ACTION: Openly Gay John A. Perez Faces Unusual Hurdles to His Historical Appointment of CA Assembly Speaker

UPDATE: John A. Perez has been unanimously selected as California Assembly Speaker!

Original post 12/8/09

Recently, I posted Karen Ocamb's reporting on openly gay John A. Perez's historical appointment to California's House Speaker. Equality California has issued an action alert indicating that he's facing unusual hurdles to his appointment, and it could possibly have to do with his sexual orientation. The following is a statement from EQCA's Executive Director Geoff Kors (emphasis mine):

“Equality California hails the historic opportunity for Assemblymember John A. Pérez to become the state’s next Assembly Speaker. With California as well as the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community facing significant challenges, including the decimation of HIV/AIDS services by the governor, this possibility fills our community with great hope. As the first LGBT Speaker in our state, Assemblymember Pérez would serve as an incredible role model to LGBT youth and for every community member who has faced obstacles simply because of who they are.

In his first year in the Assembly, he has demonstrated unique leadership skills, and we have the utmost confidence in his ability to bring both Californians and the members of the Assembly together to tackle the challenges ahead.

Although the selection of a speaker is usually an internal matter, this year the race has become public in a way never seen before. Historically, once more than half of the Assembly members from the majority party, in this case the Democrats, announce their support for a candidate, the entire caucus typically coalesces behind that candidate. A vote for Speaker is then held, but this time the process has differed.

We hope that this isn’t about sexual orientation, but it is always a concern when the rules seem to be applied differently to a member of our community.

Equality California is proud to stand with Assemblymember Pérez as this crucial vote approaches, and we hope his colleagues in the Assembly will seize this opportunity for California.”

Click here to go to EQCA's online action to help Perez.

VIDEO: Equality California to Air Ad Featuring Same-Sex Couple During Miss California Pageant

From a press release:

San Francisco – Equality California (EQCA) will air an ad about the freedom to marry, featuring Pasadena couple Frances and Cynthia with their daughter Mary Kate during the broadcast of the MISS CALIFORNIA USA pageant on November 22.

“We truly appreciate MISS CALIFORNIA USA offering us the opportunity to share the story of this loving California family and how being denied the freedom to marry has hurt them,” said Geoff Kors, executive director for Equality California. “By sharing their story, we hope to shed light on the damage and pain that same-sex couples and their children experience when they are prevented from entering into a civil marriage.”

EQCA previously invited former MISS CALIFORNIA USA Carrie Prejean to meet with leaders from the organization as well as with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students and a family headed by a same-sex couple to start a dialogue about who LGBT people are and the harm that is caused by denying LGBT community members equality. Prejean, however, did not respond.

“The MISS CALIFORNIA USA Organization does not endorse either side of the issue but believes in fair play, so we have donated a 30-second spot to Equality California and offered Carrie Prejean an opportunity to pre-tape a brief message,” said Keith Lewis, Executive Director of MISS CALIFORNIA USA and MISS CALIFORNIA TEEN USA.

Prejean declined the offer.

The ad will air Sunday, November 22, on the CW and MY networks during the MISS CALIFORNIA USA pageant. Check local listings for details.

VIDEO: Los Angeles One Year Prop 8 Anniversary March and Rally. Strategies Against Prop 8 Still Vary.

Last night in Los Angeles, more than 200 hundred of us took to the streets to remember the devastating passage of Proposition 8 one year ago. And after the defeat in Maine, we had even more reason to remind the world that we won't sit back while our rights are being stripped away.

The battle with Prop 8 is far from over. The federal challenge against it is set to go to trial this January. That's right - trial! It will be the first time a marriage case will have a full trial, with expert witnesses, first-hand accounts and an examination into the motivations of those who work against us.

Chad Griffin of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the organization behind the Olson/Boies team fighting Prop 8 in court, said "Our founding fathers did not intend for people's Constitutional rights to be determined by political campaigns. The results in Maine underscore exactly why we are challenging California's same sex marriage ban in federal court. When the Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia, more than 70 percent of Americans disapproved of interracial marriage. The U.S. Constitution guarantees equal rights to every American, and when those rights are violated, it is the role of our courts to protect us, regardless of what the polls say."



On top of the court case, Restore Equality 2010 is working to return marriage equality to California at the ballot next year. They are gearing up for signature gathering and fund-raising.

Their press release states, "Tapping into the anger of Proposition 8 and the loss in Maine, the 'Million for a Million' campaign will include an online fundraising appeal to a network of more than 400,000 grassroots activists, fundraising events in Southern California, Northern California and the Central Valley, and outreach to major donors within the LGBT community in California and throughout the country."

“With a sophisticated online component and with the support we have among the grassroots, I believe we can raise the money necessary to move the campaign for 2010 to the next level,” said Eugene Hedlund, founder of TruthandHope.org, whose organization won awards for its work on the Obama campaign.




Organizations throughout the state have endorsed the “Million for a Million” campaign including: Yes! on Equality; TruthandHope.org; Equality Network; One Struggle, One Fight; Meet in the Middle for Equality; and Restore Equality 2010, whose members include Love Honor Cherish, SAME, Stonewall Democrats, Marriage Equality USA, Latino Equality Alliance and more.

Other groups are focusing on an educational campaign on marriage to lay the foundation for a 2012 ballot initiative. Equality California recently announced that they will be relaunching Let California Ring, an outreach and educational arm of the state's largest LGBT advocacy group.

Courage Campaign, one of the largest progressive netroots organizations in California and on record of being in support of 2010, is currently still conducting in-depth research, while consulting with Obama's Deputy Campaign Manager Steve Hildebrand, to determine the best strategy going forward.

Images by Marta Evry of Venice for Change; slide show by yours truly. (And yes, that's me with Lt. Dan Choi.)

EQCA's Geoff Kors: On Prop 8 Anniversary, A Reason For Hope

Guest blogger Equality California’s executive director Geoff Kors has a long and distinguished record of service to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. At EQCA, Geoff directs EQCA’s legislative efforts which have given LGBT Californians the most comprehensive civil rights protections in the nation. Under Geoff's leadership, EQCA has passed more LGBT rights legislation than any other organization of its kind in the country. During his tenure, California became the first state in the nation to pass marriage legislation for same-sex couples. Geoff also oversees EQCA's Political Action Committee activities and educational work with the EQCA Institute, including the Let California Ring campaign.

The post below also appears on EQCA's blog, California Ripple Effect.

I’m coming down quickly from the nervous anxiety of another election night where voter initiatives affecting the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were on the ballot. I waited on the edge of my seat last night as the promising numbers for Washington State started rolling in and the good news about the win in Kalamazoo came. Then the news about Maine hit me like a ton of bricks. One year after the sharp disappointment about Prop 8’s passage here in California, voters in Maine denied marriage to loving same-sex couples in their state. The Maine campaign put up an incredible fight, and I feel proud of their work. Still, the loss is painful.

We’ve come a long way in ten years. Just a decade ago in 1999, same-sex couples in California weren’t recognized in any way by the State. The next year, we just barely won passage of the nation’s first statewide recognition of same-sex couples. But under this law, domestic partners had virtually no rights. Since then, we’ve strengthened domestic partnerships several times until they have almost all the state rights that are provided to married couples, we’ve passed marriage bills twice through the legislature, and we’ve won marriage in the courts. Governor Schwarzenegger’s vetoes of both marriage bills were devastating, and Proposition 8’s passage is a constant reminder that there is more work to do. Today, one year after the day Prop 8 passed, as we read the headlines on the loss in Maine, that reality is as strong as ever.

