November Ballot - Wedding Registry -Other General Comments

For those of you who are thinking of getting married in California, many good groups are offering the idea of registering with them so that instead of physical gifts (since many of us have been in long-term relationships for sometime and do not require a new china pattern) a gift can be made in your name as a donation towards fighting the November ballot measure. Lots of money is coming in from out of state to promote the ballot measure, and the groups that are working hard to defeat it can use your help and financial support.

This is the link for Equality California's wedding registry.

This is the general donation page for Lambda Legal - you can have the use of funds ear-marked specifically for fighting the California Initiative.

This is the donation page for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Attorneys from NCLR were part of the team arguing the Marriage Cases in front of the Supreme Court this past March.

Also consider - if you work for a company that does matching donations - making a donation that can be doubled. Those donations may not be able to be ear-marked for a particular project such as political action here (check your company's rules to find out), but it is certainly good, also, to support these organizations who helped get us this far and if you can have your donation matched and go farther, that is great!

If you live in California, each of these sites also has links to have you volunteer your time, if you are available. Obama and McCain may not be enough to bring apathetic voters out to vote, but this might well bring strong numbers. Let your voice be heard against Constitutional restrictions against same-sex marriage.

As many commentators have pointed out, Massachusetts has not fallen off into the ocean after allowing same-sex marriage to take place there. This becomes a little scarier for those against it because California does not have the same residency requirements that Massachusetts has and so there is greater fear that couples from other states will vacation in California - instead of Vegas - and get married here, which would present problems when they return to their home states. Those states which have not yet decided whether to reciprocate and provide marital benefits will find themselves in a scramble to determine how to or if to recognize these marriages.

I heard someone say the other day - but I don't have the figures to confirm or deny it - that the estimates are that allowing same-sex marriages will give the California economy a boost of nearly a half a billion dollars. That, alone, should make it easier for those Californians sitting on the fence to support allowing us to throw away our good money into the economy! I know the wedding industry is definitely gearing up for the significant number of gay weddings to take place. And there are a number of deals to celebrate. I have one person who says he'll play guitar free at any same-sex wedding. And he plays a beautiful guitar!!