Sunday, March 07, 2010

Queens: St. Patrick's For All

Here's a slideshow from today's LGBT-inclusive St. Patrick's Day Parade in Sunnyside, Queens. It was a gorgeous day, almost t-shirt weather. Lots of well known folks and groups attended, from Mayor Bloomberg, Christine Quinn, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (mine!) to activists Ann Northrop, Brandon Brock and the folks at Marriage Equality New York. (That's them in the green t-shirts towards the end of the slideshow.) Organizer Brendan Fay, the famous Irish/gay activist, hosted from the podium. Fun day, very small town "let's throw a parade and invite everybody!"

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Advice Column: Beard To Beard

A former beard has some clues to help women who suspect that their man is "that way." Clue #4:
Your man’s utter abhorrence for anything gay is egregiously overstated. When you mention the “giddy” guy in your class or recall a one-liner from “Will and Grace,” his disdain for the topic is so thick, it’s almost psychotic. This is so often an indicator of repressed homosexuality or bi-curiousness. Make no mistake: I know there are people in this world who are genuinely disgusted by the idea of same-sex coupling, sure. However, being that a hilarious percentage of my closeted pals’ liaisons were with men who, in high school and beyond, were ostentatiously repulsed and infuriated by gay men, flags go up when I meet loudmouthed, homo-hating bigots. Huge rainbow flags. I would put money on the fact that, because he’s so overtly and ridiculously enraged by (and perhaps even a little obsessed with) gay culture, he’s trying to pull an invisibility cloak over the shame of his own curiosity. Smirk all you like, Lady Turncheek. It happens every day.
Read the rest.

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Today In Queens: LGBT-Inclusive
St. Patrick's Day Parade

It's a beautiful clear morning in NYC and later I'll be taking my 3/8ths Irish self to the LGBT-inclusive St. Patrick's Day Parade in Queens. You can join Marriage Equality New York and Western Queens for Marriage Equality on the corner of 43rd Street and Skillman Avenue at 12:30pm for the parade. Subway directions here. DADT activist/hero Lt. Dan Choi emailed last night to note his attendance.

As you may know, gays are banned from taking part in Manhattan's St. Patrick's Day Parade by order of the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1995 ruled that the world's largest such parade, which travels down public streets and is protected by the NYPD and NYFD at public cost, is a private event. Manhattan's parade is "owned" by the Catholic group, the Ancient Order of the Hibernians. The parade in Queens was created by Irish gay activist Brendan Fay specifically as an "all are welcome" event.

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Wanted: More Plaintiffs For The Atlanta Eagle Bar Raid Case

One of the lawyers representing the patrons of the Atlanta Eagle has written to note that fewer than half of the customers who were present on the night of that outrageous raid have joined the lawsuit against the city and the cops. He advises that there are only a few days left to "easily" join the complaint. And it won't cost you a dime.
Please feel free to let people know they should not worry about legal fees, if that is the reason they have not joined the case. From the first day I took the case I agreed not to take a fee from the clients, and when the Southern Center for Human Rights and Lambda Legal agreed to join me in the case they both agreed, very happily, to the same arrangement. I would hate to think anyone is staying away from the case because of a concern about legal fees. I do understand that there are legitimate reasons some people might want to avoid joining the case, and I respect that decision; the names of the plaintiffs' are public, and some people might be concerned about their privacy. (Of course, in terms of having the police and the city know their identity, the police already have everyone's names, since their took everyone's ID and put their names, birthdates, etc. into a police computer. But I understand that being a plaintiff in a public lawsuit is not something everyone is comfortable with.)
Go AtlantaEagleRaid.com for information on how to join the suit. If you don't care to be a plaintiff, you can join as a witness instead.

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Suggested For Facebook

(Via - Art Pixie)

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UNBREAKING: World Net Daily's Lies Makes The Baby Jeebus Cry

Today's top BREAKING! story on World Net Daily is about that Christian hit list all us violent homofascists have been working on. And, yup, they cite JMG as a hit list ringleader.
With reported cases of bullying, organized boycotts and threats of violence against the signers of traditional marriage initiatives in several states already – and homosexual activists pledging to make lists of signatories public and searchable online – lawyers at the American Center for Law and Justice are concerned that voters may grow fearful of reprisal should they sign a petition seeking to restrict marriage to one man and one woman. That fear, the ACLJ is arguing in a brief filed this week before the Court, is exactly the kind of political and voter intimidation that the Constitution should protect against.

