Barack Obama whupped the dickens outta Hillary Clinton down in South Cakalacky, winning 80% of the black vote in his 2-1 statewide landslide. That speaks volumes about the way blacks now view the Clintons, as the former president's negative campaigning in recent days pushed undecided voters squarely into the Obama column. He's definitely hurting Hillary more than helping her, something that might have been unimaginable a few months ago.
Even though we're not supposed to have a clear nominee until late August, Obama's momentum of late is formidable, to say the least.
"I too am insulted at the idea that just because I am a person of color and a woman that I should be expected to automatically vote for Obama or Hillary. Why are white men allowed to look at the issues and judge for themselves and the rest of us are expected to take sides grade school style? That is racist and sexist and dumb. That is like if all the stupid people voted for Huckabee (please God let this not happen).
"Still, I believe Obama and Hillary are the best candidates. I just think overall there are too many people running. It is like a reality show. It's like America's Next Top President. Why don't we just let Tyra decide? But then again she'd run into the same problem as Oprah. I hate that people are saying that Oprah is some kind of gender traitor because she is backing Obama. Don't even talk about Oprah unless you want to fight. I got a brick in my purse so watch it (remember, ladies -- something heavy inside something light = weapon). I think it is wonderful that Oprah is getting involved in politics. It is brave and exciting and gives me lots of hope for the future.
"I think that is what I love about Obama -- he represents hope. I would not be voting for him just because I am a person of color. Race has so little to do with it! He is all about change -- a new beginning. His youthful optimism appeals to me and his hope for the future enthralls me and these issues transcend race completely. I would be voting for Hillary because she has already been president for eight years and did an awesome job. So my choice really for the next president is going to be very well thought out; I am between Barack and a familiar face.
"Guess what America! People of color and women think! Just like white men! For reals!!!" - Margaret Cho, responding in the Huffington Post to this sarcastic comment posted on CNN.com: "Duh, I'm a black woman and here I am at the voting booth. Duh, since I'm illiterate I'll pull down the lever for someone. Hm... Well, he black so I may vote for him... oh wait she a woman I may vote for her... What Ise gon' do? Oh lordy!"
The way the delegate math is shaping up, Super Tuesday will not provide us with a clear Democratic leader. According to predictions, even after February 5th, Clinton and Obama will be within 10 percentage points of each other in delegate count and neither is expected to withdraw.
Can we really endure another seven months of this? The convention isn't until the last week in August.
I keep flashing back to Al Gore saying in December that he "wouldn't entirely rule out" his ever being a candidate again. Damn him for saying that. At least the Draft Gore movement officially closed up shop a few weeks ago, after the deadline to get him into the primaries became a "legal impossibility." But you never know. If the convention turns into the morass it's shaping up to be, how wonderful would it be to find Al Gore behind the curtain?
I know. I'm dreaming.
Gore-Clinton. Gore-Edwards. Gore-Obama.
Those are in alphabetical order because right now I just can't give enough of a fuck about the three leaders. How's that for reasoned political analysis?
UPDATE: Interestingly, the "Question Of The Day" on CNN today is: "If the Democratic Convention is deadlocked, should Al Gore enter the race?"
More than ever before, the U.S. election process has the rest of the world holding its breath.
DAVOS, Switzerland — To look at the reams of coverage in newspapers outside the United States or to follow the hours of television news broadcasts you might conclude that foreigners had a vote in selecting an American presidential candidate — or, at least, deserved one, so great is America’s influence on their lives.
From Berlin to London to Jakarta, the destinies of Democratic and Republican contenders in Iowa or New Hampshire, or Nevada or South Carolina, have become home-town news in a way that most political commentators cannot recall. It is as if outsiders are pining for change in America as much as some American would-be presidential candidates are promising it.
The personalities of the Democratic contest in particular — the potential harbinger of America’s first African-American or female president — have fascinated outsiders as much as, if not more than, the candidates’ policies on Iraq, immigration or global financial woes.
And there is a palpable sense that, while democratic systems seem clunky and uninspiring to voters in many parts of the Western world, America offers a potential model for reinvigoration.
From India's The Hindi: “We foreigners can but pray that the new president, whoever he or she may be, will return America to its strengths, values and the tradition of exporting hope and other optimism. And so help to lift America and the world up, not tear one another down.”
Equality Florida is asking legislators to not support a gay rights bill because it does not include gender identity protections.
Gay political organizations are clashing over the best way to pass GLBT-friendly anti-discrimination bills through the Florida Legislature. The head butting is taking on strategic tones similar to those that emerged last year in the fight over the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the U.S. Congress.
Gay rights organizations are taking different stances on whether to support a two-pronged effort that sends separate anti-discrimination bills through the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate. If passed, House Bill 191 sponsored by Kelly Skidmore (D-Boca Raton) would ban employment and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation as well as gender identity and gender expression. Senate Bill 572, introduced by Ted Deutch (D-Delray Beach), bans discrimination based on sexual orientation only. Both bills are expected to go before the Florida Legislature during the spring session, which begins March 4.
