God's Control Panel

RELATED: Today is Religious Freedom Day in America. Sadly, there is no Freedom FROM Religion Day.

(Via - Maneggs)

How To Help Poz Haitians

Many of Haiti's estimated 200,000 HIV-positive residents are now cut off from their critical HAART medications. NYC's AID For AIDS, a group that sends unused or unneeded HIV meds overseas, tells us how to help, because individuals cannot send drugs directly there.

And people can send medications directly to you in New York?
If they’re in the New York City area, they can call our office at (212) 337-8043. People can also check our website: aidforaids.org. If they are out of state, they can mail it to us, they can call and arrange how we can pick it up. Once we get it, we can get it to Haiti in two days. We send shipments everyday. We sent a shipment today, we sent our first [on Thursday]. We’re going to need to do this for a while — the situation in Haiti is bad, it's really bad. It’s not going to get stable right away. Some people are skeptical about donating money to organizations — this is a way to help. Even if you buy a bottle of Advil that you don’t use, send it to us. Anything helps in Haiti right now.

As noted at the above link. non-HIV meds such as antibiotics, Advil, whatever, are all welcome. AID For AIDS is working with NYC's Housing Works to ship everything they get by the next day. Donated medicines must be sealed and unexpired.

(Via - Advocate)

True In Their World, True In Ours

Cafe Figo, First Avenue, 2pm

Hipster Chick 1: Anyway, it starts at 11. Wanna go? You can be my plus one.

Hipster Chick 2: I'm sick of being everybody's plus one. When do I get my name on the list?

Hipster Chick 1: Blowing the promoter always helps.

The Castro To Get Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's will be opening a new store in the years-empty former Castro location of Tower Records.

Pending approval of traffic studies and other permits, residents can expect the grocery store known for its specialty items and low prices to open its doors by next year. This will be the fifth Trader Joe’s in San Francisco. The store will have a small parking lot behind it. However, city leaders said this Trader Joe’s, unlike the one on Ninth Street, is meant to draw pedestrian shoppers in the neighborhood. Trader Joe’s attempted to move into the Castro district at Market and 15th streets several years ago, but residents fought the project, citing traffic and other quality-of-life concerns. Now, residents are welcoming the neighborhood store, saying the vacant lot needs an anchor shop like Trader Joe’s. The two-story building at 2280 Market St. has been vacant since Tower Records closed nearly three years ago.

Three stores still open in the building, including a Radio Shack, will relocate. The old Tower Records storefront was last used as a headquarters for the No On 8 campaign in 2008.

Friendly Voices - Margaret Hoover

"Some Republicans support gay rights, but prefer progress through legislative action or majority rule at the ballot box, rather than judicial action. But what if a democratic election imposes mandates that violate a citizen’s constitutional freedom? In the event that majority rule insufficiently protects individual liberty, our system of checks and balances puts forth that it is the role of the courts, to guarantee and protect the rights to individual Americans.

"That’s why the Supreme Court, in 1967 Loving v. Virginia, legalized interracial marriage –six years after our current president was born to an interracial couple. At that time 73% of the population opposed “miscegenation.” How long would it have taken to change popular opinion, for the minority to democratically win their constitutional rights? As Martin Luther King, Jr. famously asserted, “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

"For those of you who would label me a 'RINO' (Republican In Name Only) for taking this stand, I direct you to Vice President Cheney, whose conservative credentials are impeccable, and who answered a question on the topic before the National Press Club audience on June 1, 2009 by saying simply, 'freedom means freedom for everyone.'" - Fox News contributor Margaret Hoover, coming out for marriage equality on FoxNew.com, of all places. Hoover directs readers to the Facebook page Republicans For Marriage Equality.

In Other Words

KQED in San Francisco explains it all.

Airline Baggage Fees Rise

United joins the fee increase.

Bloomberg News is reporting that United Airlines plans to start charging $23 for a first piece of checked luggage, a 53 percent increase, to match fees by competitors Delta and Continental. A second bag will cost $32, up from $25, Robin Urbanski, a spokeswoman for Chicago-based parent UAL Corp. told Bloomberg. The prices apply to online check-ins only, with airport transactions $2 more for the first bag and $3 more for the second. American Airlines and US Airways says they too are considering raising rates.

Southwest is the last major carrier without baggage fees.

Focus On The Family Buys Super Bowl Ad

Focus On The Family has purchased ad time during next month's Super Bowl, when University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and his mother will shill for the hate group. Tebow is known for placing Bible verses into the black stripes under his eyes during games. (He's home schooled!) It's expected that the Tebows will give a personal message against abortion in the ad. A 30-second spot will cost at least $2.5M, a curious expenditure for the cash-strapped FOTF, who laid off more than 275 employees in the last year. A spokesman claims the money is coming from ad-specific donations, not the general fund.

Lady Gaga Collapses On Stage, Atlantic City Marriage Benefit Postponed

Lady Gaga's marriage equality benefit in Atlantic City tomorrow night has been postponed due to illness. Via press release from LGBT activist group The Power:

Due to exhaustion and dehydration, Lady Gaga collapsed and passed out before her show last night in West Lafayette, IN. Her doctor has urged her to take a few days off to rest. We wish her rest and a full recovery. Her Atlantic City concert and the Hands Up for Marriage Equality Benefit will both be rescheduled. We have been assured by representatives of Lady Gaga that this benefit will be rescheduled soon. As soon as we have a firm date we will let you all know. Lady Gaga has been one of the hardest working people in entertainment for the past two plus years. During this time her support and advocacy for LGBT people has been unwavering. We wish Lady Gaga all the best. We will keep you informed and let you know the new date very soon. Toward full equality, Jeff Hall, Affiliate Director, The Power Online, Inc.

I'll post the information about the replacement show as soon we get it. Next week's four night run at NYC's Radio City Music Hall do not appear to be affected. Which is a good thing for Beard Seeking Boy.

