That’s right. Here’s info from the official “Day Without a Gay” site:

The worldwide media attention surrounding our massive grassweb efforts for gay rights has been tremendous. Join the Impact was a HUGE success and will continue to thrive because of our efforts.

We’ve reacted to anti-gay ballot initiatives in Californaia, Arizona Florida, and Arkansas with anger, with resolve, and with courage. NOW, it’s time to show America and the world how we love.

Gay people and our allies are compassionate, sensitive, caring, mobilized, and programmed for success. A day without gays would be tragic because it would be a day without love.

On December 10, 2008 the gay community will take a historic stance against hatred by donating love to a variety of different causes.

On December 10, you are encouraged not to call in sick to work. You are encouraged to call in “gay”–and donate your time to service!

Visit www.daywithoutagay.org for all the info you’ll need to ‘call in gay‘.

GLAD — which stands for Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders — announced the campaign Tuesday, the fifth anniversary of the key court decision legalizing gay marriage in Massachusetts. GLAD also backed the case that led Connecticut to start allowing gay couples to marry this month.

Executive Director Lee Swislow says that by using know-how and experience from those fights, it wants to bring around Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island by 2012.

GLAD says it will work in the courts and with groups that support gay marriage in each of those states.

via Boston.com

Since 2000 Vermont has allowed same sex couples to be joined in civil unions.

In April, a commission of legislative leaders formed to study whether Vermont should go beyond civil unions and enact gay marriage issued a report supporting gay marriage, but stopped short of recommending such a step.

Campbell says a gay marriage bill probably wouldn’t go far unless it was supported by Gov. Jim Douglas.

The most recent poll from Vermont demonstrates that support for marriage equality outpaces the opposition by a 20-point margin. Vermonters support for equal rights continues to grow.

The last way you’d want to remember Harvey Milk is to give your money to the anti-gay forces.

Go here for more information on the boycott of Cinemark.

Find other locations to see Milk Fandango or Google Movies.

Join the “NO Milk for Cinemark” group on Facebook here.

Here’s the trailer for what looks to be an amazing film:

Related Posts:
Harvey Milk’s Story Comes to the Big Screen in “Milk”

In a letter (pdf) to the Subway franchisee in Merced, Calif., the company wrote: “While we understand that as an individual you have a right to your personal beliefs and freedom of association, when you use the Subway trademark it reflects on the entire Subway brand. … Further [the franchise agreement] states that you agree to ‘not use the Trademark in a manner that degrades, diminishes, or detracts from the goodwill of the business associated with the Trademark’ and ‘to promptly change the manner of such use if requested to do so by us.’”

Subway got wind of the franchise agreement violation last Friday from a gay blogger, who found the contribution on a list of ‘Yes on 8’ contributors compiled by the Human Rights Campaign. Mike Rogers, 45, of Blogactive.com threatened to rally a major boycott of Subway sub-shops if his demands weren’t addressed: repudiating the gift, adding ‘sexual orientation and gender identity’ to the company’s nondiscrimination policy and giving an equal gift to the other side.

The franchisee, Subway says, has asked for a refund of the $2,500 contribution. A person at the Subway shop in Merced Mall said the manager isn’t available today and will be back tomorrow. Subway has also updated its nondiscrimination policy to include the ‘sexual orientation and gender identity’ clause. Mr. Rogers dropped the last demand for a quid-pro-quo contribution.

In a phone interview, he says he was quite surprised by Subway’s quick response. “I thought it was great. It was amazing.”

He adds, “The time for complacency is over. With the power of the Web, corporations will be brought to the table or suffer the consequences of ignoring the call for justice and equality.”

Subway, which generated $8.2 billion in the U.S. last year, says it has sent a letter to all of its franchisees that it is a violation to use the Subway name when making political and/or controversial topic donations.

“We offer our apologies if you were offended by this action and hope you will view our quick response to this as a sign that we will not tolerate discrimination, of any type, in our system,” the company says in a statement.

Via The WSJ

The court’s order, issued in the first three cases that had been filed directly in the state’s highest court challenging the validity of Proposition 8, directed the parties to brief and argue three issues:

(1) Is Proposition 8 invalid because it constitutes a revision of, rather than an amendment to, the California Constitution?

(2) Does Proposition 8 violate the separation-of-powers doctrine under the California Constitution?

(3) If Proposition 8 is not unconstitutional, what is its effect, if any, on the marriages of same-sex couples performed before the adoption of Proposition 8?

With six nearly-identical challenges to Proposition 8 on their docket, the justices voted to review arguments that the same-sex marriage ban was an improper method of amending the California Constitution and undermines the rights of minorities across the state. The same Supreme Court narrowly struck down California’s prior ban on gay marriage in a ruling this spring, and the renewed challenge will test whether Proposition 8 ultimately trumps that ruling.

