This week will focus on the gay rights organization Lambda Legal, aka the folks who brought you the landmark California Supreme Court decision that the state cannot exclude same-sex couples from marrying in CA. Lambda Legal worked on this case for the past 4 years with the help of the ACLU and the NCLR. Incidentally, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, who were featured in last week's Out Spotlight, were among the plaintiffs in the case. Here is what the court said,
"In light of the fundamental nature of the substantive rights embodied in the right to marry — and their central importance to an individual's opportunity to live a happy, meaningful and satisfying life as a full member of society — the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all couples, without regard to their sexual orientation."
Lambda Legal was originally conceived in 1971, but it was denied non-profit status on grounds that its activities would be against public policy. That decision was overturned in 1973. Lambda Legal has its main office in New York, but also has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and LA. The group works by litigating test cases that it perceives have a high chance of success to establish pro-queer legal precedents. They work on cases all over the United States and on a broad range of issues that affect the gay community, including- parenting and relationships, employment, housing, the military, public policy, HIV/AIDS, and of course, equal marriage. One of the biggest cases Lambda Legal worked on was Lawrence v. Texas, the Supreme Court case that struck down the Texas sodomy law.
Here is Lambda Legal's statement of what they do-
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.
The Official Website of Lambda Legal
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Sunday, May 18, 2008
Out Spotlight XXVI
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Guess Reeke is just getting ready for their biking tour of Tuscany.
For one so tiny, Reese really has a lot of junk in her trunk!
"...fundamental nature of the substantive rights embodied in the right to marry — and their central importance to an individual's opportunity to live a happy, .meaningful and satisfying, a life as a full member of society..."
It is exciting that another state has recognized this, but sad that there is so much more work to do.
It is because of organizations like Lamba Legal that continue to keep working, moving forward bit by bit in small victories and in large ones to bring equality for everyone.
What a sweet song to start off the day!
Check out Spooky's for info on Belgian Gay and Lesbian Pride. The theme- Celebrate Diversity!
Who took the biking pix? Was it our friends Flynet?
Yep get ready for a summer of reeke in Tuscany. I for one wont be watching.
Can she ride a bike?
Wonder, do they let you adjust the bike if you borrow it from one of the bike shops in Venice and have to bring it back in a hour? Hope she kept the receipts for the outfit too. I wonder is she will be stuck with the shoes.
And when has Jake ever biked in Venice? Never.
Sorry Tom I disagree. I think the way Jake is looking he will be too busy with Prince of Persia for a Reeke bike tour.
It was 4 years ago today that Massachusetts passed legislation for Gay Marriage.
The CA decision has encouraged those in Vermont to seek to legalize marriage for Vermonters as well.
Wow I see the Lakers have made the Western Conferenence Finals. Should we expect to see reeke courtside looking lovingly into each others eyes. Come on Ev go fot it.
Thanks Wicked for linking to my site.
BLGP are doing a great job to make this event each year bigger and better. This year we had a parade and a street village in the gay ‘district’ of the city centre.
It used to be straight people watching small groups of gay people passing by. Yesterday everybody was celebrating together, walking hand in hand in the parade and having a great time.
Excellent spotlight today. Thank goodness for Lambda Legal. It makes me realize how grateful I am to have someone looking out for me.
I read all the posts from yesterday and you all said so many of the things that I have been thinking for the past few months. It's so sad to see what's happening with Jake these days. What's even more sad is that I now find that I have no desire to even care too much about what's going on in his life anymore personal or professional. It's like he's not even the same person. I want to be happy for him if he's actually found love, but that's honestly not what I'm seeing here and I can't make myself feel what I guess I'm supposed to. I know i'm probably not saying this right, but I hope you all understand what I mean for the most part.
I don't know what type of fan this makes me - or if i'm even a fan anymore at this point.
Wicked - can you believe that I actually have this song on tape. Haven't played it in years. Brought back alot of good memories for me - thank you.
Hooray for Lamda Legal, and legal precedent! One more step closer towards the right to marry for everyone,which you would think is would b a very desirable thing. I never can understand why there is so much opposition to it. Cute song today too.