There is little expectation that either bill will be successful in the conservative-dominated legislature. Last year, a similar bill that only included sexual orientation protections was not even read. Groups such as Equality Florida and the Palm Beach Human Rights Council have been active in seeking political support for the Skidmore bill. Equality Florida, however, a statewide GLBT political organization, has been lobbying legislators not to support the non-inclusive Senate bill.
"Our position is that we will not support a bill that leaves a portion of our community behind," said Stratton Pollitzer, deputy director of Equality Florida. "We believe in a fully inclusive bill."
With neither Florida bill expected to become law (as with the federal version of ENDA), what can be gained by once again ditching transgenders? Have we learned nothing?
City officials revealed yesterday that they want to sell naming rights to popular Parks Department attractions to major corporations.
Officials have not said which particular locations are ready to be sold yet, but almost any major attraction in the city's parks and recreation system could be up for grabs.
That group includes the zoos that draw in thousands of visitors annually, the amphitheaters that pack in summer revelers, the gigantic swimming pools or scores of tennis-court clusters.
The Verizon Belvedere Fountain? The Taco Bell Bronx Zoo? The Coca Cola Cloisters?
Make. It. Stop.
"Tom of Finland Presents The Ramble" would be kinda funny.
By a narrow margin, New Mexico's House of Representative approved a statewide domestic partners law that would grant gay couples the same rights and benefits as married couples. The legislation must now pass the state Senate before appearing on the desk of Gov. Bill Richardson. New Mexico's Senate Majority Leader, Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, is "cautiously optimistic" that the bill will pass in his chamber. The bill is part of Gov. Richardson's legislative agenda. Ten states and the District Of Columbia already have similar laws on the books.
Yuppie Woman 1: Wow, they really put those apartments up fast! Yuppie Woman 2: What used to be there? Yuppie Woman 1: Um, there was a bar and a bodega. Nothing good. Yuppie Woman 2: Right.
Barack Obama appeared on Letterman last night to perform the Top Ten List. Number one on Obama's "Top Ten Campaign Promises" was "Three words: Vice President Oprah."
-The cast of Spring Awakening hasbeen added to the performing lineup of Broadway Backwards 3, to be held at the American Airlines Theatre on Monday, February 4. Seth Rudetsky will host this gender-bending concert, which will feature a diverse cast of male singers performing songs traditionally performed by female singers, and vice versa, with all proceeds benefiting the LGBT Community Center.
- The Color Purplewill close on February 24th after a 26-month run. While the show has always garnered mixed reviews, stunt casting (Fantasia, Chaka Khan) has kept attendance relatively high. The show will close having given 30 previews and 910 regular performances.
- Starring Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell, the revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Sunday In The Park With Georgebegins previews today at Studio 54. The venue last hosted Terrence McNally's The Ritz.
- S. Epatha Merkerson is winning rave reviews in the revival of Come Back, Little Sheba at the Biltmore Theater. "Merkerson, best known for her role as Lt. Anita Van Buren on television's "Law & Order," radiates genuine warmth and generosity. Lola is a nice yet needy woman, and nice isn't easy to pull off if neediness turns to whining. Merkerson's performance is subtle, just about perfect in finding the right balance between sweet and syrupy."
- The Laurie Beechman Theatre has announced preliminary plans for A Concert for Hillary - Broadway and Cabaret in Support of the Clinton Campaign to take place on Monday, February 18th. Scheduled to appear thus far: Lisa Asher, Brandon Cutrell, Lina Koutrakos, Steven Lutvak, Liz McCartney, Jana Robbins, Seth Rudetsky, Stephen Schwartz, Gabrielle Stravelli, Alysha Umphress, Lennie Watts. Ray Fellman will serve as Musical Director, and the event is produced and directed by Phil Geoffrey Bond.
According to a new study, gaydar works faster than we thought.
They showed men and women photos of 90 faces belonging to homosexual men and heterosexual men for intervals ranging from 33 milliseconds to 10 seconds. When given 100 milliseconds or more to view a face, participants correctly identified sexual orientation nearly 70% of the time. Volunteers were less accurate at shorter durations, and their accuracy did not get better at durations beyond 100 milliseconds, the team reports in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. "What is most interesting is that increased exposure time did not improve the results," says Ambady.
Romantic attraction likely works just as fast, notes psychologist Paul Eastwick of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. "If people make accurate judgments about sexually relevant aspects of a person this quickly," he says, "you have to stop and wonder how we size up one another's romantic potential in a matter of milliseconds."
Just 100 milliseconds to clock a 'mo. The story doesn't mention the orientation of the testers, but I'd bet you and I could cut that down to 50 milliseconds, easy.
