General Gayety

Another One Bites the Dust

2012-02-24T18:16:00.000-08:00

Question of the Week

2012-02-23T12:07:00.000-08:00

What is your immediate reaction these days when you see Rick Santorum?

An Alternative Reality

2012-02-23T10:13:00.000-08:00

Daisy Chain

2012-02-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Inthis photo, staffers from Equal Rights Washington (ERW), the Evergreen State'sLGBT advocacy organization, pose with posies. The gift came from Empire State Pride Agenda, ERW's oppositenumber in New York, with a card that read, "Fromstate #6 to state #7, the torch is passed! Congratulations!"

ERW hopes soon to be able to send a bouquet to EqualityMaryland, state #7 congratulating state #8.

Sweet sentiments in every sense.

I could be wrong, but I suspect other sorts ofadvocacy groups with lots of men in them don't often send flowers to eachother. But when the guys are gay,the flowers fly. FTD on speed dial.

This Week's Quote

2012-02-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

There is nothing wrong with going to bed with someone of your own sex. People should be very free with sex, they should draw the line at goats.

Elton John

Source: Quotegarden.com

Gay Guys?

2012-02-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

Is this about right for you?

Question of the Week

2012-02-16T16:06:00.000-08:00

Now that the New Jerseylegislature has sent Gov. Christie a marriage-equality bill, what would youlike to say to him?

Nails It

2012-02-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

This Week's Quote

2012-02-14T08:54:00.000-08:00

It goes Christmas, NewYear's Eve, Valentine's Day. Is that fair to anyone who's alone? These are alldays you gotta be with someone. And if you didn't get around to killingyourself at Christmas or New Year's, boom! There's Valentine's Day. I think thereshould be one more after Valentine's Day just called, "Who could loveyou?"

Laura Kightlinger

Source: The Huffington Post

Happy, Anxious, Anxious, Happy

2012-02-13T13:05:00.000-08:00

The LGBT news in mypart of the world has been good lately. Stunningly good. Thegovernor of Washington mastered her qualms, the legislature mustered the votesand soon misters will be marrying misters in the Pacific Northwest.

This process hasbeen so speedy and gratifying that I've been in a happy place for all of 2012.

Anyone who knows meknows that couldn’t last.

Recent LGBT newsfrom around the world has plucked me from my happy place and plunked me down onan anxious acre. Listen, if itweren't for that continuing glow from local news, I'd be on an irate island.

Start with the factthat the "Kill the Gays" bill has resurfaced in Uganda. Oh, this time the death penalty hasbeen dropped, according to the bill's daddy, MP David Bahati. Now anyone convicted of"aggravated homosexuality"—which last time around included anyHIV-positive gay person who has sex—will merely get life in prison.

Such a relief.

Openly lesbian PepeJulian Onziema of Sexual Minorities Uganda told the BBC that in the few dayssince Bahati reintroduced his bill, anti-gay harassment increased. In other words, Bahati got alightning-quick return on his investment. A hate dividend.

"What I'mworried about most is not even the police coming to arrest me, it's my neighborattacking me—it's the [taxi] refusing to take me to a destination. I'll be killed before I reached mydestination," said Onziema.

Suddenly I'm filledwith warmth for North American cab drivers.

The prime ministerand cabinet don't support Bahati's bill, having gotten an international earfulabout it in the past, but the legislation will receive an airing. "The facilitation of this debateshould not be confused for the government's support for this bill," readan official statement.

Will the governmentmanage to quash the bill? Will therebe some hideous compromise? Howmany more LGBT Ugandans will suffer at the hands of their neighbors? I have room if you want to join me onmy anxious acre. I'm generous thatway.

Now to another partof the world that currently calls for hand wringing. St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia andconsidered the nation's most sophisticated metropolis, moves ever closer tobumpkin status.

The city legislatureadvanced a measure banning "gay promotion." Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported the bill puts thekibosh on any gay Pride events. Authorities can levy fines up to $16,700 for "public activitiespromoting homosexuality (sodomy and lesbianism), bisexualism and transgenderidentity."

That wholelegalizing homosexuality thing that happened in Russia in 1993 seems to havepassed a lot of Russians by. Rather like democracy.

The St. Petersburglegislature gave the second of three required approvals to this terriblemeasure, and the third reading is imminent. The bill first went before the legislature in November;between then and now the fines grew 10 times higher. Just how much does vodka cost these days?

Not all theappalling LGBT news comes from abroad, of course. Ask 20-year-old Brandon White, who was beaten outside aneighborhood store in Atlanta by gang members hurling anti-gay slurs andshouting that his kind wasn't wanted in the area.

Their kind tends tobe not so popular either.

White didn't plan toreport the assault until he heard a video of it had been posted and gone viral. "By them going ahead and puttingit on the Internet, I feel that they wanted the attention," said White,according to The Huffington Post. "They wanted to make themselveslook like they were brave or strong, but in my opinion, I'm the braveone."

A powerfulsentiment. Powerful enough tofling me back to my happy place. Or at least within spitting distance.

Question of the Week

2012-02-10T11:15:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow in Tacoma,Wash., will be the funeral for the two little boys killed by their father, JoshPowell. The Westboro Baptist Church planned to protest at the event, claiming the murders resulted from God'sanger with Washington for passing same-sex marriage. Now the Westboro'ers have backed off, in exchange for air time on a radio station. Your view of all this?

Blog Swarm of Thanks

2012-02-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

Today General Gayety is participating in a Washington United for Marriage and Daily Kos blog swarm to help support the marriage equality campaign in Washington State. I’m joined by bloggers from Bilerico Project, Pam’s House Blend, Good As You,AMERICABlog Gay, the Prop 8 Trial Tracker, the Seattle Lesbian, The Bent Angle, on the-Ave, MadProfessah, HRC, Hella Bus, Horsesass.org, Step Forward, LGBT POV, FrontiersLA, the Left Shue and more.

This has been an incredible week! On Tuesday a three judge panel from the Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional. In the majority opinion, the court wrote,”Prop 8 served no purpose, and had no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California.”

On Wednesday, the Washington State House passed a same-sex marriage bill, and now it the bill is headed to Governor Gregoire’s desk for her signature. She promised to sign the bill before Valentine’s Day!

Please click here to thank Governor Gregoire.

Governor Gregoire’s leadership was instrumental to the success of passing a marriage bill in Washington State. She not only supported the bill, but she introduced the bill. This is as much her legislation as it is our community’s legislation.

Please join us during this blog swarm to thank Governor Gregoire for her leadership and her friendship. There is little doubt our opponents will make their voices heard, but we know that together our voice for equality is so much stronger.

Please click here to the Washington United for Marriage’s and Daily Kos’ joint petition to thank Governor Gregoire for making history.

When our friends speak up for us, we need to speak up for our friends, so join us in thanking Governor Gregoire today!

Did you sign the thank you petition? Share it with your friends: http://wufm.it/4

You Might Cry, You Will Laugh

2012-02-09T12:03:00.000-08:00

This speech is a keeper. Republican Rep. Maureen Walsh of Walla Walla explains her position during yesterday's debate over marriage equality in Washington.

And by the way, the House voted 55-43 to grant same-sex marriage. All that remains is for the governor to sign the bill, which she will do soon. Then: in all likelihood, the joy of a referendum. 2012 is not a dull year in the Evergreen State.

The Ultimate Question

2012-02-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

Ellen and Those "Million" Moms

2012-02-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

Ellen DeGeneres offers her take on the JCPenney/One Million Moms hullabaloo.

A Prop 8 Win

2012-02-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

InCalifornia, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals released its decision on Proposition 8 today. The courtconcluded that Prop 8 violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S.Constitution. I conclude thatthere will be giddiness from the Castro to Christopher St.

This Week's Quote

2012-02-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

I personally think we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain.

Jane Wagner

Source: The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe

Guest Post: Marriage-Ambivalence Meets Reality

2012-02-06T12:07:00.000-08:00

By Louisa Mackenzie

At about 8 p.m. on February 1^st, 2012, theWashington State Senate voted, 28-21, to approve marriage equality. I wasthere, standing in the gallery along with hundreds of other LGBTQQI (etc.) andallied Washingtonians. And for about 24 hours afterwards, I forgot to be ambivalent.

Now it's coming back . The ambivalence. Some of it might be betterdefined as pessimism. There will almost certainly be an ugly referendum.National so-called "family values" groups have had their eyes on ourstate for months now, and are already pouring money into local religious coalitionswho have promised a ballot challenge. We'll be called pedophiles,necrophiliacs, hell-bound harbingers of social chaos, German Shepherd-marriers.Maybe – probably – we're headed for a California-style pendulum. We'll be allowedto marry on one Wednesday in July, but it will only be recognised if the papersare signed before 4:03 p.m. when another referendum will be filed, but not ifthe judge was on lunch break; then it'll be back to domestic partnerships(which will have been dissolved if we got married, so we'll have to reapply,but since our DP was nonexistent for two hours we will actually find ourselvesto be legally separated). And then, Focus on the Creepy Old Testament Familywill start chipping away at domestic partnerships too, so we'll find ourselvesback in the 1970s before it's Thursday.

And then there's DoMA. State-based marriages don't addressthe federal limbo we live in. We pay "gay taxes" on health insurancefor partners; we're not eligible for Social Security; we can't sponsor anon-US-born partner into the country; we can have an accident in a neighbouringstate and die alone in a hospital while our partner is legally refused accessto our room. And that's just fourof the hundreds of ways in which DoMA reminds us of our status (social chaos, hell,necrophilia, German Shepherds).

Some of my ambivalence comes from the M-word itself. Despitemy own utterly assimilated life as a middle-aged monogamously partnered lesbowith the metaphorical white picket fence and the literal Subaru, I respect manyof the arguments from within our community against the current focus on gay marriage.Anti-assimilation activists argue for a more radical understanding of rights.Some argue that marriage is a patriarchal and homophobic institution to whichwe should not aspire, that marriage itself requires queering. Others –this ismore where I've aligned myself recently – argue that same-sex couples don'tneed the term "marriage" as long as they have all of the state andfederal rights associated with the institution. Call it whatever you want. Callit Sid, or The Institution Formerly Known as Marriage, just give us the rights.

