Barricades are being dropped off by PD in San Francisco’s Castro district and in San Diego for crowd control. Twitter is all aflutter with rumors from multiple sources including SF City Hall and Equality Network which point to the California Supreme Court ruling on Prop 8 this Thursday.

As Joe at Joe.My.God so rightly Points out, does the California Supreme Court realize their ruling could fall on the 30th anniversary of the White Night Riots and just a day before Harvey Milk’s birthday? Definitely a witch’s brew, especially if things go bad…

Today marks the one year anniversary of the California Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the ban on same-sex marriage that had been in place since 2000.

My partner and I were in Sydney on vacation at the time and didn’t realize it had happened until after we got home. And thanks to bad case of vacation hangover, and that we were already domestic partners, we didn’t feel particularly invested in the decision, I’m embarrassed to say.  Sure we were glad the ban had been overturned but we had already decided to wait until 2009 to possibly tie the knot, provided same-sex marriage was legal at the time and that any initiative against it was defeated in the fall.

Over the next month we didn’t discuss or think about the ruling much despite the media frenzy that was  building all around the state in the lead up to 5:oo p.m. on June 16, when the first same-sex weddings were to be performed.

I decided the day before that I wanted to go down to San Francisco City Hall and cover what would most certainly be a circus, as the first gay marriages were sure to bring out the most hateful and bigoted elements of our society, decrying that these marriages were an abomination and would bring about the end days.

After I covered the story, I promptly went home and asked my partner of 8 year to marry me. The weight of the day’s events, both historical and emotional, did not leave me any choice. Fortunately his answer was yes. We exchanged vows 3 months later.

So while not particularly important to us at the time,  May 15, 2008 is now an incredibly important day, as it set in motion the events that allowed me to marry the love of my life. And June 16, thirty days from now, will also be an extraordinarily significant day, not only because it was the day I proposed, but it is the first anniversary of those couples who chose to be  married in that “circus” the very first night.

So it is my sincere hope that the California Supreme Court will soon overturn Prop 8 and grant marriage equality to all Californians, and allow those brave couples to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. And allow us and the thousands that followed that day, to celebrate ours.

The third and final leg of of the 20th GLAAD Media Awards was held in San Francisco last night hosted by Chelsea Handler. Awards were given for Outstanding Television Movie, Outstanding Reality Program and Outstanding TV Journalism. Chad Allen, Dustin Lance Black, and filmmakers Geoff Callan and Mike Shaw were also honored. The following is a complete list of the awards presented and photos taken from the red carpet.

• Davidson/Valentini Award: Chad Allen

• Special Recognition: Dustin Lance Black

• Special Recognition: Geoff Callan and Mike Shaw

• Outstanding Television Movie: East Side Story (Logo)

• Outstanding Reality Program: TIE: I Want to Work for Diddy (VH1) and Transamerican Love Story (Logo)

• Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine: “Funding the Marriage War”
  In the Life (PBS)

[slidepress gallery=’glaad-awards-2009′]
Photos by Inside, Looking Out.

We had the good fortune yesterday to meet Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, at a “meet and greet” here in San Francisco for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. She is a extraordinarily kind and brave woman who deserves all our thoughts this Mothers Day.

I would encourage everyone who is able to donate to her Foundation which is doing wonderful work in fighting hate and promoting LGBT equality.

State Senator Mike Leno, Top Chef contestant Jennifer Biesty and local entertainer Donna Sachet were also in attendance. A few snapshots from the event are below.