As a movement, we learn from our losses just as we learn from our wins. In 2000, voters passed a marriage ban in California -– the Knight Initiative -– by over 23 percent. In 2004, voters passed anti-marriage measures in more than a dozen states. Our side came closest to a win in Oregon, but even there we lost by 14 percentage points. Then, last year, we closed the gap to just 4 percent here in California. Not a win, but major forward movement. From each of these fights, we have learned that we must be ready to respond to our opposition’s lies and attacks, tell the stories of same-sex couples and their families, have a strong presence on the ground through a field campaign that is to scale for the state, fundraise early and out-raise our opponents, and engage communities of color and faith and other allies as key partners. These are lessons we are already putting to work in California so that we can prevail at the ballot box here in 2012, the best opportunity for a win in the next few years.

Those numbers give me hope. But I’m even more inspired by these numbers:

• Volunteers in California rallied for the rights of same-sex couples more than 3000 miles away. EQCA field organizers and volunteers made over 60,000 calls to Maine. Nine of our field staff and our field director traveled to Maine, with the organizers raising money to help pay for their travel expenses, to work on the ground with the campaign staffers there. Thousands of calls were also made to Washington.

• Contributions rolled in from all over the country early to help Maine win. Equality California and its members gave generously to the Maine campaign.

• More than 8000 Mainers signed up to volunteer with the campaign –- a massive volunteer force for a state of Maine’s size –- a state with about the same population as San Diego.

• People across the nation are already planning to hit the streets. I expect to see numbers in the thousands as we rally to let the world know that we will not be silent as our rights are taken away.

Across the nation, LGBT people have heeded the call to action like never before. The grassroots movement is the strongest it has ever been, and everyday people have realized the amazing impact they make when they get involved.

We can’t –- we won’t –- stop now. We can and will secure the freedom to marry for same-sex couples, in California and across the nation. In California now, we are going door-to-door in neighborhoods where the majority voted yes on Prop 8. We are reaching out through the media and releasing new ads that tell the stories of same-sex couples and their loved ones. We are working in coalition with family organizations, organizations working in communities of color and faith, and other allies, to reach out in communities across the state. Day by day, we are getting closer to the support we will need to restore marriage equality.

As I wait for the final results to come down from Washington State, I’m thinking ahead to future election nights. Not too far in the future, there will be an election night where we are waiting for results from California to hit the news. I know those results will be a cause for celebration. We will restore the freedom to marry in California, and across the country.

Note from UTF: Tonight rallies and marches will take place across California and different parts of the country to remember the passage of Prop 8. Click here for more information.

Hey Californians! Help Maine and Washington GET OUT THE VOTE!

TODAY IS THE DAY!

Our success in both Maine and Washington today depends on getting our support base to the polls to vote for our equality. They need our help more than ever to call supporters and urge them to vote!

Equality California will host phone banks across the state for California volunteers, encouraging voters in Maine and Washington to vote to protect the rights of same-sex couples.

WHEN: TODAY! Nov. 3rd

SAN DIEGO: 301 University Ave., San Diego, 92103, 2:30 PM- 5 PM

ORANGE COUNTY: 1700 E. Garry Ave, Ste. 231, Santa Ana, CA 92701, 10 AM-4:30 PM

PALM SPRINGS: 314 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, 92261, 1 PM- 5 PM

INLAND EMPIRE: 410 3rd Street, Ste. 7, Riverside, 92507, 1 PM-7 PM

LOS ANGELES: 2801 Hyperion Ave., Ste. 103, Los Angeles 90027, 10:30 AM- 5:30 PM

HOLLYWOOD: 1125 N McCadden Pl., Los Angeles, 90038, 10:30 AM- 5 PM

FRESNO: 1055 N. Van Ness Ave., Ste. C, Fresno, 93728, 7 AM- 5 PM

SAN JOSE: 19 N. 2nd Street, Ste. 102, San Jose, 95113, 11 AM- 9 PM

SAN FRANCISCO: ACLU Office, 39 Drumm St, San Francisco, 94114, 7 AM-7:30 PM

BERKELEY: 1528 Hopkins St., Berkeley, CA 94703, 7 AM-7:30 PM

SACRAMENTO: 1722 J St., 2nd Floor Unit 9, Sacramento, CA 95814, 10 AM-5 PM

If you don't live in California or don't live near one of EQCA phone banks, no worries. You can still help by calling from home for Maine and Washington!

Californians - Help Maine and Washington State Protect Their Rights!

For those of us here in California, we know what it's like to have our rights taken away. The campaign to pass Proposition 8 demoralized us with lies and attack ads, and the passage and the aftermath destroyed us. We even witnessed a rise in hate crimes against us.

Though it galvanized us into creating a resurgence in the LGBT rights movement that hasn't been seen in years, the pain is enduring.

And now Washington state and Maine face similar ballot measures that intend to take existing LGBT rights away.

Californians - don't feel helpless. You can contribute to protecting those rights.

Vote For Equality and Equality California have set up phone banks to help these states defeat the opposition by getting supporters out to the ballots. (Read VFE's blog post about working in Maine!)

Maine Phone Banks - Sign Up Here!

Sunday, Oct. 25 (10am-2pm) @ The Village
Sunday, Nov. 1 (11am-3pm) @ The Village
Monday, Nov. 2 (10:30am-1:30pm) @ The Village
Monday, Nov. 2 (2:30pm-5:30pm) @ The Village

Election Day:
Tuesday, Nov. 3 (10:30am-1:30pm) @ The Village
Tuesday, Nov. 3 (2:30pm-5:30pm) @ The Village

Washington Phone Banks - Sign Up Here!

EQCA will send you details when you sign up. Also, check out Unite the Fight's calendar at the bottom of the blog for dates and times as well.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: EQCA's Marc Solomon Talks About Relaunching 'Let California Ring', 2010 and 2012

There's been a lot of talk lately about the progress Restore Equality 2010 has been making throughout California, a coalition of grassroots groups who believe in returning to the ballot in 2010 to restore marriage equality. They've created the Davis Plan, which divides California up into 10 regions which will then elect their own representatives, and have established an Interim Administrative Group that is helping organize the process.

But during all this progress, I've wondered, "What progress is being made for November, 2012?" One of the major accusations against those who support 2012 is that they prefer to wait for their rights instead of fighting for them immediately. They object to this claim, stating that for the next three years, they will be working hard to navigate California's complicated demographics through field work and messaging, leading to a well-developed campaign for 2012.

So I decided to check in with Marc Solomon, Marriage Director for Equality California (EQCA), whose organization has become the forefront of the 2012 movement. When I called him up, he remarked on my timing. EQCA had a major announcement to make.

The Announcement

We sat down together at Java Detour, a local coffee house haunt, and I asked, "What's the big announcement?"

"We are relaunching Let California Ring," Marc answered. "By that I mean, we’ve added new people to the Executive Committee and the idea is to bring together resources and leaders who are doing critical work on the ground."

A press release issued today stated, "Let California Ring is the country’s largest marriage education effort of its kind. Today a broad-based coalition re-launched Let California Ring, a comprehensive campaign to build support for marriage for California’s same-sex couples with a focus on work in communities of color."

