TOO MANY HAPPY COUPLES: NYC To Hold Lottery To Get Gay-Married On First Day

New York City officials today announced a "marriage lottery" to deal with the high numbers of gay couples looking to tie the knot on the first day of legalized same-sex marriage.

Fearing demand for same-sex weddings will be too great for the City Clerk’s Office to handle this Sunday, city officials have announced a lottery for weddings on the first day that gay couples can legally wed in the state. Officials said couples could be stuck waiting in long lines all day and, though the city has added extra clerks for Sunday, ultimately would not be able to get married because of the high volume. The lottery will guarantee 764 couples – either opposite- or same-sex — access to marry at one of the City Clerk’s five offices Sunday. The 764 couples to marry would be the largest number of marriages on any single day in city history.

NYC has received over 2500 online marriage applications since the day of the historic vote. Hit the link to learn how to enroll for the first day lottery. What a wonderful problem to have!

UPDATE: The Human Rights Campaign comments.

"The record breaking number of couples registering to marry shows how popular--and right-- passing marriage equality was. The lottery is a good compromise. Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn took this great problem to have and came up with a good solution. There will be a lot of love at the City Clerk's Office on Sunday. Every lawmaker, Democrat and Republican, should take heart that New York families are all the stronger."

WASHINGTON: U.S. Senate Confirms First Out Gay Man For Federal Bench

Yesterday the U.S. Senate confirmed J. Paul Oetken as federal district court judge, making him the first openly gay man to hold the position.

By a vote of 80-13, the Senate confirmed J. Paul Oetken, whom President Obama nominated in January to sit on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. A simple majority was required to confirm Oetken. Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, praised the Senate for what he said was a “historic vote” in confirming an openly gay male to the federal bench. “Confirmation of Paul Oetken serves as a role model for all LGBT people interested in serving on the judiciary and shows LGBT youth that hard work pays off,” Solmonese said.

SAN DIEGO: Hundreds Of Active Duty Military March Openly In Pride Parade

For first time in American history, yesterday hundreds of openly gay servicemembers marched in a gay pride parade as the military town of San Diego cheered.

The crowd roared as the group waving military flags and holding placards identifying their military branch walked past the thousands. Every branch of service was represented Saturday, including the Coast Guard. Marines and sailors ran out carrying their branch's flags over their heads. One Marine stopped to pose with two towering bikini-clad blondes in stiletto-heeled boots. Onlookers stepped into the parade route to salute them. One man in a rainbow colored shirt waved his feather boa and yelled "Hooah!" the military battle cry. The national Servicemembers Legal Defense Network - representing gay and lesbian active-duty military personnel - informed organizer Sean Sala that they are warning members that it is still a risk to come out as long as "don't ask, don't tell" is on the books. Sala, a former Navy operations specialist, said it's time for the gay and lesbian community to stop hiding in fear.

Photo above and video by Rex Wockner. Many more photos at the link.

CALIFORNIA: Hate Group Launches Petition Drive To Repeal History Bill

The anti-gay Christianist hate group Capital Resource Institute filed the paperwork yesterday to launch a petition drive to place a referendum item on the 2012 ballot which would repeal California's just-approved LGBT history bill.

The Capitol Resource Institute is a hard-line, socially conservative organization that has long opposed efforts in California to expand rights for the LGBT population. Backers eventually would have to collect 433,971 signatures to allow voters to decide whether to keep the law in place or reject it. [Spokesman Paulo] Sibaja said that a coalition has formed behind the proposed measure, though he would not name the other members. He said a news conference Wednesday would give more details. When asked how the group planned to fund the referendum, he said, "That's what the press conference will be about."

(Tipped by JMG reader Steve)

Mitchell Gold Vs. Peter Sprigg

Family Research Council spokesdouche Peter Sprigg, who has publicly called for recriminalizing homosexuality and for "exporting" gay Americans to other countries, is given airtime by Fox News in a debate with activist Mitchell Gold about California's newly approved LGBT history bill.

TRAILER: The Lavender Scare

Hate Groups React To CA History Bill

Catholics For The Common Good

Claims that this bill is needed to reduce bullying against children that are experiencing gender confusion or take on 'gay' or 'lesbian' identities are absurd. Children must be taught respect for all persons because of their intrinsic value, not because they agree with their behavior or like their characteristics. In fact, reducing people to merely a sexual identity obscures the fact that they are so much more than that.

Traditional Values Coalition

SB 48 was priority number 1 for Traditional Values Coalition. We committed all the resources we had to try to make sure that SB 48 failed. We are talking about molesting the minds of young impressionable youth, as young as Kindergarten, with an agenda and message that is not age-appropriate and that is offensive to the values of a vast majority of California’s families. We have failed at our core educational mission and yet we are now going to inject gay studies into the classrooms. It’s absurd and offensive.

