Slideshow: DC Pride 2009

Full-screen versions of these photos can be found here.

VIDEO: MOW Promo Clip

Via JMG reader Sean Chapin, there's the first promo clip for the MOW. Visit the National Equality March site for more info.

Morning View - 14th St. NW, WDC

Almost every business block of DC looks the same, everything is the same height. The tiny point down at the center of this pic is the Smithsonian, he said uncertainly. I'm here for Pride, Blowoff, and too many house parties. I am pre-exhausted.

Westboro Olympics Silver Medalist

This is the nutjob that I mentioned yesterday had spoken at the DC marriage hearing, saying "discrimination against gays was positive discrimination." From HRC's clip description: "Minister Leroy Swailes manages to invoke pedophilia, beastiality, the anti-Christ and extermination of the human race all in his three and a half minute testimony before the DC Board of Elections and Ethics." Dig his t-shirt promoting his insane website.

Adam Lambert Is Bi-Curious

Adam Lambert gives 20/20 fairly standard answers to the coming out questions. He adds, "I would never give myself the label bisexual, but bi-curious? Yeah. I've been known to make out with girls from time to time. It's fun. And who knows? Maybe it'll go further some day. Who's the lucky woman?"

Cleve Jones: We Have The Permit, The March On Washington Is Definitely On

Speaking with me by phone this afternoon, activist Cleve Jones confirmed that despite earlier reports that the National Mall was previously booked and unavailable, he does have a permit from the Parks Department for a Columbus Day weekend March On Washington. "We put in a request for the West Lawn of the Capitol, where the Obama inauguration took place, and we got it. Nobody else had applied for it," said Jones.

Jones added, "We've been getting nothing but complete cooperation from all the authorities - the DC police, the mayor, the Parks Service. They told us, 'Go ahead, you've got it. Put the word out.' They are happy to work with us and are expecting a lot of people."

I asked Jones if he could provide a physical copy of the permit. He explained, "You put in your application, they approve it and time-stamp it, and that's all they give you for weeks. The actual paperwork usually isn't issued until ten days before or so." Jones claims that two of the other events reportedly scheduled to occur on the planned weekend will not, in fact, take place. (I've been unable to find any internet mention of the "Million Man March For God", one of the three events listed in the above-linked post.) The third scheduled event, an annual breast cancer awareness rally, is run by a group that Jones said has worked side-by-side with him many times in previous years when their events coincided with National Mall displays by the NAMES Project. He expects friendly cooperation from them.

As to the cost of putting on the weekend, Jones stresses that the MOW will be a stripped down, no frills, purely activism-focused event. "This will not be a three day mulit-media spectacular" he said. "Most of the hundreds of protests I've organized cost nothing. We will have a minimal stage, a sound system, and enough port-a-potties for the crowd. That's it. We won't be flying in celebrities and putting them up in fancy hotels. This will be a two hour march, then a two hour rally, and then sending everybody home to their congressional districts to organize for 2010." Jones said that in addition to a Sunday rally on the West Lawn, he is hoping to put together a Saturday night candlelight HIV/AIDS vigil at the Lincoln Memorial, but won't have confirmation of that item for a few days.

Regarding the MOW's timing, Jones has this to say: "It's a three day weekend, it's easier to travel, and the weather is usually very good. That's why previous marches have taken place on that weekend. Much has been said about Congress not being in session on that week and that's why we are organizing this march at the congressional district level. This is not a march as we've seen in the past. It's an organizing tool to build a national network of grassroots activists." Jones estimated that "most people on the west coast will be able to come to this march for less than $700."

While opposition to a MOW in 2009 has been quite strong, Jones dismissed the naysayers. "Many of the the people opposing this march are the same people pushing for a repeal of Prop 8 in 2010." Jones questioned the wisdom of continuing to fight local battles for LGBT rights, saying, "It's just an endless state by state, city by city, county by county battle could go on for decades at enormous cost. But if we could shift our focus and seize this historic moment and get federal legislation, get SCOTUS [on our side], we could end it all at the federal level. People in leadership seem so invested in an incredibly long, local level, deeply impermanent struggle."

Jones issued this call to action: "We should be saying, 'Enough of this, we demand full equality under civil law.' We should be marching, engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience every day. We have a window, but it's already starting to close. If you think you're going to get anything out of Obama in the second half of his term, you don't know anything about political history. In a year, he'll be in full re-election mode."

Referring to today's DOJ-DOMA news, Jones closed with this: "It's so clear that Obama and the Democratic leadership are turning their backs on us. If we don't go for it now, we'll get nothing. It's beginning to smell a lot like Clinton."

Coalition Of LGBT Groups Join To Condemn DOJ Motion To Dismiss DOMA Challenge

A coalition of LGBT groups have issued a joint statement condemning the Obama administration's motion to dismiss a challenge to the Defense Of Marriage Act. Via press release:

We are very surprised and deeply disappointed in the manner in which the Obama administration has defended the so-called Defense of Marriage Act against Smelt v. United States, a lawsuit brought in federal court in California by a married same-sex couple asking the federal government to treat them equally with respect to federal protections and benefits. The administration is using many of the same flawed legal arguments that the Bush administration used. These arguments rightly have been rejected by several state supreme courts as legally unsound and obviously discriminatory.

We disagree with many of the administration's arguments, for example that DOMA is a valid exercise of Congress's power, is consistent with Equal Protection or Due Process principles, and does not impinge upon rights that are recognized as fundamental. We are also extremely disturbed by a new and nonsensical argument the administration has advanced suggesting that the federal government needs to be "neutral" with regard to its treatment of married same-sex couples in order to ensure that federal tax money collected from across the country not be used to assist same-sex couples duly married by their home states.

