Wednesday, October 20

20. October 2010 by admin.

Judge Officially Denies Stay on DADT Injunction as White House Continues Down Muddled Path

 

It’s official. Federal District Judge Virginia Phillips has rejected the government’s request for a stay on the injunction she issued barring enforcement of the military’s "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about Obama’s position on the policy at today’s press briefing.

Gibbs seemed vague, at best, in explaining the administration’s path on the issue, considering there isn’t one. You can read most of the transcript of the relevant questioning, here.

From http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/judge-officially-denies-stay-on-dadt-injunction-as-white-house-continues-down-muddled-path.html

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Right Wingers Defend GOP Candidate Ken Buck’s Comparison of Homosexuality to Alcoholism

Over the weekend, Steve posted about Colorado GOP Senate candidate Ken Buck’s Meet the Press remarks comparing homosexuality to alcoholism. Here’s some reaction from the wingnuts.

Right Wing Watch reports that Focus on the Family is defending Buck, saying he is absolutely right:

Comments on homosexuality by Colorado Republican Senate candidate Ken Buck have received some harsh criticism, including from state Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.

Bennet said on “Meet the Press” Sunday that Buck saying homosexuality is a choice and his drawing an analogy between it and the disease of alcoholism are “outside the mainstream of views on this.”

But Buck’s views are closer to the mainstream in Colorado Springs. For years conservative Springs ministry leaders have compared alcoholism to homosexuality.

Jeff Johnston, Focus on the Family social policy analyst, said Monday, “Alcohol affects your whole body, and so does sexual behavior. The highly addictive (aspect of both) is an apt comparison.”

In related news, on The Ed Show in a discussion of Buck’s remarks., Former GOP Congressman Ernest Istook agreed with Ken Buck, saying gay activists say gay is a choice "because it improves their legal position."

From http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/buck.html

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Stephen Slater Pleads Guilty Over JetBlue Escape

Stephen Slater pleaded guilty today to one count of felony attempted criminal mischief and one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief for his August emergency slide escape from a JetBlue aircraft at JFK.

NBC New York reports:  

Outside of Supreme Court in Kew Gardens, Queens, Slater said "While the public interest was surprising for me, at the end of the day I am a grown-up. I must accept responsibility for my actions."

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said of the plea: "I believe the defendant has finally recognized the seriousness of his actions…under the circumstances, the disposition fairly balances the seriousness of the charges against the need for the defendant’s rehabilitation."

Under terms of the agreement, if Slater completes the program and counseling, and gets in no further trouble, he would be permitted to withdraw the felony plea next year. It would be replaced with a misdemeanor conviction at that time.

Should Slater fail to adhere to the terms of the deal, his sentence would revert to the full prison term and he would be forced to serve the one to three years.

From http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/stephen-slater-pleads-guilty-for-jetblue-getaway.html

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Watch full episodes of The View at http://abc.go.com/watch/the-view/SH55…

The ladies respond to the Bill O’Reilly situation that occurred where Joy and Whoopi walked off set.

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Kentucky Masons Reject Proposal Barring Gay Men

The leader of a Masonic lodge in Kentucky, whose recent coming out made him the target of anti-gay slurs and a lodge walk-out, is hailing a vote on Monday by the Kentucky Masons, which rejected a proposal to bar gay men from the organization.

The Herald-Leader reports:

"When the leader of a Winchester Masonic lodge recently told members he was gay, he said one man called him "a flaming faggot," insisted that he resign, and led several members in a walkout. But John Wright refused to resign. Later, he stood firm when a Frankfort lodge proposed a change to the group’s state constitution that would have prohibited openly gay men from being Masons in Kentucky.

At an annual statewide meeting in Louisville Monday, attendees turned down the proposal…

The Masons are a worldwide fraternity of men who believe in God and work to help people through their charities, according to the Web site of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky. In Kentucky, they support homes for the elderly, a rehabilitation hospital for disabled children and other causes.

There are 408 chapters in the state with more than 54,000 members. The Masons, according to the Web site, teach that a person has a responsibility to make things better in the world. Each state has a Grand Lodge that is the administrative body in charge of the Masons."

Wright called the vote a "critical moment" in the organization’s history, saying, "They said with a strong voice that they are not going to discriminate. I do think that there are a large number of them of a newer mind-set that they can put these differences behind them and work toward the goals that the fraternity has. They can become better men and make our communities better places."

From http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/kentucky-masons-reject-proposal-barring-gay-men.html

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Mr. Alec Baldwin is Angry He Can’t Marry Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Alec Baldwin responds to the announcement in August by Jesse Tyler Ferguson that they’re getting married, in a new spot for Fight Back NY.

As you may recall Fight Back NY is the PAC targeting anti-gay lawmakers in the New York Senate. Their current target is Queens senator Frank Padavan. If you feel inclined to take Alec’s advice, help them out here.

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Ugandan Tabloid Outs 100 ‘Top Homos’, Calls for Their Hanging

The Ugandan tabloid Rolling Stone this week published the names and addresses of 100 "top homos" and called for them to be hanged, in a front page story, the AP reports:

"In the days since it was published, at least four gay Ugandans on the list have been attacked and many others are in hiding, according to rights activist Julian Onziema. One person named in the story had stones thrown at his house by neighbors.

….

The Oct. 9 article in a Ugandan newspaper called Rolling Stone - not the American magazine - came out five days before the one-year anniversary of the controversial ("kill the gays") legislation. The article claimed that an unknown but deadly disease was attacking homosexuals in Uganda, and said that gays were recruiting 1 million children by raiding schools, a common smear used in Uganda.

