Somebody got a summer haircut!

BEFORE

AFTER

We got gay marriage and a haircut all in one day.  My senses are overloaded!

Gay Marriage Ban Overturned in California

State Supreme Court says same-sex couples have right to marry

Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer

Thursday, May 15, 2008

(05-15) 11:16 PDT SAN FRANCISCO — Gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry in California, the state Supreme Court said today in a historic ruling that could be repudiated by the voters in November.

In a 4-3 decision, the justices said the state’s ban on same-sex marriage violates the “fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship.” The ruling is likely to flood county courthouses with applications from couples newly eligible to marry when the decision takes effect in 30 days.

[Related Story: Tears of joy over ruling]

“The California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples,” Chief Justice Ronald George wrote in the majority opinion.

Allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry “will not deprive opposite-sex couples of any rights and will not alter the legal framework of the institution of marriage,” George said.

In addition, he said, the current state law discriminates against same-sex couples on the basis of their sexual orientation - discrimination that the court, for the first time, put in the same legal category as racial or gender bias.

The ruling set off a celebration at San Francisco City Hall, where nearly 4,000 same-sex weddings were performed in 2004 before the state high court put a halt to the marriages while challenges to the California law worked their way through the courts. Today’s ruling has no effect on those annulments.

Outside the city clerk’s office, three opposite-sex couples were waiting at 10 a.m. for marriage certificates. City officials had prepared for a possible rush on certificates by same-sex couples, but hadn’t yet changed the forms that ask couples to fill out the name of the “bride” and “groom.”

City officials say they’ll probably be unable to marry the same-sex couples for another 30 days when the decision fully goes into effect. But they’re making appointments for those weddings now.

Ed Harrington, the general manager of the city’s Public Utilities Commission, has lived with his partner for 35 years. In 2004, he performed marriage ceremonies for about 40 same-sex couples.

“You wait for this your whole life,” said Harrington, who said he planned to call his partner and say, “I love you. What more do you say on a day like this?”

He said he didn’t know if he would marry, but that “what’s important is to be able to (get married) if you want to.”

The celebration could turn out to be short-lived, however. The court’s decision could be overturned in November, when Californians are likely to vote on a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. Conservative religious organizations have submitted more than 1.1 million signatures on initiative petitions, and officials are working to determine if at least 694,354 of them are valid.

If the measure qualifies for the ballot and voters approve it, it will supersede today’s ruling. The initiative does not say whether it would apply retroactively to annul marriages performed before November, an omission that would wind up before the courts.

Liberty Counsel, which represented the group Campaign for California Families before the court in arguing for the state law, denounced the ruling and said it would ask the justices to stay its effect until after the November election.

George was joined in the majority by Justices Joyce Kennard, Kathryn Mickle Werdegar and Carlos Moreno. Justices Marvin Baxter, Ming Chin and Carol Corrigan dissented - though Corrigan, writing separately, said she personally believes “Californians should allow our gay and lesbian neighbors to call their unions marriages.”

Baxter, writing for himself and Chin, accused the court majority of substituting “by judicial fiat its own social policy views for those expressed by the people.”

Both he and Corrigan noted that California voters reaffirmed the state’s ban on same-sex marriage in a 2000 ballot initiative.

The court “does not have the right to erase, then recast, the age-old definition of marriage, as virtually all societies have understood it, in order to satisfy its own contemporary notions of equality and justice,” Baxter said.

But George, in a 121-page opinion, said California has already recognized, in its laws and public policy, that gays and lesbians are entitled to equal treatment in every legal area except marriage. He also noted that state laws and traditions banned interracial marriage until the California Supreme Court, in 1948, became the first court in the nation to overturn such a law.

“Even the most familiar and generally accepted of social policies and traditions often mask an unfairness and inequality that frequently is not recognized or appreciated by those not directly harmed,” the chief justice wrote.

The legal case dates back to February 2004, when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered the city clerk to start issuing marriage licenses to couples regardless of their gender, saying he doubted the constitutionality of the state marriage law.

The state’s high court ordered a halt a month later, after the nearly 4,000 same-sex weddings had been performed at City Hall. The court annulled the marriages in August 2004, ruling that Newsom lacked authority to defy the state law. But it did not rule on the validity of the law itself and said it would await proceedings in lower courts.

