Geoff Kors To Leave Equality California

Equality California executive director Geoff Kors revealed today that he'll be leaving the organization this spring. EQCA spearheaded the unsuccessful attempt to defeat Proposition 8 in 2008. Seth Hemmelgarn at Bay Area Reporter:

Kors, who has been EQCA's only executive director since it was created in 1998, announced this morning (Friday, December 3) that he's resigning from the group, effective March 31. The date marks the eve of his ninth anniversary with the state's biggest LGBT rights organization. "I felt I'm ready to do some different things," Kors, 49, told the Bay Area Reporter , adding that nine years is a "long tenure" for the leader of a political organization like EQCA. He has yet to decide where he'll go next and has not applied yet for any other jobs.

Widely criticized for his leadership of the unsuccessful fight to defeat Prop 8 in the fall of 2008, Kors declined to talk about regrets or things he would've done differently. Instead, he talked about his accomplishments. He said when he became executive director, there was a staff of two, there was no statewide LGBT political action committee, and California was "a state with very limited rights" for same-sex couples. At the time, couples had less than 15 legal rights and protections, and there are now more than 400. He also pointed to employment and housing protections for transgender people

Read Hemmelgarn's complete analysis of Kors' tenure.

Noose Hung At Equality California

Workers arrived at the Santa Ana office of Equality California to find a small string noose hanging from the door. Local police were uninterested. EQCA employee Mel Distel relates her exchange with the cop who responded to her call:

"There was nothing they could do, of course, there was no suspect and no crime had been committed. The officer said 'what it is, is a string on a door.' My vision got blurry, I was embarrased and felt stupid for making the call. I took a deep breath and said 'Do you see any correlation between the fact that this is a gay office and there was a noose left on our door in the wake of all of these teen suicides?' The officer said, 'Sometimes you just have to live with being a victim,' and proceeded to mention that his car had been broken into before." That didn't exactly sit well with Distel. "As if that's the same. As if having your stereo stolen is anything like the message 'You should kill yourself.' As if random theft is anything like an act meant to convey hate and stir up fear in the heart of a minority group."

Making threats of violence against an LGBT group is considered a hate crime in California, despite the officer's indifference.

Equality California Launches Ad Campaign Against Meg Whitman

They've also launched an ad against Attorney General candidate Steve Cooley, who gets similar treatment.

Quote Of The Day - Geoff Kors

"One of the things I sincerely hope Ken Mehlman has done or will do is to explain to George W. Bush how denying LGBT people equality causes real harm and how the GOP's anti-equality platform and campaigns lead to teen suicides and hate crimes. I hope he explains how bigotry impacted him and that he has asked George W Bush to join his wife Laura in supporting marriage equality. If he can convince Bush to publicly change his position that would be powerful.

"And I hope he shares with the public how the GOP used animus towards gay people to pass anti-marriage state constitutional amendments, as that will bolster the federal Prop 8 case. What he does to undo the damage he caused can be a part of his legacy and working with AFER to help overturn Prop 8 is a good start. We all have to hope he goes all out and proves he is a talented political strategist -- this time on the side of equality." - Equality California head Geoff Kors, speaking to reporter Rex Wockner.

HomoQuotable - B. Daniel Blatt

"In his latest email, the head of the gay affiliate of the California Democratic Party 'Equality California' tells us about 'the U.S. Constitution’s promise of equality for all'. Funny, I’ve read the U.S. Constitution more times than I can count and have never found. The framers did indicate that the charter’s purpose includes securing 'the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity'.

"Save for the Fourteenth Amendment when the word, 'equal,' appears, it only refers to legislative voting. And that Amendment specifies that 'No State shall make or enforce any law' which denies 'to any person within its jurisdiction.' Not sure how you get from that to a 'promise of equality.' Sorry, Geoff, you can’t read your ideological watchword into the constitution. It just ain’t there." - Gay Patriot blogger B. Daniel Blatt, hoping to be the next gay kapo quoted in court filings against marriage equality.

NEW STUDY: All That Money Spent On Prop 8 Advertising Was For Nothing

According to a new study just released, those zillions of dollars spent by both sides during the 2008 Prop 8 advertising battle didn't actually change anybody's mind.

The warring sides in the 2008 battle over same-sex marriage in California may have spent a combined $83 million for nothing, according to an academic study released Tuesday. The study by Patrick Egan of New York University looked at polling on gay marriage and domestic partner elections in 33 states since 1998 and found that no minds were changed despite millions in spending, hard-hitting advertising such as the much-quoted "like it or not" TV spot with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and emotional pleas from both sides. By election day, voters who opposed same-sex marriage before the campaign still opposed it, and those who backed it continued to back it. "The study indicates that when all of this (campaigning) is over, the result is a wash," said Egan, who was joined by supporters of same-sex marriage at a news conference at San Francisco City Hall.

According to the above-linked story, the new study should serve as a warning to marriage proponents intent on putting the issue on the 2012 ballot. Equality California's Geoffrey Kors agrees that a majority support will be required before even considering the attempt: "We're not going in if the numbers don't make sense."

(Tipped by JMG reader Huntington)

Johnny Weir Speaks At Equality California

Olympian Johnny Weir spoke an event for Equality California on Sunday. He refers to "this community, us, our people" but still hasn't formally come out.