tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-153160032012-01-18T14:42:27.327-08:00Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comBlogger751100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-53931870190495598052012-01-16T02:20:00.000-08:002012-01-16T02:27:38.038-08:00

Well-known San Diego gay blogger Mike Tidmus died yesterday. Karen Ocamb has a nice tribute here. Here are some of my photos of my buddy. He never would stand still for my camera. I always had to zoom in on him from afar when he wasn't looking.

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-51151832960320253262012-01-10T13:24:00.001-08:002012-01-10T14:14:58.458-08:00

Frank Sieple, who was part of the inner core of ACT UP/Chicago, has died. Here are few excerpts of a long profile I did of Frank for The Advocate in 1990."Oh, I've been acting up for a long time," explained Frank Sieple, when asked what first led him to ACT UP/Chicago. "I got permanently kicked out of high school when I was a sophomore. I was questioning authority when I was 14."A 29-year-old

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-90691701702165599542011-12-11T20:21:00.000-08:002011-12-26T16:01:10.160-08:00

My friend Paul Varnell, the well-known syndicated gay journalist, has died. Here is a wonderful article in The Windy City Times.And a great tribute by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg.Paul was one of the most independent persons I ever have known. It wasn't easy to get close to him, and I figure I got as far as anyone did. He was a journalist, he was an opinion columnist, he was a

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-23513907953021217002011-12-06T18:10:00.000-08:002011-12-06T18:18:13.863-08:00

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-10106257722571486992011-11-25T12:29:00.000-08:002011-11-25T12:41:32.996-08:00

Every country seems to know how to do this except for the U.S. Dear Maine: This is how you show commonality between straight and gay people.

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-22949671514654219072011-11-21T15:24:00.000-08:002011-11-21T21:01:05.414-08:00

New ads in the new Maine push for same-sex marriage: Paint-by-numbers crap. Watch here: http://t.co/wEfrtpESome recent ads from the Argentine LGBT movement: Pure art. (Yes, the same Argentina that has national same-sex marriage, passed by Congress and signed into law by the president amid much official joy and celebration.) Watch here: http://t.co/6b33Q3jWho put didactic East German bureaucrats

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-9452355404920372312011-10-28T23:59:00.000-07:002011-10-29T04:03:55.603-07:00

Last night, Occupy San Diego was dismantled by police and more than 50 people were arrested. Tonight, around 1,000 people re-occupied Civic Center Plaza, and several hundred took to the streets and marched through the Gaslamp Quarter nightlife district, messing up traffic.

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-37573719622822852482011-10-11T22:22:00.001-07:002011-10-11T22:39:02.738-07:00

Love Honor Cherish will submit language to the California attorney general by Friday for a ballot measure to overturn Prop 8.The attorney general will write a petition title and summary, and then LHC can collect voter signatures for 150 days.The group would need to collect valid signatures from 807,615 registered California voters.The initiative would amend the California Constitution to delete

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-65979416484808638362011-08-08T12:00:00.000-07:002011-10-29T11:59:00.453-07:00

Rex Wockner has reported news for the gay press since the 1980s. His work has appeared in hundreds of publications.He has a B.A. in journalism, started his career as a radio reporter, and has written for the mainstream press as well, including the Chicago Tribune and The San Diego Union-Tribune.Highlights of Wockner's career include:Going to Denmark in 1989 to cover the world's first registered

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-52241121731406371712011-07-16T22:56:00.000-07:002011-07-17T13:51:52.949-07:00

Some 300 active-duty troops (the majority of the contingent) and veterans marched in San Diego's LGBT Pride parade today. As far as we can determine, it was the first time this has happened in the United States in any sort of organized way. It was a symbolic goodbye to Don't Ask, Don't Tell, which, while not quite dead-dead, is apparently dead enough!You can click inside any photo to open it much

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-64911314526219411692011-06-19T02:40:00.000-07:002011-06-19T03:29:07.697-07:00

About 1,000 people marched in Tijuana, Mexico's 16th GLBTI Pride parade June 18. Click inside a photo to see it larger. Photos and video by Rex Wockner