Even as many of us celebrate, we should not dismiss the waysin which marriage continues to divide LGBTQ communities themselves. If itbecomes legal in this state, I will almost certainly take advantage of it. Asan already-privileged person, a white, employed, able-bodied, US citizen, Iwill garner even more privileges for myself and my partner (like the right toinherit her fleece collection without paying taxes). I don't get to dismiss theexperience of someone who tells me that they feel that their racial identity has been problematically co-opted by the marriage debate, or someone who feels that marriage legislation is taking energy and funds away from causes more immediate to their needs, such as safehomes for queer youth, or immigration rights.Many of these people are ten times smarter and more engaged in social justiceactivism than I ever will be, and part of me understands why they didn't breakout the champagne on Wednesday. They were probably busy facilitating a peerintervention for HIV-positive homeless drug users.

And yet. Marriage is a category that matters, and not justto the middle-class bourgaysie. Whatever we may think of it, whether you wantto join it or queer it or abolish it, the reality of our current world is that "marriageis how society says you are a family," as Senator Ed Murray put it theother night. Given that we don't yet live in a utopian, gender-fluid,all-kinship-respecting, radically anti-oppressive society, the opening up of same-sexpartnerships to a state-sanctioned definition of family can surely only be seenas progress.

Ambivalence and complexity aside, it was quite simplyamazing to witness the yes vote in the state senate that evening. And kind ofhumbling. When I hear people like Senator Swecker (R-Rochester) claim thatheterosexual Christians are the real victims of discrimination, I get to rollmy eyes and mumble some recommendations of nice places from which he might, ifso inclined, take a jump. Marriage equality advocates in the senate – thoseadvocating to expand the rights of, you know, me - don't get to do that. They have to listen, talk to, negotiatewith, and perhaps even learn to respect this person who they know believes themto be sinners (hell, German Shepherds). That's how political change happens,and it's no thanks to any sophisticated deconstruction I might perform ofmarriage's complicity with patriarchy or capitalism. It's thanks to the work ofpoliticians and activists, and their willingness to work with people I wouldrather pretend don't exist.

It's not about me, although I'm hugely looking forward tofiguring out how to use both cats and dogs in our ceremony (yes,simultaneously). It's about the gay teenager in Senator Swecker's district whomight finally feel a little more human dignity when he sees the local fagsgetting married. Even if said fags have beer cans thrown at them as they walkout of the municipal court. It's about the gay kids yet to be born, who, whenAdam and Steve live on every block, will look back on the appalling statisticsof suicide among gay youth the way we look at medieval torture devices. It'sabout the lesbian couple in a retirement home, who finally have equal legalrecourse in mistreatment cases, and who, after decades in the closet and 5years of domestic partnership, finally get to say "I do" in the waythey assumed would always be withheld from them. Marriage matters to so many ofmy people. And other things matter, too, like they always did.

So: marry me, Virginia. And let's volunteer more.

Scottish-born Louisa Mackenzie is a college professor in Seattle. She is happy to be marrying into a decent fleece collection.

Sticky Business

2012-02-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

From George Takei's Facebook page.

Question of the Week

2012-02-02T17:07:00.000-08:00

If you plan to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday, will it be for the football, the ads or Madonna?

Ah, Seattle

2012-02-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

Babylonia Aivaz recently got married--to a 107-year-old abandoned warehouse. The Occupy Seattle protester staged the event to call attention to gentrification. Since Aivaz is female, and so is the building--I've no idea how the Occupy folks ascertained that--this was a gay wedding. Alas, the union will be a short one, as the warehouse is due to be demolished by mid-February. Aivaz will have to struggle on as a widow.

The Washington State Senate votes this evening on same-sex marriage. While Aivaz married herself up to bricks and mortar on Jan. 29 to make a point about community space, I wouldn't be at all surprised if one of the senators cites the nuptials as an example of what granting gay marriage can lead to. If Washington legalizes same-sex marriage, soon everybody will want to marry the Space Needle.

This Week's Quote

2012-01-31T08:39:00.000-08:00

I have been asked to pose for Penthouse on my hundredth birthday. Everybody is going to be sorry.

Dolly Parton

Source: Women's Wicked Wit

You Are Invited

2012-01-30T12:24:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking ofstarting a new career. With thestate of Washington on a path to legalize same-sex marriage, it's the righttime here in the Evergreen State to get into the wedding invitationbusiness. For a modest fee, I planto offer specialized invitation text, suited just for the couple.

I've knocked outsome examples. Imagine unsealing ahand-lettered envelope and withdrawing a regal invitation graced with one ofthe following announcements:

Benjamin Paul Corday and Jack Simon Mikkelsenrequest the pleasure of your company in celebrating their union of marriage onSaturday, the nineteenth of May, two thousand and twelve, at one o'clock in theafternoon, at Tacoma Lutheran Church. Unless the pastor changes his mind again.

Jim and Arlene Trent and Stu and Suzy Levy inviteyou to the wedding of their daughters, Sarah Elizabeth Trent and Candace OpalLevy, on Saturday, the eighteenth of August, two thousand and twelve, at sixo'clock at Golden Gardens Park, Seattle. Dinner, dancing and writing thank-you notes to legislators to follow.

Sally Ann Miller and Deborah Casey Putnam request thehonor of your presence as we marry for a fourth time. No gifts, please. We're out of space.

Barry Edward Miller and Archibald Chi Wong inviteyou to join them in celebrating their marriage in the card room of theWesthaven Retirement Home ten minutes after gay marriage becomes legal.

Mr. and Mrs. Alan Slater hold their noses and inviteyou to join them as their son David Riley Slater marries that man on Saturday,the seventh of July, two thousand and twelve, at five o'clock in the evening,Bellevue First Congregational Church.

Dinesh and Chandra Gupta request the honour of yourpresence and blessings on the auspicious occasion of the wedding ceremony ofour daughter Ahanti to . . . aman! Our girl fooled us again.

Peter O'Malley and Mark Shaughnessy invite you totheir wedding on the steps of St. James Cathedral in Seattle on Sunday, June 10^th,at 10:00 in the morning. Dress forpossible arrest.

Cynthia Simmons Bartlett and Moonstone request thatyou get your butts over here to our place on Lummi Island for the mother of allunion celebrations to take place on the summer solstice. Potluck.

Abigail Sage Hernandez-Martin invites you to joinher in celebrating the marriage of her Daddy and her Papa at her house inSpokane. She will look unbearablycute, so you should bring your cameras.

The honor of your presence is requested at thereaffirmation of wedding vows of Grace Branson (formerly Herbert Branson) andMelinda Branson on Saturday, September 8^th, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. attheir home in Olympia. Still goingstrong after 35 years and a few twists and turns!

Question of the Week

2012-01-26T19:13:00.000-08:00

Your reaction to Newt Gingrich comparing gay marriage to paganism?

What's Wrong With My Dress, and Make It Funny

2012-01-25T11:50:00.000-08:00

You can never be sure what will happen when you come out to your parents . . .

This Week's Quote

2012-01-24T15:03:00.000-08:00

You live and learn. Then you die and forget it all.

Noel Coward

Source: The Mammoth Book of Great British Humor

25!

2012-01-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

Two groups fighting for marriage equality in Washington state have just posted on Facebook that a 25th state senator has said she'll vote for our right to marry. That gives us a majority in the Senate. That means this thing is going to pass. That means this Washingtonian is in shock.

Non-Theoretical Question of the Week

2012-01-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

When snow and ice have you trapped in a house not your own with two dogs that live to bark, how long before your sanity cuts and runs?

This Week's Quote

2012-01-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

Itmay be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him fromlynching me, and I think that's pretty important.

MartinLuther King, Jr.

Source: Brainyquote.com

No More Merging

2012-01-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

The Gay Travel Buzz

2012-01-16T11:20:00.000-08:00

I used to be atravel writer, but these days I'm ignorant about international travel. I don't even know where gays withmoney—in this economy, all six of them—go abroad on vacation.

So I asked my friendLoAnn Halden, who both writes about travel and serves as the Media RelationsManager for the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association, where thehappening places for gays are.

The short answer iseverywhere she's been. Now, now,don't hate her for that.

The longer answer isa positive one. As LoAnn wrote mein an email, "The gay world is certainly larger than it used to be."

I hadn't thoughtabout gay travel in that way before, but by the god of lost luggage, she'sright. In years past, if you weregay and out, you likely stuck with the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and westernEurope.

Now the whole worldmight not be your oyster, but you can get your hands on more of the pearls.

LoAnn noted, "Certainly SouthAmerica/Latin America continues its gay rise. Argentina and Brazil are leading the way, but I also knowgays who love Colombia and we see plenty of gay group trips to Machu Picchu,Peru."

Iwonder if any Inca spirits still hanging around those spectacular Peruvianruins wisecrack when they see yet another busload of men unload, all of them attiredin their colorful native garb, commonly known as Abercrombie &Fitch.

Argentinalegalized same-sex marriage not long ago. The Pride Parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is the biggest LGBT Pridecelebration in the world. Gay rights in Colombia have movedforward. No doubt there are otherreasons that Latin America has become a gay destination, but an improving LGBTrights picture is a factor.

"When you seechanges in marriage/sodomy laws, like in South America or India, it adds to thebuzz," said LoAnn. Before youknow it, gay men from Topeka are feeling the urge to samba.

Some savvy touristofficials around the world know the value of buzz. When Argentina legalized gay marriage in 2010, the tourismminister of Mexico City, which had legalized gay marriage the year before,offered a free honeymoon to the first gay Argentines to wed.

The offer was"in recognition of tolerance, but also to promote gay-friendly tourism inMexico City," said Tourism Minister Alejandro Rojas. No "idiota," he.

Rojas said gaytourists are respectful, discerning and shell out 47 percent more than straighttourists. It's a wonder everytourist official from Belize to Benin isn't courting us.

Geez, 47percent. As nations around theworld grapple with LGBT rights, which is still an oxymoron to far too many ofthem, it would make sense for local tourism authorities to worm their way intothe discussions. Especially withthe world economy as it is, those charged with boosting tourism should quietlychant "47 percent, 47 percent."

As LoAnn mentioned,the nation of India made a welcome, landmark, really-big-deal change. In 2009 the Delhi High Court struckdown Section 377, which made homosexual sex a criminal offense.

Last month LoAnnvisited India on a trip for LGBT travel journalists, sponsored not by Indianauthorities—apparently they don't want to woo us yet—but by those in theprivate sector, like tour operators, travel agents and hoteliers. Word of that 47 percent has reached theGanges.

