Courage Campaign Withdraws From 2010 Proposition 8 Repeal Effort

UPDATE 3 12/1/09: Los Angeles Times story on the diverging views amongst the local LGBT community and the strategy to undo Prop 8.

UPDATE 2 8:24 PST: Restore Equality 2010 has issued a response. See Bottom of post.

UPDATE: Lambda Legal's statement at bottom of post.

Original Post 11/30/09

The Courage Campaign, the largest LGBT grassroots organization in California working toward a Proposition 8 repeal in 2010 and one of the first to voice support for this strategy back in May, has announced today that more research and outreach needs to be done to clench a win for marriage equality in the Golden State and has withdrawn its support for a 2010 campaign.

Part of their press release states:

The Courage Campaign, in partnership with Lambda Legal, has recently concluded the first phase of extensive and groundbreaking research about public beliefs and concerns about marriage and homosexuality. It confirmed that attitudes are shifting steadily toward equal treatment of same-sex couples, and that conversations among family members and other close relationships inevitably speed the process. The statement released today is concurrent with a Lambda Legal statement.

"For months, we have laid out the criteria for moving forward. Like the Obama Campaign, we understand that we need a combination of powerful and clear research that informs an expertly run campaign, an unstoppable movement that harnesses the new energy we have seen since the passage of Prop. 8 and the connections through personal stories and outreach in order to win at the ballot box," said Rick Jacobs, the Courage Campaign founder and Chair. "We are taking the lessons learned from last year's Prop. 8 campaign, the campaigns in Maine and other states to understand the fundamental work that must be done before moving forward in California. We also must come together as a community to create a broad coalition and governance structure, put in place a strong manager and secure the resources to win. Right now, the pieces are not all in place to do so confidently."

The recently concluded research validated the lasting effect of the work already being done in the successful Camp Courage training program and by 44 Courage Equality Teams organizing across the state in 23 counties. These grassroots efforts are building support for marriage equality by training Californians to tap into their community's resources to start a conversation and connect the movement for equality to their own lives and their own experiences, along with the broader progressive agenda.

Jacobs hailed the work being done in the field by grassroots activists, saying, "We must build our ultimate victory from the lessons of our recent disappointments," continued Jacobs. "We know that we can change hearts and minds through real conversations with our friends, family, co-workers and neighbors. This takes time and has to be built to scale -- so we can't delay. When we go back to the ballot, we must be strong, clear and embracing."

This announcement effectively leaves LGBT grassroots group Love Honor Cherish (LHC) alone in the forefront for a 2010 strategy. Recently, they kicked off a signature gathering campaign for a 2010 ballot initiative that, if passed, will undo the damage of Proposition 8. Statewide organizing coalition Restore Equality 2010, which includes grassroots representatives from across the state, is supporting the signature drive.

In response to Courage Campaign's announcement, John Henning, co-founder of LHC, told Unite the Fight in an email:

We respect Courage Campaign’s decision not to participate in the campaign to restore marriage equality in 2010. Every organization must focus its attention and resources on its most important priorities, and for the Courage Campaign those priorities include numerous progressive causes other than securing same-sex marriage rights.

Meanwhile, we invite individual members of Courage, 80 percent of whom voted to support returning to the ballot in 2010, to join the Sign For Equality campaign. You will join thousands of people across California who have made this campaign their highest priority, and who are busy gathering signatures now.

Currently, the state's largest LGBT advocacy group, Equality California, is focusing its efforts on its re-launched educational campaign Let California Ring with a goal of returning the issue of marriage equality to the ballot in 2012.

Courage Campaign will continue to conduct its well-received Camp Courage and has recently launched its educational campaign Courageous Conversations, which encourages those in the LGBT population and their allies to talk to friends and families about marriage equality over the holidays, utilizing their "story of self," a tool taught at Camp Courage.

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Lambda Legal's press release:

Lambda Legal today called for more outreach, education, research and time to change hearts and minds before returning to the ballot to reopen marriage to gay and lesbian couples in California. At least one initiative to restore marriage equality for same-sex couples is currently circulating that, if it qualifies, would appear on the November, 2010 ballot, but Lambda Legal believes that putting this measure to a vote in 2012 is the strongest strategy.

The Courage Campaign, in partnership with Lambda Legal and other leading groups, has recently concluded the first phase of extensive and groundbreaking research about public beliefs about marriage and gay people. It confirms that attitudes are shifting steadily toward equal treatment of same-sex couples, and that conversations among family members and other close relationships inevitably speed the process.

