I covered the San Francisco Pride 2009 Media Party this evening honoring the grand marshals for this year’s Pride parade. I was really happy to meet Lt. Dan Choi, who is serving as one the Celebrity Grand Marshals along with Cloris Leachman and Milk producer Bruce Cohen. Lt. Choi has been in the news lately for outing himself on the Rachel Maddow Show and getting ejected from the military for violating Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He’s a real nice, standup guy, who shouldn’t be punished for who he is or who he loves. Some snapshots from the event below:

Bay Area photographer Bill Wilson spoke briefly with Michelle Obama at an event he covered in San Francisco yesterday, kicking off the United We Serve program. Wilson, who is gay and recently married to his partner of 22 years by Mayor Gavin Newsom, told the First Lady we need to get rid of DOMA. The exchange via The Petrelis Files below:

Bill Wilson: My husband and I have been together 23 years. We need to get rid of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Michelle Obama: I agree.

Bill Wilson: We need it done now.

Michelle Obama: It will be.

Bill Wilson: I really want to be able to support him.

Michelle Obama: As well you should!

Bill Wilson: We really do want him to succeed.

Michelle Obama: I’ll tell him.

(At this point she leaned over to give me a hug.)

As she stepped away I said, “We were married by the Mayor last year.”

Michelle Obama: Give your husband a hug from me.

I met Bill recently covering the GLAAD Media Awards and am glad he was able to speak to Michelle Obama on behalf of the gay community. Is it possible we have a “fierce advocate” in the White House after all?

California Attorney General Jerry Brown and Andrew Pugno, attorney for Protect Marriage appeared on CNN discussing the latest challenge to Proposition 8 recently filed in federal court. Brown filed a brief in support of overturning ban yesterday. Watch:

Granted it’s a comedy show by some crude and talent-impaired shock jocks (and one semi-reasonable jockette), but give me a break. It’s dehumanizing talk like this that nudges someone to act out and hurt someone. Listen to audio from the Rob, Arnie and Dawn Show if you can stomach it. Discussion starts around the 4:45 mark.

It’s easy to forget sometimes living here in this bubble called San Francisco that we are just an hour or two away from such intense prejudice and intolerance. Oh wait a minute, Michael Savage broadcasts from San Francisco. So much for that theory.

GLAAD has now called for an apology from the show.