"The right to secret ballot safeguards citizens from the historic evil of voter intimidation," the ACLJ brief argues. "Similarly, the right to anonymity in signing referendum petitions is no less essential in safeguarding signers from reprisal or intimidation." As WND has reported, those who have dared to sign or vote for traditional marriage in state petitions and referendums have faced backlash. In Maine, homosexual activists targeted churches with IRS complaints, and following California's passage of the controversial Proposition 8, supporters of the measure limiting marriage to one man and one woman were fired from their jobs, subjected to vandalism, bullied by angry mobs and threatened with violence.

Churches that rallied in support of Proposition 8 were targets of particular wrath on Internet sites and blogs: "Burn their f---ing churches to the ground, and then tax the charred timbers," wrote "World O Jeff" on the JoeMyGod blogspot within hours of California officials declaring Proposition 8 had been approved.On another site, Americablog, "scottinsf" wrote, "Trust me. I've got a big list of names of Mormons and Catholics that were big supporters of Prop 8. … As far as Mormons and Catholics … I warn them to watch their backs." "If you're planning a heterosexual wedding in California … be prepared for picketers. Designate someone to watch the parking lot … You're going to have lots of unexpected expenses. Add $500 to your budget for security," stated another threat. "Be afraid. Be very afraid. We are everywhere."
As is typical for WND, the story is riddled with lies, the most glaring of which is the claim that people were fired from their jobs because of their vote of Prop 8. That simply did NOT happen. Not ONCE. A couple of people that work in the arts did resign, but that's because their reputations were shot among their coworkers. I know. Christianists are lying. Here, let me pick you up off the floor from the shock.

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Disney Yanks ABC Signal In NYC

The image above was ABC7's misleading final message to NYC last night just before their parent company Disney yanked their signal to Cablevision's three million subscribers. Disney wants a $40M annual chunk of the dough that Cablevision collects for local/basic channels like ABC7 and the cable provider won't pay it. So Disney pulled the plug, not Cablevision, despite what the message implies.
More than 3 million Cablevision customers lost their ABC affiliate tonight and may lose the Academy Awards broadcast as well. It happened at 12:01 AM ET Sunday in this retrans impasse between Disney/ABC and Cablevision, which has tried to personally blame Disney CEO Bob Iger. "It seems their attacks on Bob have not worked," a Disney insider just told me. "They miscalculated his resolve. Bullying and name-calling will not change the fact that cablevision_logoCablevision’s customers are switching to other providers en masse." Indeed, Disney has been urging its WABC-TV viewers to switch to satellite. A source close to Cablevision refuted the claim that viewers were leaving the provider in droves and responded to me, "Disney may thinks it's good business to attack its own viewers and black out the Oscars in NY. They may call it resolve. We call it stupidity."
The two companies have been publicly warring with increasingly nasty commercials about the issue airing every few minutes for the last two weeks. The last time Cablevision battled a network over fees, their NYC customers lost HGTV and the Food Network for six weeks. Industry watchers are surprised that Disney was so bold as to take this action just hours before the Oscars, one of NYC's highest rated shows every year. At the moment, ABC7 is offering instructions on how to get its signal over the air.

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Saturday, March 06, 2010

Sinead O'Connor: Burn Down The Vatican

"A true Christian is someone who, in any given situation, is supposed to ask themselves what would Jesus do, then try to do that. How an organisation which has acted, decade after decade, only to protect its business interests above the interests of children can feel it has the right to dictate to us what Christians should do is beyond belief.

"From the Pope on down, through the Vatican and therefore through the lower echelons, the whole organisation, in my belief, is utterly anti-Christian and evil, as proven by centuries of torture, bloodshed, burnings, terrorism, and coverings-up of 'the worst crime' known to man.

"And if Jesus Christ is to be seen in the vulnerable of this world, then all the church has done is crucify the man over and over and over again. If Christ was here, he would be burning down the Vatican. And I for one would be helping him." - Sinead O'Connor, responding to a request from Ireland's Catholic Church for local parishioners to recompense the church for the massive settlements paid to the victims of pedophile priests.