"Over the past year since Prop 8's passage, we've expanded our community education in California and have seen the remarkable national progress exert a positive influence here," said Jennifer C. Pizer, Marriage Project Director for Lambda Legal. "We've seen our many community groups collaborating as never before. With the great field operations of the Courage Campaign, Vote for Equality, Equality California and countless new activists and allies across the state, the next two years hold great promise. This work complements the efforts within California's racial and ethnic minority communities and within the state's diverse communities of faith. There has never been any doubt that the LGBT community and our friends and allies will restore marriage equality in California ÿÿ the only question has been when. We now believe it's November 2012."

The recently concluded research validated the lasting effect of the work already being done in the successful Camp Courage program and by Courage Equality Teams organizing across the state. These grassroots efforts are building support for marriage equality by training Californians to tap into their community's resources to start a conversation and connect the movement for equality to their own lives and their own experiences. This outreach has surged ahead, fueled by the passion and determination of countless new activists who have committed to this cause within the past year.

"We're so close," said Pizer. "Each year, each month, public understanding shifts a bit more in our direction. As crushing as it was to lose in Maine this year and in California in 2008, support is building strongly in our favor: in 2000, Proposition 22 won with 61 percent of the vote; Proposition 8 passed by a meager margin of only four points. It's insulting to have to wait and work to regain a core human right that should never have been taken. As legal advocates, we know minorities should never have to beg the majority for equal rights. Given the decision by the California Supreme Court earlier this year, that's our only path. It's essential that we choose wisely when to return to the ballot ÿÿ while we're within striking distance, we believe we're not there yet."


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Restore Equality 2010 response:

Restore Equality 2010 (RE 2010), the statewide coalition of organizations committed to repealing California’s Proposition 8 in 2010, responded strongly to the statements issued today by the Courage Campaign and Lamba Legal calling for more time before returning to the ballot box. Jo Hoenninger, chair of the interim Executive Committee for RE 2010, said, “This is a movement for equality. Harvey Milk didn’t wait for research. He hit the streets year after year. We honor his memory by gathering signatures now so our rights can be restored in 2010 not at some later time when it might be an easier struggle.” Hoenninger added, “We appreciate the research work done by the Courage Campaign. The results to date – that one-to-one conversations are the most effective way to change hearts and minds – show that it is all the more important for us to continue to have the conversations necessary to gather the signatures for 2010 repeal of Proposition 8 .”

RE 2010 continues to work with coalition partner Love Honor Cherish to gather 1 million signatures by next April ensuring a repeal of Proposition 8 is on the California ballot in 2010. Through the first-of-its-kind social networking site SignforEquality.com signatures have been gathered at locations in every corner of the state of California by volunteers, and have been signed and sent from home by individuals. “We understand that a grassroots effort takes time to find its feet,” said Jeffrey Taylor, spokesman for RE 2010, “We are staunchly committed to creating increased momentum until we meet our goal. Concurrently, we are working to ensure every place and every population in this great state has a voice in the 2010 campaign when we reach our goal.” Taylor continues, “Even though the leadership of the Courage Campaign chooses to wait, many of Courage Campaign’s members are regional representatives with RE 2010. In fact, 80% of the membership of the Courage Campaign are in favor of a Prop. 8 repeal in 2010 “

RE 2010 remains confident even though organizations like the Courage Campaign and Lambda Legal prefer to stand on the sidelines for now. “We are encouraged by the LA Times poll showing an increase in support among Californians for same-sex marriage (now 51% of Californians favor marriage equality), and we are also encouraged by the initial findings from Courage’s research showing a shift in our favor as well.” said Taylor. Hoenninger agrees, “We know this a tough battle, but we are up for the challenge and fully expect those who disagree with us to respect our volunteers.” Taylor adds, “We look forward to Courage Campaign and many other great organizations keeping their promise to join us when the signature gathering effort has been successful and the ballot campaign commences.”

Actors Missi Pyle and Shawnee Smith Wed! Only If They Really Could . . .

In a show of support for marriage equality, actors Missi Pyle and Shawnee Smith participated in a mock wedding ceremony officiated by comedian/actor/Queer As Folk star Hal Sparks.

The event was set up to promote Revenge Is... "All Love is Equal" t-shirt line which will benefit Love Honor Cherish (LHC), the Los Angeles-based grassroots group who is leading the effort behind the 2010 initiative to repeal Prop 8. (See Unite the Fight's interview with LHC regarding the repeal.)