Fox News' John Gibson offered a weak apology yesterday for his cruel remarks about the death of Heath Ledger after an avalanche of angry emails and an action alert from GLAAD. Obviously, he's not really sorry, judging by that typical "if I offended anybody" crapola.
As Democrats look ahead to the primaries in the biggest states on Feb. 5, The Times’s editorial board strongly recommends that they select Hillary Clinton as their nominee for the 2008 presidential election.
[snip]
As strongly as we back her candidacy, we urge Mrs. Clinton to take the lead in changing the tone of the campaign. It is not good for the country, the Democratic Party or for Mrs. Clinton, who is often tagged as divisive, in part because of bitter feeling about her husband’s administration and the so-called permanent campaign.
We'll just have to see if Clinton will "change the tone". I'm not holding my breath.
As for the Times'endorsement of McCain, the more interesting bit is why they didn't endorse our former mayor.
Why, as a New York-based paper, are we not backing Rudolph Giuliani? Why not choose the man we endorsed for re-election in 1997 after a first term in which he showed that a dirty, dangerous, supposedly ungovernable city could become clean, safe and orderly? What about the man who stood fast on Sept. 11, when others, including President Bush, went AWOL?
That man is not running for president.
The real Mr. Giuliani, whom many New Yorkers came to know and mistrust, is a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man who saw no need to limit police power. Racial polarization was as much a legacy of his tenure as the rebirth of Times Square.
Mr. Giuliani’s arrogance and bad judgment are breathtaking. When he claims fiscal prudence, we remember how he ran through surpluses without a thought to the inevitable downturn and bequeathed huge deficits to his successor. He fired Police Commissioner William Bratton, the architect of the drop in crime, because he couldn’t share the limelight. He later gave the job to Bernard Kerik, who has now been indicted on fraud and corruption charges.
The Rudolph Giuliani of 2008 first shamelessly turned the horror of 9/11 into a lucrative business, with a secret client list, then exploited his city’s and the country’s nightmare to promote his presidential campaign.
Giuliani is running out of money and is now polling third in Florida, supposedly his savior state. After next Tuesday, we'll be done with his sorry ass, hopefully forever.
Dennis Kucinich will announce tomorrow that he is ending his presidential bid. No big surprise here, other than his word that he will not endorse another candidate. This, after throwing his caucus support to Obama in Iowa. Interesting. Kucinich says that it's hard for him to continue to compete when he no longer is allowed into the debates. He will now seek a seventh term representing the Cleveland area in Congress.
Although he never really had a shot (the UFO thing really hurt), I was always impressed with Kucinich. Here's hoping he gets to take his advocacy for LGBT rights and marriage equality onto the floor of Congress once again.
Here's the ad that will appear in tomorrow's bar rags for the next edition of Reading For Filth, in which I'll share the stage with Eric Leven, Sam J. Miller, Chadwick Moore, Jonny "The Gay Pimp" McGovern, and Sherry Vine. And no, I don't know who the model above is.
Rapture Cafe & Books is located on Avenue A in Manhattan's last funkytown, the East Village. I'm still working on my piece, which is tentatively titled Cat Eyes. The story is coming out a little different than my usual stuff, so hopefully it will go over well. Maybe if I get there early and soak up the open bar, it'll help.
Audiences of Cloverfield are literally being made sick by the movie.
"Cloverfield" is the first adrenaline-pumping monster hit of the year, bringing in more than $40 million dollars on its opening weekend. The thriller is told from the point of view of five young New Yorkers using their handheld camera. But for some viewers, being "part" of the movie is making them sick -- literally.
Theaters showing "Cloverfield" are posting warnings of possible motion sickness.
One blogger on the popular movie database IMDB.com said, "I had to get up and leave the theater for nearly 20 minutes just to keep from hurling." Other moviegoers have reported being nauseated and dizzy.
And here I thought they were just sick from yet another dumbass CGI flick in which Manhattan gets trashed. Yaaaawn.
George Bush has postponed a scheduled statement promoting a federal advertising campaign on the dangers of prescription drug abuse. White House press secretary Dana Perino confirmed that the decision was taken in light of the death of actor Heath Ledger.
It is still unclear what caused the death of the 28-year-old Brokeback Mountain star, but prescription drugs are suspected to have played a role. "We thought it would be better to postpone the event rather than run the risk of anyone thinking that we were being opportunistic in highlighting the issue," Ms Perino said.
I gotta admit, the "snow day voice mail" making the news kinda cracks me up. Some kid in Virginia called a school administrator to complain that that a snow day had not been declared. The administrator's wife called the kid back and ripped him a new one. Classic.
Fab 80's pop music duo Yaz (Yazoo in the UK) is set to reunite for a tour of the UK in June. Comprised of (post-Depeche Mode/pre-Erasure) keyboardist Vince Clark and (Andy Bell sound-alike) Alison Moyet, Yaz only put out two albums, both huge favorites of mine: Upstairs At Eric's and You And Me Both.
