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