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Tired Old Queen At The Movies #21

Mildred Pierce!

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Ain't No Party Like A Midwest Party Cuz A Midwest Party Don't Stop

Red = more bars. Yellow = more grocery stores. Via Consumerist:
Starting in Illinois, the beer belly expands up into Wisconsin and first spreads westward through Iowa/Minnesota and then engulfs Nebraska, and the Dakotas before petering out (like a pair of love handles) in Wyoming and Montana. The clustering was so apparent that we wanted to check how it compared to the "official" data on this activity. So we gathered 2007 Census Country Business Pattern on the number of establishments listed in NACIS code 722410 (Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)) and divided by Census estimates for state population totals for 2009 and found remarkable correspondence with our data. On average there are 1.52 bars for every 10,000 people in the U.S. but the states that make up the beer belly of America are highly skewed from this average.

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PhoboQuotable - Andrea Lafferty

"When I was sitting in that hearing room listening to Senator Levin and other pompous liberals blather on about the importance of gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, I felt sick to my stomach. But, I was also filled with anger that some Members of Congress would be so willing to undermine our military in order to cater to a small minority of individuals who love to engage in bizarre sex acts.

"We don’t win wars or uphold the morale of our military by surrendering to individuals who lust after same-sex partners. The U.S. Military isn’t a social science experiment. Defending our nation is serious business – clearly one that President Obama appears not to take seriously. I can foresee rampant violence in the military if macho men must share shower facilities, bunk beds in a submarine or fox holes with sex-crazed gay males.

"Our men and women in uniform are too valuable to be subjected to a social science experiment. They’re not lab rats; they’re patriotic trained combat troops. TVC will do whatever it can to stop passage of H.R. 1283. We oppose Obama’s headlong rush to undermine our military so that he can pay off his political debt to the gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender activists who helped put him in office. Stand with us! A gift of $50, $75, $100, $150 or more will help us educate Members of Congress and the public on this serious threat to our military readiness. We cannot permit a one-term trainee President to destroy our Armed Forces and drive good people away from serving their country. Let me hear from you today with the largest gift you can give." - Traditional Values Coalition executive douchenozzle Andrea Lafferty, in a desperation hate-based donation plea.

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Roy Ashburn's 2005 Press Release

Talking Points Memo dug into Sen. Roy Ashburn's official California government site and dug up this 2005 press release
touting an anti-gay marriage rally he co-hosted with the Traditional Values Coalition's Right Detestable Rev. Lou Sheldon.

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Liz Cheney Vs. Fellow Conservatives

Liz Cheney is making a lot of enemies on her own side.

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Today In Global Warming

Methane worries, it's not just about cows anymore.
Huge quantities of methane below the Arctic seabed are showing signs of destabilising, according to research conducted in the East Siberian Sea. Scientists aboard Russian icebreakers have discovered that methane is leaking from the sub-sea permafrost far faster than had been previously estimated, raising concerns that climatic tipping points may have been reached. As a greenhouse gas, methane is 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide but emissions from subsea permafrost are not included in climate change prediction models. “The sub-sea permafrost should act as a cap or seal, preventing leakage,” Natalia Shakhova, of the University of Alaska, told The Times. “Beneath it there is methane that has accumulated at high pressure. But the permafrost is losing its ability to be an impermeable cap.”

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Friday, March 05, 2010

Jon Stewart Tries ChatRoulette

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Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) To Resign On Monday Over Ethics Charges

Just days after he revealed that he would not seek a second term in 2010, freshman Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) announced today he will resign on Monday. According to reports, Massa was pressured to resign by fellow Democrats who are alarmed over an ethics committee investigation into charges that Massa sexually harassed a male staffer.
In a statement posted on his website, Massa maintained his medical issues were his reason for stepping down, but for the first time he acknowledged the ethics committee investigation. "After I decided not to run again I was told, for the first time, that a member of my staff believed I had made statements that made him feel 'uncomfortable.' I was told that a report had been filed with the Congressional Ethics Committee. At no point prior to this had any member of the Ethics Committee communicated with me directly - if [sic] fact I first read it on the internet," Massa said in the statement. "In fact, there is no doubt that this Ethics issue is my fault and mine alone. But in the incredibly toxic atmosphere that is Washington D.C., with the destruction of our elected leaders having become a blood sport, especially in talk radio and on the internet, there is also no doubt that an Ethics investigation would tear my family and my staff apart," Massa said. "My difficulties are of my own making. Period."
New York Gov. David Paterson, should he last longer than Massa (and right now, that's iffy), will have to decide whether to call a special election to temporarily fill Massa's House seat between now and November. The winner of that special election would have to re-run for the seat again in the fall.