Save California

It's ridiculous that Jerry Brown says he's making history 'honest'. The bill he signed prohibits teachers and textbooks from telling children the facts that homosexuality has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS and other STDs, higher cancer rates, and earlier deaths. These important facts about lifestyles children will being forced to admire will be omitted. And Brown calls this 'honest'? This revisionist history will actually make more children believe a lie -- that homosexuality is biological, which it's not, and healthy, which is isn't."

BREAKING: Victory In California As Gov. Jerry Brown Signs LGBT History Bill

California Gov. Jerry Brown today signed openly gay state Sen. Mark Leno's LGBT education bill. Leno's legislation requires that California's history textbooks including notable LGBT figures.

"Today we are making history in California by ensuring that our textbooks and instructional materials no longer exclude the contributions of LGBT Americans," said Senator Leno (D-San Francisco). "Denying LGBT people their rightful place in history gives our young people an inaccurate and incomplete view of the world around them. I am pleased Governor Brown signed the FAIR Education Act and I thank him for recognizing that the LGBT community, its accomplishments and its ongoing efforts for first-class citizenship are important components of California's history." Research indicates that students who learn about LGBT people find their school environments more accepting of LGBT youth. Students are also more likely to report that their LGBT peers are treated fairly at school - and that other types of peer-to-peer disrespect also declines - when LGBT people and issues are included in instructional materials.

The bill was hotly opposed by the usual anti-gay groups nationwide, with the hate group Save California taking the lead in fighting the measure. So SUCK IT, Randy Thomasson!

First NY Wedding Set For Niagara Falls

A lesbian couple plans to be married at Niagara Falls moments after same-sex marriage become legal in New York.

"Prince William and Kate didn’t have as many people at their wedding as we will,” Lambert, one of the region’s most prominent gay rights activists, said Tuesday. “It’s going to be amazing. We’ve joked that we’re inviting 1,800 of our closest friends.” And yes, Lambert and Rudd promise to be the first couple legally married under the state’s historic marriage equality law, which takes effect that day. And what a party they have planned. The celebration will start with a reception on Goat Island at 7 p.m. July 23 and end with a civil marriage ceremony on Luna Island shortly after midnight. Niagara Falls Mayor Paul A. Dyster will officiate. “Everyone is invited,” Lambert said. “We’re doing this because of what it will do for Western New York, and media is coming from all over the world to see it.” For Rudd, the wedding marks the end of a more-than-eight-year wait. “I’m thrilled,” she said. “We’re finally getting the same rights as everyone else. Nobody can take that away from us anymore.”

Will CA Jerry Brown Sign History Bill?

It remains unclear whether California Gov. Jerry Brown will sign the LGBT history bill approved earlier this month by the state legislature. Brown is under enormous pressure from anti-gay hate groups nationwide. Equality California weighs in:

As a community we must convince Governor Brown to sign the FAIR Education Act (SB 48 - Leno). We don't have a lot of time. Please email him today. http://tinyurl.com/sb48-b . This critical bill would ensure that students in public schools learn about the LGBT civil rights movement and the contributions of LGBT people to other movements and to society. With this bill, we will have the opportunity to define who we are, instead of being defined by harmful messages filled with bigotry that dehumanize us. We believe that learning about the heroic struggles of LGBT individuals and our diverse LGBT communities brings an understanding that prevents violence against our LGBT youth and those perceived as LGBT regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We are shifting the conversation. Instead of being stigmatized, marginalized and demonized, people will understand that we have a proud legacy and heritage of struggle and contribution.

Hit this link to sign Equality California's petition to Brown. Or call his office directly: 916.445.2841.

Christian TV On CA LGBT History Bill

With a special guest appearance by Randy Thomasson of the hate group, Save California.

CA Sen. Mark Leno On LGBT History Bill

Quote Of The Day - Michael Reagan

"It will prove instructive to see how the state's lawmakers go about the job of implementing this absurd legislation. Will they, for example, rule that textbooks must describe what the state classifies as acceptable behavior? Or exactly how? Should the state require textbooks used in its schools to provide play-by-play descriptions of the behavior they sanction? Just where does this stop? Should not the 'contributions' of convicted thieves be celebrated? Or those of serial killers? Or embezzlers?

"The matter of the content of school textbooks has long been a controversial subject, but until now it has never reached the point where specific parts of the population are singled out for preferential treatment, especially when the segment of the population is distinguished solely by their sexual preferences." - Michael Reagan, the former president's douchebag oldest son, writing for Town Hall about California's pending law requiring that notable LGBT historical figures be included in state textbooks.

