Saturday, March 15, 2008

Food Fight

"An abridged history of American-centric warfare, from WWII to present day, told through the foods of the countries in conflict."

I liked the suicide falafel. Here's a cheat sheet if somehow you don't which foods represent which countries.

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Literally FUBAR

Gotham nightclub FUBAR was destroyed in a construction disaster on Manhattan's East Side this afternoon, just about a mile from my apartment. A 15-story construction crane collapsed, destroying an entire five-story apartment building and FUBAR. At least three people were killed. Something is seriously wrong with construction oversight in this town, this shit is happening every week. More photos.

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Friday, March 14, 2008

Sally Kern's Son: I'm Not Gay, I'm, Uh...Celibate. Yeah, That's It...Celibate

I haven't commented on the swirling rumors that Sally Kern has a gay son because there just didn't seem to be any proof. But check out what Kern's son himself has to say. Mixed in with his declaration of being straight but celibate (not that we're necessarily buying that), he doesn't say anything negative about gay people and says that his views differ from his mother.

From the Tusla World:
The son of a state lawmaker who has condemned homosexuality as a worse threat to the U.S. than "terrorists or Islam" said Friday he wants it known that he is "straight and not gay." Jesse Kern, son of Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, said information purporting that he is gay, which has appeared on several blogs, is damaging to himself and his family.

Kern, 31, said he feels the media has a responsibility to seek out the truth, then report it. Kern, who said he is affiliated with the Des Moines School of Metaphysics, said that he chooses to be celibate, but he is not homosexual. "First of all, no one's sexuality is anyone's business. It is not even my mother's business," he said. "I practice celibacy to give to my God," he said.

Kern said metaphysics helps teach him such things such as concentration, which has helped him keep focused with all the adverse publicity surrounding his mother's comments.

Kern said his mother's comments apparently were taken out of context. He has not chosen to listen to the audio version that has been disseminated widely throughout the nation. Kern's views differ from those of his mother, although he applauds her for standing up for what she believes, and thanks his parents for his good upbringing. His father is a Baptist minister in Oklahoma City.

He said the purpose of sex is reproduction, and it is the function of the animal body. "But we are more than animals, and we can use sex for a tool of deep relationship with another person." Kern added that what is more important than whether it be a relationship with someone of the same sex, is that there "needs to be honor in any relationship whether it is a straight or gay relationship.
According to Des Moines School of Metaphyics, where Jesse Kern is listed as Director:
Jesse has graduated from the College of Metaphysics and moved to Des Moines to direct the School of Metaphysics branch there. He is an energetic presence and loves serving humanity. Jesse's main passion is music. He uplifts with his voice and original musical compositions and is currently teaching private music lessons. He has provided primary assitance in crafting our Interfaith Church of Metaphysics' hymnal. Jesse is studying in the second cycle of lessons and plans to pursue a Doctorate in Metaphysics and Doctorate of Divinity.
So he's a celibate music teacher. OK, Jesse. It is kind of interesting that the son of a Baptist preacher and a raging homophobe would study metaphysics, which ponders the existence of God. Just saying. A "celibate", singing, music teaching, God-questioning, touchy-feely degree holding son probably explains a lot about ol' Sally, dunnit?

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A Working Relationship

6 train platform, 1pm

Woman 1: Trust is for idiots. I have his PIN code and his email password.

Woman 2: Wow. He must really love you. Or fear you.

Woman 1: Whatever works.

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Broadway Friday

- A musical version of Armisted Maupin's Tale Of The City will be coming to Broadway with music written by Jake Shears and John Garden of the Scissor Sisters. Shears will also write the lyrics. Look for Tales to debut in the 2009-2010 season.

- Kathleen Turner is making her directing debut with Crimes of the Heart at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Off-Broadway venue, the Laura Pels Theatre, through April 13.

- Elton John and John Lee's Billy Elliot will be making its Broadway debut at the Imperial Theater. The first preview is set for September 17th, 2008 and the opening will be October 16th, 2008. The show has been a huge smash in London for three years, grossing over $100M to date there.

- John Lithgow will present his new one-man show Stories by Heart at Lincoln Center April 20-June 2, with an opening date of May 12. Jack O'Brien will direct.

- Entering at #26 on the Billboard 200, the cast album for The Little Mermaid makes the second-highest debut in 25 years for a Broadway show. Only Rent debuted higher at #19 in 1996. Mermaid is number one Top Cast Albums.

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Belle De Jour Goes Hollywood

Speaking of things hooker-ish, four years ago this here website thingy got a huge kick in the readership when out of nowhere JMG was added to the blogroll of Belle De Jour, the secret-identity blog of an English call girl which was the fascination of the UK public. Belle landed a book deal, the book was a smash and has now been turned into a Showtime miniseries, Secret Diary Of A Call Girl.
Taken from best-selling, real-life diaries, SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL is an eye-opening look into the world of a high-end call girl leading a double life. To her friends and family she is Hannah, a legal secretary clocking in regular hours and enjoying a "normal" life. To her clients, she is Belle, the answer to every man's fantasies. Her challenge is to keep her two lives separate. Inevitably they begin to blur. Each half-hour episode is an illuminating glimpse behind the scenes of the high-class sex trade. The heroine struggles with personal and moral issues — with some rather naughty adventures along the way.
I have no idea how Belle found JMG way back when, but since JMG and Diablo Cody remain on her short blogroll, I should reach out to them for a JMG miniseries. We can cast Lynette, Freddy, and Crixi. Who wants to play a Freeper troll?

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America's Next Top Ho Model

Eliot Spitzer's last hooker hook-up, would-be pop star Ashley Dupre', is turning into quite the media darling. Her MySpace page has had millions of hits, her name is now in Google's top-searched list, and she's had offers from Hustler, Penthouse, and Playboy.

Dupre's rushed-out single, Move Ya Body, is already getting nonstop play on NYC radio. You can preview the single here. Sounds kinda Britney-y to me.

A lyrical sample:
Drag me around and make me go insane.
Can you make my temperature scream?
Need your hands all over me,
Make me nasty show me what you need.
Bend me over take me there, to your world , grab my hair.
Put it like you want it, toss me all around.
Show me how you get down…

I love America.