LoAnn posted herIndia pictures on Facebook, and I for one drooled like a fool. I must start travel writing again. The next nation to improve its LGBTlaws, I'm there. Guess that rulesout Vatican City.

Perks of the Job

2012-01-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

In a photo posted yesterday on her Facebook page, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire poses with baby rainbow cupcakes, a gift from Seattle-based, lesbian-owned Cupcake Royale, I assume to thank the governor for her support of marriage equality. I can't speak for Gregoire, but that would be graft I could live with.

Question of the Week

2012-01-12T10:49:00.001-08:00

What's your reaction to KristyMcNichol coming out?

Pope Assigns Us Awesome Task

2012-01-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

Pope Benedict kicked off the new year by declaring gay marriage is a threat to humanity's future.

Apparently the pontiff willnot be pussyfooting around in 2012.

On Monday, before an audience of diplomats posted to the Vatican, the pope said same-sex marriage was among several threats to the traditional family.

Glad we're not the onlyone. That really would be moreresponsibility than we can handle.

Benedictsaid that "pride of placegoes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman."

"Thisis not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of everysociety. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten humandignity and the future of humanity itself."

Lordy. If we're going to destroy humanity, weneed to get a move on.

This Week's Quote

2012-01-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

Ido want to get rich but I never want to do what there is to do to get rich.

GertrudeStein

Source: The Quotable Woman

RuPaul Sashays Into New Hampshire

2012-01-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

I can't improve upon this post from Jason Volack of ABC News, so here it is in its entirety.

For RuPaul, Ron Paul Confusion Is a Real Drag

MANCHESTER, N.H. - RuPaul is giving it a twirl and walking the political catwalk to disprove once and for all that he’s not presidential candidate Ron Paul.

The confusion started four years ago when the actor, model and drag queen was mistaken for libertarian-leaning presidential candidate Ron Paul, 76.

Despite the obvious physical contrasts and their 25-year age difference, the star of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” was peppered with questions mostly concerning her presidential platform. “They get confused when I tell them that my platform is six inches and is covered in rhinestones,” a flabbergasted RuPaul, 51, said.

His mission is simple. He’s in New Hampshire to have his picture taken with the Texas congressman so America can once and for all not confuse the two, although he concedes that his pussycat wig and high heels do make a fierce political statement.

“Our founding fathers wore wigs, did you ever think about that,” said the performer who was born in San Diego as RuPaul Andre Charles.

The drag queen diva says he’s best suited to serve America by finding its next drag queen superstar.

When asked what Ron Paul’s drag name would be, RuPaul quickly retorted “RuPaul.”

Well, one thing in this piece could have used improvement--consistency of pronouns. And now for your viewing pleasure, here's RuPaul in Manchester, N.H.

Love in Fatigues

2012-01-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

This picture of an airman and his marine has gone viral, reports unicornbooty.com. First the welcome-home smooch between naval lesbians, and now this adorable photo. It seems we can't get enough of these post-DADT images. I await cuteness from the Coast Guard.

Question of the Week

2012-01-05T21:26:00.000-08:00

Do you think Washington state will grant same-sex marriage rights this year?

Helluva Day in the Capital

2012-01-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my partner Anne and I journeyed from Seattle to Olympia, Washington's state capital, to see history being made. I won't drive through a monsoon for just any old reason.

The day before we'd gotten an alert from Legal Voice, the organization that fights for women's rights in the Northwest and a partner in the coalition pushing for marriage equality, that Gov. Chris Gregoire intended to deliver a speech on marriage. Legal Voice asked Anne, who suffered the slings and arrows of inequality in the past, if she'd be willing to talk to the press, and Anne agreed.

Legal Voice expressly told us to keep mum about the governor's speech. A few hours later, The Seattle Times blared the news. I want it clearly understood that I'm not the one who talked. As sorely tempted as I was to blab by blogging, I'm innocent. A veritable picture of virtue.

Speaking of pictures, here's one I pilfered from Equal Rights Washington of the scene outside the governor's office as we waited to be let in.

I enjoyed the wait, picking out Washington LGBT luminaries like Grethe Cammermeyer, Margaret Witt, Charlene Strong, Marsha Botzer, Sen. Ed Murray and others. I had a great chat with a rabbi from West Seattle, and when she confessed to nerves about talking to the media, I put on my press hat and did a practice interview. By God, she was ready.

Eventually we were let in, with some of us bound for the room where the governor was to speak, and the rest of us off to the overflow room to watch the video feed. And watch we did:

The governor gave a forceful and emotional speech. We clapped, we laughed, and as usual, Anne cried.

Gov. Gregoire threw her full weight behind marriage equality in the Evergreen State. "It is time, it is the right thing to do, and I will introduce a bill to do it," she declared. She spoke of her long wrestling match with her faith over same-sex marriage while in office, a struggle that's now over, as she told reporters, "I feel so much better today than I have for the last seven years."

When she walked into the viewing room we gave her the reception she deserved, which appeared to move her. That was only fair, since she'd moved us.

Then, with former governors watching from their portraits, media members interviewed some of us. This was Anne's time, and I all but hurled her at a reporter I recognized from, I think, public access. She spoke clearly and comprehensively, while I fulfilled my role of smiling partner in the distance. It wasn't hard to smile, because I was deeply impressed at how well she was doing.

Anne was there in part for the purpose of speaking with the press; I'm a journalist. But guess who got pulled into Anne's next interview? Here's a hint, via a Legal Voice photo:

Apparently I felt so turned around I decided to close my eyes.

Guess which of us reporter Bryan Johnson used in his segment on the Channel 4 5:00 news? If you feel compelled, this is the link. Anne thinks she looks like a doofus while I talk. I'm still kicking myself for being ungrammatical. "I'm idiotic, and you're illiterate," Anne summed it up this morning.

I guess that makes us the perfect couple. We'll know pretty darn soon whether the perfect couple can marry in the state of Washington. With Gov. Gregoire's vigorous backing, the odds just got a lot better.

This Week's Quote

2012-01-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

We'reNot Perfect, But They're Nuts

BarneyFrank's suggested slogan for the Democrats in 2012

Source: The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, Jan. 2 episode

Perry and Lawrence v. Texas: Oops!

2012-01-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

Rick Perry jumpedinto the Republican presidential race in August, and a spate of verbal blundersfollowed. The Texas governor is ongaffe-ing gas.

He flubbed thevoting age, the date of the 2012 election, the number of justices on theSupreme Court and the name of Justice Sotomayor. Perry infamously blustered during a Republican debate thathe would do away with three cabinet agencies, then couldn't remember thethird. On that occasion, Gov.Goodhair, as the late columnist Molly Ivins called the impeccably coiffedPerry, went flat and lifeless.

Recently Perryexplained to Iowans the need for the Keystone XI pipeline, saying, "Everybarrel of oil that comes out of those sands in Canada is a barrel of oil wedon't have to buy from a foreign source."

I hear a line ofbeavers has taken up a defensive position on the Canadian side of the border.

Now we can add toPerry's record another sinkhole where knowledge should be, this time concerninga matter of major importance to the LGBT community. In Cedar Rapids, an audience member at a campaign eventasked Perry about Lawrence v. Texas, the 2003 landmark Supreme Court case thatstruck down the sodomy law in Texas and nullified such laws across the U.S.

As far as Perry wasconcerned, he might as well have been asked about Ali v. Frazier.

"I wish I couldtell you I knew every Supreme Court case. I don't. I'm not alawyer," Perry responded, according to NationalJournal. After the event,Perry told a reporter he didn't know what the case was.

That'sincredible. Lawrence v. Texas beganshortly before Perry became Texas's lieutenant governor, and the Supreme Courtheard and decided the case while he was governor.

This case began inTexas, affected Texas law and concerned his cherished conservative socialvalues. It gave us gays the rightto diddle each other with impunity, for heaven's sake. Yet Perry couldn't remember it.

What will he forgetnext? The Alamo?

ABC News bloggedthat in Perry's 2010 book, "Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America from Washington," he referred to Lawrencev. Texas as one of the cases in which "Texans have a different view of theworld than do the nine oligarchs in robes."

Apparently at onetime Perry did remember the court case. And the number of justices on the Supreme Court. Or at least his ghostwriter did.

Maybe he has tolearn so much these days—like the name of North Korea's late dictator is KimJong-il, not "Kim Jong the Second" as Perry dubbed him—that facts hepreviously knew are falling out of his head to make room. Anybody standing near him should lookout for falling objects.

Back at the BlueStrawberry coffee shop, after being asked about the Lawrence case, Perrychanged the subject: "We cansit here and, you know, play 'I gotcha' questions on what about this SupremeCourt case or whatever, but let me tell you, you know and I know the problem inthis country is spending in Washington, D.C.—it's not some court case."

Actually we have anumber of problems in this country. One of them is a Texan who believes he should be president even though hisbrain shoots blanks.

As it happens, JohnG. Lawrence, one of the two plaintiffs in Lawrence v. Texas, passed away inNovember. I have every confidencethat when someone mentioned to Perry that John Lawrence died, the governor responded,"Poor Eydie. Now who will shesing with?"

Going Gaga for the Holidays

2011-12-23T16:33:00.000-08:00

The Portland Gay Men's Chorus combines holiday sentiment with Lady Gaga. Looks like it was to all a good night.

Question of the Week

2011-12-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

A Change . . . for All of Us

2011-12-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

Wow. I saw this picture all over the LGBTblogosphere last night. Then thismorning I picked up my Seattle Timesand there it was on the front page. The naval buss went mainstream media.

Butof course. This is a nationalstory, the way the military is adapting to the end of DADT. I'm just so used to our stories beingsegregated that my first reaction was surprise.

Giveme a moment while I adjust my thinking. I believe the switch is behind my left ear.

An SCTV Xmas Offering

2011-12-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

What'snot to like? Ethel Merman, OrsonWelles, and dueling divas Liberace and Elton John.

Happy Hanukkah

2011-12-20T15:54:00.000-08:00

In honor of the start of Hanukkah, here's a joke that made me laugh today:

Awoman goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Hanukkah cards.
She says to the clerk, “May I have 50 Hanukkah stamps?”
The clerk says, “What denomination?”
The woman says, “Oh my God. Has it come to this? Give me 6 Orthodox, 12Conservative, and 32 Reform.”

