Marilyn Musgrave lost her US House seat in Colorado, bringing to an halt the Congressional career of one of the most outspoken opponents of gay equality.

She was a leading advocate of the failed Federal Marriage Amendment, which she introduced in 2003.

It called for a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as “the union of a man and a woman.”

The city of Silverton, Oregon, has elected the country’s first openly transgender mayor.

Stu Rasmussen, 60, served as mayor twice before, elected in 1988 and again in 1990, but that was before he underwent breast enhancement surgery and started to be more open about his trans status.

On Tuesday he unseated incumbent mayor Ken Hector by 1,988 votes to 1,512.

“I am a dude,” he said, according to the IHT.

“I am a heterosexual male who appears to be a female.”

“Some guys’ mid-life crisis is motorcycles or sports cars or climbing mountains or trophy wives or whatever.” Rasmussen told kgw.com. “I always wanted cleavage, so I went out and acquired some.”

Dozens of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates won election to public offices across the US on Tuesday, according to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

The group, which endorsed a record-breaking 111 candidates in 2008, said more than 70 percent of its endorsed candidates had won their races.

“This was a watershed election,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.

“Our government became more representative and our democracy became stronger.

“As we near the 30th anniversary of the death of Harvey Milk, it’s enormously gratifying to see his dream realised in so many brave men and women heeding the call to run for office, and doing so openly, honestly and unafraid.”

Milk, a San Francisco Supervisor who was one of the first openly gay elected officials in the US, was shot dead in San Francisco City Hall in November 1978. Milk urged his contemporaries to embrace the power of electoral politics as a path to change.

Among the winners in 2008:

Jared Polis of Colorado became the first openly gay man elected to the US Congress as a non-incumbent.

He joins Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Tammy Baldwin, both re-elected on Tuesday night, as the only openly LGBT Members of Congress.

Kate Brown became the first openly LGBT Secretary of State in the US, and the second-highest ranking elected official in the state of Oregon. Brown is openly bisexual.

Jason Bartlett, who came out as gay in his current term, was re-elected to the Connecticut State House. He is only the second openly gay African-American state legislator in the US.

Thomas Robichaux and Seth Bloom, both gay men, simultaneously became the first-ever openly LGBT elected officials in the state of Louisiana when they were elected to the Orleans Parish School Board in an October primary.

John Perez became the first openly gay person of colour elected to the California Assembly.

Lupe Valdez was re-elected to a second term as sheriff of Dallas County, Texas. First elected in 2004, Valdez was the first woman, the first Latina and the first out lesbian ever to win the post.

Kevin Beckner won a seat on the Hillsborough County Commission in Florida, unseating an anti-gay incumbent and becoming the first openly gay man elected in the county.

Rebecca Kaplan will be the first out lesbian to serve on the Oakland, Calif. City Council after winning her race on Tuesday.

In the closing days of the election season Victory Fund candidates in Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina and elsewhere were subject to gay-baiting political attacks.

“This election was an affirmation of the African-American civil rights movement that is more than a century old,” said Mr Wolfe.

“The LGBT movement is much younger, and it’s clear we still have much work to do to win true equality. The politics of fear and bigotry are not yet behind us, and we saw some heartbreaking examples of that in this election.

“On a day that demonstrated Americans’ commitment to inclusivity and equality, the sabotage of several openly LGBT candidates and the devastating outcomes of three statewide marriage bans were disappointingly inconsistent.

“I am confident that history will give us an opportunity to right those wrongs as we continue the journey toward full equality for all Americans.”

In Oklahoma, Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth was narrowly defeated in a statewide race after last-minute attack ads and mailers suggested he would push a ‘homosexual agenda’ in his role as a regulator of the state’s energy industry.

Garnet Lewis, who was seeking a seat in the Michigan State House, was subject to an onslaught of anti-gay attacks in print and radio media outlets during the final week of her campaign. She lost her race.

Full election results are available at www.victoryfund.org.

A dot indicates the candidate won his or her race.

With 100% of votes counted, 5,424,916 (52.4%) voted in favour of a constitutional definition of marriage being between a man and woman. 4,832,086 (47.6%) voted against. Some postal and absentee votes have yet to be counted.

The crowds have just left the Civic Centre and are now passing through the Castro district of the city before meeting at a rally in Delores Park.

Organisers said: “We are protesting tonight in San Francisco because it was in San Francisco that the California Supreme Court gave equality to all Californians, and many people who helped us get to that point are based in San Francisco.

“We’re not going to do nothing, we’re going to start with a march tonight but we’re not going to stop until we have equality again!”

Campaigners have begun legal proceedings against the state claiming that the banning of gay marriage is in breach of equality law.

Benjamin Cohen is the founder of PinkNews.co.uk and a Correspondent for Channel 4 News

Exit poll data found that seven in 10 black voters and more than 50% of Latino voters backed Proposition 8 on Tuesday.