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-33709280566226527792011-06-15T00:01:00.000-07:002011-06-18T13:17:33.476-07:00

A legal attempt to "vacate" the federal court ruling that struck down California's Proposition 8, which amended the state constitution in 2008 to re-ban same-sex marriage, failed June 14.U.S. District Judge James Ware rejected arguments by Prop 8's supporters that now-retired trial Judge Vaughn Walker, who is gay, should have recused himself from the case, or have been disqualified, because he is

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-5336756074884943712011-04-04T20:27:00.000-07:002011-04-04T20:28:43.413-07:00

Equality California on April 4 launched a campaign to gauge community support for heading back to the ballot in 2012 to try to undo Proposition 8.Approved by voters in November 2008, Prop 8 amended the state constitution to re-ban same-sex marriage, which had been legal for 4 1/2 months.EQCA said the ongoing federal lawsuit against Prop 8 "could take years to resolve" and so it wants to know what

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-32105698386756906082011-03-28T03:00:00.000-07:002011-03-28T04:13:48.881-07:00

It was 10 years ago this coming Friday that the Netherlands became the first nation in the world to let same-sex couples marry.Helene Faasen and Anne-Marie ThusNow same-sex marriage is legal in 12 nations, including in five U.S. states and the District of Columbia. I was there for the first Dutch gay weddings. The following five paragraphs are from my story filed April 1, 2001, from Amsterdam:

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-57214142057707407922011-02-23T21:50:00.001-08:002011-02-25T19:32:44.231-08:00

American Foundation for Equal Rights lawyers Ted Olson and David Boies filed a motion with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today asking that it immediately lift its order preventing same-sex marriages in California.That order, issued in August 2010, temporarily blocked an injunction from U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker that barred further enforcement of Proposition 8.Walker issued the

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-4729179524077803552011-02-17T01:26:00.001-08:002011-02-18T16:50:07.103-08:00

A huge new delay was introduced into the federal case against California's Proposition 8 yesterday.The case is before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which, after hearing oral arguments (photo) in December, punted off a question to the California Supreme Court.The California Supreme Court now has decided, unanimously, that it will indeed answer the question and has set up a briefing

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-5624228618283163522010-12-08T03:23:00.001-08:002010-12-08T07:18:57.306-08:00

The effort to undo California's Proposition 8 inched forward Dec. 6 when a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals entertained nearly three hours of oral arguments from the attorneys in the case.In an ornate courtroom on the third floor of San Francisco's historic James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse, amid murals, stained glass and statues dating to 1905, the attorneys replayed

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-53170533466006935462010-08-16T18:49:00.001-07:002010-08-21T10:44:01.471-07:00

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Aug. 16 blocked any same-sex marriages from taking place in California while proponents of the state's marriage ban appeal the Aug. 4 district-court ruling that found Proposition 8 in violation of the U.S. Constitution.The appeals court said it will hear the case the week of Dec. 6 and it set up an expedited briefing schedule for the case's attorneys.The

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-57613462719801406602010-07-26T00:02:00.000-07:002010-07-26T00:02:03.903-07:00

Will & Grace star Eric McCormack and I sat down recently in San Diego to talk about Proposition 8, reflect on the long-running show, and find out what he's been up to since then.Rex Wockner: What have you been doing since Will & Grace?Eric McCormack: Immediately thereafter I produced a series called Lovespring International for Lifetime which starred now-gigantic Jane Lynch. I did a series called

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-53165079058082802652010-06-18T16:11:00.000-07:002010-06-18T16:16:05.845-07:00

Do bans on same-sex marriage infringe gay people's fundamental federal constitutional rights? Or is marriage, by definition, an institution that "channels" procreating heterosexuals into stable unions for the sake of children?The federal lawsuit against California's Proposition 8, which amended the state constitution in 2008 to re-ban same-sex marriage, wrapped up in U.S. District Court in San

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-70325104596398027562010-01-27T12:28:00.000-08:002010-09-27T17:25:35.398-07:00

