An anti-gay marriage amendment will appear on the November ballot in Arizona. The state's Senate narrowly approved the measure on June 27. The measure will place a referendum asking voters to decide whether or not to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Arizona was the first and only state to ever reject a marriage amendment. This time around, only 16 senators approved of the measure, which was the minimum requirement to get it on the ballot.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the demand for marriage licenses in California continues to rise. A recent survey shows that the demand for marriage licenses is up 250 percent. Over 8,5000 marriage licenses to both straight and gay couples were issued the first week gay marriage was legal in California. Same-sex marriage became legal on June 17, following a historical California Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state's ban on gay marriage.
Shortly after California approved same-sex marriages, Feit Publishing Ventures announced that it is revamping its wedding publication, With This Ring, to include gay and lesbian couples, Marketwire.com reported. The all-inclusive magazine will now include items concerning LGBT as well as interracial, interfaith and more traditional weddings.
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said that he opposes a measure that would ban same-sex marriage in California. A letter stating Obama's position was recently posted on the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Democratic Club of San Francisco Web site. Obama said, "I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution, and similar efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution or those of other states." In November, California voters will decide whether or not to amend the state constitution in order to ban gay marriage. If passed, the measure would overturn the recent ground-breaking California Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriages, which began June 16.
A Los Angeles cop recently filed suit against the Los Angeles Police Department for allegedly discriminating against him for his religious beliefs. Sgt. Eric Holyfield accuses the LAPD of passing him up for raises and promotions because of a 2006 eulogy he gave for a fellow officer. Holyfield is also a pastor. During the eulogy, Holyfield went on an anti-gay rant. The suit claims that the LAPD discriminated against Holyfield because of his religious beliefs and violated his First Amendment right of free speech.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who made headlines back in 2004 when he illegally issued marriage licenses in his city, may run to become the next governor of California. Newsom launched an exploratory bid for the seat. According to the Los Angeles Times, Newsom will decide whether or not to run by the end of 2008. Current Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will not run in 2010 because of California's term limits.
According to The Capital Times of Madison, Wisconsin gay and lesbian couple could face jail time for tying the knot in California. A law currently on Wisconsin's books makes entering a marriage considered illegal in Wisconsin, even if performed outside the state, a criminal offense once the couple returns home. Gay marriage is not permitted in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin law was originally written to help prevent underage teens from marrying in other states, but could apply to same-sex couples who marry in California, which recently became the second state in the U.S. to permit gay marriage.
Gay media watchdog group GLAAD is not pleased with the summer-movie blockbuster Hancock, starring Will Smith. GLAAD is dismayed that Smith's character, Hancock, used the word "homo" three times only 24 minutes into the film. During the flick, Jason Bateman's character shows Hancok three comic book images of superheroes in order to inspire him. Hancock rejects the images, saying, "Homo. Homo in red. Norwegian homo." According to a GLAAD statement, the use of the word "sends a problematic message that it's okay to discriminate using such hateful words."