The Beat Goes On

Next month MTV releases Turn The Beat Around, which from the trailer seems to be a fairly standard installment of the "dancer with a dream" flicks we've seen so many times. But this one has a retro disco theme, complete with a Xanadu-esque "Let's open a DISCO!" plot. The soundtrack includes a lot of disco covers and Donna Summer's daughter Brooklyn Sudano is one of the stars, so there's potential camp value here, at least.

(Tipped by JMG reader Adam)

CBN: Pat Robertson Didn't Say That And What He Said Is True Anyway

You'd think that after all the outrage that rained down on Pat Robertson from the left AND the right (even the Freepers were pissed), we'd see some kind of waffly, half-assed, non-apology apology from the Christian Broadcast Network. Not so.

On today’s The 700 Club, during a segment about the devastation, suffering and humanitarian effort that is needed in Haiti, Dr. Robertson also spoke about Haiti’s history. His comments were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed. Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath. If you watch the entire video segment, Dr. Robertson’s compassion for the people of Haiti is clear. He called for prayer for them. His humanitarian arm has been working to help thousands of people in Haiti over the last year, and they are currently launching a major relief and recovery effort to help the victims of this disaster. They have sent a shipment of millions of dollars worth of medications that is now in Haiti, and their disaster team leaders are expected to arrive tomorrow and begin operations to ease the suffering.

Chris Roslan
Spokesman for CBN

(Via - Shakesville)

Tired Old Queen At The Movies

Film buffs should consider subscribing to Steve Hayes' Tired Old Queen At The Movies channel on YouTube, where he provides historical and hilarious insight on Hollywood classics. This is his latest, Episode #14. Somebody get this guy a cable show. Hello, Bravo? Logo?

Text Donations Raise $10M For Haiti

The ease of making text message donations to relief agencies in Haiti has raised $10M already and that amount is mushrooming by the minute. This is first time that cell phone donations have been used to this degree, enabled by recent agreements from carriers to pass along the funds without taking a cut for themselves.

The American Red Cross said that of the $37 million it has raised for Haitian relief efforts, more than $8 million has come via mobile phone users. "It's unprecedented that we've received this amount," said Nadia Pontif, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross. The giving is also being fueled by the popularity of websites like Facebook, where users are urging one another to make donations easily using cellphones. Wireless carriers Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc (T.N), Sprint (S.N) and T-Mobile USA have waived fees for customers wishing to send mobile donations. Carriers are also letting users know they are not taking a cut of the donations. "There are no text messaging fees and 100 percent of the $10 donation goes to the American Red Cross," Verizon said in a statement. Manis said Mobile Giving is working with wireless carriers to decrease the lag time between when a cellphone user makes a donation and when the funds arrive at a charity. Donations can take 90 days to be delivered to a charity. "Every carrier is working through a solution to push those funds out faster," Manis said.

Non-emergency charities such as arts foundations and environmental groups are watching this phenomenon closely and making plans to enable their patrons to make cell phone donations as well. However they probably won't get the same free ride from phone carriers.

Alliance Defense Fund Accuses Twitter Of Blocking Their Prop 8 Tweets

From the Facebook page of the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund:

Alliance Defense Fund Blocked: ADF Attorney believes Twitter updates from @AllianceDefense @ADFmedia @AllianceAlert @ProtectMarriage are being excluded from twitter search. ADF Attorney contacted Twitter to have censorship of Twitter accounts immediately stopped. We will keep you posted. Only way for our updates to currently show up in twitter search is to have them re-posted by others.

The San Francisco Weekly says they may be right.

The Alliance Defense Fund -- whose attorneys are co-counsels in the ongoing Proposition 8 trial -- claims that Twitter updates from @AllianceDefense, @ProtectMarriage, @ADFmedia, and @AllianceAlert have been blocked from Twitter's search function. While all four accounts have been tweeting over the past 24 hours, especially regarding the Prop. 8 trial, almost all of those tweets don't show up via Twitter's search function. For example, searching "From:AllianceDefense" at 8:45 a.m. last revealed a tweet sent 20 hours ago, though scores of tweets have been sent on that account since then (some of which accuse Twitter of blocking the account). Searches show no results whatsoever for @AllianceAlert and @ADFmedia, and imply such accounts do not exist -- though all of these accounts have been active (and exist). The conservative groups have been imploring readers to retweet their posts, as retweets are showing up on Twitter's search, even while original tweets are not.

However the SFW also notes that some of their own editor's tweets also do not show up on a search, possibly meaning that the search function itself is borked. Still, it seems odd that so many bigoted orgs are not showing up.

Ann Coulter's Favorite Democrat

Blistering. Yowtch.

Anti-Gay Cartoon Runs In Notre Dame Student Newspaper, Editor Apologizes

The editor of Notre Dame's student newspaper has issued an apology for a viciously anti-gay cartoon that ran in this week's edition. "What's the quickest way to turn a fruit into a vegetable?" A baseball bat. The punchline in the cartoon was originally going to be "AIDS," but the artist "didn't want to make fun of fatal diseases." GLAAD is on the case:

In a statement to the press today, The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) claimed “The Observer made a dangerously misguided decision that promoting violence was somehow superior to making fun of HIV/AIDS. Both versions of the cartoon were abhorrent.” GLAAD contacted The Observer’s editor, Jenn Metz, who relayed a tearful apology by phone. She explained that she was not present when the decision to run the cartoon was made, and that she was incredibly upset that others on staff had made that decision.

An apology printed in the paper this morning included the following: "The editors of The Observer would like to publicly apologize for the publication of “The Mobile Party” in the Jan. 13 edition. The burden of responsibility ultimately lies on us for allowing it to go to print. 
There is no excuse that can be given and nothing that can be said to reverse the damage that has already been done by this egregious error in judgment. 
 Allowing this cruel and hateful comic a place on our pages disgraced those values and severely hurt members of our Notre Dame family — our classmates, our friends. For this, we sincerely apologize. Unfortunately, the language of hate is an everyday reality in our society.”