After the newspaper hit the streets, the government Media Council ordered the newspaper to cease publishing - not because of the newspaper’s content, but rather that the newspaper had not registered with the government. After it completes the paperwork, Rolling Stone will be free to publish again, said Paul Mukasa, secretary of the Media Council.

That decision has angered the gay community further. Onziema said a lawsuit against Rolling Stone is in the works, and that she believes the publication has submitted its registration and plans to publish again.

According to the AP, the tabloid is relatively new and only publishes about 2,000 copies, but that hasn’t stopped it form causing havoc since the article’s publication:

The paper’s managing editor, Giles Muhame, said the article was "in the public interest."

"We felt there was need for society to know that such characters exist amongst them. Some of them recruit young children into homosexuality, which is bad and need to be exposed," he said. "They take advantage of poverty to recruit Ugandans. In brief we did so because homosexuality is illegal, unacceptable and insults our traditional lifestyle.’

Members of the gay community named in the article faced harassment from friends and neighbors. Onziema said the proposed bill already has led to evictions from apartments, intimidation on the street, unlawful arrests and physical assault.

The "kill the gays" bill introduced by MP David Bahati is said to have been "quietly shelved" but the animus toward gays, it appears, is still very active.

More http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/ugandan-tabloid-outs-100-top-homos-calls-for-their-hanging.html

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Jail Operations Staff Sergeant: Mississippi Corrections Officer ‘Fired Because He Turned Out to be a Faggot’

The ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Andre Cooley, a corrections officer in Mississippi’s Forrest County, who was fired after supervisors discovered he is gay.

From the ACLU complaint:

"On June 14, 2010, while Mr. Cooley was in his home, off-duty and out of uniform, his boyfriend became physically violent, prompting Mr. Cooley to call 911 for help. The official police report of the incident lists Mr. Cooley as the “victim” of the domestic violence. No charges or disciplinary proceedings have ever been filed against Mr. Cooley accusing him of domestic violence or any other misconduct.

One of the officers who responded to the call was Defendant Charles Bolton, the Chief of Corrections. In response to Chief Bolton’s questions, Mr. Cooley’s boyfriend disclosed that he and Mr. Cooley were in an intimate relationship. Upon learning that Mr. Cooley was gay and in a same-sex relationship, Chief Bolton immediately told Mr. Cooley not to come back to work before reporting to his immediate supervisor.

When he did report to his supervisor, Mr. Cooley was told he was suspended indefinitely. The next day, Defendant Donnell Brannon, Staff Sergeant of Jail Operations, informed Mr. Cooley that the Sheriff’s Department had terminated him because of ‘the type of situation’ in which Mr. Cooley had been involved.

Mr. Cooley asked Staff Sergeant Brannon whether he was being fired because he is gay. After a brief pause, Staff Sergeant Brannon responded, ‘Yes.’ On information and belief, Staff Sergeant Brannon subsequently told Mr. Cooley’s co-workers that ‘Cooley was fired because he turned out to be a faggot.’"

WDAM reports: "The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court by the ACLU, claims the sheriff’s department fired corrections officer Andre Cooley after discovering he was gay. Listed as defendants in the suit are Sheriff Billy McGee, Chief of Corrections Charles Bolton and Staff Sergeant of jail operations Donnell Brannon.

The suit claims the firing violated Cooley’s fourteenth amendment right to equal protection and due process in the termination."

From http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/jail-operations-staff-sergeant-mississippi-corrections-officer-fired-because-he-turned-out-to-be-a-f.html

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See me LIVE every M-F 12noon on www.outonline.com

18. October 2010 by admin.

Woman Claims Christina Aguilera Propositioned Her In Gay Bar

A woman claims that she was propositioned by Christina Aguilera, the Pittsburgh’s area most famous daughter at a popular gay bar in LA. According to the woman, Aguilera, who just filed for divorce from her husband earlier this week, was told that the singer was in an open marriage.

RadarOnline reports:

“I was at The Abbey one night when Christina’s bodyguard approached me,” a woman who wishes to remain anonymous told RadarOnline.com.
“He said, ‘My boss would really like you’ and pointed over to Christina.” The source said Christina waved to her, but that she was confused because her husband Jordan was at the bar with her. “The bodyguard told me it was an understanding within their marriage and that she brings girls home and Jordan’s okay with it,” the woman said.

“I met Christina in the bathroom and she told me she liked to play with girls.

“I ended up not pursuing anything with it because the situation just seemed so weird to me, but Christina was definitely looking to hook up.”
According to the source, Christina has been known to frequently approach women while out at gay bars in Los Angeles. “It’s funny because I had a couple girlfriends tell me that they were approached by Christina too,” the source said.

“My understanding was that Jordan wasn’t involved when she brought girls home."

Back in May, Aguilera told Out Magazine that, while she finds women attractive, there’s one thing she can’t live without: "My husband knows that I get into girls. I think it’s fun to be open and play. The line is real to me. My husband and I check in with each other, but I definitely love women.

I think they’re more attractive to the naked eye. I don’t think I could ever really be with a woman…And you know, I love dick. To be honest, that I cannot live without."