This Week's Quote

2011-12-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

IfI had to live my life again, I'd make all the same mistakes—only sooner.

TallulahBankhead

Source: Glibquips

Helping out on the Resolution Front

2011-12-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

I've taken theliberty of composing New Year's resolutions for individuals who are just toobusy to do it themselves.

Newt Gingrich: 1. Lose weight. 2. Win the Republicannomination. 3. Win the presidential election. 4. Gloat.

Mitt Romney: 1. Win the Republican nomination. 2. Win thepresidential election. 3. Sentence Newt Gingrich to Devil'sIsland.

Herman Cain: 1. Land a gig on Fox. 2. See a marriage counselorwith Gloria. 3. Find a new piece of chicken on theside.

Rick Santorum: 1. Lose the Republican nomination. 2. Sulk.

MicheleBachmann: 1. Win the Republican nomination. 2. If that fails, angle for the vice-presidentialnomination. 3. Confront Marcus once and for all. 4. Introduce legislation removing all gay people to Key West—atleast Marcus will be warm.

MarcusBachmann: 1. Reconcile my faith, my orientation andmy choices. 2. Not.

Rick Perry: 1. Burn the jacket I wore in the antigay video. 2. Remain firmly ignorant about everything.

Ron Paul: 1. Lose the Republican nomination. 2. DeclareHouston a new libertarian nation. 3. Deny foreign aid to Dallas.

Jon Huntsman: 1. Come from behind, way behind, and win the Republicannomination. 2. Failing that, accept a cabinet post—inthe Obama administration.

Fred Karger: 1. Be denied entry to the Republican National Convention. 2. Lose the Republican nomination. 3. Startplanning for 2016.

Sarah Palin: 1. Get Todd his own reality show on snowmobile racing. 2. Win the Arizona Senate seat. 3. See Russiafrom Scottsdale.

Donald Trump: 1. Convince the world I'm the most important person in it.

Barack Obama: 1. Recapture the White House. 2. Work on myplace in history. 3. Resume smoking, no matter what Michellesays.

Michelle Obama: 1. Campaign like crazy. 2. Urge Americato support Iraq veterans. 3. Rotate my crops.

Bo Obama: 1. Locate an irreplaceable White House antique and eat it.

John Boehner: 1. Do my part to get a Republican in the White House. 2. Perfect my tan so SportsIllustrated has to ask me to model in the swimsuit issue.

Barney Frank: 1. Serve effectively in Congress until my final term infinished. 2. Try not to laugh when people suggest Ilead the HRC.

Tammy Baldwin: 1. Win Wisconsin's tough Senate race. 2. Publiclydownplay that I'm the first openly gay U.S. Senator. 3. Privatelytingle all over.

Angela Merkel: 1. Save the European Union. 2. Vacationanywhere but Greece.

Pope BenedictXVI: 1. Continue leading the Church backwards. 2. Convince God I'm too valuable to be called home.

Grethe Cammermeyer: 1. Make sure certain persons know I'm available to serve on theJoint Chiefs.

Steve Jobs: 1. Reveal to the world that my consciousness now resides inApple's latest product, the iMback.

Kim Kardashian: 1. Become a spokesperson for gay marriage rights, even if theydon’t want me.

Chaz Bono: 1. Appear on several reality shows. 2. Questionreality.

Tinky Winky: 1. Haunt Rick Perry by being Photoshopped in with him as oftenas possible.

Jerry Sandusky: 1. Go down fighting. 2. Go down lying.

Ian McKellen: 1. As "The Hobbit" is edited, check to make sure I'mnot being upstaged by Bofur, Bifur and Bombur.

Jane Lynch: 1. Write another book. 2. Host more awards shows. 3. Star in "Glee" and appear in other shows. 4. Continue doing ads. 5. Throw in a movie. 6. Avoid a nervous breakdown.

Question of the Week

2011-12-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

At this point in mid-December,does the sound of Christmas carols make you feel happy or homicidal?

12 Gays A-Prancing

2011-12-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

I'd forgotten how good these guys are. Thanks, Lisa W., for reminding me.

Rosie and the Gaydar Gun

2011-12-14T11:28:00.000-08:00

Guess who's getting this novelty toy for Christmas?

This Week's Quote

2011-12-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

Onceagain, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of usobserves, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.

Dave Barry

Source: Poemofquotes.com

One Definition

2011-12-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks to George Murphy for passing along.

Perry Ad Fallout

2011-12-09T11:44:00.001-08:00

For comparison's sake, here's Rick Perry's recent sop to Iowa conservative Christians:

YouTube is filling up with spoofs. My favorite so far, courtesy of Andy Cobb from The Second City Network:

Not a few people have noticed that Perry's jacket in his ad is awfully similar to the one Heath Ledger wore in "Brokeback Mountain." That along with the anti-gay nature of the ad have led to this image becoming deservedly popular:

Question of the Week

2011-12-08T15:57:00.001-08:00

What's your pick for thegayest possible Christmas/Hanukkah gift?

Money in Marriage

2011-12-08T12:05:00.001-08:00

Iowa legalized same-sex marriage in 2009. It's turned out to be a smart businessmove, according to a study released yesterday by the California-based WilliamsInstitute.

Gays and their wedding guests added between $12 and$13 million to Iowa's economy in 2009 and 2010.

With the country in dire financial shape, can statesafford to turn up their noses at this ready source of income? Instead, shouldn't governors pledge toofficiate at same-sex weddings? Shouldn't legislatures pass tax breaks for gifts of stemware?

In the noble cause of the economic well-being ofthis nation, it's time for states like, say, Wyoming to launch a "Git YourGay Selves Hitched Here" campaign.

The Speech

2011-12-07T11:40:00.001-08:00

I was going to pull out my favorite lines from Hillary Clinton's historic speech on LGBT rights, but there were too many. A problem I can live with.

Here's the full text of the secretary of state's address, delivered yesterday in Geneva in advance of Human Rights Day.

Warning: Reading the speech might make you giddy.

Good evening, and let me express my deep honor and pleasure at being here. I want to thank Director General Tokayev and Ms. Wyden along with other ministers, ambassadors, excellencies, and UN partners. This weekend, we will celebrate Human Rights Day, the anniversary of one of the great accomplishments of the last century.

Beginning in 1947, delegates from six continents devoted themselves to drafting a declaration that would enshrine the fundamental rights and freedoms of people everywhere. In the aftermath of World War II, many nations pressed for a statement of this kind to help ensure that we would prevent future atrocities and protect the inherent humanity and dignity of all people. And so the delegates went to work. They discussed, they wrote, they revisited, revised, rewrote, for thousands of hours. And they incorporated suggestions and revisions from governments, organizations, and individuals around the world.

At three o'clock in the morning on December 10th, 1948, after nearly two years of drafting and one last long night of debate, the president of the UN General Assembly called for a vote on the final text. Forty-eight nations voted in favor; eight abstained; none dissented. And the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. It proclaims a simple, powerful idea: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. And with the declaration, it was made clear that rights are not conferred by government; they are the birthright of all people. It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights, governments are bound to protect them.

In the 63 years since the declaration was adopted, many nations have made great progress in making human rights a human reality. Step by step, barriers that once prevented people from enjoying the full measure of liberty, the full experience of dignity, and the full benefits of humanity have fallen away. In many places, racist laws have been repealed, legal and social practices that relegated women to second-class status have been abolished, the ability of religious minorities to practice their faith freely has been secured.

In most cases, this progress was not easily won. People fought and organized and campaigned in public squares and private spaces to change not only laws, but hearts and minds. And thanks to that work of generations, for millions of individuals whose lives were once narrowed by injustice, they are now able to live more freely and to participate more fully in the political, economic, and social lives of their communities.

Now, there is still, as you all know, much more to be done to secure that commitment, that reality, and progress for all people. Today, I want to talk about the work we have left to do to protect one group of people whose human rights are still denied in too many parts of the world today. In many ways, they are an invisible minority. They are arrested, beaten, terrorized, even executed. Many are treated with contempt and violence by their fellow citizens while authorities empowered to protect them look the other way or, too often, even join in the abuse. They are denied opportunities to work and learn, driven from their homes and countries, and forced to suppress or deny who they are to protect themselves from harm.

I am talking about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, human beings born free and given bestowed equality and dignity, who have a right to claim that, which is now one of the remaining human rights challenges of our time. I speak about this subject knowing that my own country's record on human rights for gay people is far from perfect. Until 2003, it was still a crime in parts of our country. Many LGBT Americans have endured violence and harassment in their own lives, and for some, including many young people, bullying and exclusion are daily experiences. So we, like all nations, have more work to do to protect human rights at home.

Now, raising this issue, I know, is sensitive for many people and that the obstacles standing in the way of protecting the human rights of LGBT people rest on deeply held personal, political, cultural, and religious beliefs. So I come here before you with respect, understanding, and humility. Even though progress on this front is not easy, we cannot delay acting. So in that spirit, I want to talk about the difficult and important issues we must address together to reach a global consensus that recognizes the human rights of LGBT citizens everywhere.

The first issue goes to the heart of the matter. Some have suggested that gay rights and human rights are separate and distinct; but, in fact, they are one and the same. Now, of course, 60 years ago, the governments that drafted and passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were not thinking about how it applied to the LGBT community. They also weren’t thinking about how it applied to indigenous people or children or people with disabilities or other marginalized groups. Yet in the past 60 years, we have come to recognize that members of these groups are entitled to the full measure of dignity and rights, because, like all people, they share a common humanity.

This recognition did not occur all at once. It evolved over time. And as it did, we understood that we were honoring rights that people always had, rather than creating new or special rights for them. Like being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.

It is violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation, or because they do not conform to cultural norms about how men and women should look or behave. It is a violation of human rights when governments declare it illegal to be gay, or allow those who harm gay people to go unpunished. It is a violation of human rights when lesbian or transgendered women are subjected to so-called corrective rape, or forcibly subjected to hormone treatments, or when people are murdered after public calls for violence toward gays, or when they are forced to flee their nations and seek asylum in other lands to save their lives. And it is a violation of human rights when life-saving care is withheld from people because they are gay, or equal access to justice is denied to people because they are gay, or public spaces are out of bounds to people because they are gay. No matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we are, we are all equally entitled to our human rights and dignity.

