"Boobies are for babies!" cries out a bare bellied, and bare chested, expectant mother amid a small crowd of her topless sisters. It is Venice Beach, on a sunny Sunday, and the cause is laid out for all to see: Women should be allowed to go topless, just like men. This is the annual Go Topless Day protest, march, and gathering. more ›

Before Venice Beach became the tourist hot spot it's known as today, it was one of L.A.'s secrets. Actually, it was a topless secret. Before 1974, Venice Beach was a nude mecca and apparently pretty private. But thanks to some media attention, a gubernatorial candidate campaigning in the nude and word spreading throughout town, people started to come and check out the spectacle. Controversy, of course, came to a head and the city banned nudity. But that didn't stop people from coming to Venice. "... it was too late to turn back the clock," wrote historian Jeffrey Stanton wrote in Venice California: Coney Island of the Pacific. "For people had discovered that Venice still existed and was actually a relatively safe place to visit during the day." more ›

The fourth hearing over a pending federal court case challenging the legality of Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, will take place in San Francisco today. Backers of the ban are asking U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker to dismiss the challenge because the law is clearly written and, get this, "there is no constitutional right for gays and lesbians to marry because marriage has long been defined as a union between a man and a woman," according to the LA Times. more ›

Hundreds of people marched over 14 miles from Selma to Fresno this morning kicking off the Meet in the Middle 4 Equality rally in downtown Fresno. Police were expecting 3,000 to 5,000 people to descend upon the city's city hall, but the number of people who have shown up is currently unknown. Notable names attending to speak include Charlize Theron, Eric McCormick from Will and Grace and T.R. Knight from Grey's Anatomy. more ›

It was quiet, people seemed happy and overall, the Prop 8 candlelight vigil on Saturday night in Hollywood was positive. Light Up the Night was a nationwide demonstration that aimed to make an impact on the private sector by holding the vigils in high traffic business or shopping areas. Organizers estimate the vigils reached one million people with the message of equality. more ›

Evangelical pastor Rick Warren, who was recently chosen to lead the invocation at Barack Obama's Presidential inauguration, spoke publicly yesterday at the 8th Annual Convention of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Long Beach, about his stance on homosexuality and California's Prop 8. more ›

About 2000 Long Beach opponents of Proposition 8 gathered at the corner of Redondo and Broadway at about 7PM tonight, chanting and waving signs. Following prompting from organizers with bull horns, the crowd took to over the street and marched west on Broadway, headed for Alamitos Ave. (2 miles away) while being closely watched by LBPD as well as news crews from major TV networks.
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Apple, who was one of the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to employees' same-sex partners, announced their $100,000 donation to fight Prop 8, the November ballot initiative that seeks to eliminate gay marriage. "We strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation," the company wrote on their website. "Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8." more ›

Warning: Many of these images are NSFW, or Not Safe for Work.