Ted Olson, David BoiesTed OlsonDavid BoiesChad GriffinRob Reiner

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-42004783644226563642010-01-19T22:30:00.000-08:002010-01-19T23:46:13.833-08:00

Republican San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and his gay daughter Lisa talked to reporters in San Francisco today after the mayor testified in the federal trial seeking to overturn Proposition 8 as a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Here's some of what they had to say.Mayor Sanders: I came as a Republican mayor, I came as a father and I came as a former police chief. And I came to say that we

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-42252580469028814442009-11-21T07:41:00.000-08:002011-06-04T17:13:03.724-07:00

I sat down recently in Manhattan with Andy Towle, the man behind the award-winning gay blog Towleroad. It appears the site is the work of a humble workaholic.Rex: You're the first thing I look at every morning.Andy: Really?Rex: Yeah. How did this start, Andy Towle?Andy: It started with sort of a curiosity to pass on information to people and an interest in sharing information with people, which

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-27965200175347146682009-11-04T03:30:00.027-08:002010-07-02T00:25:01.515-07:00

[Updated 7 Nov 1:00 p.m.]PORTLAND, Maine -- Gays lost marriage in Maine on Nov. 3. A "people's veto" at the ballot box wiped out the law passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor. It had not taken effect, pending the outcome of the vote.With 99 percent of precincts reporting, voters took marriage away from gays by a margin of 52.82 percent to 47.18 percent. The vote total was 299,808

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-31046514930375748282009-11-03T22:32:00.003-08:002011-04-19T16:19:24.253-07:00

Election night - NO on 1 campaign event - Holiday Inn - Portland, Maine[1:32 a.m.] The NO on 1 campaign has not conceded, but looking at the precincts that have not been counted, it's difficult to see how the No side could make up the 28,000 votes that separate "Yes" and "No." That's it for now.[1:26 a.m. Last update for now.] Gays: 47.25%. Anti-gays: 52.75%. 87% of precincts reporting.[12:49 a.m

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-13221192622785701152009-11-03T10:52:00.015-08:002011-04-19T16:14:39.556-07:00

[Nov. 3, 1:52 p.m.] I'll be blogging from the Maine NO on 1 election-night event. The polls close at 8.[Nov. 2, 2:38 a.m.]Evening "Get Out The Vote" debriefing for NO on 1 volunteers who spent the day knocking on doors.One of several such rooms around the state.Alas, the gay side took a tumble in the latest polling (here), though it's still within the margin of error.It's all gonna be about which

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-34070560115442999302009-10-11T21:16:00.001-07:002009-10-12T14:05:27.288-07:00

Grassroots, Netroots, Stonewall 2.0 Activists Demand Equality, Formalize Split With Activist Establishmentby Rex WocknerWASHINGTON -- The Stonewall 2.0 generation descended on the nation's capital Oct. 11 to demand "equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states."National Equality March lead organizer Cleve Jones estimated the turnout at 200,000 to 250,000. Towleroad.com's

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-51840166783842009702009-10-10T23:09:00.001-07:002009-10-11T00:13:06.596-07:00

I gotta hit the sack for the march tomorrow, so this will be quick and dirty. To the thousands of people inside the HRC national dinner tonight here in D.C., Obama was a rock star. There was no heckling, no booing, no "you lie" -- just raucous cheering over and over again.So what did Obama do that was amazing? He gave a kick-ass speech that fully embraced GLBT Americans and every kind of equality

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-22664667581328503792009-08-17T01:09:00.000-07:002009-08-17T01:19:17.191-07:00

Equality California said Aug. 12 that it does not support returning to the ballot to try to repeal Proposition 8 until 2012.Other groups are preparing for a 2010 ballot fight. They include the Courage Campaign, Love Honor Cherish, Los Angeles' Stonewall Democratic Club and at least 40 other organizations."Donors want to make sure their investments to win back marriage are wisely invested," EQCA

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-39429310093985174812009-07-06T18:39:00.000-07:002009-07-07T13:16:49.506-07:00