There is nothing "neutral" about the federal government's discriminatory denial of fair treatment to married same-sex couples: DOMA wrongly bars the federal government from providing any of the over one thousand federal protections to the many thousands of couples who marry in six states. This notion of "neutrality" ignores the fact that while married same-sex couples pay their full share of income and social security taxes, they are prevented by DOMA from receiving the corresponding same benefits that married heterosexual taxpayers receive. It is the married same-sex couples, not heterosexuals in other parts of the country, who are financially and personally damaged in significant ways by DOMA. For the Obama administration to suggest otherwise simply departs from both mathematical and legal reality.

When President Obama was courting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender voters, he said that he believed that DOMA should be repealed. We ask him to live up to his emphatic campaign promises, to stop making false and damaging legal arguments, and immediately to introduce a bill to repeal DOMA and ensure that every married couple in America has the same access to federal protections.

Signed:
American Civil Liberties Union
Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders
Human Rights Campaign
Lambda Legal
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce

Casual Friday For NY Senate: Judge Refuses To Resolve Dispute

A complete week of absolutely no work done in the NY Senate and the judge says "work it out amongst yourselves."

A state Supreme Court judge in Albany told both sides in the battle over the state Senate to spend the weekend looking for a resolution to the question of control of the contested chamber. If they fail, both sides will be back in court on Monday. If the politicians remain at an impasse, Justice Thomas McNamara said he would rule on the matter well before a Senate session tentatively scheduled for 3 p.m. McNamara told the attorneys -- in court and privately -- of the need to work things out away from the courtroom. "There are three coequal branches of government," the judge said from the bench. "We have our job, the Senate has their job and the governor's office has their job. The courts certainly do, on occasions that are appropriate, venture into other areas -- but there is a reluctance to do that. And it would be in everyone's best interests if the Senate over the weekend got together and with calmer heads resolved that among yourselves."

Both sides refused to say whether they'd heed the judge's advice. Like some of you, I suspect that Gov. Paterson will have to call a special emergency session once this is over. The NY Senate just fucked over their summer vacation.

Update On DOJ-DOMA Case

Over on Americablog, John Aravosis and Joe Sudbay are parsing the entire DOJ challenge to DOMA that was filed this morning. It just gets worse and worse. Go read their analysis.

The Task Force weighs in:

"DOMA is and has always been an immoral attack on same-sex couples, our families and our fundamental humanity. This law has only served to discriminate against Americans and belittle our nation's heralded values embracing freedom, fairness and justice. The Task Force Action Fund demands President Obama and Congress immediately repeal this hateful law, which has left a moral scar on our nation and its worthy pursuit of equal justice for all. Unfortunately, the malicious and outrageous arguments and language used in the Department of Justice's marriage brief is only serving to inflame and malign the humanity of same-sex couples and our families. This is unacceptable. This ugly chapter in our nation's history must come to an end now with the repeal of DOMA."

HRC weighs in:

“President Obama must see that this extraordinary record of commitment to the public good at last be extended to end discrimination against LGBT people,” said Solmonese. “Mr. President, you have called DOMA ‘abhorrent’ and pledged to be a fierce advocate for our community. As we approach the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, it is time for you to use your leadership to translate these principles into meaningful action.” HRC also has grave concerns about the arguments that the Administration put forth in this case, arguments that simply do not reflect the experiences that LGBT people face or the contributions that they make. The Administration’s brief claims that DOMA is a valid exercise of Congress’s power, is consistent with Equal Protection or Due Process principles, and does not impinge upon rights that are recognized as fundamental. The brief further claims that DOMA is a “neutral” federal position on same-sex marriages, and permits the states to determine on their own whether to recognize same-sex marriages. The most alarming argument, grounded neither in fact nor in law, reads as follows:

[DOMA amounts to] a cautious policy of federal neutrality towards a new form of marriage. DOMA maintains federal policies that have long sought to promote the traditional and uniformly-recognized form of marriage, recognizes the right of each State to expand the traditional definition if it so chooses, but declines to obligate federal taxpayers in other States to subsidize a form of marriage that their own states do not recognize.

“Same-sex couples and their families are not seeking subsidies,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “We pay taxes equally, contribute to our communities equally, support each other equally, pay equally into Social Security, and participate equally in our democracy. Equal protection is not a handout. It is our right as citizens,” he said.

Law Dork weighs in:

Unlike the Obama Administration’s brief filed in the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell case turned away by the Supreme Court this week, last night’s filing in Smelt v. United States goes too far. It’s offensive, it’s dismissive, it’s demeaning and — most importantly — it’s unnecessary. Even if one accepts that DOJ should have filed a brief opposing this case (and the facts do suggest some legitimate questions about standing), the gratuitous language used throughout the filing goes much further than was necessary to make its case.

Perhaps the simplest way to express my anger at this filing is to reprint what is easily the most disingenuous line of the brief, at p. 32:

DOMA does not discriminate against homosexuals in the provision of federal benefits.

There you go.

(Needless to say, I’m not wearing my Obama T-shirt today.)

Columbia Employee: I Stole As Revenge Because My Male Boss Was Hitting On Me

A former Columbia University employee says that he embezzled $180,000 from the school as revenge because administrators did nothing about his complaint that his male supervisor was sexually harassing him. He spent the money on a lavish wedding in the Poconos and luxury spa treatments.

John Bzdil III claims in court papers that the university ignored his complaints about "continuing sexual abuse" by then-financial director Cesar Rodriguez. Bzdil, 34, says the situation led to depression, heavy drinking and post-traumatic stress disorder. "As a result, I tried to 'punish' the university," he wrote in a letter filed yesterday in Manhattan federal court. Bzdil faces a recommended 21 to 27 months behind bars for scamming $180,000 in phony expenses as manager of Columbia's Pediatric Neurosciences Department. Rodriguez, 62, denied molesting Bzdil and accused him of concocting the claim to avoid prison. "When you are desperate, you'll do whatever you have to," Rodriguez said.