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The End Of Bears Stearns?

The shit is getting deep downtown.
Bear Stearns, facing a grave liquidity crisis, reached out to JPMorgan on Friday for a short-term financial lifeline and now faces the prospect of the end of its 85-year run as an independent investment bank.

With the support of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, JPMorgan said in a statement that it had “agreed to provide secured funding to Bear Stearns, as necessary, for an initial period of up to 28 days.”

For the next month, JPMorgan will work with Bear Stearns to reach a solution for its financing crisis. Options could include organizing permanent financing or, according to people briefed on the discussions, buying the bank for a discounted price.
Bear Stearns stock dropped 47% this morning. The bright side to the subprime crisis? Downtown apartments are about to become cheap and available.

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Obama's Minister: Hillary Ain't Never Been Called A N-Word

Hillary isn't the only one being embarrassed by her supporters. Barack Obama's camp is distancing themselves from this sermon by Obama's former minister Jeremiah Wright, who compares Obama to Jesus. This sermon was recorded in December, but has just surfaced on YouTube.

Obama's campaign says of Wright: "Sen. Obama has said before that he profoundly disagrees with some of the statements and positions of Rev. Wright… Sen. Obama deplores divisive statements, whether they come from his supporters, the supporters of his opponent, talk radio or anywhere else."

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Norway Considers Marriage Equality

After complaints from gays that civil unions create a second-class citizenship, Norway's parliament is moving to make its civil marriage laws gender-neutral. The new legislation also would make a woman who is married to another woman the automatic legal parent of any child conceived in vitro during the marriage. In cases of adoption, both partners would be legal parents. The legislation is expected to face strong opposition.

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Sandwich #9

(Via - Gothamist.)

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Bob Mould Band At Irving Plaza

Last night I caught Bob Mould's packed show at Irving Plaza on his tour to support his new album, District Line. I've seen Bob perform at least six or seven times over the last few years, and last night's show might have been the best yet. The audience was super responsive, calling Bob back for two multi-song encores. A mini-mosh pit even broke out during the end, causing a scuffle with security and prompting Bob to comment, "You can slam dance all you want, just don't knock over the furniture."

Rich Morel is playing keyboards on the tour, as he did for 2005's Body Of Song tour, which I also saw at Irving Plaza (now curiously named Irving Plaza At The Fillmore, or some such nonsense.) Rich got several nice spotlights, particularly during Hoover Dam and Circles, during the latter of which I got goosebumps from Bob's tortured vocals. Just another fantastic show, with lots of stuff from the new album and enough Sugar and Hüsker Dü chestnuts to make the longtime time Mould fanatics very happy.

One amusing moment before the show occurred when I overheard a Mould fan gushing to his friends that "Bob totally came out on the floor during the opening act! He was right over there, talking to some of his..." The guy trailed off as he noticed me listening, then tried to recover. "Some of his, uh, homo boys." (Photo on right.) Made me smile.

After the show Bob and his homo boys went off to dinner and Rich and I retired to the Phoenix to discuss Giorgio Moroder and Madleen Kane. Good night all around. The tour hits Philly tonight and tomorrow the band plays DC's 9:30 Club immediately before Blowoff in the same room.

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Team McCain

Jesus' General takes on John McCain's BFF Pastor John Hagee, whom you may recall saying that New Orleans was destroyed by Katrina due to God's displeasure with all dem homos at Southern Decadence.

(Via - Pam's House Blend.)

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Repeal Of HIV+ Immigration Ban Advances

One step closer:
The Senate Foreign Relations committee on Thursday approved legislation that would repeal a travel and immigration ban on people with HIV. The measure now moves to a full vote on the Senate floor. The ban was originally enacted in 1987, and explicitly restated in 1993, despite efforts in the public health community to remove the ban when Congress reformed U.S. immigration law in the early 1990s.

The travel and immigration ban prohibits HIV positive foreign nationals, students, and tourists from entering the U.S. unless they obtain a special waiver that only allows for short term travel. Current policy also prevents the vast majority of individuals with HIV from obtaining legal permanent residency.
The full Senate should vote on the bill after the Easter break.

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Gay Iranian Teen Granted Reprieve

A least a temporary reprieve has been granted the gay Iranian 19 year old I mentioned yesterday.
Britain halted deportation proceedings Thursday against a gay Iranian teenager who has said he would probably be hanged because of his sexual orientation if he is returned to Iran.

Mehdi Kazemi, 19, moved to Britain in 2005 to study and has said he then learned that his boyfriend in Iran had been hanged after being convicted of sodomy. Homosexuality is a severe crime under Iranian law, and Kazemi's case has drawn concern from gay rights groups around the world.

An initial appeal for asylum was turned down here. But Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Britain's top law enforcement figure, said Thursday that "in light of new circumstances" Kazemi's appeal would be reconsidered, handing him a temporary reprieve that his supporters hope will ultimately lead to his being granted the right to stay in Britain.

When the government first rejected his appeal, Kazemi fled to the Netherlands, where lawmakers took up his cause. He remains there but is expected to return to Britain within days. A Dutch court this week refused to grant Kazemi asylum on the grounds that he had initiated proceedings in Britain and needed to return there to continue them.

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Thursday, March 13, 2008

Pulling Out Of A Bear (Market)

And now for something completely juvenile, even for this joint. Via CNBC's story Market Acting Like A Bear, Even Though It's Not:
Before pulling out of bear territory, investors generally need to see undeniable signs of a bottom--something that hasn't happened yet despite the howls of pain emanating from Wall Street.
You're welcome.

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Hillary In Da' House

Hilariously tragic or tragically hilarious?

Painful. Just really painful.

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The Ben And Dave Show

Last month I subscribed to Here TV, the other gay cable network, and I've been enjoying The Ben & Dave Show, which is sort of a gay version of the live TV feed Howard Stern does. Audio is definitely NSFW. The new Ben And Dave season begins tomorrow.

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Save Madhi Kazemi

There's a new website in support of Madhi Kazemi, the gay Iranian teen facing deportation back to Iran after the UK ruled denied his asylum request on the grounds that Iran doesn't persecute homosexuals. We all know the truth about that.