From http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/woman-claims-christina-aguilera-propositioned-her-in-gay-bar.html

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Broadway Stars Sing ‘It Gets Better’

A host of young Broadway stars came together to record a song in the hopes of calling further attention to the problem of suicide among LGBT youth. The song, written by composer and lyricists Jay Kuo and Blair Shepard, embraces the theme of "It Gets Better" and will be available for download via iTunes on October 19th. Proceeds will benefit a terrific cause - The Trevor Project. What’s just as good is that is the fact that the song is actually catchy

More at http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/watch-broadway-stars-sing-it-gets-better.html

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Lesbian Couple Asked to Leave Shopping Center Over Kiss?

The ACLU is now involved in a claim by a lesbian couple that they were asked to leave the Cameron Village shopping center in Raleigh, North Carolina after they held hands and kissed.

Q Notes reports:

"Caitlin Breedlove says she and her partner had just finished eating at The Flying Biscuit on Thursday afternoon when they went to sit outside.

There, they shared a brief kiss after which a security guard approached them and said they had to leave. According to a release, the security guard said that ‘being affectionate’ was ‘inappropriate.’ The couple asked the guard if he would have said the same thing if they had been an opposite sex couple.

The guard said, ‘No.’ The couple asked to see the security guard’s supervisor, who also said they needed to leave, reminded them Cameron Village was private property and said, “You want this to be public, you want people to see what you are."

A demonstration was planned at the shopping center yesterday.

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Pentagon Issues Memo Asking Gays Not To Tell - Yet

Days after Judge Virginia Philiips issued a ruling that would cease the enforcement of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell," the Pentagon issued a memo that serves to make sure that gays in the military are not ready to tell. At least not yet. This is apparently a reaction to the recent filing for a stay against the injunction by the Department of Justice.

The memo, signed by the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readines Clifford L. Stanley and date-stamped yesterday, reads in part:

"In light of the appeal and the application for a stay, a certain amount of uncertainty now exists about the future of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law and policy. We note for service members that altering their personal conduct in this legally uncertain environment may have adverse consequences for themselves or others should the court’s decision be reversed."

Politico adds:

The Pentagon is walking a fine line here. Their advice is consistent with what most groups advocating an end to DADT are urging. However, Phillips found that the current policy violates service members First Amendment rights. So full compliance with her order means the government has to be very careful about not intimidating troops out of exercising free speech rights that they are guaranteed by Phillips’s decision, at least so long as it stands. This may be why Stanley’s memo refers to "personal conduct," putting more of a focus on acts soldiers might engage in rather than what they might say.

You can read the memo in its entirety here.

Also on Friday, the Log Cabin Republicans went to federal court to request that the stay of injunction request by the DoJ be denied.

Meanwhile, Gen. James Conway recently told Fox News that "our Marines, by and large, they say that they are concerned that (allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military) will cause potential problems with regard to their order and discipline — that it will impact their sense of unit cohesion."

How did he come to this conclusion? "Informal polls" he conducted in which he claims 90 to 95 percent of heterosexuals in the military agree with this sentiment.

From http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/dadt.html

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Catch me live on TALK IT OUT M-F 12 noon est

15. October 2010 by admin.

Ryan James Yezak presents the music video to "Peacock" by Katy Perry from her album Teenage Dream.

Over 2,000,000 wanted to see his Peacock too!

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That’s Gay: Preaching to the Preacher Eddie Long

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Queer Duck

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Paranormal Activity in Toronto Apartment

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GLEE Rocky Horror Promo.  Oct. 26

Glee’s Always Shirtless Chord Overstreet: ‘I’m the Taylor Lautner of TV’

New Glee cast member Chord Overstreet, who plays the high school quarterback, recentlt talked about how the show is making him spend more time out of his clothes than in them.

Says Overstreet:

"It’s funny. They have me in the shower with my shirt off for every episode. You kind of have to stay in good shape. I actually signed that in my contract. It was all about having to have one or two shirts off scenes for every episode. I’m like the Taylor Lautner of TV now."

It’s been rumored that Overstreet will be developed into a boyfriend for Kurt Hummel.

Check out the preview for the Halloween "Rocky Horror" episode, in which Overstreet is once again shirtless.

More at http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/glees-always-shirtless-chord-overstreet-im-the-taylor-lautner-of-tv.html

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13. October 2010 by admin.

Florida’s Gay Adoption Ban Dead; DCF Won’t Appeal

Florida’s Department of Children and Families announced late Tuesday that it would not appeal the overturn of the state’s ban on gay adoption, CNN writes:

"The Florida Department of Children and Families announced Tuesday evening that the state agency would not appeal the September decision by the 3rd District Court of Appeals. ‘We had weighed an appeal to the Florida Supreme Court to achieve an ultimate certainty and finality for all parties,’ said Joe Follick, the department’s communications director.

‘But the depth, clarity of the DCA opinion — and that of Miami-Dade Judge Cindy Lederman’s original circuit court decision — has made it evident that an appeal would have a less than limited chance of a different outcome.’ The appeals court opinion lifted a three-decade ban making adoption possible for gay men and lesbians in Florida statewide."

The AP adds:

"The only way the case stays alive is if Attorney General Bill McCollum separately decides to appeal to the Supreme Court to keep the ban in place. He would have to do so without the support of the child welfare agency, which is changing its forms so adoptive parents aren’t asked if they’re gay…McCollum’s office said he isn’t sure how he will proceed, but his lawyers will talk with DCF’s lawyers before a final decision is made. A decision to appeal must be made by Oct. 21."