Have a great Sunday, everyone. :)
was she ever on the bike? wonder where they went- the strand [doesnt look like it] or on road. dont see reese riding either.
somthings off about those pics..what were threy trying to do, cross the street in the middle of it w/o a crosswalk?? if they were gonna ride they woulda just got on and ridden on the right side of the road..it was hot saturday in venice, they overdressed to go riding for a few hours..and reese isnt holding-handling her bike with confidence/knowledge..i agree its a setup..
gotta say re the pics...i really dont wanna see jakes butt crack. which makes me wonder..bike pants-shorts are thick padded in the butt..if he was REALLY riding he would wear bike shorts, not ones that look like dance pants at the gay gym. which makes me wonder again if the pics are more for the PoP PTB [the ones making the casting decisions] to see his physique..how hes looking these days. hence the photo op showing him from behind, working out not just dieting, and with his goody goody 'gf'. 2 reasons/1 session- reeke/PoP.
These pictures make me think that PR read Pink is the New Blog and hastily arranged a spandex opportunity.
Of course the spandex is served with a side order of Reese to please "the gays" and to let them know that Jake is taken.
Nice work PR.
plus tr, cant have jake biking alone. and god knows he has no other friends since reeke came along. [for real- no one he used to hang with can stand her]
heh..the 5-16 lunch pics with the yukon..when the car doors are open you can see bikes in the back. i wondered about why reese would be in such a big car- no excuse for 1 person in a big car , hybrid or not. unless they were hauling somthing, right?? wonder if the bike pics were staged right after/before the luch, not on 5-17.
btw what i mean is when when the car doors are open & more light is in the car you can see bikes in the raer.
yea..makes it look like they were together 2 days when i dont think they were. wonder what the 3 set of pics for today will be..or maybe none to make it look like they stayed in bed all day..yea riiiight.
i go now before i clog your blog. sorry..
Pink is the New Blog has no love for Reese. Love it! Go Trent.
I didn't know Lambda was originally denied non-profit status. That just boggles my mind. Just another example of how far we've come.
Spooky's link to the parade in Brussels is great, the parade organizers have a ton of pictures on their site.
Those bike pictures make me embarrassed for them, they're just so posed and weird. Are we supposed to believe that they've already biked a stretch and are eager to get across the street to carry on? I guess that looks more convincing than having them just stood together somewhere with their bikes. Reeke have to be On The Move! If there's going to be a bike tour of Tuscany (though I'm doubting it now), Reese better work on making her photo-op poses along the route look natural, and her outfit less like a costume. Or does it matter anymore? I don't know, I'm weary, lol.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend. :)
I saw this bit of gossip on WFT2:
forum gossip said...
Luke and Went split on the coming out issue. Luke had decided to come out after his Dad died last December. He hoped Went would do the same, encouraged by his family. But Went is still afraid of his fanbase's reaction. The couple had been together for nearly a year.
it was 90 degrees in venice yesterday/friday & not a drop a sweat on them, not even reese with her pedal pushers and covered up shirt. dont know if any of you are bikers but lycra is hot, people. and the back of your neck sweats with the helmet..real biking isnt pretty. venice is also not a place to do road biking. have any of you ever been to venice?? and i cant see reese dodging the lovable weirdos on the strand if they were gonna do that kinda riding. even reese looking at people on the strand 'ooh they have germs, thems bad people, theys gots cooties' - reese would be afraid if any of them would want her autograph esp a hug and a pic. she wouldnt be caught dead there, you can bet on it.
methinks is they took the bikes outta the yukon on friday in a venice parking lot and posed for 10 minutes at the curb [because hevean forbid if they posed at a crosswalk and they really had to cross the street, didnt want that] before anyone driving by recognized them and hopped back in the truck before any cooties could get reese.
itll be interesting toi see if any venice bloggers have pics or talks about seeing reeke bike riding in venice...ha
I read all the posts from yesterday and you all said so many of the things that I have been thinking for the past few months. It's so sad to see what's happening with Jake these days. What's even more sad is that I now find that I have no desire to even care too much about what's going on in his life anymore personal or professional. It's like he's not even the same person. I want to be happy for him if he's actually found love, but that's honestly not what I'm seeing here and I can't make myself feel what I guess I'm supposed to. I know i'm probably not saying this right, but I hope you all understand what I mean for the most part.
