In light of the California ruling allowing the gay to be married legally, it's time to confront this question that we all knew was coming, although most of us ignored it.

Well, the time is now.

The point of this diary is to have a poll.  The poll question asks if youre for full marriage equality or only gay marriage equality.

I'm trying to separate the activists from those who truly wish for FULL marriage equality for everyone (and I mean everyone, including the weirdly religious).

Vote honestly.

I am a long time member of a United Church of Christ congregation.

There are some here who are happy about Obama cutting ties with Trinity UCC, and I have to say that I am hurt by this development.

I've never been to Trinity UCC.  I think I've spent six hours of my life in Chicago, not counting time spent at the airport or Greyhound station.  I can't speak about any specific churches in the denomination, because we take a congregational approach and each congregation is independent, and local churches set their own theological policies.  However, there are a few things about the denomination as a whole that I would like to share.

Originally posted on The Bilerico Project by IN LA magazine editor Karen Ocamb.

Change? Bah, humbug.

When I watched John Kerry endorse Barack Obama, I couldn't help but think: "Here we go, again."

Kerry was the Vietnam war hero turned anti-war hero who threw gays under the bus to get elected in 2004.

And we relented, not wanting to upset Democratic Party big-whigs like Bill Clinton who made it sound like we were the ones who brought on the anti-gay marriage initiatives in eleven states that year. They passed, Kerry lost, and we were blamed. By the way, has either Bill or Hillary Clinton ever confirmed that Bill Clinton advised Kerry to support the anti-gay ballot initiatives as a way of defusing the gay issue?

So here's Barack Obama, so fresh and new - getting his national jump-start at the 2004 Democratic National Convention where he talked about red and blue states and having gay friends.  Yes - he actually used the word "gay." But no more. Both in his New Hampshire concession speech and in his thank you to Kerry, Obama reverted to the code word "equality."

Here we go again.

One day after easily passing a legislative committee on a strictly partisan vote, a marriage equality bill introduced by Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer passed the New York State Assembly on Tuesday by a bipartisan vote of 85 to 61. By passing A. 8590, whose chief legislative sponsor was talk show host Rosie O'Donnell's openly gay brother Assemblymember Daniel O'Donnell, the New York State Assembly became the third legislative body in the United States to pass a bill opening marriage to same-sex couples, after the California State Senate and California State Assembly.

Boston's Pride Parade changed routes this year, to walk in front of the State House on Beacon Hill - less than a week before a Constitutional Convention threatens marriage equality. Two candidates, Niki Tsongas and Jamie Eldridge, had people show up to support them, as pictures in that link. Jamie Eldridge was the only candidate in the 5th, that I'm aware of, who actually went. He marched with Jarret Barrios, one of the few openly gay Massachusetts state legislators.

Jamie Eldridge also had an interesting diary he posted at Blue Mass Group. Eldridge has announced that there will be no campaigning by anyone on his staff this Thursday, during the ConCon. Instead, he and all his people are going to do all that they can to make sure the anti-marriage equality amendment is defeated. Here's the gist:

This campaign has momentum because the voters know that we need strong leadership to make progress in our country.  And the voters are learning about the campaign because volunteers are bringing it directly to them.  I ask for your help in that effort...

But not this week.

This week must be about the Constitutional Convention.  I've been a leader in the fight for marriage equality and full equal rights for all since before I was even elected to office.  I serve as what's called a division whip on the issue which means that I am the point person for the efforts to persuade a number of legislators to oppose the amendment.  I know firsthand that your efforts are making a difference, but there is more to be done this week.  Please find a way to contact your legislators and support MassEquality's actions.

I have discussed the issue with my campaign staff, interns, and lead volunteers, and they are taking this Thursday off from campaigning to join up with the efforts in Boston.  Please join us!  People will be arriving at the Statehouse at 7:00am and I promise you the show of support for equality sends a strong message to those last legislators who are struggling to make up their minds.

Pretty cool.

Lastly, LeftinLowell posted videos of the Iraq War forum between all the Democratic Candidates. Of particular note are the questions, which you can go directly to by following that link, on Don't Ask Don't Tell and allowing colleges to ban military recruiters because it violates their non-discrimination clauses because of DADT. There are some very revealing answers on that.

Hillary Clinton speaks at HRC and declares herself a strong ally of the LGBT Community! How refreshing to hear a candidate speak for our rights instead of purely against them, or in vague terms that barelyreference them, or work to completely avoid the issue. She has declared herself proudly against the Federal Marriage Amendment. And I quote:

"We will not stand idly by when anyone tries to write discrimination into our Constitution"

"We want to make sure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits, from health insurance & life insurance, to social security & property rights, and more. It is wrong that so many people are unable to care for those they love; to leave them their homes & belongings, to ensure they can see a doctor, to visit them in the hospital when they are sick. These are fundamental rights, and we will continue to push until they are equally available."

People for the American Way has obtained a strategy memo from the Alliance For Marriage (AFM), a rightwing organization intent on cultivating a "fifty state strategy" against marriage equality.  AFM says they're fighting an "historic struggle" to beat back the "acceleration" of marriage equality on the state level by promoting "a non-binding Marriage Protection Resolution; a joint resolution passed by state legislatures calling upon the state's congressional delegation and congressional leadership in Washington, to send the federal Marriage Protection Amendment to state legislators for ratification."

In the memo, AFM President Matt Daniels writes, "It is safe to predict that the trend in the courts will continue in the direction of Massachusetts and New Jersey" -- which ignores the fact that the NJ state legislature passed civil unions and will hopefully advance to marriage equality in the next two years.

But the more remarkable part of the memo is this: