It's Just Micheal

In the most populous state in America there is a proposition to reverse the Supreme Courts decision that a ban against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and discriminatory. Proposition 8 is titled “Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry.” If you are unfamiliar with the courts ruling, refer to this here. I could rant for a long time on why it’s wrong to allow people to vote on allowing gay marriage or denying gay marriage to citizens of the United States, but I’ll focus on the positives. Today, Apple released this statement:

“Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.”

I can’t express enough how extremely happy I am with Apple, AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and many other companies that have donated money to help the fight against proposition 8. This is the most costly ballot measure campaign in the country this year with $60 million raised total, for and against the measure. Between 2004 and 2006, 22 states had similar measures that all together totaled $34.1 million, so you can see how much attention this has received in CA. This is HUGE! Not only have companies donated money, but several individuals have as well. Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg, T.R. Knight, Dana Delaney, Eric McCormack, Pete Wentz, David Geffen, America Ferrara, Tony Plana and Ana Oritz have all either donated money or have helped defeat proposition 8. It’s extraordinary how much support has come from companies and individuals.

I encourage everyone that lives in California to go vote NO! on Proposition 8 and be sure to take 5 other people with you. If you don’t live in California, then talk to those that you know that live in California to go vote no and encourage them to talk to their friends about the proposition. This is not only a big initiative for California, but will make a huge impact for all of America.

So Justin is amazing at photography. It’s purely a gift. He can see almost anything and photograph it in a way that no one else can see. Tonight we drove around trying to find some homes that we could easily photograph showing people living their lives, but we didn’t have much luck. Once we got back to his apartment, we started taking pictures of me and playing around. The first was to take a picture of me like he did of himself. Then we started to use the light box for portraits. This box has lights in a circle so that there are no shadows and it does an amazing job. Of course we had to photoshop a few blemishes off, but I love the way that it came out.