NY Daily News has more:

In a letter to Manhattan Federal Judge Sidney Stein, the ex-Eagle Scout and high school football star begs not to be sent away to prison. Columbia was turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the fact that I was being sexually abused by [the boss]," he wrote. "Subconsciously, I was trying to make them pay attention to my situation and protect me from [him]. I felt deep shame for what he was doing to me and my inability to make him stop." Charges against Bzdil's estranged wife, Heather Brooke Rinehart, were dropped by prosecutors after Bzdil claimed she had nothing to do with the purchase of Bliss items like Mammoth Minty Scrub and Lovehandler.

The couple is divorcing.

He Got It Right

Bishop Harry Jackson: The Homos Hacked Into My Residency Records!!!

Washington City Paper gets it right:

LL will make but one comment. OK, two. (1) You’re fitting your wife and young adult daughters in a one-bedroom condo? (2) Obtaining the address and date of registration for a District voter by no means requires any “hacking.” Any person is free to visit the offices of the Board of Elections and Ethics (441 4th St. NW, 2nd floor, south wing), walk into the waiting area, log in to a public computer terminal, and look up that information for any voter in town. In fact, call 202-727-2525, ask real nice, and they might even look it up for you. And land records? Those are public, too. Open government: Very, very American.

Anchorage Hears Gay Rights Bill

As a noisy anti-gay crowd outside waved signs saying "Truth is not hate!," the Anchorage, Alaska city Assembly heard public arguments on their proposed bill to outlaw discrimination against gays for housing, employment, and finance. Opponents were dressed in red, which has become the signature color for anti-gay hate.

Allison Mendel, an attorney, told the Assembly, "I want to be able to put my wedding picture on my desk just like you do without being fired for doing it." She said she's had other attorneys, "on the record in court cases accuse me of having particular opinions in a case because I'm a lesbian and therefore I should not be listened to." "Clients tell me horrible stories ...(about being) fired because someone thought they were gay whether they were or not," she said. Others, including former Lt. Gov. Loren Leman, opposed the proposal, reminding Assembly members that Alaska voters have come down against same-sex marriage in a 1990s constitutional amendment. Stan Roach, pastor of the Independent Baptist Church, likened the ordinance to the early days of legal abortion, which he said started in cases of rape and threats to a woman's life and expanded. "That's what this sexual orientation is going to do," he said. "It's going to grow. ..."God made man and God made woman, and I've seen some people tonight, I don't know what they are," Roach said.

The hearing went on until 11pm, by which time 88 of the over 200 people in line to speak at the podium had gotten a turn.

Kelly Rowland- When Love Takes Over

Friend of the gays and former (or still?) Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland will surely have the gay club hit of the summer with this.

DOJ Moves To Dismiss DOMA Challenge

The Department of Justice has filed a motion requesting the dismissal of a DOMA-related federal marriage equality case which calls for states to recognize the legality of same-sex marriages from other states. (Important: this is unrelated to the coming federal case from Ted Olson and David Boies.)

The motion, filed late Thursday, argued the case of Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer does not address the right of gay couples to marry but rather questions whether their marriage must be recognized nationwide by states that have not approved gay marriage. "This case does not call upon the Court to pass judgment ... on the legal or moral right of same-sex couples, such as plaintiffs here, to be married," the motion states. "Plaintiffs are married, and their challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA") poses a different set of questions." It's a different case from a recent federal lawsuit by two unmarried gay couples in California who claim a civil right to marry under the U.S. Constitution. The government said Smelt and Hammer seek a ruling on "whether by virtue of their marital status they are constitutionally entitled to acknowledgment of their union by states that do not recognize same-sex marriage, and whether they are similarly entitled to certain federal benefits. "Under the law binding on this Court, the answer to these questions must be no," the motion states.

In a separate action, California Attorney General Jerry Brown moved to dismiss the state version of the lawsuit by the same couple, saying that they have no standing to file since their marriage was unaffected by recent ruling on Prop 8.

UPDATE: JMG reader Lavi dug into the brief and found that it invokes incest and adult-child marriage. UNfuckingbelievable.

The courts have followed this principle, moreover, in relation to the validity of marriages performed in other States. Both the First and Second Restatements of Conflict of Laws recognize that State courts may refuse to give effect to a marriage, or to certain incidents of a marriage, that contravene the forum State's policy. See Restatement (First) of Conflict of Laws § 134; Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws § 284.5 And the courts have widely held that certain marriages performed elsewhere need not be given effect, because they conflicted with the public policy of the forum. See, e.g., Catalano v. Catalano, 170 A.2d 726, 728-29 (Conn. 1961) (marriage of uncle to niece, "though valid in Italy under its laws, was not valid in Connecticut because it contravened the public policy of th[at] state"); Wilkins v. Zelichowski, 140 A.2d 65, 67-68 (N.J. 1958) (marriage of 16-year-old female held invalid in New Jersey, regardless of validity in Indiana where performed, in light of N.J. policy reflected in statute permitting adult female to secure annulment of her underage marriage); In re Mortenson's Estate, 316 P.2d 1106 (Ariz. 1957) (marriage of first cousins held invalid in Arizona, though lawfully performed in New Mexico, given Arizona policy reflected in statute declaring such marriages "prohibited and void").

The fact that States have long had the authority to decline to give effect to marriages performed in other States based on the forum State's public policy strongly supports the constitutionality of Congress's exercise of its authority in DOMA.

St. Carrie The Martyr

NOM, which is normally famous for their shitty internet abilities, has gotten their Stand With Carrie site up within 24 hours of the news of her firing. Clearly they've had this site standing by for some time.

Carrie Prejean could have had it all, at the price of sacrificing her values. She chose to speak the truth. She chose to Stand Up for Marriage. Now she is paying the price. It's time for us to Stand with Carrie. Sign up now to let Carrie know you stand with her. And check back soon for more details on how you can help Carrie stand for truth.