The second issue is a question of whether homosexuality arises from a particular part of the world. Some seem to believe it is a Western phenomenon, and therefore people outside the West have grounds to reject it. Well, in reality, gay people are born into and belong to every society in the world. They are all ages, all races, all faiths; they are doctors and teachers, farmers and bankers, soldiers and athletes; and whether we know it, or whether we acknowledge it, they are our family, our friends, and our neighbors.

Being gay is not a Western invention; it is a human reality. And protecting the human rights of all people, gay or straight, is not something that only Western governments do. South Africa’s constitution, written in the aftermath of Apartheid, protects the equality of all citizens, including gay people. In Colombia and Argentina, the rights of gays are also legally protected. In Nepal, the supreme court has ruled that equal rights apply to LGBT citizens. The Government of Mongolia has committed to pursue new legislation that will tackle anti-gay discrimination.

Now, some worry that protecting the human rights of the LGBT community is a luxury that only wealthy nations can afford. But in fact, in all countries, there are costs to not protecting these rights, in both gay and straight lives lost to disease and violence, and the silencing of voices and views that would strengthen communities, in ideas never pursued by entrepreneurs who happen to be gay. Costs are incurred whenever any group is treated as lesser or the other, whether they are women, racial, or religious minorities, or the LGBT. Former President Mogae of Botswana pointed out recently that for as long as LGBT people are kept in the shadows, there cannot be an effective public health program to tackle HIV and AIDS. Well, that holds true for other challenges as well.

The third, and perhaps most challenging, issue arises when people cite religious or cultural values as a reason to violate or not to protect the human rights of LGBT citizens. This is not unlike the justification offered for violent practices towards women like honor killings, widow burning, or female genital mutilation. Some people still defend those practices as part of a cultural tradition. But violence toward women isn't cultural; it's criminal. Likewise with slavery, what was once justified as sanctioned by God is now properly reviled as an unconscionable violation of human rights.

In each of these cases, we came to learn that no practice or tradition trumps the human rights that belong to all of us. And this holds true for inflicting violence on LGBT people, criminalizing their status or behavior, expelling them from their families and communities, or tacitly or explicitly accepting their killing.

Of course, it bears noting that rarely are cultural and religious traditions and teachings actually in conflict with the protection of human rights. Indeed, our religion and our culture are sources of compassion and inspiration toward our fellow human beings. It was not only those who’ve justified slavery who leaned on religion, it was also those who sought to abolish it. And let us keep in mind that our commitments to protect the freedom of religion and to defend the dignity of LGBT people emanate from a common source. For many of us, religious belief and practice is a vital source of meaning and identity, and fundamental to who we are as people. And likewise, for most of us, the bonds of love and family that we forge are also vital sources of meaning and identity. And caring for others is an expression of what it means to be fully human. It is because the human experience is universal that human rights are universal and cut across all religions and cultures.

The fourth issue is what history teaches us about how we make progress towards rights for all. Progress starts with honest discussion. Now, there are some who say and believe that all gay people are pedophiles, that homosexuality is a disease that can be caught or cured, or that gays recruit others to become gay. Well, these notions are simply not true. They are also unlikely to disappear if those who promote or accept them are dismissed out of hand rather than invited to share their fears and concerns. No one has ever abandoned a belief because he was forced to do so.

Universal human rights include freedom of expression and freedom of belief, even if our words or beliefs denigrate the humanity of others. Yet, while we are each free to believe whatever we choose, we cannot do whatever we choose, not in a world where we protect the human rights of all.

Reaching understanding of these issues takes more than speech. It does take a conversation. In fact, it takes a constellation of conversations in places big and small. And it takes a willingness to see stark differences in belief as a reason to begin the conversation, not to avoid it.

But progress comes from changes in laws. In many places, including my own country, legal protections have preceded, not followed, broader recognition of rights. Laws have a teaching effect. Laws that discriminate validate other kinds of discrimination. Laws that require equal protections reinforce the moral imperative of equality. And practically speaking, it is often the case that laws must change before fears about change dissipate.

Many in my country thought that President Truman was making a grave error when he ordered the racial desegregation of our military. They argued that it would undermine unit cohesion. And it wasn't until he went ahead and did it that we saw how it strengthened our social fabric in ways even the supporters of the policy could not foresee. Likewise, some worried in my country that the repeal of “Don't Ask, Don’t Tell” would have a negative effect on our armed forces. Now, the Marine Corps Commandant, who was one of the strongest voices against the repeal, says that his concerns were unfounded and that the Marines have embraced the change.

Finally, progress comes from being willing to walk a mile in someone else's shoes. We need to ask ourselves, "How would it feel if it were a crime to love the person I love? How would it feel to be discriminated against for something about myself that I cannot change?" This challenge applies to all of us as we reflect upon deeply held beliefs, as we work to embrace tolerance and respect for the dignity of all persons, and as we engage humbly with those with whom we disagree in the hope of creating greater understanding.

A fifth and final question is how we do our part to bring the world to embrace human rights for all people including LGBT people. Yes, LGBT people must help lead this effort, as so many of you are. Their knowledge and experiences are invaluable and their courage inspirational. We know the names of brave LGBT activists who have literally given their lives for this cause, and there are many more whose names we will never know. But often those who are denied rights are least empowered to bring about the changes they seek. Acting alone, minorities can never achieve the majorities necessary for political change.

So when any part of humanity is sidelined, the rest of us cannot sit on the sidelines. Every time a barrier to progress has fallen, it has taken a cooperative effort from those on both sides of the barrier. In the fight for women’s rights, the support of men remains crucial. The fight for racial equality has relied on contributions from people of all races. Combating Islamaphobia or anti-Semitism is a task for people of all faiths. And the same is true with this struggle for equality.

Conversely, when we see denials and abuses of human rights and fail to act, that sends the message to those deniers and abusers that they won’t suffer any consequences for their actions, and so they carry on. But when we do act, we send a powerful moral message. Right here in Geneva, the international community acted this year to strengthen a global consensus around the human rights of LGBT people. At the Human Rights Council in March, 85 countries from all regions supported a statement calling for an end to criminalization and violence against people because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

At the following session of the Council in June, South Africa took the lead on a resolution about violence against LGBT people. The delegation from South Africa spoke eloquently about their own experience and struggle for human equality and its indivisibility. When the measure passed, it became the first-ever UN resolution recognizing the human rights of gay people worldwide. In the Organization of American States this year, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights created a unit on the rights of LGBT people, a step toward what we hope will be the creation of a special rapporteur.

Now, we must go further and work here and in every region of the world to galvanize more support for the human rights of the LGBT community. To the leaders of those countries where people are jailed, beaten, or executed for being gay, I ask you to consider this: Leadership, by definition, means being out in front of your people when it is called for. It means standing up for the dignity of all your citizens and persuading your people to do the same. It also means ensuring that all citizens are treated as equals under your laws, because let me be clear – I am not saying that gay people can’t or don’t commit crimes. They can and they do, just like straight people. And when they do, they should be held accountable, but it should never be a crime to be gay.

And to people of all nations, I say supporting human rights is your responsibility too. The lives of gay people are shaped not only by laws, but by the treatment they receive every day from their families, from their neighbors. Eleanor Roosevelt, who did so much to advance human rights worldwide, said that these rights begin in the small places close to home – the streets where people live, the schools they attend, the factories, farms, and offices where they work. These places are your domain. The actions you take, the ideals that you advocate, can determine whether human rights flourish where you are.

And finally, to LGBT men and women worldwide, let me say this: Wherever you live and whatever the circumstances of your life, whether you are connected to a network of support or feel isolated and vulnerable, please know that you are not alone. People around the globe are working hard to support you and to bring an end to the injustices and dangers you face. That is certainly true for my country. And you have an ally in the United States of America and you have millions of friends among the American people.

The Obama Administration defends the human rights of LGBT people as part of our comprehensive human rights policy and as a priority of our foreign policy. In our embassies, our diplomats are raising concerns about specific cases and laws, and working with a range of partners to strengthen human rights protections for all. In Washington, we have created a task force at the State Department to support and coordinate this work. And in the coming months, we will provide every embassy with a toolkit to help improve their efforts. And we have created a program that offers emergency support to defenders of human rights for LGBT people.

This morning, back in Washington, President Obama put into place the first U.S. Government strategy dedicated to combating human rights abuses against LGBT persons abroad. Building on efforts already underway at the State Department and across the government, the President has directed all U.S. Government agencies engaged overseas to combat the criminalization of LGBT status and conduct, to enhance efforts to protect vulnerable LGBT refugees and asylum seekers, to ensure that our foreign assistance promotes the protection of LGBT rights, to enlist international organizations in the fight against discrimination, and to respond swiftly to abuses against LGBT persons.

I am also pleased to announce that we are launching a new Global Equality Fund that will support the work of civil society organizations working on these issues around the world. This fund will help them record facts so they can target their advocacy, learn how to use the law as a tool, manage their budgets, train their staffs, and forge partnerships with women’s organizations and other human rights groups. We have committed more than $3 million to start this fund, and we have hope that others will join us in supporting it.

The women and men who advocate for human rights for the LGBT community in hostile places, some of whom are here today with us, are brave and dedicated, and deserve all the help we can give them. We know the road ahead will not be easy. A great deal of work lies before us. But many of us have seen firsthand how quickly change can come. In our lifetimes, attitudes toward gay people in many places have been transformed. Many people, including myself, have experienced a deepening of our own convictions on this topic over the years, as we have devoted more thought to it, engaged in dialogues and debates, and established personal and professional relationships with people who are gay.

This evolution is evident in many places. To highlight one example, the Delhi High Court decriminalized homosexuality in India two years ago, writing, and I quote, “If there is one tenet that can be said to be an underlying theme of the Indian constitution, it is inclusiveness.” There is little doubt in my mind that support for LGBT human rights will continue to climb. Because for many young people, this is simple: All people deserve to be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected, no matter who they are or whom they love.

There is a phrase that people in the United States invoke when urging others to support human rights: “Be on the right side of history.” The story of the United States is the story of a nation that has repeatedly grappled with intolerance and inequality. We fought a brutal civil war over slavery. People from coast to coast joined in campaigns to recognize the rights of women, indigenous peoples, racial minorities, children, people with disabilities, immigrants, workers, and on and on. And the march toward equality and justice has continued. Those who advocate for expanding the circle of human rights were and are on the right side of history, and history honors them. Those who tried to constrict human rights were wrong, and history reflects that as well.