Some of the couples immediately sued in Superior Court and were joined by the city of San Francisco, which said it had a stake in ensuring equality for its residents. The case that ultimately reached the state Supreme Court consolidated four suits, one by the city and three by 23 same-sex couples in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer, ruling in the San Francisco cases, declared the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional in March 2005. He said the law violates the “basic human right to marry a person of one’s choice,” a right declared by California’s high court in the 1948 ruling.

Kramer said the law also constituted sex discrimination - prohibited by another groundbreaking California Supreme Court ruling in 1971 - because it is based on the gender of one’s partner.

But a state appeals court upheld the law in October 2006, ruling 2-1 that California was entitled to preserve the historic definition of marriage and that the state’s voters and legislators, not the courts, were best equipped “to define marriage in our democratic society.”

The appeals court also said California is not discriminating against same-sex couples, citing state laws that give registered domestic partners the same rights as spouses. Those laws provide such rights as child support and custody, joint property ownership, inheritance and hospital visitation, and access to divorce court.

But domestic partners are denied marital benefits under federal law, which means they can’t file joint federal tax returns, collect Social Security survivors’ benefits or sponsor one another as immigrants.

The suits before the court relied on the California Constitution, which state courts have long interpreted as being more protective of individual rights than the U.S. Constitution. The initiative that California voters are likely to consider in November would write a ban on same-sex marriage into the state Constitution, a step already taken by voters in half the states.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has twice vetoed same-sex marriage bills, citing the 2000 ballot measure that reaffirmed California’s opposite-sex-only marriage law. That initiative was not a constitutional amendment.

The governor issued a statement today saying, “I respect the court’s decision and as governor, I will uphold its ruling.” He also reiterated his opposition to the constitutional amendment that is likely to be on the November ballot.

Suits similar to those that went before the California Supreme Court have been filed in other states, but only the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that the state’s constitution gives gay and lesbian couples the right to marry.

Courts in Vermont and New Jersey have found their states’ marriage laws discriminatory but left the remedy up to state legislatures, which opted in both cases for civil unions for same-sex couples rather than marriage. A similar ruling by the Hawaii Supreme Court in 1993 was overturned by a ballot initiative.

The California case is In re Marriage Cases, S147999. The ruling is available at www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions.

Chronicle staff writers Cecilia M. Vega and Heather Knight contributed to this report. E-mail Bob Egelko at begelko@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/15/BAGAVNC5K.DTL

The Jimmi and Dan Variety Cast #30: A Tribute to the Gay Tony Awards and Xanadu!

The boys are back (after a long hiatus), celebrating the Tony nominations this morning for Xanadu on Broadway with producers Tara Smith and Brian Swibel. They join us live to discuss the show and the nominations — get it here first.  The show rocks and if you are in New York, run (don’t walk) to get tickets. I will.

And, the Tonys are on CBS on June 10 (not June 15).

Please check out our MySpace page AND call our listener line

(206) 350-0699

Download it here….
All Jimmi & Dan Variety Casts and DanNation Casts are here

Here are the Producers of Xanadu — Brian is on the far left and Tara on the far right. Thanks for doing our little ‘ole gay show! Robert Ahrens is the producer in the middle who acquired the stage rights and made the show possible. He is also mentioned in the podcast as the guy who observed unlicensed performances of “Xanadu” happening in theaters.

Tranny train attack

Seen on my train ride to work just now.

A tranny trying to sneak a ride on CalTrain assaulted a conductor and spit in her face — then pranced off the train in badly fitting high heels. Right now, she is getting arrested. And, I am being questioned as a witness.

Never a dull moment!

Today’s gratuitous pic of Mario Lopez

Nice bulge!  I love me those Latino boys…

My secret sex blog…discovered!

Some months ago on The Jimmi & Dan Show, I mentioned a secret sex blog I had created but did not share the URL, title, or anything about it. I liked having a blog where I was anonymous, I could hide behind a persona that was nothing like me, and I could have fun writing about the most dirty sexploits — all made up, of course.