"Let California Ring (LCR) is a not-for-profit marriage education campaign. It’s not about a specific year - it’s about educating and moving people on the issue of marriage," Marc told me. "Between 2006 and 2008, it invested 15 million dollars of moving people on the freedom to marry. It did a lot of work – it invested about 4 million in paid advertising and different kinds of media – newspaper, radio, some television, all in the people of color (POC) communities.

"There was a lot of good work done, but it was overshadowed by the win in courts [the marriage cases] and the NO on 8 campaign, which was a much bigger and intense campaign."

Though Equality California Institute is the fiscal sponsor, LCR is a coalition of groups. "LCR is housed at EQCA Institute, we’re the convenors, but the Executive Committee of LCR is charged with developing budget, raising the funding – so it’s a true coalition and partnership."

The New Let California Ring

So, who are the new people on the LCR's Executive Committee?

"The people who have stayed on is Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry; Matt Foreman of HAAS Jr. Fund and former Executive Director of the Task Force and Empire State Pride Agenda; Thalia Zepatos, consultant of the National Collaborative, and Shannon Minter [of NCLR]," Marc informed. "New folks are me, Marc Solomon; Louis Lopez, founder of Honor PAC, who in my opinion, is the most sophisticated Latino LGBT organization that I’ve run across; Karin Wang, who's on the board of API Equality LA; Ron Buckmire, who chairs the Jordan Rustin Coalition; Rev. Madison Schockley, an amazing supporter, who is an African American United Church of Christ minister in N. County San Diego; Kathy Schwamberger, Vice Chair of EQCA Institute Board; and Roger Doughty, Executive Director of the Horizons Foundation out of San Francisco."

So what's the plan?

"We want to raise at least 15 million over the next three years," Marc said. "The primary focus of this work is going to be to move POC communities on the issue of marriage."

By partnering with organizations represented in the LCR's Executive Committee, as well as faith organizations, such as California Faith For Equality, Marc informed they plan "to do message testing development across the board, but particularly develop messaging that will work in these specific communities." All of this will be part of an education campaign.

"What we want to do in 2010 is research and work on pilot projects to put in place the messaging and delivery mechanisms that work, and put people on the ground to do the field organizing. So yes, it involves message testing."

And after that?

"The next step is to improve our messaging and then to add more components to a field education campaign. The additional components are media, TV, radio, online, newspaper ads, direct mail, mobilizing leaders in the community, getting news stories placed," he said.

Marc then refers to the work LCR did in the past, which he characterizes as having been "pretty scientific."

"They picked Santa Barbara and Monterey, which are similar communities in many respects," he said. In Santa Barbara and Monterey, they did polling before any work was begun. Then in Santa Barbara, they began an education campaign with paid media and field work. In Monterey, which was the control variable, they did no work.

"It was a two month experiment and there was some pretty dramatic movement in the polling [in Santa Barbara]," Marc said. "People from 18-29, the movement was 19% and Monterey showed no movement."

"It created this echo chamber [in Santa Barbara] where you see the TV ads and you talk about them, and you see someone at your fair and festival, talk to someone about marriage, you get a knock on your door, you get a direct mail, and it spurred on lots and lots of conversations and it spurred on a lot of volunteer activity," Marc continued. "So Santa Barbara was more prepared for the NO on 8 campaign. If you talked to the Santa Barbara people at the Gay and Lesbian Center, they were really ready and put on a strong local effort."

Santa Barbara voted against Prop 8, a marked change from Prop 22.

"People move only one way on this issue, and it’s our way," he said. "It’s about provoking conversations, hearing people’s personal stories, seeing things that relate to you and on television."

So how will LCR look today?

"We want many more groups and organizations involved with this work as much as possible," Marc said. "We’re creating three committees to help them get involved."

1. Messaging Committee - they will work with a team of experts, some with more specific expertise in POC messaging. "What we’re envisioning is that all the people out there with the ideas of messaging - because many people have become real analysts of media - we want to provide a way for plenty of input and suggestions and then test them and try them out. We then want to go out and do real training on how to use the messaging. And have different methods on line and use our field operation as a means of disseminating that messaging. Having a task force for the back and forth is important."
2. Families Committee - this committee will focus on getting the stories of the 18,000 same-sex couples legally married in California during the "summer of love" before Prop 8 passed out to the public. "What we’ll do through this committee is organize and train married couples, their children, their parents as well as those who aspire to get married to tell their stories," Marc informed. "And specifically, one of the projects is going to set up a speakers bureau, and our field organizers will identify places for them to speak – such as churches and community groups and labor meetings, you name it. With the message research that we will have done, we will conduct training of the couples, but the most important part of the training is help people speak from the heart as to why marriage matters to them, or to their moms, son and son-in-law."
3. Field Committee - "The idea is to expand the reach and level of involvement of door-to-door canvassing. The concept that we’re thinking about or envisioning is a statewide field committee and then the local committees that will support the field work."

How will this differ from all the work going on right now, especially for 2010?

"This work is persuasion work on the freedom to marry no matter when we go back to the ballot," Marc answered. "It’s not connected to any year. It’s to build greater and greater support by having personal conversations. In order to be effective, we have to grow the numbers of people who are taking action."

The Work for 2012

What’s actually being done for 2012 that’s different?

"I think that this is the work right now that needs to happen to get ready to go back to the ballot down the road," Marc said.

But he immediately added, "So why am I saying down the road? It's because LCR is not-for-profit - it’s educational, it’s a 501c3. This work done by the EQCA Institute cannot be about a specific year."

Marc paused, thinking hard about his next words. "However, wearing my advocacy hat, we want to be in a place where were are prepared to go back to the ballot in 2012. That might sound a little convoluted, but because 501c3 is about education, it’s not about ballots."

"EQCA, the advocacy organization, has made it very clear about when we support going back to the ballot, and that’s November 2012 and not later, " he added. "We think reasonable deadlines have power."

2010 Decline to Sign Campaign?

This led to my next question on a touchy subject. There's been rumblings amongst the 2010 groups that a Decline to Sign campaign has been in the works against a 2010 ballot initiative. I asked him directly if EQCA was engaging in this, or if he knew of one in the works.

Marc shook his head and said emphatically, "I can say definitively - no. Absolutely not. And that it is shocking to hear that word is floating around, and I wonder, 'Where is this coming from?'"

I asked if he knew.

"I have no idea," he answered. "Honestly, it’s sort of sad that that idea is floating out there. Disappointing."

Thoughts on 2010 Progress

Recently, Love Honor Cherish submitted several different versions of ballot language to the Attorney General as place holders for 2010. It was reported that EQCA had input on the language. But how much?

"It was mainly Geoff," Marc said, referring to Geoff Kors, EQCA's Executive Director. "He’s a Stanford educated lawyer and has much more legal expertise than I do."

"So look, the idea is that when anything that is submitted on behalf of our community, we should be putting our best selves forward," he quickly added. "We don’t want to end up with a summary from the Attorney General or a title from the Attorney General that disadvantages us because once there’s a precedent, that could be used for future ballot language as well. We don’t want ballot language that would hurt kids and create a precedent there either. So even though we couldn’t be more clear that we think 2012 is the right time to go back and that 2010 is the wrong time to go back to the ballot, we still are providing technical support because whatever is submitted could have long-lasting ramifications."

I was curious to know what he thought of the progress made by Restore Equality 2010.