I know that the thoughts I’ve shared today involve questions on which opinions are still evolving. As it has happened so many times before, opinion will converge once again with the truth, the immutable truth, that all persons are created free and equal in dignity and rights. We are called once more to make real the words of the Universal Declaration. Let us answer that call. Let us be on the right side of history, for our people, our nations, and future generations, whose lives will be shaped by the work we do today. I come before you with great hope and confidence that no matter how long the road ahead, we will travel it successfully together. Thank you very much.

Chic Sheath

2011-12-06T15:50:00.001-08:00

Gota status-craver on your Christmas list? Get him something he'll use . . . once. For just $68, buy the man in your life a Louis Vuitton condom. And let him experience thethrill of a designer dick.

This Week's Quote

2011-12-06T12:40:00.001-08:00

Inthe early eighties, I was pretty innocent and confused. I was like Marie Osmond, only withbigger eyelashes.

BoyGeorge

Source: The Mammoth Book of Great British Humor

Iowa Teen Argues the Good Argument

2011-12-05T12:10:00.001-08:00

I give Jane Schmidta world of credit. The Iowa highschool student held her own in an exchange with Republican presidentialcandidate Michele Bachmann. AtSchmidt's age, shaking a candidate's hand was enough to make me forget my name.

I grew up in NewHampshire, where, due to the state's first-in-the-nation primary, presidentialcandidates are as abundant as black flies. I assume the Iowa caucuses mean the Hawkeye State islikewise swarming with presidential wannabes.

These Famous andImportant People are intimidating when you're young, and I couldn't havemanaged more than reading a question aloud before losing the use of my vocalcords.

Not so Jane Schmidt,on a recent day in the Pizza Ranch restaurant in Waverly, Iowa. The DesMoines Register, which carried an account of the back-and-forth withBachmann, didn't give Schmidt's age or her year in school, but did say she'sthe president of Waverly High School's Gay-Straight Alliance, so I'll think ofher as a senior.

I'll also take amoment to drop my jaw that Waverly High even has a Gay-Straight Alliance.

Standing amidst asupportive crowd of about 65 people, mostly middle-aged and elderly, MicheleBachmann might've thought she was home free. Then, as a CNN video showed, she and her microphone headedtoward the student in the red plaid trooper hat.

Schmidt toldBachmann she was concerned about the lack of government support for the LGBTcommunity. Bachmann replied thatthe government's job is to protect civil rights. "We all have the same civil rights," sheconcluded.

That would've beenthe moment where I'd have thought to myself, "There's something wrong withthat statement and MY GOD everyone is staring at me."

Not Schmidt. She responded, "Then, why can'tsame-sex couples get married?"

The candidateanswered, "They can get married, but they abide by the same law aseveryone else. They can marry aman if they're a woman. Or theycan marry a woman if they're a man."

Now that the countryhas gotten a peek at Michele Bachmann's husband Marcus, a sizable number ofpeople believe that the woman is speaking from experience here.

Schmidt asked whytwo men can't marry, and Bachmann answered that's the law. "So heterosexual couples have aprivilege," responded Schmidt.

She was still beinglogical, while I'd have long since been carried away on a stretcher.

Straight coupleshave the same legal opportunity, said Bachmann. "There is no right to same-sex marriage."

Except for where shewas standing. It escapedBachmann's notice that same-sex marriage is legal in Iowa.

"So you won'tsupport the LGBT community?" asked the student.

"No, I saidthat there are no special rights for people based upon your sexpractices," said the congresswoman, who must've been annoyed at God forforcing her to talk about sex with a high school student in front of scads ofIowa senior citizens.

Ella Newell, ajunior at the high school, tried to advance the point about privilege beforethe debate ended with Bachmann repeating that every American can marry, justsomeone of the opposite sex.

Most of Bachmann'sstatements received applause, probably as much an attempt to silence the girlsas to indicate support. ButSchmidt carried on, doggedly and civilly, despite the disapproval of herneighbors, and despite the presence of reporters and cameras.

I hope someonebought her a pizza afterwards. Unless she felt like throwing up.

After the exchangebetween the high school students and the congresswoman, a young man toldSchmidt and Newell that they should "emulate" Bachmann.

Yes, if Schmidtconforms and turns into an always-feminine Christian soldier she could land aguy like him.

Now I'm sure shefelt like throwing up.

Cuteness for a Friday

2011-12-02T11:18:00.001-08:00

Equal Rights Washington received this in the mail.

White House Photo

2011-12-02T10:27:00.001-08:00

From the White House's Facebook page, an official photo of a red ribbon hanging from the North Portico to mark World AIDS Day, December 1, 2011.

Ronald Reagan must be spinning in his grave.

Tea Party Reaction to Frank

2011-12-01T16:54:00.001-08:00

The Bilerico Project reported that when Barney Frank announced his retirement fromCongress earlier this week (see below), the Tennessee Tea Party offered thistweet:

Forsome people, tweeting is identical to writing on the bathroom wall. Without the body contortions.

Inresponse to this Tea Party group calling a Congressman a "perverted sodomitepiece of shit," Tea Party Nation President Judson Phillips declared, "This statement does nothing to advance the goals of the TeaParty movement and goes a long way towards offending people we need to beinvolved. Barney Frank is the worst congressman in the last century, but dumbcomments like that tweet do not help our cause."

TheseTea Party folks react to Frank with obscenity and hyperbole. He makes them plain crazy. Yet another reason to miss him.

Question of the Week

2011-12-01T12:43:00.001-08:00

Your thoughts on thisWorld AIDS Day?

Dec. 1

2011-12-01T12:24:00.001-08:00

This Week's Quote

2011-11-29T12:14:00.001-08:00

Theleft and the right live in parallel universes. The right listens to talk radio,the left's on the Internet and they just reinforce one another. They have nosense of reality. I have now one ambition: to retire before it becomesessential to tweet.

BarneyFrank

Source: Brainyquote.com

Bye Bye Barney

2011-11-28T11:18:00.001-08:00

Rep.Barney Frank is calling it quits. After 16 terms in office, the openly gay Massachusetts Democratannounced today that he's retiring in 2012.

"Iwas planning to run again and then the congressional redistricting came,”Frank, 71, said. “I know my owncapacity and energy levels and it would have been a mistake . . . I could nothave put the requisite effort in.”

Crap.

Congressloses a thinker and a wit. We loseour fiercest representative.

TheWashington Post reported Frank got ina barb at ex-House speaker Newt Gingrich, currently thriving in the GOPpresidential race.

"Idid not think I lived a good enough life to see Newt Gingrich as the Republicannominee," Frank said. "He would be the best thing to happen toDemocrats since Barry Goldwater."

Marriage Monument-um

2011-11-22T17:30:00.001-08:00

Ifsame-sex marriage isn't stopped, marrying national monuments will be all therage.

Dibson Mt. Rushmore.

Inthis brief video, Tamara Scott, Iowa director for Concerned Women for Americaand the co-chair of Michele Bachmann's Iowa campaign, says marriage equality will lead to polyamory and "objective sexualism," where people marryinanimate objects, and cites the case of a woman who considers herself marriedto the Eiffel Tower.

Imaginethe size of the conjugal bed.

It'stoo easy to make fun of the way Scott pronounces "polyamory." Instead I'd like to point out that theother figure in the video, Iowa antigay activist Bob Vander Plaats, is himselfdoing a good impression of an inanimate object. Anybody feel a yearning to marry him?

This Week's Quote

2011-11-22T10:02:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is an emotional time. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often.

Johnny Carson

Source: Allfamousquotes.net

Kiss and Sell

2011-11-21T11:23:00.001-08:00

Diplomacy suddenlygot a whole lot friendlier. Leaders of nations and leaders of faiths, instead of shaking hands, arekissing each other on the lips.

Global warming,indeed.

All this intimacy iscourtesy of Benetton, the Italian clothing company, whose new ad campaignfeatures unlikely duos smooching.

In one image,President Obama kisses Chinese leader Hu Jintao. In another, Obama busses Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Needless to say, thepictures are fakes. So it's no usewondering whether Obama considered the Chinese or the Venezuelan a betterkisser.

The photos wereexpertly doctored. The men havetheir eyes closed, their lips meet meaningfully and noses stay out of the way.

Above their heads isthe word—if it is a word—"Unhate." Clearly by pairing the leaders of countries that have tenserelations, the ad sends a message about world peace.

Clearly by pairingheterosexual men, the ad sends a message that at Benetton they know, when itcomes to shock value, it's hard to beat a gay twist. This is their variation on "Gay is Good."

During past adcampaigns, Benetton earned a reputation for shocking. Previous images included parents grieving over a man dyingof AIDS, a priest and a nun kissing and a black woman breastfeeding a whitebaby.

In recent years,various Obama-haters have depicted him as a Muslim, a chimpanzee, a zombie andthe devil. That was to sell aphilosophy, not Christmas bras.

It's unknown whetherthis queer depiction irritates Obama any more than the others did; the WhiteHouse expressed displeasure on a different score. Deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said in a statement,"The White House has a long-standing policy disapproving of the use of thepresident's name and likeness for commercial purposes."

Presidents who diedlong ago, however, are available to sell cars in February.

Obama, Hu and Chavezaren't the only ones to get the Benetton treatment. In a momentary display of heterosexuality, French PresidentNicolas Sarkozy kisses German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu plants oneon Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

In the image thathas created the biggest uproar so far, Pope Benedict XVI locks lips withEgyptian imam Mohammed Ahmed al-Tayeb. The two haven't been on the best of terms all year, but to see this"Unhate" ad is to assume one of them said, "Let's kiss and makeup."

The Guardian reported that after posters ofthis image went up around Italy, the Vatican responded unusually quickly,condemning such provocative advertising, and promising legal action to stop theuse of a photo "in which the Holy Father appears in a way considered to beharmful, not only to the dignity of the pope and the Catholic church, but alsoto the sensibility of believers."

Who don't want tosee their pit bull of homophobia kissing another fella.

Benetton immediatelywithdrew the image from everywhere. "We reiterate that the meaning of this campaign is exclusively tocombat the culture of hatred in all its forms," said the company. "We are therefore sorry that theuse of the image of the pope and the imam has so offended the sentiments of thefaithful."