Marilyn Barret wrote about the event on the Huffington Post. The mock ceremony sparked in her the question, "Gays and lesbians are legally protected against most forms of discrimination. What is it about marriage?"

Proposition 8 2010 Repeal Supporters, Not Swayed by Criticism, Explain Strategy Behind the Five Initiatives Submitted

UPDATE 11/19 8:45am PST: San Diegans kick off Prop 8 repeal signature drive

Original posted 11/18/09:

For a year now, the debate on when to go back to the ballot to restore marriage equality to California and repeal Proposition 8 has raged not only amongst the Golden State's LGBT population and its allies but also nationwide.

After the devastating defeat in Maine, the fundamentalist pundits claimed that it was a sign Americans were not ready for legalized same-sex marriage, despite the many advances in Iowa and New England. Unfortunately, contrary to what the politicians say, legislators in both New York and New Jersey appear to have taken a cue from what happened in Maine and are dragging their heels on voting for proposed marriage equality legislation in their respective states.

Currently, the District of Columbia shines as the one bright spot in the nation with its marriage equality bill predicted to pass before the end of the year, despite the Archdiocese of Washington threatening to end Catholic charities if marriage equality is legalized in the jurisdiction.

Amongst these developments, Love Honor Cherish (LHC), the California based LGBT grassroots group leading the charge for a 2010 Proposition 8 repeal, announced Monday the launch of the signature gathering campaign for its ballot initiative. Alongside the announcement, it kicked off the social site and online campaign hub, Sign For Equality.

"SignForEquality.com today launched a groundbreaking effort to gather signatures to repeal Proposition 8 and restore equal marriage rights for same-sex couples marking the first time that social networking technology has been used to qualify a California initiative for the ballot," said the group's press release Monday.

On the same day, California Secretary of State issued a statement that five ballot initiatives had been submitted and approved for signature gathering that caused some confusion.

CA SoS Statement on Five Marriage Equality Ballot Initiatives

John Henning, co-founder of LHC, confirmed with Unite the Fight (UTF) that five versions of repeal language were submitted to the Secretary.

"The reason we submitted five back in September was because of ongoing discussions about which five were most appealing to voters," Henning said. "There were some that voters responded to better."

At the time the language was submitted, Courage Campaign was in the middle of conducting research that LHC hoped would give guidance on which version was the best.

"The research that was underway at the time did inform the five ways the language was written, but we didn’t have any conclusive results on which of the five versions was the best. So we made that decision based on our own good judgment," Henning said.

Henning explained that all the language is very similar and was vetted by very prominent lawyers in the marriage movement, along with other leaders and Equality California (EQCA), the state's largest LGBT advocacy group.

Marc Solomon, Marriage Director for EQCA, confirmed this back in October with UTF. "It was mainly Geoff," he said, referring to Geoff Kors, EQCA's Executive Director. "He’s a Stanford educated lawyer and has much more legal expertise than I do."

Version 5 or 09-0042 ended up being the final language behind which the signature gathering campaign was launched. Henning said that the statewide organizing group Restore Equality 2010 (RE 2010) was involved in the decision making process.

"The final decision was made about a week before they were approved," Henning informed. "We allowed for plenty of time to think about it and [RE 2010]'s Interim Administrative Group (IAG) to consider the matter and give advice. We waited to choose because we wanted the input from everybody we could possibly have."

Henning said that the executive committee of LHC was strongly in favor of version 5 and that the IAG voted unanimously for it.

The full language reads:

This amendment would amend an existing section of the California Constitution. Existing language proposed to be deleted is printed in strikeout type. Language proposed to be added is printed in underlined type.

Section 1. To protect religious freedom, no court shall interpret this measure to require any priest, minister, pastor, rabbi, or other person authorized to perform marriages by any religious denomination, church, or other non-profit religious institution to perform any marriage in violation of his or her religious beliefs. The refusal to perform a marriage under this provision shall not be the basis for lawsuit or liability, and shall not affect the tax-exempt status of any religious denomination, church or other religious institution.

Section 2. To provide for fairness in the government’s issuance of marriage licenses, Section 7.5 of Article I of the California Constitution is hereby amended to read as follows: Sec. 7.5. Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Marriage is between only two persons and shall not be restricted on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.