"Sign the petition to stand with Carrie" is of course, a sneaky way to NOM to increase their mailing list. Not a word about NOM on the page.

(Via - Good As You)

Letterman On Palin Jokes Flap

I haven't mentioned this story yet, but if you haven't been following it elsewhere, Letterman explains everything in this clip. Basically, the other night he joked that while Sarah Palin was in town earlier in the week to attend a Yankees game with Rudy Giuliani, Alex Rodriguez "knocked up" her daughter. Letterman didn't realize that Palin was in town with her 14 year-old, not 18 year-old Bristol.. Palin, understandably, went through the roof.

Don't Interrupt Barney Frank

Gay Marriage: Tipping Point?

You'll have to embiggen this graph from FiveThirtyEight to make sense of it.

Jeff Lax and Justin Phillips put together a dataset using national opinion polls from 1994 through 2009 and analyzed several different opinion questions on gay rights. Here I'm going to talk about their estimates of state-by-state trends in support for gay marriage. In the past fifteen years, gay marriage has increased in popularity in all fifty states. No news there, but what was a surprise to me is where the largest changes have occurred. The popularity of gay marriage has increased fastest in the states where gay rights were already relatively popular in the 1990s. In 1995, support for gay marriage exceeded 30% in only six states: New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, and Vermont. In these states, support for gay marriage has increased by an average of almost 20 percentage points. In contrast, support has increased by less than 10 percentage points in the six states that in 1995 were most anti-gay-marriage--Utah, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Idaho.

Evangelical Radio Host: "I'm Praying For The Death Of President Obama"

Another whackjob Christianist is in the news. Speaking to Fox News Radio, loony evangelical radio host Pastor Wiley Drake said the he is praying for the death of President Obama. (Audio below.) Drake is the former vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Pastor Wiley Drake prayed that abortionist George Tiller's wife would become a widow. Tiller is now dead. Drake claims that his death is an answer to imprecatory prayer. Now he is praying an imprecatory prayer for the death of our president. Imprecatory Psalms are psalms that contain curses or prayers for the judgment of a nation's enemies, invoking evil upon them. Psalms 7, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137 and 139 are ones that Drake finds his prayer material in. Drake repeats words from the book of Psalms in his imprecatory prayers such as Psalm 109:9 where it is written "May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow." This is what he prayed for the late-term abortionist before he was murdered. He says that it is our Christian duty to pray along these vengeful and vindictive lines for religious, political, and personal reasons when other means for change have been exhausted.

Last August, Drake prayed for the deaths of the leaders of Americans For Separation of Church and State. In fact, he issued a press release calling for their deaths and Christian News Wire published it. Pastor Drake, Dr. Tiller's killer, the Holocaust Museum shooter...where is this all going?

Maddow: Museum Shooter Was A Birther

The Holocaust Museum shooter was a birther. Shocker.

Blumenthal Video: Israelis To Obama - "Save Us From Ourselves"

Attending a protest on anniversary of the Six Day War, this time Max Blumenthal talks to some native Israelis and finds strong support for Barack Obama. You may recall that in his previous clip, Blumenthal interviewed many anti-Obama dual American-Israeli citizens.

(Via JMG reader Osman)

Dems Get Restraining Order To Force NY Senate To Continue To Do Nothing

And round and round and round we go.

A day of legal and legislative drama concluded with ousted Democratic Majority Leader Malcolm Smith obtaining a temporary restraining order declaring him to be the chamber's majority leader and president pro tempore. Smith's legal relief may be short-lived: A state Supreme Court judge will hear arguments from both sides in the four-day-old battle for the state Senate on Friday morning. The order was issued after 5 p.m. -- about six hours after the Senate members currently claiming those titles, Republican Dean Skelos and breakaway Democrat Pedro Espada, managed to fight their way past an angry crowd of protesters to take part in a brief but memorable Senate session.

Renegade Sen. Hiram Monserratte is reportedly considering undefecting back to the Democratic side of the aisle. He refused to take part in today's session, leaving the GOP short of a quorum and unable to continue. Not that anything could have been voted on as today's bills were locked in a desk and somebody had hidden the keys. SRSLY.

And now, a restraining order with the clock tick-tocking down on marriage equality. A least the hearing is tomorrow morning.

Chastity Bono Transitioning To Male

Chastity Bono, who almost 40 years ago debuted to national television audiences as the pigtailed shy little daughter of Sonny & Cher, is transitioning to male.

"Yes, it's true -- Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity," confirmed Bono's publicist, Howard Bragman. "He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his 'coming out' did nearly 20 years ago. We ask that the media respect Chaz's privacy during this long process as he will not be doing any interviews at this time."

GLAAD has issued a supportive statement.

“Chaz Bono's decision to live his life authentically represents an important step forward, both for him personally and for all who are committed to advancing discussions about fairness and equality for transgender people," said Neil G. Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). "Coming out as transgender is an extremely personal decision and one that is never made lightly. We look forward to hearing Chaz's story in his own words in the future." “GLAAD encourages media outlets to cover this story accurately, and to avoid speculation about the details of Chaz’s story before he is ready to tell it in his own words.”

Bono has served as GLAAD's entertainment media director.

Right-Wing Comes Swinging For Fox News Anchor Shepard Smith

Today's top story on World Net Daily, the most widely-read conservative site in nation, is not an alarmed recapping of yesterday's Holocaust Memorial shooting, but rather a blistering attack on Fox News anchor Shepard Smith for his righteous worry about the alarming state of an increasingly extremist-laden America in which even the nationality of our president is questioned.

