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- Both sides agree Prop. 8 debate is far from over
Both sides agree Prop. 8 debate is far from over
Soon after a federal judge tossed out Proposition 8 on Wednesday, gay-rights activists in Fresno were celebrating. Many religious leaders were grim. And employees in the county clerk's office were fielding calls from same-sex couples asking how soon they could wed.
As in other parts of the state, Valley reaction to U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's decision divided along predictable lines.
All agreed, however, that the debate is far from over.
- EDITORIAL: Prop. 8 ruling is about equal rights
EDITORIAL: Prop. 8 ruling is about equal rights
The federal court decision that struck down the California law banning same-sex marriage relied on a basic tenet of our justice system: You cannot deny rights to a certain class of people that are afforded to others.
While the legal battle over Proposition 8 has been defined as a fight over gay and lesbian rights, U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker's decision showed that the stakes are much broader than banning same-sex marriage.
In a 136-page opinion, Judge Walker made clear that states -- through legislative action or voter initiative -- cannot deny basic rights to a group of people. Because government has made marriage a legal issue by giving a range of benefits, including income tax advantages, the state would be denying those benefits to homosexuals by banning same-sex marriage.
- Trial set for minister who performed gay weddings
Trial set for minister who performed gay weddings
A retired Presbyterian minister and active critic of her faith's position on same-sex marriage will be tried by a church court for performing the weddings of gay couples during a brief period when same-sex marriage was legal in California.
The Rev. Jane Spahr, 67, has been charged with "publicly, intentionally and repeatedly" violating Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) doctrine by presiding at the weddings of 16 couples between June 2008 and November 2008, before California voters outlawed same-sex marriages.
"To turn my back on the love and lifelong commitments of these wonderful couples would have gone against my faith, the ministry where I was called, and most of all, against God's amazing hospitality and welcome where love and justice meet together," Spahr said in a written statement.
- Court says gay couples can't divorce in Texas
Court says gay couples can't divorce in Texas
Gay couples legally married in other states cannot get a divorce in Texas, where same-sex marriage is banned, a state appeals court ruled Tuesday.
The 5th Texas Court of Appeals ruled that a Dallas district court judge didn't have the authority to hear a divorce case involving two Dallas men who married in Massachusetts in 2006. Republican state Attorney General Greg Abbott's office had appealed after Judge Tena Callahan, a Democrat, said she did have jurisdiction and dismissed the state's attempt to intervene.
"Today's court of appeals decision overruled the district court's improper ruling, confirmed the constitutionality of Texas' traditional definition of marriage and correctly found that Texas courts lack the legal authority to grant divorces to same-sex couples," said Abbott spokesman Jerry Strickland.
- Presbyterian minister faces trial over officiating at gay weddings
Presbyterian minister faces trial over officiating at gay weddings
A lesbian minister who officiated at more than a dozen same-sex weddings during the brief window gay marriage was legal in California goes to trial Tuesday before a Presbyterian court, charged with violating her denomination's constitution.
The case of the Rev. Dr. Jane Adams Spahr has gained national attention because "what is being tested is the definition of marriage" in the Presbyterian faith, said Rev. Carmen Fowler, president of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, a conservative organization that opposes same-sex marriage.
Spahr's trial, which will be held in Napa, begins less than three weeks after a federal court judge ruled that California's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. And it underscores the awkward position in which changing civil law places many clergy members.
It was anything but a typical Fresno City Hall gathering Saturday as Hollywood stars, elaborately dressed drag queens and activists rallied for the right of gays to marry.
But their target audience was decidedly mainstream -- including people such as Chuck McNally, a straight man from Fresno.
"I just think everyone should be treated equally," said the 32-year-old community activist, who was brought to tears as he spoke.
Organizers of the "Meet in the Middle" rally outside City Hall sought to reach heterosexual residents of the central San Joaquin Valley -- and change a few minds in an area where most voters favored Proposition 8, the state ban on same-sex marriage.
Following the California Supreme Court's decision Tuesday to uphold Prop. 8, gay-rights activists decided to bring the public-relations battle to Fresno. Winning the right of gays to marry, they said, will require the support of communities known for middle-American values, such as those in the Valley.
Thousands showed up. Organizers pegged the cumulative turnout at 4,000 to 5,000. Fresno police estimated that the crowd peaked at 2,500 to 3,000 people.
The day started in Selma, where more than 100 set out on foot for a march to Fresno.
By the time they arrived, temperatures were in the 90s. Organizers handed out water.
Many participants carried signs, such as one that said "Good Supremes," showing a picture of the old Motown band with Diana Ross, and "Bad Supremes," showing justices on the state court.
Terry Vargas and her husband, Cesar Rios, came from Clovis with a sign reading, "Straights Against H8."
"We have the right to marry, and it is extremely sad to us that other people don't because of hate and ignorance," said Vargas, a therapist.
The crowd was a blend of locals and visitors from Southern California and the Bay Area. But the most important audience wasn't there, participants said.
"I'm here to talk to the people who are maybe watching the news and maybe voted for [Prop.] 8," said actor Eric McCormack, a straight man who played a gay man on the TV show "Will and Grace." "Gays aren't going to ruin marriage. They're gay, so they'll probably spruce it up a bit and make it better."
Other stars participating in the event included Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron and T.R. Knight of the TV show "Grey's Anatomy." Theron didn't speak to the crowd; Knight talked briefly.
Rally speakers weren't just preaching to the converted, said local organizer Jon Carroll.
"We're rallying the base," he said. "They will soon face difficult discussions with friends and family about the importance of supporting this issue."
Participants also planned to canvass neighborhoods in Fresno and Clovis this weekend, knocking on doors and talking about same-sex marriage with residents, Carroll said.
"It's been extremely satisfying," he said. "People are excited and energized."
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