It will change the California consititution to deny gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, which was confirmed by the state Supreme Court in May.

18,000 couples who got married between June 17th and election day are still legally wed.

With 100% of votes at polling stations counted, 5,424,916 (52.4%) voted in favour of a constitutional definition of marriage being between a man and woman. 4,832,086 (47.6%) voted against. Some postal and absentee votes have yet to be counted.

Black and Latinos make up a third of California’s electorate, and it is thought their Yes votes on Prop 8 were key to its passing.

The Rev Amos Brown of the Third Baptist Church congregation in San Francisco told the Boston Herald:

“I think, to be quite candid, some people feel white gay and lesbian people have not been with them on the issue of race.

“So (African-Americans) said, ’Why should we be concerned about them when they were not concerned about us?’”

Raymond Leon Roker, a black supporter of gay marriage, wrote on the Huffington Post that it is wrong to blame African-Americans.

“It’s an outrage to lay its passage at their feet.

“I’ve read several editorials already about how the ungrateful blacks betrayed gays right after America gave them their first President.

“I know there are some wounds and frayed nerves right now, but this type of condescending, divide and conquer isn’t going to help at all. And it’s a gross oversimplification of what happened.

“According to the exit polling, there’s enough blame to go around. Don’t forget the 49 percent of Asians who voted for Prop 8.

“And the 53 percent of Latinos who fell in line for it too. And then there is the white vote in support of 8.

“Slightly under 50% percent of them, a group representing 63% of California voters, voted “Yes” on 8. Last I checked blacks held little sway over all of those groups.

“Maybe deeper outreach in the black and brown communities could have changed some minds. What about fostering a stronger dialogue beyond the good side of town and in the neighborhoods where some of the unfortunate prejudice takes root?”

Legal challenges to the validity of Prop 8 began even before the votes were all counted.

On Wednesday the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Centre for Lesbian Rights filed a writ petition before the California Supreme Court urging the court to invalidate Proposition 8.

The petition charges that Prop 8 is invalid because the initiative process was improperly used in an attempt to undo the constitution’s core commitment to equality for everyone by eliminating a fundamental right from just one group – lesbian and gay Californians.

Proposition 8 also “improperly attempts to prevent the courts from exercising their essential constitutional role of protecting the equal protection rights of minorities.”

According to the California Constitution, such radical changes to the organising principles of state government cannot be made by simple majority vote through the initiative process, but instead must, at a minimum, go through the state legislature first.

“The California Constitution itself sets out two ways to alter the document that sets the most basic rules about how state government works,” the groups said in a statement.

“Through the initiative process, voters can make relatively small changes to the constitution.

“But any measure that would change the underlying principles of the constitution must first be approved by the legislature before being submitted to the voters.

“That didn’t happen with Proposition 8, and that’s why it’s invalid.”

The 47-year-old African-American President-elect of the United States gave heart to LGBTs across the world when he mentioned gay people as part of the makeup of the country in his victory speech on Tuesday.

News that voters in California had approved Proposition 8, a ballot measure that will alter the state’s constitution to ban gay marriage, less than four months since same-sex couples were granted that right by the courts, was also a hot topic.

Here are some of the guests’ reactions to the historic events of US Election Day 2008.

Soul star Beverley Knight.

“Oh my God, I cried, I screamed, I stayed up until four in the morning and then went to sleep. When I woke up at eight I was so happy.

“In my head I thought he could do it but my head wanted it so badly. To wake up and know the world was going to change.

“I cannot ever remember an American statesman, never mind President, even mentioning anybody gay. I cannot tell you how chuffed I am.”

Patrick Harvie MSP, nominee for Politician of the Year.

“I wept. I did not get to bed until 6.30am. I was at a bash the US consulate was throwing. It was an historic acceptance speech.

“The fact he mentioned gay people in his speech slightly took the edge off the vote in California.”


Beverley Knight, Mark Feehily with partner.

———————————-

Dr Miriam Stoppard, winner of Journalist of the Year.

“I burst into tears, because I have relatives who are mixed-race.

“My niece Oona King, has a white mother and a black father, and a white grandmother, and her father is originally from Kenya.

“So it seemed like everything my family stood for had a place. I cried the whole day – this man is a beacon of hope for us. I think the world will never be the same again.”

Sue Perkins, winner of Entertainer of the Year.

“To say the change is coming is an understatement. I am hugely delighted and relieved and all my American friends are happy they can finally feel proud about their own country, and that is a huge thing, they can feel proud to be part of a new start.

“Admittedly our new start turned out to be something of a damp squib. The fact that in his speech spoke not just of the diversity and ethnicity of the States but mentioned gay people and straight people – he is the first President to address the wider community and not everyone is a gun-toting, tobacco-chewing redneck from Texas. May he live long and prosper.”

Lord Alli, winner of Politician of the Year.

“I reacted with huge pride and a sense of achievement. It was extraordinary that he could mention gay people in his speech.

