I always understood the general rule to be: one in 10 people is gay.  This ratio, which apparently has been oft-repeated to a point where it still remains lore 10 years after I first heard it (the gay population apparently has not adjusted for inflation), is a nice shorthand for: it could be you.  (One of my favoritest people of all time, Jane Lynch, interviewed with Terry Gross on NPR yesterday, and this was her reaction to her 20something realization that she is gay: “Oh man, really?”).  The threat that you could be the one left holding the rainbow flag is the greatest fear tactic of all: it results in the simultaneous internalization and externalization of one’s homophobia.  This is, in part, what moves certain people to go to the polls, draw the little iron curtain, and, in the comfortably private, if not stuffy, polling station, mark a mark that will seal the fate for all those ones in tens, if not themselves.  And they are, of course, protecting the children.  Remember the children!

Yesterday – one year after Prop. 8 passed here, and one day after a similar referendum passed in Maine – Equality Network organized “Death to Discrimination,” a march-and-mourn protest and rally in Silver Lake.  The LA Times estimates that 60 people were present when the march started, but grew to a bit over 200 as the march marched up Vermont and down Sunset towards its destination in front of Le BarCito at Sunset Junction (overall, a decent turnout, but a far, far cry from the 700+ people who RSVP’d for the event on Facebook — like certain people I’m sometimes frustrated to know, you’ll always have flakes).  As the speakers began their spiels to the converted, the number of people dwindled – slowly at first, then “exponentially faster,” as Narinda Heng, my fellow mourner, observed.  Tip to future organizers: a rally and protest aren’t the Oscars.  Keep the speeches short well before the orchestra starts to hum its boredom.

A handful of pictures from the post-march rally, after the jump.

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Tom Colicchio

“The idea that religious leaders are continuing to shape state law is just wrong.”

Remember last fall’s boycott of El Coyote restaurant in West Hollywood by supporters of same-sex marriage after it was learned an owner had donated money to the campaign to pass Prop 8?

El Coyote had a sizable gay clientele on Thursday nights, the unofficial “gay night” at the restaurant, which packed the place. That all changed in the aftermath of Prop 8’s passing when the owner’s name appeared on donor lists that were available online and publicized by some media outlets.

Demonstrators appeared in front of the restaurant, business fell off on Thursdays, the pilloried owner did herself no favors when she tried to explain herself, saying if she had a chance to do it all over again, she would do the same thing, citing her religious convictions.

Such a mess for such a mediocre restaurant.

Enter Tom Colicchio, Bravo TV’s Top Chef lead judge and owner of Craft, his first venture into the  Los Angeles restaurant world, located in Century City. (more…)

After much handwringing and consideration, Equality California, the gay rights organization, has decided to hold off until 2012 to push for a ballot initiative to repeal Prop 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state. An impassioned debate over whether to place an initiative on either the 2010 or 2012 ballot had been playing out over the past several months.

I initially wrote about it here last month, when three gay rights organizations successfully got the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in DC on board  to wait until 2012, which at the time I suspected was the writing on the big gay wall.

In a related matter, some gay leaders are at odds over a hastily planned march for marriage equality in Washington DC this fall, on October 11th.

2010 seen as “rushed and risky.”

Should marriage equality supporters push for a ballot initiative in next year’s November election that would repeal Proposition 8? Not according to three gay advocacy groups in California that jointly released a statement urging a delay until 2012.

The statement, “Prepare to Prevail,” was released this week by the Jordan/Rustin Coalition, an African American LGBT advocacy group; API Equality-LA, an Asian and Pacific Islander LGBT advocacy group; and HONOR PAC, which advocates for empowering Latina/o LGBTs.

The groups implore supporters of same-sex marriage “to forego a rush to the 2010 ballot box to repeal Proposition 8″ and “start now in building the campaign infrastructure and robust public education efforts needed to win back marriage equality.”

Going back to the ballot to remove the voter-imposed ban on same-sex marriage from the state constitution in 2010 would be rushed and risky. We should proceed with a costly, demanding, and high-stakes electoral campaign of this sort only when we are confident we can win.

Popular support for marriage equality for same-sex couples has not changed since the last election. Today, California voters’ opinions on a constitutional amendment to overturn the voter-imposed elimination of marriage equality remain evenly split, according to all recent polls.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, based in Washington, DC,  has signed on to the statement by the California groups:

Build solid majority support for the freedom to marry before returning to the ballot.  Multiple polls have shown that support for marriage equality has remained flat since November 2008. The LGBT community will be in a stronger position to win if we’re defending, and not attempting to create in the midst of a campaign, majority support at the ballot box for the freedom to marry.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is making headlines again but this time it’s not about torture.

Asked today at the National Press Club in Washington DC about recent state level decisions regarding same sex marriage, including California’s  state supreme court ruling upholding Proposition 8, Cheney said,

I think that freedom means freedom for everyone. As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they wish. The question of whether or not there ought to be a federal statute to protect this, I don’t support. I do believe that historically the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level. It has always been a state issue and I think that is the way it ought to be handled, on a state-by-state basis. … But I don’t have any problem with that. People ought to get a shot at that.

