According to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, proposition 8 served no purpose other than to lessen the human dignity of gay and lesbian couples. The 9th Circuit Court ruled today that prop. 8, which banned gay marriage in California, was unconstitutional.

The court said in a statement:

“All that Proposition 8 accomplished was to take away from same-sex couples the right to be granted marriage licenses and thus legally to use the designation ‘marriage,’ which symbolizes state legitimization and social recognition of their committed relationships. Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples. The Constitution does not allow for ‘laws of this sort.’”

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled that Prop. 8 was unconstitutional in 2010, but his ruling was put into question after it was revealed that Walker was gay. The 9th Circuit Court upheld Walker’s ruling today, and in a separate ruling the court refused to invalidate Walker’s original ruling based on the grounds that he should have disclosed his sexuality.

The LA Times reports that the ProtectMarriage group can still appeal today’s ruling. ProtectMarriage can appeal to a larger panel of the 9th Circuit Court (today’s decision involved three judges) or they can appeal to the Supreme Court.

Do you agree with the U.S. 9th Circuit Court’s ruling on Prop 8? Should gay marriage be legal? Do you think the battle over Prop 8 is over or will ProtectMarriage try to file an appeal?

Prop. 8 Ruled Unconstitutional is a post from: The Inquisitr

Today, gay couples in California will be celebrating or protesting after an appeals court issues a ruling on Prop 8. The 9th Circuit Court will decide if Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage, violates the constitutional rights of gay couples.

John Lewis, legal director of Marriage Equality USA, said in a statement:

“We are very hopeful that the 9th Circuit will rule in favor of fairness and equality, once and for all putting an end to Prop. 8′s exclusion of loving, committed couples from marriage.”

The ruling is expected to come late this morning. The LA Times reports that rallies are being planned around California for after the judges hand down their ruling.

A three judge panel is currently discussing the constitutional merits of Prop 8. Stephen Reinhardt, an appointee of former President Carter; Michael Daly Hawkins, an appointee of former President Clinton; and N. Randy Smith, appointed by former President George W. Bush will be making the ruling.

The Chicago Tribune reports that oral arguments between the judges last year appeared to show that the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was leaning toward ruling against Pop 8.

Prop 8 has been a topic for discussion for over several years in California. In 2000, Prop 22 defined marriage as between a man and a women. In 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional because it discriminated against gays. (MSNBC has an in depth timeline of Prop .

Prop 8 was introduced in 2008 and despite a celebrity backed “vote no on prop 8″ campaign, California voters overturned the Supreme Court’s decision and outlawed gay marriage.

Several lawsuits and petitions were filed against Prop 8 and in 2010 Federal District Court Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that Prop 8 was unconstitutional. But before gay marriages resumed, the 9th Circuit Court put a stay on Walker’s ruling so that they could have more time to determine the constitutionality of Prop 8.

Today, the 9th Circuit Court will finally decide if gay citizens in California can get married.

But the battle will not end today. The losing side, according to the Tribune, is expected to file an appeal.

Do you support gay marriage?

Prop 8 Ruling Expected Today is a post from: The Inquisitr

California Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to have vetoed a bill with a hidden message to Assemblyman Tom Ammiano.

Ammiano had previously told Schwarzenegger to “kiss (his) gay ass” at a fundraiser, so the Governor may have been retaliating for the dis with the veto letter hiding the true message. The original poster reports that the governor’s office only had this to say when asked about the letter:

UPDATE: Aaron McLear from the governor’s press office just called. When I asked him if the Fuck You message was intentional, all he would say was “what a strange coincidence.” He was clearly being sarcastic.

The bill in question was to approve funds to finance the Port of San Francisco. Below is an enhanced pic of the letter, with f-word warnings for delicate sensibilities:

Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoes bill with hidden f-bomb is a post from: The Inquisitr

FunnyorDie is back with a classic new take on Proposition 8 with Proposition 8 The Musical.

Featuring in the video is Jack Black as Jesus, Neil Patrick Harris, Allison Janney, Rashida Jones, John C. Reilly, Magaret Cho, Sarah Chalke, Maya Rudolph and more.

The crux of the video is to highlight the issues in the Bible between condemning what is wrong and right, with Black noting that its a sin to eat shellfish, and that the bible also says it’s ok to stone your wife.

Religious types probably wont like it, but production values are strong, and Neil Patrick Harris has a fine singing voice.