Happy Sullyversary

NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo Is Finally Coming After NY Sen. Pedro Espada

NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed court papers to force state Sen. Pedro Espada to comply with a five month old subpoena regarding his many, many violations of campaign election laws, non-profit rules, and state labor laws. You may remember Espada as one of last summer's Gang Of Three that upended the state Senate over a leadership battle peripherally tied to a proposed vote on marriage equality.

The investigation by Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo is focused on Mr. Espada’s role as chief executive of the Soundview HealthCare Network, a Bronx-based group of tax-exempt health clinics. The court filing says that Soundview has a contract with a for-profit management company, Soundview Management Enterprises L.L.C., that is controlled by Mr. Espada, allowing him “effectively to siphon off and otherwise divert money from Soundview for Mr. Espada’s own personal and political benefit.” Evidence collected by Mr. Cuomo’s office, the filing says, suggests that money paid by Soundview to the management company was also used to “pay Mr. Espada’s campaign expenses, including printing, campaign office rent and personnel costs.” The court filing says that Soundview paid Mr. Espada’s campaign workers, either directly or through the management company.

Last summer Espada ditched the Democrats to become a Republican, only returning when he was promised the top job in the state Senate. Now he's the Senate Majority Leader but a change in the rules means that's no longer the top position. For years Espada has flouted election campaign laws, including the one requiring that he actually live in the district he represents. His "non-profit" Bronx health clinic appears to be nothing more than a way to employ Espada's family and friends, with the added benefit of skimming a boatload of state money. Yesterday's action by Andrew Cuomo is VERY long overdue.

Submitted Without Comment

Via Craiglist NYC:

my name is william and i am a 29 year old gay male from pennsylvania and am ObSeSeD!!! with lAdY GAga! i have 2 tickets for the 1/21 show at Radio City Music Hall (my fav venu haha) and i want to go with a woman and am willing to give up 1 ticket for her for FREE. butt in return i want her to come with me to meet my jewish mother (crazy) and have coffee with her and me as she passes through the city. she duznt know i am OUT yet and i cant have that convo with her yet. all my lesbian friends are sooo butch so i was hoping for a straight girl. i will even buy food and drinks all night w/ the ticket too..everything is on me.. i kind of want to be straight for 1 night (except for the fact that im goinz to the gaga concert...HOLLA gayboys!..) but i think it would be cool, maybe we can hook up too, i havent seen a vagina since i was 13 and i have a big dick, so who knows...maybe we can have some fun! straight girlz only please..gayboys hit me up on grindr only (wilzim29) i wanna be straight for a night so leave me alone and make my mother happy!

(Tipped by JMG reader Andrew)

Petula Clark Still Has It

For no particular reason other than to brighten the morning of my fellow oldsters, here's the still fabulous and 77 years old Petula Clark performing her 1966 #1 smash I Couldn't Live Without Your Love at a recent Paris concert. Turn it up. Make with the happy.

MORE: From the same October 2009 concert: Don't Sleep In The Subway, Downtown, I Know A Place.

No Prop 8 Clips For Internet

Perry vs. Schwarzenegger Judge Vaughn Walker has abandoned his plan to post clips of the trial on YouTube. And now the cowardly bigots on the other side want all the video of the trial destroyed.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker said Thursday he's withdrawing his application to have the landmark case video-recorded under a pilot program approved last month by the governing body for federal courts in the West. Walker says he doesn't want the issue to distract from the trial itself. He made the announcement a day after the U.S. Supreme Court indefinitely blocked his plan to record the trial so it could be transmitted to other federal courthouses. Walker rejected a defense lawyer's request to destroy any videotapes produced during the first days of the trials He says he wants the option to review them first.

Maryland Pol Introduces Bill To Bar Recognition Of Same-Sex Marriage

Alarmed by the imminent prospect of happy homo skipping gaily down the aisle in Washington DC and jealous that Harry Bishop wears the mantle of the state's most famous bigot, Maryland state House Delegate Emmett Burns has introduced a bill that would ban recognition of same-sex marriages from any foreign or domestic jurisdiction. The bill also declares that such unions are "against the public policy of the state of Maryland."

Previous attempts at similar legislation have died in the state House Judiciary Committee, but at least Burns will get to polish his cred with the Jeebus crowd and move up to Maryland's VP Of Hate.

Cockroaches

The following is the complete list of news organizations granted media credentials to cover next month's Tea Party Convention:

Fox News

Breitbart.com

Townhall.com

The Wall Street Journal

World Net Daily

That totally spans the gamut of viewpoints from A to B, dunnit? This, from people who scream about a state-run media.

Tweet Of The Day - Matt Barber

I guess our socialist-fascist-communist leader hasn't totally destroyed the economy if the knuckle-dragging teabaggers can sell out the Sarah Palin - Joseph Farah tag-team moronathon at $550 each! Each convention registrant will receive a lovely gift bag containing an American flag pin, a copy of Going Rogue, a white hood, and an 8x12 glossy of Jesse Helms, suitable for framing.

The Internet Is Made Of Cats

The Ballot Box Or The Bullet Box

"This flag has never been meant to replace the national flag. This flag has a specific purpose and it's time has come. To show the politicians and the media that we're ready for a second American revolution. And with that, you know, in America we have a choice of four boxes for political change. We can go to the soap box, the ballot box, or we can go to the jury box. And hopefully we won't have to go to the bullet box." - Jeffrey McQueen, creator of the Tea Party flag.

When asked by a talk radio host if he was advocating for armed revolution, McQueen replied, "Have you seen the ammunition sales for the last twelve months?"

From McQueen's site, U.S. Revolution 2: "Based on the Betsy Ross flag, this new flag represents the coming Second American Revolution. The "II" also represents the Second Amendment, which has keep this country free from tyranny. You'll soon be seeing this flag from sea to shining sea."