Maybe it is about attempting to live out fantasies through writing and having readers (an entire different crew than read DanNation) write dirty emails to me that made it so much fun. But, I will say the most fun aspect behind the now-erased DanNation sex blog was living as the fictional “Daddy.”

Confused?

This morning, I made the mistake of signing into my special Gmail account created specifically for my secret blog and persona.  I neglected to sign out of that account as I surfed the web. I next read bloglines and visited a good friend’s blog to leave a comment - still signed in as “The Daddy.” Blogger, owned by Google, automatically recorded the name I used for the sex blog (instead of DanNation).

Of course, I made a comment about Bea Arthur and “The Golden Girls” that blew my identity immediately. My secret plan and identity was foiled!

It didn’t take long to get the Yahoo IM:

Darin: Do you have a blog called “Tad is a Sex Slave?”

Me: Hmmmm. Why do you ask?

Shit, shit, shit.

I was discovered! I asked Darin to delete my comment and I deleted the blog. End of story. I’ve been busted so much lately in so many ways, I don’t know what is going to happen next.

Hmmm. I wonder what secret internet personality I will take on next? Stay tuned…maybe it will revolve around a jail?

Gay Movie Night

It’s movie night!  We decided on watching the documentary Small Town Gay Bar.  I have heard how great it is, so we settled down with burritos from the local Mexican restaurant and watched.  A very interesting film — but too depressing for a relaxing Sunday night.  We got about 40 minutes into it and decided to watch Mommie Dearest instead.  I’ll pick up where we stopped later in the week.

While the theme is depressing, “Mommie Dearest” is just too campy not to love.  Faye Dunaway is a carbon copy of Joan Crawford - so much so its scary.  The role probably ruined her career.  I know that I couldn’t look at her after this film and not think of Joan Crawford.  Nor could most of the public.  I can’t believe that this film came out 27 years ago (1981).  I was a freshman in high school and had just been suspended two years before for presenting a book report on “Mommie Dearest” in junior high.  I have not seen the entire motion picture until tonight.

Christina just had to give all her birthday presents to the orphanage.  And, she’s been locked in the pool house for mouthing off.  Uh oh, Joan is cutting Christina’s hair off.  Gotta run…

“I’m not mad at you!  I’m mad at the dirt!”

Today’s gratuitous photo of Zachery Quinto

This guy is on “Heroes,” and I find him really hot. He also was recently cast to play Spock in the “Star Trek” prequel — basically, the story of how Kirk, Spock, and all the other characters met in Starfleet Academy (I’m such a trekkie - some would say nerd) and all played by young, hot actors. Zachery is also very gay, being spotted hanging out in West Hollywood gay bars.

Yum. I may need to book me a trip to Los Angeles.

I’m an Apple Addict

My two-year old MacBook broke down on me this week. At the moment, he is in surgery at some Apple repair shop having a new motherboard installed - basically, the equivalent of a heart transplant. I was devestated. Basically, I’ve grown quite attached to our Apple products: my MacBook, I-Pod, and Apple TV. Some of you may remember it took me awhile to adapt to using a Mac again, but it didn’t take long to love it!  I won’t convert to the I-Phone until Verizon supports it, so that product is at least a year out. My office in Palo Alto is right around the corner from the Apple Store, so I am always stopping in to check out new products and software. In fact, that’s where my MacBook went to see the Apple doctor.

I had been thinking of upgrading to a MacBook Pro for quite some time. I had a few dislikes of my MacBook (although I love it, it’s not perfect). One, the hard drive was much smaller than I was used to at 80 gigs. Second, I hated the white finish - it had started to turn yellow a bit and showed every spec of dirt (more than one wants to see on his computer). So, with MacBook shipped off to surgery, I bought a MacBook Pro.

So, my MacBook is now for sale. It includes one more year on the Apple Care Plan - it’s phenomenal! I still have all original packaging. I replaced the battery (for free under Apple Care) about 4 months ago. And, it works like a charm!

The MacBook where so much blogging and podcasting has happened. It may become a collector’s item!

How I’m feeling today

Off to New York (AGAIN)!

It’s been a rough week. We launched two new websites at work 2 weeks ago and have been fixing them ever since. I am sitting at SFO right now awaiting my redeye flight to Kennedy. I am meeting our CEO (who has a place there) as my company will be on Fox & Friends and the Today Show on Friday.

