Monday, June 16, 2008
Bells will be ringing!
Well, at 5:01 pm today, bells will begin ringing - the first marriage licenses, and ceremonies will begin to take place for same sex couples in California! Congratulations to the pioneers!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
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!!
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!!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Marriage in California Begins June 17th
The California Supreme Court has denied a petition requesting stay of their opinion until after the November ballot election.
Prior to this denial, the initiative to modify the California Constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman was certified yesterday to have enough signatures to place it on the ballot in November.
This means that there WILL be sames sex legal marriages in California regardless of whether the ballot measure passes. But if the ballot measure passes, we will have quite a soup of laws! They can't go back with the November ballot and undo marriages that were legal at the time they were entered into. So despite their intentions, it will be too late for some of us.
There is a lot of out of state money coming into California to support this ballot measure. Those of you who want to provide support to oppose it are also welcome to make donations! It will be a tough fight. Talk with those you know in California personally to make sure they understand the implications of approving such a measure, and why they need to vote, and vote against it. Sometimes one-on-one discussions can make all the difference in the world! Particularly to combat such fearful propaganda coming from those who fear, somehow, that when I and my partner actually wed on the anniversary of our commitment ceremony that we will somehow undo the fabric of their marriage. If their marriage is so insecure to begin with, it isn't my marriage that will undo it!
California often leads the way in progressive change. The California Supreme Court decided that preventing interracial marriage was unconstitutional long before the U.S. Supreme Court reached the same conclusion. Massachusetts has not fallen apart since legalizing gay marriage - nor has the country.
I have friends who will be marrying on the 17th. We will not be far behind - we will marry in August. We wanted to honor our original ceremony and celebrate it and our marriage on the same day. We are simply renewing our vows.
Prior to this denial, the initiative to modify the California Constitution to define marriage as only between a man and a woman was certified yesterday to have enough signatures to place it on the ballot in November.
This means that there WILL be sames sex legal marriages in California regardless of whether the ballot measure passes. But if the ballot measure passes, we will have quite a soup of laws! They can't go back with the November ballot and undo marriages that were legal at the time they were entered into. So despite their intentions, it will be too late for some of us.
There is a lot of out of state money coming into California to support this ballot measure. Those of you who want to provide support to oppose it are also welcome to make donations! It will be a tough fight. Talk with those you know in California personally to make sure they understand the implications of approving such a measure, and why they need to vote, and vote against it. Sometimes one-on-one discussions can make all the difference in the world! Particularly to combat such fearful propaganda coming from those who fear, somehow, that when I and my partner actually wed on the anniversary of our commitment ceremony that we will somehow undo the fabric of their marriage. If their marriage is so insecure to begin with, it isn't my marriage that will undo it!
California often leads the way in progressive change. The California Supreme Court decided that preventing interracial marriage was unconstitutional long before the U.S. Supreme Court reached the same conclusion. Massachusetts has not fallen apart since legalizing gay marriage - nor has the country.
I have friends who will be marrying on the 17th. We will not be far behind - we will marry in August. We wanted to honor our original ceremony and celebrate it and our marriage on the same day. We are simply renewing our vows.
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