The Third & The Seventh

JMG reader NoCalDrummer tips us to this hypnotically beautiful CGI clip. From its YouTube description:

Directed by Alex Roman. CG |Modelling - Texturing - Illumination - Rendering| Alex Roman. |Postproduction & Editing| Alex Roman. Music by Jennifer Athena Galatis. A FULL-CG animated piece that tries to illustrate architecture art across a photographic point of view where main subjects are already-built spaces. Sometimes in an abstract way. Sometimes surreal.

Chase Bank $1M Prize Finalists: GLSEN, Trevor Project, Matthew Shepard FDN

Voting for the finalists in Chase Bank's $1 million "Big Idea" charity contest begins today. Three worthy LGBT organizations made the final cut. Go vote for your favorite: GLSEN, The Trevor Project, or the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

Wallet Envy

The New York Lottery gets cute. Big dick jokes! Sorta!

Quote Of The Day - Markus

"Basically this is the first time in the economy of the United States that a male has actually stood up and said, 'I want to do this for a living.' And be protected under law to do it. It's just the same as when Rosa Parks decided to sit at the front instead of the back. She was proclaiming her rights as a disadvantaged, African-American older woman. And I'm doing the same. I'm actually standing up now, and hopefully I can be supported by the male community and be understood as a person. This actually isn't about selling my body. This is about changing social norms." - America's first legal male prostitute "Markus," who actually totally ishityounot just compared himself to Rosa Parks. He charmingly adds that will not be taking male clients, "because my sphincter is not for sale."

Both Attackers In Queens Gay Bashing Of Jack Price Charged With Hate Crimes

Both of the men who brutally gay bashed Jack Price in Queens last October have been indicted on hate crimes charges. You may recall that local thugs counter-protested the anti-bashing rally that was held at the site of the assault several days later, holding signs in support of his vicious attackers and saying Jack Price "had it coming to him." One of the counter-protesters proudly showed off his Leviticus tattoo to the media.

The indictment filed Thursday morning charges defendants Daniel Aleman, 26, and Daniel Rodriguez, 21, both of College Point in Queens, New York, of 14-counts of assault and robbery as a hate crime, according to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. If convicted, both men face up to 25 years in prison. Police say the two men shouted "anti-gay remarks" while viciously beating victim Jack Price, 49, as he left a 24-hour deli on College Point Boulevard in Queens in October 2009. After the assault, the two men stole Price's wallet and other personal property from his pockets. Price was treated at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens for a broken jaw, several broken ribs, two collapsed lungs and a lacerated spleen. Aleman and Rodriguez are being held without bail. Their arraignment is scheduled for January 25.

Let's hope they get the maximum sentence. My complete coverage of the attack is here. Below is the attack as caught by surveillance video.

Broadway Friday

- Tony nominee and Glee star Matthew Morrison has signed a recording contract with Mercury Records for his first solo album to be released in fall.

- The first NYC revival of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning Angels In America opens Off Broadway on September 14th at the Signature Theater. The two parts of the play will be performed on alternating nights. All seats will be $20.

- Tony nominees Keith Roberts and John Selya will star in the Broadway debut of Twyla Tharp's Frank Sinatra jukebox musical, Come Fly Away, which begins previews at the Marquis Theatre on March 1st.

- Golden Girls star and former Broadway performer Rue McClanahan, 75, is recovering from a stroke suffered following her November heart bypass surgery. Said to be slowly improving in a nursing facility, she is reported to have difficulty speaking. We wish her well!

- The Broadway production of Billy Elliot has recouped its $14M start-up cost in its 14th month at the Imperial Theatre.

- Tangled Web: The troubled Spider-Man: The Musical is offering refunds to ticketholders because the show will not open on February 25th as scheduled. No start date for the $50M production, the most expensive in Broadway history, has been announced.

- Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will stage Broadway Bares: Solo Strips at Splash on January 31st. "Seven of the hottest men on Broadway" will dance at 8pm and 11pm. $10 donation at the door. The 20th edition of Broadway Bares takes place at the Roseland Ballroom on June 20th. The show gots its start at Splash.

Catholic Archbishops Launch New Manhattan Declaration Campaign

The authors of the anti-gay Manhattan Declaration, which calls for the disobedience of any laws granting LGBT rights, want to increase its number of signatories from 370,000 to one million. Working to help them reach that noble goal are Catholic archbishops. Via press release:

Cardinal Rigali of Philadelphia (right), Archbishop Wuerl of Washington, DC (left), Archbishop Dolan of New York and Archbishop Kurtz of Louisville reached out to all of their brother Catholic bishops asking them to spread this document throughout their dioceses and encourage their clergy and faithful to study it and join as signatories. The Archbishop of Detroit has planned a grassroots effort throughout his archdiocese. The Bishop of Phoenix has already organized a grassroots effort there. We are also receiving many reports of evangelical gatherings in a number of areas - and many evangelical pastors referring to the Manhattan Declaration in their sermons. This bold and exciting movement needs to reach 100 or 200 cities in America. Why not? Can you help? We are urging you to encourage your pastors and community leaders to do what these other cities are doing. Organize ecumenical meetings organized around the Manhattan Declaration; get other concerned citizens to join the effort. Get on the internet or phone and ask friends to join you.

After a raft of suggestions on how to increase the number of signatures (Use Facebook! Twitter! Hair salons! Barbeques!), the authors close with: "Just think what might happen in our land if one million courageous Christians declared their uncompromising allegiance to Jesus Christ and to biblical faithfulness on some of the most urgent moral issues of our day. May God give us the strength to do what He is so clearly calling us to do. From our perspective, this is a cause worth giving every last ounce of effort and energy we have."

And once again, the moral and Godly oppression of natural human sexuality is aided by elderly drag queen eunuchs in embroidered gowns, gaily waving their smoking purses all the way to the NAMBLA meeting.

This Is The Sound Of Hate

Good As You points us to this clip of anti-gay Iowans chanting their desire to inflict their bigotry on their gay neighbors. LUV Iowa is working towards a 2014 repeal of marriage equality, the earliest it can be achieved.