Interview by Rex Wockner"(Barack Obama) has told me, and he has told ... staff in the White House that pressure's a good thing, so people should continue to put pressure on him." --Steve Hildebrand"(President Obama) did not read the ... pathetic (marriage) brief in advance but he subsequently has read the brief and was not happy at all with both the direction as well as the language that was used

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-52583775242569885692009-05-26T23:57:00.001-07:002009-05-27T00:40:44.029-07:00

Between 5,000 and 10,000 people took to the streets of San Diego this evening to protest the California Supreme Court ruling that upheld Proposition 8, the voter-passed constitutional amendment that put a stop to same-sex marriages in California last November.The court ruled 6-1 that the amendment is valid. The court also said the 18,000 same-sex couples who married in California between June and

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-39979952810859348852009-04-03T14:00:00.000-07:002009-04-03T20:49:02.823-07:00

Last Nov. 15 when gays and their supporters marched against just-passed Prop 8 in 300 cities in all 50 states, San Diego had the biggest march of all that day, making many locals wonder, WTF? But things apparently have calmed down here since, and the classic "chill" attitude of our local GLBT dudes and dudettes again rules the day. Last night, the Equality California, et al., traveling road show

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-36637022427404465622009-03-04T20:15:00.001-08:002009-03-05T01:02:53.650-08:00

Republican San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders announced the engagement of his daughter Lisa (middle) and her girlfriend, Meaghan Yaple, at a large gay rally Wednesday afternoon. GLBT people rallied around the state on the eve of the California Supreme Court hearing in the case aimed at overturning Proposition 8.Speaking outside the Hall of Justice in downtown San Diego, Sanders said: "We're on the eve

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-86585482166109861392009-01-25T22:12:00.000-08:002009-02-04T13:58:52.460-08:00

THE CALIFORNIA EQUALITY SUMMITNo on 8 Leaders Admit ErrorsWho do you trust: Consultants and pollsters? Or your gut?by Rex WocknerLOS ANGELES -- More than 400 gay activists gathered at the Los Angeles Convention Center Jan. 24 to organize and strategize to win back same-sex marriage in California. But attendees at the daylong Equality Summit spent just as much time looking backward -- at the

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-67750442806049464612009-01-10T15:10:00.000-08:002009-01-11T00:13:16.816-08:00

San Diego took part in today's national day of protest against the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and against Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment that re-banned same-sex marriage in California.The march wandered through downtown, beginning and ending at the County Administration Center.Reporters counted between 600 and 800 people. A high-ranking policeman said he counted 560.A

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-46841417812899558542008-12-25T21:31:00.000-08:002008-12-26T09:50:49.716-08:00

Some bloggers and others have suggested that the "Stonewall 2.0" phenomenon is petering out. "Join the (diminishing) Impact," said Peter Staley. Dan Savage jumped in saying Join The Impact's followup events to Nov. 15th's massive national demos have been weak. Everyone involved in the Stonewall 2.0 phenomenon should read both critiques (click the bolded names above). But Stonewall 2.0 isn't

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-65511199470841189542008-12-20T20:11:00.000-08:002008-12-21T02:45:50.056-08:00

San Diego took part in Join The Impact's national "Light Up the Night for Equality" anti-Prop 8 rallies tonight.We actually had six protests at six different local malls. Andrés and I drove to the one closest to my house, at Fashion Valley mall.There were 165 protesters at that location. Of the six sites, Fashion Valley mall is closest to the gay neighborhoods, so perhaps that was the biggest of

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-54151263326249568692008-12-14T00:30:00.000-08:002008-12-14T00:47:28.098-08:00

Milk the movie didn't quite do it for me. But there was a huge lesson in it for the disastrous No on 8 campaign -- and that is, you don't win a gay rights battle by making gays invisible, as No on 8 did in its $40 million of TV ads.Back in 1978, when Californians defeated Prop 6 ("The Briggs Initiative") by a landslide, nobody pretended the proposition wasn't about gay people. (Prop 6 would have

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-14176382904036850012008-11-17T23:50:00.000-08:002008-11-18T18:44:14.658-08:00