In an email blast sent out Monday, RE 2010 gave a list of actions for supporters of the signature gathering campaign, including donating to reach their goal of $10,000 to cover the cost of the petition drive.

“We set a goal of $10,000 between now and December 1 for a variety reasons," said Jane Wishon, who is part of RE 2010's IAG. "We need money to start the process, update our website and logo, and provide resources for signature gatherers all over the state so that can be out gathering signatures rather than worrying about raising the money needed.”

“At the same time, we need to prove to the larger donors in the community that we’re legitimate, we’re for real and that we can do this,” she added. Monday's email stated they had succeeded in raising 20% of their goal. "I think today we’re at 25% or over $2,500."

LHC will act as the clearinghouse for the signatures that are turned in and will safeguard those submitted either online or mailed to their PO Box that has been set up to receive large amounts of mail.

The Blueprint for Equality, LHC's strategy on a 2010 victory released in July, states that 5,500 volunteers will be needed over the course of 150 days to gather the one million signatures required to qualify for the ballot. 5,000 will each spend one day gathering 100 signatures per volunteer, another 500 "super-volunteers" will spend 10 days gathering the same amount each day.

"What we are looking for is a combination of hardcore volunteers" and others who will give one day said Henning. "The ten days over 150 days is one full day every two weeks for the volunteer. To me it’s a commitment, but it’s not an enormous commitment. We’re looking for 500 people throughout the state to give us that commitment."

"Many of these people we won’t actually ever meet because they’ll be inspired to do it through the website or send them in through the mail," Henning added. "On top of that, they’ll be many people who will be sending just 10 signatures. They’ll have friends and family sign and then send them in."

Gathering 100 signatures in a day is challenge, but Henning doesn't doubt that they'll qualify for the ballot. "I'm extremely confident. I wouldn’t be spending my own time if I didn’t think this will be getting on the ballot."

But LHC and RE 2010 have faced many naysayers, some going as far as urging people to decline to sign the petition. They fear that going to the ballot this soon after Prop 8 will create a backlash against the marriage movement. Others have pointed out that polling has shown no shift in opinion in California on the issue of same-sex marriage, and after the defeat in Maine, believe it is unwise to move forward.

"Sadly, there’s a lot of defeatism in our community," Henning responds. "Some of it comes from the pain of losing Prop 8. You have to have faith that things are going to be better. We can’t just wallow in defeat and fear. People are capable of changing their minds. I know there are people who think we can’t win and they’re always be people who think we can’t win. But there are many people who do."

Henning, whose grandfather is from Maine, has spent every summer of his life in Pine Tree state, claims that Maine wasn't a factor in their decision to move forward. "The defeat in Maine was always possible," he said. "Maine is a relatively rural state. It’s not nearly as diverse of a state as California. Not many people know gay people in Maine. I was amazed that it even got far enough for people to vote."

"What happens in a state that is 3,000 miles away and is 1/30 of the size of California doesn’t really affect what happens in California," he added.

Others resistant to going back in 2010 accuse the groups leading the charge of steamrolling and wonder why LHC should be the ones to heading it up.

"Our group has heart and we represent a part of the pure grassroots in the state," Henning said. "We are not a staffed organization. We are not controlled by big donors. We are doing this because we think it’s the right thing to do. There is no agenda. I think people should look to that, that we have consistently pushed for this with no other agenda."

Henning paused for a moment, then added, "Restore Equality 2010 is another group that has taken a leadership position because these other staffed groups have chosen not to. It was never our intention to be the leader of the 2010 charge, and we’re not going to sit down because a large group that claims to be in charge of the movement has decided not to play ball."

EQCA has stated that if the language qualifies for the 2010 ballot, then they will throw their weight behind the campaign to give the best chances of a victory.

"We’re not going to abandon the effort once the initiative qualifies," Henning remarked. "We’re going to be a part of it. We hope that Equality California will be part of it. They said they will be. I hope we do it all together. We know that a lot of people in the LGBT community want this."

Images by Phillip Minton.

Website Launched for Volunteer-Based Signature Gathering Campaign for 2010 Prop 8 Repeal

UPDATE: the organizing group Restore Equality 2010, has issued the following in response to the signature gathering campaign.

Restore Equality 2010, the statewide coalition of organizations committed to repealing Californiaʼs Proposition 8 in 2010, applauds the launch of the petition drive and social networking site www.signforequality.com by its coalition member Love Honor Cherish, and is ready to implement a statewide plan to support the volunteer signature-gathering effort.