I won’t be on camera, but just offstage. It’s a quick trip, as I need to board a flight on Friday night to head back for my DUI class on Saturday. (Yippie!).

Happy Earth Day Week! My company is in the “green” space and when you wonder where I’ve been for months, I’ve been trying to save the world and make a nest egg.

Watch Today and figure out what my company is and I’ll give you free products.

The gays love blogs

Gays and lesbians report higher blog use

SUMMARY: More than half of gay adults read blogs, and almost a quarter write their own.

Fifty-one percent of gay and lesbian adults who use the Internet regularly read blogs, while just 36 percent of heterosexuals do, according to a Harris Interactive and Witeck-Combs Communications poll conducted in March. A nationwide survey of 2,733 adults shows that 27 percent of LGBT Web users have posted a comment on a blog in the last month, in contrast with 13 percent of heterosexuals. Additionally, 21 percent of gays and lesbians said they written their own blog in the last month, compared with 7 percent of their straight counterparts.

Nearly one in five LGBT responders said that they feel more positive towards ads on blogs as opposed to 8 percent of heterosexual adults. That shows a 2 percent drop among gays from a similar survey done in November 2006.

“Studies consistently show that gays and lesbians are leaders in online usage, are very keen to find relevant and timely information, and feel more strongly about staying on top of latest trends,” Wes Combs, president of Witeck-Combs Communications, said in a press release on Monday. “Blogs are fast shaping the media landscape, and it is one medium that marketers and advertisers can’t afford to ignore, especially when it comes to reaching gay and lesbian influencers, voters and consumers.”

As far as blog subject matter, 28 percent of LGBT respondents said that they read news blogs, 26 percent read entertainment blogs and 23 percent follow political blogs. In comparison, 19 percent of heterosexual Web users read news sites, 11 percent read entertainment blogs and 14 percent read political blogs. (The Advocate)

My nose and the cute boy sitting 6 inches from me right now

So, I’m on the train at the moment, speeding down the Peninsula. I am next to the window in a 4-seat facing configuration — so directly diagonal to me, the cutest straight boy with luscious lips. I made a snarky remark when the conductor announced that we should not put our feet on the seats — “Does that mean I can put my feet in your lap?” He laughed. And stared.

Then I remembered why he was staring at my face. I have a bulbous staph infection on my nose that derived from an inflamed pimple inside my nose. Yesterday morning found me at the local urgent care with the doctor cutting the inside of my left nostril open to drain the infection. Three antibiotics and a shot in the ass later, it feels better but my resemblance to Karl Malden after a fist to the face is still there.

Oh - wait, he’s standing up to get off at San Carlos. Nice designer jeans and nice ass. He’s smiling, stared at my nose one more time, and half waved goodbye.

I’d better keep this laptop over my crotch for one more stop.

A meme

My friend Rey sent me this meme.  Jeeeez Louise, I haven’t done one of these in eons!  It reminds me of my early blogging days when we would all do these every other day.  It’s a magnificent way to get to know each other!