Kazemi has the support of world-famous gay activist Peter Tatchell. Kazemi is presently in Holland and is set to be returned to the UK before being returned to Iran. From the Kazemi support site:
The British government can no longer hide behind its stance that Homosexuals are free in Iran as long as they are discreet, for they, via our own MP's and published in The Times, have been told by a senior Iranian Minister that all homosexuals will be executed.

However, Britain's Home Office told CNN in a written statement that it does not believe that homosexuals are routinely persecuted purely on the basis of their sexuality.

His sexuality has never been in doubt and the Home Office stance that homosexuals are safe in Iran is no different than to say that Ann Franks was safe from the Nazis as long as she hid in the attic, during WWII.

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Gay Stripper Voted Off Idol

American Idol contestant David Hernandez was voted off the show last night, perhaps due in part to voter disdain with his past as a gay stripper. Prior to a lackluster performance on Tuesday's show, Hernandez was considered a contender to make the finals. (Personally, I didn't think he was all that great.) With Danny Noriega and David Hernandez now gone, what has been heralded as the "gayest Idol ever" becomes a little more drab. By the way, Rosie O'Donnell has already invited Noriega to perform on her R Family cruise.

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Sally Kern Lied About Getting Death Threats

Investigators say that Sally Kern has not received any actual death threats, despite her earlier claims.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is sorting through nearly 7,000 e-mails that were sent to a state lawmaker after she said homosexuality is a bigger threat to the United States than terrorism.

Comments by Rep. Sally Kern, recorded several weeks ago but placed on the Internet site YouTube only late last week, have caused a national outcry, resulting in more than 500,000 hits on the Web site.

A fellow lawmaker contacted the OSBI on Monday and suggested that agents go through the e-mails, some of which might be threatening, OSBI spokeswoman Jessica Brown said.

Kern said Monday that she had not received death threats. On Tuesday, she said, "It's changed," but she did not elaborate.

Brown said Tuesday, "There are a lot of e-mails to the representative that say, 'You ought to die,' rather than, 'I am going to kill you.'

"I wouldn't characterize them as death threats," she said.
Anybody surprised?

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New DNA Test For STDs In Gay Men

A new test would help find STDs in gay men, infections which escape detection by conventional means.
Many cases of sexually transmitted diseases are escaping detection because gay men are not being tested each year as advised, federal health officials said Wednesday. And if the men do show up, the officials added, many doctors and clinics are not following screening recommendations.

But more cases could be detected if the government approved new ways to use a type of DNA test that is already on the market, the officials and researchers said in a news conference at a scientific meeting in Chicago. They said the test, used in new ways, could detect twice as many cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia as standard tests.

[snip]

The DNA test that Dr. Douglas and others described as promising is called NAAT, for nucleic acid amplification test. It is generally more accurate and easier to use, and it can detect at least twice as many gonorrhea and chlamydia infections in the throat and rectum, according to studies by Dr. Julius Schachter of the University of California, San Francisco, and others. Moreover, it is faster than the traditional bacterial culture tests.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved three NAATs to screen for gonorrhea and chlamydia in the genitalia, but not the throat or rectum. Dr. Schachter’s team, which included the San Francisco Department of Public Health, sought to determine whether the marketed NAATs were also effective in throat and rectal screening.

The C.D.C. is working with the food and drug agency and with test manufacturers to gather, analyze and coordinate the submission of data for federal approval of NAATs for use in the throat and rectum.
The San Francisco Department of Health is already using the new test.

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Quadruplets For Lesbian Couple

A lesbian couple in Irvine, California are the proud mamas of quadruplets.
Four times the diapers. Four times the formula. Four times the crying, and four times the laundry. Those were just some of the thoughts that raced through the minds of Cristine Gaiennie and her partner, Patsy Lovell, when they discovered they were expecting quadruplets – two boys and two girls.

"Four? It took us a few weeks to get over the shock," said Gaiennie, 39, who carried the babies. "We were just hoping for one." A doctor raised the possibility of selective reduction early in the pregnancy, a medical procedure that would reduce the number of fetuses and thus the risks of complications like premature labor and low birth weight. But a 10-week ultrasound led Gaiennie, 39, and Lovell, 49, to rule it out.

"We saw little arms and legs, and one of them kicked," Gaiennie said. "We figured this is a gift we got. Let's dive into it and hope for the best." Gaiennie and Lovell, who live in Placentia and work for the Irvine Police Department, have been together 5 years and have a 2-year-old son named Jordan. They met on the job 14 years ago, when they worked as police dispatchers.

Early on in their relationship, Gaiennie and Lovell, now 49, agreed that they wanted children. Lovell was unable to carry children, so "I was elected by default," said Gaiennie.

The couple used anonymous donor sperm and conceived son Jordan after three rounds of artificial insemination. Gaiennie worked a day shift managing the city's permit staff, and Patsy worked night shifts as a dispatch supervisor, in an effort to keep Jordan out of childcare.
That noise you hear is the sound of millions of Freepers' heads exploding.

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Dr. Death Goes To Washington

Dr. Jack Kevorkian is planning to run for Congress from Michigan. He plans to run on a platform of prison reform (no surprise there) and "bringing integrity" to Congress. Make your death machine jokes....now.

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Florent To Close Forever On Pride Sunday

Beloved Manhattan landmark diner Florent finally has a closing date.
When his lease on 69 Gansevoort St. expires on March 31, rent will increase from $6,000 a month to approximately $50,000, and it's unlikely a deal will be struck. Florent is currently battling his landlord in court over tax increases and is withholding rent as a result. The litigation also means he does not plan to simply pack up shop on the 31st.

"I talked to my lawyer and [the restaurant] will stay open for two or three months. I'd like to end on a high note and I think Gay Pride Day would be perfect."

That's June 29, in case you want to put it in your book. He also says he'd like to hold a writing contest - "people could write their best story, the most insane story, of the restaurant" - with the winner receiving a dinner on the final night.

And those would be some stories. Since August 1985, his round-the-clock French diner has been a place where artists, actors and average joes rub elbows over a cup of coffee or a goat cheese salad. Sprung from the gritty gay bars of the '80s, the noir-ish diner survived among the glittery bottle-service clubs that moved in. Now regulars are dropping by to pay their condolences to Florent.