Study Warns Of Coming New Strains Of Drug-Resistant HIV

Scientists warn that new drug-resistant strains of HIV may develop this decade, causing "mini-epidemics" of their own.

New research based on a novel mathematical model predicts that a wave of drug-resistant HIV strains will emerge in San Francisco within the next five years. These strains could prove disastrous by hindering control of the HIV pandemic. The model showed that surprisingly many of the drug-resistant HIV strains that have evolved over the past last 10 years in San Francisco are much more transmissible than had been previously thought. The researchers predict these strains are likely to cause a new wave of drug resistance within the next five years.

The San Francisco Health Department says not to panic.

San Francisco public health officials emphasized that drug-resistant HIV is not a health crisis and said that while the model is interesting, they don't expect it to change how doctors treat people with HIV infections. But the study's authors and public health officers agree that it's critical that new drug therapies continue to be developed as resistance to older treatments grows, and that funding be made available to test for resistance early on so that patients get appropriate care.

Ironically, a Canadian study shows that the number of patients currently experiencing drug resistance has nose-dived.

The study, published in the Jan. 1 edition of Clinical Infections Diseases, reports that from 1996-2008 there has been a 12-fold decrease in drug resistance. “The main thing that we saw is that the HAART therapies (highly active antiretroviral therapy) are becoming more successful every year in keeping the level of virus in patients down below the level we can even detect. “That prevents the virus from replicating, from making copies of itself and the disease doesn’t progress,” Harrigan said. It also means less drug-resistant HIV is being passed on “from patient A to patient B.” The 10-year-long study involved 5,500 patients.

Quote Of The Day - Gary Cass

"What exactly did Pat [Roberston] say that was so terribly egregious? First he retold a very familiar story about the history of Haiti about a pact that was made by its revolutionary leaders. In exchange for help in throwing out the French Haiti would serve satan. Some have disputed this ever happened. But what is indisputable is Haiti's history ever since then has been one of incredible suffering. [snip]

"The overwhelming majority of Americans believe in God and /or moral causality. Eastern religions call it Karma, but Christians call it God's Providence. I wonder if the reason that so many hate Pat is because he expressed what many Americans don't want to face- the moral and spiritual dimension of our lives. Agree or disagree with what Pat said, it was well within the bounds of historic Christian theology. Maybe that's the real problem after all." - Christian Anti-Defamation Commission spokesdouche Gary Cass, who agrees with Pat Robertson that God is punishing Haiti for making a pact with Satan.

Another Loss For DC Marriage Opponents

Another attempt by Harry Jackson to have same-sex marriage rights put to DC's voters has failed despite the support of 39 GOP members of Congress.

A judge in Washington, D.C., has thrown out a lawsuit by opponents of gay marriage against the city's elections board. Plaintiffs led by a Maryland pastor, Bishop Harry Jackson, sued after the Board of Elections and Ethics refused to put their initiative on the ballot. The measure would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The board ruled it violated the city's Human Rights Act. D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith N. Macaluso ruled Thursday in favor of the city. She said the board's action was justified because the initiative would in effect authorize discrimination.

Barring the intervention of Congress, gay couples in DC will be able to apply for marriage licenses on March 2nd. Three days later they'll be allowed to wed.

Obama Issues Message Of Support For Martha Coakley For Senate

On Tuesday Massachusetts votes on Ted Kennedy's Senate replacement, a contest that attracted huge donations from health care reform opponents. Today the president issued the below endorsement of MA Attorney General Martha Coakley, an outspoken advocate for health care reform AND a friend of the LGBT community.

UPDATE: GOProud head Christopher Barron has posted another diatribe, this time accusing the "gay left" of "smearing" Coakley's opponent, one-time Cosmo centerfold Scott Brown, whom Barron supports. Via DC Agenda:

The gay left, always willing to do the bidding of the DNC, is attempting to characterize Scott Brown as ‘anti-gay’. This paper ran a headline that blared “Could an anti-gay Republican win Kennedy’s Seat?” The Edge, a New England gay paper, had a similar headline in December, “Anti-gay Mass. Pol Seeks to Succeed Kennedy.” Unfortunately there are far too many folks in this country who deserve the label anti-gay, and some of those folks are politicians. Indeed some people in this country make a living demonizing gay people and our families. However, attaching the label “anti-gay” to every single politician or person who is not 100 percent aligned with the political agenda of the gay left is not only unfair but wildly counter-productive. In the case of Scott Brown, the gay left is guilty of being little more than the partisan boy who cried wolf.

What’s the truth about Scott Brown? I will concede up front, that Scott Brown doesn’t support same-sex marriage. Brown, however, has stated that same-sex marriage in Massachusetts is settled law and that he personally supports civil unions. Brown has also said that he believes marriage is a state issue and that each state should be free to make its own law regarding same-sex marriage. Sound familiar? It should, because it’s the same position taken by President Barack Obama.

CBN Guest: Banning Gay Marriage Isn't Fair, But It Is What's Best

Professor Lynne Marie Kolm of Regent University appeared on the Christian Broadcast Network's morning news show this morning to announce that banning same-sex marriage "isn't about doing what's fair, it's about doing what's best." The segment begins at 13:30.

Prop 8 Trial Tracker: Day Four

Things are just getting underway in San Francisco at the Perry vs. Schwarzenegger trial. Follow along with the Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs who is continuing his excellent live-blogging from the courtroom. At the moment, witnesses are discussing the financial costs and benefits of same-sex marriage.

