I have something to admit: I have been addicted to following the Prop 8 trial in California, formally called Perry v. Schwarzenegger. For those of you out of the loop, after Proposition 8 passed in California, two same-sex couples and a team of lawyers (including conservative lawyer Ted Olsen who argued and won in Bush v. Gore) decided to take the state to court (hence the Schwarzenegger in Perry v. Schwarzenegger). They're arguing that Prop 8 is contrary to the U. S. Constitution, and very well, I might add.

You should really check it out the Courage Campaign's excellent Prop 8 Trial Tracker. The trial tracker reads like a transcript with some commentary thrown in. If you don't have time to read the entire transcript (and trust me, once you start, it's hard to stop), KQED also has solid coverage that is easier to take in doses that won't make you feel like you can't do anything else until you finish reading every single post. As of right now, all of the testimony has already happened, and they're waiting for the judge to review stuff before making closing arguments. There's at least a month before the closing arguments happen, so you have plenty of time to catch up on the testimony. It's fascinating to see how the lawyers are building the case. A lot of expert witnesses are professors, and reading along is like a series of lessons on the history of marriage, the history of queers, and sociology. I have learned so much from reading this trial, and I think it can't help but think it'll be a powerful read for anyone.

With the Federal Court in San Francisco now hearing an appeal against Prop 8, I wanted to share this piece from Newsweek by one of the lawyers who is trying to convince the court to strike down Prop 8. It is a great piece that reminds us that support for queer issues can come from the most unlikely places.

The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage

Greetings everyone! So now it is my turn to tell you a little about myself. My name is Amy and I am a fourth year student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in the Central Coast of California. My major is Elementary Education; however, I plan on either being an event planner or continuing to work with the LGBTA community. I currently am a student coordinator at my school’s Pride Center. I am also the President of my school’s GSA, which we call Spectrum. On top of those, I am also a part of the Campus Q team for the Western Region. I found out about the Q Team from attending Campus Pride’s Summer Leadership Camp in 2008. While I am involved in all of these things, my story is different than a lot of people you will meet who are also involved. I am an ally. I have been involved with the LGBTA community since about 2001. When I am not devoting all of my time to LGBTA related things, I am the manager of my school’s wrestling team. I also love country music and go line dancing frequently. I live about 20 minutes from a few different beaches so I am often there on a sunny day. If you would like to know more about me, please feel free to ask! I would love to chat with you!