I have felt the same way, Clarity, and hope it's okay to echo your sentiments. I don't profess to be in the know about how HW works or even be as knowledgeable about the past history of J or A as alot of the bloggers here (I've only been following Jake for the past couple of years) but I've seen alot of pictures in that course of time and I think anyone can see that his face/expressions is not the same at all. I think he looks quite svelte in the LAX pictures (although could be easier to tell if the clothes weren't quite so stinkin' baggy - let's tighten up the pants a little bit, Jake!) but his face looks almost gaunt and pale. His eyes often look lost and/or sad. I wish I could see the Venice biking pictures but I don't want to register. I like this website the best as most of the time, people seem to keep a level head and lift me up when I get discouraged by some of the pics I see of Reeke.
Sorry for such a long post - I've not posted in awhile. Sometimes can be intimidating to get on here but I thank u for the opportunity to air my views.
Well, I'd like to thank the photographer for that shot of Jake's ass. He's lost too much weight, but I still appreciate the view. And his arms are Jarhead toned. Nice. The pics do look off. Jaywalking is highly frowned upon in CA. Plus does not look like there is anything accross the street they needed to go to, so why cross there. R seems to have a pretty short torso. I guess that's why she has the tummy all the time.
I sure agree with all the comments about Jake this AM. Sure I was drawn to him for his smokin good looks in BBM, but it was his sunny personality and warmth that knocked me flat. An aspect I never see anymore, so I am just hanging on and waiting for the return.
Classic posts from tr and bad seed.
I agree with you, Clarity.
Nothing to add; another day, another dollar.
I will add thanks to Wicked for today's spotlight. As someone who doesn't think precedent is necessarily a helpful thing, to see an organisation use it properly is really heartening.
I agree, Clarity; I, too, am going to wait hopefully for a return.
From OMG:
Austin and Jake barely talk these days. A pity but true. It's all about Reese and a big reason for this is that NONE of Jake's friends can stand her. None of them. So he just has her because no one else can stomach her. I believe the word used to describe her (among many adjectives) has been "unbearable." The same applies for his sister who supposedly finds Reese obnoxious and controlling.
From what I understand, Jake is pretty fragile these days. And supposedly this is considered his worst year ever. Heath died (which supposedly has "really fucked him up"), his film Nailed is very troubled (keeps getting shut down every week for lack of financing but it resumes shooting AGAIN tomorrow), his grandmother died, no real buzz for "Brothers" and he's been getting a lot of hate mail the last few months.
I know the tabloids have been painting him as this lovesick creature but in truth, he's been in a very bad state the last few months. A lot of this he has brought on himself and a lot (i.e. Heath's death, etc.) was not.
So he just has her because no one else can stomach her.
Nice try.
I was only speaking in the context of today's post and the work that Lambda Legal has been doing, and looking forward. Obviously, if precedent has been set that is negative, harmful and inhibits the progression of equal rights for all, that needs to be changed.
And PrairieGirl, please don't feel intimidated about jumping right in to our animated discussions! :)
Interesting, that's not from OMG - this is OMG - it's from WFT2, and we know that poster very well. WFT2 comments are already calling BS.
Interesting, that is the Constructive Sublimation Poster/Coffee/Tea. Apparently both OMG and WFT2 are unimpressed with him.
I call it (post 1:50 PM) BS too! I don't doubt Jake was sad when Heath passed, but I doubt he was as devastated as some of us want it to be. How could someone genuinely devastated parade around his "love" just shortly after a supposedly good friend died? No way!
Either Jake is an insensitive a-hole or they weren't as close. I choose they weren't as close!
If true, that is terribly sad about Luke and Went. But that is the price of the closet.
"Either Jake is an insensitive a-hole or they weren't as close."
3rd option- general reese had a schudule and jake had to follow orders.
