More >>

U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA

See also: Prop. 8 Dismissed by U.S. Supreme Court: Gay Marriage to Return to California. In a prelude to its decision on California's own anti-gay marriage law, the U.S. Supreme Court today struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act. In a 5-4 vote DOMA was overruled. The court says: "DOMA sin ... More >>

Prop. 8 Dismissed by U.S. Supreme Court: Gay Marriage to Return to California

See also: *U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down DOMA. *Gay Marriage in California: What Happens Next? The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex marriage to resume in California today. In its ruling on the state's anti-gay marriage law, the court essentially said that a "private party," the c ... More >>

Solo Show At the Flash Looks at a Single Gay Bar Through the Decades

USC Expert David Cruz Predicts Prop. 8 Supreme Court Decision is Unlikely to Make History

Updated at the bottom: David Cruz provides new details of his views. First posted Tuesday afternoon. David Cruz, an expert on civil rights and constitutional law, made his way from USC to D.C. to observe the oral arguments on California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage this morning. In a packed ... More >>

Why Los Angeles Deserves Major Credit for the National Gay Marriage Movement

When it comes to life-impacting stuff -- civil rights, political movements, or education reform, for example -- Los Angeles too often gets overlooked by snobby journalists and intellectual types in New York City and Washington D.C. Let's just admit it: They don't take L.A. seriously and they hate ... More >>

Obama Administration Weighs In On California Same-Sex Marriage Battle

The Obama administration today put its weight behind opponents of California's ban on same-sex marriage. The office of Attorney General Eric Holder filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, which could be weighing whether the Golden State's Proposition 8 is constitutional. In a statement ... More >>

Byron Adams, Bill Rosendahl, Stevie St. John and L.A. Gay Equality Warriors Stunned, Thrilled by Obama 2013 Inaugural Promise

From revered gay UC Riverside professor and brilliant classical composer Byron Adams to Spectrum L.A. gay blog editor Stevie St. John, prominent Los Angeles-area lifelong fighters for equality were stunned by President Obama's surprise inaugural promise to bring full, unprecedented human rights to g ... More >>

U.S. Supreme Court Will Hear Oral Arguments on Proposition 8 in March

The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will hear oral arguments for the federal Proposition 8 lawsuit on Tuesday, March 26 -- followed up the next day with arguments on the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). So in a little over two months, the question of legalize ... More >>

Proposition 8: U.S. Supreme Court Will Rule on California's Gay Marriage Ban

Update: Reactions quotes after the jump. The U.S. Supreme Court has announced today it will rule on the federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn California's gay marriage ban. In August 2010, Proposition 8 was found unconstitutional by U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker. That ruling was appealed and ... More >>

Gays Could Win Presidential Election for Barack Obama, Says Gallup Report

Guess ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and taking a strong pro-gay marriage stand could help President Barack Obama's re-election effort. According to the Gallup Report, with the presidential race running so tight, gays and lesbians overwhelming support for Obama could help him edge out Republican ca ... More >>

Update: Defense of Marriage Act: Federal Appeals Court Says Anti-Gay Marriage Law is Unconstitutional

Update, 11:25 a.m.: California gay rights activists respond to DOMA ruling, after the jump. The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act has been found unconstitutional by a federal appeals court in Boston, Massachusetts. The U.S. Supreme Court may weigh in on the ruling. "Under current Supreme Court authorit ... More >>

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal: West Hollywood Celebrates Gays Serving Openly in Military

Reilly T. Bates​A celebration of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" took place at West Hollywood Park on Tuesday night, in which some 100 people rejoiced over the end of the ban of gays and lesbians serving in the military. "I never thought I'd see this day," Tom Carpenter, board member o ... More >>

Kevin James Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Reconfirms He's A Gay Republican

L.A. mayoral candidate Kevin James​Radio talk show host Kevin James wants Los Angeles voters to know that he's a registered Republican who wants to be the first openly gay mayor of L.A. "There's no doubt that if I became the first openly gay mayor of Los Angeles," James tells L.A. Weekly, "i ... More >>

California Attorney General Kamala Harris Joins Obama as Friend of the Gays, Asks Court to Lift Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

​Updated after the jump with high fives from across the gay-rights community. After disappointing news came two weeks ago that the fight against Prop. 8 is being delayed until at least September, brand-new California Attorney General Kamala Harris took matters into her own hands today, airing ... More >>

Gay Rights Activists Thrilled with Barack Obama's Decision to Back Off on Defense of Marriage Act

​Gay rights activists in California and across the United States are thrilled with the Obama Administration's decision today to stop defending the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act in federal court. "This is a huge victory for gay and lesbian couples and removes any doubt that the freedom to marr ... More >>

Marriage Equality U.S.A. and Get Equal Call For Gay Marriage 'Counter Actions' on Valentine's Day

​Marriage Equality U.S.A. and Get Equal want to shake things up on Valentine's Day this year in the name of full marriage equality. The two gay rights groups are calling for a national "counter action," in which gay folks go to a local county or city clerk's office in states where same-sex ... More >>

