Fairfax High in Los Angeles Elects Gay Male Prom Queen

Sergio Garcia, a gay male Fairfax High student, was elected prom queen this month.

Prior to his election, he assured his classmates that if selected, he would not wear a dress. He is quoted as saying:

I will be wearing a suit, but don't be fooled, deep down inside, I am a queen!

Garcia indicated that this all started out as a stunt and challenge, but ended up being a serious effort which generated discussion at the school about gender roles. He told his senior class audience:

At one time, prom may have been a big popularity contest where the best-looking guy or girl were crowned king and queen. Things have changed and it's no longer just about who has the most friends or who wears the coolest clothes. Sure, I'm not your typical prom queen candidate. There's more to me than meets the eye.

Although not all Fairfax High students supported Garcia, some, including senior class president Vanessa Lo, felt Garcia's election showed the open-mindedness of the senior class.

Virginia Uribe, founder of Project 10 which is a district wide on-site support program for Gay, lesbian,bisexual and transgender youth, felt that Garcia's election is an indication of where society is now on gay rights. She is quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying, "Gender-bending is just kind of in".

Garcia's success in being elected Prom Queen brings to Robin Byler's statement, posted to this blog on August 20, 2008, in which she declared that the Gay Marriage battle was already won, although perhaps for the next generation, because young people already believed in it.

A solid majority of young people under the age of 24 believe that same gender partners should have the right to marry. So the Supreme Court is just one more battle in a war we have already won, be it for the next generation.” (emphasis added) (Robin Byler, Lesbian News, March 2008, Vol. 33 Issue 8, p. 9)

To read the Los Angeles Times story, click here.
To read the KTLA story, click here.

Additional resource: California Safe Schools Coalition

- TwoMinuteBriefing thanks JP for recommending this story.

Federal Lawsuit Filed to Overturn Prop. 8

On Wednesday May 27, Theodore B. Olson and David Boies held a news conference and announced that they had filed a complaint in federal court requesting a permanent injunction against implementation of Prop. 8 and a judgment that Prop. 8 violates the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution as well as 42 U.S.C. 1983.

Olson and Boies represented George Bush and Al Gore respectively in the 2000 presidential election case that went before the U.S. Supreme Court. They have joined together and created the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which according to its website, "is dedicated to protecting and advancing equal rights for every American through legal, policy and political advocacy."

Their first project, is the federal court challange to Prop. 8.

Links:

American Foundation for Equal Rights
American Foundation for Equal Rights Facebook on Facebook
American Foundation for Equal Rights Federal Complaint

Church of Scotland Endorses Gay Minister

When Rev. Scott Rennie, who is openly gay, was appointed last year as minister of Queen's Cross Parish Church in Aberdeen, Scotland, a rift began to appear similar to that which has been experienced by the Episcopal Church over the last few years.

Rennie was elected to his post by 86% of the church's congregation, and that vote was ratified by the Presbytery of Aberdeen last January by a vote of 60 to 24.

However, the Presbytery of Lochcarron and Skye filed a motion seeking to exclude homosexuals from ministry in the Church of Scotland. Also, a group called The Fellowship of Confessing Churches collected 5,000 signatures on a petition to "defend Christian Orthodoxy" and to not "condone homosexual practice in general and among its leaders in particular".

On May 24th, CNN reported that the church's ruling body had voted 326 to 267 to support Rev. Rennie's appointment.

Read the London TimesOnline story by clicking here.
Read the CNN story by clicking here.

The Selling of Homosexuality

The din subsequent to the California Supreme Court decision on Proposition 8 to be issued May 26^th at 10:00 a.m. may cause attention to focus on the protests, the protesters, their cause etc. and by doing so, two critical points may become lost: first, the legal decision itself, and second, and perhaps more important, how the protest or celebrations themselves fit into the broader plan of selling homosexuality to America.

Read about how a plan written in 1990 for selling Homosexuality to America is being implemented today in a new TwoMinuteBriefing entitled “The Selling of Homosexuality”.

To access this TwoMinuteBriefing, visit www.TwoMinuteBriefing.com or simply click here.

Official - California Supreme Court WILL Issue an Opinion on Proposition 8 on Tuesday

The California Supreme Court website has posted the following information:

The California Supreme Court has announced that it will issue an opinion in three cases challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8 at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26, 2009. (Strauss v. Horton, S168047; Tyler v. State of California, S168066; City and County of San Francisco v. Horton, S168078.) Tuesday at 10 a.m., the opinion will be available on the California Courts Web site at this link: http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/.

California Supreme Court Decision on Gay Marriage Expected Soon

Several news sources are reporting that the California Supreme Court Decision on proposition 8 and the future of Gay Marriage in California is imminent. Some had speculated that the decision would be handed down yesterday, but are now expecting the decision on Tuesday.

Some groups favoring Gay Marriage are anticipating that proposition 8 will be upheld, and are planning accordingly. One of the more interesting approaches is being taken by the group Equality California. They have started a campaign entitled "Win Marriage Back". Their campaign plans to feature a concertedgrass roots effort, along with what they describe as "powerful" TV commercials.

Links:

Equality California - Win Marriage Back
San Francisco Bay Times - Here Comes Da Justice! California to Rule Soon
SF City Hall Examiner - Prop 8 Ruling Will Come Out Soon! It's Prediction Time!

Gay Advocacy Group to Monitor Web Ad Creative

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has announced plans to monitor online ads in order to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people are being portrayed in a positive light.

It should be noted that this fits one aspect of a pro-gay campaign designed to make homosexuality acceptable to the general population. Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen, in their book After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90s, discuss the importance of creating a constant flood of gay-related advertising which should be presented in a non-offensive manner. By repeated exposure, the public would eventually become accustomed to having gay-related material in front of them.

In a statement given to ClickZ, an online network for marketers, GLAAD said, "Our goal is to promote more fair, accurate, and inclusive images."

It seems that GLAAD, intentionally or unintentionally, is following the recommendations of Kirk and Madsen.

Read the ClickZ article here.

Gay-marriage momentum stalls in R.I.

Rhode Island is bucking the trend sweeping New England of accepting same-sex marriage. An AP story posted on MSNBC states that religion is likely the biggest hurdle. Results from a Trinity College survey showed that 46% of Rhode Islanders identify themselves as being Roman Catholic making their state the most Catholic state in the Union.

Bishop of Providence Rhode Island Thomas J. Tobin has been unwaveringly firm in his denunciation of same-sex marriage. He has blamed the progress of same-sex marriage in part on "abysmal" Catholic apathy, has reemphasized Catholic teachings on sexual morality, and has stated that same-sex "marriage" is a threat to religious freedom.

In a Catholic News Agency story, Bishop Tobin is quoted as saying, “The gay culture continues to seep into our popular culture, cleverly claiming credibility."

Whereas some see this as an issue of civil rights, Bishop Tobin is quoted in the AP story as saying, "We don't see it as a civil rights issue because there's never a right to do something that's morally wrong."

As would be expected, some in favor of same-sex marriage see this as just another example of religion teaching bigotry. In a comment posted to the Catholic News Service story, one individual wrote:

The Catholic Church and the Mormon Church need to get together. Oh...they did in California. Never mind that the Mormon leaders call the Catholic Church the "Whore of All the Earth". Believe me I know they do, I was a missionary for the Church...No longer am a member of it, nor of any church. Almost all churches teach hate and I really don't want to be a part of any of them.

To read the AP/MSNBC story, click here.
To read the Catholic News Service story, click here.