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith, host of the top-rated evening cable newscast, believes Americans challenging the eligibility of Barack Obama to hold the office of president are "crazies," saying "there is no truth whatsoever" to the suggestion Obama is not a "natural born citizen." Smith made the remark during analysis of today's shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where an elderly gunman opened fire with a rifle, killing a security guard before himself being shot. Police were probing an alleged white supremacist, James von Brunn, as the assailant. During his interview with Heidi Beirich of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Smith said: "There are these crazies out there who want to pretend [Obama's] not a citizen of the United States, who want to pretend that his religion is something they see as in some way troublesome to them and all of us. And there is a group perpetuating this thought, and there is a culture to which you can attach yourself very easily through the Internet. ... We know it's absolutely – there is no truth whatsoever – zero – to any of those ideas, yet they live within the computer and they fester in people's minds."

WND then goes on to dig up ten year-old dirt on Smith, going into great detail about a completely unrelated parking incident in which he struck a woman with his car. Because that is more important than decrying a racist murder in the nation's capital. Most of the emails that Smith reads on-air in the clip below probably came from Free Republic, where members are staging a letter writing campaign calling for his dismissal for his "anti-patriot rantings."

From Finland's Green Party

(Via - Queerty)

U.S. State Department Condemns Anti-Gay Violence In Iraq

The U.S. State Department has issued a statement condemning the torture and murders of gay men in Iraq and has begun discussions on the issue with the Iraqi government in Baghdad.

"In general, we absolutely condemn acts of violence and human rights violations committed against individuals in Iraq because of their sexual orientation or gender identity," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said. "This is an issue that we've been following very closely since we have been made aware of these allegations, and we are aware of the allegations," Kelly told reporters when asked about anti-gay violence in Iraq. "Our training for Iraqi security forces includes instruction on the proper observance of human rights," Kelly said. "Human rights training is also a very important part of our and other international donors' civilian capacity-building efforts in Iraq," the spokesman said. "And the US embassy in Baghdad has raised, and will continue to raise, the issue with senior officials from the government of Iraq, and has urged them to respond appropriately to all credible reports of violence against gay and lesbian Iraqis," Kelly said.

Dozens of gay Iraqi men and boys are believed to have been killed and tortured in recent months by Islamic militias. Protests from activists and bloggers in other nations have forced the U.S. government to take this action, slow it has been in coming. In April openly gay U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) visited Iraq where he registered formal complaints with the U.S.-installed Iraqi regime.

San Antonio Wingnuts Angry That Mayor Will Be Grand Marshal Of Gay Pride

San Antonio wingnut radio host Adam McManus is calling on his "army" of listeners to demand that Mayor Julian Castro pull out of his planned appearance as grand marshal of that city's gay pride parade. Castro will be the first San Antonio mayor to do so.

ACTION STEPS FOR ADAM'S ARMY:

1. Call San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro at 210.207.7060 to object politely to his decision to become the first Mayor in San Antonio history to serve as the Grand Marshall of the San Antonio Homosexual Pride Parade on July 4th. You can leave a message after business hours.

2. Send Mayor Julian Castro a polite e-mail objecting to his decision to serve as Grand Marshall in the Homosexual pride Parade on July 4th: mayorjuliancastro@sanantonio.gov

"Homosexual pride parade." Ooh, buuurn. San Antonio activists will appear at a city council meeting tonight at 5pm to support their mayor against this attack. Hey, why don't you send Mayor Castro an email thanking him for supporting San Antonio's LGBT community? Help Texas change.

(Via - By The Bayou)

Open Thread Thursday

Father Tony reports that we've got quite a healthy group of bloggers signed up to march with us in this year's NYC Pride March. We've got a banner, we've got t-shirts available, we's all fancy and shit. Contact the good Father if you'd like to march with us. Pride season is getting into high gear all over the country, what are YOUR plans this year?

Larry Stickney - Defender Of Marriage

Pam's House Blend contributor Lurleen has just posted an astounding evisceration of Larry Stickney, the campaign manager for Protect Marriage Washington, the group behind the effort to repeal that state's brand new "everything but marriage" domestic partners law. Among Lurleen's revelations is that the three-times married Stickney has had a restraining order issued against him by one of his ex-wives who alleged that he had beaten her. Stickney says that marriage equality "will demolish the historical understanding and definition of marriage as that of uniting a man and a woman for life." Life, or until she gets tired of you beating the crap out of her. Oh, and there is so much more.

Holland: Schools May Ban Gay Teachers

In what some say is evidence of the increasing influence of Muslims in the Netherlands, a leaked letter from the country's Council Of State advises that the nation's state-funded religious schools are allowed to fire gay teachers.

The Council of State, the highest advisory body to the Dutch government, says religious schools can exclude gay teachers if they behave in ways that go against what the institution stands for, even if it’s outside the classroom. According to the advisory paper, schools are not allowed to discriminate, but they do have a right to make specific demands of their staff. European guidelines entitle schools to "demand explicit loyalty from their staff" to pass on their values, the council says. Those demands have to be directly related to the foundations of the school or other religious institutions. The current anti-discrimination law in the Netherlands states that even religious schools are not allowed to let the "single fact" of someone's sexual preference, race or gender be a factor in the hiring or firing process. But the law leaves room for so-called "additional behaviour" to be factored in. A teacher could be dismissed for "a certain lifestyle" that goes against what the institution stands for; a relationship with someone of the same sex could be qualified as such.

A representative of Islamic schools in the Netherlands exults: "Judaism, Christianity and Islam disapprove of acting gay (...) If that is what you are, apply at a different school. There are plenty of jobs at non-denominational schools."

DC Marriage Battle: Anti-Gay Bishop Harry Jackson Scrutinized For Voter Fraud

Outsiders crowded a meeting of the DC city council yesterday as the council deliberated whether putting a same-sex marriage referendum to voters violates the city's 1996 Human Rights Act, which lists eight items than can never be put to a popular vote. One Maryland man told that council that discrimination against homosexuals was "positive discrimination" because "all gay sex acts are a form of pedophilia."

