All Posts Tagged With: "homosexual"
Ban On Homosexual Marriages Trails In California
Money Flowing Into Californ
ia on Both Sides
The constitutional amendment to ban homosexual marriage in California is drawing large contributions from both sides. The amendment which will appear on the November ballot, was introduced following the California Supreme Court’s May 15 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. The amendment states: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”
The homosexual rights group Equity for All and a related organization raised about $2.6 million in the first half of 2008 to fight Proposition 8, according to the San Jose Mercury-News. That’s about $300,000 more than the amount raised by the major backers of the amendment, Protect Marriage and the National Organization for Marriage-California.
James Dobson’s Focus on the Family organization, gave $250,000 to Protect Marriage that supports the ban. Focus on the Family told the Mercury-News that Dobson’s organization believes the outcome of the vote on Proposition 8 will affect the rest of the country as well. California does not require couples to be residents to marry there.
Donations have continued to pour in since the end of June, and much of the money has been coming from outside California. The Mississippi-based American Family Association gave Protect Marriage $500,000 on July 21.
Equality for All recently received $1.05 million from a political action committee of the Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign, and $250,000 from the Gill Action Fund, a gay rights foundation in Denver.
Both sides believe they can raise between $10 million and $15 million by Election Day.
Back in 2000, a proposition declaring that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California” passed with 61 percent of the vote.
The Supreme Court ruling struck down that statue, meaning the constitutional amendment is needed to ban same-sex marriage.
Barack Obama opposes the initiative, calling it “divisive and discriminatory,” but he remains opposed to same-sex marriage and supports civil unions and domestic partnerships. His presidential rival John McCain announced his support for the amendment in June.
The debate has even generated controversy over the veracity of the California based Field Poll. During the Proposition 22 debate the Field poll, as it does now claimed support for homosexual marriage was 50% but it passed by over 60%.
A July 15, 2008 Field Poll says 51% will vote “no” and 42% will vote “yes.” The major parts split while non-partisan voters overwhelmingly oppose it 66-27%.
California Split on Homosexual Marriage
San Francisco Gay Parade Puts Focus On November Ballot Battle.
San Francisco’s gay pride paraders celebrated their newfound freedom to marry as the city’s 38th annual march got under way with a matrimonial touch.
Members of the lesbian motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes wore bridal veils and wedding gowns and tossed bouquets as they led Sunday’s parade. Some of the motorcycles were adorned with signs reading “Just Married.”
Same-sex marriage has been legal since June 16 after a California Supreme Court decision that ruled the voter passed law unconstitutional.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom received ovations along the parade route for his role in working to overturn the state’s gay marriage ban with a ballot initiative that has qualified for the November ballot. Governor Schwarzenegger said in a pretaped interview aired Sunday on Meet the Press that he absolutely opposes a Constitutional change banning homosexual marriage in California.
Proponents of a Constitutional amendment to ban marriage between homosexuals submitted 1,120, 801 signatures to qualify the matter for the November ballot. If passed it would follow 24 other states where marriage is between one man and one woman.
If the marriages proceed during the next four months, it is unclear whether they would be nullified if the amendment passes. Some legal scholars have said the state Supreme Court might get called on again to settle that question.
A Field Poll released by U. S. News and World Report on June 29th found 51 percent of voters surveyed since the Supreme Court ruling say they approve of homosexual couples marrying; 42 percent disapprove. An LA Times poll, released last week found 54% supporting amending California’s Constitutional limiting marriage to one man and one woman.
Campaign To End Homosexual Marriages In California Day They Begin.
County clerks in Butte and Kern Counties stopped performing marriage ceremonies altogether so they could not marry homosexual couples.
Focus on the Family, a conservative group, reported donating $250,000 Friday to support passage of a Constitutional Amendment to once again ban homosexual marriages in California.
On March 7, 2000 61.4% voted in favor of 14 word so-called Knight Initiative, named for its initiator William J. “Pete” Knight (1929-2004) prohibiting marriage between homosexual individuals. On May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court struck down this initiative and related California law in a 4-3 decision, giving same-sex couples the right to marry and unleasing the controversy anew.
Ten States petitioned the California Supreme Court to stay its decision until after the November vote citing the great expense and civil upset setup by the possible 6 month effect of its decision. The court refused and California is once again in turmoil.
A Field Poll shows 51% of Californians support the ban- private polls show much greater support for banning same-sex marriages.
California’s Homosexual Pairs Can Marry Tomorrow.
At least for now.
More than half of CALIFORNIA’s estimated 100,000 same-sex couples are expected to apply for marriage licenses when the new homosexual marriage law goes into effect at 5:01 PM Monday, June 16 says a UCLA study. The study also estimates that as many as 68,000 out-of-state couples could travel to CALIFORNIA to take advantage of the new law and that California is the single state permitting that.
All of which, the UCLA study says, could generate as much as $684 million for the CALIFORNIA economy over the next three years, creating 2,200 jobs along the way. More than $70 million of that amount would go directly to state and local government coffers, with $64 million in additional tax revenue for the state and another $9 million in marriage-license fees for counties.
The bulk of the spending is expected to be on the usual wedding accoutrements, including cakes, decorations, clothing, jewelry, etc, but the benefits could also spread out to other industries as well. For instance, some Southern California wedding planners say that in the weeks right after the court decision, same-sex customers who were planning civil union ceremonies immediately switched to wedding plans instead.