Naturally they'resorry. So, so sorry. So, so, so, terriblydown-to-their-socks sorry. Itnever occurred to them that giant posters of the pope smooching a man mightoffend their fellow Italian Catholics. They're surprised that the Vatican raised a stink. It never dawned on them that the uproarwould generate free worldwide publicity.

And Julius Caesar foundedVersace, and Sophia Loren is in line to be the next pope.

A Day for Remembering

2011-11-18T11:19:00.001-08:00

Sundayis the 13^th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. On that day people from Melbourne toHelsinki to Detroit will gather to memorialize those killed due toanti-transgender prejudice.

Youdon't have to attend a gathering to honor the lives lost. Light a candle, say a prayer, drink atoast. Do all three, if you're feeling spiritual and thirsty.

Question of the Week

2011-11-17T12:46:00.001-08:00

What drag name would you assign any of the Republican presidential candidates?

Guest Post: Revival of the Horse's Patoot Salute!

2011-11-16T13:23:00.001-08:00

By Pat Griffin

I haven’t awarded a Horse’s Patoot Salute in a while, but I have a new winner for you. The Horse’s Patoot Salute is my personal award for coaches, athletic administrators, physical education teachers and athletes who demonstrate stunning levels of intentional or unintentional homophobia, sexism and transphobia such that it can only by explained by arrogance, stupidity or some combination of the two.

Drum roll, please….The Horse’s Patoot Salute goes to Pat Lynch, (former) football coach at Buffalo High School in Wyoming.

Ex-coach Lynch earned his way into the Horse’s Patoot Salute Hall of Fame for creating and distributing a “Hurt Feelings Report” to his team before a playoff game recently.

Apparently ex-coach Lynch believes that his athletes should not have hurt feelings because it is not manly. The sarcastically worded “survey” lists several reasons for his athletes to check off as reasons for filing the report of hurt feelings. Among the reasons he included on the survey are:

I am a pussy.
I have woman-like hormones
I am a queer
I am a little bitch
I am a crybaby
I want my mommy

The survey then asks for the “little sissy” filing the report to sign his name and asks for the name of the “real man” who “hurt your sensitive little feelings.”

After Lynch’s survey became public and the school received complaints, Lynch resigned his coaching position, one he had for 13 years, and apologized to the school board. Unfortunately, the superintendent excused the coach’s actions by saying that he “just made a mistake and meant no harm.”

The final irony though is that ex-coach Lynch will remain in his position as a guidance counselor. Really? He’s a guidance counselor? You can’t make this stuff up.

Congratulations, Mr. Lynch, on your Horse’s Patoot Salute.

Pat Griffin is the author of "Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sport." She comments on LGBT issues in sports at http://ittakesateam.blogspot.com, where this post first appeared.

This Week's Quote

2011-11-15T18:56:00.001-08:00

I'dasked around 10 or 15 people for suggestions. Finally one lady friend asked the right question. "Well, what do you love themost?" That's how I startedpainting money.

AndyWarhol

Source: The Quotable Intellectual

The Evergreen State Goes For It

2011-11-15T12:34:00.001-08:00

Here in the state of Washington, we do not have gaymarriage. We have domesticpartnerships, which provide all the rights of marriage. But you and I know that's not goodenough, and now comes word that the push is on.

Drama, thy name will be Washington.

Yesterday, Washingtonians were introduced to WashingtonUnited for Marriage, a coalition of civil-rights, labor and religious groups,formed to press for the whole marriage enchilada. In the legislature, Democrats will introduce marriagelegislation. They say they havethe votes in the state House, but in the state Senate? Not so much.

Coalitionleaders told The Seattle Times "their strategy will include a simpleappeal for all gay and lesbian couples and their supporters to share theirpersonal stories about what marriage equality would mean to them."

Ooh,ooh—I'm raising my hand—I can do that!

Toget those stories out, the coalition will hold town halls all over the state. "That is going to create theconversation we need ... so we can win in the Legislature," said one ofthe organizers.

Thispush for real marriage is what anti-gay forces feared and predicted with eachstep toward domestic partnership. If they view gay marriage as the final battle, things are going to getmighty testy in the Evergreen State.

WillWashington become the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage? Place your bets. Better yet, tell your stories.

Penguin Passion

2011-11-14T12:14:00.001-08:00

Imentioned the tragic story of Buddy and Pedro last week (see below). The Toronto Zoo plans to rip thegay penguin couple apart so the tuxedoed gentlemen can mate with femalepenguins. African penguins areendangered, so apparently it's all penguins on deck, even the homos.

Nowcomes the news that the boys will be reunited in the spring. I don't know if zoo officials alwaysintended that or they bowed to international pressure. But come spring, Buddy and Pedro will returnto their life together. Man, willthey have a lot to talk about.

Heartfelt Sentiment

2011-11-14T10:55:00.001-08:00

Question of the Week

2011-11-10T15:21:00.001-08:00

If a flock of crows is amurder and a flock of geese is a gaggle, what is a flock of gays?

Flying Through the News

2011-11-10T12:05:00.001-08:00

Prepareyourself for a whirlwind tour through recent news. Buckle up, Dorothy.

"Tuesdaywas a very good day for openly LGBT candidates around the country, with threeout of four of the more than 60 candidates winning," wrote journalistLisa Keen. Ah, the sweet smell oflavender success.

Ofparticular interest, Annise Parker was returned as mayor of Houston, LaWanaMayfield became the first openly LGBT member of the Charlotte City Council andDaniel Hernandez, the guy credited with saving Rep. Gabby Giffords' life, tooka Tucson school board seat.

Clickhere to read Keen's story and indulge in further reveling.

Inmarriage news, the election of Liz Mathis to the Iowa State Senate meansDemocrats retain their majority, which means marriage rights are safe. In Maine, folks wanting to legalize gaymarriage gathered enough signatures to qualify for the 2012 ballot. From Oregon, however, we hear thatactivists won't put the state's ban on gay marriage up for a vote.

Gotall that? Lucky for you, there'sno test.

Secretaryof State Hillary Clinton appointed Ellen DeGeneres a special envoy for globalAIDS awareness. Perhaps Ellen will start her show dressed as a giant dancing condom.

TheToronto Zoo intends to separate gay penguins Buddy and Pedro. Both belong to an endangered species,so zookeepers will try to get them to mate with female penguins in order toincrease the population. Gaypeople are up in arms; gay penguins are up in flippers.

Parker on Perry

2011-11-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

Openlylesbian Annise Parker, who yesterday won reelection as Houston's mayor,believes Texas governor Rick Perry has veered rightward since becoming apresidential candidate.

Parkerdeadpanned, “I would certainly hope that the rest of the country will send ourgovernor back home so we can continue to enjoy him.”

This Week's Quote

2011-11-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

Somepeople are born lesbians, some achieve lesbianism, and some have lesbianismthrust upon them.

HelenEisenbach

Source: Lesbianism Made Easy

Enquiring About Chaz

2011-11-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

The National Enquirer claims in a Nov. 14cover story that Chaz Bono will die within four years due to his gendertransition. The corpse-to-be isperturbed. His lawyer sent a ceaseand desist letter to the tabloid, accusing it of defamation and demanding aprinted retraction and apology.

According to thelawyer, the story asserts that "obesity, testosterone supplements, andhigh suicide rates among transgender people all increase Chaz's risk of anearly death."

As everybody thisside of Carol Burnett knows, the NationalEnquirer doesn't let truth get in the way of a fabulicious story. So, despite Bono's threat to sue if thetabloid doesn't apologize, I wouldn't be surprised if the Enquirer instead continued to hound him by producing another coverstory similar to the following.

ChazBono: TRYING TO CONTACTSONNY! Weekly Séances

Chaz Bono misses hisdaddy—and how!

The ENQUIRER haslearned that Chaz, the transgender activist and recent "Dancing With theStars" contestant, hosts séances in his home every Sunday night in a sad,touching attempt to contact his father Sonny Bono, the singer and politicianwho died tragically in 1998 when he slammed into a tree while skiing.

"The séancesare weird, man. I go for the food,"said one insider who has attended three of these macabre gatherings where some15 people assemble around a spooky table.

"We all holdhands while Madame Mertzola chants and groans and moans and stuff. I think she's getting sort offrustrated. The last time she keptscreaming 'The beat goes on!'"

So far, said theinsider, Sonny has not materialized, "although a couple of people thoughtthey saw that tree he hit."

Headstrong Chazrefuses to stop these whacky attempts to reach Sonny. The sad, distressing reason is he desperately wants to speakto his father about masculinity! "Y'know, now that Chaz is a dude and all, he wants guidance andstuff," said the insider.

Dr. Scott Pitts,distinguished owner of a framed diploma from the Acme School of TransgenderMental Health, let The ENQUIRER in on a shocking fact: Transgender individuals are often drawnto the occult!

"I know one whoowns a magic store. That's goodenough for me," said the esteemed expert.

Cher, the mother ofChaz and ex-wife of Sonny, is baffled that Chaz wants advice on masculinityfrom his father. "WhySonny? Most of the time I wore thebell bottoms in that relationship," Cher told an insider, who told TheENQUIRER, which is telling you.

Oh, and remember howCher sadly, desperately, had two ribs surgically removed to make her waistsmaller? The ENQUIRER has learnedthat she plans to put them back in again! Inspired by Chaz's efforts to be who he really is, Cher has bravelydecided to return her rib cage to normal.

Meanwhile, allindications are the Sunday-night séances will carry on. The insider who attended three of thesad, heartbreaking events said Chaz has booked Madame Mertzola the mediumthrough the end of the year.

"I'm not sureI'm going again," the insider said. Chaz wants to change up the energy in the room, in case, y'know, any ofus are keeping Sonny away. That'scool with me. Last time when thelights went off I got groped."

The insider hopesSonny appears, either in body or spirit. "Chaz is cool. Hewants this bad. He deservesit. Can I have my check now?"

Farewell Frank

2011-11-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

Itappears Frank Kameny received an appropriate send-off. One of the giants of the gay rightsmovement, Kameny died on Oct. 11 at 86, and yesterday he was honored with afarewell viewing held at the Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C.

Protestsigns flanked his flag-draped casket. Fitting for a man who picketed the White House for gay rights whenStonewall was just a twinkle in a drag queen's eye.