NOTE: That's right, the son of a former president just compared you to serial killers, embezzlers, and convicted thieves.

NYC To Open Offices On Sunday, July 24th For First Day Of Same-Sex Marriages

New York City will take the "unusual step" of opening city offices on Sunday, July 24th so that gay couples may be married on the first day it becomes legal.

The city clerk’s offices in all five boroughs will open that day, and judges will be on hand to officiate at the weddings after couples receive marriage licenses. The decision by city officials to expedite same-sex weddings comes as city and town clerks across the state are grappling with the fact that the law goes into effect on a day when municipal offices are usually closed. Officials in some cities and towns say they are expecting a surge in marriage applications from same-sex couples. The announcement came a day after the city began allowing gay couples to apply online for marriage licenses, though they cannot be issued until July 24 — 30 days after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the same-sex-marriage legislation following its approval by the Legislature.

It's unknown how many couples may show up on the first day, but city officials say they are bracing for long lines and big crowds of well-wishers.

LGBT History Bill Passes CA Assembly

The Advocate reports:

Sponsored by gay senator Mark Leno, the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act "ensures that the historical contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are accurately and fairly portrayed in instructional materials by adding LGBT people to the existing list of under-represented cultural and ethnic groups already included in the state’s inclusionary education requirements," according to Leno's office. The bill passed the Assembly by a vote of 49-25; it passed the Senate in April and will now head to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk. It's not clear where Brown stands on the bill, but he's generally supportive of gay rights and refused to defend Proposition 8 after the antigay initiative was declared unconstitutional by a federal judge.

Anti-gay groups have been especially inventive with their lies about what Leno's bill will really mean for schoolchildren.

Anniversary

It was June 27th, 1969.

That was the day that the queers of New York City finally said "Enough!" For some historical perspective, I'm posting the story that the New York Daily News ran about the Stonewall Riots. Note how the reports drips with condescension and ridicule. We've come a long, long way in 42 years and we've still got some distance to cover, but today we should all offer up a shout, a snap, and a moment of thanks to the people who started us down this road.

HOMO NEST RAIDED - QUEEN BEES ARE STINGING MAD

-by Jerry Lisker, New York Daily News, July 6th 1969

She sat there with her legs crossed, the lashes of her mascara-coated eyes beating like the wings of a hummingbird. She was angry. She was so upset she hadn't bothered to shave. A day old stubble was beginning to push through the pancake makeup. She was a he. A queen of Christopher Street.

Last weekend the queens had turned commandos and stood bra strap to bra strap against an invasion of the helmeted Tactical Patrol Force. The elite police squad had shut down one of their private gay clubs, the Stonewall Inn at 57 Christopher St., in the heart of a three-block homosexual community in Greenwich Village. Queen Power reared its bleached blonde head in revolt. New York City experienced its first homosexual riot. "We may have lost the battle, sweets, but the war is far from over," lisped an unofficial lady-in-waiting from the court of the Queens.

"We've had all we can take from the Gestapo," the spokesman, or spokeswoman, continued. "We're putting our foot down once and for all." The foot wore a spiked heel. According to reports, the Stonewall Inn, a two-story structure with a sand painted brick and opaque glass facade, was a mecca for the homosexual element in the village who wanted nothing but a private little place where they could congregate, drink, dance and do whatever little girls do when they get together.

The thick glass shut out the outside world of the street. Inside, the Stonewall bathed in wild, bright psychedelic lights, while the patrons writhed to the sounds of a juke box on a square dance floor surrounded by booths and tables. The bar did a good business and the waiters, or waitresses, were always kept busy, as they snaked their way around the dancing customers to the booths and tables. For nearly two years, peace and tranquility reigned supreme for the Alice in Wonderland clientele.

The Raid Last Friday

Last Friday the privacy of the Stonewall was invaded by police from the First Division. It was a raid. They had a warrant. After two years, police said they had been informed that liquor was being served on the premises. Since the Stonewall was without a license, the place was being closed. It was the law.

All hell broke loose when the police entered the Stonewall. The girls instinctively reached for each other. Others stood frozen, locked in an embrace of fear.

Only a handful of police were on hand for the initial landing in the homosexual beachhead. They ushered the patrons out onto Christopher Street, just off Sheridan Square. A crowd had formed in front of the Stonewall and the customers were greeted with cheers of encouragement from the gallery.

The whole proceeding took on the aura of a homosexual Academy Awards Night. The Queens pranced out to the street blowing kisses and waving to the crowd. A beauty of a specimen named Stella wailed uncontrollably while being led to the sidewalk in front of the Stonewall by a cop. She later confessed that she didn't protest the manhandling by the officer, it was just that her hair was in curlers and she was afraid her new beau might be in the crowd and spot her. She didn't want him to see her this way, she wept.