Another outsider present was Bishop Harry Jackson, who is one of the seven people who filed the referendum request. Jackson, who only registered to vote in the District last month, is under scrutiny for possibly fraudulently presenting himself as a DC resident. Via the Washington Blade:

Lou Chibbaro, Jr., the Blade’s senior news reporter, has done some terrific sleuthing this week and discovered that the D.C. condo Jackson claims as his residence belongs to another man, who has reportedly told sources in the building that Jackson is his “roommate.” The condo in question, unit 630 in the upscale Whitman, is a one-bedroom apartment. Residents of the building estimate that a third of the units are gay-owned. So, let’s recap. The anti-gay minister heading an effort to derail same-sex marriage in D.C. lives in a one-bedroom apartment with a male roommate in a building 30 percent occupied by gays.

From the blog Life In Mount Vernon Square:

The referendum may proceed even if Reverend Jackson is disqualified because other co-introducers may legitimately live in the District, but that does not excuse illegal behavior. If, indeed, Reverend Jackson registered to vote in the District by supplying fraudulent information--if he does not actually live at the Whitman--he is subject to criminal prosecution. In fact, DC law provides that a person convicted of making false representations as to his qualifications for registering is subject to a fine of up to $10,000 and may be imprisoned as long as 5 years. Voter fraud is not something we should let slide, especially when it involves people from other states attempting to impose their moral or religious views upon the residents of D.C.

The DC City Council is expected to issue their ruling on the legality of the referendum in one week. For their part, Congress has until July 6th to intervene on their own.

No To Public Insurance: AMA Will Oppose Obama's Health Care Reforms

The American Medical Association (AMA) says they plan to oppose Barack Obama's health care reform plan to create a public health insurance system.

In comments submitted to the Senate Finance Committee, the American Medical Association said: “The A.M.A. does not believe that creating a public health insurance option for non-disabled individuals under age 65 is the best way to expand health insurance coverage and lower costs. The introduction of a new public plan threatens to restrict patient choice by driving out private insurers, which currently provide coverage for nearly 70 percent of Americans.” If private insurers are pushed out of the market, the group said, “the corresponding surge in public plan participation would likely lead to an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by taxpayers.””

The NYT points out that the AMA does not speak for all doctors and that some doctors groups do support a single-payer insurance system.

What Being An Employee Means, Pt. 1

Today the wingnut-o-sphere is awash in "the gaystapo got her!" posts about the firing of Carrie Prejean. But here's an example of Prejean's emailed responses to painfully polite requests that she honor her contract.

From: cprejeanXXXXSent: Friday, May 29, 2009 7:57 AMTo: Keith LewisSubject: Re: Messages

You do not cooperate with me, and you pick and chose the the things YOU want me to do. That is not happening anymore. Stop speaking for me. I have MY own voice. What are u gonna do fire me for volunteering for the special olympics hahaha ur crazy No I am doing this appearance. You do not need details. Its for the SPECIAL OLYMPICS!!! You just need to know I will be doing it alright

You will not facilitate this appearance

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

"You pick and choose the things YOU want me to do." Yes, it's called being an employee.

NOM On Prejean Firing

"Hollywood hates Carrie. First they abuse her, then they try to get her to recant, then they threw mud, and now they are doing what they wanted to do from day one: Get rid of Carrie. This cover story about a contract dispute doesn’t pass the smell test. Americans aren’t fooled that easily. God knows, and we know, the truth about Carrie: She’s a young woman of great beauty who chose truth over the glittering tiara that Hollywood offers. Of course they will try to punish her, but we know she will be fine in the end, because her values are in the right place." - Brian Brown, executive douchenozzle of NOM.

Maggie Gallagher chimes in: "Hollywood will dance its tribal war dance over her body--the hatred generated against her has been extraordinary--but Carrie will be free to define her own mission and message from now on. Congratulations."

Glenn Beck Guest: Liberalism=Racism

Some talking toupee from the Ayn Rand Institute appeared on Glenn Beck's show last night to say that the Holocaust Museum shooter was actually a leftist, because, "Racism is a form of collectivism. The right wing is individualist." Beck goes on to invoke Rev. Jeremiah Wright as an example of left wing racists.

Kathy Griffin On Letterman

Kathy Griffin mentioned her mom's Prop 8 activism last night on Letterman.

(Via - Towleroad)

Today's Hero: NC Sen. Julia Boseman

Openly lesbian NC state Sen. Julia Boseman was the lone dissenting vote in a resolution honoring the life work of the greatest homophobe to disgrace the halls of Congress, U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms. The resolution passed the North Carolina House 98-0 and in the Senate 41-1. Boseman is NC's the only openly gay or lesbian state legislator. A total of 26 lawmakers in both chambers abstained from voting. Thank you, Sen. Boseman!

(Via Matt Comer @ Q-Notes)

No Discount: Gay Family Told "You're Not A Real Family" At Idaho Water Park

A lesbian couple and their three foster children were denied the family discount at an Idaho water park after employees told them that they weren't entitled to one because the state doesn't consider them a real family.

A local hot pool is getting even hotter after a family was denied a reduced admission price for families because the parents were both women. Lava Hot Springs, the popular tourist attraction, is where the lesbian couple with their three foster kids were denied the advertised family price because they don't fit the definition of a family, under Idaho Law. The Lava Foundation's Executive Director, Mark Lowe, said the state doesn't recognize gay or lesbian marriage and defines a family as one male, one female and children. On the other hand, the American Civil Liberties Union in Boise said State Code defines marriage, but has no universal definition of a family.

The head fuckweasel of the attraction said they may just eliminate family discounts entirely. That way, they won't have to deal with the ACLU and they get to further demonize gay families in Idaho. Win-win.