"Where am I going to go?" laments a gentleman customer. It's become a familiar chorus, but one you won't hear from Florent.

"I'm looking forward to the next stage in my life and at the same time I have great sadness about losing the restaurant," he says, adding, "If you don't get a kick in the butt, another 23 years down the road, let's say, I would be 78 and sitting at the same table talking about, 'When I opened the restaurant. . .' "
I'm gonna try and get by there on Pride, I imagine it will be quite a memorable day.

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Hillary Issues A Trio Of Apologies

For somebody who rarely backs down, Hillary was Miss Contrite yesterday.

Apology 1 - On Bill's comparison of Obama and Jesse Jackson: "I want to put that in context. You know I am sorry if anyone was offended. It was certainly not meant in any way to be offensive. We can be proud of both Jesse Jackson and Senator Obama."

Apology 2 - On Geraldine Ferraro saying that Obama was where he is because he's black: "I certainly do repudiate it and I regret deeply that it was said. Obviously she doesn't speak for the campaign, she doesn't speak for any of my positions, and she has resigned from being a member of my very large finance committee."

Apology 3 - On the federal response to Hurricane Katrina: "I've said it publicly, and I say it privately: I apologize, and I am embarrassed that our government so mistreated our fellow citizens ... It was a national disgrace."

Whew.

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Open Thread Thursday

If a company advertises in the gay press, how much does that sway your decision to patronize them?

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Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Ellen Takes On Sally Kern


I really like this new "political" Ellen.

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Letterman On Spitzer

The Spitzer debacle is the sort of thing that makes late night TV hosts very happy. Here's David Letterman's "Top Ten Messages Left On Eliot Spitzer's Answering Machine."

10. “Hey, what’s new?”

9. “It’s Barack Obama. Remember our conversation about being my running mate? Never mind.”

8. “Ralph Nader here. Glad to hear I’m not the only politician who has to pay for it.”

7. “Hi, I’m calling from the ‘New York Post.’ Would you rather be known as ‘Disgraced Governor Perv’ or ‘Humiliated Whore Fiend’?”

6. “This is John McCain. If it makes you feel better, I once got caught having sex with Lincoln’s wife.”

5. “It’s Dr. Phil. Call me if you need any horse**** advice.”

4. “This is Sen. Larry Craig. Do you ever go through the Minneapolis airport?”

3. “It’s Wolf Blitzer. Call me if you ever want a hot Spitzer-Blitzer three-way.”

2. “Paris Hilton here. I would have done it for free.”

1. “It’s Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thanks, I’m no longer America’s creepiest governor.”

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What Can Brown Do For You?

Kudos to UPS for reaching out to gay businesses, but they might need to rethink their slogan.
United Parcel Service Inc. has added lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)-owned businesses to its supplier diversity program. The move comes with a partnership with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), Atlanta-based UPS (NYSE: UPS) said. The NGLCC represents the interests of some 1.4 million LGBT-owned businesses.

UPS began its supplier diversity process in 1992, giving UPS business opportunities for small businesses and those owned by minorities, women, veterans and now lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. LGBT-owned businesses also will get a discount on UPS shipping services.
I kid, I kid. Good for them for getting into gay packages. I'll stop now.

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Paterson Endorsed By Pride Agenda

The Empire State Pride Agenda likes our new governor.
David Paterson's leadership is a story of commitment to civil liberties and human rights. He believes in equality and justice for all New Yorkers and has demonstrated this time and time again in both words and actions.

He has been a strong and consistent friend of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community ever since he was elected to public office in 1985. He worked hard as a State Senator to help pass hate crimes legislation in 2000 and, in his first weeks as Senate Minority Leader, worked to make sure that there were enough Democratic votes to pass the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) in 2002.

We are excited to begin working with him as Governor.
Encouraging.

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Dina McGreevey: Stand By Yourself

"I wasn’t the first such person in this situation, and Ms. Wall Spitzer isn’t going to be the last. This will happen again. And when it does, let’s skip the psychoanalysis and judgments heaped on the wife. She’s not the elected official. Let him face the cameras on his own.

"Let’s get away from this notion that an elected official’s wife has to stand up there. If she wants to be there, great. If she doesn’t, that’s fine, too. But whatever you do, respect her privacy in the face of what is already an overwhelmingly painful situation." - Dina McGreevey, ex-wife of disgraced former New Jersey governor Jim "I am a gay American" McGreevey, in a New York Times editorial titled Stand By Yourself.

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Caption This

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London's G-A-Y To Close

The building housing London's G-A-Y nightclub, one of the biggest gay clubs in the country, is being torn down.
A report from the Mayor of London released today has confirmed that London venue The Astoria will close as part of a redevelopment of the Tottenham Court Road area. The Astoria is best known as a live music venue and the home of popular club night G-A-Y.

Despite protests from famous musicians and petitions signed by tens of thousands of people, the building will be pulled down as part of the construction of the new Crossrail project. "I understand the historics (sic) but it wasn't at the cutting edge of modern comfort," Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said today.

"Where you demolish something, you have to replace it with something better. We're basically putting in a vast train station but the developers that have actually drawn up the scheme for the area are replacing it with a larger live music venue."

Promoted by Jeremy Joseph, the G-A-Y night has played host to Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, the Spice Girls, Girls Aloud, Sugar Babes and with X-Factor winner Shayne Ward. The Astoria was opened in 1927 as a cinema and was converted into a theatre in 1976.
And another one bites the dust.

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Gone

Spitzer: "I am deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me. To every New Yorker, and to all those who believed in what I tried to stand for, I sincerely apologize. Over the course of my public life, I have insisted — I believe correctly — that people regardless of their position or power take responsibility for their conduct. I can and will ask no less of myself. For this reason, I am resigning from the office of governor."

Paterson will be sworn in on Monday.

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Tori! Tori! Tori!

Last night Aaron and I went to the launch party for Tori Spelling's new tell-all book, sTORI Telling. The slightly pregnant Ms. Tori looked fantastic, but the photographers' mosh-pit seemed to scare her back up the stairs moments after I took this pic. Anyway, the party was the usual Manhattan book-art-design-fashion-homo mob scene and even the open bar couldn't convince us to stay very long.