A host of civil rights groups, local governments and same-sex couples seeking the right to marry joined in lawsuits since voters backed Proposition 8 by a 52 to 48 percent margin in this month’s election. The Supreme Court rejected their bid to stay enforcement of the law to allow gay couples to continue marrying, agreeing with Attorney General Jerry Brown, who earlier this week opposed such a freeze on Proposition 8 because it would generate too much legal confusion.

In their orders, the justices asked for legal arguments on how Proposition 8 would impact the thousands of couples who married before the November election if the gay marriage ban is eventually found to be constitutional. Brown has maintained those marriages are valid and cannot be voided.

Brown did urge the justices to tackle the legal fight over gay marriage, saying California needs finality on the subject. Proposition 8 supporters also asked the high court to review the legal challenges, although they have indicated they do not believe Brown and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will adequately defend the law. Gay marriage opponents argue the Supreme Court should not interfere with the will of the voters, and have warned of a recall campaign against the justices if they once again strike down a gay marriage ban.

Schwarzenegger has stated publicly that he believes the state Supreme Court will again find the gay marriage ban unconstitutional.

In the meantime, couples now seeking the right to marry will have to wait for the outcome in the Supreme Court. The central question in the case is whether a change to the state constitution that removes a legal right for a minority group is so dramatic that it must first be considered by the Legislature before it can be put before the voters.

Gay rights advocates argue that a ballot measure such as Proposition 8 cannot be used to strip away the constitutional rights established in May’s Supreme Court ruling. In a technical argument with sweeping ramifications, they contend the gay marriage ban amounted to a revision to the existing state Constitution, requiring a two-thirds majority of the Legislature — or a state constitutional convention — to the get the issue on the ballot.

San Francisco city officials and Santa Clara County have backed that argument.

via Mercury News

We’ll keep you updated as soon as we hear anything.

For all our previous coverage on Prop 8, go here.

The move by the military veterans confronts the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama with a thorny political and cultural issue that dogged former President Bill Clinton early in his administration.

“As is the case with Great Britain, Israel, and other nations that allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, our service members are professionals who are able to work together effectively despite differences in race, gender, religion, and sexuality,” the officers wrote.

While Obama has expressed support for repeal, he said during the presidential campaign that he would not do so on his own — an indication that he would tread carefully to prevent the issue from becoming a drag on his agenda. Obama said he would instead work with military leaders to build consensus on removing the ban on openly gay service members.

“Although I have consistently said I would repeal ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ I believe that the way to do it is make sure that we are working through a process, getting the Joint Chiefs of Staff clear in terms of what our priorities are going to be,” Obama said in a September interview with the Philadelphia Gay News.

Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for Obama’s transition team, declined comment.

The issue of gays in the military became a flash point early in the Clinton administration as Clinton tried to fulfill a campaign promise to end the military’s ban on gays. His efforts created the current compromise policy — ending the ban but prohibiting active-duty service members from openly acknowledging they are gay.

But it came at a political cost. The resulting debate divided service members and veterans, put Democrats on the defensive and provided cannon fodder for social conservatives and Republican critics who questioned Clinton’s patriotism and standing with the military.

Retired Adm. Charles Larson, a four-star admiral and two-time superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy who signed the statement with 104 other retired admirals and generals, said in an interview that he believed Clinton’s approach was flawed because he rushed to change military culture.

Larson said he hoped Obama would take more time to work with the Pentagon. Joining Larson among the signatories was Clifford Alexander, Army secretary under former President Jimmy Carter.

“There are a lot of issues they’ll have to work out, and I think they’ll have to prioritize,” Larson said, noting that the new administration will immediately face combat-readiness issues and budget concerns. “But I hope this would be one of the priority issues in the personnel area.”

The list of 104 former officers who signed the statement appears to signal growing support for resolving the status of gays in the military. Last year, 28 former generals and admirals signed a similar statement.

Larson, who has a gay daughter he says has broadened his thinking on the subject, believes a generational shift in attitudes toward homosexuality has created a climate where a repeal is not only workable, but also an important step for keeping talented personnel in the military.

“I know a lot of young people now — even people in the area of having commands of ships and squadrons — and they are much more tolerant, and they believe, as I do, that we have enough regulations on the books to enforce proper standards of human behavior,” Larson said.

The officers’ statement points to data showing there are about 1 million gay and lesbian veterans in the United States, and about 65,000 gays and lesbians currently serving in the military.

via the AP

Via The Colorado Independent:

Focus on the Family is poised to announce major layoffs to its Colorado Springs-based ministry and media empire today. The cutbacks come just weeks after the group pumped more than half a million dollars into the successful effort to pass a gay-marriage ban in California.

Critics are holding up the layoffs, which come just two months after the organization’s last round of dismissals, as a sad commentary on the true priorities of ministry.

Here are just a couple of the great videos. The rest have been compiled over at Good As You.

Chicago

Seattle, WA

Boston, MA

New York City, NY

Portland, OR