ProtectMarriage.com - Yes on 8, a Project of California Renewal et al v. Bowen et al

Filing 155

DECLARATION of John Doe #52 in SUPPORT OF #110 MOTION for SUMMARY JUDGMENT. (Attachments: #1 Exhibit D)(Bieniek, Scott) Modified on 6/4/2009 (Matson, R).

Exhibit D

From: Jennie LaCovey [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 12:34 PM To: REDACTED Subject: prop 8 Hey All ­ Some of you are aware that Yes on Prop 8 has unfortunately passed. For those of you not in Cali, this means that Gay marriage is no longer legal! I guess the wedding I was in back in Sept. for my dearest friends Sami and Karen is now void? And that means the wedding in April for by best friend, Shannon, and her fiancé Melissa now means it will only be a commitment ceremony. WTF! We live in a country where everyone is supposed to be created EQUAL. I guess they are referring to everyone white or black, man or woman, straight... but not gay. I understand that it takes time, but didn't CA just take 2 steps back?! I could meet a man tomorrow and run off to Vegas to get married, but my best friends who are in committed loving relationships for years won't have the same privileges?!! A week ago I was having a bold moment and stole 2 "Yes on Prop 8" signs off a lawn that was ridiculously covered in them. And I don't feel bad about it. Not one bit. How can discrimination still be tolerated? It's almost 2009 and more than half of the US continues to effect peoples lives by causing them to be second class citizens. Being homosexual is not a disease... it's not something you can catch. Believe me, if I could have a girlfriend... I WOULD! Homosexuality is not taught in schools FYI. Do you remember learning about marriage in grade school? I sure don't. And even if it was taught, so what! Are we going to continue to spread hate and teach are kids to discriminate?! Attached is a funny photo someone sent me. If you don't live here, Prop 2 passed which gives chickens animal rights, etc... Funny how we finally have an AA pres and the animal rights prop passed, but no rights for the gays. Xoxo, J. P.S. Please sign the petition below if you live in Cali. J With our new President elected, we know the seal has been broken in a beautiful show if this nation's growth, love, acceptance and the achievement of the Equality and Freedom we were founded for. As many of you know, and some may not, proposition 8 on the California ballot passed by a very narrow margin yesterday. Prop 8 would eliminate the right for same sex couples to marry. Let's be clear about this proposition: Homosexual Californians are not looking for a special clause, new treatment, or right. WE HAD IT. Supporters of Prop 8 want to go in and RE-WRITE AN EXCLUSION of same sex couples into the Constitution. There has been a lot of propaganda to

make some folks believe this is about education, Church's tax exempt status, and other nonsense. To get the FACTS, and see who supports this cause, visit www.noonprop8.com. Regardless of your personal beliefs, it is wrong and unjust to strip one group of people of a fundamental civil right. ALL people deserve the right to marry and have a family with the person they love. We can't let fear and propaganda take away this right from anyone. Please take a minute to sign this petition to repeal Prop 8 and RESTORE EQUALITY FOR ALL. http://www.petitiononline.com/seg5130/petition.html I was at the West Hollywood Protest March last night with our best friends Jenn and Stacey, who were married, legally, in July. Prop 8 wants to tell them their marriage and love are not equal, not legal, and not allowed. Please stand with us and we fight for Equality. Please send this on to everyone you know. Changing just one mind matters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSAtGmUSLZM Check out YouTube.com and just enter in "no on prop 8 protest" and see the dozen of news clips and personal footage from all across the state! YES WE CAN!!! Hi Everyone, As you know Prop 8 has passed. It has brought great sadness to Karen and I. It hurts to know that discrimination is masked by religion. I am ashamed of all who voted to take my marriage away. I am hurt deeply by anyone who would try to break up loving families, just because they are not like theirs. All the lies that were told about schools and children. Using children!!!! The phone calls telling people that Obama supports "Yes" on 8 - LIES!! I especially cannot believe that those who have felt the horror of discrimination, would then discriminate. This is about EQUAL RIGHTS!! Not religion!!! This is so unconstitutional - the last legal discrimination. I am not a second rate citizen. My love deserves the same legal rights as a straight couple, and the same word - MARRIAGE. I do not want to call it anything else, that would be the same as sitting at the back of the bus. Separate is not equal. Sami Jennie LaCovey Bloc Talent Agency www.blocagency.com T: 323 954 7730 F: 323 954 7731

From: Larry Walter [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 2:52 PM To: REDACTED Subject: Hello
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Hi

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,

Just wanted you to know we all think you are a bigot and a religious zealot. Hope your children all turn out to be gay!!