The tour is in support of In Your Room, a "4-disc box set which includes remasters and 5.1 stereo mixes of both of Yazoo's classic albums (Upstairs At Eric's and You And Me Both), b-sides, remixes and a DVD featuring new interviews with Clarke and Moyet, along with the promo videos for Don't Go, The Other Side Of Love, Nobody's Diary, Situation (1990) and Only You (1999)."
Here's a clip of Yaz performing their smash hit, Don't Go.
After Yaz broke up, my friends and I became obsessive collectors of Alison Moyet's fantastic solo work, which featured such unforgettable classics as Love Resurrection, Invisible, and All Cried Out. Here's my all-time favorite Moyet track, Whispering Your Name, a song written by Jules Shear. Moyet doesn't change the lyrics, making it appear that she's singing about another woman. The clip features the always hilarious Dawn French, of the pre-AbFab duo French & Saunders, trying to make Moyet crack up during the song.
A better mix of Whispering Your Name can be found on this fantastic live performance clip. Oh, that last note! I last saw Moyet perform on the main stage at SF Pride 1999. Here's hoping the Yaz tour comes to the States. By the way, Alison Moyet is a blogger.
Two state senators, including one who is openly gay, will lead efforts to pass the Religious Freedom & Civil Marriage Protection Act in Maryland.
Sens. Rich Madaleno and Jamie Raskin, two Democrats from Montgomery County, were to be named as lead sponsors on the bill when it’s introduced. The bill was expected to hit the Maryland General Assembly no later than Friday.
“We’re up to 40 co-sponsors in the House and nine in the Senate,” said Carrie Evans, policy director at Equality Maryland. “We’re trying to pick up one more to make it a nice, even 50 for Friday.”
Written to make valid marriages of “two people,” the bill also makes clear that churches may continue to choose whom to marry. It was drafted after Maryland’s highest court in September upheld a state law restricting marriage to straight couples.
Lawmakers will stage an 11:30am press conference tomorrow to announce the bill's introduction.
Opening his radio show with funeral music yesterday, Fox News host John Gibson callously mocked the death of actor Heath Ledger, calling him a “weirdo” with a “serious drug problem.”
Playing an audio clip of the iconic quote, “I wish I knew how to quit you” from Ledger’s gay romance movie Brokeback Mountain, Gibson disdainfully quipped, “Well, he found out how to quit you.” Laughing, Gibson then played another clip from Brokeback Mountain in which Ledger said, “We’re dead,” followed by his own, mocking “We’re dead” before playing the clip again.
Good Magazine has a fascinating article on the secession movement hitting some parts of the United States:
On October 3, 2007, delegates to the second North American Secessionist Convention met for two days in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to discuss how to crack the United States into manageable parts. They came representing 11 rebel groups in 36 states, under banners such as the Republic of Cascadia (wedding Oregon and Washington), Independent California (forging the world’s fifth-largest economy), the United Republic of Texas (returning the Lone Star State to its lonesomeness), the League of the South (uniting the states of old Dixie), and, spearhead of the effort, the Second Vermont Republic (separating Vermont from the United States). The dominant thought among the delegates was that what they call "the U.S. experiment” had failed. "What we have today in the combination of big business and big government is nothing less than fascism," Thomas Moore, the delegate from the Southern National Congress Committee, told the assembled. Dexter Clark, the white-bearded vice chair of the Alaskan Independence Party, was less cerebral: "No one ever fought a war for dependence," Clark said. "The people of Alaska are fed up—if ever there was a time ripe for change, this is it." The United States, the message in sum went, must end. It would have to be reborn smaller if the American dream was to have a hope in hell.
There have been various secession movements as long as the country has existed (I particularly enjoyed Key West's 1982 "secession" to become The Conch Republic), but the movement seems to have grown much louder in recent years. I wonder why?
Grammy® award winning performer Cher will begin performing at Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas in May, 2008. Cher joins an exclusive list of stars to perform at Ceasars Palace that includes Celine Dion, Elton John and Bette Midler.
The Haas, Jr. Fund, located in San Francisco, provides more grant support to LGBT organizations than any non-gay-identified foundation in the nation.
“We cannot adequately express our gratitude to Matt for his exceptional leadership over the last five years,” said Mark Sexton, Task Force board co-chair. “During his tenure, our staff grew to 54 full-time positions and our budget more than doubled to nearly $10 million. Our programming expanded strategically, our public profile increased dramatically, we’ve granted nearly $5 million to state and local partners. And most importantly, the Task Force has played an essential role in building our community’s grassroots strength. He has truly been an inspiration to so many who believe in equality for the full breadth of our LGBT community.”
Foreman called working for the Task Force “the greatest honor of my life.”