The proponents of the ballot initiative have until April 12, 2010 to gather approximately 1 million signatures.

“This is the moment activists across our great state have been waiting for,” said Jeffrey Taylor, spokesperson for Restore Equality 2010. “Restore Equality 2010 is thrilled to mobilize in support of SignForEquality.com and Love Honor Cherishʼs inspiring and unwavering stand for the immediate restoration of marriage equality in California. The petition drive will be bolstered by our statewide grassroots effort.”

Since the grassroots organizationʼs establishment on August 29, 2009, Restore Equality 2010 has been working diligently to implement The Davis Plan, a democratic structure to ensure the repeal effort covers all geographic regions, populations and supportive organizations across the state. “We are clear that we have a winning structure, and we are clear that the grassroots is the best place to source the repeal campaign,” said Taylor. “The grassroots is nimble enough to embrace the best strategies and tactics to conduct an effective campaign, such as the first-of-its-kind social networking site for our petition drive, SignForEquality.com.”

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Love Honor Cherish (LHC) the grassroots group leading the charge for a 2010 initiative to restore marriage equality in California, has today launched SignForEquality.com, a social site that will be the hub for the volunteer-based signature gathering campaign to put the Prop 8 repeal on the 2010 ballot.

Here's their press release:

SignForEquality.com today launched a groundbreaking effort to gather signatures to repeal Proposition 8 and restore equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, marking the first time that social networking technology has been used to qualify a California initiative for the ballot.

“We’re taking names,” said John Henning, who is heading the SignForEquality.com effort as Executive Director of Love Honor Cherish. “SignForEquality.com will make history by using custom social networking tools, as well as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, to support an all-volunteer signature drive to repeal Prop 8. People throughout California can now help us win marriage back by the simple act of signing and collecting signatures.”

Love Honor Cherish launched www.SignForEquality.com as part of the volunteer signature drive, which began today. The site features a downloadable petition form and training videos for signature gatherers, and uses unique social networking technology to help gatherers set goals, build teams, and find signature gathering events. “In its first day, SignForEquality.com is already the state of the art in California petition signature gathering,” said Henning.

Henning noted that in recent years, signature gathering campaigns have been in the hands of a few powerful elite, who qualify ballot initiatives by spending millions on paid signature gatherers. “SignForEquality.com brings the campaign back to the people,” said Henning. “We’re going to qualify this initiative person by person, and signature by signature.”

The proponents of the ballot initiative have 150 days to gather approximately 1 million signatures. The signatures are due on April 12, 2010.

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 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. Love Honor Cherish is also part of the Restore Equality 2010 coalition, which has elected representatives throughout the state.

As signature gathering gets underway, the campaign to change the hearts and minds of voters has already begun and will continue through the November 2010 election. “Prop 8 passed last year with just 52% of the vote,” said Henning. “Now, a year later, a recent L.A. Times poll says that 51% favor marriage equality. In the next 12 months, we’ll make that margin even bigger.”

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.

The proposed measure reads as follows:

This amendment would amend an existing section of the California Constitution. Existing language proposed to be deleted is printed in strikeout type. Language proposed to be added is printed in underlined type.

Section 1. To protect religious freedom, no court shall interpret this measure to require any priest, minister, pastor, rabbi, or other person authorized to perform marriages by any religious denomination, church, or other non-profit religious institution to perform any marriage in violation of his or her religious beliefs. The refusal to perform a marriage under this provision shall not be the basis for lawsuit or liability, and shall not affect the tax-exempt status of any religious denomination, church or other religious institution.

Section 2. To provide for fairness in the government’s issuance of marriage licenses, Section 7.5 of Article I of the California Constitution is hereby amended to read as follows: Sec. 7.5. Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Marriage is between only two persons and shall not be restricted on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.

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Signature Gathering will be taking place in locations throughout the state. For more information about locations and other opportunities for media coverage, contact Mike Roth at 310-433-8685 or mike.roth@lovehonorcherish.org

Back in July, LHC released their Blueprint for Equality, their strategy to a 2010 victory. It projects that, over the course of a winning campaign, they will need to enlist 12,500 volunteers and raise $31.3 million to repeal Prop 8.

