Over 200 people gathered Wednesday night]at the California State Capitol for a rally and march which marked the first anniversary of the passage of Proposition 8. The event, “A Day of Smiles, Tears and Action,” was led by Equality Action NOW, a grassroots civil rights organization, along with several supporting organizations. The event also followed relevant elections in Maine and Washington on Tuesday. In Washington, voters approved Referendum 71, keeping a law that expanded state benefits to same-sex domestic partners. In Maine, voters rejected a law passed by the state's legislature and signed by the governor that would have allowed same-sex marriages. Maine is now the 31st state to r

Camp Courage, a two-day training camp for activists seeking to fight for gay rights, will be receiving a sizable boost in funds thanks to a fundraiser benefit at the Greens Hotel on Thursday. The camp was inspired by the "Camp Obama" program that taught community organizing strategies to supporters of the president's campaign last year. The camp's goal is to prepare for a campaign for gay marriage in 2010, hoping to reverse Proposition 8, which passed in 2008 and declared: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California." "This is the first Camp Courage to take place in Sacramento," said Cynthia Dall, the fundraiser for the city's branch of the camp. "We rea