“I will always love the Task Force, our work, our board, and our staff,” he said. “Having served for 18 years as the executive director at three LGBT organizations, I’m incredibly privileged to be able to continue to work in and for the movement in a new role at the Haas, Jr. Fund. I have no doubt that the Task Force will continue to be the uncompromising progressive voice of the LGBT movement and to thrive and help lead our community to complete equality.”
Alan Acosta, Task Force board co-chair, said a national search would begin immediately to find Foreman’s successor. Foreman will work with his senior executive staff in the interim to ensure a smooth transition to new leadership.
“We are blessed to have an extraordinarily strong and deep management team,” Acosta said. “Working with Matt, the senior leaders of the team have built a dynamic and well-run organization that is respected inside and outside the movement. We are in great shape to keep pushing our mission of building our community’s political power and continuing the outstanding successes of the Task Force over the last few years."
Matt Foreman has been a personal hero of mine since the day I watched the NYPD arrest him in the middle of Times Square during the ACT-UP protest of General Peter Pace. Every one of us is lucky to have a man like Matt Foreman fighting our fight. I look forward to watching his leadership at the Haas Fund.
That's how many lies the Bush administration told in the time leading up to the start of the Iraq war.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."
The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.
White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.
"The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world," Stanzel said.
The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.
Polish leaders announced yesterday that they would not abide by the new ruling from the European Court of Human Rights which declared that gays couples have the right to adopt. A recent poll in Poland showed that 93% are against gay adoption.
The European Court of Human Rights is not a European Union authority, but is a creation of the Council of Europe. Poland and the UK are the only nations in the 27-member EU not to sign on to the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights. New elected Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had previously promised to sign the charter, but has now backed out.
Tomasz Szypula, the head of Poland's Campaign Against Homophobia said, "Poland is not going to protect its citizens on equal level as 25 other EU member states. In Poland there's no anti-hate speech, anti-hate crime, anti-discriminatory laws which mention sexual orientation and now there won't be the Charter of Fundamental Rights."
Via their spokeshater Matt Barber, the Concerned Women Of America wants to ally with gay rights groups to fight the spread of MRSA and call for the closure of all bathhouses and sex clubs.
"We now have a wonderful opportunity for ideological opponents to come together for the common good. Steps must be taken to keep this MRSA outbreak, which is occurring within certain segments of the homosexual community, from becoming a more widespread epidemic.
"HRC and other homosexual groups have a profound leadership role in their communities and a responsibility to protect their members from behaviorally related threats to their health and well-being. Therefore, these groups should publicly condemn those specific 'high-risk behaviors' which this study has concluded are responsible for spreading MRSA among homosexuals.
"We're asking HRC and other groups to denounce, through word and deed, 'sex with multiple partners,' 'group sex [parties]' and to actively promote the notion that it is never okay to 'use methamphetamine and other illicit drugs.'"
"In light of this behaviorally related MRSA outbreak," said Barber, "we additionally ask HRC and other groups to call on local health agencies to shut down the many bathhouses and sex clubs around the country where men meet for anonymous sex with other men, often multiple partners, on a daily basis. These places create the 'perfect storm' for infectious disease, including MRSA.
"Now's the time for us all to come together," concluded Barber. "Let's do what needs to be done to help curtail this regrettable MRSA outbreak."
No response as of yet from the HRC. Note that Barber makes no call for the closure of any of the country's thousands of strip clubs and straight sex venues. The city of New York estimates that the city's four bathhouses only see about 2500 customers per week. Out of what, 500,000 queers? Seems like a drop in the bucket compared to what straights have available.
The Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket Heath Ledger's funeral.
Yes. WBC will picket this pervert's funeral, in religious protest and warning: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked." Gal. 6:7. Heath Ledger thought it was great fun defying God Almighty and his plain word; to wit: God Hates Fags! & Fag Enablers! Ergo, God hates the sordid tacky, bucket of slime seasoned with vomit known as 'Brokeback Mountain' - and He hates all persons having anything whatsoever to do with it. Heath Ledger is now in Hell, and has begun serving his eternal sentence there - beside which, nothing else about Heath Ledger is relevant or consequential.
Here's hoping the funeral takes place in Australia, which may be too far for the Phelps' finances to allow. And "MAL 1-3"? What is that, the hours of beer bust at Mid-Atlantic Leather?
Here's a few pics from MAL 2008, including some from the puppy play party that you've been clamoring for. The guy with the rope in his mouth wasn't wearing all the gear that the other puppies were, but he was the most fun one to watch, maybe because we could see his face. Method acting.
I don't do many of these leather events anymore - I haven't been to IML since 2000 and this was my first MAL in five years. With the advent of puppy play and a few other burgeoning fetish scenes, these events make me feel super-vanilla. You're standing there listen to a group of guys chatter excitedly about what they might wear to the underwear party and you think, "Oh. I didn't bring any "show" underwear." Not that I have any. And when I told somebody that I wasn't wearing chaps because I'd "outgrown" mine, he suggested that everybody should keep around a pair of "fat chaps". Well, I've definitely got a pair of fat jeans. Somebody else floated the concept of Sansa-belt chaps. Shudder.
