UPDATE: More Info On Homophobic GOP Hypocrite

There is a lot more information on the curious case of (recently divorced, father of four) GOP State Senator Ray Ashburn's DUI arrest Tuesday night in the proximity of a Sacramento gay bar with another man in the car at the time who has since been identified as a Latino man.

TPM Muckraker has these updates:

• Ashburn has taken a "personal leave" from the state Senate, his spokesman says.

• The Bakersfield Californian, Ashburn's home newspaper, had asked him twice about his sexuality in the past several years. After hearing a rumor that Ashburn was going to be outed by another newspaper, a columnist for the paper asked Ashburn last year if he is gay. Ashburn replied: "Why would that be anyone's business?"

• Ashburn's blood alcohol level was .14 when he was picked up by police, according to the Sacramento DA. The legal limit is .08.

• In 2005, Ashburn held a rally against gay marriage to protect "the future of our children."

KOVR CBS 13 has been doing excellent coverage of the story. Also, openly gay West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon is interviewed above revealing that he outed Ashburn on his Facebook page over 6 months ago.

Oscar Grant's Killer's Trial Moved To Los Angeles

Big news in the case of the former BART police officer who was videotaped fatally shooting an unarmed 22-year-old Black man named Oscar Grant on January 1, 2009. The judge has moved the trial of 27-year-old Johannes Mehserle to Los Angeles County from Alameda County:

The trial of a white former San Francisco Bay Area transit officer charged in the killing of an unarmed black man will be moved to Los Angeles County because of extensive media coverage and other possible distractions to trial participants, a judge in Oakland ruled Thursday.

The decision by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Morris Jacobson comes a month after he decided the murder trial of Johannes Mehserle would be moved out of that area.

State court officials recommended Los Angeles and San Diego counties to the judge as possible sites for a trial.

[...]

According to 2008 Census figures, 14% of Alameda County’s 1.5 million residents are African American, compared with 9% of the 9.9 million residents in Los Angeles County and 5% of 3 million residents in San Diego County.

MadProfessah helped organize a vigil and rally earlier this year in Leimert Park calling attention to the senseless murder of Oscar Grant.

DOMA Challenge Smelt v U.S. Dismissed

The federal challenge to DOMA in which the Department of Justice defended the law in an arguably homophobic way was dismissed by the Judge yesterday.

The Obama administration scored a victory of sorts in federal court Monday when a judge threw out an Orange County gay couple's lawsuit claiming that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.

[...]

Assistant Atty. Gen. Tony West, in his brief filed before U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, agreed with Smelt and Hammer that the Defense of Marriage Act is discriminatory and should be repealed. But West noted that he was obliged to defend the law until Congress moves to repeal or amend it. He urged the court to dismiss the men's suit on grounds that their allegations "fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted."

Carter agreed, explaining in his seven-page decision that the absence of "an injury in fact" meant the court lacked jurisdiction to consider the broader constitutional questions.

Smelt and Hammer had also filed suit in California superior court. That action was dismissed earlier this year on similar grounds, as their marriage is legal in California.

It is likely the lawsuit will be refiled in federal court again. However, many LGBT activists were flabbergasted when the attorneys for the plaintiffs revealed their real intention in the lawsuit was to split the state of California into two pieces.

Hat/tip Joe.My.God

Andrea Shorter Named EQCA's Coordinator of Coalitions

MadProfessah and Andrea Shorter at the
Equality Summit in Los Angeles in Janury 2009

Lost in the news on Monday of Equality California's hiring of MassEquality Executive Director Marc Solomon to win, defend and keep the right to marry was the news that Equality Summit co-chair Andrea Shorter has accepted a position at the organization to coordinate outreach to coalitions, specifically, labor, communities of color and faith communities. From the press release:

Shorter has a long track record of success in the fight for LGBT equality and other social justice issues. She is the co-founder and chair of the Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition, the largest African-American LGBT political organization in the Bay Area.
"Andrea Shorter has a proven record of leadership and effectiveness," said San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Duffy. "She will bring a needed infusion of grassroots organizing and her commitment to working in diverse communities to our cause."

"I am pleased to join forces with Equality California to direct and expand its coalition building efforts," Shorter said. "Our work through And Marriage For All to engage people of color and faith in honest, plain talk about the importance of the freedom to marry will complement EQCA's appreciation that true coalition building must extend beyond the purpose of meeting a singular goal such as marriage equality, but must work to create and support common ground, common cause across communities. I look forward to working with EQCA to grow a statewide broad-based coalition to advance long-term civil and human rights interests for all."

In addition, Equality California has announced that is looking to hire field organizers in the Central Valley, Inland Empire and Orange County (basically all areas Prop 8 passed easily) in order to expand volunteer efforts and enhance LGBT infrastructure in those regions.

This is great news and shows that Equality California is taking seriously the commitment to do the work AHEAD of a future ballot measure to win back full equality in the state of California, regardless of what happens with the California Supreme Court decision on Proposition 8.