Specifically for the signature gathering phase, LHC wants to avoid spending $2 per signature through paid signature gatherers, which could cost millions. So their focus is an all-volunteer effort, which is quite a daunting task. The Blueprint states:

An all-volunteer signature gathering effort would be a major undertaking. It takes about 4-6 hours to collect 100 signatures in a public place. Therefore, to get the required 1 million signatures, it would take, for example: (1) 5,000 volunteers spending one full day at a shopping center, or a full evening at a bar to get 100 signatures, for a total of 500,000 signatures, plus (2) 500 “super-volunteers” each doing this 10 times over the course of 5 months, for an additional 500,000 signatures. This is a total of 5,500 volunteers, a number that is large but attainable given the high level of interest in repealing Prop 8. It is also important to note that signature gathering can occur anywhere in the state. The only requirement is that the signatures and the petition circulators are registered voters.

To get involved in this historical effort, go to SignForEquality.com.

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.

BREAKING NEWS: Read the Ballot Language Submitted to Repeal Prop 8 in 2010

Yesterday, news broke that marriage equality advocacy group Love Honor Cherish will submit ballot language to California's Attorney General in an effort to undo the damage of Proposition 8 and restore marriage equality to California in 2010.

Approximately at 9am today, Love Honor Cherish will submit the following language:

Repeal Prop 8 Ballot Language

So what do you think? Does this language cover the basics? Do you feel it will test well? How do you think the opposition will view it?

Want more information? Go to RepealProp8.com.

Tonight, there will be kick-off parties in both Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Kickoff parties are Thursday evening in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Campaign spokespeople and people personally affected by Prop 8 will be available for media interviews.

Los Angeles
Private Residence
7582 Mulholland Dr
Los Angeles 90046
7:30pm – 10 pm

San Francisco
The House of Shields (upstairs)
39 New Montgomery St
San Francisco 94105
6pm – 8pm

Stay tuned for updates!

2010 Prop 8 Repeal Ballot Initiative To Be Filed Thursday

Rex Wockner reports:

Love Honor Cherish announced today it will submit a ballot initiative to the state of California tomorrow to repeal Prop 8 in 2010. But key ally Courage Campaign, which has voiced support for a 2010 effort, is not yet onboard. Numerous other key California GLBT organizations, including Equality California, have said they want to wait until 2012 to go back to the ballot.

Some folks are wondering if there now is a 2010 sub-schism within the existing 2010/2012 schism, but LHC Executive Director John Henning told me today that the decision to file the initiative tomorrow is based solely on maximizing the amount of time repeal advocates will have to collect the needed 1 million voter signatures.

"We been aware for some time now that Courage Campaign was doing research and that their timeline doesn't match up with submitting ballot language by Sept. 25," Henning said. "We are still submitting by Sept. 25 because we feel we must preserve the ability to have (the full) 150 days to gather signatures ... for the November 2010 ballot."

Read the rest of Wockner's report, which goes into further details on Love Honor Cherish's efforts, concerns of a schism among the 2010 groups and words from Steve Hildebrand on behalf of the Courage Campaign.

In the middle of all this "who's filing what?", I wanted to find out where the official Restore Equality 2010 campaign stood.

"Our mandate is to organize the state," said Misha Houser, spokesperson for Restore Equality 2010. They're not involved in crafting ballot language. But "we're working with all groups who are developing language."

Misha added, "Restore Equality 2010 will help determine what ballot language will be used once research is completed by Courage Campaign."

Once it's determined, it's full steam ahead.

It is estimated that the research will be done in the middle of October. However, as a result, they will miss the filing deadline that will allow the full 150 days allotted for signature gathering.

Love Honor Cherish has been open about the need for 150 days to gather the necessary one million signatures to get the repeal initiative on the ballot. One of the main reasons for this is to avoid paying millions on professional signature gatherers and instead rely on grassroots volunteers.

"We have to be realistic," Misha said, "In that we may have to use signature gatherers to have enough signatures to qualify."

Love Honor Cherish told Wockner that if Courage Campaign comes up with better language, they will abandon what is filed tomorrow and use the new language.

This will leave fewer than 150 days.

The challenge will then be greater for Restore Equality 2010. It's all about the organizing. But from what I've gathered, they're up for it.

CA Grassroots Organization "Love Honor Cherish" Releases Blueprint for Successful 2010 Campaign to Repeal Prop 8

Love Honor Cherish, a California LGBT grassroots organization known for its strong support for a 2010 campaign to repeal Prop 8, has released a 21-page outline of a future campaign entitled "Blueprint for Equality: How We Will Restore the Right to Marry in 2010."