GLAAD Responds To Signorile

GLAAD writes us this morning directing us to a response to Michelangelo Signorile's Advocate column criticizing their fundraising methods and other tactics, which I excerpted here yesterday. GLAAD executive director Jarrett Barrios, from a lengthy reaction also posted on the Advocate's site:

It seems like Signorile, and many who criticize GLAAD’s work, do so because we don’t always see eye to eye. Because we don’t respond to the things they want us to respond to in exactly the way they want us to respond — or, sometimes, because we do respond to certain things and they think we shouldn't (and it's worth noting that these voices of criticism can and often do end up disagreeing with each other about what they think GLAAD ought to be doing). That's to be expected in a community of diverse voices and perspectives, and such feedback, from Signorile and many others, is valuable as we shape and continually evaluate our work. [snip] Signorile and others also fail to understand that the role of the GLAAD Media Awards is to help fund this work in addition to recognizing news coverage and entertainment media that are doing an exceptional job at bringing LGBT stories into the living rooms of America — while also setting a fairness benchmark for the media industry. GLAAD is an organization that survives because people know and understand the enormous task we undertake. We appreciate that support and will continue to boldly face our challenges.

Read the entire essay, Barrios responds to several specific incidents which have garnered GLAAD recent criticism.

MTA Launches New Site

NYC's MTA has launched a new site which for the first time provides real-time updates on service interruptions and delays. And the new site includes a smartphone ready function.

The authority’s older mobile site posted maps only as PDFs, a clunky format that often takes a while to load on hand-held devices. “On the Go,” which features a fresher, streamlined design, allows users to quickly call up images of maps for the subway and bus system and the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad. As in Google’s mobile apps, the maps can be moved around the screen with a glide of one’s finger. Users can zoom in on specific neighborhoods in each of the five boroughs, and a separate map is provided for Lower Manhattan, whose dense transit network can sometimes be indecipherable on smaller screens. Mobile users will also have access to the same real-time service updates available on the authority’s new Web page. Color-coded screens for subways, buses, and commuter rails provide an easy way to see if, say, the train to Ronkonkoma will be swift or a slog.

Of course, if you are already underground, you're still kinda screwed.

National Institute Of Health To Conduct Unprecedented Study Of LGBT Health

The National Institute of Health is inviting public comment on an unprecedented planned study of LGBT health issues. An insider writes us on how to help:

The Institute of Medicine (IOM), part of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), has been asked by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a report on LGBT health. Nothing like this has been done in the past, although IOM did do a report on lesbian health at the end of the Clinton administration. There is a period of public comment between now and Feb 1. People should be encouraged to take advantage of this. Vague comments ("We need more services for gay men") won't have much impact. Data-based comments will help, but commonplace, vivid examples of health disparities affecting LGBT folks may get noticed.There will be face-to-face meetings with opportunities for public participation, but they are likely to be DC-based and the dates have not been announced. The report will be used by NIH for planning purposes. It's likely that other federal agencies (CDC, HRSA, SAMHSA) will take notice of its findings and Congress usually is interested in the outcome of these reports.

Here's what the report will cover:

· The state of knowledge regarding LGBT health status, health risks, health disparities, and access and utilization of health care;
· The developmental process of childhood and adolescence, in the context of the family; and the impact of family and social acceptance of sexual orientation on mental health and personal safety;
· The effects of age, race, ethnicity, and geography (particularly urban vs rural environments) on the health of LGBT persons;
· The effects of social determinants and cultural factors, including stigma, discrimination, and violence on the health of LGBT persons;
· Assess methodological challenges, including definitional and measurement issues, and study design issues involved in conducting research on the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and identify best practices for conducting research in these populations;
· Research gaps and opportunities, study design, and identification of best practices for conducting research in the LGBT population;
· Research training needs that might be impeding the advancement of knowledge about LGBT health.

You can provide feedback on this important and groundbreaking study. As noted by our source, please cite specific examples of issues of LGBT health.

Male-On-Male Sexual Harassment Rises

According to a Newsweek report, reported incidences of workplace male-on-male sexual harassment are on the rise. The story notes that most of the cases don't arise from flirting gone too far, but from actions meant to sexually humiliate the victim.

The EEOC tracks the number of men and women who file claims with the agency, but doesn't always keep track of the gender of the harasser. However, Grinberg confirms that the EEOC has recognized a growing trend in the number of men alleging same-sex sexual harassment. "The classic image of sexual harassment is Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill; it's not two men or even two women," says Dr. Liza H. Gold, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University who serves as an expert in sexual-harassment suits. And yet the experience of men harassed by men may help to illustrate the realities of all such cases. When women are the victims, they may face assumptions that the abuse is the result of an affair gone wrong, hurt feelings, or mixed signals. In truth, sexual harassment of both genders has more to do with issues of control and abuses of power for the purpose of humiliation than with sexual attraction. By exposing the men to taunts about their genitalia, sexually suggestive simulations, and lewd comments, the men perpetrating the harassment are seeking to embarrass and target the male victims—not sexually stimulate or "flirt" with them.

It wasn't until 1998 that the Supreme Court even recognized the possibility of same-sex sexual harassment. Empowerment to report such incidents may account for the rise in EEOC cases.

Military Lawyers: Wait On DADT Repeal

Pentagon lawyers are recommending at least a year's delay before beginning work on the repeal of DADT. That could push a vote by Congress back until the middle of the 2012 elections, a time when many would be hesitant to support the repeal.

"Now is not the time," the in-house legal counsel for Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote recently in a memorandum obtained by The Associated Press. "The importance of winning the wars we are in, along with the stress on the force, our body of knowledge and the number of unknowns, demand that we act with deliberation." Mullen received the conflicting advice this month about whether to move quickly to lift the 1993 ban, and it is not clear what he will recommend to President Barack Obama. Although allowing gays to serve openly in the military was one of Obama's campaign promises, the issue was put on a back burner during his first year in office. Some liberal supporters and several congressional Democrats are pushing for action.

However on Tuesday Democratic leaders indicated that a repeal could be added to a coming defense authorization bill. Unnamed sources say the White House has told the Defense Department that the president supports that action.

"People have said publicly and privately that this is a good place for repeal to be placed," said one Democratic aide on the Hill. "It would be reasonable to expect that repeal might be in this year's defense authorization... But we aren't assuming anything yet."

CougarGate: Homophobe Iris Robinson Resigns From Parliament

Iris Robinson, the UK's most infamous homophobe, has resigned from Parliament in the wake of the scandal surrounding her multiple incidences of adultery and financial impropriety.

