In L.A., A Weekend of Dueling Marriage Equality Meetings

While neither group is framing it as a competition, two different marriage equality meetings in Los Angeles this weekend are a study in contrasts. On Saturday, at the L.A. Convention Center, the Equality Summit sponsored by Equality California, will host a broad range of talks and plenary sessions with gay and lesbian leaders from both mainstream and grassroots groups. On Sunday, Rick Jacobs and the Courage Campaign (which has been critical of Equality California's Geoff Kors) will hold the first southland version of its "Camp Courage", designed to train marriage equality advocates with the tools of grassroots organizing. Cleve Jones will be in attendance.

At Long Last, We Know Who Was on the No on 8 Executive Committee

You'd think that in their bid to remain viable members of the next generation of California marriage quality advocates, the members of the Executive Committee for the failed No on 8 campaign would demonstrate some transparency, but it took a public records request filing with California Secretary of State Debra Bowen by SF-activist Michael Petrelis to get the names of the committee finally released. Bowen walked Petrelis through "maze of filings" to finally shed some light on just who was behind No on 8.

Here's the full list of principal officers:
Geoff Kors, executive director, Equality California;
Lorri Jean, chief executive officer, Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center;
Kate Kendell, executive director, National Center for Lesbian Rights;
Michael Fleming, executive director, David Bohnett Foundation;
Marty Rouse, national field director, Human Rights Campaign;
Heather Carrigan, ACLU of Southern California;
Oscar De La O, Beinestar Human Services in Los Angeles;
Sue Dunlop, Los Angeles;
Maya Harris, ACLU of Northern California;
Don Howes, Los Angeles;
Dennis Herrera, City Attorney of San Francisco;
Dr. Delores Jacobs, chief executive officer, San Diego LGBT Community Center;
Joyce Newstadt, San Francisco;
Tawal Panyacosit, director, Asian and Pacific Islander Equality in San Francisco;
Rashid Robinson, Los Angeles;
Kevin Tilden, communications/political consultant, San Diego;
and "No on 8" treasurer, Steve Mele, founder of ML Associates in West Hollywood.

It is beyond comprehension why these names were not disclosed by the No on 8 campaign earlier and we can't help but thinking that if the Executive Committee is unwilling to share even the most basic facts about their campaign, they will never fully account for or agree to an independent analysis of why the campaign failed.

This weekend, Equality California will host an Equality Summit in Los Angeles, which is open to all marriage equality advocates both old and new who registered. After much wrangling, Queerty and other members of the press have ensured that the event will be fully open to the press.