Princeton Freshman Questions Justice Scalia On Morality

A lot of people complain about this country--what's wrong with it, how it's failing, etc. But one thing that still works is freedom of speech, evidenced by the fact that a 19 year old student can challenge a sitting Supreme Court justice in a public forum and make the national news for it.

Towleroad reports today on Duncan Hosie, a poised Princeton freshman, questioned Scalia's equating murder and bestiality with homosexuality in previous court opinions. In response, Scalia merely doubled down on his dangerously antiquated views. There is little doubt how Scalia will vote on the two marriage equality cases now pending before the court as his view of "morality" trumps any reason or law. But one thing is clear--this young, articulate, openly gay man (interviewed below on MSNBC) provides a great deal of hope for the future.

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Prop 8 Play Premieres In LA and Online To 200,000 Viewers

This weekend, Dustin Lance Black's play "8" had its L.A. premiere with a star-studded cast and audience of more than 200,000.  Though there were only about 1,000 people on hand at the theatre, the balance watched the play streaming live on YouTube.  The play was a fundraiser for national efforts on marriage equality and raised more than 2 million dollars. You can watch the full play below here.

Randy Rainbow Is Getting Hitched....Sorta

Feeling the rush of victory after the defeat of "Preparation 8" as he calls it, Randy Rainbow has decided to get married.  But who will be the lucky guy? Is it Mel? Or maybe Zac? Or perhaps the star of my movie WTC VIEW (plug!) Michael Urie. Personally, I think this guy needs his own movie or TV show or something. He's a riot!

The End of Prop 8 And The Beginning Of Marriage Equality

Yesterday was a momentous day in the struggle for equal rights in this country.  A federal judge in California, the Honorable Vaughn Walker, struck down the state's hateful and divisive Proposition 8 as unconstitutional.  In a 136 page ruling, he measured Prop 8 against the equal protection clause of the constitution and found that it came up short.  He also found that the state had no business in regulating this area of it's citizen's lives:    


"Excluding same-sex couples from marriage is simply not rationally related to a legitimate state interest." 


However, this ruling is not the end of the fight for marriage equality.  It is actually the beginning as it marks the first time a federal judge in a federal court has ruled on the issue.  It's estimated it will be another two years of appeals and additional rulings before the case makes it to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it rightly belongs.  Justice Kennedy holds the key to how that will go.  But given Judge Walker's clear and strong ruling, it's becoming harder for opponents to make their case and see this issue as anything other than a struggle for equal rights. Period.