Hey y’all, just thought we might want a fresh open thread to discuss what’s new.

So as an icebreaker, here’s an article that got me thinking about marriage equality in California all day…from the Los Angeles Times comes the piece Prop. 8 foes clash over federal suit; ACLU, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights initially denounced the court action. Now they want to be part of it, but they are rebuffed:

A high-profile federal lawsuit against Proposition 8 has exposed new strains and divisions within the same-sex marriage movement, as civil rights lawyers who initially condemned the suit now want on board — and are being rebuffed.

The lawsuit against the anti-gay-marriage initiative, launched by Los Angeles political consultant Chad H. Griffin and backed by entertainment industry activists, drew scorn and anger from gay rights lawyers when it was filed in May.

…Now that a trial is nearing, the lawyers who denounced the suit want to join as full participants, asking for seats at the table and the ability to shape legal strategy. But the consultant who defied their advice has vowed to “vigorously oppose” their intervention, and, in a court filing late Friday, lawyers formally opposed intervention.

The clash comes at a pivotal moment for the case, seen as the most likely vehicle for winning marriage rights for gays across the nation, and raises questions about who will control the legal agenda. A federal judge in San Francisco will decide the lineup of lawyers later this month….

Read the whole piece…I know its left me wondering what the best course of action for marriage equality might be regarding this lawsuit. Frankly, Lambda Legal, the ACLU, and the NCLR put themselves into the position they find themselves in right now with this lawsuit — not having a say in the legal strategies that will be used for this case. If they were against filing the lawsuit when the lawsuit was filed, and as far as I know they’re still on record as being against the lawsuit, why should they be allowed to join in now? Or since it’s going to impact all Californians and possibly all Americans, why shouldn’t they be allowed to join in?

I know I don’t have an answer — there seem to be decent arguments on both sides of this.

But hey, discuss this situation and/or L.A. Times story, or any other subject matter in the thread… It’s an open thread! What are you reading or thinking about today?