More at http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/floridas-gay-adoption-ban-dead-dcf-wont-appeal.html

Department Of Justice Appeals DOMA Ruling

First there was good news that Judge Virginia Phillips ruled Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell unconstitutional then comes the bad news that the Obama Administration has filed appeals against another judge’s decisions to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act.
U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Tauro of Boston ruled in Gill v. Office of Personnel Management and Commonwealth of Massachusetts vs. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this year that DOMA violates the Fifth Amendment and impedes the state of Massachusetts’s ability to define marriage.
While the Justice Department’s appeal comes as no surprise, it will do nothing to endear the President to liberals and progressives offended by broken campaign promises.

Justice Department officials insist they’re just doing their job, and reassured a potentially angry public that the President is dedicated to ending DOMA.

"The Justice Department is defending the statute, as it traditionally does when acts of Congress are challenged," said the Department in its statement. "As a policy matter, the President has made clear that he believes DOMA is discriminatory and should be repealed. “

http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/department-of-justice-appeals-doma-ruling.html

Data-Backed Shocker! Gay People Are Basically The Same As Everyone Else

Gizmodo

There are a lot of preconceptions about gay sex versus straight sex. Gays are more promiscuous? Straight people longer relationships? Turns out it’s not that simple—OkCupid’s data doesn’t always bear that out…

Gay issues have been in the news a lot lately, from the debate over same-sex marriage in Congress to a sickening rash of gay-bashing here in New York City. We see a lot of emotion out there, instead of information, and we wanted to provide some data-based context on sexuality so that people might make better choices about what they say, think, and do.

Here’s what we’ve found, in numbers and charts.

. . .

First of all, gay sexuality is not a threat.

Gay people are not sexually interested in straights

The subtext to a lot of homophobic thinking is the idea that gays will try to get straight people into bed at the first opportunity, or that gays are looking to "convert" straights. Freud called this concept schwanzangst; the U.S. Army calls it Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

We combed through over 4 million match searches, and found virtually no evidence of it:

Match Search Returns

• only 0.6% of gay men have ever searched for straight matches.
• only 0.1% of lesbians have ever searched for straight matches.
• only 0.13% of straight people’s profile visitors are gay.

Furthermore
In our dataset, there was not a single gay user, male or female, who primarily searched for straight people.

Gay people aren’t promiscuous.

Another common myth about gay people is that they sleep around, but the statistical reality is that gay people as a group aren’t any more slutty than straights.

Median Reported Sex Partners

• straight men: 6
• gay men: 6
• straight women: 6
• gay women: 6

Here’s how the distribution curves compare:

• 45% of gay people have had 5 or fewer partners (vs. 44% for straights)
• 98% of gay people have had 20 or fewer partners (vs. 99% for straights)

It turns out that a tiny fraction of gays have  two-handedly created the public image of gay sexual recklessness—in fact we found that just 2% of gay people have had 23% of the total reported gay sex, which is pretty crazy.

. . .

Straight people have gay sex, too.

Another inquiry that had unexpected results: we asked 252,900 straight people Have you ever had a sexual encounter with someone of the same sex?

Almost a quarter answered ‘yes’.

• 1 in 3 straight women has hooked up with another woman.
• and of those who haven’t, over 1 in 4 would like to.

As for straight men, a surprisingly high 13% have had a same-sex experience, and another 5% haven’t yet but would like to.

Using the incredible power of computers, we were able to break down this question geographically. Here are straight people who either have had or would like to have a same-sex experience in the continental U.S. and lower Canada. You can see some sharp geographic divides.

Awesomely, the mountain West lives up to its Brokeback reputation, and Canada is orange nearly coast-to-coast. Even in the yellow and blue areas, you can see pockets of gay curiosity in interesting places: Austin, Madison, Asheville. Anywhere soy milk is served, basically.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Two things: (1) The idea of the typical straight man as a kind bullying jock seems to be broadly true, though there is also a strong dork streak there, as well.

(2) Looking closely at the chart for females, we can improve upon Marx’s famous dictum.

Of course, as far as I know, no one’s saying that Indians shouldn’t get married or shouldn’t be allowed to teach children. The people of Louisiana even elected Bobby Jindal, an openly Indian man, as their governor!

We hope that gay people can expect the same treatment very soon.

More info at http://gizmodo.com/5661086/data+backed-shocker-gay-people-are-basically-the-same-as-everyone-else

Judge Suspends Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Policy ‘Infringes On Fundamental Rights’

U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips dealt a huge blow to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell yesterday, when she ruled that the military policy "infringes on the fundamental rights" of service members.

The 17-year old restrictions on openly gay soldiers are unconstitutional and all further discharges must stop.
"’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ infringes on the fundamental rights of United States service members and prospective service members and violates

(a) the substantive due process rights guaranteed under the Fifth Amendment," wrote Phillips in her three-page ruling on a case brought by the Log Cabin Republicans.

"And (b) the rights to freedom of speech and to petition the Government for grievances guaranteed by the First Amendment."
Phillips’ ruling, which comes two-weeks after a more narrow ruling and a Department of Justice objection, orders the government and Defense Department to immediately "suspend and discontinue any investigation, or discharge, separation, or other proceeding, that may have been commenced under the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Act."
The government now has 60 days, until December 16, to appeal the ruling, which they’re currently reviewing. Chances are that the Obama Administration will indeed appeal, because the President has made clear he wants Congress to handle DADT’s demise.

Though this is all exciting news, Servicemembers United suggested "caution."

"This order from Judge Phillips is another historic and courageous step in the right direction, a step that Congress has been noticeably slow in taking," said executive director and co-plaintiff Alexander Nicholson. "While this is certainly news to be celebrated we would also advise caution in advance of a potential stay from the Ninth Circuit. If the  court wishes to put itself on the right side of history, however, it will allow this sound and long-over due decision to remain in effect."

