California’s Imperial County has renewed its effort to defend the state’s gay marriage ban in a federal lawsuit.
The sponsors of Proposition 8 so far have taken the lead in defending the voter-approved law in court, after former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Attorney General Jerry Brown refused to do so.
But the sponsors’ right to keep defending the law recently came under question, threatening the viability of the case before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
If successful, the move by Imperial County could salvage the appeal, allowing county officials to step in as the primary defendants if the sponsors are removed.
Imperial County officials claim they should be allowed to intervene as defendants, saying they are directly affected by the law because they would be forced to perform gay marriages.
But the appeals court dismissed the request last month, questioning why the head county clerk, who issues marriage licenses, wasn’t part of the case. Then Imperial County Clerk Dolores Provencio declined to join.
Now the county has elected a new clerk, Chuck Storey, who filed papers Friday seeking to join the defendants.
The 9th Circuit court currently is mulling the constitutionality of the 2008 ban that was struck down in August as a violation of gay Californians’ civil rights. But the three-judge panel said in January it can’t reach a decision until it knows if ballot proposition sponsors have legal standing to step in when the attorney general and governor refuse to defend voter-approved initiatives in court.
The California Supreme Court agreed last week to consider the standing issue and rule on the 9th Circuit question.
from The Associated Press

In a job typically filled by a woman, the White House has chosen the first-ever man to be the next White House Social Secretary.
Jeremy Bernard, who is openly-gay, will be named Special Assistant to the President and Social Secretary.
“Jeremy shares our vision for the White House as the People’s House, one that celebrates our history and culture in dynamic and inclusive ways,” President Obama said in a statement, “We look forward to Jeremy continuing to showcase America’s arts and culture to our nation and the world through the many events at the White House.”
Bernard comes to the White House from the US Embassy in Paris, where he served as Senior Advisor to the Ambassador.  Prior to this role, he worked as the White House Liaison to the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The job of social secretary is a unique one, in charge of planning official White House social events. The White House Social Office, located in the East Wing, works closely with the First Lady to coordinate the events – choosing themes, menus, guest list, décor and overall character of White House events.  The high-profile State Dinners, taking months of planning, are often the highlight of the Social Secretary’s work on display.
“I look forward to working with Jeremy to continue the great work of the Social Office, from fun and educational student workshops to elegant State Dinners that welcome world leaders to the White House,” Tina Tchen, Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama said in a statement,  “Jeremy’s creativity, perspective and skills will be a welcome addition to our East Wing team, as we showcase the White House and celebrating America’s arts and culture.”
This marks Mrs. Obama’s third social secretary of the Obama administration, following the departure of Desiree Rogers and  Julianna Smoot.
from ABC News

Luke Herbert

PALM COAST, FLORIDA – A Palm Coast mother has decided to pursue a lawsuit against the Flagler County School District.
This, after her 15-year-old son said one of his teachers singled him out for being gay.
Luke Herbert told News 13, “It hurts. I may be different, but I’m still human and for them to treat me like that is ridiculous.”
As a freshman at Flagler Palm Coast High School, Herbert said high school has been tough, especially since he’s gay.
“People haven’t been nice, let’s put it that way,” Herbert said.
Herbert said classmates have bullied him before, but now it’s gotten worse. One of his teachers has singled him out.
“He stood in front of the class and said ‘you can’t put Mountain Dew or Pepsi in the same fridge or they’ll turn gay’. He [also] came over to me and I was like ‘hi.’ He said hi, like he was imitating me or mocking me,” Herbert said.
Herbert and his mother said they went to school officials several times, but weren’t taken seriously.
“As a parent, it’s hard because you feel like you have to be there every day, begging them to please help. That’s how I felt,” Dorene Davenport said.
Recently, Herbert and his mom sat down with school officials, as well as the teacher himself. Herbert said the teacher apologized and officials promised to switch his classes, but that never happened.
“I don’t feel safe with him being there,” Dorene said.
A district spokeswoman told News 13 they are investigating the case, but said they can’t comment further than that.
For Herbert, he hopes what he went through can help other teens in his situation
“There are a thousand Luke’s out there and I’m not the only one out there and so I think this is something that should be heard,” Herbert said.
A school official told News 13 they take these cases very seriously and if the teacher is found guilty, he will be disciplined. Since they can’t release details, they won’t say if that has already happened.
Currently, Herbert has stopped going to school. He said after what his teacher said, and the reaction from his classmates, he can’t imagine going back. He is now looking into other options like home schooling.
from News 13
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