So aside from hanging out in the lobby of the host hotel, I pretty much skipped all the events, including the pageant itself, even though I was rooming with Mr. Fire Island Leather 2007. And that title wasn't handed to him on a silver platter. He worked for it. (Anyone? Anyone?) Here's a brief clip of the dance floor of the closing party Reaction Dance at 9:30 Club. As with my Saint NYE video, the audio is totally borked.
I had a great time at the Reaction Dance, although the evening started out with the usual gay disco coat-check disaster when the upstairs coat-check became full and closed abruptly, sending the livid crowd (who'd been already been waiting 45 minutes) downstairs to wait in another long line. Ooh, people were screaming.
DJ Warren Gluck, who I hadn't heard since the ill-fated and one-time-only Los Angeles Morning Party in 1998, was great. I forgot to bring my notepad, but here's a short list of what I can recall Gluck playing: Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasure Dome, The O'Jays- Love Train, Ram Jam - Black Betty, Chimera - Show Me Heaven, Sunscreem - Outlaw, and the classic anthem of Hillside Campground, I Just Wanna Fuckin' Dance.
On the way into the party, a carload of black girls spotted this guy waiting in the line and pulled over to scream, "Work them heels, bitch! WORK 'EM!" The gentleman in question turned around and and said, "I beg your pardon?" Totally cracked up everybody in line. A great moment. And he totally has the legs for the outfit.
All in all, it was a great weekend. Even though I'm definitely far on the periphery of the "scene", I was surrounded by dear friends at all times. And what more can you ask than that?
Actor Heath Ledger, 28, was found dead in his New York City apartment today. His body was found in his Soho home by a housekeeper at 3:30pm. According to police, pills were found near the body. Suicide or overdose is suspected. Ledger won raves in 2005 for his portrayal of a closeted cowboy in Brokeback Mountain, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination.
I'll post more about this tragedy as information is released.
UPDATE: The NY Times has updated their story to show that Ledger was actually found in the apartment of actress Mary Kate Olsen. According to some reports, Ledger's naked body was found near a "mountain" of over-the-counter sleeping pills. In November, Ledger told the NY Times that he'd been having trouble sleeping, but that Ambien was not helping him. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow.
UPDATE II: The story keeps changing. Now the NY Times is saying that the apartment is NOT owned by either Olsen. The twins do own apartments in NYC, but not in the building where Ledger was found.
The first book that puts the hearth of the American home—its many unique challenges and innovations—in its proper place in contemporary history. Thomas Jefferson once wrote that if you really want to understand the workings of a society, you have to “look into their pots” and “eat their bread.” Steven Gdula gives us a view of American culture from the most popular room in the house: the kitchen. Examining the relationship between trends and innovations in the kitchen and the cultural attitudes beyond its four walls, Gdula creates a lively portrait of the last hundred years of American domestic life. The Warmest Room in the House explores food trends and technology, kitchen design, appliances and furniture, china and flatware, cookery bookery, food lit, and much more. Gdula traces the evolution of the kitchen from the back room where the work of the home happened to its place at the center of family life and entertainment today. Filled with fun facts about food trends, from Hamburger Helper to The Moosewood Cookbook, and food personalities, from Julia Child to Rachael Ray, The Warmest Room in the House is the perfect addition to any well-rounded kitchen larder.
Gdula will hold a reading and signing of his new book at the Chelsea Barnes & Noble at 7pm, Tuesday, January 29th. To win The Warmest Room In The House, comment on this post. Please remember to leave your email address. Publicists: if you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday, please email me.
Among today's Oscar nominees is Freeheld: The Laurel Hester Story, nominated for Best Short Documentary. Laurel Hester was the Ocean County, New Jersey cop who upon her diagnosis with terminal lung cancer in 2005, battled the authorities to have her police pension assigned to her partner after her death. After a long, ugly fight with county officials, Hester finally won her case. She died four weeks later. I haven't seen the documentary yet, but if this trailer is any indication, I'll need a case or two of Kleenex. Best wishes to the filmmakers.
In a letter to the New York Times, City Council Speaker Christin Quinn announced that an additional $5.6M funding for rapid HIV tests has allowed the city's hospitals to test almost 134,000 patients over the last year. Quinn: "The only way to truly combat this crisis is to ensure that all New Yorkers take a simple first step to learn their H.I.V. status. Only then can we arm those residents who are positive with both the medication and education they need to keep themselves and their partners healthy."
Clinton is leading in a new poll of California voters.
The latest Field Poll, taken among 377 likely Democratic primary voters Jan. 14-20, gives Clinton a 12-point lead over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, 39 percent to 27 percent.