The impact’s going to be in the millions, easily.” Marketing experts also cite the gay community’s comparatively high earning power. PlanetOut, a media and entertainment company that conducts surveys about gay and lesbian consumers, says gay consumers earn 20 percent more than their straight counterparts, on average, and spend about 10 percent more on civil union and other commitment ceremonies.
Others question this disparity citing biases particularly in Media and entertainment that have large homosexual populations. In Los Angeles it is referred to as the Lavendar Mafia, and at least one major entertainment company is cited as having its HR department run by a homosexual majority that discriminates against “straights” on hiring and promotions.
A Constitutional amendment is headed for the November 2008 California ballot that would again ban same sex marriages. The State’s voters passed a similar ban but the State Supreme Court action overrode the majority of the voters. Polling is California gives passage a narrow majority. Nationally according to a May 21-22 Gallup Poll 49% oppose marriage between homosexual pairs while about 38% approve with 13% unsure.
Regardless of whatever happens after Monday there will be hundreds of lawsuits and years of litigation.
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California Expects Big Bucks From Homosexual Weddings
Is this a jobs and revenue program the voters do not want?
More than half of CALIFORNIA’s estimated 100,000 same-sex couples are expected to apply for marriage licenses when the new Homosexual marriage law goes into effect this week says a UCLA study.
The study also estimates that as many as 68,000 out-of-state couples could travel to CALIFORNIA to take advantage of the new law. All of which, the UCLA study says, could generate as much as $684 million for the CALIFORNIA economy over the next three years, creating 2,200 jobs along the way.
More than $70 million of that amount would go directly to state and local government coffers, with $64 million in additional tax revenue for the state and another $9 million in marriage-license fees for counties. The bulk of the spending is expected to be on the usual wedding accoutrements, including cakes, decorations, clothing, jewelry, etc, but the benefits could also spread out to other industries as well.
For instance, some Southern California wedding planners say that in the weeks right after the court decision, same-sex customers who were planning civil union ceremonies immediately switched to wedding plans instead.
The impact’s going to be in the millions, “easily.” Marketing experts also cite the gay community’s comparatively high earning power. PlanetOut, a media and entertainment company that conducts surveys about gay and lesbian consumers, says gay consumers earn 20 percent more than their straight counterparts, on average, and spend about 10 percent more on civil union and other commitment ceremonies.
Others question this disparity citing biases in Media and entertainment that have large homosexual populations. In Los Angeles it is referred to as the Lavendar Mafia, and companies such as Disney are often cited as being run by a homosexual majority.
A Constitutional amendment is headed for the November 2008 ballot that would ban marriages between homosexual couples. The State’s voter passed a similar ban but the State Supreme Court action overrode the majority of the voters.
Lieberman and Hagee an Unholy Alliance
As a progressive Democrat, I resent that the mainstream media labels Senator Joseph Lieberman an ‘independent democrat.’ He is nothing of the sort. His steadfast support of the offensive and bigoted Reverend John Hagee brings disgrace on the U.S. Senate. In spite of the furor as a result of Hagee’s outrageous comments, Senator Lieberman will indeed be the keynote speaker at Hagee’s Christians United for Israel (CUFI) summit this July. The fact that his colleagues allow him to continue his blind support without calling for him to reject Hagee only serves to deepen the disgrace. Hagee’s latest piece of poisonous propaganda would have us believe that he has a direct line to God (perish the thought), but it is only one more hateful verbal assault in a long line.
The latest furor comes over a sermon Hagee gave on the eve of the invasion of Iraq describing the coming anti-Christ as a “blasphemer and a homosexual.” In this insult from the pulpit, called “The Final Dictator,” Hagee goes on to tell 19,000 members of his Cornerstone Church that the anti-Christ will come out of Germany and that he will at least be “partially Jewish.” If Hagee has the Jews in his sights, they are not alone. He has already stated that Hurricane Katrina happened because New Orleans had schedule its Gay Pride Parade for the Monday Katrina came ashore. He also tells his followers that Muslims have a mandate to kill Christians and Jews because it is taught in the Quran.
Perhaps the most chilling belief harbored by Hagee was revealed in a 2006 address to CUFI that proposes the United States and Israel must collaborate on a military pre-emptive strike on Iran in order to fulfill God’s ultimate plan. According to Hagee, the plan is “a biblically prophesized end-time confrontation with Iran, which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ.” While many Americans shrug Hagee off as a “nut” that nobody listens to, think again. CUFI has rapidly grown into one of the most powerful and influential Christian grassroots organizations in America. Hagee clearly has the ear of those formulating government policy or long-time, influential public servants like Joseph Lieberman would not give him the time of day let alone agree to be a keynote speaker at one of his summits.
There’s plenty of disgrace to go around Washington over this, so let’s by all means share some with the House. Representatives Elliot Engel (D-NY) and Republican Mike Pence will also be joining Lieberman at the CUFI summit in July, speaking on the “Middle East Briefing” panel. Engel’s participation is surprising since he has amassed a pretty progressive voting record. Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard and conservative New York Times columnist and right-wing Christian activist Gary Bauer will also participate.
That Kristol and Bauer are participating is not surprising. One only has to visit the CUFI site to get a feel for Hagee’s supporters. That Washington policy makers are participating is both disturbing and absolutely frightening. Senator Lieberman should reject Hagee’s venomous beliefs by backing out of the summit immediately. He should then call on his compatriots Engel and Pence to do the same. There is absolutely no place in our government for such an unholy alliance.