Queen Power

The crowd began to get out of hand, eye witnesses said. Then, without warning, Queen Power exploded with all the fury of a gay atomic bomb. Queens, princesses and ladies-in-waiting began hurling anything they could get their polished, manicured fingernails on. Bobby pins, compacts, curlers, lipstick tubes and other femme fatale missiles were flying in the direction of the cops. The war was on. The lilies of the valley had become carnivorous jungle plants.

Urged on by cries of "C'mon girls, lets go get'em," the defenders of Stonewall launched an attack. The cops called for assistance. To the rescue came the Tactical Patrol Force.

Flushed with the excitement of battle, a fellow called Gloria pranced around like Wonder Woman, while several Florence Nightingales administered first aid to the fallen warriors. There were some assorted scratches and bruises, but nothing serious was suffered by the honeys turned Madwoman of Chaillot.

Official reports listed four injured policemen with 13 arrests. The War of the Roses lasted about 2 hours from about midnight to 2 a.m. There was a return bout Wednesday night.

Two veterans recently recalled the battle and issued a warning to the cops. "If they close up all the gay joints in this area, there is going to be all out war."

Bruce and Nan

Both said they were refugees from Indiana and had come to New York where they could live together happily ever after. They were in their early 20's. They preferred to be called by their married names, Bruce and Nan.

"I don't like your paper," Nan lisped matter-of-factly. "It's anti-fag and pro-cop."

"I'll bet you didn't see what they did to the Stonewall. Did the pigs tell you that they smashed everything in sight? Did you ask them why they stole money out of the cash register and then smashed it with a sledge hammer? Did you ask them why it took them two years to discover that the Stonewall didn't have a liquor license."

Bruce nodded in agreement and reached over for Nan's trembling hands.

"Calm down, doll," he said. "Your face is getting all flushed."

Nan wiped her face with a tissue.

"This would have to happen right before the wedding. The reception was going to be held at the Stonewall, too," Nan said, tossing her ashen-tinted hair over her shoulder.

"What wedding?," the bystander asked.

Nan frowned with a how-could-anybody-be-so-stupid look. "Eric and Jack's wedding, of course. They're finally tying the knot. I thought they'd never get together."

Meet Shirley

"We'll have to find another place, that's all there is to it," Bruce sighed. "But every time we start a place, the cops break it up sooner or later."

"They let us operate just as long as the payoff is regular," Nan said bitterly. "I believe they closed up the Stonewall because there was some trouble with the payoff to the cops. I think that's the real reason. It's a shame. It was such a lovely place. We never bothered anybody. Why couldn't they leave us alone?"

Shirley Evans, a neighbor with two children, agrees that the Stonewall was not a rowdy place and the persons who frequented the club were never troublesome. She lives at 45 Christopher St.

"Up until the night of the police raid there was never any trouble there," she said. "The homosexuals minded their own business and never bothered a soul. There were never any fights or hollering, or anything like that. They just wanted to be left alone. I don't know what they did inside, but that's their business. I was never in there myself. It was just awful when the police came. It was like a swarm of hornets attacking a bunch of butterflies."

A reporter visited the now closed Stonewall and it indeed looked like a cyclone had struck the premises.

Police said there were over 200 people in the Stonewall when they entered with a warrant. The crowd outside was estimated at 500 to 1,000. According to police, the Stonewall had been under observation for some time. Being a private club, plain clothesmen were refused entrance to the inside when they periodically tried to check the place. "They had the tightest security in the Village," a First Division officer said, "We could never get near the place without a warrant."

Police Talk

The men of the First Division were unable to find any humor in the situation, despite the comical overtones of the raid.

"They were throwing more than lace hankies," one inspector said. "I was almost decapitated by a slab of thick glass. It was thrown like a discus and just missed my throat by inches. The beer can didn't miss, though, "it hit me right above the temple."

Police also believe the club was operated by Mafia connected owners. The police did confiscate the Stonewall's cash register as proceeds from an illegal operation. The receipts were counted and are on file at the division headquarters. The warrant was served and the establishment closed on the grounds it was an illegal membership club with no license, and no license to serve liquor.

The police are sure of one thing. They haven't heard the last from the Girls of Christopher Street.

They sure fucking haven't. Now get your ass up and get down to the parade.

New York Daily News Reacts

Very nice cover from the Daily News. However, today's front page of the wingnut New York Post shows a woman attempting suicide by leaping from her roof.

Celebration Outside The Stonewall Inn

Cuomo Signs NY Marriage Bill

Homotastic nuptials may commence in exactly thirty days.

Final NY Senate Roll Call

Thunderous ovation. Chills. Tears.

(Via - Think Progress)