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards comes in a distant third with 10 percent, and by more than 2 to 1, his supporters say they would vote for Obama if Edwards were to drop out of the race, the poll showed. The senator from New York retains an advantage over Obama among a wide swath of California voters, including Latinos by 40 points, seniors by 22 points, and both women and Asian Americans by 19 points. Clinton also is ahead among every voter age group and in every geographic region of California, the poll showed.
California has a rather complicated system of choosing convention delegates.
(Strasbourg, France) In a ruling that could have far-reaching consequences the European Court of Human Rights said Tuesday that the exclusion of individuals to adopt children simply because of their sexual orientation is discriminatory and in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights.
[snip]
"Henceforth, France will no longer be able to refuse approval to an unmarried person on the grounds of their homosexuality," Mecary said in a statement to the media. "The same thing will be true for other member countries of the Council of Europe which allow adoption by unmarried people."
The Federal Reserve, responding to an international stock sell-off and the likelihood of a sharp drop in America on Tuesday morning, cut its benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point.
The Federal Open Market Committee lowered its target for the federal funds rate on overnight loans between banks to 3.5 percent, from 4.25 percent.
In a statement, the Fed said: “The committee took this action in view of a weakening of the economic outlook and increasing downside risks to growth. While strains in short-term funding markets have eased somewhat, broader financial market conditions have continued to deteriorate and credit has tightened further for some businesses and households.”
Overseas: "The Japanese stock market dropped 5.7 percent, for the worst two-day loss in 17 years, while the Australian stock market tumbled 7.1 percent, its worst single-day loss in nearly two decades. The Shanghai market lost 7.2 percent while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong plummeted 8.7 percent."
Best Picture:Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood.
Best Actor: George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd), Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah), Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises).
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age), Julie Christie (Away From Her), Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose), Laura Linney (The Savages), Ellen Page (Juno).
Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson's War), Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild), Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton).
Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There), Ruby Dee (American Gangster), Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton).
Best Director: Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Jason Reitman (Juno), Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood), The Coen Brothers (No Country For Old Men), Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton).
Best Foreign Language Film:Beaufort (Israel), The Counterfeiters (Austria), Katyn (Poland), Mongol (Kazakhstan), 12 (Russia).
Best Animated Film:Persepolis, Ratatouille, Surf's Up.
RELATED: Last year's unfunniest fag joke, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, has been nominated for eight Raspberries for Worst Film, Worst Actor (Adam Sandler), Worst Supporting Actor (Kevin James), Worst Supporting Actress (Jessica Biel) and Worst Screen Couple (Sandler and EITHER James OR Biel), Worst Screenplay and Worst Director.
Well, you can't say last night's Democratic debate was boring. Hillary and Obama both got off some good lines. "You worked for a SLUMLORD!" "Oh, yeah? Well, youuuuu sat on the board of Wallllll-mart!" My favorite moment was when Obama told Hillary that sometimes he didn't know if he was running against her or her husband. Ooh, suh-NAP! Hillary was this close to saying, "Your MAMA!"
Poor John Edwards barely had a walk-on role. "Hello, there is a THIRD person in this debate!" Sure didn't feel like it. Instead of another debate, let's just have a Clinton-Obama cage match and get this over with already. Two pandering quasi-liberal Democrats enter, one pandering quasi-liberal Democrat leaves.
I hitched a ride back from DC with the Thruple, who brought me as far as their glam high-rise on Washington Square Park, Philadelphia. This is their view to the west, the downtown/Center City area. Independence Hall is a block to the north from here. Fancy!
Speaking from Martin Luther King's former pulpit at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, Barack Obama called out African-Americans for their own bigotry towards Jews and gays.
"For most of this country's history, we in the African-American community have been at the receiving end of man's inhumanity to man. And all of us understand intimately the insidious role that race still sometimes plays - on the job, in the schools, in our health care system, and in our criminal justice system.
"And yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that none of our hands are entirely clean. If we're honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King's vision of a beloved community.
"We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them. The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community. For too long, some of us have seen immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity.
"Every day, our politics fuels and exploits this kind of division across all races and regions; across gender and party. It is played out on television. It is sensationalized by the media. And last week, it even crept into the campaign for President, with charges and counter-charges that served to obscure the issues instead of illuminating the critical choices we face as a nation."
Fantastic, just fantastic. And delivered in the perfect, historic forum. But the always thought-provoking Pam Spaulding raises this sobering point:
These words are so necessary, but you can best believe he is the only candidate delivering speeches in honor of Dr. King who is willing to say it directly to members of the black community. This topic has always been a perceived as a third rail topic for the other leading Dem candidates, Clinton or Edwards -- they are, like many whites, particularly if they see themselves as allies, dread being seen as pointing out the evils and hypocrisy of such bigotry in the black faith community, even as wrong and tragic as it is on its face.
