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License To Wed?

May 16, 2008 @ 08:05 am by Trina Boice

While Citizen Voice bloggers Alma, Chuck and I were chatting about the San Diego mayoral and city attorney races on Tom Fudge's radio show, "These Days" yesterday, the tide for same-sex marriage was turning.

By the time the three of us walked back to the KPBS Green Room (which isn't green at all) CNN was announcing that the California Supreme Court had just declared the ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. Chuck's Blackberry was going crazy, sending him headline news via text, along with a playful proposal from his partner. As soon as I could connect my laptop with the wireless in the building, Chuck was racing around the Internet Superhighway, anxious for more details.

As a divorce attorney he was fascinated with the 172 pages of paperwork associated with the new ruling. As a gay man, he was thrilled with the possibilities. The video below shows Chuck's reaction to the ruling minutes after it was announced.

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Posted In: California | 3 Comments
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Where Were You?

May 16, 2008 @ 08:05 am by Charles Hartley

"In the hallway at KPBS, talking to our editor Nicole Lozare." 

Twenty, 30, 40 years from now -- that's how I'll answer the question about how I heard yesterday's news about the California Supreme Court's decision in In Re Marriage Cases.  Alma, Trina and I had just finished an appearance on These Days with Tom Fudge at 10 a.m. I knew the decision from the court was due at 10:00, and turned on my Blackberry as soon as we left the studio to check the news.

As we were talking I looked down and saw the alert from the New York Times: The ban had been overturned.

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Posted In: California | 1 Comment
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Having A Public Debate

March 27, 2008 @ 10:03 am by Charles Hartley

As I write this, my partner in the unraveling of America's moral fabric is in Hillcrest inputting names into a database. He's spending part of his spring break to volunteer with Equality For All as they gear up to fight proposed initiatives that might make it on to the November ballot.

Among the 47 proposed initiatives currently in circulation are several that would attempt to limit marriage equality efforts, including one that would amend the state constitution to protect the "essence of marriage" and eliminate domestic partnerships.

Interesting to me that this comes up while the issue of the constitutionality of marriage equality is still pending before the California's Supreme Court, with the oral arguments having just been heard on March 4. Someone might want to wait and see how the court rules on what the constitution currently says before proposing to change the constitution. Regardless of their stance on the issue of marriage equality, someone might think that acting prematurely would be a complete and utter waste of taxpayers' money.

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Posted In: California, Propositions, Campaign Tactics | 4 Comments
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Politics Without End

March 05, 2008 @ 11:03 am by Charles Hartley
March 4th had potential to be a big, decisive day in politics.

The battle for the Democratic nomination had the potential of being decided.

The California Supreme Court could have shown which way it was leaning in the pending Marriage Cases, a consolidation of cases that will decide the status of same-sex marriage under California law.

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Posted In: California, Presidential | 1 Comment
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