Was it really just six days ago that I wrote here: "Maybe Stonewall was Activism 1.0, ACT UP was Activism 2.0, the failed corporate activism of HRC and No On Prop 8 was Activism 3.0, and now we are witnessing Activism 4.0 being born."?Saturday's 25,000-strong anti-Prop 8 grassroots protest in San Diego. Click inside the picture to see it really big.Was it really just six days ago that I wrote

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-59123056140524864522008-11-15T18:47:00.000-08:002008-11-16T12:08:29.951-08:00

Ah, the numbers game. At the march's start, the Cajun and I figured 2,000 people per block for nine solid blocks: 18,000. Later, the march grew. The city police said 20,000. The organizers said 25,000. A Harbor Police officer told me 30,000. And I heard one San Diego Police Department supervisor tell a subordinate, "50,000." So...it was BIG.All photos are by me except for #7 and #8, which are by

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-61688233807373851852008-11-11T23:50:00.001-08:002008-11-12T02:56:46.416-08:00

Stonewall 2.0.Is that what Saturday might be?10:30 a.m. PST / 1:30 p.m. EST.Decide for yourself.The original call is here.And the central organizing site is here.But just like the mongo demonstrations we've seen in California since Nov. 4, Saturday's national protest-o-rama is being organized via Facebook, text-messaging, Twitter, blogs, RSS and e-mail. Totally grassroots. Totally fascinating.

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-88935212912021525082008-11-08T23:42:00.000-08:002008-11-09T00:54:01.717-08:00

Between at least 7,000 (police estimate) and 10,000 people marched against Proposition 8 today in San Diego, from Hillcrest, the primary gayborhood, to North Park, the secondary gayborhood -- a distance of about two miles.The protest was organized "virally" -- via e-mail and, primarily, text messages.Another virally organized anti-Prop 8 demo the Saturday before the election drew similar numbers.

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-24030160065250417962008-11-08T15:06:00.001-08:002008-12-31T15:24:25.119-08:00

This was the turnout last night at a Prop 8 protest in San Diego that got canceled. These protests are being organized virally (e-mail and text messages). Another one took place today, and police say at least 7,000 people marched two miles from the primary gayborhood of Hillcrest to the secondary gayborhood of North Park.These snapshots come to us courtesy of San Diegan Ron Belanger, who headed

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-23227788005703946092008-11-02T02:26:00.001-08:002008-12-31T15:30:13.991-08:00

Between 7,000 and 10,000 people took to University Avenue in San Diego's heavily gay Hillcrest district the evening of Nov. 1 to protest Proposition 8, the Nov. 4 ballot measure that would amend the California Constitution to re-ban same-sex marriage, negating the California Supreme Court decision that legalized it.The protest took place as some 15,000 Christians from around the nation prayed in

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-40379512568921286272008-10-16T12:55:00.000-07:002008-11-05T20:24:27.722-08:00

I wanna believe, really I do, that the consultants for Equality California/No On (Prop) 8 know what they're doing in this TV-ad war over amending the California Constitution to re-ban same-sex marriage. Bloggers and others have called the gay side's ads "tepid," "lame" and "underwhelming." Folks on my mailing list have called them uninspiring, unclever, uncreative and groan-inducing. But now,

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-18806280387777319682008-10-14T14:06:00.000-07:002008-10-14T21:54:25.112-07:00

Here's a conundrum for you. Everybody on my big e-mail list who has bothered to hit reply thinks the No On Prop 8 TV ads are lame. That they are uninspiring, unclever, uncreative and, in spots, groan-inducing. (Ad #1 -- Ad #2 -- Ad #3)The moment in ad #2 when the housewife pauses dramatically, cocks her head, and says, "No" was the moment I let out a sigh.So I kvetched to (shared my opinion with)

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-38137446749919852862008-10-07T17:38:00.000-07:002008-11-05T20:01:43.733-08:00

A TV ad showing San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom saying California is going to have same-sex marriage "whether you like it or not" is being credited with flipping poll numbers to favor the Nov. 4 ballot proposition to amend the state constitution to undo the state Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage."This door's wide open now. It's gonna happen. Whether you like it or not!" Newsom

