The California Supreme Court handed down their decision about Propo­si­tion 8 today: they're letting it stand. No new gay marriages, though the 18,000 same-sex marriages that were enacted last year remain valid.

It's a setback to be sure. The silver lining is that the gay community has been fired up since Propo­si­tion 8 passed in November.

There's a small but real danger that Referendum 71 will make it on to the ballot here in Washington state. It would roll back the everything-but-marriage domestic part­ner­ship law that passed recently.

A month ago, Vermont and Iowa passed gay marriage laws. Today, Maine and New Hampshire did the same. The Maine Governor has already signed it into law. The NH leg­is­la­ture passed a law, but it's possible their governor will veto it.

It's as if there were a pro-gay marriage backlash after the anti-gay marriage Propo­si­tion 8 passed in California last year. Courts and leg­is­la­tures are realizing the fun­da­men­tal unfairness of denying the benefits of marriage to all committed couples. The sky didn't fall when Mass­a­chu­setts legalized gay marriage five years ago.

There's no immediate prospect of a gay marriage law being enacted in Washington State. Last month, the state leg­is­la­ture …continue.

On Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court struck down their state's gay marriage ban. Today, the Vermont Leg­is­la­ture legalized gay marriage.

It's been a great week for fairness. We still have a long way to go: 29 states have con­sti­tu­tion­al amendments banning gay marriage.

I'm sure the right wing are beating the fund-raising drums for all they're worth. We can expect more Propo­si­tion 8-style backlashes, I'm afraid.

But the news still made my day.

I am greatly heartened by today's news of Iowa's Supreme Court unan­i­mous­ly striking down the state's gay marriage ban. The passage of Propo­si­tion 8 in California was a setback. The Iowa Court made a strong ruling, gutting the arguments against same-sex marriage.

It's hard to believe now that in­ter­ra­cial marriage was illegal in many states until 1967. President Obama's parents could not have married in those states. We look back at that now with bemusement and a little horror. The opposition, then as now, was led by cultural con­ser­v­a­tives, making religious arguments.

Someday soon, we'll look back at the gay marriage debate with the same bemusement and wonder what all the fuss …continue.

Emma, Eric, and I went to Gay Bingo this evening. It's a monthly fundraiser for the Lifelong AIDS Alliance. This is not your grand­moth­er's church bingo: the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are the ushers and the show is MC'd by a drag queen.

Every Gay Bingo has a theme. Tonight's was the Love Boat, the campy 70's TV show. Many in the audience dress for the occasion. I wore the nearest thing to a lounge suit that I had; Emma ac­ces­sorized a nautical top with a scarf. We brought Jill and Dick the last time we went. They have an enormous collection of costumes and they were some of their choice Fifties …continue.

Milk was a middle-aged closet case who moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s, became po­lit­i­cal­ly active, and started running for office, un­suc­cess­ful­ly at first. “The Mayor of Castro Street” was elected to the San Francisco Board of Su­per­vi­sors in 1977, the first openly gay man to hold public office in the United States. A year later, only days after the anti-gay Cal­i­forn­ian ballot initiative, Propo­si­tion 6, went down to defeat, Milk and Mayor George Moscone were murdered by ex-Supervisor Dan White.

Sean Penn is convincing as Harvey Milk, an ordinary man who became an im­pas­sioned gay activist and an …continue.

I mentioned the other day there were to be protest marches all over the country today against Propo­si­tion 8, the anti-gay marriage amendment that passed last week in California.

Thousands marched in Seattle, from Volunteer Park to Westlake Center. The P-I and the Seattle Times say 3,000. The Stranger says 6,000. I was one of them. It was a lot. Westlake was jammed.

The crowd was in good spirits. Pissed off at the votes in California, Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas, but determined to keep on fighting. Certain that time and …continue.

Angry about the passage of Propo­si­tion 8, the anti-gay marriage amendment in California, and other anti-gay measures in Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas?

A nationwide protest is planned for 10:30am PST on Saturday, November 15th. The Seattle protest starts at Volunteer Park. Fes­tiv­i­ties begin at 10:30, the rally begins at noon, then we'll march down to Westlake, concluding with a rally there at 2:00.

The Stranger has more background.

I'll be there. Will you?

In the meantime, watch two moving videos from Keith Olbermann and Sam Harris.

There was only sour note to the huge victories in Tuesday's elections: the passage of Propo­si­tion 8, the anti-gay marriage amendment in California. A deceitful campaign preyed on voters' fears and homophobia. The No on 8 campaign was massively outspent and not very effective.

I'm convinced that marriage equality will come, but this is a setback. Gay couples, who only gained the right to marry earlier this year in California, have lost that right.

The Mormon Church was the prime mover behind the Yes on 8 campaign, donating $19 million, nearly 80% of the total raised. A backlash is brewing. John Aravosis of Amer­i­ca­Blog is trying to organize a boycott …continue.

As I mentioned last month, I par­tic­i­pat­ed in this year's AIDS Walk this morning.

I raised $1106 online, handily exceeding my goal of $750. I also raised another $115 in cash and checks at the fundrais­ing barbecue that we threw on September 27th.

Thanks to the 20 people who sponsored me!