“With hope came a bit of despair – in California they could vote for a black man to become President of the United States but reject Proposition 8 on gay marriage. So yes there is hope, but it shows we have to a long way to go.”

Emily Thornberry MP, nominee for Politcian of the Year.

“It was fantastic – I lost half of my office and I lost my eldest boy to Nevada where they all went off and helped – I was very, very jealous.

“I think its absolutely brilliant and I hope we will get the change we will need. They are our closest friends and I think it is important that we have a President that reflects Britain as well.”

Joe Galliano, editor of GT.

“I was delighted but also very disappointed about Prop 8.

“119 words, one minute and five seconds in (Barack Obama’s victory speech) there we were and it was unprecedented – it marks a great hope which he now has to try to live up to.”

Mark Feehily of Westlife.

“I think it is fantastic. In the last ten years I have not said much about politics because I do not think you should speak publicly unless you are educated about the exact matter at hand, but I think it is great. He seems really new and fresh and I think he will do good things for the image of the American President.”

Amy Lame, nominee for Entertainer of the Year.

“As an American, Barack Obama winning the Presidency is something I never in a million years dreamed of and it really is like a dream come true. Finally I do not have to lie and tell people I am Canadian – I never really did really but you know what I mean.

“I just know that this is going to be such an amazing time for America as a country – and the world! It changes British people’s attitude to America.

“I have seen a lot of anti-Americanism over the last eight years. I hope this puts paid to all that negativity and snobbishness and that British people can see Americans for what they really are, which is friendly and wanting a future and wanting to be part of the wider world.”

Ben Bradshaw MP, Minister for Health and nominee for Politician of the Year.

“I am still experiencing waves of elation and emotion, before it happened I had so contained my hope, and I did not want to be disappointed and I was worried the polls were wrong. Little things like seeing a picture of or reading a testimony from an elderly African-American is enough to set me off.

“I have got four mixed-race godchildren, and the difference it is going to make to them is immeasurable and the fact he mentioned gay people in his first sentence of his victory address.

“He had also been talking about gay people during the whole campaign and not just to gay audiences. It is so fantastic. I hope he heralds a change in America that the 97 election held for gay people in Britain.”

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall.

“I think it is an inspiration to hundreds of millions of young people across the world that for the first time they can believe that all their dreams can come true, however they were born.”

Stella Duffy, winner of Writer of the Year.

“I am delighted. It was (Obama’s reference to) gay and straight – I was in floods of tears and they played the whole speech on Radio 4 yesterday morning. I was in the shower and I was in floods of tears and so excited. Then my heart broke with Prop 8 the next day. It is very hard to lay all this on one man.”

Chris Bryant MP, Deputy Leader of the House of Commons.

“I am absolutely delighted – I only wish the people of California had voted the right way on Prop 8.”

Richard Wilson, presenter of the Stonewall Awards.

“It just fills me with hope and I am thrilled – anything to get rid of George Bush. He has got great style, such ease in his body language, he is so confident. I trust him.”

Sarah Waters, author.

“It is just an amazing thing. I was quite a Hillary fan and I had my reservations about him. But to see a black guy in there is amazing.”

The opponents of Proposition 8, the voter initiative in California that effectively bans gay marriage have admitted defeat.

With 100% of votes made at polling stations counted, 5,424,916 (52.4%) voted in favour of a constitutional definition of marriage being between a man and woman. 4,832,086 (47.6%) voted against. Some postal and absentee votes have yet to be counted.

Gay Pride rainbow flags, here in San Francisco have been flown at half mast. On Wednesday and Thursday, rallies and vigils were held across the state. (To download a podcast recorded at the vigils click here)

The organisers of “No on Prop 8″ campaign have issued the following statement: “We had hoped never to have to write this note.

“Sadly, fuelled by misinformation, distortions and lies, millions of voters went to the polls yesterday and said YES to bigotry, YES to discrimination, YES to second-class status for same-sex couples.

“And while the election was close, and millions of votes still remain uncounted, is has become apparent that we lost.

“There is no question this defeat is hard.

“Thousands of people have poured their talents, their time, their resources and their hearts into this struggle for freedom and this fight to have their relationships treated equally. Much has been sacrificed in this struggle.

“While we knew the odds for success were not with us, we believed Californians could be the first in the nation to defeat the injustice of discriminatory measures like Proposition 8.

“And while victory is not ours this day, we know that because of the work done here; freedom, fairness and equality will be ours someday. Just look at far we have come in a few decades.

“Up until 1974 same-sex intimacy was a crime in California. There wasn’t single law recognising the relationships of same-sex couples until 1984 — passed by the Berkeley School District. San Francisco did not pass domestic-partner protections until 1990, the state of California following in 2005. And in 2000, Proposition 22 passed with a 23% majority.

