Lauren Jansen, of Sioux City, Iowa, has spent the last year becoming a woman, slowly changing her hairstyle and her clothes, anticipating a surgery at the end of the year. However, her employer told her to "deal with her gender issues elsewhere" and fired her. As Jansen testified in front of the city council board voting on whether to include transgendered people in their non-discrimination policy, Jansen explained the downward spiral of her life as she has tried to become who she believes she is. When councilmembers use their religious beliefs to deny her rights, Jansen said, "maybe they need to retake American History 101 and read about the separation of church and state."
Sioux City Journal

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Since Rosie O'Donnell's high profile wedding in San Francisco, several queer artists have been talking about what the marriages mean to them. Tony Kushner, who wrote "Angels in America," and Armistead Maupin, author of "Tales of the City," both agree that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has exhibited a great deal of courage in his decision. Others said the marriages weren't necessarliy for them, but that they supported the political process, and that freedom is often protected by the courts and not by the will of the people.
SF Gate

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The city council of Oakland, California, is expected to urge the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses along with San Francisco. The city would do it itself, but only a county can issue marriage licenses. Three councilmembers have proposed the resolution which is expected to pass in the council on March 16th. The neighboring city of Berkeley has already adopted a similar resolution, urging the state to recognize same-sex marriages. Alameda County Board of Supervisors chairwoman Gail Steele said the council's action would likely push the issue to the top of the board's agenda, although she would recommend supervisors wait until the state Supreme Court rules on the issue to take action.
Oakland Tribune

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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom commented that if a court rules that the same-sex marriages the city has been performing over the past two weeks are illegal, he will put a stop to them. He maintains that he is simply upholding the California constitutional equal protection clause, but is willing to concede if the court feels otherwise. Reuters

Today's Short Takes

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A transgendered prisoner in Pennsylvania, Shawn Shannon Quinnones, has been sentenced to extra time in prison because of a fight she engaged in with a guard when he wanted to conduct a strip search in front of other inmates. According to the guards, Quinnones spit on the guard and threw feces at him, although she remembers none of that. Because Quinnones is HIV+, police originally charged her with attempted murder but dropped the serious charge when Quinnones entered a guilty plea. Quinnones' defense lawyer argued that she was not receiving the necessary hormone treatments which would have helped her control any explosive behavior.

Pottstown Mercury

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In New York, same-sex couples will march into every clerk's office on Long Island next week requesting marriage licenses as part of a protest. They want to find just one who will stand up against discrimination and issue the licenses. Legal scholars in New York are divided as to what state law says in terms of defining marriage. Those in New Paltz, where marriages have already been conducted, say the law is unclear and clerks could conceivably issue licenses.

NY Newsday

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Thirty-nine same-sex couples gathered at the County courthouse in Iowa City, Iowa, trying to get marriage licenses. Organizers only expected about a dozen couples, but the numbers of people rallying went over a hundred. Each couple was denied, but many people saw the denial as part of the process to eventually receive valid licenses. The group made their point visible to the larger public and stressed the inherent discrimination in the system.

TV 9

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The California Supreme Court has refused to stop the same-sex marriages being conducted in San Francisco. California's Attorney General, Bill Lockyer requested the court to make an urgent decision to stop the marriages, but the court refused, acting only to tell the city of San Francisco and the conservative group filling against the marriages to file new legal briefs by March 5th. The weddings will proceed until at least next Friday.

San Diego Union-Tribune

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Rosie O'Donnell married her girlfriend Kelli Carpenter this week in San Francisco, demonstrating her stand for civil rights. She thanked Mayor Newsom for allowing the marriages and remarked that it was President Bush's stand against gay marriage that influenced her to marry Carpenter. Being the city's first celebrity same-sex marriage, hundreds of supporters applauded the move as the San Francisco’s Gay Men’s Chorus serenaded the couple with a few bars of “Going to the Chapel."

MSNBC

Filed in: Lesbian | LINK

As newspapers and television crews have covered same-sex marriages in San Francisco, New Mexico, and now New York, they have released hundreds of pictures of same-sex couples rejoicing in their new found rights. These images put a human face on the issue of same-sex marriage to people who may never have thought about it before. The images are contentious to some and victorious to others of course, but people are no longer ignorant of the many same-sex couples who carry hopes and desires of marriage.