Gay City News On Albany Revolt

If you're still trying to figure what the hell has been going on in Albany this week (and who isn't), Gay City News editor Paul Schindler has posted an excellent and very detailed breakdown of this still chaotic situation.

Late yesterday, Schindler got openly gay state Sen. Thomas Duane (left, at podium) to finally comment on the widespread speculation that he is contemplating joining the Democratic Senate defectors who now support GOP Majority Leader Dean Skelos.

"Yes, I did miss a Democratic press conference on Monday," he responded, when asked about the reports. "And except for when I really needed to be in the Capitol, I chose not to be there because it's a very toxic place, full of only rumors. My not being there has nothing to do with anything other than it not being a place where I wanted to spend a lot of time. I don't think anyone should read anything more into it." Duane, however, conceded that he had not attended any meeting of the beleaguered Democratic caucus since the Senate was thrown into turmoil Monday, and made no attempt to deny rumors that he was talking to the Republicans. When asked if he could dispel stories that the GOP had reached out to him, he responded, "I have spoken to people on both sides of the aisle about seeing every issue accomplished that I have spent my whole life working to accomplish." He then added quickly, "And with that I will leave you," and ended the call.

Secret alliances, indicted pols, wealthy influence peddlers, sexual scandal, domestic violence, double-crossing, pork barrel corruption - it's all in a days work in Albany. Where same-sex marriage may end up in this swirling sewer called New York state government is anybody's guess at this point.

RELATED: I will never make fun of Illinois politics again.

(Photo via Gay City News)

Californians Protest HIV Drug Cuts

Openly gay state Assemblyman Tom Ammiano joined a large group of protesters at the state capitol in Sacramento yesterday to protest Gov. Schwarzenegger's plan to slash funding from the ADAP budget, which provides free to low cost HIV meds to the uninsured. Rex Wockner adds:

Further, the current plan apparently completely eliminates state funding for the tests that determine if a patient is responding to treatment -- such tests as CD4 counts, viral-load measurement and drug-resistance monitoring. These tests are essentially mandatory in HIV treatment. Doctors use them so they can change a nonresponsive patient's drug combination to another combo that works in that patient -- before the patient's immune system breaks down further and the patient develops a life-threatening opportunistic infection.

Wockner's blog has more photos of the protest.

(Top photo: Charlie Peer/Outword Magazine. Bottom two photos: Dan Aiello.)

Miami To Vote On Domestic Partners

The city of Miami will vote today on extending domestic partner health benefits to its employees. If you are reading this post early enough, LGBT rights group SAVE Dade requests your show of support at Miami City Hall - Commission Chambers, 3500 Pan American Dr., Coconut Grove, at 9:30 a.m. The time of the actual vote is unknown, so do your best. Via SAVE Dade's press release:

We anticipate this Ordinance would affect at least 200-250 employees and their families. One of those employees is Melissa Llera, a City of Miami Firefighter and SAVE Dade volunteer, who has been in a committed relationship with her partner Christie for over 12 years. They have a child together and are forced to obtain private insurance since the City does not offer domestic partner health benefits. There are many employees like Mel who are left vulnerable due to an employment inequality.

Neighbors Miami Beach and North Miami already offer domestic partners benefits to employees. I'll post the result of the vote in an update to this post later today.

UPDATE: Success! The Miami City Commission voted 5-0 to approve benefits for the partners of city employees.

The Butch Wing

Until an investigation by reporters, a women's prison in Virginia had been segregating inmates perceived to be masculine in order to break up butch/femme relationships and curb sexual activity.

Two current guards and one of their former co-workers said targeting masculine-looking inmates was a deliberate strategy by a building manager. Numerous inmates said in letters and interviews that they felt humiliated and stigmatized when guards took them to the separate wing — also referred to by prisoners and guards as the "little boys wing," "locker room wing" or "studs wing." "I deserved to go for my crime and I did my time there," said Summer Triolo, who spent nearly six years at Fluvanna for theft before being released in February 2008. "But my punishment was by the judge to do time in prison away from my family and home. That was my punishment, not all the extra stuff."

Some straight women were among those thought to be too butch to mix with the general population.

Washington: Haters Unveil Map-Sized Petition To Repeal Domestic Partners Law

Last month I told you that the anti-gay freaks in Washington state were required by law put to all 118 pages of that state's domestic partners law onto a single sheet of paper for their petition repeal effort. Today Slog's Dominic Holden has the first shot of the double-sided Referendum 71 petition, which measures 2' x 3' when unfolded. Each of those tiny squares of 6-point font text is one of the 118 pages of Washington's "everything but marriage law." IMPORTANT: Washington state residents, please click on the bottom image in this post or go here for information on how to fight Referendum 71.

Carrie Prejean Fired By Miss CA USA

Carrie Prejean has finally been shit-canned!

Less than a month after being told by Donald Trump that she can keep her Miss California crown, Carrie Prejean is being fired, Foxnews.com has learned exclusively. K2 Productions, the independent producers of the Miss California USA pageant, under license from Miss Universe, cites continued breach of contract issues as the reason for Prejean's firing. The decision is revealed in documents obtained by FOXNews.com. "This was a business decision, based solely on contract violations," Keith Lewis, executive director of K2 Productions, said in the documents. "After our press conference in New York we had hoped we would be able to forge a better working relationship. However, since that time it has become abundantly clear that Carrie has no desire to fulfill her obligations under our contract and work together.”

Now she can work for Fox News full time. And MAN, I've been waiting to use the above photo for months.

Gunfire At DC Holocaust Museum

More domestic terrorism as an 88 year-old white supremacist opens fire at the National Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. Security guard and gunman both wounded. President notified. Think Progress reports that the shooter is Freeper. Shocker.

UPDATE: Here is the alleged shooter's website. Over on Free Republic, where the members still apparently don't know the shooter is one of their own, commenters are CERTAIN the culprit is either a "muzzie" or is part of an Obama plot to embarrass the right wing.