The report on Huffington Post also points out the Obama administration being seemingly at odds on the gay marriage question with a growing number of voices on both sides of the political spectrum.

The president has said he supports civil unions for gay couples but that he remains committed to marriage being between a man and woman. His press department has been completely quiet about the recent California Supreme Court case upholding a ban on gay marriage in the state.

Photo: US federal government/public domain

[UPDATE: Video of Cheney's remarks after the jump.] (more…)

The good folks at Marriage Equality are hosting an “Eve of Justice” rally Wednesday March 4th at 5:30PM on Olivera street.  Literally this is the evening before the start of the  Supreme Courts hearing oral arguments challenging the validity of Prop 8.

Attend.  Make your voice heard on this important social issue. 

DEETS:  March 4th, 5:30-8 PM  Olvera Street between N. Main and N. Alameda (2 blocks for Union Station) in LA.

If you are facebook enabled you can get more details and  RSVP HERE.  Otherwise you can make the jump to the press release from the Marriage Equality folks. (more…)

Equality California just sent the news release on Prop 8 Challenges to be heard in CA Supreme Court.  The short of it is that on March 5 the first of the cases that are legal challenges to Prop 8 are to be heard in Supreme Court.  They will be televised on Calfornia Channel so we can watch the proceedings…dry as they may be.  The courts decision is then due in 90 days or about June 5.  We may have June weddings for everyone again if it goes well.

The first of the cases is Strauss vs Horton et al with details on the California Courts Prop 8 page.  

There will be two other cases on Prop 8 also heard that day.  Among them is the case filed by the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles that also are an effort to overturn Prop 8 on constitutional grounds. (I can’t tell you how proud I am to be an Angeleno when the city and county step in the way they did).

Folks, no matter how you slice it this is a civil rights issue and needs to be in the courts to make a constitutional ruling once and for all.  This time they are also looking at the effort to rewrite the constitution to fit some dogma and strip people of their rights.  This is no different than a “jim crow laws” that took court rulings to restore equality and level the playing field for people.   For this reason I have donated to Equality California to continue their efforts.  You may do so too HERE.  Full press release after the jump.

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Simply put, the major forces behind the No on 8 campaign ignored all of the grassroots organizations that could have truly helped marriage equality become a reality.

Yesterday’s action fair was organized by quite a few grassroots organizations and heavily promoted through JoinTheImpact’s activist network. All of this was also advertised under a national protest against DOMA: the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Signed into law in 1996 by then-President Bill Clinton, it prohibits same-sex marriages from EVER being recognized by the federal government, effectively delegating the decision to individual states. President-elect Barack Obama promised during his campaign to repeal the law and the event was organized to remind Obama (and his supporters) of the promises made.

Display of LGBT activist pins at the LGBT Action Fair

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from Metblogs contest winner OtterFreak

It’s been a brilliant last few weeks in rock here in LA, and I though I’d post some pics taken by friends of LA Metblogs / winners of LA Metblogs ticket contests.

From Metblogs contest winner Burns!

To the left, Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls in her powerful solo show, introduced by Neil Gaiman (”Amanda Palmer is dead”) and joined at the end of her performance (after a rendition of Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” complete with real rain) by a (possibly faux?) Katy Perry and a very real Margaret Cho, who conspired with Palmer to ensure Perry actually really kissed a girl, and not just for record sales (plus a gay wedding!).

From Friend of Metblogs Michael Chavarria

A few days later came the Cracker / New York Dolls/ X show at the brand-spankin-new Club Nokia, where Cracker (one of my fave bands) delivered a solid set and a slam-bang version of “Lonesome Johnny Blues” (crossing my fingers they’ll do their Campout again next year).

From Friend of Metblogs Andy Sternberg (LAist)

Then the New York Dolls came on with what could only be termed as a triumphant powerhouse of a performance, egging the audience on until bleach-blond waifs were wilting like flowers in the front row and disaffected emo kids were spazzing out dancing. Seeing bands like this, who’ve survived through so much, return to the stage and just KILL–it makes my little black heart glad. X followed and tore through everyone’s faves, with a dash of X-mas (har har har) spirit thrown in (and here’s a report by Metblogs contest winner Chez Shoes).

If you have pictures, you may want to post a link in the comments as well. Thanks, everyone, for playing, and keep the entries coming! More shows will be posted in the next few days.

Ok, I’ll admit, I wrote one of these bad reviews for El Coyote on Yelp.

But I really thought this place was only worth 2-3 stars in the first place, so it’s not like giving them a 1 star review over the whole Prop 8 thing is a huge stretch.

I took this screenshot a few days ago.  My favorite is the “Rating over time” chart on the right.

It kind of tickles me, actually.