The Blueprint shows how activists can gather the 1 million signatures needed to place a new ballot measure on the November 2010 ballot and then prevail at the ballot box. It projects that, over the next 15 months, a winning campaign will need to enlist 12,500 volunteers and raise $31.3 million to repeal Prop 8, which passed last November with 52% of the vote.

Love Honor Cherish - Blueprint for 2010 Campaign

John Henning, Executive Director of Love Honor Cherish, recognized that some in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community have reservations about moving forward in 2010, but said that much of this sentiment is based on misinformation. "According to a recent poll by David Binder Research, already 50% of likely voters in 2010 say they would vote to repeal Prop 8," said Henning. "The Blueprint debunks the myths about 2010 and shows a clear path to victory."

What are you thoughts on the Blueprint? Does it convince you that 2010 is possible and feasible? Do you feel it fully addresses the concerns of the consultants who advised Equality California that 2012 is the best way to go?

This Saturday, July 25 is the Leadership Summit where many are hoping a final decision will be made on when to return to the ballot. It is open to the public. Please RSVP!

Love, Honor, Cherish Files Brief Against Prop 8 with CA Supreme Court

It's all about Love, Honor, Cherish today. The grassroots organization issued the following press release:

LGBT ACTIVISTS MAKE UNIQUE ARGUMENT TO CALIF. SUPREME COURT

January 16, 2009 -- Love Honor Cherish, a grass roots organization dedicated to repealing Proposition 8, is using a unique argument in a brief it filed yesterday with the California Supreme Court.

The brief joins many others in support of a lawsuit filed after the election by Equality California, ACLU, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. That lawsuit seeks to overturn Prop 8 by arguing that a fundamental right like marriage cannot be taken away from a targeted minority by a simple majority vote on a constitutional amendment. Instead, the lawsuit argues, to make such a drastic change the Constitution should have gone through the “revision” process – which takes more time and requires the state legislature to approve the proposed change before it is put on the ballot.

“While most of the other friend-of-the-court briefs are focusing on the differences between amending and revising the Constitution, ours explains the effect the election process had on gay and lesbian Californians,” said John Henning, Executive Director of Love Honor Cherish. “The process itself diminished us and our relationships.”

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The brief argues that gays and lesbians were harmed because gay couples were forced to decide whether and when to get married based on the looming vote on a ballot proposition -- something straight couples have never had to do -- and because the dignity of existing marriages was devalued by the specter of Prop 8.

“The mere fact that Proposition 8 was on the ballot deprived gay and lesbian couples of the equality this Court held they deserved,” the brief argues. “These indignities do violence to the principles on which our constitutional system of government was founded.”

Henning said the Court should rule that damaging campaigns about fundamental rights like Prop 8 should not be allowed.

“The Court can prevent this kind of harm in the future only if they invalidate Prop 8 now,” he said.

While the brief filed yesterday will help the chances that the California Supreme Court overturns Prop 8, Henning said that because of the critical importance of restoring marriage rights for gay and lesbian Californians, the gay community and its allies need to prepare now for a ballot initiative in 2010 that would repeal Prop 8.

“If the Supreme Court rules against us and there is to be a new ballot campaign in November 2010, people have to be ready on the ground this summer to start collecting petition signatures,” Henning said. “The Court most likely will not rule before summer, so if we wait for them to rule before starting to prepare, we’ll be too late.”

Love Honor Cherish is committed to preparing for a 2010 ballot initiative, educating the public about the freedom to marry and building alliances with other organizations and individuals. The group formed in May 2008 to work against Prop 8 and raised over half a million dollars for the No on 8 campaign. At the same time, Love Honor Cherish mounted its own outreach and media efforts, with a strong focus on speaking the truth about marriage and developing a new generation of leaders around the issue. For more information visit LoveHonorCherish.org

The brief was filed on behalf of Love Honor Cherish by the law firm of Bate Peterson Deacon Zinn & Young, LLP. A copy of the brief is available on the Love Honor Cherish website.

Report on the Gloria Allred/Andy Pugno Debate

Steve Zlick of Love, Honor, Cherish has written a guest post for Unite the Fight. Steve attended the debate Wednesday night between Gloria Allred and Andy Pugno, general counsel for Protect Marriage/Yes on 8. Here is his first-hand account.

