Feature Archives

West Coast Poly Pride Day was held on Sunday, October 9th in MLK/Civic Center Park in Downtown Berkeley. from 12pm to sunset. Performers and speakers included Barely Human DanceTheatre and Wendy-O-Matik. There were also games, information tables, a picnicking, and more.

Poly Pride Day was organized by members of Love+Politics, a Bay Area group of people who identify as polyamorous, queer and/or sex-positive, and who regard that identity as deeply connected to their desire to make the world a better place through progressive activism. A group in New York City held its fifth annual Poly Pride Day on October 8th.

On September 29th Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed Equality California-sponsored Assembly Bill 849, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, which had passed the state Senate and Assembly. In his veto statement, he said that he did not feel that the legislature can overturn an initiative that the voters had decided. As a result of his veto, hundreds of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Californians and their families will continue to live without equal protection of the law. Equality California chapters and allied organizations are hosting community gatherings in response to the Governor's veto on Friday, September 30th. Most of the gatherings will take place between 5 and 6pm. Protests are scheduled for Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Modesto, Sacramento, San Francisco (Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | Video ), San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Solano County, and Ukiah. People in San Diego held a protest on Thursday night. Full list

The Governor did sign four remaining EQCA-sponsored bills: Assembly Bill (AB) 1400, the Civil Rights Act of 2005 (Laird, D-Santa Cruz), builds upon the Unruh Civil Rights Act and related provisions to clarify and reinforce that all businesses that provide services, goods or accommodations to the public cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status; Senate Bill (SB) 973 (Kuehl, D-Santa Monica), allows domestic partners of public employees who retired prior to January 1, 2005, to receive death benefits if the retiree dies before their partner; SB 565 (Migden, D-San Francisco), ensures legally recognized domestic partners are treated the same as spouses under California's property tax laws; and AB 1586, the Insurance Gender Non-Discrimination Act, (Koretz, D-West Hollywood), adds gender and gender identity to existing anti-discrimination provisions in California laws regulating insurance companies and health care service plans. Read more

Transgender Law Center Statement | Past Indybay Coverage of AB 849

Out in Oakland organized a National Coming Out Day March and Rally for Sunday, October 9th, 2005. The march gathered at the park on the corner of Grand Ave. and MacArthur at 1pm and left around 2pm. There was a 3pm rally in front of City Hall, at 14th Street and Broadway. Organizations and individuals were encouraged to bring banners and signs and "Show (that) LGBTIQ spirit thrives in Oakland." Invited speakers at the demonstration included Joyce Pierson, a staff member of NCLR, Stephan Thorne, an SFPD officer and transgender activist, and Carlos Alain Chavez, a youth activist with the Pacific Center for Human Growth. Corporate backers had booths at the rally in Frank Ogawa Plaza. Read more

Human Rights Campaign proclaimed “Talk About It” as the theme of this year’s National Coming Out Day, which was celebrated on October 11, 2005.

Out in Oakland website | Tips for coming out on NCD (and every day)

Many members of the transgender community are resting easier, as a Hayward, CA jury came back from deliberations on September 12th with convictions against Michael Magidson and Jose Merel in the re-trial for their roles in the murder of transgendered Newark teenager Gwen Araujo, whom the men knew as Lida. (Photos of 9/12 Press Conference | Link to Video) The two men were found guilty of second degree murder in the 2002 killing. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the third man, Jason Cazares. The decision followed a re-trial that starkly contrasted with the 2004 trial. As attorneys for the three defendants moved away from the unified front used last year, their overall reliance on "transgender panic" tactics subsided as well. The jury did not convict the men of committing a hate crime. Prosecutors will announce their decision on a third trial for Cazares on November 18th. Magidson will be sentenced on January 6th, and Merel’s sentencing date will be set on October 28th.

Trans advocates and progressive and queer organizations have applauded the Alameda County District Attorney's office for prosecuting this case twice. It is believed that the successful prosecution and conviction of two of her killers will help to reduce the risk of further violence against transgendered people both in the East Bay, and all over the country. It will now be up to the Alameda County District Attorney to decide whether to pursue a third trial against Jason Cazares.

Indybay's Coverage of the First Trial in Gwen's Murder | Transgender Law Center statement | GenderPAC statement | Additional articles about the verdict | Justice for Gwen Araujo Blog

Sept. 7th Update: The marriage equality bill has yet to reach the Governor’s desk, but his press secretary said that he will veto it "out of respect for the will of the people" (ie, Proposition 22, the initiative from the year 2000 that banned same-sex marriage). Equality California hopes that Schwarzenegger will reconsider the veto before he signs it, and says, "One man cannot terminate a civil rights movement." Ways to contact the Governor

On September 1st, the California State Senate passed gender-neutral marriage legislation AB 849 by a 21-15 vote. The law was written by Equality California and was introduced by Mark Leno. Read more On September 6th, the state Assembly passed the legislation by one vote and sent it on to Governor Schwarzenegger for his signature. Equality California statement . The Governor now has until October 6th to sign or veto the bill, or he can let it go into effect without his signature. The Governor has said in the past that he thought that the issue of same-sex marriage should be left to the courts, so it is not clear if he will sign the bill into law.

The bill would "enact the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, which would provide that marriage is a personal relation arising out of a civil contract between 2 persons." Read more

California is now the first and only state in the nation where the legislature has voted to end marriage discrimination. Massachusetts is currently the only state that grants civil marriage licenses to same-sex couples. This was the result of a decision by the state's highest court. Vermont and Connecticut provide civil unions for same-sex couples, and California and New Jersey presently offer domestic partnerships. This victory in California, the state with the largest numbers of same-sex couples in the country, is anticipated to have a positive influence on the future of marriage equality nationwide.

The California Supreme Court ruled this week that children born to same-sex couples must be treated equally to other children and thus have a legally protected relationship to both partners.

On August 22nd, 2005, the California State Supreme Court issued opinions in three cases that involved the legal status of children born to same- sex parents. The three cases are: Elisa B. v. Superior Court, K.M. v. E.G., and Kristine H. v. Lisa R.

In all three cases, the Court ruled that when a couple deliberately brings a child into the world through the use of assisted reproduction, both partners are legal parents, regardless of their gender or marital status. The California Supreme Court is the first state Supreme Court to reach this issue, and its holding in these three cases will likely influence courts in other states.

National Center for Lesbian Rights | NCLR's Press Statement | Lambda Legal website | We 2 Have Parental Rights

Two heterosexual Canadian men who have been friends for 22 years began talking recently about getting taking advantage of their right to marry in their home country. They decided to get marry to “shed light on the widespread financial implications of the new legislation.” One loophole that they were exposing was that Canadian law did not state that two people of the same sex who were to marry had to be romantically involved. “It was a moment of whimsy that spun out of control…This really was an act of political satire." Read more

The two men, Bryan Pinn, aged 65, and Bill Dalrymple, aged 56, have been called heretics and homophobes. They have called off their plans to marry. “We’ll probably be best friends for another 20 years, but we don’t have to get married. Why would you ruin a good friendship and get married?” Pinn reportedly said.