FREE THE TAPES!

I want to show you a reenactment of the Prop8 original trial showing the interview of Kristin Matthews Perry. Marisa Tomei and Josh Lucas did a great job on this reenactment. From inside the court today, if you followed AFER online, you saw the live updates from moment to moment inside that courtroom today. This was for the release of the original Prop8 Trial Video tapes being released. Judge James Ware presided over this case today as he did over the trial for Proponents of Prop8 requesting to vacate the decision made my Judge Vaughn Walker because he was gay and in a long term relationship. (Keep in mind unsatisfied with Judge James Ware's decision to not vacate Walker's decision, Proponents of Prop8 then seeked to Vacate Judge James Ware's decision. Once again proving they will stop at nothing to spread hate through our Golden State).


Now before I continue I want to say thank you very much to AFER (American Foundation for Equal Rights), Courage Campaign, the Legal Team (opposing and fighting prop 8), and most of all Kristin Perry and Sandy Steir for fighting not only for themselves but for all of the LGBT community. If it weren't for you two amazing women, we wouldn't be as close as we are to ending PropH8.
The request by Proponents of Prop H8 to seal the video tapes from the original Prop 8 trial Perry vs. Schwarzenegger (now Perry vs. Brown) was to protect the identities of their key "witnesses" in the original trial, fearing that they would be harassed for their support. These two men are Kenneth P. Miller an academic who is used to public speaking, and David Blankenhorn the founder and President of the Institute for American Values (a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting traditional family values).
Obviously this request is that of a lame attempt not to look stupid to the public, if the public were to be granted the right to see the trial that found Prop 8 as unconstitutional. These two guys are strong Proponents for Prop 8, and Blankenhorn I have to say is a complete ass for naming his organization "American Values" first of all, I am an American, and my values and his values are different. I believe every family should be a home. I believe a family's foundation should be strictly based on love and care. I believe every child deserves a strong set of parents no matter what their sex is, as long as the parents provide them with everything that they need from food in their bellies, to close on their back, to a roof over their head. To me that is what Family is.
Before the Prop 8 trial was originally heard the U.S. Supreme Court accepted these arguments and prohibited the LIVE BROADCASTING of the trial. They would not allow it to be broadcast on TV or online. Only to ensure that the witnesses mentioned before would not feel so intimidated that they would not appear before the courts in the future. Judge Vaughn Walker however did record digital copies of the case which was not technically prohibited by the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Vaughn Walkers reason for recording this case was that of a good one, to ensure the faith of the public in the Judicial system. I agree, as a gay man, fighting for marriage, I feel that the case that directly relates to my rights or future rights I should have full access to, so my "rights" aren't left in the dark.
This following quote is from LA Times also posted on the AFER website.

Still, the U.S. District Court should now allow the videos to be broadcast. There has never been any real evidence of potential danger to the witnesses. With the trial over, any procedural issues about last-minute changes are moot. California’s ban on same-sex marriage is a matter of extraordinary public interest, and the discussion that took place during the trial would strengthen public understanding. People would see Blankenhorn, though an opponent of same-sex marriage, testify that the United States would be more American on the day such marriages became legal. They would see Miller, hired by supporters of Proposition 8, say that prejudice played a role in its passage. And whatever viewers chose as the take-home message from the trial, they would be more deeply informed about the debate.

The importance of these videos being released is for all of us to know and be reassured that our Judicial system is providing exactly what it is meant to, Justice! We all have a right to know what is going on behind the scenes in the court room. Thank the Lord for twitter as I was able to follow step by step the trial that took place at 9am today. If you would like to be able to see these behind the scene tweets for this and future cases related to Prop 8 trial, be sure to follow @ AFER on twitter.
Also stay tuned, if you do have the California Channel through your cable provider, you will be able to watch the U.S. Supreme Court hearing on whether or not the Proponents for Prop 8 have any standing in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Or if your service provider does not offer that channel you will be able to watch the live webcast via TheCaliforniaChannel.com .
If you are not gay, ask yourself. If these extremist can go as far as attempting at taking rights away from Gays, who is next? Non-Christians? Teachers? Healthcare Providers? Women? Children? Elderly? No one is safe if we don't fight these people off.