Christian Science Monitor

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John Farina, a longtime gay Republican leader in Ohio, is leaving the party to become a Democrat over President George W. Bush's backing of a constitutional amendment against gay marriage. "It disturbed me," Farina said. "It made me feel sick." Republican Party co-chairman Jim Trakas defended the president. "This is not mean spirited. This is a reaction to extreme liberalism and judicial abuse," said Trakas. "I'm sorry to see John go. I understand what he's thinking. The Democratic Party's getting a good person. I hope they put him to work."
Farina said he will be voting for Senator John Edwards on Tuesday.

WKYC

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Newspapers around the country are having trouble adapting to the new ceremonies involving same-sex couples. Up until 2002, very few newspapers would print any kind of ceremony to celebrate a same-sex couple. Since then, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has helped to promote the idea to newspapers around the country, and over two hundred newspapers now print such annoncements. With the parade of new weddings newspapers are trying to keep up with the changes. Some print them as weddings, while some have argued that their legality is questionable and have refused to print them at all.

The Mercury News

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As promised, Mayor Jason West of New Paltz, New York, married about twenty same-sex couples today in the state's first of such marriages. In a tear-jerking ceremony in front of around 500 people, the mayor pronounced Billiam van Roestenberg and Jeffrey McGowan "legally wed." Unfortunately, the town clerk's office refused to issue marriage licenses, leaving the couples unsure as to their legal status. Gov. Pataki attempted to have the state attorney general seek an injunction, but he declined. At least 100 couples have signed up to be wed, and Mayor West announced he will continue marrying same-sex couples next week.

Newsday

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Seattle's Center on Contemporary Art is holding an LGBT themed art show called "neoqueer," highlighting the fact that the only thread that holds the art together is the sexuality of the artists and demonstrating the fact that old stereotypes are useless.
Seattle Times

Today's Short Takes

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Presidential candidate John F. Kerry said while campaigning in Ohio that he supports amending the Massachusetts constitution to ban gay marriage and provide for civil unions for gay couples, according to a report in the Boston Globe. Kerry told the Globe that he would support a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would prohibit gay marrriage so long as it also ensured that same-sex couples have access to all legal rights that married couples receive.

NewsMax.com

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The mayor of New Paltz, New York, a small town 75 miles north of New York City, says he will begin performing same-sex marriages today. Calling it his "moral obligation," 26-year-old James West compared those who want to deny such marriages to those who "would have made Rosa Parks sit in the back of the bus." Some legal experts in New York have disagreed with the state's Health Department, which issued a statement saying that same-sex marriages would not comply with state law. The issue will most likely have to go to court to be resolved.

Newsday

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Chen Lili's not the first beauty pageant contestant to have had a little work done. And Miss Universe contest organizers for China had said it wouldn't disqualify her, but now they've changed their minds. Lili, a 24-year-old from Sichuan Province, was called an artificial woman in a fax from pageant officials because she is transgender. Cao Gang, a beauty contest expert in Shanghai, offered his support to Lili: "She has been granted the status as a woman, and is protected and recognized by law. There is no reason to kick her out." Plus she's really cute.

Xinhuanet (photo)

Filed in: Transgender | LINK

While riding in a helicopter in Iraq, gay U.S. serviceman "Joe" took an AK-47 bullet in the abdomen. The bullet sliced out part of his liver and barely missed his spine. Today, he takes a multitude of medications. Some days, he can’t even drink water without getting sick. But the daily pill popping isn’t the hardest thing for Joe to swallow. Living in the closet despite nearly two decades of decorated military service bothers him more than his injuries. Joe offers a rare and detailed look into the life of a closeted servicemember. "I have fought for half my life for freedom," he says. "I'm fighting for a free country, but I’m basically not living in one if I can't be who I am."

Houston Voice

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With layovers and flight delays seemingly becoming the norm these days, it’s common for travelers waiting in airports to head to the nearest newsstand to find a newspaper or magazine to pass the time. Ever get annoyed when you can find lots of soft-porn aimed at straight men but not one gay news magazine? We have. Anyway, two of the big airport newsstands say it's just business. "There’s no issue with [selling gay-themed magazines], it's just that when you’re limited to the quantity of what you can sell, you have to base what you sell on what the customers are asking for," says Hope Remoundos of Hudson News. "So if there's a greater demand, certainly the likelihood goes up."