I am of two minds of this -- I am grateful that Barack Obama, whose campaign has needed to atone for the triangulation strategy of courting blacks by tossing gays under the bus with the appearance of homophobic "ex-gay" advocate Donnie McClurkin at a gospel concert. He has made public statements distancing himself from this flap and reiterated support for LGBT equality (sans full marriage equality, of course, something none of the top tier have supported).
However, I am disheartened by the burden Obama has been saddled with, as a person of color, to be the sole party delivering today's message. Addressing bigotry in any community that has suffered oppression at the hands of the majority can, and must be done, particularly in a year where we have both a woman and a black man with a credible chance of winning the nomination and making it to the White House.
The above demonstrates the reason Pam Spaulding has become the go-to gay blogger for the mainstream media.
According to new interview with Fidel Castro's niece, Cuba is continuing to move towards marriage equality for gays.
The Cuban Communist Party is considering granting legal recognition to same-sex unions, as health officials prepare to authorise sex-change operations, the director of the Cenesex sex education centre in Cuba has said.
The proposed change to Cuban family law would put members of same-sex unions on a par with heterosexual couples, psychologist Mariela Castro, who is the daughter of acting President Raul Castro and niece of Fidel, told EFE.
Cenesex, which was founded in 1989 as a department of the Public Health Ministry, approached Cuba's parliament two years ago with a proposal to overhaul the 1975 Family Code to recognise the rights of gays, lesbians and transsexuals. But it is the Communist Party that will decide whether the proposal becomes law.
"We are receiving suggestions and debating adjusting the proposal so it is more flexible and has more chance of being approved," Mariela Castro told EFE.
A similar story from Mariela Castro was published last July. Maybe they're waiting for Fidel to finally kick before anything gets done.
UCSF has apologized for the interpretation of their just-released MRSA study, saying that the study's "medical jargon" caused the press and general public to misinterpret their findings. Right-wing and Christianist groups lept on the UCSF study, issuing statements about the "inherent unhealthiness" of gay sex.
"We deplore negative targeting of specific populations in association with MRSA infections or other public health concerns,” it concluded. Dr. Henry Chambers, one of the report’s authors and a professor of medicine at the university, said he was surprised by how the report had been spun.
“I think we were looking at this from a scientific point of view and not projecting any political impact,” he said. “We were focusing on the data. You want to make sure it’s as right as possible and written up in a form that reviewers would understand what you’re trying to say, and do it in a clear manner so it’s not subject to misinterpretation. Which is what happened later, it appears.”
One of the major sore points for some critics was a quote attributed to the report’s lead author, BienDiep, a researcher who said he was concerned about “a potential spread of this strain into the general population.”
Mr. Diep, 29, said on Friday he regretted not being more thorough in communicating his research to reporters. He said that the term “general population” was part of medical jargon used in the report, which did not translate well.
“It’s really meant to be used to mean all inclusive, including the men-who-have-sex-with-men population,” he said.
While I'm happy to see the clarification, it also sounds like UCSF is doing some PC duck-and-cover. While MRSA does indeed strike the general population, the fact that gay men appear to be much more at risk is a valuable message, even if it does provide hate ammo to our enemies.
Johnson & Johnson's HIV drug, entravine, was approved by the FDA on Friday. As mentioned here in July, the medication has proven to be very effective against advanced multi-drug resistant HIV. Entravine is an NNRTI (non-nucleoside reverse transriptase inhibitor) and must be taken in combination with other anti-HIV medications.
The drug was approved under the fast-track or "priority review" status that the FDA reserves for medications meant to treat life-threatening disease. No word yet as to what name entravine will be sold under. Considering the recent run of HIV med names (Kaletra, Truvada), I wouldn't care to guess.
Suzanne Pleshette died yesterday at age 70. While you may most fondly remember her from The Bob Newhart Show, my favorite Pleshette role will always be her part as the icy yet fragile Bodega Bay schoolteacher Annie, Rod Taylor's jilted lover in The Birds. I recall a quote from Pleshette saying, "I would have played one of the birds just to be in a Hitchcock film."
And who can forget Pleshette's famous cameo in the 1990 final episode of Newhart, where she reprised her role as Bob's wife, Emily, where it was revealed the entire four year run of the show had been a dream? That episode is still considered one of the most brilliant endings to a series in television history.
I've been in DC for a few days for Mid-Atlantic Leather. The list of theme parties over the weekend is long and varied, but so far I've mostly been hanging out in the lobby of the host hotel and watching the shenanigans. Yesterday's schedule featured a "puppy play party" in the hotel bar, where a dozen men in rubber body suits and doggie masks rolled around on the carpet, sniffed each other's butts, and growled and fought over chew toys while their masters stood to one side and chatted about leash training. I love my people.
I think I was the only one to notice that the puppy play took place as the hotel's sound system pumped out Air Supply's Every Woman In The World. I'll have pics later, hopefully, if the hotel ever squares away the crappy wireless signal.