The following is a statement from the American Civil Liberties Union on today’s "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" injunction:

Judge Phillips ‘ recognition that "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" is an unconstitutional, discriminatory program that is harmful to those who serve our country is a huge step forward. While monumental decisions, such as today’s injunction, are being made in our courtrooms, it also time for Congress to step up and finally bring a legislative end to this baseless and discriminatory policy for once and for all.

More at http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/judge-suspends-down-dont-ask-dont-tell-policy-infringes-on-fundamental-rights.html

Video (2.04min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfu0xpBdGEM

That’s Gay: Preaching to the Preacher Eddie Long

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12. October 2010 by admin.

New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, suddenly infamous for his gay "brainwashing" remark, has some allies. Unfortunately, they’re people like anti-gay activist Bryan Fischer, who thinks believes everything Paladino said "is so true and so evident and so obvious that the real controversy here is that there is any controversy at all."

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg does not approve of Carl Paladino’s remarks, saying, "[His speech is] not what America stands for and it’s not what New York stands for, and I won’t dignify it with anything else." The Mayor was then asked whether he thinks Paladino’s fit to serve, to which Bloomberg replied, "I don’t think I want to dignify comments like he’s made, and I’ll leave it at that." That’s saying enough…

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Gay Teen In Oklahoma Takes His Own Life

Sadly, yet another gay teen has taken his life, this time in Oklahoma. According to the Dallas Voice, 19-year-old Zach Harrington  "endured years of struggles due to his sexual orientation in high school" and took his life a week after he attended a "hate-filled recent City Council meeting" in his conservative small town of Norman.

The Norman Transcript reports on the reaction from Harrington’s family:

Nikki Harrington, Zach’s older sister, said her brother likely took all of the negative things said about members of the GLBT community straight to heart.

“When he was sitting there, I’m sure he was internalizing everything and analyzing everything … that’s the kind of person he was,” she said. “I’m sure he took it personally. Everything that was said.”

Harrington’s father, Van, said he wasn’t sure why his son went to the meeting, especially after his experiences in Norman once he revealed that he was gay as a teenager. He said he feels his son may have glimpsed a hard reality at the Sept. 28 council meeting, a place where the same sentiments that quietly tormented him in high school were being shouted out and applauded by adults the same age as his own parents.

“I don’t think it was a place where he would hear something to make him feel more accepted by the community,” he said. “For somebody like Zach, it (the meeting) was probably very hard to sit through.”

“He feared for his safety on many occasions at (Norman North), and other people like him,” Van said. “Even though he was 6-4, he was passive and I’m sure being gay in that environment didn’t help.”

During rush hour on Friday, a flash mob consisting of hundreds of people staged a "Homophobia Kills" die-in inside of New York’s Grand Central Station to call further attention to the recent national discussion on gay teen suicide. Watch a video of the demonstration

More at http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/gay-teen-in-oklahoma-takes-his-own-life.html

 

WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK AFTER THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE!

 

Will IRS Answer Anti-Gay Pastor’s Political Prayers?

From http://www.towleroad.com/

Iowa next month will vote on whether to retain or oust three of the State’s Supreme Court Justices who approved gay marriage. Pastor Cary K. Gordon knows where he stands: against, and he used his church to distribute 1,000 mailers letters urging voters to sack the Justices. Gordon’s position’s more than just "one man, one woman," however; he’s waging a full scale attack on the IRS.
The IRS prohibits religious organizations that receive tax-exempt status to participate in the political realm, a law that puts the Mormon Church, with its work against gay marriage, in a sticky situation. While that Church wants to avoid controversy, Gordon prays for it, reportedly uttering the same appeal over and over, "Dear God, please allow the IRS to attack my church, so I can take them all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court."
Though advocates of church and state separation are naturally wary of Gordon’s position, the pastor takes a less legal perspective and alleges that the IRS actually approves of his involvement: "[The law’s] wrong. It needs to be challenged, and I don’t think the IRS will do anything about it, because I think they know it’s wrong."

Gordon goes on to say that the IRS would "rather let me blather about this and leave me alone than risk losing their intimidation power over thousands of other churches."
The IRS insists it does indeed look into church/state complaints, and have investigated 44 cases from the 2006 election cycle. Twenty-six incidents involved "improper political activity," so they clearly aren’t afraid to take church’s to task.

Gordon’s taunts and challenges are part of a broader religious movement, like the Alliance Defense Fund’s "Pulpit Free Sunday," aimed at thrusting the church further into the political process via a "free speech" argument.

More at http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/will-irs-answer-anti-gay-pastors-political-prayers.html

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European Union officials say that Serbia’s "failure" to prevent anti-gay riots during pride this weekend may hinder its chances at joining the Union.

The United States embassy, meanwhile, praised Serbian authorities for protecting gay rights marchers.

A day after a very sizable anti-gay march in Serbia’s capital, a large amount of fighting and looting took place during Sunday’s pride parade in Belgrade, the first one held in that country since 2001.

Hundreds of hateful right-wing protesters attacked and injured at least 100 people, including many of the 5,000 thousand police officers who were present to protect the pro-gay activists.

DAVID—FAKE COMMERCIAL 2

WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK AFTER THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE!