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-29696450965904245012008-06-17T13:15:00.001-07:002008-12-14T00:17:34.483-08:00

You can click inside any photo to make it largerBob Lehman and Tom FelknerAll photos: County Administration Center, downtown San DiegoInside photos: Office of the Assessor/Recorder/County ClerkNearly 200 same-sex couples were expected to get married or pick up their license at this location today. There are four other offices in the county for civil marriages.All photos by Rex WocknerJan Garbosky

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-8476189903887583742008-04-13T23:28:00.001-07:002008-12-14T00:18:13.810-08:00

Schwarzenegger: Marriage-ban effort 'a total waste of time'200 at Log Cabin conventionNo McCain endorsement yetby Rex WocknerSAN DIEGO -- Speaking April 11 at the Log Cabin Republicans National Convention, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the effort by anti-gay forces to amend the California Constitution to permanently ban same-sex marriage is "a total waste of time" and that he will fight against

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-14955929021690298212007-09-19T18:06:00.001-07:002008-12-14T00:19:26.685-08:00

San Diego Mayor Jerry SandersGay Marriage Press Conference TranscriptSeptember 19, 2007Mayor Sanders: "With me this afternoon is my wife, Rana."I am here this afternoon to announce that I will sign the resolution that the City Council passed yesterday directing the city attorney to file a brief in support of gay marriage [with the California Supreme Court]."My plan, that has been reported

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-84762154062481551012007-07-13T13:20:00.000-07:002008-12-14T00:19:54.201-08:00

Wrapping up, here are the bits of our Salton Sea trip that didn't fit into any of the previous four postings (post 1 - post 2 - post 3 - post 4)...These be date-palm groves. We saw a lot of them. They're sexy.Then there was our stop at "Salvation Mountain."According to the Cajun, who chose this detour, this beyond-bizarre creation is the work of "folk artist and classic American eccentric Leonard

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-40731779821579737112007-07-11T14:00:00.000-07:002008-12-14T00:19:55.729-08:00

Near the end of our recent two-day visit to the Salton sea area, we visited the volcanic mud pots at the intersection of two gravel roads off Highway 111: Davis Road and Schrimpf Road.According to ImperialCounty.com: "There you can see some cones built up out of viscous mud that bubbles up through central vents. This area is near a former ... commercial carbon dioxide gas field. Pressurized

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-89315786900890926062007-07-08T02:17:00.000-07:002008-12-14T00:19:56.849-08:00

Part 1 of the Salton Sea blog: (here).Part 2 of the Salton Sea blog: (here).This was our final stop on the shores of the sea proper. It sort of caught us by surprise, since we'd concluded there was nothing left on that side of the sea. Shoulda done our homework.Oh yeah, the whole place is below sea level. No wonder water likes to go there whenever it gets the chance.And the pictures at the

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-33317546743427127652007-07-04T13:20:00.000-07:002008-12-14T00:19:59.415-08:00

If you haven't read part one of this series -- Salton Sea (west shore) -- do so here, then come back to this entry. Don't you love a bossy blogger? But, this is a series. The second part won't make as much sense if you've not seen the first part. There will be three additional parts, if you're wondering.OK, onward to the other side of the Salton Sea. The temperature as we took these photos was

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-17009736962687079092007-07-02T23:26:00.000-07:002008-12-14T00:20:02.397-08:00

Our visit to the Salton Sea area this past weekend was so endlessly fascinating that it's going to take five or six blog posts to capture it all. Click on top of any photo to make it larger and click on bolded words to go to Wikipedia or wherever and learn more.We began on the west shore in Salton City, which, coincidentally, was the subject of a fascinating story in today's L.A. Times, headlined

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-9160001962513580442007-06-06T12:30:00.000-07:002009-02-11T16:31:33.845-08:00

You may think the disastrous attempts to stage gay pride parades in Moscow the past two years were the beginning of gay activism in Russia. Some people called last year's mêlée Russia's "Stonewall." In reality, Russia's Stonewall-ish thing took place in 1991, in Moscow and Leningrad, in the then-Soviet Union. And I was there. And I wrote this story and took these pictures.MOSCOW/LENINGRAD PRIDE

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1162327538265206782006-10-31T11:52:00.000-08:002006-10-31T12:45:38.353-08:00

The good news as we rolled out of New Orleans the other day: The Superdome, she got fixed. And, the downtown, from a distance anyhow, looked downtownish.