As we were getting our coats, some art fag laid this gem on his friend: "Oh, you didn't hear? No, honey, he lost that fab Upper West Side duplex and now he's living in some wretched Carrie Bradshaw studio in East Village. And he wonders why nobody will come see him!" I shoulda tripped him or something.

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Daily Grumble

In college I had a roommate whose obsession with the Supremes was so consuming and such a non-stop topic of conversation that I began to resent them. And until then I had been a (much milder) fan myself. To this day I can't hear Come See About Me without flashing back to that roommate. His cultish worship sort of ruined them for me.

Similarly, that's where I'm getting with Obama.

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More Than A Three Hour Tour

Dawn Wells, 69, who is Gilligan Island's Mary Anne to you and me, was sentenced to six months probation for her October marijuana possession arrest. Wells spent five days in jail last month as part of her plea. Wells claimed she'd given three hitchhikers a ride and they'd smoked "something" in her car. Oh, Mary Anne.

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Spitzer To Resign

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer will announce his resignation this morning.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer has decided to resign and will begin notifying top state officials of his decision just after 9 a.m., The Post has learned. Word began circulating of his decision in state political circles just minutes ago, which came after what one source called "an agonizing night," as the governor's wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, and the governor's lawyers went over a possible plea deal offered by federal prosecutors, sources told The Post.

Lt. Gov. David Paterson, who has remained at his suburban Albany home for the past three days, was expected to be notified of Spiter's decision within the hour. Sources said Paterson has told friends that if he does become governor, he would like Sptizer to hold off his resignation until Monday to give him enough time to prepare for a transition.
Such a mess.

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Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Johnny Is A Man Who Does Silly Voices

Longtime JMG blogroll pal Johnny Is A Man does a raft of dead-on impressions for his boyfriend, Baby Chutney. Johnny's Neil Tennant kills.

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New Mexico: Turn Down Gay Business
And We'll See You In Court

From the National Catholic Register:
As a Christian, Elaine Huguenin is against efforts to legitimize same-sex “marriage.”[JMG: Scare quotes!] So, when the Albuquerque photographer was asked via e-mail in September 2006 to photograph a “commitment ceremony” for two women, Huguenin declined. That was the end of the matter, she thought.

But Huguenin didn’t take into account New Mexico’s anti-discrimination laws. Instead of hiring another photographer, one of the lesbians, Vanessa Willock, filed a civil complaint against Huguenin’s company, Elane Photography.

Now, in one of the first cases of its kind in the state, a three-member tribunal of New Mexico’s Human Rights Commission is considering the complaint brought forward by New Mexico’s Human Rights Bureau, operated by the Labor Relations Division of the state’s Department of Workforce Solutions.

The tribunal will decide whether Huguenin should pay actual and punitive damages to Willock because of her decision not to take pictures of the homosexual ceremony.
Of course, if the photographer had merely turned down the business without comment, that would have been the end of it. Or she could have cited an outrageous price. But clearly she laid some of da gud buk on the lesbian couple - hence their complaint.

From Freeperland:
- "This should be proclaimed loud and clear as to why the homosexual agenda TAKES RIGHTS AWAY from Americans."
- "The ‘gay rights’ movement is as big if not a bigger threat to America and Americans than the abortion movement."
- "Faggot fascism on the march."
- "This is exactly the work I have performed for 25 years. I left CT because I was being put in exactly the same situations by lesbos."
- "The lesbos are suffering from Christophobia."

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The Sanctity Of Heterosexual Marriage


(Via - Dan Savage.)

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Friendly Voices - J.K. Rowling

"Homophobia is a fear of people loving, more than it is of the sexual act. There seems to be an innate distaste for the love involved, which I find absolutely extraordinary. The issue is love. It's not about sex." - Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, speaking about the right wing's furor regarding her revelation that Dumbledore was gay.

Rowling: "Fundamentalism is, 'I will not open my mind to look on your side of the argument at all. I won't read it, I won't look at it, I'm too frightened.' That's what's dangerous about it, whether it be politically extreme, religiously extreme. In fact, fundamentalists across all the major religions, if you put them in a room, they'd have bags in common! They hate all the same things, it's such an ironic thing."

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Ford Statement Refutes AFA's Claims

Yesterday the American Family Association issued a press release claiming that the Ford Motor Company had surrendered to their ongoing boycott and would cease marketing to gays and end charitable contributions to LGBT organizations.

This morning I made a few phone calls, initially speaking to Suzanne Wait, head of Ford GLOBE, the company's LGBT employee group. Wait declined to comment on the AFA's claim, referring me to Jim Cain, Director of Product Communications at Ford. After a pleasant chat on the phone, Cain sent me this email to clarify Ford's position on LGBT marketing.
The AFA has made its decision and is ready to move on. Our principles have not changed. We are committed to treating everyone fairly and with respect, including our dealers, customers and employees. Ford will continue to market its products widely to attract as many customers as possible and make charitable contributions to strengthen communities to the extent business conditions allow. Difficult business conditions in recent years have reduced our overall spending across the board.

Jim Cain
Director, Product Communications
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury
Reading into Cain's carefully worded statement, Ford will continue to support LGBT organizations and media, although a more explicit message of support seems to be called for. And yes, Ford is reducing its spending in LGBT publications, but that reduction is part of an across-the-board decrease in their ad dollars. Ford has a 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Diversity Index (PDF).

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Vatican Adds Seven New Mortal Sins

The Vatican has updated their hit list of mortal sins, adding seven "modern" no-no's:

1. Genetic modification
2. Carrying out experiments on humans
3. Polluting the environment
4. Causing social injustice
5. Causing poverty
6. Becoming obscenely wealthy
7. Taking drugs

Holy hypocrisy, Batman! Causing social injustice? Causing poverty? Becoming obscenely wealthy? Clearly, the Il Papa is going directly to hell in red Prada slippers.

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Morning View - North From Christopher

I took this from the roof of the Archive on Christopher Street. Embiggens nicely.