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The trailer has been edited, now GLAAD Pressures Universal On ‘Dilemma’ Gay Scene

GLAAD has upped the ante in its battle against Universal Pictures. The movie studio agreed last week to remove a "that’s so gay" joke from the trailer of its upcoming comedy, The Dilemma.
Though GLAAD made a removal request more than a month ago, it only took a casual reference from Anderson Cooper to get the job done. Now GLAAD wants the joke removed entirely, and put up an online petition asking concerned citizens to voice their disapproval.
"Contact Universal Pictures and urge its representatives to remove offensive anti-gay language from the upcoming movie, The Dilemma. Tell them that phrases like ‘that’s so gay’ are extremely damaging and contribute to putting young people in harm’s way. Teen bullying is no joke," reads the petition. "Unfortunately the company has refused to agree to remove the scene in the movie before its January release date. Moreover, after promising to remove the anti-gay trailer, Universal has reportedly still not removed the trailer from theaters." The trailers have been changed online, and Universal insists it will switch out the in-theater previews next week.

http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/with-trailer-edited-glaad-pressures-universal-on-dilemma-gay-scene.html

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Video Day–Smile

9. October 2010 by admin.

The GOP is looking for a few good ‘Hicky’men!

GOP Looking For ‘Hicky’ Men

Republican leaders are scrambling this afternoon after an internal email revealed their "hicky" advertising goals.

"We are going for a ‘Hicky’ Blue Collar look," said a casting call for a National Republican Senatorial Committee commercial opposing West Virginia’s Democratic governor, Joe Manchin. "These characters are from West Virginia, so think coal miner/truck looks," the note concluded. Suggested clothing included "trucker hats," "John Deer [sic] hats" and "flannel shirts."

Now that the details of their blue-collar dreams have been revealed, the NRSC has decided to cancel the ad.

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VIDEO (3min)

Ke$ha and her friends have remade her “Take It Off” video.  Just in time for Halloween and before you head to  a place downtown, Where the freaks all come around.
It’s a hole in the wall. It’s a dirty free for all.

“heyy to all my fans! sooooo….me n my friends were bored and we were really channeling some 80s hard (tron, david bowie in labyrinth, revenge of the nerds) and we made this new video for take it off,” K$ wrote.

“it was really fun to make,” she added. “i hope you guys like it!!!!!”

Read more: http://justjared.buzznet.com/2010/10/07/kesha-new-take-it-off-video/#ixzz11leP498y

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VIDEO (2.31 min)

Rush Limbaugh on FAMILY GUY!

Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian. The show is set in the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode Island, and lampoons American culture, society, television and many aspects of the human condition.

Catch an all-new episode of FAMILY GUY, Sunday at 9/8c, on FOX!
http://bit.ly/FamilyGuy_FB (’Like’ on Facebook)
http://bit.ly/FamilyGuy_Twitter (Follow on Twitter)
http://bit.ly/FOX_FB (FOX on Facebook)

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VIDEO  (2.47 MIN)

GAY PRETEND

Wanna get closer to a girl who thinks you’re disgusting? Do what TV and movie characters do: Go Faux ‘Mo!

http://current.com/groups/thats-gay/ and Current TV.
http://current.com/infomania/
Watch More infoMania Thursdays at 11/10c on Current TV

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VIDEO (3.41 MIN)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rixkck8QnjY&feature=related

It’s All Because (The Gays Are Getting Married)

Satire. Songs available on iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, eMusic, MusicNet, Sony Connect.
Music video of Oded Gross’ song It’s All Because (The Gays Are Getting Married). Video directed by Morgan Nichols.
For more on Oded Gross check out myspace.com/odedgross

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Let’s Rant!

7. October 2010 by admin.

 

We get the Rants started with this video of Bill Donohue who is ranting Against Gay Adoption, and Homosexuals in Church.

Video (4min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auCR89zXYE4

(Via http://www.mediamatters.org ) On 700 Club, Donohue rants that gay adoption "against nature," Catholic Church has "homosexual" - not "pedophilia" - "problem".

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Ex-Gay Group Exodus Quits Conservative ‘Day of Truth’

The "ex-gay" group Exodus International announced today that it will no longer participate in the anti-equality "Day of Truth," dealing the social conservative movement a small but important blow.
Founded in 2005, the Day of Truth is the right wing’s way of countering the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s Day of Silence, an annual event started in 1996 to combat anti-gay bullying and violence in schools.
Conservatives calls the Day of Silence "the promotion of homosexual behavior" and use the Day of Truth to oppose it "from a Christian perspective," which apparently includes calling homosexuality "shameful." In light of recent gay suicides, Exodus has decided that DOT’s perspective has become too incendiary.
"All the recent attention to bullying helped us realize that we need to equip kids to live out biblical tolerance and grace while treating their neighbors as they’d like to be treated, whether they agree with them or not," explained Exodus president Alan Chambers to CNN’s Dan Gilgoff.

"I don’t think [the event is] necessary anymore," said Chambers. "We want to help the church to be respectful of all its neighbors, to help those who want help and to be compassionate toward people who may hold a different worldview from us." Regardless of the group’s new approach, Exodus still claims it can "cure" people of homosexuality, a dangerous idea in and of itself.

Though the move may seem small, Exodus has always been a huge supporter for Day of Truth, and the relatively short time line — five years — it took for one of this hateful event’s biggest champions to switch gears provides a glimmer of hope that people are starting to realize that extreme social conservatism isn’t sustainable. Or will this simply ostracize Exodus from the social conservative movement at large?