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1162135811932960182006-10-29T06:59:00.000-08:002006-10-29T09:04:18.820-08:00

They can put a man on the moonBut the government just can't manage to fix New OrleansClicking inside a pic will make it much biggerGo all the way down in this blog to the first Katrina pics I snapped last yearThe difference? Now there are signs from capitalists offering to tear down your house or suck out your moldThe Army Corps of Engineers seems to have done something to fix the 17th Street

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1161881270001848232006-10-26T09:29:00.000-07:002006-11-04T11:29:23.470-08:00

Since I fell in love with a Cajun 13 months ago, I've gained 11 pounds. The catfish po-boys and shrimp gumbo at iconic Franky & Johnny's near the Nashville Avenue wharf Uptown flawlessly represent the culinary fabulousness that lurks around every corner. By Louisiana standards, my belly is still flat. But back on Planet California, I'm well on my way to becoming a social outcast.

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1161852126654768832006-10-26T01:15:00.000-07:002006-10-26T10:53:56.273-07:00

Back in New Orleans for a spell. Life is sorta normal in the areas right along the Mississippi that weren't wiped out in the flood -- places like the French Quarter, Faubourg Marigny, the Garden District and Uptown (the floodwaters came from the canals and the lake, not the river). The rest of the city -- the other 80 percent -- displays occasional small pockets of improvement, particularly on

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1142122477284144252006-03-11T16:09:00.000-08:002006-03-14T12:49:34.506-08:00

Return to New Orleans Lower 9th Ward -- six and one-half months later. No improvement. (Click on a pic to make it bigger)

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1141687696872041372006-03-06T15:15:00.000-08:002006-03-06T15:29:41.676-08:00

Took a drive along the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Saturday. While New Orleans got wiped out by flooding from burst levees, Mississippi's coast got smashed by Katrina's eye. (Click on a pic to make it bigger) Here we have the remnants of a gas station. Not exactly sure what this used to be. Clearly God hates Protestants. Only the 'E' remains at this Waffle House. This used to be part of a big

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1141444453461774562006-03-03T19:40:00.000-08:002006-04-10T15:01:33.766-07:00

House Speaker Dennis Hastert and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi were in New Orleans today, being disaster tourists. They actually got out of their buses in the Lower 9th Ward but, as you'll see below, they whisked right through the devastated Lakeview neighborhood, which ain't lookin' any better six months after the hurricane and cataclysmic flooding. (Click on a pic to make it bigger.) Here

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1141186224649009382006-02-28T20:02:00.000-08:002006-04-10T14:58:32.326-07:00

New Orleans has not even come close to recovering from Hurricane Katrina and the massive flooding from smashed levees, but Mardi Gras happened nonetheless today.I had an assignment to cover the queer angle for a string of gay newspapers. About 189,000 of New Orleans' 462,269 residents have returned to the city six months after a total evacuation was ordered, Katrina hit, the levees broke and 80

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1140154412095124502006-02-16T21:26:00.000-08:002006-10-05T00:43:07.310-07:00

Carnival season got off to a raucous and politicized start Feb. 11 with the Krewe du Vieux parade through the Faubourg Marigny and French Quarter neighborhoods.More than half of the 100-plus contingents took pot shots -- ranging from biting to lewd -- at city, state and federal officials and agencies for their perceived mishandling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The campy, gay-inclusive

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1139542010144139402006-02-09T19:16:00.000-08:002006-02-19T12:03:19.490-08:00

Took a walk down Decatur Street today, stopped at Café du Monde (photo #1), ate a plate of beignets, and feel sick now. But the day was not a total loss. The T-shirt stores on Decatur and on Bourbon Street continue to be a source of inspiration. There were some new Katrina items along with the fab new Chocolate City merchandise! Clicking on a pic will make it larger.