Houston Voice

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Poor Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wishes he could have avoided the battle over same-sex marriage, political analysts say. "This is an issue he'd prefer to go away," says Bruce Cain, a political scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. "He doesn't need it at this moment in time when he's trying to create a bipartisan coalition to address fiscal problems. He doesn't need a divisive cultural issue." Schwarzenegger has ordered Attorney General Bill Lockyer to "take immediate steps" to stop the gay wedding parade in San Francisco, but has done nothing to reinforce that directive. He declined to endorse Bush's call for a constitutional amendment.

Daily Bulletin

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Metro Weekly interviews John Aravosis, one of the founders of www.dontamend.com, which opposes a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Don't Amend has also launched DearMary.com, aimed at getting response from VP Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter, Mary, on the issue. "Conversation with the 40-year-old political consultant and writer is a whirlwind of ideas, opinions and observations, liberally punctuated with his rapid-fire staccato laugh. And a well-timed laugh seems to be a necessary release valve when dealing with hot political topics," says Metro of Aravosis.

Metro Weekly (photo)

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Donna Kim, a wedding planner who just started marketing her services on gay websites to Massachusetts same-sex couples, received a telephone call this month from a wedding photographer from Austin, Texas. The reason for the call? ''There is a gold rush going on up there, and I want to be a part of it," Jana Birchum said in an interview from Texas last week. With a tremendous wave of prospective clients poised to flood their industry, wedding professionals and gay tourism insiders from across the country are trying to position themselves to take advantage of the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision that will legalize same-sex marriages on May 17.

Boston.com

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The movie "Latter Days," a romantic comedy centering on a gay Mormon missionary, will be seen in Salt Lake City after all - opening March 26, most likely at the Tower Theatre. "We are thrilled that 'Latter Days' will have an opportunity to tell its story to Salt Lake City audiences," Raymond Murray, president of the film's distributor, TLA Releasing, said in a news release Thursday. The movie had been slated to open at the Madstone Trolley Square Theaters on Jan. 30, but Madstone's New York management - reportedly after pressure from protesters - abruptly pulled the film two weeks before opening.

Salt Lake Tribune

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Although we reported that the Georgia House of Representatives would not debate on the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages, they changed their minds and brought it to an immediate vote Thursday. The proposal barely failed, missing only three necessary votes to complete the two-thirds necessary to pass and be sent to the voters in November. The House will vote again next week, after an expected intense array of protestors and calls to legislators over the weekend. Twelve legislators did not vote for various reasons, all of whom will be vigourously lobbied from both sides.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Democratic presidential candidates were pushed from their usual topics of taxes, war, and the economy by same-sex marriages during their Los Angeles debate. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry was the only candidate who seemed ready for the questions and easily carried the debate back to more relevant questions, while North Carolina Sen. John Edwards seemed a bit flustered at how to answer the questions. Both candidates oppose same-sex marriages but also oppose any amendment to the constitution banning such marriages, leaving them somewhat vulnerable to Republican attempts to smear them publicly.

San Diego Union-Tribune

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We told you last month about the Rose Parade theme this year: "Celebrate Family." After the theme was announced, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association received a flurry of e-mails, calls and letters from conservative groups and others worried that gay organizations might try to enter floats in the New Year's Day parade. Parade president David Davis says he wasn't trying to make a political statement, just honor the families of parade volunteers. KESQ

Today's Short Takes

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The Indiana House of Representatives adjourned until Monday without resolving the contentious proposal to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriages. Democratic House Speaker Patrick Bauer has so far refused to recognize the Republicans attempt to bring the marriage ban proposal to debate, saying that the state's law against the marriages is sufficient. Democrats asked a gay minister, Rev. Jeff Miner, to give the opening prayer to Thursday's session, during which he hoped the legislators could "'find the right balance between representing the will of the majority and protecting unpopular minorities from the tyranny of the masses.'"

Wave 3 TV

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A group already challenging San Francisco's same-sex weddings in a local court has filed a lawsuit in California's Supreme Court to stop the city from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. The lawsuit opens a new legal front in the court battles over San Francisco's gay and lesbian nuptials. More than 3,000 marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples since Mayor Gavin Newsom authorized them earlier this month. The new lawsuit was filed on behalf of three California residents not involved in two separate lawsuits pending in San Francisco courts contesting the licenses, said Benjamin Bull, chief counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. The Arizona-based group also represents plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits in local court.