“Today, we fought to retain our right to marry and millions of Californians stood with us. Over the course of this campaign everyday Californians and their friends, neighbours and families built a civil rights campaign unequalled in California history.

“You raised more money than anyone believed possible for an LGBT civil rights campaign.

“You reached out to family and friends in record numbers—helping hundreds of thousands of Californians understand what the LGBT civil rights struggle is really about.

“You built the largest grassroots and volunteer network that has ever been built – a coalition that will continue to fight until all people are equal.

“And you made the case to the people of California and to the rest of the world that discrimination — in any form — is unfair and wrong.

“We are humbled by the courage, dignity and commitment displayed by all who fought this historic battle.

“Victory was not ours today. But the struggle for equality is not over.

“Because of the struggle fought here in California — fought so incredibly well by the people in this state who love freedom and justice — our fight for full civil rights will continue.

“Activist and writer Anne Lamott writes, ‘Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up.’

“We stand together, knowing… our dawn will come.”

Some 16,000 gay couples married in California following a decision in May at the state’s Supreme Court that ruled that a ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. Those already married have been told that the vote does not change the legal status of their relationship.

Benjamin Cohen is the Founder of PinkNews.co.uk and a Correspondent for Channel 4 News 

Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, is in London for this evening’s Stonewall Awards.

In an interview with PinkNews.co.uk he said that the new President-elect, the first African-American to reach the highest office in the United States, was a symbol of healing.

“I am just so excited as most of America is,” he said.

“I have actually had three one-on-one conversations with Barack, and he got me into a world of trouble because I publicly endorsed him long before he was on anyone’s radar screen and Hillary Clinton was the presumed nominee.

“I think he is the genuine article – he is who he seems to be.”

President-elect Obama won a clear victory on Tuesday, taking former Republican strongholds such as Virginia, Indiana and North Carolina. He won an estimated 64,043,290 votes or 53%.

He will take office on January 20th after being inaugurated in Washington DC. Senator Joe Biden will serve as his Vice President.

Bishop Robinson may be at the top of the Episcopalian Church, as American Anglicans are known, but he grew up as a poor child in the racist southern states of America.

“I remember a world of separate drinking fountains and segregated movie theatres,” he told PinkNews.co.uk.

“Barack’s election is healing not just for the African-American community but for the white community as well.

“Just to see him and Michelle and the kids on that stage and you can imagine them in the White House … it is thrilling”

Bishop Robinson is in the running for Hero of the Year at the Stonewall Awards.

He is a figure of controversy for some in the Anglican communion, but an inspirational voice to millions of others.

His election as an openly gay man to the post of Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003 caused divisions within the Church that have deepened in the intervening years.

Anglican leaders have sought a compromise with traditionalists over the acceptance of gay priests and the blessings of same-sex relationships, while Bishop Robinson has been a clear and consistent voice for gay people.

In an interview with PinkNews.co.uk earlier this year he revealed that he received death threats ahead of his civil partnership ceremony in New Hampshire in June and that at times he wears a bulletproof vest.

The California Supreme Court ruled in May that same-sex couples had the right to get married.

An estimated 18,000 gay and lesbian couples took advantage of their new rights until election day on Tuesday.

Voters in the state approved Proposition 8, which will change the constitution and deny marriage rights to same-sex couples.

With 100% of precincts reporting, 52.5% or (5,387,939) voted in favour and 47.5 (4,883,460) against. Opponents of Prop 8 claim “there are more than 3 million and possibly as many as 4 million absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted.”

The California Secretary of State is expected to reveal today how many votes are yet to be counted as well as where they are from.

In August Jerry Brown, the California Attorney General, told the San Francisco Chronicle:

“I believe that marriages that have been entered into subsequent to the May 15th Supreme Court opinion will be recognised by the California Supreme Court.

“I would think the court, in looking at the underlying equities, would most probably conclude that upholding the marriages performed in that interval before the election would be a just result.”

Gay rights group Equality California and leading LGBT legal groups agree that the marriages performed between June 16th and the passage of Proposition 8 are still valid in the state of California and must continue to be honoured by the state.

The American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Centre for Lesbian Rights have filed a writ petition before the California Supreme Court urging them to invalidate Proposition 8.

The petition charges that Proposition 8 is invalid because the initiative process was improperly used in an attempt to undo the constitution’s core commitment to equality for everyone by eliminating a fundamental right from just one group – lesbian and gay Californians.

Proposition 8 also “improperly attempts to prevent the courts from exercising their essential constitutional role of protecting the equal protection rights of minorities.”

The groups also claim that radical changes to the organising principles of state government cannot be made by simple majority vote through the initiative process, but instead must, at a minimum, go through the state legislature first.

“There is absolutely nothing in the language of Proposition 8 to suggest that the initiative would apply to couples who have already legally married,” they said in a joint statement.

“Unless the language of an initiative specifically says that it is to be applied retroactively, California’s courts have been very reluctant to do so, especially when the newly passed measure is in such stark conflict with existing constitutional provisions.