"I know a lot of the people who have gotten involved in 2010 well."

Marc then laughed as he thought of a story. "I was out this past Saturday night, and it’s almost comical. I went up to a friend of mine who is a 2010 person and asked, 'Are we allowed to talk because you’re 2010 and I’m 2012?' We just laughed about it because in some ways, it’s become this sort of dividing line. One the one hand, it’s very serious, and on the other, you can sometimes be lighthearted about the fact that we are all fighting for the exact same thing, and we are divided into these different camps.

"I respect lots and lots of people who are fighting for 2010. I admire the motivations of many of them - the passion and the reasoning. And I disagree. Period. And I wish we weren’t in this situation and I wish we were all pulling together behind a plan."

The Status of California's Grassroots

It's been almost a year since Prop 8, and I've observed energy is waning. So I asked Marc for his view was on the current grassroots situation in California.

Marc mulled this over a bit.

"In the wording of the website of LCR, which we’ve updated, we’ve made very clear that the world is a changed place and that grassroots leadership is exceptionally important to the success of the equality movement," Marc answered. "I feel EQCA, and I personally feel, a great sense of responsibility to support, nurture and learn from the new grassroots activists.

"I see some groups that are really finding niches for themselves and continue to do really important work, groups that have a lot of staying power, like Equal Roots and FAIR," he said. "I was very impressed at the leadership of Kip Williams of One Struggle One Fight. He is someone who has a huge amount of integrity. I think what he pulled off in helping put together by co-directing the [National Equality March] was really exceptional. These kind of leaders need to be supported."

Marc paused.

"At the same time, I think the idea that we should go back to the ballot as soon as possible because if we don’t, the grassroots is going to die, is sort of the tail wagging the dog. The grassroots needs to be in this struggle for marriage equality and equality for all LGBT people for the long haul."

How Supporters Can Get Involved

So where can people plug in? I asked.

"One, we’re going to have a field committee that a lot of people can plug in to," he said. "The best place is to go to your local [EQCA] field office. We’re canvassing every single weekend out of our nine field offices around the state."

These field offices will continue to operate under the EQCA name but will be supported by the work being initiated by LCR.

"The LCR field committee will be to there to enhance, support and build on existing field efforts. In some places I’m sure will work hand-in-hand with the EQCA field operation on the ground, and in other places."

The LCR website is a work in progress for now. It will provide over the next few months the most cutting edge grassroots mobilization tools available.

"Between now and election day we are phone banking everyday from 2:30-5:30pm out of our field offices to support Maine, and in the evenings to support Washington state. We’ve committed to 25,000 phone calls and I want to blow that out of the water.

"And as we roll out programs, like the speaker’s bureau, we’ll reach out to you if you're married or you can reach out to your local field organizer," Marc informed.

"If you live in the Central Valley or Silicon Valley or San Diego, I promise you our organizers will put you to work, work that is really important to winning marriage back. We need the people power now."

Read Marc's post about the relaunch at California Ripple Effect.

Efforts to Repeal Prop 8 in 2010 Kick Off Today With Ballot Language Submission; Parties Involved Issue Statements

Press release from Love Honor Cherish who submitted ballot language today to repeal Prop 8 in 2010:

Today, a diverse group of Californians filed ballot language with the State of California for an initiative to repeal Proposition 8 in November 2010, and restore equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.

“Starting today, there is new hope for committed gay and lesbian couples who want to get married,” said John Henning, Executive Director of Love Honor Cherish, a grassroots group that is spearheading the effort to place the measure on the 2010 ballot. “We’re back on the path toward full equality.”

Love Honor Cherish is one of more than 40 groups that support repealing Prop 8 at the next general election in November 2010. The groups include Stonewall Democrats, the Latino Equality Alliance, the Mexican American Bar Association, and the San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality, among others. For a full list, go to www.RepealProp8.com.

Today’s filing is the first step in a process that will place the measure on the November 2010 ballot. In November, the broad coalition of groups supporting the initiative will begin circulating petitions to gather the 1 million signatures needed to qualify the initiative.

Henning called on supporters to mobilize immediately and start raising money for the effort. “Activists across the state have spent the summer organizing and recruiting signature gatherers and donors, and we’ll be continuing that work over the next 50 days,” he said. “When the petitions are ready, we’ll be ready.”

The goal of 1 million signatures, said Henning, will be reached primarily by using an army of motivated volunteers. The campaign will also use new social networking technology designed specifically by Love Honor Cherish, which will build community around the signature gathering process. The signature gathering process will last through April 2010.

Meanwhile, the campaign to restore marriage equality starts today. “Prop 8 passed with only 52% of the vote,” said Henning. “In the next 14 months, with hard work and inspiration, we can change the small percentage of hearts and minds that we need to win.”

Proposition 8 was an amendment to the California Constitution passed by voters in November 2008. It reversed a California Supreme Court decision in May 2008, which held that same-sex couples were guaranteed equal marriage rights under the California Constitution. The new ballot proposition is also a constitutional amendment.

See the proposed ballot language.

Press release from Restore Equality 2010 campaign:

Los Angeles – Today we are witnessing the launch of the campaign to restore civil marriage equality in 2010 with the submission of ballot language by a coalition of organizations and individuals led by Love Honor Cherish. It is an important step forward as we prepare to send activists throughout California to gather signatures to put the issue back on the ballot in 2010.

Restore Equality 2010 believes today’s submission of ballot language is an effective strategy, because it offers our community the most options as we prepare for the campaign ahead. We applaud all efforts that move us towards the restoration of marriage equality in California as soon as possible, including the important qualitative and quantitative research Courage Campaign is currently conducting as it seeks to determine the most effective message to use on the ballot.

We are in close contact with both Courage Campaign and the Love Honor Cherish coalition, and look forward to facilitating the efforts with all interested parties to determine the most powerful way to move towards our common goal. Courage Campaign’s research seeks the best strategy for the campaign while Love Honor Cherish seeks the advantage of a full 150 days for signature gathering. We are pleased to have the benefit of both strategies as we move forward together.

Should the research being conducted by Courage Campaign show us that another approach offers a greater opportunity for victory, Restore Equality 2010 will be able to refile language and push for fundraising to support a shorter signature gathering period. The campaign will also be ready to mobilize activists the day language is approved by the Secretary of State should the language submitted today prove to be the best choice, thus preserving the full 150 day window to gather signatures.

Rex Wockner reports that Equality California, who ran the No on Prop 8 campaign, helped draft today's proposed ballot language.

"We helped Love Honor Cherish draft the language. We don't agree on timing, but we wanted the language to be as good as possible," said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors.

California Senate Officially Calls for End to ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

Press release from Equality California:

The California Senate officially endorsed a resolution calling for the repeal of the discriminatory federal policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Sponsored by Equality California (EQCA) and introduced by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego), the resolution calls on the United States Congress to pass and President Barack Obama to immediately sign the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009, which would end the unfair policy and allow gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans to serve openly in the armed forces. The resolution passed the State Senate in a 23-16 vote. The resolution will go before the State Assembly in January.

“The California Senate now joins the growing chorus of current and former service members who have called for the repeal of this discriminatory policy,” said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. “We applaud our representatives in the State Senate for standing up for what is right, and we urge our representatives in the Assembly and ultimately in Washington to do the same. President Obama and Congress must fulfill their promise to stand up for equality and overturn this policy now.”