Northern Ireland MP Iris Robinson resigned from Westminster yesterday after it was revealed last week that she had solicited loans for her 19-year-old lover. Robinson was expected to stay on as MP for Strangford until May, but a statement from the Treasury confirmed she had left. It read: "The chancellor of the exchequer has this day appointed Iris Robinson to be Steward and Bailiff of the Three Hundreds of Chiltern." MPs are not allowed to resign, so instead they are appointed to an office of the Crown, which the Three Hundreds of Chiltern are reserved for. Robinson was expelled from the Democratic Unionist Party last week and has also stood down as an Assembly member.

Robinson's husband has taken a six week leave from his position as Northern Ireland's First Minister. The scandal threatens to bring down Northern Ireland's wobbly coalition government and return the nation to sectarian conflict. Iris Robinson is said to remain in a Belfast hospital undergoing "acute psychiatric care."

Beck Vs. Palin

Sarah Palin can't tell Glenn Beck who her favorite "founding father" was, saying "All of them!" in response to his question. Classic.

NYT On Prop 8 Camera Ban

The New York Times editorial board came out swinging this morning in reaction to the SCOTUS ban on live cameras in the courtroom at Perry vs. Schwarzenegger.

The antipathy of some justices to televising Supreme Court arguments is as well known as it is wrongheaded. But the court’s stance against allowing unobtrusive C-Spanlike coverage of its own proceedings should not foreclose public viewing of this case. There have been claims that televising the courtroom proceeding would somehow be unfair to defenders of Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage. They are hazy and unsubstantiated and vastly outweighed by the strong public interest in the airing of a major civil-rights issue. But the Supreme Court’s majority bought the false argument.

Dina Matos McGreevey Comes Out Against Marriage Equality

She was OK with fucking her way to the top with her clearly gay husband, including having three-ways with him. But Dina Matos McGreevey does not support same-sex marriage. Because that's against God.

“I was raised a Catholic. I grew up in the church, so I believe in traditional marriage between a man and a woman,” Matos added. McGreevey, who left office three months after disclosing his sexual orientation, is in a gay relationship and has said he would marry his partner if possible. A bill that would have legalized gay marriage was defeated, 20-14, in the state Senate last Thursday, ending efforts to secure passage prior to the inauguration of Gov.-elect Chris Christie, a gay marriage opponent, next Tuesday. Matos, 43, has not remarried but acknowledged Wednesday she is dating.

Olbermann Rips Limbaugh & Robertson

"Mr. Robertson, Mr. Limbaugh. Your lives are not worth those of the lowest, meanest, poorest of those victims still lying under that rubble in Haiti tonight. You serve no good, you serve no god. You inspire only stupidity and hatred, and I would wish you to hell, but knowing how empty your souls must be for you to be able to say such things, in a time of such pain, I suspect the vacant purposelessness of the lives you both live now are hell enough already."

Teddy Pendergrass Dies At 59

Former Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes lead singer and R&B/disco icon Teddy Pendergrass died in Philadelphia tonight at the age of 59.

The singer's son, Teddy Pendergrass II, says his father died Wednesday at Bryn Mawr Hospital. Pendergrass' son says his father underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had "a difficult recovery." The elder Pendergrass was injured in a car accident in 1982. He suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album "Love Language."

With the Blue Notes, Pendergrass scored 17 Top 40 R&B hits, including three #1's. Their biggest pop hit was the 1972 classic If You Don't Know Me By Now which peaked at #3. As a solo artist Pendergrass landed 27 Top 40 R&B hits including three #1's. His biggest solo pop hit was 1978's steamy sex-drenched Close The Door, which reached #25.

But as fantastic as Teddy's trademark sex ballads were, he'll be best remembered here for his early proto-disco hits with the Blue Notes, whose Gamble & Huff produced hits like The Love I Lost (clip below) and Bad Luck (clip below) defined the early Philly-disco sound. Probably most notably for many readers of this blog, it was the Pendergrass-led Blue Notes whose original and superior 1975 version of Don't Leave Me This Way became a gay underground disco smash. It still gets played during morning music sets today.

Open Thread Thursday

Good news only. We can use some.

Viral Video Alert - Pants On The Ground

Already the #1 and #2 trending topic on Twitter, General Larry Platt, 62, gave the internet its freshest meme with his American Idol audition of his original song, Pants On The Ground. Cover versions sprung up on YouTube within nanoseconds, stand by for the remixes. The Idol clip will surely have a short life.

Maddow Show: Haitian Ambassador Calls Out Pat Robertson

SCOTUS Votes 5-4 To Block Live TV Cameras From Prop 8 Trial

This evening the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the cowardly bigots and ruled 5-4 to block live television cameras from the courtroom in Perry Vs. Schwarzenegger, saying that witnesses faced "irreparable harm" from vindictive homofascists if their faces were broadcast to the world.

On Monday the Court issued a temporary injunction blocking cameras pending today's final decision. Today's ruling did not mention posting clips of the trial on the internet, an issue awaiting a ruling from a federal appeals court.

The high court's five conservatives formed the majority. They said federal judge Vaughan Walker didn't follow court rules when he ordered proceedings broadcast by closed circuit to federal courthouses in several cities. The Supreme Court's four liberals joined a dissent written by Justice Stephen Breyer. The main issue in the case is whether a 2008 voter initiative called Proposition 8 violates the U.S. Constitution by creating a law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation. Defenders of Proposition 8 say it validly defined marriage in traditional terms by restricting marriage to people who could have children naturally. The proposition's defenders said broadcasting the proceedings could expose witnesses favoring the gay-marriage ban to harassment and ridicule. The Supreme Court majority backed that view, saying Proposition 8 supporters would likely suffer "irreparable harm" if the proceedings were shown through the closed-circuit feed.

The ruling can be read in full here. (PDF)

China's State Press Covers Gay Wedding

Pink News reports that the official Chinese state press has covered the wedding of gay two men in the city of Chengdu.