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Madonna Inducted

Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yesterday. Madonna. Hall of Fame. Rock and Roll. But not Donna Summer, who has won a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal performance. This is no justice in this world.

But I'll at least give Madge props for bringing along the also shamefully uninducted Iggy Pop to sing punked-up versions of Ray Of Light and Burnin' Up at the ceremony. At least, I think that's Iggy. He looks, um, different.

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Has Ford Surrendered To The Wingnuts? Again?

Has Ford once again capitulated to the demands of the wingnuts? The American Family Association is claiming that Ford has bowed to their boycott. From WingNutDaily:
In the face of plummeting car sales, Ford Motor Company has taken steps to reduce its aggressive pro-homosexual policies, thus prompting a family-rights group to call off its boycott of the carmaker.

...AFA Chairman Donald Wildmon said the original agreement between the family group and Ford contained four items:

1. Ford would not renew current promotions or create future incentives that give cash donations to homosexual organizations based on the purchase of a vehicle.
2. Ford would not make corporate donations to homosexual organizations that, as part of their activities, engage in political or social campaigns to promote civil unions or same-sex marriage.
3. Ford would stop giving cash and vehicle donations or endorsements to homosexual social activities such as 'gay'-pride parades.
4. Ford would cease all advertising on homosexual websites and through homosexual media outlets (magazines, television, radio) in the U.S. with the exception of $100,000 to be used by Volvo. The Volvo ads would be the same ads used in the general media and not aimed at the homosexual community specifically.

Wildmon said a few minor issues remain, and AFA will continue to bring these to the attention of Ford.

There has been no statement from Ford. You may recall the automaker hastily pulling its ads from gay magazines a few years ago when this mess first started, but then reentering the gay market after an outcry from LGBT rights groups.

(Via - Pam's House Blend)

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Spitzer May Resign, Face Criminal Charges

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is reportedly mulling resignation amid calls for his impeachment. His first order of business, however, will be to address the potential criminal charges.
The news was met with disbelief and shock in Albany, a capital accustomed to scandal. Some legislative assistants said they were too stunned to speak, and lawmakers gathered around television sets in hushed offices, trying to make sense of what had happened.

“We’re at a total standstill,” said Keith L. T. Wright, a Democratic assemblyman from Harlem. “Everybody is stunned. Everybody is absolutely stunned.”

Mr. Spitzer has not been charged with a crime. But one law enforcement official who has been briefed on the case said that Mr. Spitzer’s lawyers would probably meet soon with federal prosecutors to discuss any possible legal exposure. The official said the discussions were likely to focus not on prostitution, but on how it was paid for: Whether the payments from Mr. Spitzer to the service were made in a way to conceal their purpose and source. That could amount to a crime called structuring, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

Yusill Scribner, a spokeswoman for the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan, declined to comment.

If Mr. Spitzer were to resign, Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson would serve out the remainder of his term. Mr. Paterson, who is legally blind, would become the first black governor of New York. State Senator Joseph L. Bruno, the state’s top Republican, would assume the duties of the lieutenant governor.
Should Spitzer resign, Lt. Governor David Patterson would take over, becoming New York's first black and first legally blind governor. In a story titled Could Spitzer's Woes Have A Silver Lining?, the Advocate speculates that Patterson would actually be a better champion for New York's gays.
If Spitzer were to resign, Lt. Gov. David Paterson would assume the responsibilities of governor, which most LGBT activists guessed would be the best-case scenario for gays and lesbians in the state. Paterson, who is legally blind and represented Harlem in the state senate, has typically been ahead of his time on gay issues over the years.

“David Paterson is a terrific, progressive guy -- extremely LGBT-friendly,” said Ethan Geto, a Democratic analyst and LGBT activist. “He is somebody who would absolutely follow through on the commitment of the senate Democratic conference to pass gay marriage.”

Paterson has been on record in support of marriage equality as early as 1994. When Paterson was asked if he would take part in pushing through the marriage bill following his inauguration in January 2007, he told the New York Blade, “I’m not going to be in that fight -- I’m going to be in front of that fight because my first day as [senate minority leader] was the day we passed the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act. One of the reasons we need same-sex marriage is because the statistics for heterosexual marriage are so bad; that might be a way to upgrade some of the success rates.”

As far back as 1987, Paterson refused to pass a state hate-crimes bill that didn’t provide protections for gays and lesbians. “He was willing to let everything go down rather than to exclude us,” Sherrill recalled.

Ultimately, LGBT leaders with knowledge of New York’s political landscape suggested that a Spitzer resignation might be work in the community’s favor.

“If Spitzer resigns, it might be a blessing in disguise from an LGBT agenda point of view,” said the anonymous source. “Spitzer would likely be damaged goods whereas Paterson won't have that baggage.”
Of course, Spitzer must resign. No matter how you feel about prostitution (and I suspect that most of you are like me and give the entire thing a big "meh"), he could never again be an effective leader.

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Kern Clip Takes Off, Generates 5000 Emails

Wow, that little Sally Kern clip tossed out by the Victory Fund last week really took off on the intrawebs with the video getting over 400,000 views in just a few days. Kern told her fellow Oklahoma legislators that she's already received more than 5000 emails including a few death threats.
A state lawmaker who declared that homosexuality is a greaterthreat to the United States than terrorism said Monday that she received a standing ovation from her fellow Republican legislators.

Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City, said she has been barraged with more than 5,000 e-mails since she made national headlines over the weekend. Most of the communications were critical, and several contained language that Kern said she has never heard before.

The lawmaker related some of the e-mails to Republican caucus members in a closed meeting Monday. She later said the group gave her a standing ovation. Rep. Al McAffrey, the only openly gay member of the state Legisla ture, said he resents Kern's assertion that homosexuality is worse than terrorism.

"Gays are law-abiding; they pay taxes. Some have children," he said, noting that he is a father and grandfather. Kern said she has made these comments about four times to various Republican groups and that apparently someone secretly recorded her comments at a meeting in January.

An audio presentation of her comments first appeared on a Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Web site; then on YouTube. The YouTube file had received nearly 400,000 hits by Monday evening.

Kern said many of those who sent her electronic messages would deny her right to free speech.