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Wednesday night, the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy hosted a debate on Prop 8 between the forces of good and evil. To be specific, it was Gloria Allred, attorney for landmark plaintiffs Robin Tyler and Diane Olson (present among the roughly hundred members of the audience) in their same-sex marriage rights suit against the State of California -vs.- Andy Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage.com/Yes on Prop 8. Judy Miller of ABC news served as moderator.

The debate concerned the legal issues now before the California Supreme Court in pending lawsuits seeking the repeal of Proposition 8. As passed by voters on November 4, 2008, Prop 8 amends the state constitution such that only marriage between one man and one woman is recognized in California. The three legal questions being considered by the Court, and which were the subject of last night’s debate, are: a) Is Prop 8 an Amendment to OR a revision of the California Constitution? b) Does the passage of Prop 8 violate the separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government? and c) If Prop 8 is upheld, is its effect retroactive in regards to the same-sex marriages legally performed in California?

As objective as I tried to be during the debate, it seemed to me that Gloria pretty much mopped the floor with Andy. It wasn’t merely that he was soft-spoken and tenuous in comparison to Ms. Allred’s somewhat strident confidence, but the points made by Mr. Pugno for the "Yes on 8" side seemed to rely exclusively on the omnipotent right of the Will of The People to be expressed in the California Constitution, for which he provided no legal justification. Pugno repeatedly asserted that the electorate has a right to determine what our constitution says, and dismissed as insignificant the limitations on that right when it comes to revisions versus amendments.

Indeed, both sides acknowledged the current Supreme Court case pretty much hinges on whether Prop 8 was a revision disguised as an amendment, and no one quite knows where the Supreme Court will find that line to be. Allred asserted the Proposition is a revision because its limitations on the judiciary's rights to protect citizens under the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution amount to a shift in the basic framework of government. Pugno proffered that Prop 8 is a mere amendment because the people have always had an endemic right to correct the judiciary.

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As expected, his main legal reliance was on the 1973 voter amendment which reversed the Supreme Court’s finding that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment. It was a strikingly similar work-around to the current case (i.e, if the Court finds something unconstitutional, the voters simply change the constitution to say it’s not). But Allred adroitly pointed out the big difference: In 1973, the Supreme Court retained the power to determine death penalty matters on a case-by-case basis, but Prop 8 utterly strips the judiciary of its powers in regards to marriage rights.

Still, that voter change to the definition of cruel and unusual punishment and its limitation on the judiciary was upheld by the Supreme Court 35 years ago. The question remains where the Court will stand on the slightly different issue today.

Allred alleged Prop 8 did nothing to change the constitution’s fundamental guarantees of liberty, privacy and equal protection rights, which were the basis of the May 2008 Supreme Court ruling in favor of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. Pugno had no response to the denial of fundamental liberty and privacy rights to a protected minority group - other than to insist the will of the people can overrule such rights. When the moderator asked Pugno if the voters could by simple majority ban interracial marriage or restore the institution of slavery, he had no retort other than that the federal constitution would prohibit such things.

Pugno was similarly evasive throughout the evening. When questioned if same-sex marriages would be nullified if Prop 8 were declared retroactive, he gave an answer worthy of Bill Clinton in his technical definition of "retroactive." The marriages would simply not be recognized, he said, but it would not be as if they had never happened - and thus the effects of Prop 8 would not be "retroactive."

Andy did not score many points with the audience when he raised the issue of child molesters as an example of an area where voters had the authority to limit privacy rights (in requiring registration and neighborhood-notifications). It may have been a pertinent example, but it demonstrated an amazingly tin ear when it came to the sensitivities of his audience. I don’t think he purposely meant to insult the crowd, but it was a callous error on his part.

Likewise, he didn’t come off well in dodging the moderator’s question of whether he personally thought equal marriage rights in California were inevitable. To support his assertion that they were not, he gave examples limited to the current state of the world in which a small minority of nations now acknowledge such rights.

In fact, it was nearly ludicrous how Pugno ignored the march of progress throughout history - and Gloria Allfred took him to task for it. She used this opening to launch into a stirring oration on California's historic role as a beacon of liberty, consistently at the forefront of human rights and equality. It was a wonderful note to end the evening on.

And yet I actually left feeling disappointed with how weak the Yes on 8 arguments seemed.

Still, it’s anybody’s guess how they will seem to the Supreme Court. But the debate left me more confident than ever that Proposition 8 will be overturned by the Court, in a decision expected mid-year by the same Justices who ruled equal marriages rights fundamental to our constitution just last May.