Reuters

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Roxxie Rosen, founder of Girljock Magazine, considers marriage: "I had to think. Could I, someone who has lived outside of the world of legally sanctioned relationships her entire life, actually decide to care? I suppose that the words: "Marry me!" whispered in a moment of love must mean something. ... I was speechless for a moment as I considered whether my straight women friends had my problems. Did they ever have to worry that their partner would wake up in the morning and wear their shoes, take their last tampon or run off in their clothes?"

Newsday

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Kaden is an 11-year-old boy who was born female (Kayla) and is convinced this was a mistake. Angelina is his single mother. She's facing a difficult choice. "There isn't enough research on this for a child this young,” says Angelina. "I think I'm numb. And don't get me wrong, I still have my issues with it. I still think that I lost something. I've lost my little girl, you know. There's still some times I keep thinking this is gonna disappear, and it's gonna be the way it was. But if I hold back from who he wants to be, then I'm gonna hurt him as a person." CBS 48 Hours (photos and video)

We told you yesterday that Jennifer Edwards, born Ed Kozlowski, was going to be on the show, too. Here's more about her story and how her secret caused her so much pain: "It was a conscious effort I had to make every day to make sure my movements were masculine, that my conversation was 'masculine.' I was tired. I couldn't endure it anymore," says Edwards. To make matters even more complicated, Kozlowski was a public official who chaired meetings of the town's code enforcement board. While he had been dressing as a woman for a while, he only wore men's clothing at City Hall. One day last spring, he decided to come to work in a dress and makeup, and before a stunned room, he introduced himself with his new name: Jennifer Edwards. It was headline news – and quickly became the talk of the town. CBS 48 Hours (photos)

48 Hours Transgender Stories

Filed in: Transgender | LINK

Members of the California Legislature's gay and lesbian caucus said yesterday that they will introduce a resolution calling on legislators to oppose a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage proposed by President Bush. They also asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to apologize for remarks he made last weekend about same-sex marriages happening in San Francisco that they called "insulting" and "inflammatory." "Governor Schwarzenegger has been a great disappointment and has done a great disservice to Californians," said Assemblywoman Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego.

San Mateo County Times

Filed in: Gay | LINK

We usually like the Chicago Sun Times for its extensive and balanced coverage of queer issues, but a sports roundup this week contains any number of insulting references to transgender pro golfer Mianne Bagger. The headline refers to her as an "ex-man." Then the writer opines that she nearly qualifies as half of a mixed foursome. Sports Illustrated's mention of Bagger is called a sign of the apocalypse. Then there's the joke about "The Legend of Bagger's Pants." Boo.

Chicago Sun Times (second item)

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The Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, has agreed to enter mediation to resolve a dispute with two members who are seeking spousal benefits for their partners. Earlier this month, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin asked club officials to try to compromise with members Lee Kyser, a lesbian, and Randy New, who is gay. The two who filed a complaint in July with the city's Human Relations Commission, which ruled in January that the 1,100-member private club violates the city's anti-discrimination law.

ajc.com

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A new statewide poll shows for the first time that a majority of Californians oppose amending the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage - with opposition running strongest in the San Francisco Bay Area, which has become ground zero for the national debate. Such an amendment was also opposed among Latinos, who one pollster said are not wild about same-sex marriage but are unwilling to write discrimination into the Constitution. The rest of the nation remains evenly split on support for a constitutional amendment such as the one President Bush endorsed Tuesday, according to a Field Poll released today.

Contra Costa Times

Filed in: Gay | Lesbian | LINK

In Hamilton, Ontario, police have described the attack on Ronn Mattai, a gay man whose face was slashed with a beer glass, as the worst unprovoked hate crime they can remember. Mattai, 38, owner of the popular Junction Cafe, was with friends at the Asinthe club.  As he was walking out of a basement restroom, somebody approached him and lured him into a closet, claiming he needed help to lift some object.  Inside the closet, the assailant slashed his face. The person fled in a sports utility vehicle and a suspect was arrested shortly after and charged with aggravated assault. Hamilton Mayor Larry Di Ianni said, "I spoke to [Mattai] on the telephone. He was in pain but appreciative of the call." Hamilton Deputy Chief Ken Leendertse said police are treating the incident as a hate crime.

Toronto Star

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Nicholas Jensen, a freshman at Iowa State University, stands accused of pretending to be his roommate, Tyler Rasmussen, and sending "coming out" e-mails to 45 people in Rasmussen's address book. Rasmussen isn't gay, and he isn't Jensen's roommate anymore, either. "[Jensen] apparently thought the victim was too nice of a guy, so he was trying to take him down," said Capt. Gene Deisinger of the ISU police department. ISU police considered hate crime charges, to which we say, "Huh?" but instead, Jensen is in jail, charged with electronic and mechanical eavesdropping, unauthorized computer access, and harassment. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and fines.