"To put this simply: As a Christian I believe homosexuality is not moral," she said. "Obviously, you have the right as an American to choose that lifestyle, but I also have the right to express my views, and my fellow Oklahomans have the right to debate these issues."
Both GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign have demanded apologies from Kern who says will not do so.

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Ho No!

The New York Post always has the best headlines.

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Monday, March 10, 2008

Can I Get A Napkin, Please?

More brilliance from Improv Everywhere, this time in the food court of a California mall.

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BREAKING: NY Gov. Spitzer To Reveal Involvement With Prostitution Ring

New York's Democratic governor and friend of the gays, Eliot Spitzer, will hold a press conference today to reveal his involvement in a prostitution ring.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer has informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, an administration official said this morning. Mr. Spitzer, who was huddled with his top aides early this afternoon, had hours earlier abruptly canceled his scheduled public events for the day. He is set to make an announcement about 2:15 this afternoon at his Manhattan office.

Mr. Spitzer, a first-term Democrat who pledged to bring ethics reform and end the often seamy ways of Albany, is married with three children. Just last week, federal prosecutors arrested four people in connection with an expensive prostitution operation. Administration officials would not say that this was the ring with which the governor had become involved.
Horrible, horrible news. And deeply disappointing. How...Republican of him. As a Democrat superdelegate, Spitzer has endorsed Hillary Clinton. There will surely be fallout for the Clinton campaign.

UPDATE: Apparently Spitzer has been indicted as a client of the Emperors Club VIP, a DC-based escort operation. In the investigation, Spitzer is identified as "Client 9", a man who hired a hooker to come to his room at the Mayflower Hotel on Feb.13th of this year. Emperors Club escort fees go from $1000-$5500 an hour.

UPDATE II: Hillary's no-comment comment:"Let’s wait and see what comes out over the next days, but right now I don’t have any comment, and I think it’s appropriate just to wish his family well, and we’ll wait and see how things develop."

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Mike Jones: Naked B4 God

Mike Jones is performing a one-man show in Denver about his exposure of Ted Haggard.
Would you sacrifice everything to expose the hypocrisy of a man who influenced millions of believers? Naked Before God is the riveting true story of Mike Jones by Mike Jones, the man who revealed the truth about Ted Haggard’s secret life. Ted Haggard - minister, leader of the National Association of Evangelicals (and its thirty million followers), friend to politicians and the White House. And a three-year client of Mike Jones, a gay masseur who guaranteed satisfaction. Jones lays bare the facts of their relationship and events leading to his fateful disclosure. When is it right to betray a confidence? When does the right to know outweigh the right to privacy? And is telling the truth worth giving up everything you’ve worked for? Told with frank honesty and humor, Naked Before God is a fascinating and powerful night of theater!
Written by Neal J. Davis, Naked B4 God runs from March 13 - 22 at The Bug Theater in Denver.

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LOGO's Lawrence King PSA

Gay cable network LOGO reached out to a number of stars including Calpurnia Addams, Portia de Rossi, Andre 3000, and Janet Jackson for this excellent PSA. The spot will run on LOGO and across the MTV networks.

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Angels Furor In Illinois

Wingnuts and Freepers are calling for a deluge of complaints to be rained down upon school administrators at an Illinois high school after Angels In America was offered as a selection in spring English classes.
Deerfield High School, in Deerfield, Illinois, is offering the books "Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes" (Part One & Two) - laced with graphic sexual content, including gay sex, pervasive expletives, religious denigration and mockery - in English classes this spring.

The books contain graphic descriptions of sodomy heretofore only heard of in hardcore homosexual pornography. With numerous uses of the 'f' word and vulgar sexual references to Mother Teresa, the Mother of Jesus, and God.

"After almost 15 years of school advocacy and reviewing many objectionable books and curricula, I have never seen anything this vulgar and harmful to students," says Lora Sue Hauser, Executive Director of North Shore Student Advocacy. "Parents, taxpayers and concerned citizens must force themselves to read these excerpts, as horrific as they are, so you know what kids are being exposed to. The school justifies this egregious choice because of its themes of hope. Evidently, all great literature with themes of hope have already been exhausted so teachers need to start offering pornography. We say - enough."
The local state attorney's office has deemed Angels to be pornographic, making it illegal to distribute to minors, but schools and libraries have broad exemption to the law. Is Angels In America appropriate for high schoolers? It's certainly not erotic although the Freepers call it porn.

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U.S. Ban On HIV+ Immigrants And Tourists May Be Repealed

Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) and Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) have authored a provision to an upcoming AIDS funding bill that will end the United States' ban on tourists and immigrants with HIV.
Using the global AIDS reauthorization bill as a vehicle for repealing the HIV immigrant and visitors ban dramatically improves chances for passing the repeal because the global AIDS measure enjoys widespread support and is expected to easily clear the House and Senate. Earlier proposals to repeal the HIV immigrant and visitors ban have died in committee and gay-supportive members of Congress have said a free-standing repeal measure would have little or no chance of passing.
The United States is one of only 13 countries that ban HIV+ people from visiting or immigrating. The others: Armenia, Brunei, China, Iraq, Qatar, South Korea, Libya, Moldova, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

Let's hope this ploy does better than attaching the Matthew Sheppard Act to that defense appropriations bill did. A similar bill was introduced in the House of Representatives last August, but remains in committee.

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Gavin Newsom For CA Gov?

SF Mayor Gavin Newsom is plotting a run for the governorship of California.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom who gained international notoriety when he issued marriage licenses for same-sex couples in 2004 is reportedly considering a run for governor in 2010. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Newsom has been meeting quietly over the past few months with Democratic strategists.

"A number of people in the last few months have reached out and talked to me about it," he told the paper when asked directly if he would run. "It's premature to talk about it in the open," Newsom told the Chronicle. "In the next few months we'll see what happens."

Nevertheless, the paper says the mayor is already acting as though he has made up his mind with speaking engagements outside the city on wide-ranging topics such as the environment. He also has penned a number of op-ed pieces for the left-leaning Daily Kos blog. In addition he has recently been aligning himself with big labor groups and other traditional Democratic supporters.