“Although it is extremely unlikely that California courts would apply the initiative retroactively, the proponents of Proposition 8 may file a legal challenge trying to invalidate the marriages of those who married before Proposition 8 possibly passed.

“We remain committed to ensuring that all the couples who married in California continue to receive the legal protections and to have their marriages respected as required under California law and will vigorously fight any attempts to take rights away from couples and families.”

Among the couples who got married between June and November were TV star Ellen Degeneres and her partner, actress Portia Di Rossi and Star Trek actor George Takei and partner Brad Altman.

Download a podcast containing live action from the protest together with interviews with school aged children out protesting with their parents (right click and click “Save as..”)

Protests over the apparent victory of Proposition 8, the voter inactive in California that effectively bans gay marriage have been held outside the state Capitol in Sacramento.

With 99.7% of votes counted, 5,376,424 (52.5%) voted in favour of a constitutional definition of marriage being between a man and woman. 4,870,010 (47.5%) voted against. Between three and four million postal and absentee ballots have reportedly not been counted as yet.

Around 650 people, mostly recruited via text messages and social networks held banners declaring “Vote No to Prop 8″. They stood opposite a much smaller group of religious protesters from the apparently victorious Yes to Prop 8 campaign.

Xiomara Side brought her three children aged 12, nine and six with her to the vigil. She told told PinkNews.co.uk: “We are denying the basic human rights for my gay brothers and sisters.

“If I can wake up next to the person I love, why can’t gay people? I need my children to know that human rights are for everybody.”

She added: “Today it starts with my gay brothers and sisters, next it might be us Hispanics, then African Americans. My children must learn from a young age.”

Her nine-year-old son Alexanderou told PinkNews.co.uk: “It will help people to know they should have voted no on Prop 8. It is unfair to gay people.”

Click to download as a podcast (right click and click “Save as..”)

Attorney General Jerry Brown said today that although gay marriages held before election day were valid, any marriages performed afterwards are invalid. This is despite the fact that between 3 and 4 million postal and absentee votes have not been counted.

The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger was publicly associated with the anti-Proposition 8 campaign and is now in favour of same sex marriage in his state.

Today the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Centre for Lesbian Rights filed a writ petition before the California Supreme Court today urging the court to invalidate Proposition 8.

The petition charges that Proposition 8 is invalid because the initiative process was improperly used in an attempt to undo the constitution’s core commitment to equality for everyone by eliminating a fundamental right from just one group – lesbian and gay Californians.

Proposition 8 also “improperly attempts to prevent the courts from exercising their essential constitutional role of protecting the equal protection rights of minorities.”

According to the California Constitution, such radical changes to the organising principles of state government cannot be made by simple majority vote through the initiative process, but instead must, at a minimum, go through the state legislature first.

“The California Constitution itself sets out two ways to alter the document that sets the most basic rules about how state government works,” the groups said in a statement.

“Through the initiative process, voters can make relatively small changes to the constitution.

“But any measure that would change the underlying principles of the constitution must first be approved by the legislature before being submitted to the voters.

“That didn’t happen with Proposition 8, and that’s why it’s invalid.”

The lawsuit was filed today in the California Supreme Court on behalf of Equality California and 6 same-sex couples who did not marry before Tuesday’s election but would like to be able to marry now.

“Historically, courts are reluctant to get involved in disputes if they can avoid doing so,” said Shannon Minter, Legal Director of NCLR.

“It is not uncommon for the court to wait to see what happens at the polls before considering these legal arguments. However, now that Prop 8 may pass, the courts will have to weigh in and we believe they will agree that Prop 8 should never have been on the ballot in the first place.”

The groups said they are confident that the state will continue to honour the marriages of the 18,000 lesbian and gay couples who have already married in California.

Benjamin Cohen is the Founder of PinkNews.co.uk and a Correspondent for Channel 4 News 

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a group that financially support LGBT candidates of all parties, endorsed a record-breaking 111 candidates in 2008 and more than 70% of them have won their races.

“This was a watershed election,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.

He paid tribute to trailblazer Harvey Milk, probably the first out gay male politician in American history.

Known during his lifetime as “The Mayor of Castro Street,” he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977.

In his 11 months in office he sponsored a gay rights bill and helped to defeat a proposition that would have seen openly gay and lesbian teachers sacked.

He was gunned down at City Hall by Dan White, a disgruntled former Supervisor, on November 27th 1978.

A film of his life story, starring Sean Penn and called Milk, opens in the UK in January.

Yesterday Jared Polis of Colorado became the first openly gay man elected to the US Congress as a non-incumbent.

Kate Brown became the first openly LGBT Secretary of State in the US, and the second-highest ranking elected official in the state of Oregon. Brown is openly bisexual.

Sam Adams was elected mayor of Portland, Oregon earlier in the year. He will become the first openly gay mayor of one of the 30 largest US cities when he’s sworn in next year.