Either way, GLSEN executive director Eliza Byard applauded Exodus’ decision: "I thank Exodus for making this very important step. The Day of Truth was an effort to push a very specific set of opinions about homosexuality into schools in a way that was inappropriate and divisive."

If Chambers and company were really serious, however, they would sign up with GLSEN’s Day of Silence. Isn’t solidarity the ultimate expression of "do unto others?"

Read more http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/ex-gay-group-exodus-quits-conservative-day-of-truth.html

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According to News Observer and Miami Herald

N.C. legislator uses ‘queers,’ ‘fruitloops’ in anti-gay e-mail

By Lynn Bonner

NewsObserver

North Carolina State Rep. Larry Brown sent his fellow House Republicans an e-mail last week where he referred to gays as "queers" and "fruitloops."

Brown was responding to an e-mail House Minority Leader Paul Stam of Apex sent to members of his caucus about House Speaker Joe Hackney getting an award from the Equality NC Foundation, a gay-rights group.

Brown sent his reply to nearly 60 e-mail addresses.

"I hope all the queers are thrilled to see him," said the message dated Sept. 27. "I am sure there will be a couple legislative fruitloops there in the audience."

Ian Palmquist, executive director of Equality North Carolina, said Brown should apologize for using anti-gay slurs.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/05/1858532/north-carolina-legislator-uses.html#ixzz11Zfk3Nby

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Video (2.15 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGxP-TOedrA

Gay Rant Of The Day.  Bottoms are people too

Equality NC Plans ‘Froot Loops’ Protest For Anti-Gay Pol

Taking on anti-gay activists can become a bit of a drag: you call, you write, you email, and yet you hear nothing. Boring.

Well, in the wake of North Carolina State Rep. Larry Brown’s recent homophobic email in which he called gay people "queers" and "fruit loops," LGBT group Equality NC has announced it will make activism a bit more fun by bringing Brown a box of Froot Loops cereal and a personalized note for every donation over $5 received between today and next Monday, October 11th.

"It’s a fun way to get the message across that this is not acceptable from a legislator," said the group’s executive director, Ian Palmquist.
The group has already raised more than $2,000 since announcing its cereal-centric tactic, and any food Brown turns away will be donated to a local food shelter.  
So, just to get this straight: a five-buck donation yields a stern, yet enjoyable disapproval of Brown’s homophobia and could help feed a hungry American. What could be better?

More at http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/equality-nc-plans-froot-loops-protest-for-anti-gay-pol.html

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Video (1.41 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJclc_MHO1c&list=SL

Rant:  I am Not A Hacker!

Project: Rant

Sen. Jim DeMint Defends Gay Teacher Remark

Senator Jim DeMint came under fire a few days ago for saying that sexually active single women and gay people shouldn’t be allowed to teach.

Now, after a slight delay, DeMint, a Republican from South Carolina, has issued a response and basically says school boards can decide on their own and people should stop attacking him for being discriminatory.

The statement, via DeMint’s communication’s director, "Sen. DeMint believes that hiring decisions at local schools are a local school board issue, not a federal issue. He was making a point about how the media attacks people for holding a moral opinion."

More at http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/sen-jim-demint-defends-gay-teacher-remark.html

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Right Wing Radio Host David Barton: Government Should ‘Regulate Homosexuality’

Evangelical radio host David Barton wondered yesterday why the United States, with its various governmental branches, doesn’t start "regulating homosexuality."

We have a Department of Health and Human Services; we have health care bills; we have health insurance and we’re trying to stop all unhealthy things so we’re going after transfats and we’re going after transparency in labeling to make sure we get all the healthy stuff in there," said Barton, a Christian nationalist who backed Florida Congressional hopeful Dan Webster, inadvertently providing the subtext for Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson’s "Taliban" attack ad.

Barton, a frequent guest on Glenn Beck’s program, continued with his extreme logic: "So if I go to the Centers for Disease Control and I’m concerned about health, I find some interesting stats there and this should tell me something about health. Homosexual/bisexual individuals are seven times to contemplate or commit suicide. Oooh, that doesn’t sound very healthy. Homosexuals die decades earlier than heterosexuals. That doesn’t sound healthy."

His conservative conclusion? "[Gays] go through all this stuff, sounds to me like that’s not very healthy. Why don’t we regulate homosexuality?"

The many candidates and politicians with whom Barton has worked, including Marco Rubio, Newt Gingrich and Sharron Angle, should be asked what they think of his plan, especially in relation to the Tea Party’s small government ideology.

More at http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/right-wing-radio-host-david-barton-government-should-regulate-homosexuality.html

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Video (1.40 min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxhB8FiQopQ&feature=related

Rant:  Passenger on planes

Project: Rant

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

The Good, the Bad, the Funny!

5. October 2010 by admin.

Watch me live every Monday through Friday on OUT TV Pgh.’s TALK IT OUT!  http://www.outonline.com

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Be Our Fan… we are yours. 

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Pittsburghs-Out/130343700332980?ref=sgm

October issue of Pittsburgh’s Out.
Available now everywhere!

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Sen. Jim DeMint: Gays, Single Women Shouldn’t Teach

DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, has long railed against the gays, whose marriages he thinks are "destructive" to society.

Well, DeMint went one step further this weekend, when, during a conservative church rally, he declared gay men and single women shouldn’t teach, according to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal.

DeMint said if someone is openly homosexual, they shouldn’t be teaching in the classroom and he holds the same position on an unmarried woman who’s sleeping with her boyfriend — she shouldn’t be in the classroom.