If he does seek the 2010 Democratic nomination Newsome is likely to be opposed by Calif. Attorney General and former Gov. Jerry Brown, former state Controller Steve Westly and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Some continue to blame Newsom for handing the right a victory in 2004 by raising the gay marriage issue to a level of visibility previously unseen.

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Shocker: Fully-Clothed Blogger Party!

My pals Matt and Damian celebrated their co-birthday yesterday. I think this is one of the few pics of my gang in which everybody has their shirts on. Father Tony and I took pics from the second floor, but as usual mine are blurry. Hmmm. There's about a dozen bloggers in this shot.

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LA Times Digs Into Lawrence King Story

The Los Angeles Times has published a piece investigating the backgrounds of Lawrence King and his murderer Brandon McInerney.
For teens living in a shelter for abused and neglected children, school can provide a daily dose of normalcy, a place to fit in, a chance to be just another kid. It didn't turn out that way for Lawrence King.

According to the few students who befriended him, Larry, 15 years old and openly gay, found no refuge from his tormentors at E.O. Green Junior High School. Not in the classroom, the quad, the cafeteria. Not from the day he enrolled at the Oxnard school until the moment he was shot to death in a computer lab, just after Larry's usual morning van ride from the shelter a town away.

The 14-year-old accused of killing him, Brandon McInerney, had his own troubled home life when he was younger, with his parents accusing each other of drug addiction and physical assaults, court records show. The year before Brandon was born, his father allegedly shot the boy's mother in the arm, shattering her elbow, the records say.

Now, as the Feb. 12 killing continues to draw attention from around the world, students, parents and others wonder if red flags in the boys' circumstances and backgrounds had been missed and whether more could have been done to avert the tragedy.

"The question needs to be answered," said Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn, whose district includes E.O. Green. "It really bothers me a lot." The anti-gay taunts and slurs that Larry endured from his male peers apparently had been constant, as routine for him as math lessons and recess bells. The stinging words were isolating. As grieving friend Melissa Reza, 15, put it, Larry lived much of his life "toward the side. . . . He was always toward the side."

She and others recall that the name-calling began long before he told his small circle of confidants that he was gay, before problems at home made him a ward of the court, and before he summoned the courage to further assert his sexual orientation by wearing makeup and girl's boots with his school uniform.

His friends say the verbal cruelty persisted for months, and grew worse after the slightly built Larry pushed back by "flirting" with some of his mockers. One of them was Brandon, who seethed over it, the friends say.
Citing confidentiality laws, the shelter for abused children where King was living continues to refuse to discuss what brought him to be living there. Read the rest of the Times piece.

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GOP Congressman: Obama Presidency Will Have Al-Qaeda Dancing In The Streets

"The radical Islamists, the al-Qaeda ... would be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on Sept. 11 because they would declare victory in this war on terror." -- Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa 5th), basing his prediction of a possible Obama presidency on the Illinois senator's pledge to pull troops out of Iraq, his Kenyan heritage and his middle name, Hussein.

(Via - Pam's House Blend.)

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Ashes For The Pope

A gay Catholic group wants to shower the Pope with ashes during his visit to NYC next month.
A group that works for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans in the Roman Catholic church is planning a series of protests against Pope Benedict during his visit to the US next month. The Rainbow Sash Movement said it is calling on "Catholics of good will" to take the Papal visit as an opportunity to shower the Pope mobile with ashes instead of confetti.

"Ashes are an ancient and appropriate greeting for a sinner who has caused the Church so much division and pain," RSM said in a statement. "We will also be greeting him with whistles; these were used by the Polish People to show shame for the violation of human rights by the Communist Government prior to the end of the cold war. "This will be a loud call for reform, that the Pope will be unable to turn a deaf ear to."
The Rainbow Sash Movement says: "We will not enter any Churches but we will bring ashes to reign down on the Popes motorcade, and call on individuals to blow whistles at any public papal events such as outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Ground Zero, St. Joseph's Seminary, and Yankee Stadium as a sign of our disgust over the way the clergy abuse scandal has been handled under his leadership."

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Dutch Cops Want Legalized Cruising

Dutch police want to legalize sex in public parks in order to reduce gay-bashing.
AMSTERDAM, 08/03/08 - The police's National Diversity Expertise Centre (LECD) wants sex allowed in all public parks in the Netherlands. The police institute has advised the cities to follow the example of Amsterdam, De Telegraaf newspaper reported Friday.

In Amsterdam's Vondelpark, owners of dogs let off the leash can be fined, but sex will shortly be permitted. "Why should we try to maintain something that is actually impossible to maintain, which also causes little bother for others and for a certain group actually signifies much pleasure?" says Paul van Grieken, the responsible Alderman in the Oud-Zuid district of Amsterdam.

Van Grieken confirmed that the plan to tolerate public sex in Vondelpark is part of a draft version of new rules of conduct for the city's best-known park. The regulations are to come into force after the summer. "Of course there are strict rules attached. Thus, condoms must always be cleared away, it must never take place in the neighbourhood of children's playgrounds and the sex must be restricted to the evening and night-time."

The draft memorandum says that fines will be maintained for dogs running around off the leash that, for example, cause nuisance to sunbathing or cycling users of the park. "The research showed that many people find this disturbing," according to the alderman.

LECD is now calling on Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht to tolerate 'cruising' gays in all their parks. In a letter to the administrators of the three cities, the police institute says that by regulating sex in public, the safety of homosexuals from 'queer-bashers' can be better guaranteed.

Thus, it says in the recommendations that "officers must not disturb the activities, as long as they do not cause any actual nuisance" and they would "only have to take corrective action if there is a question of actual offensive behaviour that is visible from the public path."

Homosexuals' organisation COC is pleased that the Amsterdam Oud-Zuid district is to be the first to tolerate sex in the Vondelpark. "Cruising is something belonging to all time and banning it does not work anyway. They do it surreptitiously and mostly without others being annoyed by it. But homos at cruising spots are often attacked. By now agreeing rules of behaviour on this, safety can be increased," according to COC Amsterdam chairman Dennis Boutk
an.
I'm not certain how this will prevent gay-bashing, but it sure is an interesting tactic.

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Morning View - Broadway & 52nd