Des Moines Register

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Gay and lesbian couples won't be getting married in Schenectady, New York, anytime soon. A day after saying he would consider officiating at same-sex marriages, Mayor Brian U. Stratton said yesterday that he won't take such action until the state Legislature or courts determine the legality of same-sex marriages. "When and if the state of New York sanctifies gay and lesbian marriage, then I'll certainly do what I can under the law," said Stratton, a Democrat who took office in January.

Times Union

Filed in: Gay | Lesbian | LINK

Gay couple James Stewart, 61 and Wayne Clark, 54, of Dania Beach have filed a lawsuit in Broward County against the state of Florida for not recognizing their application for a marriage license. "We are human beings, American citizens with the same rights as anyone,'' said Stewart. "We pay our taxes and we're here to say to the Bush administration, you can't decide who we can marry." The couple, who have been together for 10 years, wore matching black T-shirts advertising their piano bar act.

Miami Herald

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When asked if Natick High School in Natick, Massachusetts, is a safe school for openly gay and lesbian kids, just one student out of roughly 60 said it is. They weren't asked if the school is friendly or welcoming, just safe. Al Toney, the guest speaker who asked that question yesterday, was far from shocked. "Your school is no different than the other schools I've been to, and I've been in 200 schools," said the retired police officer, reflecting on his 10 years as a diversity educator. Two gay and lesbian teens who graduated recently from nearby schools also shared their experiences.

Daily News Transcript (photo)

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Rosie O'Donnell said on Good Morning America that she was stunned and horrified by President Bush's comments supporting a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages. ABC news

Show up and support San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom this Saturday, February 28, from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM at James Lick Middle School, 1220 Noe Street in San Francisco. He's hosting a LGBT Town Hall meeting, and it would be great to see as large an attendance as possible. DTNA

When Drake University students Sara Graham and Emily Renaud - who met working on "The Vagina Monologues" (How cute is that?) - found out they could get married in San Francisco, off they went. When they told their professors what they were doing, one said, "That's the best excuse I've ever had for missing class." Des Moines Register

Congrats to Marc Adams of Seattle, Washington, honored with a Jefferson Award for community service. Adams, son of a Baptist minister, is a co-founder of HeartStrong, a support organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people who have attended religious schools. Seattle PI

Gay and lesbian couples in Israel will now be exempt from purchase and betterment taxes on their apartment, a benefit until now enjoyed only by heterosexual couples, according to a statement issued by the State Attorney's Office to the Supreme Court. Ha'aretz

Today's Short Takes

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Democrats wasted no time in criticizing President Bush for his support of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. "By endorsing this shameful effort to write discrimination back into the Constitution, President Bush has betrayed his campaign promise to be 'a uniter, not a divider,'" Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts said on the Senate floor. "By endorsing this shameful proposal, President Bush will go down in history as the first president to try to write bias back into the Constitution." Democratic presidential front-runner Senator John Kerry, said he thinks Bush is wrong. "All Americans should be concerned when a president who is in political trouble tries to tamper with the Constitution of the United States at the start of his re-election campaign," said Kerry, who opposes gay marriage but supports civil unions. North Carolina Senator John Edwards, Kerry's chief rival in the race, said, "Washington has no business playing politics with this issue. Marriage is left to the states today, and should remain with the states." Bruce Reed, president of the Democratic Leadership Council said, "It's a sign of just how desperate they are," Reed said of the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign.

Fox News

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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom lashed out at President Bush saying the president was attempting to seek political advantage and advance his own morality by attempting to "write discrimination into the law of the land." "Because he cannot stand on his record, he chooses now to divide this country as opposed to unite this country and he's denying in turn 10-plus percent of marriages in this country, denying them the same rights, responsibilities and privileges that my wife and I are afforded,'' Newsom said at a San Francisco City Hall press conference.