Jason Bartlett, who came out as gay in his current term, was re-elected to the Connecticut State House.

He is only the second openly gay African-American state legislator in the US.

Thomas Robichaux and Seth Bloom, both gay men, simultaneously became the first-ever openly LGBT elected officials in the state of Louisiana when they were elected to the Orleans Parish School Board in an October primary.

John Perez became the first openly gay person of colour elected to the California Assembly.

Lupe Valdez was reelected to a second term as sheriff of Dallas County, Texas.

First elected in 2004, Valdez was the first woman, the first Latina and the first out lesbian ever to win the post.

Kevin Beckner won a seat on the Hillsborough County Commission in Florida, unseating an anti-gay incumbent and becoming the first openly gay man elected in the county.

Rebecca Kaplan will be the first out lesbian to serve on the Oakland, Calif. City Council after winning her race Tuesday.

In Oklahoma, Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth was narrowly defeated in a statewide race after last-minute attack ads and mailers suggested he would push a “homosexual agenda” in his role as a regulator of the state’s energy industry.

Garnet Lewis, who was seeking a seat in the Michigan State House, was subject to an onslaught of anti-gay attacks in print and radio media outlets during the final week of her campaign. She lost her race.

“This election was an affirmation of the African-American civil rights movement that is more than a century old,” said Mr Wolfe.

“The LGBT movement is much younger, and it’s clear we still have much work to do to win true equality.

“The politics of fear and bigotry are not yet behind us, and we saw some heartbreaking examples of that in this election.

“On a day that demonstrated Americans’ commitment to inclusivity and equality, the sabotage of several openly LGBT candidates and the devastating outcomes of three statewide marriage bans were disappointingly inconsistent.

“I am confident that history will give us an opportunity to right those wrongs as we continue the journey toward full equality for all Americans,” Wolfe said.

Californian voters backed the ballot measure yesterday.

With 96.6% of precincts reporting, 5,235,486 or 52.2% are in favour of eliminating the right of same-sex couples to get married.

4,800,656 (47.8%) voted no.

Prop 8 was placed on the ballot in response to a California Supreme Court ruling in May allowing same-sex marriages.

Today the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Centre for Lesbian Rights filed a writ petition before the California Supreme Court today urging the court to invalidate Proposition 8.

The petition charges that Proposition 8 is invalid because the initiative process was improperly used in an attempt to undo the constitution’s core commitment to equality for everyone by eliminating a fundamental right from just one group – lesbian and gay Californians.

Proposition 8 also “improperly attempts to prevent the courts from exercising their essential constitutional role of protecting the equal protection rights of minorities.”

According to the California Constitution, such radical changes to the organising principles of state government cannot be made by simple majority vote through the initiative process, but instead must, at a minimum, go through the state legislature first.

“The California Constitution itself sets out two ways to alter the document that sets the most basic rules about how state government works,” the groups said in a statement.

“Through the initiative process, voters can make relatively small changes to the constitution.

“But any measure that would change the underlying principles of the constitution must first be approved by the legislature before being submitted to the voters.

“That didn’t happen with Proposition 8, and that’s why it’s invalid.”

The lawsuit was filed today in the California Supreme Court on behalf of Equality California and 6 same-sex couples who did not marry before Tuesday’s election but would like to be able to marry now.

“Historically, courts are reluctant to get involved in disputes if they can avoid doing so,” said Shannon Minter, Legal Director of NCLR.

“It is not uncommon for the court to wait to see what happens at the polls before considering these legal arguments. However, now that Prop 8 may pass, the courts will have to weigh in and we believe they will agree that Prop 8 should never have been on the ballot in the first place.”

The groups said they are confident that the state will continue to honour the marriages of the 18,000 lesbian and gay couples who have already married in California.

He won Colorado’s second Congressional District in the House of Representatives, beating Republican Scott Starin.

Mr Polis will become the sixth openly gay person to serve in the House of Representatives when he takes office in January.

Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat elected from Wisconsin in 1998, was the first out gay person to be elected to the House as a non-incumbent.

Fellow Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts announced he was gay in 1987 after having served several terms in the House.

Various representatives came out, such as the late Gerry Studds, a Democrat of Massachusetts, former Congressman Steve Gunderson, a Republican from Wisconsin, and former Congressman Jim Kolbe, a Republican from Arizona.

No openly gay or lesbian person has yet been elected to the US Senate.

There were other LGB winners last night.

Kate Brown became the first openly LGBT Secretary of State in America and the second-highest ranking elected official in the state of Oregon.

Brown is openly bisexual.

John Perez became the first openly gay person of colour elected to the California Assembly.

Lupe Valdez was reelected to a second term as sheriff of Dallas County, Texas. First elected in 2004, Valdez was the first woman, the first Latina and the first out lesbian ever to win the post.

