One thing that stood out is the fact that all this is riding on November’s ballot.

Could right-wing forces take away the freedom to marry at the ballot box in California?

Yes. Because the court based its decision on rights guaranteed by the California Constitution, right-wing groups are trying to amend our state Constitution to eliminate these fundamental constitutional protections and take away the basis for the decision.

These groups, which have received significant funding from out-of-state right-wing organizations, are placing an initiative on the November 2008 ballot that will ask voters to amend the California constitution to reverse the court’s decision and deny gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry.

Already, many state leaders are expressing their opposition to this proposed constitutional amendment. For example, in a public statement on April 11, 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger stated that an initiative to amend the California Constitution to ban gay and lesbian couples from marriage was “a waste of time,” adding “I will always be there to fight against that. It will never happen.”

We agree with Governor Schwarzenegger that these outsiders are wasting their time and money trying to turn California into a state that would use its Constitution to take away civil rights and hurt families. But it will take every one of us to stop this antifamily initiative. For more information about how to get involved, contact Equality For All at www.EqualityForAll.com.

Even though yesterday is cause for celebration, it’s important to realize the fight is far from over! Go out there and educate your fellow Californians and Americans! I have hope that we will not let discrimination be written into our constitution.

Check out some images from last night’s impromptu celebration in the Castro after the jump!

San Francisco — The California Supreme Court today held that the California legislative and initiative measures limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples violate the state constitutional rights of same-sex couples and may not be used to preclude same-sex couples from marrying. (In re Marriage Cases, S147999.)

The court concluded that permitting opposite-sex couples to marry while affording same-sex couples access only to the novel and less-recognized status of domestic partnership improperly infringes a same-sex couple’s constitutional rights to marry and to the equal protection of the laws as guaranteed by the California Constitution.

The decision directs state officials who supervise the enforcement of the state’s marriage laws to ensure that local officials comply with the court’s ruling and permit same-sex couples to marry. The decision becomes final in 30 days unless that period is extended by court order.

When my friend told me he wanted to meet up at Noc Noc, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I didn’t think anything of it until I started asking around to see if anyone I knew had been there before. I started to get really excited.

I wanted to know what this cave-like burningmanesque bar located in the Lower Haight that only served beer, wine, and sake was all about.

The cave-like interior has crazy cool flourescent tribal paintings all over its walls. Most of the furniture can be standalone art pieces. I really enjoyed the atmosphere.

The music was bumping and the DJ was playing some really good tracks. (Last night, and every Tuesday, Todd’s on the turntables.) Although, the music did seem to go up in volume bit by bit throughout the night. At one point, my friend and I realized we were shouting unintentionally. For such a small space, the music did seem inappropriately loud. But, don’t get me wrong. I really dug the music.

All in all, I really liked this place and can see myself going back on a regular basis if I lived in the area. They have happy hour specials every night, 5PM to 7PM with $3 Draught Pints.

They also have an extensive list of beer to choose from and the bartenders are fun folk. Be sure to check out their DJ Schedule and check them out on different nights.

Tonight! Check out Brainstormer’s Grand Pub Quiz at your local pub!

Click the link above for more info and to register your team!

Brainstormers have weekly quiz nights at bars all over SF. I’ve been to the one at Elephant & Castle over in the FiDi and it’s loads of fun!

This week-long tournament begins tonight! So head on over to Valley Tavern, Blackthorn Tavern, Fishbowl, or Monaghan’s, and while you’re at it, go ahead and order up a round of shots of Patrón or Cazadores for your team! Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and get your game on tonight!

Who says your after-work happy hour excursion needs to be at the closest pub from your office building, or at the cantina at your local Chevys Fresh Mex. (These are all valid choices, mind you.) But, every now and then when the big hand is at number 12 and the little hand is at number 5 (translation: 5 o’clock), I crave something a little bit different.

111 Minna Gallery offers just that: something a little bit different.

Art gallery by day, fancy bar and dance club by night, this spot can appear a little bit too trendy to the naked eye. But from my own experience, I tend to encounter some really cool down-to-earth people, albeit, sometimes with their heads in the clouds.

I’m a big fan of the electronic music. I love all sorts of music, but something about the thump-thump of house music gets me hyped up.

Every Wednesday is Qool. A weekly event with some of the best local DJs. This is probably one of the only true clubbing happy hour events I’ve been to in the city.

If you work in the area in an office, and almost always dressed Business Casual like I am, then this is the place to be. About half of the people who go to Qool are dressed to the nines in their work clothes, and the other half are as happy as they can be in jeans and casual clothing, dressed to impress or dressed without stress.