Twodays ago the National Parks Service added Kameny's home in D.C. to its Registerof Historic Places. To think thefederal government fired him in 1957 for being gay. Not a soul could've predicted how far Kameny and the countrywould come since then. Peggy Leeas secretary of defense might've seemed more likely.

Tosee pictures from yesterday's farewell, click here.

I Will Survive?

2011-11-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Haven't seen this strutting alien in years. Still love him. Or her.

Question of the Week

2011-11-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Does the Occupy movementmake you glad or fretful?

"Could It Be . . . SATAN?"

2011-11-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

Don'tlet this sentence scare you off: Daniel Avila is the policy advisor for marriage and family to the USConference of Catholic Bishops' Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense ofMarriage.

Stillwith me?

Avila,you see, is the go-to guy on marriage for the Catholic Bishops. In his zeal to protect marriage fromhomosexuals, Avila offered a riveting biological theory on why people aregay: It's the devil's doing.

Writingin The Pilot, the official newspaperof the Archdiocese of Boston, Avila pointed to a scientist's suggestion thatfluctuating maternal hormones cause gayness. What prompts the fluctuations? Fun-loving Beelzebub.

"Therefore,whenever natural causes disturb otherwise typical biological development,leading to the personally unchosen beginnings of same-sex attraction, theultimate responsibility, on a theological level, is and should be imputed tothe evil one, not God."

Satanvisits wombs and mucks about with fetuses. This means every gay person is entitled to say, "Thedevil made me do it."

Avilawrote, "In other words, the scientific evidence of how same-sex attractionmost likely may be created provides a credible basis for a spiritualexplanation that indicts the devil. Any time natural disasters occur, we aspeople of faith look back to Scripture's account of those angels who rebelledand fell from grace. In their anger against God, these malcontents prowl aboutthe world seeking the ruin of souls. They continue to do all they can to mar,distort and destroy God's handiwork."

Sooooo,gays are "natural disasters," the destroyed handiwork of God and theire incarnate of huffy fallen angels.

Iread all this on Right Wing Watch, whichprovided a link to Avila's column. Naturally I wanted to read the whole piece, but in its place now is aneditor's note, saying that The Pilotapologizes "for having failed to recognize the theological error in thecolumn before publication."

Ina "Retraction/Apology," Avila wrote, "The teaching of SacredScripture and of the Catechism of the Catholic Church make it clear that allpersons are created in the image and likeness of God and have inviolabledignity. . . The Church opposes, as I do too, all unjust discrimination and theviolence against persons that unjust discrimination inspires. I deeplyapologize for the hurt and confusion that this column has caused."

Helearned the hard way that when it comes to establishing the cause of gayness,the devil is in the details.

Uh-Huh

2011-11-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Nicely done, NYC Pride.

No First Anniversary

2011-11-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

RealityTV star Kim Kardashian is divorcing basketball player Kris Humphries, her husbandof 72 days.

Marriageis too important to be left to straight people.

This Week's Quote

2011-11-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Thereis a ''sanctity'' involved with bringing a child into this world: it is betterthan bombing one out of it.

JamesBaldwin

Source: Proverbia.net

Halloween Party Rules

2011-10-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

A photo from the Dallas Voice. This flier was posted on doors somewhere in Utah. Apparently the way to scare the local Mormon leaders on Halloween is to dress up little Johnny as Carol Channing.

Sister Mary Teriyaki

2011-10-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Watch where George Takei's Broadway aspirations take him.

From the Mixed-Blessing Department . . .

2011-10-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Absolut, the Swedish vodka, iscelebrating 30 years of marketing to the LGBT consumer with a new commemorativecampaign. In 1981 Absolut ads ranin The Advocate and After Dark, and it feels like Absoluthas been Absolut-ly omnipresent in the community ever since.

On the one hand, Absolutdared to advertise where others feared to, becoming the “first big brand tocommit to and pursue the market” by being “the first continuously present majorbrand in gay media,” Michael Wilke, the former executive director of theCommercial Closet Association, told TheNew York Times. Absolut has sponsored Prides and donated to our causes.

On the other hand, there'sthat pesky question about whether such ardent boozy love is good for ourcommunity, which struggles so with alcoholism.

At any rate, we're in for ayearlong anniversary campaign. It will include the phrase, "Celebrating30 years of going out and coming out." We've been doing both in tandem with Absolut—that's theout-and-out truth.

Question of the Week

2011-10-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

Your vote for thescariest Halloween costume this year?

Keeping It Unnatural With Pat

2011-10-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Pat Buchanan, currently flogging his new book,guested on NPR's "The Diane RehmShow" yesterday. Go ahead andput yourself in a testy mood by reading part of the show's transcript:

REHM:And another question. You've written in your columns of homosexuality, that ina healthy society, it will be contained, segregated, controlled, andstigmatized. You've also called homosexuality a disorder that can be handledwith therapy. Do you still stand by those statements?

BUCHANAN:Well, the statement that homosexuality is disordered is a statement from PopeBenedict in Rome, as well. It's the view of the Catholic Church.

REHM:And you accept that?

BUCHANAN:Well, I believe that homosexuality is -- that it is unnatural activity.Unnatural and immoral. I realize individuals are maybe born -- nature ornurture, I don't know what it is -- I assume nobody actually gets to be 13 or14 and suddenly chooses this. But I do think -- and people may not be able tocontrol their orientation -- but I do believe as a Catholic that people cancontrol their conduct. And that is where I think, I would say, that kind ofconduct should be discouraged in a good society, in a healthy society. And itused to be discouraged. And I do think that the idea that men can marry men andwomen marry women in the USA is a sign of a civilization in its final throes. Imean, we saw things like this at the end of the Weimar Republic. Things likethis at the end of the Roman Empire. And they are attendant to a decliningnation and a declining civilization.

Well,Pat, in the first breath you say homosexuality is unnatural, but in the secondyou say people are born gay. I'mconfused. But so are you.

Bythe by, Pat, you benefitted directly from America becoming more tolerant. You ran for president as a devoutCatholic. For much of thiscountry's history, such a thing was impossible. Maybe the ghost of Al Smith will pay you a Halloween visitto remind you. Hang on to yourcandy corn.

Igather your book, "Suicide of a Superpower," maintains that America willbe in deep trouble when whites lose their majority status. You even appeared on a"pro-White" radio show the other night. Spending Saturday night with a white supremacist—Pat, youknow how to have a good time.

Achanging racial makeup and gay rights spell the end of our civilization,huh? Well, there's always the Naziapproach to both—but I'm sure you're not advocating that . . . Are you, Pat?

This Week's Quote

2011-10-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Last night I dined out in Chelsea, and mauled the dead and rotten carcases of several works written by my friends.

Virginia Woolf

Source: Women's Wicked Wit

Purple Reign

2011-10-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington included this photo in her e-newslettertoday. She and her staff sportedpurple last Thursday, Spirit Day, to make a statement against the bullying ofLGBT youth. It's nice to havepurple in high places.

Certain Sapphic Addictions

2011-10-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

My partner and I areboth going through withdrawal. Itain't pretty.

We're not addictedto drugs, alcohol, porn, sex, love, cigarettes, texting or gambling. I'll bet you a case of gin we're not.

No, our addictionshave a lesbian flare. Anne is madfor the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, while I'm obsessed withwomen's professional basketball.

I realize the WNBAplayers and fans are far from strictly lesbian, but I say we keep that asecret.

From May to October,I'm either glued to my seat in Key Arena to watch the Seattle Storm, or I'mglued to the television to gaze upon other teams. I prefer watching the Storm, of course, but my addiction isreal, and if I don't watch some women's hoop every few days, my hands getclammy.

The Storm, leaguechampions last year, lost in the first round of the playoffs this season. Naturally, I was distraught. But a true fan—addict—must continue, soI watched the rest of the playoffs and the finals, where some damn team thatwasn't the Storm beat some other damn team that wasn't the Storm.

Now it'sapproximately 15 days, four hours and 38 minutes from the last game of theseason, and wow, is it clear that I'm in the grip of basketballwithdrawal. I blurt out "GoStorm!" at unpredictable intervals. I set up my Storm-player bobbleheads in a zone defense. I draw the WNBA trophy in my oatmeal.

I miss the athleticexploits, like when a guard weaves around four defenders to get to the basket,or when I weave around 10 kids to get to the bathroom. I miss the competition, the drama, thesocializing. Good God, I even missthe security line. Somebody needsa 12-step program, quick.

Relief is not faroff. Women's college basketballbegins soon. While that willsatisfy my hoop hunger, I have one problem with the college game: The players keep getting remarkablyyounger.

As I drift along inmy dismal state, Anne is looking pretty pitiful, too. Normally she blocks out the 10 days of the Seattle Lesbian& Gay Film Festival on her calendar. She agrees to go to work and feed herself, but everything else comessecond to the movies. If myappendix were to rupture, she'd rush me to the hospital—immediately after theconclusion of the documentary on Maori gay youth.

Obviously Anne lovesmovies, but the 10-day hit of just LGBT movies is an ultimate high forher. The organizers of the filmfestival are her dealers. Bet theynever thought of themselves that way before.

This year variousforces made grueling demands on Anne's time, and at this writing, eight daysinto the festival, she has seen just one movie. The result? Anne comes home, hands the dog her "ticket" and demandsbuttered popcorn for dinner.

She's planning herattack on the remaining films. Atthis moment Anne is cloistered with the festival guide; she's speaking to it aslovingly as she would to me. Sheaims to see as many films as she can over these last two days. It's time to mainline.

If she starts mixingher drugs—running back and forth between the lesbian shorts and a transgendermusical—then I'll start to worry.

I plan to accompanyher today and tomorrow. I'm thedesignated driver, in case she goes blind from staring at too manyscreens. But if one of the moviesturns out to be about women's basketball, neither one of us will be in a fitstate to drive.

"It Getteth Better"

2011-10-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

God has made an "It Gets Better" video. It's part of a publicity push for his new book, co-authored with David Javerbaum, called "The Last Testament: A Memoir by God." Who knew God needed publicity?

The 411 on Mr. 9-9-9

2011-10-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hesaid it to Joy Behar, and last night he repeated it to Piers Morgan. Herman Cain believes Rick Santorum isreally a dance instructor from Duluth.

No,what the Republican presidential candidate said was he believes being gay is apersonal choice.

Here'smy personal choice: I'd rathervote for a fish stick than Cain.

Question of the Week

2011-10-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

What do you consider thegayest thing about you?