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was first authorized in 1994. Since that time, more than 13,000 service members have been discharged under the policy, including hundreds of service members serving in ‘critical operations,’ such as counterintelligence, medicine, and translation. According to a General Accounting Office report, 323 language specialists have been discharged, resulting in a critical shortage of qualified translators in intelligence gathering posts. Currently, 149 members of the U.S. House have signed on as co-sponsors to the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” and replace it with a policy of non-discrimination across the armed forces. Earlier this summer 77 members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama requesting he immediately suspend discharges under the discriminatory policy.

“To be a quality soldier you must display courage, patriotism, commitment and ability – none of which have anything to do with sexual orientation,” said Senator Kehoe. “Overturning this shameful policy will help ensure that gay and lesbian Americans will be afforded the same opportunities as any other American who wants to serve our country.”

More than 24 other nations currently allow gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals to serve openly in their militaries, including Canada and the United Kingdom, alongside whom American forces have served in combat. Recent public opinion polls show that a majority of both the American public and active service members believe the policy should be overturned and that gay and lesbian Americans should be allowed to serve openly in the military.

California Legislature Advances Three Resolutions on Federal Policy Affecting the LGBT Population

Good news comes from the California state capitol today, where the Assembly Judiciary Committee passed three resolutions concerning federal laws affecting LGBT people by a margin of 6-3: a resolution urging the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA (AJR 19), a resolution in support of the Uniting American Families Act (AJR 15), and a resolution calling for the FDA to repeal the U.S. Blood Donor Nondiscrimination Resolution (AJR 13),

"It is important for California, the state with the largest LGBT population, to urge the federal government to repeal discriminatory federal policies that ultimately hurt all people in the United States," said Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors, whose organization co-sponsored the resolutions. "We have more potential now than ever before to make a positive impact at the federal level, and we call on Congress and the President to seize this historic opportunity."

DOMA has had a rough week, with both the Department of Justice and President Obama stating the law discriminates and calling for its repeal.

Now, California has taken a step forward in calling for the end of the law as well. The resolution calling for its end was introduced by Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D - Santa Monica).

"If a state recognizes the love and commitment of one couple, the federal government must do the same," said Assemblymember Brownley upon introducing the bill. "I urge Congress and the President to take a stand on the side of liberty and treat all Americans equally."

A federal law that would positively affect LGBT couples directly if passed is the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA). Under current federal law, U.S. citizens and permanent residents are permitted to petition for an opposite-sex spouse to immigrate to the U.S. The UAFA would extend this basic right to committed same-sex couples, allowing U.S. citizens and legal residents to file a visa petition on behalf of a foreign national same-sex partner.

A resolution urging Congress to pass the law and for President Obama to sign it was introduced by introduced by Assemblymember Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles).

“Thousands of American families and committed same-sex couples are denied basic rights and legal protections, including the ability to petition for a partner to immigrate to the U.S.,” said Assemblymember De León. “They live in legal limbo and are torn apart by outdated immigration policies. In ensuring a true state of equality, Congress must take immediate steps to reunite and protect all families once and for all.”

AJR 13, introduced by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), calls on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to repeal its rule prohibiting healthy gay and bisexual men from donating blood. If approved by both houses of the Legislature, the resolution would put the State of California on record as supporting updated rules for blood donation, which would increase the number of viable blood donations and in turn save additional lives.

"Blood has no sexual orientation, and the FDA should have no discrimination," said Ammiano upon introducing the bill. "I hope President Obama hears our call to change this shameful and discriminatory practice immediately so we can save more lives."

All three resolutions will move to the Senate and Assembly floors for an official vote in the coming weeks.

EQCA Announces Matching Dollar Donation Challenge to Support Maine's NO on 1 Campaign

In its announcement Wednesday that it will support a 2012 campaign to bring marriage equality back to California, Equality California indicated that it would put resources behind the marriage equality "ground zero" fight in Maine.

Well, they didn't waste time. In an email sent out to its members today, EQCA's Executive Director Geoff Kors announced a matching-dollar fundraising drive to support the NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality campaign.

Dear EQCA Member,

The same people who ran the right-wing effort to take away our rights here in California have a new target: Maine, which will be voting in less than 80 days on whether or not to protect marriage equality.

Frank Schubert, who ran the Yes on Prop 8 campaign, the National Organization for Marriage, producers of the "Gathering Storm" video, and Focus on the Family, have banded together to overturn the right of same-sex couples to marry in Maine.

This group of extremists have raised more than $340,000, more than twice the amount raised by NO on 1 / Protect Maine Equality.

We must fight back. Make a donation now to protect Maine's Freedom to Marry now and Equality California will match your donation dollar for dollar, up to $25,000.

A victory in Maine is essential for victory in California. We are all connected so we need to continue the national momentum toward marriage equality.

Everyone deserves the right to marry the person they love. Please, make a donation now so same-sex couples in Maine can retain their right to marry.

In solidarity,

Geoff Kors
Executive Director
Equality California

Whether or not you support EQCA's decision on the California marriage equality struggle, you will be hard pressed to be against this generous offer to help those in Maine.

The Los Angeles Times has already reported on this fundraising drive, saying that California's marriage equality battle has a new target: Maine. The phrasing may imply we're not focusing our efforts here anymore, which is not true, but its message is correct. We DO intend to support our community in Maine.

Donate here if you want your dollars to be matched by EQCA.

UTF EXCLUSIVE: EQCA's Marc Solomon Talks About Juggling Plans for 2012 While Working With 2010 Supporters

Today, the Courage Campaign announced that it had raised enough money to take a first step towards a 2010 campaign. An hour later, Equality California (EQCA), the largest and most powerful California LGBT organization, announced that it was going to move forward and work towards a 2012 campaign.

Right now, the California LGBT population is experiencing whiplash and fears that these announcements will drive the wedge of division that already exists deeper into the heart of the community.

Courage Campaign has been steadfast in its support for 2010, and early on, so was EQCA, but with the latter's decision to now focus on a 38 month campaign, many are wondering what does this spell for the community's next steps? Will a consensus ever be reached?

Last weekend, those who would become the California Coalition for Marriage Equality held a Next Steps Working Meeting, and though it was billed as an inclusive meeting for all view points, it was a decidedly pro-2010 planning event with very few 2012 groups attending.

Unite the Fight spoke with EQCA's Marriage Director Marc Solomon, who attended the event. In a one-on-one interview in Marc's sparse office, I asked how EQCA was going to move forward in a community whose grassroots is charging ahead with or without his organization, especially in light of today's announcement and the release of "Winning Marriage Equality Back in California: Analysis and Plan," their pro-2012 road map.

“I don’t view this as the end of discussion and conversation," Marc said about the announcement right off the bat. "We promised the LGBT community that we would let them know what we think the wisest course of action is. It's our responsibility. That’s why we put something out today. But we’re not saying that it’s our way or the highway. We certainly can’t force anyone to adopt our position."

"We hope people read [the analysis] and use interactive sites like Unite the Fight and others to discuss it," he said. "I encourage everyone to read it and think about it."

I asked Marc what he hopes will come of the road map, and he spoke of the motivation behind its release.

"There are two things we wanted to do. One, we wanted to get the work started. We know there's work that needs to happen in moving people our way on marriage. Two, we wanted to do a lot of due diligence on what we think the smartest approach is for moving forward to overturn Prop 8.