Prop 8 The Musical video as follows:

Prop 8 The Musical is a post from: The Inquisitr

The California Supreme Court has agreed to hear several legal challenges to Proposition 8.

The three lawsuits to be heard seek to nullify Proposition 8 on the grounds that it abridges the civil rights of a vulnerable minority group, and argue that voters did not have the authority to enact such a significant constitutional change.

The ruling was not all good news for anti-Prop 8 protestors however, with the Court ruling against an order that would have permitted GLBT couples to marry until the cases were resolved.

The court directed California Attorney General Jerry Brown and pro-Proposition 8 supporters to submit their arguments for why the ballot initiative should not be nullified by December 19. Proposition 8 opponents must respond before January 5. Oral arguments for the challenges may be heard as soon as March 2009.

(in part: AFP)

California Supreme Court to hear Proposition 8 challenges is a post from: The Inquisitr

Comedian Wanda Sykes, best known for her role on the New Adventures of Old Christine has come out of the closet at a Prop 8 protest, saying the same-sex marriage ban has led to her be more outspoken about being gay.

“You know, I don’t really talk about my sexual orientation. I didn’t feel like I had to. I was just living my life, not necessarily in the closet, but I was living my life. Everybody that knows me personally they know I’m gay. But that’s the way people should be able to live their lives” she said.

Sykes said Proposition 8 made her feel like she was attacked: “Now, I gotta get in their face,” she said. “I’m proud to be a woman. I’m proud to be a black woman, and I’m proud to be gay.”

“They pissed off the wrong group of people…They have galvanized a community. We are so together now and we all want the same thing and we shouldn’t have to settle for less. Instead of having gay marriage in California, no, we’re gonna have gay marriage across the country.”

Video as follows:

Wanda Sykes comes out of the closet for Prop 8 protest is a post from: The Inquisitr

Spencer Pratt is such a class act. When MTV ran into him on the set of How I Met Your Mother (more like Spencer probably went chasing after anyone with a microphone), he said that he totally supports gay marriage because of Heidi’s hair and makeup peeps. No “friends” or “family” here! Wow, how can he sound like such an amazing jerk?

“Like I’ve always said: Heidi’s hair and makeup people are some of my favorite homosexuals on the planet, and if they want to marry each other, I’m not about to be like, ‘Don’t.’”

At least Heidi piped up that she’s “very for equal rights.” She’s the lesser of the two evils, really.

Spencer Speaks Out Against Prop 8 While Irritating People is a post from: The Inquisitr

In an extremely confusing (and frightening) blog entry, Courtney Love spilled her feelings about Prop 8–but was she for or against it? I’ve read her post a couple times now, and I think she was actually on the right path until someone tried to explain voting to her. Prepare to have your head messed with:

“blown away
Current mood: bouncy

That prop 8 passsed! motherf[*]ckers! who voted against it!
it was confusing language in malibu there were kids reminding us to vote yes thatthe language was conbfusing and people were votingno when they meant yes or soemthin”

Anyone want to take a stab at deciphering this? Was Courtney actually trying to Vote No on Prop 8? Methinks someone should’ve just “Saved to Draft.”

I found the screenshot for you to enjoy.

Courtney Love Blogs About Proposition 8 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Los Angeles police have arrested people at a Proposition 8 protest in Hollywood Wednesday evening.

Protests against the slim passing of Proposition 8, a proposal that outlaws GLBT marriages and invalidates existing marriages were held in 8 locations in California, including Hollywood and San Francisco.

Over 1000 people attended the Proposition 8 protest in Hollywood, but a small group broke away from the main protest, resulting in a “tactical alert” from LA police, that resulted in 4 arrests.

GLBT groups are still refusing to admit defeat on the proposition, claiming that some 4 million votes are yet to be counted. With 99% of districts reporting, the Yes vote remains ahead with 52% of the vote.

Arrests at Proposition 8 protest is a post from: The Inquisitr

Voters in California have passed Proposition 8 by a narrow margin.

The proposition defines marriage as between a man and a woman and bans GLBT marriages, and invalidates existing marriages.

At 1:45am PST with 78% of precincts reporting, the yes vote had 52% of the vote, with a margin of over 300,000 votes. The vote has trended lower for yes throughout the evening as larger centers have been added to the tally, but the trend would appear not strong enough to change the result.

Opposition to Proposition 8 was strong in the tech community, with many leading companies financially backing the no campaign.

Proposition 8 passes: gay marriage to be outlawed in California is a post from: The Inquisitr