On the night Barack Obama won the Presidency, the Democrats picked up seats in both Houses, which they already controlled.

It is thought they will pick up six seats in the Senate.

Many news outlets in the state are reporting that the four month honeymoon is over and Californians have voted to deny gays the right to marry.

However, opponents of Proposition 8 claim there are millions of votes still to be counted.

Since June, gay and lesbian couples have been marrying in America’s most populous state.

But in a close race, California’s voters appear to have taken action that will ensure that the state’s judges will not be able to rule that same-sex marriage is a right.

With 96.4% of precincts reporting, Proposition 8 was approved by 5,220,694 voters (52.2%) and opposed by 4,792,873 (47.8%), according to the California Secretary of State’s website.

The San Francisco City Attorney has already said he plans to challenge the validity of Prop 8 in the California Supreme Court.

Opponents of Prop 8 are refusing to concede.

“Roughly 400,000 votes separate yes from no on Prop 8 – out of 10 million votes tallied,” said Geoff Kors of the NO on Prop 8 campaign.

“Based on turnout estimates reported yesterday, we expect that there are more than 3 million and possibly as many as 4 million absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted.

“Given that fundamental rights are at stake, we must wait to hear from the Secretary of State tomorrow how many votes are yet to be counted as well as where they are from.

“It is clearly a very close election and we monitored the results all evening and this morning.

“As of this point, the election is too close to call.

“Because Prop 8 involves the sensitive matter of individual rights, we believe it is important to wait until we receive further information about the outcome.”

On May 15th the state Supreme Court ruled that the statute enacted by Proposition 22 in 2000 and other statutes that limit marriage to a relationship between a man and a woman violated the equal protection clause of the California Constitution.

The Court voted 4 to 3 to strike the ban on gay marriage in California, making the state only the second in the US after Massachusetts to allow same-sex couples to marry legally under state law.

Proposition 8 had qualified for the election day ballot with 1.12 million signatures, hundreds of thousands more than the minimum required to trigger the statewide referendum.

It will add a new clause to the constitution: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California.

Ballot measures to ban gay marriage also passed in Florida and Arizona.

It is unclear how the California result will affect the more than 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who remain legally married.

It is the first time a ban on same-sex marriage has been approved by voters in a state where such marriages are already legal.

In Florida and Arizona, similar measures designed to stop “activist judges” from granting equality to all citizens were adopted in statewide ballots.

30 states now have a definition of marriage written into their constitution.

After $50m (£31.2m) of advertising and campaigning on both sides, 5,163,908 (52%) voters agreed with the proposition, 4,760,336 (48%) disagreed. 95.4% of votes have been counted.

There are between 3 and 4 million absentee and postal votes that have yet to be counted. The opposition campaign looks unlikely to concede until a statement on these is made by the Californian Secretary of State.

Rural areas have overwhelmingly voted for the ban. Urban areas including San Francisco have overwhelmingly voted against the ban. Los Angles had its vote split 50.6% in favour, 49.4% against.

Ron Prentice, Chairman of the Yes Campaign said: “This is a great day for marriage. The people of California stood up for traditional marriage and reclaimed this great institution.

“We are gratified that voters chose to protect traditional marriage and to enshrine its importance in the state constitution. We trust that this decision will be respected by all Californians.”

The count went on for so long that the “No to Prop 8″ party held in San Francisco had to be abandoned. Earlier in the evening, San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom said: “You decided to live your life out loud. You fell in love and you said, ‘I do.’ Tonight, we await a verdict.”

The ban comes despite vocal opposition from celebrities, politicians from all sides, including the state’s Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger and all of the state’s major newspapers.

The ballot amendment that changed the California Constitution came about after a landmark decision by the state’s Supreme Court.

On May 15th the court ruled that the statute enacted by Proposition 22 in 2000 and other statutes that limit marriage to a relationship between a man and a woman violated the equal protection clause of the California Constitution.

By June 2nd Proposition 8 had qualified for the election day ballot with 1.12 million signatures, hundreds of thousands more than the minimum required to trigger the statewide referendum.

It will add a new clause to the constitution: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognised in California.”

On June 17th, same-sex marriages began. It is estimated that more than 18,000 couples have married since then.

Prop 8 was the biggest battle for gay equality in the US so far, but it is unlikely to be the last.

Benjamin Cohen is live blogging from San Francisco. He is the founder of PinkNews.co.uk and a Correspondent for Channel 4 News

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain.

He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves.

He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House.

And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements.

Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organised, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead.

For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college.

There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.

And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change.

And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.

Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity.

Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.”

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you.

And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta.

She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbour and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do.

So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Ballot measures to ban gay marriage passed in Florida and Arizona.

With more than 90% of results in from Califorina, it appears that the four month window in which same-sex marriages were legal is to be closed. The race is too tight to call at this stage.

Voters in Arkansas approved a measure banning unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents – gay and lesbian people were the target of the campaign.