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1136885711644319022006-01-10T01:25:00.000-08:002006-01-27T19:45:56.156-08:00

Given that many parts of New Orleans are still without power, the government is still handing out Meals Ready-to-Eat. So I ate one. The directions for preparing it were horrifyingly unclear. Pic 1 shows the contents, pic 2 shows the hamburger "cooking," and pic 3 shows the end result. The hamburger was awful. So, I went ahead and also "cooked" the "Mexican Style Macaroni and Cheese." It wasn't so

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1136054372526574092005-12-31T10:28:00.000-08:002006-01-13T14:31:04.196-08:00

The labor shortage is so acute here in New Orleans that fast-food joints are offering huge bonuses to attract employees. I snapped this pic last evening on St. Charles Avenue, but I've seen much larger rewards being offered in the suburbs -- up to $400 a week.

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1135911545264439712005-12-29T18:11:00.000-08:002006-02-19T10:55:13.426-08:00

After four and a half weeks in New Orleans, I think I've normalized life in a disaster zone. Your expectations change and adjust and then what seemed bizarre a month ago is just the way things are now.I guess I'm not surprised. I live on the U.S./Mexico border and have worked in the Mexican state of Baja California as a journalist. I long ago learned to take off one pair of glasses and put on

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1135142108791359412005-12-20T20:48:00.000-08:002006-02-19T10:48:00.326-08:00

I really should have taken my camera with me today when we drove to the suburb of Metairie to find a happy, functioning Post Office from which to Express Mail something. Did you know that Louisiana has drive-thru daiquiri stands? I'm told you can drive around with a daiquiri if the straw isn't stuck through the lid. However, if the straw is protruding from the lid, then the mobile daiquiri is

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1134265530026499922005-12-10T17:21:00.000-08:002006-02-19T10:45:04.210-08:00

We finally worked up the courage to venture into New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward, a huge area of destruction and devastation caused by tidal-wave-like waters from a broken levee. All you had to do was point the camera in any direction and click the shutter. There was no need to frame the shot or seek out particularly dramatic angles. The whole area was obliterated. We didn't stay long because our

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1133821602854053092005-12-05T14:20:00.000-08:002006-02-19T10:42:45.700-08:00

Even as 80 percent of New Orleans remains unpopulated, wiped out by the flooding, life in the French Quarter sometimes feels completely normal. As Times-Picayune writer Jim Amoss put it, "New Orleans has become two cities -- an enclave of survivors clustered along the Mississippi River's crescent and a vast and sprawling shadow city where the water stood, devoid of power and people."

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1133726853542662042005-12-04T11:41:00.000-08:002006-02-19T11:25:21.026-08:00

Saturday night we took a walk down Bourbon Street, the heart of the tourist sector of the French Quarter -- which is in the 20-ish percent of the city that wasn't wiped out by the floods. Apart from the Humvees and MPs and all the New York State Police officers, it seemed sorta normal. There were a lot of people out and about. We figured they were not so much tourists as contractors working here

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1133629540189529982005-12-03T08:55:00.000-08:002006-01-17T01:04:31.736-08:00

I'll be here in New Orleans till mid January. Amid the tragedy, chaos and overwhelming destruction, it's always nice to find little reminders that either (a) God exists or (b) the Universe has a sense of humor. This first photo speaks for itself, I'd say. Then there's the excitement of U.S. government Meals Ready-to-Eat. The electricity grid in many sectors of the city fluctuates between unstable

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15316003.post-1133587331813147752005-12-02T21:08:00.000-08:002006-02-19T10:39:57.116-08:00

Today we journeyed into New Orleans' huge Dead Zone -- the 70-80 percent of the city that was wiped out by flooding. I hadn't thought much about what most of the city would look like. "Apocalyptic" is the right word. The media has not done a good job of showing us that most of New Orleans remains wiped out three months after the hurricane and the massive flooding.

Rex Wocknerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15454722380924796917noreply@blogger.com