"A lot of factors came into play. One that isn’t talked about a lot is moving people on this issue of marriage equality happens best in a cultural context, when people can let their guards down and really listen. In a political context, it’s a lot harder to do – it's a 'he said, she said' political battle. People put up their defenses in a political campaign, instead of realizing, 'Oh, I didn’t know this couple lived down the street from me.' Trying to condense this down to 14 months is really hard, in the midst of a political campaign, when there’s a lot of going back and forth."

It's safe to say that almost all of the community can agree that winning is about changing hearts and minds of voters, but no one is clear about how to unite the LGBT community to come to a consensus and to go out and do exactly what is needed to win.

I asked Marc about what he thinks needs to happen in order for this to come into fruition.

"One thing that is clear to me that Unite the Fight pointed out after [the summit in] San Bernardino, is how much hurt and pain there is in our community post Prop 8. And it sort of dawned on me, 'Oh my god, I get it.' All these people, including myself, are sort of wounded from this loss and we’re acting it out in lots and lots of different ways. I think we need to acknowledge that.

"When I first got out here, I thought, 'Of course we’re going back in 2010. We can’t wait.' And I heard people say, 'Well are you sure? Does that make sense?" From funders and more."

Marc paused. "And then I really started listening. I listened carefully. I think the people need to listen carefully to the POC LGBT groups who feel they are being steamrolled. I think they felt steamrolled when we first came out for 2010.

"There’s this feeling that when it’s convenient, that people will listen to what [the POC groups] have to say and when it’s not, they won’t. I think we all have to think about that. Think about what these communities went through after Prop 8 passed and the blaming of POC communities. I think it’s important that people listen to that perspective, that they're thinking 'Our communities got blamed for Prop 8.' And after, people said a lot of work will happen, and now the work hasn’t happened and we’re saying we’re going right back to the ballot. That’s an important perspective to keep into account."

Marc rebuffed the claim that those who support 2012 are wanting to "wait."

"We all want to win back marriage as quickly as humanly possible. The question is, 'Can we get it done by 2010 or not?'"

Marc then addressed the philosophy of returning to the ballot each election year until we win.

"We [EQCA] don’t believe we can go back to the ballot in [2010 and 2012] - it’s one or the other. If we lose, it will be very hard to go back to the ballot before 2014, 2016 or 2018. The thought of spending 150 million dollars three election cycles in a row is totally unrealistic.

"If you keep going back to the ballot over and over, you appear to the movable middle, to the people you need to persuade, as a zealot. Regular people will say, 'Oh my god, they’re back again. Haven’t we already decided this?' And we say, 'We’re fighting. We’re fighting to win.' But we have to think about who needs to come our way and who we need to move."

I then pushed Marc again about the practicalities of how we can all work together with a mobile grassroots coalition already moving forward on 2010, and the largest LGBT organization in California announcing it's for 2012, not to mention the vast array of organizations in the Prepare to Prevail coalition who also support 2012.

So I got to specifics. Will he or someone from Equality California attend the California Coalition for Marriage Equality convention in San Francisco, the objective of which will be to hammer out a campaign governing structure.

“I would like to be there. If not, Andrea Shorter, who is our Deputy Marriage Director and who lives up in San Francisco, will be."

I asked him if he, as a representative of EQCA, could help get the pro-2012 POC groups involved in planning the structure.

“First of all , I think they feel dissed. They weren’t engaged. I don’t blame them at all for sort of taking a step back. I think they feel they were disrespected.

"I'm brainstorming here. Maybe there should be a session where it isn’t a debate, but where they explain what it's like to work in the Latino community, what it’s like working in the African American community, and people really agree to listen instead of writing the position off. We have plenty to learn from groups who are working in communities of color. So I think how we’re going to pull together – we need to listen to each other more, respect each other more."

I pushed for more specifics about developing some sort of governing structure that will be flexible enough for any campaign year.

"For practicalities," he said, "There are a few different divides. There’s the 2010 vs. later divide. (As an aside, we’ve made very clear the we're not the “or later” position but the 2012 position. We are prepared to play an active role in a 38 month campaign to win back marriage.) There’s also a divide between grassroots and more established organizations, and I think that’s something we need to figure out. It’s complicated.

"One the one hand, I don’t think it makes sense for an unincorporated group to have the same vote as EQCA on something, or the same vote as the Courage Campaign or Marriage Equality USA. At the same time, we’ve all listened and heard loudly and clearly, that the grassroots voice needs to be an active voice."

Marc made it clear that they will not ignore the movement that is being made. "We’re taking all of this seriously. We’re engaging seriously everywhere with as many hours as there are in a day, we’re engaging. I believe in doing something in a united kind of way. With as many waking hours that I have, I will engage and I will talk. It’s important for me to be accessible.”

Will he support a 2010 signature campaign?

"Will I go out and urge people to go collect signatures? Probably not. But I respect people who are going to go out and collect signatures. And I really mean that. I wish we were all on the same page. That’s what I hope for."

“We are not going to get in anyone’s way of anything," Marc added. "And people who want to move forward in 2010 have every right to. Of course you can make an argument that by putting our point of view out there, we’re getting in their way. I don’t think that’s a fair point. I heard some point-of-views that if you’re not with the program, then just be quiet and don’t say what you think because otherwise you’re getting in the way. That’s not a definition of getting in the way that makes any sense.”

On the EQCA conference call with reporters and bloggers about the 2012 announcement, Rex Wockner pushed hard on Executive Director Geoff Kors and Marc Solomon, asking how they couldn't think it was going to be a PR disaster for EQCA to not support the grassroots. Kors responded he didn't see it that way at all. So I asked Marc, who works with and deals with the grassroots everyday, the same question.

“I think that we owe it to the community to let people know our best thinking," was his response. "And if we’re going to take some hits for it, it’s OK."

"Nobody likes to take hits," Marc quickly added. "I would feel a hell of a lot worse not saying what we really thought the smarter approach was. To lead our community in another direction just because we were concerned about the flak we would take - I couldn’t live with myself for doing that.”

So what if the California Coalition for Marriage Equality gets enough signatures for a 2010 ballot?

“If something is on the ballot, we are going to do what we can to help it succeed. If our rights are on the ballot, that’s our job. Even if we don’t think it’s the right time, it’s our job to fight for the LGBT community to help support it. We have committed to doing that work - the persuasion work. We have 18 full-time organizers across the state - the purpose of that work is to move voters our way. That work is valuable whenever there is an initiative on the ballot. The work on the ground is not out of sync.”

But is it in sync?

“We all need to talk about how this works," he responded. "We just put something out there [their road map]. We want to engage in conversation now."

Marc delved into what he thinks EQCA's role could be in the upcoming days, working with those who support 2010.

"[EQCA]'s work moving forward is going to be persuasion work at the door for marriage equality. We think community wide, working with our coalition partners, we need to do some messaging work to see what will move specific demographic voters our way. That’s what we need to do together. Every consultant I’ve talked to has said you need to have more consistent messages when it comes to marriage equality. Our opponents are really disciplined that way. I think having knowledge of what’s most effective will be helpful."

Will EQCA encourage its donors to give to a qualifying 2010 campaign?

"If our rights are going to be on the ballot, we will do everything we can to succeed," Marc firmly stated. "Everything we can. We really do think we only get one shot at this in 6-8 years. And if the community decides this [2010] is the shot we want, then we’ll support it. We will absolutely encourage donors, staff, everybody."