———————————

1. What time did you get up this morning?   7:50 a.m.
2. Diamonds or pearls?    Pearl necklace?
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?   “Into the Wild”
4.  What is your favorite TV show(s)?   American Idol, “24,” SNL, Mary Tyler Moore
5.  What do you usually have for breakfast?   Latte and muffin (or other pastry) - hey, I never said I wasn’t a big gurl!
6.  What is your middle name?   Nope - but it begins with “P” and has an “e,” “n,” and “s” in it - but no “i”
7.  What food do you dislike?   Turnip
8.  What is your favorite CD at the moment?  “Xanadu On Broadway Soundtrack” (I never said I wasn’t a theater queen, either)
9.  What time is it right now?   8:54 p.m. PT
10. Favorite Sandwich?    Turkey, bacon, avacado
11. What characteristic do you despise?   Hmmmm….arrogance.
12.  Favorite item of clothing?   My Morningwood Basketball Team t-shirt — it’s so old and faded, it’s like wearing velvet.
13.  If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?  Greece
14.  Where would you retire to?   Santa Fe and the Maine Coast
15.  What was your most memorable birthday?  The one when my mother and step-dad were in a carbon monoxide poisoning.  (Debbie Downer trumpets play here)
16.  Furthest place you are sending this?   Ur-anus.
17.  Person you expect to send it back?   Who knows?
18.  Morning person or a night person?   Definitely NIGHT!
19.  What is your shoe size?    10
20.  Pets?    A 6-year old lab named Louie - he’s all over this blog.
21.  Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us?  Read my previous post.
22.  What did you want to be when you were little?   Johnny Carson.
23.  How are you today?  The best ever…
24.  What is your favorite flower?   Lily
25.  What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?  The day after tomorrow
26.  What are you listening to right now?   Traffic on my street
27.  What was the last thing that you ate?  Chicken Burrito
28.  Do you wish on stars?  Can’t see them here.
29.  If you were a crayon, what color would you be?  Chartreuse
30.  How is the weather right now?    Spring is here - close to 75 today!
31.  Last person you spoke to on the phone?   My best friend Nick - he and his wife had a baby boy on Tuesday.
32.  Favorite soft drink?    Diet Coke
33.  Favorite restaurant?   Fringale, 4th Street, San Francisco
34.  What was your favorite toy as a child?   My “Linus” blanket
35.  Summer or Winter?   Summer NIghts
36.  Chocolate or vanilla?    I’m on a diet
37.  Coffee or Tea?     Coffee
38.  Do you want your friends to email you back?    I’m not emailing it out!  So no worries.
39.  When was the last time you cried?   February.
40.  What is under your bed?   A bag with lots of naughty toys.  And doghair.
41.  What did you do last night?   Met Nick Natoma at Midnight Sun.
42.  What are you afraid of?    Dying in a fire.
43.  Salty or Sweet?    Chartreuse.
44.  How many keys on your key ring?  7
45.  How many years at your current job?   6 months — seems like 6 years
46.  Favorite day of the Week?    Fridays
47.  Do you make friends easily?   Too easily… almost to a fault. (I left Rey’s answer here - it applies to me, too.
48.  How many people will you send this to?   No one
49.  How many will respond?  None
50.  Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends?  You didn’t ask boxer or briefs!!!

The State of California Finds You Guilty…

I had previously written about my DUI case on this blog at the end of January when it happened, but quickly removed it at the suggestion of my lawyer.  Well, I went to court on Tuesday and was sentenced: a hefty fine, 3 months of alcohol classes, and 48 hours in jail.

Yes - jail.  I am applying for a trash pickup program to try to avoid jail time, but part of me wants to see what it’s like.  I’m scheduled to report on May 24.  I have no issues with my sentence.  I broke the law, could have killed somebody, and made a stupid decision.  I guess there’s not much to do but pay the piper and move on.

My court experience was interesting — a cute little old lady sat next to me on the bench outside the courtroom before my hearing.  We shared the same lawyer.

“I was not drinking and driving!” she proclaimed.

“Hopefully, you’ll get off” I reassured her.

20 minutes later, after our plea hearing and consultation with our lawyers, we entered the courtroom and she was called first.

“In violation of California Health Code xxxx (something?), the State of California finds you guilty of possession of narcotics, driving with a suspended sentence, possession of more than one ounce of marijuana, and resisting arrest.  How do you plead?”

“No contest,” she said in an exasperated voice.

“You are hereby sentenced to 48 days in county jail, with a credit of 5 days for time already served.”

She returned and sat next to me.

“I told you I wasn’t drinking and driving!” she reminded me.  “I have to set a good example for my teenage kids.”

Jesus - I had walked into an episode of “Weeds.”

Now back to my own case - it’s over.  I’m glad.  I have been completely stressed about it.  A DUI has been a huge financial hit, humiliating, and I know I never want to go through this again.

I am not going to lecture here about the dangers of drinking and driving.  We all know it’s bad.  Just don’t decide to get behind the wheel because it’s only 3 blocks.  If you don’t kill somebody, you may end up with your hands cuffed behind your back and thrown in the slammer.  As hot as it sounds, it is not.

I just hope I don’t leave jail with “BITCH” tattooed on my forehead.