Worlds Apart

Federal law gives gay citizens with foreign partners tough choices: Leave the U.S.A. Lose your love. Break the law

Queer Town: Proposition 8 Lawsuit Moves Forward, Motion to Dismiss Denied

In San Francisco this morning, Proposition 8 supporters asked U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker to dismiss the federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn the successful anti-gay marriage ballot measure that became law after California voters passed it almost a year ago.Patrick Range McDonaldProp. 8 prot ... More >>

Queer Town: Ted Kennedy, Champion of Gay Rights, Has Died

U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, a longtime champion of gay rights, died Tuesday in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. He had been battling a malignant brain tumor for the past year. U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy​Kennedy was the brother of President John F. Kennedy and former U.S. Attorney General and Senator Rober ... More >>

Queer Town: Obama Touts 'Equal Justice' in Vegas, Ignores Prop. 8 Ruling

Last night at a political fundraiser in Las Vegas, President Barack Obama made a pitch for nearly everything under the sun: better education, "change" in Washington, improved national fuel efficiency standards and a host of other things, even a plug for his new U.S. Supreme Court justice pick, Sonia ... More >>

Queer Town: President Barack Obama and the Gays

Almost a year ago to the day, I stood in the large kitchen of an elegant mansion in the Pacific Palisades at a political fund raiser, waiting to the shake hand of our future president, Barack Obama. When he approached, I said hello and immediately told him I was gay. I then asked Obama to include ga ... More >>

Queer Town: Obama Picks Gene Robinson to Deliver Prayer

In what may be an olive-branch move towards the gay community, President-elect Barack Obama has chosen New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson to deliver a prayer at the opening event of inauguration week, which starts this Sunday in Washington, D.C. Obama's decision may be some kind of counter ... More >>

Queer Town: L.A. Prop. 8 Protest Targets Obama, Warren

This Saturday night President-elect Barack Obama will continue to get an earful he probably never expected.Join the Impact, an Internet-based grassroots group that organizes national protests against Proposition 8, will host candlelight vigils in Los Angeles and other cities to denounce the passage ... More >>

A Safe, Early Night at the Silver Lake March

By the end of the weekend, the "No on 8" protests had moved out of the gay enclave of West Hollywood. Marches went down in Long Beach, East L.A., and downtown Los Angeles, and an estimated crowd of 15,000 to 20,000 people showed up in Silver Lake on Saturday night. It was probably the largest protes ... More >>

Sexual Orientation of McCain's Senate Chief of Staff Revealed

But it's Mark Buse's Freddie Mac connections that go mainstream

Michelle Obama's Night Out in L.A.: Malia and Sasha Meet the Jonas Brothers

Dream come true for Malia, and indirect reference to Sarah Palin from Michelle, who says her husband is "not afraid of smart people."

Queer Town: The Obama Pool Report

Rather than watch the Republican National Convention or the U.S. Open in tennis, I covered Michelle Obama's visit to Los Angeles on Wednesday night as a "pool reporter." A pool reporter is someone who's chosen by a political campaign to cover an event that would otherwise be closed to the press. I ... More >>

Queer Town: Obama's Gay Moment

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama undoubtedly thrilled, and probably somewhat shocked, gays and lesbians last night when he spoke this line during his nomination speech in Denver: “I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian br ... More >>

Protecting Obama from Gay Marriage Politics

Activists argue that now isn't the time for more gay lawsuits

Queer Town: Human Rights Campaign Endorses Obama

The Human Rights Campaign, the ultimate Washington D.C. lobbying group for gays and lesbians, has officially endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president.

California GOP: The Queer Enablers of Gay Marriage

How Republicans accomplished what the Dems could not

WeHo Reacts to California Supreme Court Gay-Marriage Ruling

God bless Gavin Newsom

Gay and Happy at a West Hollywood Candle Shop

The phone started ringing at Timothy Jay Candles a little bit after ten o’clock in the morning, and it didn’t stop for the rest of the morning. At one o’clock, the red portable phone rang again. Tim Sullivan, a bright-eyed man in his sixties and owner of the candle shop, answered it. “Tim ... More >>

Key Moments in the Struggle for Gay Marriage in the U.S.

Holy unions to Supreme Court battles

Dem Presidential Candidates Face Gays

At Hollywood Q&A, Richardson screws up, Hillary argues, Edwards flipflops

Truths and Consequences

Bashing Hillary from the right — and the left

Big Spat Ahead

All this gay-marriage talk leads straight to the ballot box

Quiet, Dear

Variety of responses to the outing of David Dreier

So Goes the Gay Nation

Same-sex-marriage activists set their sights on California

Brave Newsom World

Gay Marriage Mania

Raw Prejudice

The politics of gay marriage

A Populist Make-over

Meet John Edwards, the corporate man

Get Me to the Church on Time and a Half for Overtime

The state of marriage, gay and straight, in a heterosexual dictatorship

Go Canada!

Should American homosexual couples head north to elope?

In Search of Gay Leaders

And, once we find them, what should they do for Los Angeles?

Gay Shame

The threat of a Bush victory