I asked him for a response to Courage Campaign's membership raising over $100,000 before its given deadline. Did he see that as an encouraging sign for 2010? Though he applauded the amazing feat and enthusiasm behind the money raised, he said -

“We need to raise $700,000 a week until next November to go in 2010."

Marc thought for a moment. "It’s been said [in the community], 'All we have to do is get the signatures and then EQCA will open the spigots and the money will flow.' No, that’s not what’s going to happen. All you have to do is look what’s going on in Maine right now. The last reporting showed our opponents were out-raising our side more than 2-to-1.”

But now that Courage Campaign and Marriage Equality USA are near their fundraising goal for ballot language research, will EQCA kick in support some way?

“We said we will help Courage Campaign and Marriage Equality USA and others to come up with campaign messaging. We will help with ballot language too with respect to wording. If someone is going to introduce ballot language, we want to be best. The school’s curriculum discussion – someone has to figure that one out.”

Marc continued, “We want to be sure it’s the smartest best ballot language we can put forward. I do think the messaging piece is also very important. We’re going to need good, crisp messaging. We’re going to need to know what our best case is to present to the voters. The piece that makes sense for us right now is general message. Let’s explore if we can do that together because I think it can be.”

Marc wanted to conclude by reiterating that he wants to work with everybody. Just because he may not agree about when to return to the ballot, doesn't mean he'll now disappear. He also expressed his excitement about what is happening.

"I’ll truly listen to everybody. I think one of the most exciting things about being in California right now is all this new energy and new groups," he said. "I think it’s so exciting, being an activist working on this issue 8 years now. It’s such an incredible moment. The perspectives from One Struggle, One Fight and Equal Roots and a whole slew of others is really neat and good, and I have plenty to learn from people who are inspired post Prop 8.

"For the first time in California and in the country, our community isn’t playing defense. From the Briggs Initiative to Prop 22 to Prop 8, our opponents picked the election they thought was best for them and they moved forward with a plan to do it. This time we get to choose when we think we can put or best effort forward."

Marc added one finishing thought.

"One thing I would ask people to do is give a good, close read to what we’ve put out there," he said, referring to their "Analysis and Plan" for 2012. "And if they have questions, send them to me and let’s discuss them.”

Equality California will continue soliciting feedback from community members and will hold a virtual town hall via livestream moderated by Bay Area Reporter Editor Cynthia Laird on Thursday, August 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. PDT. To join the town hall, visit www.livestream.com/equalitycalifornia at that time.

Equality California Announces Support for 2012 Ballot Initiative to Win Marriage Equality Back in California

UPDATE 2: Log Cabin Republicans respond to EQCA's announcement.

UPDATE: EQCA's Marriage Equality Director Marc Solomon posts on their blog.

Related news: San Francisco Gate reports that Mayor and California gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom, is "not convinced" challenge to Prop. 8 will succeed in 2010.

LIVE BLOGGING ENDED.

In a conference call with reporters and bloggers (which is still going - live blogging here!), Equality California's Executive Director Geoff Kors and Marriage Equality Director Marc Solomon announce the organization's support for a marriage equality ballot initiative in 2012.

Marc Solomon stated that they considered four different options when making their decision.

• Return every two years until we prevail.
• Wait until we know we can win.
• Use November 2010 as deadline and engage 14 month campaign.
  
• Use November 2012 deadline and a 38 month campaign.
  

Some of the reasons cited for their decision to support 2012:

• 30 month campaign gives time to launch an educational campaign
• 60% of those younger than 30 are solid supporters for marriage equality. Those who are 16 or 17 now will be able to vote in 2012, shifting the demographics in our favor.
• Major donors are more interesting in supporting a 2012 campaign and not interested in contributing to a 60 million dollar 2010 campaign.
  

When asked about Courage Campaign's announcement today that they will move forward with a 2010 ballot initiative since they have raised enough money for ballot language testing, Geoff Kors said, "It’s great to see that they’re moving forward with research."

He said they reached out to support research and would like to see many LGBT organization, including allied organizations, coordinate their efforts in regards to research.

In regards to timing, he said, "If people want to move forward with 2010, they’re welcome to. It's a democracy . . . if something qualifies, we will support it . . . This is our view that we’re sharing."

Addressing the momentum for 2010, Kors said if we lost, we don't have the resources the keep returning to the ballot every two years.

Solomon said, "I wouldn't feel comfortable leading people down that path." He went on to say he felt more confidence in a 38 month campaign in which he could do more one-on-one work with organizations and volunteers so that they could win more voters with a strategic plan.

"We support committing our energy, resources and leadership (for) the November 2012 election," he said. "The work is slow-going but doable." He added, "Donors want to make sure their investments to win back marriage are wisely invested. Monolithically, they are not supportive of returning to the ballots right now."

Recently, Steve Hildebrand said that if he had listened to the pollsters and the pundits who were saying Obama would never be in the Oval office, he would never have committed two years of his life to helping being Obama's Deputy National Campaign Manager. With that in mind, he asked a group of marriage equality activists this past weekend, with 47% in support for marriage equality in California, what are they waiting for?

When asked about this quote, Marc Solomon said that a social issue campaign is completely different from a candidate campaign and that it must be handled and approached differently.

Reporter Rex Wockner pushed Kors and Solomon, asking how they could stand by and watch the many grassroots activists work hard for 2010, saying that it would be a PR disaster. Kors was adamant that he didn't see it that way and that they do support any effort to bring marriage equality back to California.

Kors announced that EQCA will be donating to the NO on 1 campaign in Maine and asking its members to do the same. They will also be urging volunteers to go to Maine in October for the last stretch of the campaign. "Having our rights taken away in a second state ... would really be harmful to the movement."

Below is the just released Equality California road map and time line to winning marriage equality back in California.

Equality California Winning Marriage Back Plan

A one-on-one interview with Marc Solomon to come very soon.

Equality California will continue soliciting feedback from community members and will hold a virtual town hall via livestream moderated by Bay Area Reporter Editor Cynthia Laird on Thursday, August 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. PDT. To join the town hall, visit www.livestream.com/equalitycalifornia at that time.

AUDIO: Michael Krasny of NPR's "Forum" Hosts a Marriage Equality Ballot Discussion With California LGBT Leaders

The debate on when to return to the ballot to bring marriage equality back to California is definitely reaching its crescendo. Not only is Courage Campaign nearing its deadline for 2010 with a fundraising benchmark, but Equality California is set to release tomorrow its timetable and road map.

This morning, Michael Krasny on KQED Radio, NPR's Northern California station, discussed "Next Steps for California's Same-Sex Marriage Debate" on his show "Forum" where he took calls from listeners who weighed in on the subject. The guests were:

- Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, a non-profit civil rights organization that advocates for the rights of LGBT people in California
- Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll
- Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of The Courage Campaign, a California-based advocacy group
- Susan Belinda Christian, co-chair of the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club in San Francisco

It's a must listen.

CA Marriage Equality Leadership Summit an Utter Failure - Shame On All of Us

Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was that an amazingly gracious church who, on a hot, San Bernardino summer day, had 200 sweltering people emotionally overheated and packed into its hall with an AC struggling to keep up.

Or maybe it's because the California LGBT population has cannibalized its leadership to the point where no one is willing to take the unpopular stance of leading this wounded community made up of people that will bite anyone's head off who has a slightly different opinion from theirs.