State press splashed a front-page photo of China's first publicly "married" gay couple on Wednesday -- the latest sign of new openness about homosexuality in a country where it has long been taboo. The page-one story in the English-language China Daily featured a photograph of the "newlyweds" arm-in-arm during a January 3 ceremony. Zeng Anquan, 45, and Pan Wenjie, 27, tied the knot at a gay bar in the southwestern city of Chengdu, the paper said, calling it "the first such public event in the country". Homosexuality remains a sensitive issue in China. It was officially considered a form of mental illness as recently as 2001. Same-sex marriages or civil unions have no legal basis. "We are no longer hiding any more. The wedding is our happiest and most precious moment," Zeng, a divorced architect, told the paper. "Thousands of gays and lesbians get married in France, Finland, the UK. Why couldn't we?" Although the vast majority of gays in China are believed to remain in the closet, a number of signs have emerged recently that official attitudes may be softening.

Last month the Chinese government opened its own gay bar in the Yunnan province in order to help publicize HIV prevention efforts. On Friday the first ever Mr. Gay China pageant will take place in Beijing.

The Tea Party Convention Host Committee Hopes You Enjoy Your Stay

Learn To Speak Tea Bag

The residents of Wingnuttia are screaming at NPR for hosting the below Mark Fiore cartoon on their site. Fiore casually reports receiving death threats over the issue:

Before you could say, “due to a pre-existing condition, your health coverage has been denied,” there was a full-fledged viral campaign by right-wing media outlets and blogs to jump, scream and shout about this animation. Which, to me, is just great! I say that not because I get some thrill out of receiving emails that are in all capital letters or have more exclamation points than letters in the alphabet, I say that because one of the most important functions of a political cartoon, or political animation, is to foster a discussion. With thousands of comments posted, loads of emails and tweets, discussion was definitely fostered, and then some. It’s the “then some” that worries me. Of course discussion on the web is not known for its civility, but it finally dawned on me the strangeness of receiving death threats at the same time a crazed Somali extremist tried to kill cartoonist Kurt Westergaard. Muslim extremist, meet Tea Party extremist. Tea Party extremist, meet Muslim extremist.

Pat Robertson: God Did This To Haiti Because They Made A Pact With Satan

Right on schedule, Pat Robertson blames a horrific natural disaster on God's wrath. Because the Haitians are devil worshipers. God loves you so much, he's going to kill the fuck out of you to prove it.

HomoQuotable - Michelangelo Signorile

"At the heart of the controversy is a simple fact: GLAAD solicits money from networks and entertainment companies and then hands them awards for what the organization deems positive media representation of the LGBT community. (In 2009, ABC actually led rival networks with its number of nominees.) Media companies receiving the awards—many of which often engage in or perpetuate the very bias and defamation that GLAAD crusades against—sponsor the celebrity-strewn benefits and underwrite the performances in return for branding opportunities and choice tables.

"This fund-raising dynamic developed over time and, according to former staffers, accounts for a large percentage of the group’s money—sort of like a drug habit it just can’t shake. And also like a drug habit, this setup enormously compromises the group: What kind of effective watchdog takes money from the industry it polices? Imagine the ineffectiveness of a congressional watchdog group taking money from House and Senate members." - SiriusXM host and activist Michelangelo Signorile, writing about GLAAD's handling of the ABC/Adam Lambert controversy for the Advocate. By coincidence, today GLAAD released their 2009 Media Awards nominations, in which ABC gets the most nods.

Killer Of Gay Teen Jorge Mercado Found Competent To Stand Trial

The confessed killer of gay teen Jorge Mercado has been found competent to stand trial. Last month Juan Martinez Matos was ordered to undergo mental evaluation after exhibiting symptoms of what some said was a faked state of psychosis. Via Michael Lavers at Edge:

"The quest for justice has begun," Pedro Julio Serrano of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force told EDGE in a text message sent from inside the court house. Local authorities have pledged to prosecute Martínez under the territory’s hate crimes laws, but activists and elected officials on the island and around the country remain outraged over Gov. Luis Fortuño’s continued silence. "There are a lot of people who are extremely angry about how the governor has responded to this situation," New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said as she spoke at a fundraiser for López’s family at the Nuyorican Poets Café on Manhattan’s Lower East Side on Tuesday night. Quinn is among the lawmakers-City Councilmembers Rosie Mendez [D-Lower East Side] and Melissa Mark-Viverito [D-East Harlem,] among others--from the five boroughs and Chicago who will travel to Puerto Rico on Tuesday to meet with López’s family and LGBT activists.

Serrano told me by phone today that the next step will a February 2nd hearing of the charges. If you are new to this story, in November Matos confessed to stabbing, burning, and dismembering 19 year old Jorge Mercado in what Matos is claiming was gay panic over discovering that Mercado was male.

The Breakaway Republic Of Vermont

Having formed a new party, eight candidates for statewide office in Vermont as pushing for the state to secede.

Their name: Vermont Independence Day. "The only hope is to just say, 'Look, this isn't working for us. We want to start fresh again, with a real democracy,'" Garritano said. "I think that's the answer. Hopefully, it won't take another horrible economic breakdown to realize that the people running things don't look out for the little guy, or us, or the soldiers. It's all about profit and getting the last drops of oil on Earth and trampling people's rights." Garritano, gubernatorial candidate Dennis P. Steele and seven candidates for state Senate seats plan to declare their candidacies Friday. Their cause isn't new: It's the latest incarnation of a movement that's bubbled in Vermont and elsewhere for years. Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Texas all have made noise about seceding, to no avail.

From their website: "The Second Vermont Republic is a nonviolent citizens' network and think tank opposed to the tyranny of Corporate America and the U.S. government, and committed to the return of Vermont to its status as an independent republic and more broadly to the dissolution of the Union." Their manifesto actually doesn't look very wingnutty. But they do link the secessionist movements in Alaska and Texas, which are.