"(When I said those things,) no one came to my defense,” he said. “But everyone would come to me and whisper that I shouldn’t back down. They don’t want government purging their rights and their freedom to religion."

Huffington Post’s Amanda Terkel points out that DeMint said something similar during the 2004 campaign and later retracted his statement, saying, "As my wife often reminds me, sometimes my heart disengages from my head and I say something I shouldn’t – and that’s what happened yesterday. I clearly said something as a dad that I just shouldn’t have said. And I apologize."

Clearly DeMint’s apologies aren’t worth much, although one does begin to see why Senatorial hopeful Christine O’Donnell, who describes homosexuality as an "identity disorder," cited DeMint as her inspiration.

More from http://www.towleroad.com/

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VIDEO (23 sec)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgMYjhO4wK4&feature=player_embedded

Mayor Mike Bloomberg Says ‘I Do’ To Marriage Equality

Mayor Mike Bloomberg has joined the likes of Julianne Moore and Jeanne Moutoussamy Ashe in lending his name to Human Rights Campaign’s "Say I Do to Marriage Equality in New York."

The billionaire recently recorded a PSA in which he declares, "I’m Mayor Mike Bloomberg. I’m a New Yorker, and I support marriage equality, because government shouldn’t tell you who to love or who to marry."

Now if only Luke Ravenstaul came out for marriage equality in America’s Most Liveable City.

More from http://www.towleroad.com/

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Mormon Leader Reiterates Church’s Anti-Gay Stance

Thought the Mormon Church had given up its anti-gay messaging, think again, for Boyd K. Packer, president of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, used a church conference this weekend to take not-so-subtle jabs at same-sex marriage.

"If we’re not alert, there are those today who not only tolerate but advocate voting to change laws that will legalize immorality, as if a vote would somehow alter the designs of God’s laws and nature," said Packer at the 180th Semiannual General Conference in Salt Lake City.
Though he never explicitly used the term "same-sex marriage," or even "gay," Packer definitely made himself loud and clear when he insisted that marriage should only be "shared only and solely between man and woman, husband and wife."
"To enter into any relationship that is not in harmony with the principles of the Gospel must be wrong," he claimed, which is kind of like saying, "Since I don’t like peanut butter, it must bad, because I assume I’m always right." Well, we all know what happens when you assume…

More from http://www.towleroad.com/

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VIDEO (1.36 Min)

http://fora.tv/2010/10/02/Love_and_Obstacles_The_Case_for_Gay_Marriage#Cynthia_Nixon_Gays_Dont_Want_to_Redefine_Marriage

Cynthia Nixon To NOM Pres: ‘We Have No Desire To Change Marriage’

Saturday, several panelists took the stage at the New Yorker Festival’s session for "Love and Obstacles: The Case for Gay Marriage." Joining victorious Prop 8 lawyer David Boies were R. Clarke Cooper, Gene Robinson, Jeffrey Toobin and Cynthia Nixon and NOM’s Brian Brown, who sat to Nixon’s left.

The Sex & the City star made a very clear, coherent counter argument to Brown’s view that, by seeking marriage equality, gays and lesbians wish to completely redefine marriage.

Said Nixon:

"I want to say to the gentleman to my left, gay people who want to marry have no desire to redefine marriage in any way. When women got the vote they did not redefine voting. When African-Americans got the right to sit at a lunch counter alongside white people, they did not redefine eating out. They were simply invited to the table…We have no desire to change marriage. We want to be entitled to not only the same privileges, but the same responsibilities as straight people."

Brown must think this is just more gay trickery at work. Watch the clip of Nixon’s well-received comment,

More from http://www.towleroad.com/

http://fora.tv/premium

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U.S. Could Get First Openly Gay Lieutenant Governor

Massachusetts State Senator Richard Tisei, the running mate for that state’s Republican candidate Charlie Baker, could become the first openly gay lieutenant governor.

GOP Politics evaluates the Tisei and Baker: "The GOP ticket is led by Charlie Baker, a fiscal conservative who supports marriage equality, and State Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, an openly gay candidate for lieutenant governor.  Not only is the GOP ticket in Massachusetts the most LGBT-friendly the Republican Party has ever fielded, but in this liberal area they’ve provided the Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) with a real pick-up opportunity."

Also, the Victory Fund has stated their support for the state senator: "Tisei has earned the respect of his colleagues and stands an excellent chance of becoming the party’s nominee for Lieutenant Governor if he can beat back the forces of intolerance on the extreme right wing of his party.  A group has emerged that’s urging Republican voters to reject Tisei because of his strong support for marriage equality, his support of teachers and because of his pro-choice stand."

Tisei himself noted that he has the potential to make history when speaking to the Martha’s Vineyard Times last month: "People judge you on your performance," and not completely hiding his pride, added, "To tell you the truth, if I’m elected, I’ll be the first gay office holder statewide, and the highest ranking in the country —unusual for a Republican."

You may remember that while Baker supports gay marriage, he and Tisei disagree on a Massachusetts transgender anti-discrimination bill.

More from http://www.towleroad.com/

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Video (3.52min)

http://www.youtube.com/user/JoRgEgS69

That’s Gay: Sissy Commercials

Homophobic commercials for brands like Old Spice, Miller Lite, and even the Colorado National Speedway.
That’s Gay is a recurring segment on the weekly television show infoMania. In each episode of That’s Gay, Bryan Safi explores gay issues and stereotypes as they are portrayed by the clueless media. For more Bryan visit http://current.com/groups/thats-gay/ and Current TV.

… (more info

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