Whatever you believe the reason to be, the Leadership Summit on Sunday was an utter failure. And we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Our community has splintered into factions lead by no one, going in all different directions with various agendas, some with good intentions, but many motivated by egos in attempt to out maneuver the other, causing us to fight each other instead of those who have taken away our rights. And why? Because our leadership once failed us in a disastrous campaign which ended not with rights being denied us, but rights we enjoyed being stripped away from us, leaving us naked and exposed. And now we're so anti-leadership, we have spiraled into a quagmire of anarchy with no visible way out. ("The Tyranny of Structurelessness.")

And we're still grieving the loss of our rights. Right now, we're in the angry phase of grieving, but instead of channeling our anger in the proper direction at those who were truly responsible for taking our rights away (NOT our leadership), we're behaving like humans and taking it out on our brothers and sisters. (Read "Marriage Amendments and Psychological Distress in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (LGB) Adults.")

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about what happened at the Leadership Summit. I streamed it live, I recorded it, you can watch it. But it boils down to this:

1. Hard working organizers struggled long and hard to have a successful summit and took lots of consideration into putting together an agenda.
2. Attendees showed up, decided to more or less ignore the agenda (which wasn't, sadly, sent out in advance so attendees weren't prepared), crucified "the experts" and ran an ad hoc meeting.
   
3. People hissed and booed those they didn't agree with, spoke over each other, shouted out cuss words, and debated every single tentative, progressive step forward. Yet at the same time, many attendees demanded a final decision be made on when to return to the ballot without agreeing on a process or getting the rest of the community's input.
   
4. Ended with nothing accomplished. No next steps, no decision on when to return to the ballot, no agreed upon process to decide when to return to the ballot, no agreed upon deadline for a decision on when to return to the ballot. (The Coalition of the Willing was not agreed upon.)
   
5. Oh, and a last minute straw poll about 2010 vs. 2012 while people were filing out to leave, which was a last ditch effort to feel that something was accomplished but means absolutely nothing other than highlights the dire straits we find ourselves in.

Is this what we have succumbed to? We should be ashamed of ourselves! (And I definitely include myself here.) We have all but forgotten our opposition and instead have aimed our bloody spears at each other.

Just the other day, I posted an audio recording of a secret meeting with Ron Prentice whose Protect Marriage group was responsible for Prop 8. At this meeting, he gleefully asked that attendees pray for LGBT divisiveness on this issue. He then said, "Which sounds typical, doesn't it?"

Maybe there is a God. Because it appears their prayers have been answered.

But the Leadership Summit wasn't a complete failure. It illuminated many facts about the state of our community.

First, we're not done grieving our loss brought upon us by Prop 8. The full scope of its damage has yet to be seen by us because we're still too close to it. We're emotional and want the pain to end, resulting in many of us wanting to rush blindly back to the ballot, and who can blame us? (I myself wanted to rush back at one point.) But we have failed to see that Prop 8 did much more than strip us of our rights. Its tragedy has also made it nearly impossible to gain them back anytime soon in the near future. 2012 seems light years away, and we're going to have to live with this burden of second-class citizenship until then? (Don't get me started on the many other inequalities, not just marriage.) As for 2010, I honestly used to think we could do it, because collectively and united, we really could. But after witnessing the Summit, I just don't see it happening, even with the dedication of the pro-2010 groups. Nor do many major donors it appears. (I understand a great but small meeting took place after the summit, but again, many had already left and yet again, it's another faction.)

Second, we have become what we've hated. Right after the election, we were right to be angry at our leadership. We were right to demand accountability, something that was missing during the campaign. We were right to demand an apology for such a historical mishap, which has failed to occur. But we have taken it too far and for too long. In such a short amount of time, we have cannibalized our leadership to the point where we barely have any, and those who remain have nearly given up on the community, refuse to take a stand to lead again, or have been forced into the shadows to do things, yet again, without community involvement. (After witnessing the summit, who would want to involve us?) We are now what our leadership once was - unaccountable.

But also in this short amount of time, we have failed to see the new leadership for what it is. Accountable to us. Open. Willing to listen. Vocal. And all this almost to a fault. Why? Because we have lost our trust. We demanded to take the responsibility away from them and do it ourselves, many of us with no experience. And we have the right and power to do that. They are our leadership after all. But look where it's got us! After the summit, no one knows what to do now and we have no map! This isn't like an improv troupe with no director. We can't improvise this!

We need to trust our leadership again. But they need to remain accountable, something that didn't happen before.

Rick Jacobs of Courage Campaign, whom I admire and for whom I hold deep respect, needs to stop dissing EQCA in the press. Rick needs to sit down with Marc Solomon, EQCA Marriage Director, and work it out (this includes Torie Osborne, Robin McGeHee and many others). Marc Solomon, Marriage Director for EQCA, whom has earned my respect and trust, and EQCA itself, need to stop trying to one-up Courage Campaign in an attempt to keep EQCA relevant. I call out these two, not only because I know them well, but specifically because Courage Campaign has rightfully gained a lot of the grassroots trust through its amazing Camp Courage sessions throughout the state, but has also been hellbent on taking the lead away from EQCA. Geoff Kors of EQCA, doing something smart and staying out of the picture, hired Marc Solomon. Marc has, since his arrival, done great work for the community, including marriage efforts, and for me, has restored EQCA's respect, but he has also done his share of pulling the rug out from Courage Campaign in an effort to stay relevant.

I call out Love Honor Cherish for steamrolling their position and strong-arming many in the community to follow them or take the highway. I call out the Prepare to Prevail Coalition for its tendency in the past to be isolationists and not truly engaging in discussion (at one point, yes, they were stonewalled out, but that is not the case anymore and they need to engage, especially if invited to discuss their views). I call out the grassroots activists and community organizers - YOU ARE NOT EXPERTS. Stop throwing the baby out with the bathwater and LISTEN.

If these organizations and coalitions, along with Marriage Equality USA, can just drop the shit and finger pointing, sit down and together form blueprints for both 2010 and 2012 (delegates from each locked in a room together), stop coddling the community and actually lead us in a common direction, then we may actually get somewhere. They set the tone. They set the example. Lead. We follow.

We need to heal. To heal, we need to trust. How can we possibly even think about doing another campaign when we can't even sit in the same room with each other for a few hours, such as at the Summit? And the sad thing - we're all on the same side but view each other and our leaders with disdain. We have lost sight of the fact that we have all been hurt by Prop 8, all have good intentions and have all but forgotten the opposition - who by the way, is literally watching us with smug smiles on their faces.

It's time for us to get over it and move on to a better future. It's not about "repealing Prop 8" anymore. Prop 8 is done. It's in the history books. ITS BLOT IS NEVER GOING TO GO AWAY. We can turn that into what motivates us! What we have to do now is unite, show the world who we are, educate them about us, show them what a mistake Prop 8's existence is, and that when they have another chance to vote on it on a brand new initiative, they won't even have to think about it and we'll have the right to join in on marriage.

But that can't happen without our healing. And that requires trust. This may seem like one of the most negative posts I've ever written, and maybe it is, but I also know what I've seen, and I'm calling it out so it can stop. Because for me, after witnessing the Summit, it's not about 2010 or 2012 anymore. It's about us uniting. Only then, can we win.

Trust the leadership again. Trust that they'll make the best decisions they can with the community in mind. Then shut up, get in line and get to work. We have our rights to win back.