From: Bobby Furler [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 3:03 PM To: REDACTED Subject: prop 8 I would like to take the time to say you and your discrimination cause disgust me. I hope one day you will find peace in what you have done and all of the lives that you have affected. Proposition 8 was nothing but pure discrimination and homophobia under the guises of "marriage protection" and "looking after children". People like you are so filled with hate, please take the time to discuss with your god if hate and fear really is the answer. If you find that it is, I am sorry. I will be praying for you. Respectfully yours, Robert Furler Los Angeles, CA

From: Bryan Miyamoto [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 4:34 PM To: REDACTED Subject: Thank you for all your hate Dear
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Thank you very much for putting all your hate out there in the world. You really made a difference being a REDACTED for yes on prop 8. Maybe you rather than teaching hate, you should focus your energy for something positive. I just got an e-mail from my friend regarding your hate towards gay community, and your name is all over the gay community. What goes around comes around comes around .
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Bryan Miyamoto

From: Austen Faggen [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 5:18 PM To: REDACTED Subject: Re: Hey !
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There is the basic freedom granted to us by the First Amendment allowing everyone the right to express themselves openly. Same-sex marriage is a form of expression just as traditional marriage. It is a statement of love (or at least commitment) before the state that two people plan to function as one family unit. Marriage is a right. I have heard this argument that it is a privilege before. They say it is like driving, they are both regulated and, therefore, are not rights but privileges. However, voting has always been referred to as a right and it has also always been regulated. You can't vote until age 18, you must be a legal citizen and you can even lose your right to vote. Yet we don't call voting a right. I would argue that marriage is a right and that we are privileged to have that right. I guarantee you that if you were not allowed to marry your partner because he was black or Jewish or whatever, you would be livid also. Put yourselves in our shoes. And tell that gay friend of yours to look deep down and start loving himself more. Any self-respecting gay man or woman should not be for Prop 8. You should be proud of yourself for standing up for your gay stepson. Go the next step. When this issue rolls around the next time-- and we both know that it will-- help us. I know you will be proud to one day say that you were on the side of civil rights. On Mon, Feb 9, 2009 at 5:00 PM, REDACTED
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> wrote:

Prop 8 maintains the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman--which is what it has always been. By the way, Marriage is not a right--it is a privilege. You and your partner, have the same right to choose to live in a domestic partnership and the same rights to legal protection. But you don't have the right to redefine marriage. Actually, before I decided to work on this campaign, I had a long talk about prop 8 with a very dear gay friend who has been in a long term relationship with his life partner. He agrees 100% with my position. I don't hate anyone, certainly not you or any other gay person. My stepson is gay, and his father (my ex) wanted to disown him when he and his partner moved in together. We had huge issue over this as I could not fathom how he could turn his back on his son. He eventually reconciled his son before he died, and I thank God he did. If my own children were gay, I would feel the same way about marriage ­ but I would love them, and support them if they were lucky enough to find a life partner, and if their union produced children either by birth or by adoption. And I would love those grand children just as much as any other grandmother. However, the hate and vindictiveness leveled at me and others by the gay community has been truly appalling. I truly wish you well

From: Austen Faggen [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 4:43 PM To: REDACTED Subject: REDACTED !
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I've been with my partner for eight years. In November, I lost my right to marry. Now I understand your position completely! You believe that that right never should have been given to us in the first place. And I understand that belief. But some Christian and Jewish sects do allow for gay marriage. And separation of church and state should have allowed for those churches to act independently of the government. Mormons, after all, who helped in a large part to finance your involvement, can do tons irrespective of the government and law. But because you and others felt it was necessary to inflict your specific religious believes onto others, I can no longer call the man I love, my husband. Although I will keep his last name. All definitions are subjective, . That's why you'll find different definitions in different dictionaries (the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, for example, defines marriage as "the legal or religious union of two people" and says nothing of a man or a woman).
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I am sure we both believe in the American government. That's why we both live here. I believe in the right of a majority to dictate laws, which is what happened in November, just like you do. So even though it hurts me, I understand that the majority of people in California decided gay marriages should not be performed by all churches and synagogues regardless of their independent doctrines. But what you forget is that the Constitution was created to protect minority groups from the will of the majority. That's why in the sixties, blacks were able to win rights in the courts even without wide popular support for their causes. Sure you personally don't believe that gays should have the rights to marry. But that is just your own religious and/or moral view. Many people once thought blacks shouldn't have the right to marry whites. You shouldn't have acted so strongly to help the Yes on 8 campaign. You inflicted your personal views on others. Your words were hurtful and often inaccurate. And even though my marriage had no effect on yours, your words and support helped hatred and bigotry win out. I know that in twenty years, your grandchildren will google your name and ask you with amazement why you stood against gay marriage. Just like my friend looks down on his grandfather for his bigoted support of the KKK, your descendants will look down on you. You might not have understood this at the time, but what you did was a form of disguised hatred. Remember, KKK members never saw their disapproval of interracial marriages as hatred. They also thought they had a moral obligation to protect society from the evils of whatever bullshit they believed would bring down society at the time. I am ashamed of you, in the future.
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. I hope that you will reconsider your support of such hatful legislation

"Do to others whatever you would like to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12 Please reconsider your public statements. Best, Austen