San Jose Mercury News

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In Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, Lee Glazer, a karate instructor, beat serious sex charges involving teen female students by claiming it couldn't have happened, he's gay. Now Glazer has been charged with perjury. He allegedly has a female lover. Montgomery County prosecutors believe his homosexual defense was the linchpin of the case that prompted the jury to acquit him. His business partner, Kim Keller, supported his story. Numerous women have since come forward to tell of their sexual romps with Glazer, some involving a bit of bondage - in the karate studio, at a motel, and in homes. Glazer cannot be retried on the charges of which he was acquitted. He will retried for corruption of minors, on which the jury was deadlocked, and he and Keller each face perjury counts.

KYW-TV

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Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown writes, "In seeking a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, President Bush said this is an 'issue that requires clarity.' So let's be clear: The president thinks he has a better chance of being re-elected if he's known as the only candidate who can be depended upon to keep the queers in their place. One day after officially beginning his campaign for re-election, Bush made it his first order of business to protect the "institution of marriage" from those troublesome gays and lesbians in San Francisco and Massachusetts. [...] If the gay and lesbian community thinks now is the time, then those of us who are of a like mind are going to have to advance our timetable, too. That's why Cook County Clerk David Orr should step to the plate and start offering marriage licenses to gay couples (in Chicago) as well.

Filed in: Lesbian | LINK

In Japan a court rejected a request for refugee status from a gay Iranian man who claimed that his homosexuality would be grounds for the death penalty if he was forced to return to his homeland. It was the first case taken by a Japanese court dealing with a person who had sought refugee status citing sexual orientation. "In Iran, he has been concealing his homosexuality. Therefore, the possibility is slight that he would be persecuted at home," presiding judge Yosuke Ichimura said.

The Age

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Oscar-nominated actress Charlize Theron says people like Arnold Schwarzenegger who oppose gay marriage are "prehistoric." Theron's Oscar nod is for "Monster," in which she plays prostitute Aileen Wuornos, who kills customers to support herself and her girlfriend. Anyway, Theron says she grew up around gay and bisexual people in South Africa and she's appalled by the current debate in the U.S. "I just don't understand that at all. It's so unbelievably frustrating. ... I mean, love is such a hard f**king thing - to find somebody who's willing to go through anything with you and stand by you that, on its own, is so hard to find. The fact that people want to complicate it even more just absolutely baffles me."

FOX 23 (photo)

Filed in: Bisexual | Gay | LINK

With California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's assertion that same-sex marriage licenses would inspire divisive and unruly protests in San Francisco from conservative groups, only a small contingent of protesters gathered outside City Hall yesterday to fulfill the prophecy. We'll give you one guess which church they came from. Hint: It's in Kansas. Meanwhile activists supportive of same-sex marriages milled around as well carrying placards that read, "Schwarzenegger, go back to Austria," and "Arnold wants the right to be President but he wants to take away my basic civil right to marry the man I love." Which makes for a very long sign indeed. SF Mayor Gavin Newsom said, "The process has gone extraordinarily well when you consider that literally thousands and thousands of people are converging on City Hall." Secretary of State Kevin Shelley lavished praise on the mayor.

San Francisco Examiner

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Patti Davis, daughter of former President Ronald Reagan, shares her opinions in a piece called "Wedded Bliss" for Newsweek, exclusively online. "In the early 1970s, I was living with my boyfriend and our out-of wedlock arrangement was regarded as rather scandalous by both of our families. When I went to a wedding ceremony of a lesbian friend of mine, I was struck by the obvious irony. Here were two women who could not be legally wed, but who were happily celebrating their commitment to each other. They seemed to have a better understanding of the importance of ceremony, ritual, public declaration than people like me who tossed off the institution of marriage as unnecessary."

MSNBC

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King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia, an 81-year-old father of 14, recently published a statement on his website supporting same-sex marriage. Yesterday, he surprised his subjects by pointing out that he is not gay. We figured. His comments came as he underlined his support for same-sex marriage, having seen television coverage of such weddings in California. In a statement on his website, the king said: "I am not gay, but I respect the rights of gays and lesbians. It's not their fault if God makes them born like that." He said the statement, posted yesterday, was made in response to an "insulting" email he received from some guy named Tom Adams.

Telegraph (photo)

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While some are urging the left to ignore Ralph Nader’s bid for president and concentrate on beating George W. Bush, there are key differences between Nader and Kerry. Nader favors gay marriage, an issue being opposed by the leading Democratic contenders for president. Whether that schism peels votes away from the Democrats in the November election is impossible to predict. But the differences could pose a tough choice for voters who believe that the time for gay marriage has arrived, and see in Nader the only candidate advancing the position.

Detroit News

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