Jerry Cox, president of the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee, said the “homosexual agenda agenda uses children to advance the goals of special interest groups. Homosexuals in California, Connecticut, Washington, DC, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont have successfully used adoptive or foster care children to advance their agenda.

“Activists in these states have already secured passage of laws that support adoption or foster care by homosexuals.”

It is unclear how the California result will affect the more than 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who remain legally married.

It is the first time a ban on same-sex marriage has been approved by voters in a state where such marriages are already legal.

In Florida, the question on the 2008 ballot called for an amendment to the state’s constitution regarding civil marriage:

“Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognised.”

Opponents say similar amendments in other states are being used to take away benefits from public employees and dissolve domestic partnership registries used to provide health care benefits and pensions.

Supporters say that it provides protections against judges “imposing” gay marriage as they did in California.

With 99% of votes counted, Amendment 2 has 62%, just 2% over the threshold needed to change the Florida state constitution.

In Arizona, a similar measure designed to stop activist judges from granting equality to all citizens was adopted in a statewide ballot.

30 states now have a definition of marriage written into their constitution.

After the “Say No to Prop 8″ rally in San Francisco was disbanded due to the delays in results and with eighty five percent of ballots counted , 4,727,246 people (51.7%) have voted for the ban on gay marriage. 4,4165,742 (48.3% have voted against.

It is still possible for those supporting the ban to lose as the race is so tight.

Rural areas have overwhelmingly voted for the ban. Urban areas including San Francisco have overwhelmingly voted against the ban. Los Angles had its vote split 50.6% in favour, 49.4% against.

Meanwhile, Arizona voters have approved a state constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage.

Benjamin Cohen is live blogging from San Francisco. He is the founder of PinkNews.co.uk and a Correspondent for Channel 4 News

After the “Say No to Prop 8″ rally in San Francisco was disbanded due to the delays in results and with eighty percent of ballots counted , 4,488.600 people have voted for the ban on gay marriage. 4,173,033 have voted against.

It is though still possible for those supporting the ban to loose as the race is so tight. Rural areas have overwhelmingly voted for the ban. Urban areas including San Francisco have overwhelmingly voted against the ban. Los Angles had its vote split 50.6% in favour, 49.4% against.

Benjamin Cohen is live blogging from San Francisco. He is the founder of PinkNews.co.uk and a Correspondent for Channel 4 News

Here at the Westin St Francis Hotel in the heart of very, very LGBT San Francisco, supporters of the no vote were watching the results on giant screens.

At the current tallies with just over half of precincts reporting, the vote is 52.7% in favour of a constitutional ban on gay marriage, those opposing the measure have 47.4%.

But, the screens have gone dead. The rally only booked the rooms until midnight. With the vote only half counted, one lady just asked me “what’s the plan?” I had to tell her “I haven’t a clue!”

The organisers said: “Half the votes have been counted- we’re not going to know anything tonight. Everything is indicating that it is a very close race. Keep the faith tonight folks”

“You can all say- regardless of the outcome, we want to be able to say that no matter what happens- you did everything you could. That is a very good place to be.”

Benjamin Cohen is the Founder of PinkNews.co.uk and a Correspondent for Channel 4 News 

Proposition 8 aims to overturn the decision of the California Supreme Court that same-sex couples have the right to marry.

Results from 13% of polling stations show it leading by 54%.

Since the landmark court ruling in May an estimated 18,000 gay and lesbian couples have tied the knot, among them Hollywood stars Ellen Degeneres and George Takei.

A similar measure banning gay marriage passed in Florida this morning and gay activists are nervous as the polls suggest a dead heat.

The result will not be known for some hours, but early tallys suggest Prop 8 may pass.

“We can not face tomorrow morning with same-sex couples having had our right to marry eliminated because voters decided it was more important to get home and start dinner than to go vote,” Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Centre for Lesbian Rights, told ABC.

Barack Obama appealed for unity and paid tribute to his Republican opponent Senator John McCain.

In his first words to the country since his election just an hour ago, the President-elect made a direct reference to the diversity of America – including gay Americans.

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dreams of our founders are alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” he said.

“It’s the answer told by lines that stretch around schools and churches, in numbers this nation has never seen.

“By people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives. Because they believed that this time must be different. That their voices could be that difference.

“It is the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled, Americans who send a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states – we are and always will be the United States of America.”

The President-elect won  states this evening that voted Republican in 2004, among them Virginia, Florida and Colorado.

Barack Obama took the election when he accumulated the required 271 electoral college votes after he won California and Washington state.

He is expected to win more than 300 overall.

Earlier he took Pennsylvania and Ohio, states that voted Republican in 2004, and swept up other states of electoral and historic significance.

President-elect Obama took New Mexico, next to his Republican rival Senator John McCain’s home state of Arizona, and Iowa, a state that is more than 95% white.

Veteran Senator Joe Biden will be the next Vice President.