Maine: Judge Jails Poz Woman For Protection Of Her Unborn Baby

In Maine, an HIV+ woman charged with falsifying immigration documents has been sentenced to remain in jail until the birth of her baby because the judge is concerned that she won't receive proper prenatal HIV medication if deported. But even the woman's prosecutors object.

Both the federal prosecutor and the defense attorney urged the judge to sentence Tuleh to 114 days, or time served, according to a transcript of the sentencing hearing. Woodcock instead ignored the federal sentencing guidelines and calculated her sentence to coincide with her due date. Federal prosecutors have appealed the sentence to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. The court has agreed to deal with the case on an expedited schedule and could hear oral arguments in late July. Woodcock told Tuleh at her sentencing on May 14 in U.S. District Court that he was not imposing the longer prison term to punish her further but to protect her unborn child. He said that the defendant was more likely to receive medical treatment and follow a drug regimen in federal prison than out on her own or in the custody of immigration officials.

In most cases of immigration fraud, offenders are sentenced to time served in order to expedite a rapid deportation. (Some say this is done in order to fend off any potential appeals.) Joining the dissent in the above case is the Maine Civil Liberties Union.

“Judges cannot lock a woman up simply because she is sick and pregnant. Judges have enormous discretion in imposing sentences, and that is appropriate. But jailing someone is punishment — it is depriving them of liberty. That deprivation has to be justified, and illness or pregnancy is not justification for imprisonment.”

Opinions?

(Tipped by JMG reader Zandt)

Rockstar Energy Drink Threatens To Sue LGBT Blog Bilerico.com

Rockstar Energy Drink, the company owned by the son of viciously anti-gay radio host Michael Savage, has threatened the operators of Bilerico.com with a lawsuit for a post made calling for a boycott of the company. The post contends that Savage benefits financially from the profits of his son's company. Bilerico editor Bil Browning:

In April, guest blogger Michael Jones reported on Rockstar energy drink's connections with well-known homophobic radio host Michael Savage (real name: Michael Weiner). About a week ago, Rockstar's lawyers came calling and threatened legal action if we didn't immediately remove the offending post for "factual inaccuracies." The beverage company took issue with two sentences from our guest blogger's post. It claims they are untrue and should cause the post to be removed from the archives. Rockstar threatened several other bloggers and Facebook users with legal action - including Michael for his crosspost on Change.org. The company's legal team also contacted alternet.com, wiqaable.com, gaywired.com, gaysocialites.com, and So Cal Voice. Facebook closed the groups Rockstar complained about and, in some cases, deleted the user's account entirely. Change.org and other bloggers have removed their posts to avoid litigation. Our Terms of Service gives us the copyright for the version of Michael's post we published. We have offered Rockstar's lawyers a correction to the post, but we've refused to remove it. The guest post is currently the most popular article on the site.

Rockstar contends that contrary to the Bilerico story, Michael Savage "only advised" his son on the creation of the company and is not its cofounder nor does he benefit from its profits. Bil Browning points out that Savage's wife, however, IS the company's only listed officer other than her son. Browning says his site will not remove the post despite the threat of a lawsuit. An anti-Rockstar group has been resurrected on Facebook here.

Blame It On The Blackberry

By all accounts, Monday's NY Senate coup was orchestrated from behind the scenes by billionaire Tom Golisano, a thrice-failed NY gubernatorial candidate. Golisano has funneled millions to Democratic candidates over the years, but had become increasing annoyed when the finally-in-power Democrats in the Senate refused to jump to his commands, even announcing that he was moving to Florida rather than pay NY taxes. The final straw, according to Golisano, came when (now desposed) Majority Leader Malcolm Smith fiddled with his Blackberry rather than pay attention to him during a meeting.

Upstate billionaire Thomas Golisano said he began plotting to overthrow Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith after the Democrat spent a whole meeting in late April reading e-mails. "Of course I was upset, I thought that was very rude," he said of the meeting in Smith's office. "When I travel 250 miles to make a case on how to save the state a lot of money ... and the guy comes into his office and starts playing with his BlackBerry, I was miffed." Golisano, who spent millions helping Democrats take control of the Senate for the first time since 1965, said Smith and party leaders reneged on a promise of reform and engaged in a secretive budget process that resulted in $8 billion in new taxes and fees. After the meeting, Golisano, who founded the Independence Party, asked political operative Steve Pigeon to see if he could work a deal with Republicans.

According to the NY Daily News, the final details of Monday's revolt were laid out by Golisano over the phone from his Florida home. Golisano made his billions by founding the payroll company Paychex, and owns the Buffalo Sabers pro hockey team.

Albany: Stand 4 Marriage Rally

Maggie Gallgher, Tony Perkins, Bishop Harry Jackson, and NY Sen. Ruben Diaz led a "Stand 4 Marriage" rally on the steps of the capitol in Albany yesterday. Blah, blah, blah.

(Via - Good As You)

Praying For Failure: Fundie Anoints Sotomayor Hearing Room With Oil

On Monday leading evangelical Rev. Rob Schenck crept into the U.S. Senate's darkened Hart Building to "anoint with oil" the door of the room where the SCOTUS confirmation hearing for Sonia Sotomayor is expected to take place, in order that Congress be struck by the holy spirit and refuse to confirm her.

As I prayed, I touched the doors in three spots, making the sign of the cross. I prayed for God to superintend over the entire confirmation process and mark them with truth because Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life," and He prayed to His Father, saying, "Thy Word is Truth." Of course, in the end, we always pray that God's will be done. There is so much we can do as part of this enormously consequential exercise, including letting our senators know how we feel about this nomination. Nothing, though, is as important as prayer. I invite you to join me in praying as often as you can during the entire hearing process beginning

(Via - Pam's House Blend)

NOM Fail