I always have a good time here. Whether it’s at a private birthday event or it’s every Wednesday at Qool. I look forward to seeing what else this place has to offer.

It’s a relaxed atmosphere. The drinks on most days are on the cheap side. The artwork is almost always amazing. I have to be honest and say it’s one of my favorite local joints for that quick after work happy-hour house music Wednesday (it’s FREE before 6PM people!). I’ve yet to discover more of what they have outside of that timeframe.

I’ll definitely be coming back to explore more of what Minna has to offer. But, check this out!

Psych!!! – A BIG GAY 90s DANCE PARTY for lesbos, gays, fags, trannies, straights and everyone else too.

21+, Thursday, May 8th, 9pm, @111 Minna, 3 cover.

This is all sorts of awesome.

diggNation,a weekly tech/web culture show based on digg.com, will be coming to Mighty! Live podcast, featuring two exciting and sexy guest stars, to be followed by DJ KidHack dropping fat beats all night long!

7PM, 21+, @Mighty, FREE.

As I exited the Embarcadero BART/Muni station, contemplating my public transportation frustrations, I noticed the spectacle pictured above.

At first glance, I thought nothing of it. I remembered the construction walls were up for the better part of the year. Once I realized the change in scenery, I hopped down the escalator (I was going up) to snap a a picture.

I don’t know what compelled me. Maybe it was the thought of looking forward to a nice Cup of Joe after expelling myself from one of my most frustrating morning rituals: dealing with the N-Judah on a daily basis. (I mean, come on! How many people can you fit in one train during rush hour?)

It seemed like the light at the end of a very long tunnel. And then I thought of how much better life would be if Muni would invest just as much into running their trains on time, or having an adequate amount of trains during rush hour. Of course, being from the South (as in Southern California), I really can’t complain about public transportation. Muni is by far the best in comparison.

Still, I really do despise the N-Judah with every fiber of my being. But, the bright side is that after waiting up to 20 minutes* for a 30 minute* ride in a sardine-packed streetcar, I’ll get to wait in what I expect to be a very long line of aggrevated train riding coffee drinkers. Oh joy! [/Sarcasm]

The real bright side is that this might mean the lines will probably lessen a bit aboveground!

Check out the San Francisco Business Times article if you’re not hip to the BART/Peets news.

Comments are always welcome and please feel free to throw some suggestions my way! I’m an equal-opportunity drinker and always looking for new spots to check out! As this is a San Francisco blog, let’s try to stay within city limits. Although, I’m no stranger to the East Bay and would love to venture out that way on occasion.

Beale Street Bar and Grill

I was first introduced to Beale Street Bar and Grill when my roommate invited me to a thing his co-workers were having one night. Working in the Financial District in San Francisco has taught me never to turn down an invitation to a bar I’ve never been.

We’re so limited to what bars there are to go to in the area that it seems we tend to flock to the same ones repeatedly after work. I do get it; certain people have certain tastes. That much is… well, certain. But, I’m the type of guy that likes variety. I tend to not have a favorite type of anything. The Financial District seems to provide a certain specific type of venue for your happy hour needs. Sure there’s variety, but like any district in SF, it’s pretty limited. In the Financial District, there are mainly pubs and bars catered to those hard working people we like to affectionately (and sometimes not so much affectionately) call Yuppies.

I tend to really like dive bars. It’s not a preference in the sense that I’ll be opposed to go anywhere else. It’s just that I feel like they have an environment that’s much more comfortable than any stuffed up fancy place can provide.

Beale Street provides the happy medium. It’s still the Financial District and even their slogan says it’s “The Financial District’s Neighborhood Bar” and that tells me they can provide that comfortable dive bar experience you may want.

You do get a nice mix of people. There are lots of people dressed like they’ve worked a long hard day at your everyday SF law firm and those who somehow end up there in your beloved jeans and a t-shirt. The vibe here is really relaxed and the service is great. The bartenders are attentive and the drinks are cheap. The food is great, as great as your average American Bar-and-Grill food can be, and inexpensive.

What more can you ask for?

It’s good that you asked!

On occasion they have live music. Upstairs they have another bar and they clear out the front area for bands to perform. It’s a really great setup. I’ve had the opportunity on random nights to discover some really great talent! I’m always on the lookout for some great local music.

And speaking of really great local talent just waiting to be discovered, you should definitely check out Beale Street tomorrow night.

A whole slew of bands are playing starting at 7:30 PM with Red Light Go, an up-and-coming Alternative Rock Cover Band. Check out the main website for more information!

Stay tuned for next week for another great bar!