"the price of the closet"
my daddy always tells me that if you cant not care what others think about who you choose as a partner [cos the world is always gonna be against you no matter what- str8/gay/interacial/different looks/incomes/ages/whatever] then you arent mature enough to have the relationship, period.
Have we EVER seen Reese on a bike that's actually moving?
WORD, Wise Daddy. Your daddy is wise indeed.
The Boston Celtics are going to the NBA Eastern Conference finals! :)
reese wasnt even on the bike- she was standing next to it! hah, if she couldnt walk a mile for avon what makes people think she would ride a bike..in traffic....those pics were so posed.
no wonder jake didnt look thrilled coming into lax or at 'lunch' with reese and no wonder the bike pics are with his back to the camera. wonder if hes pissed at the 'engagement any day now' pr shit she pulled.
PItNB is somewhat happy that Jake's PR heard his complaint.
http://trent.blogspot.com/2008/05/well-its-start.html
jake is boring. im close to being done with him. hes just another actor and im frankly not even thrilled about his acting anymore.
Jake wasn't on the bike either and both their backs were turned to the camera. And please stop with the poor Jake crap, the pouty looks at LAX and the sour looks on both their faces at lunch was an act, i bet they are laughing their asses off right now.
If that bit about Went and Luke is true it is sad, but it is also great to see that Luke had the courage to not only come out, which he admitted he was scared to do, but also having the courage to say I'm not going to live that way even if it means doing it alone.
DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS
DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS
DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS
DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS
DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS
I wonder if Trent would like to see Jake with Austin as much as we do.
Hoping that the Nailed set has settled down and they can get back to business. Still holding out that a good film might still may come out of a troubled production. The Mouse announce PoP and Jake get his trimmed and toned hotness on set in Morocco.
I hope Reese gets a movie. Why? Something after Monsters vs. Alien voice over. Something to keep her very very busy and no time for press.
Interesting how PitNB has the word attached, in "attached to Reese Witherspoon," in quotes. I thought Trent believed in Reeke.
In our Protected Information poll, there are 5 votes for "anything that can be found on the internet is acceptable." I would love to hear more from some of you who voted this way.
Wicked what was the movie club movie again?
huh- no blogger pics/stories/fan pics of 'i saw jake and reese riding bikes in venice thyre soo cute, theyre a real couple in love and shes so tiny!'..whadda you know.
It cracks me up when people post "inside info" but make no effort to establish their credibility. Like anyone would believe what they say just cause they commented. They are making up stuff anyway, so why not go the distance an add something. For example, I am a HW producer and had dinner with Jake last night, so here's the deal...blab, blah, blah.
I wonder if Jake is flying back to SC tonight. I am guessing all those magazines were airplane reading material.
I voted against addresses etc, but I do think it is hopeless to keep info controlled on the internet. One site will not allow pap pics (ennisjackcom) but paps take the pics regardless.
the ihj bike pics in th eye candy section have descrip of reeke stopping by for a late afternoon sat lunch and riding off on bikes [the official descrip that came w/pics]. i say the pics were done on friday right after the first 'lunch' and jake had the rest of the w/e away from reeke. 2 photo shoots in 1 day to cover 2 days- thats why the bikes were in the back of the yukon and nada been heard in any other sources like blogs/pics to prove they were together on sat.
...the pouty looks at LAX and the sour looks on both their faces at lunch was an act, i bet they are laughing their asses off right now.
That's BS and you know it.
I wonder what Jake and his PR think of the backlash Reeke has created. Are they pleased with the result? Is anyone?
One of the things I find very sad with Reeke is how Jake's "unique" fanbase was tossed aside with so little thought - like we were the wrong kind of fans and could easily be replaced by better and more appropriate fans. Even if Jake and Reese were together, which is impossible to believe after months of miserable and flat pictures of them, there was no need to shove Reeke in our faces the way the romance has been represented.
I hope that the fauxmance has serious consequences for Jake and that his films do badly at the boxoffice not because I want him to suffer but so that everyone would finally understand what a huge mistake Reeke was.
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