Feature Archives

On June 16th, same sex marriages officially began in California. same sex marriages were officially held in San Francisco. In San Francisco, hundreds came to City Hall to celebrate. After being together for more than 50 years, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin were the first couple to be legally married. In Oakland, the first couples were married by mayor Ron Dellums, city council member Jean Quan, and congresswoman Barbara Lee. In Fresno, dozens of couples arrived early to get their marriage licenses Tuesday morning. Tinasha Broadus and Alicia Rice were the first in line and the first to be married.

The UC Santa Cruz administration officially accepted a joint proposal of the Graduate Student Association, UAW and STIHC (Students for Trans-Inclusive Healthcare) for GSHIP (Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan) and USHIP (Undergraduate Student Health Insurance Plan) benefits. Effective this fall, GSHIP and USHIP will include a $75,000 lifetime benefit for transgender healthcare.

On May 15th, the California State Supreme Court ruled that laws that have excluded same-gender couples from the right to marry were unconstitutional. Gatherings will be held around the state to celebrate the ruling. The California court cited the state's equal protection clause in striking down the discrimination. It also ruled that marriages performed outside of the state must be recognized as legal by the State of California.

On Tuesday, June 3rd, Gay Shame will conduct a séance to "summon the ghosts of Polk Street's past", defend street culture and protest Lower Polk Neighbors, whose "business improvement district" has been slowly squeezing the spirit out of Polk Street. Mary writes, "Because the gentrification of the Polk Street area in the Tenderloin is an intersection of so many different wars City Hall is waging -- against people of color, sex workers, homeless people, immigrants, drug addicts, youth, and marginalized queer/trans people -- it's the perfect place to channel voices of resistance."

On May 8th on the Cal State East Bay (CSUEB) campus, the Queer/Straight Alliance (QSA) sponsored a Mock Marriage for Marriage Equality and a LGBT Resource Fair. Five couples, of varying sexes, genders, and sexualities were mock married and three ceremony types were utilized: a Jewish ceremony, a Pagan hand fasting, and a Christian ceremony. There were also participants of varying ethnicities within the ceremonies.

The California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on March 4th in the marriage cases challenging the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage. Fifteen same-sex couples, Equality California, and Our Family Coalition will be represented at oral arguments. The California Supreme Court typically issues its decisions within 90 days following oral arguments.

On February 21st, Critical Resistance presented Gender, Health Care and the Prison Industrial Complex, at the Louden Nelson Community Center in Santa Cruz. This forum was the second in a series of monthly events that focus on different aspects of the prison industrial complex. The evening featured speakers from Justice Now, Critical Resistance and Santa Cruz AIDS Project.