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Seems About Right

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Quote Of The Day - Roseanne Barr

"Marie Osmond's poor gay son killed himself because he had been told how wrong and how sick he was every day of his life by his church and the people in it. Calling that 'depression' is a lie! Yet the Osmonds still talk lovingly about their church, saying nothing about its extremely anti-gay Crusade. Marie also has a gay daughter!

"Hey, I want her and all the gay kids in the world to know that they are just fine being gay and that they deserve love and respect instead of insults and rebuke! I have gay people in my family and my circle of friends and I am kicking bigot ass and taking names! That is how its done in my religion---(I have my own religion that I made up for myself and it is a great religion that actually works and respects facts and not fantasy!) [snip]

"Yet even though the people they say they love the most in all of their public displays and speeches (THEIR KIDS AND FAMILY!!) are gay,-- their own children, for crying out loud- these people cannot find the Christian decency and compassion within themselves to stop their hypocritical gay bashing!! How sickening. I know so many Mormon kids who were gay and committed suicide, and I just cannot and will not stay quiet in order to not offend bigots anymore. It is all so terribly depressing.

"Marie please don't talk about how your faith in your church has helped you get through this one! Please get some integrity and tell that church of yours that you will leave it and stop giving it ten percent of your money if they don't stop trying to destroy your kids' and all gay people's civil rights and dreams and hopes!!" - Roseanne Barr, writing on her personal blog.

(Tipped by JMG reader J. Karl)

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Hitchens: The New Commandments

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Concerned Women Are Concerned About Violent Homofascist Predators

The Concerned Women for America today filed a Supreme Court brief in support of the attempt to suppress the names of those that signed Washington state's homophobic Referendum 71. Because them violent homofascist predators iz gonna whup somebody!
Penny Nance, CEO for Concerned Women for America, said, "CWA seeks to protect the individuals who signed the petition from having their support of Referendum 71, their personal information, and the address of their family's home globally publicized on the Internet by groups with a history of harassment and intimidation against those opposed to the homosexual viewpoint." Maureen Richardson, State Director for CWA of Washington, said, "Privacy is a big issue. The people's right to 'exercise the legislative power' through referenda and initiatives will be severely hampered by publicizing names through Internet listings, etc. In a perfect world where others do not wish us harm, public disclosure of citizens' personal information made available on a referendum or initiative might be acceptable, but in a world where advocates are threatened as I have been, making it easier for predators to access their victims is not necessarily in the public interest and certainly not in the victim's."
Oral arguments on the case begin in the U.S. Supreme Court on April 28th.

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Craig Ferguson On Sen. Roy Ashburn

Last night Craig Ferguson devoted his entire opening monologue to the Ashburn scandal to hilarious results. Too many great jokes, I'll just tip you to one. (Paraphrasing) "Police knew Ashburn had been in a gay bar because he tested positive for appletinis." The final joke is the best, though.

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West Sacramento Mayor: I Outed Ashburn On Facebook Six Months Ago

West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon tells local news that he outed state Sen. Roy Ashburn on his Facebook page six months ago. That's great. Too bad nobody ever found out about it. Like Equality California. Or the Courage Campaign. Or any LGBT media outlet.

RELATED: Over at Boy Culture, Matt Rettenmund has some screencaps of the Facebook page of Ashburn's "date" on the night of his DUI arrest. Noting that the young man is Latino and probably first met Ashburn during that evening's popular Latin Night at Faces nightclub, Matt wonders how that squares with Ashburn's lengthy anti-immigrant voting history. Was that just another closet? Hate the Latinos, love their boys?

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Virginia To Delete LGBT Employment Protections From State Universities

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's campaign to make sure that every LGBT person can be fired for being gay is expanding to his state's public universities.
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II has asked the state's public colleges and universities to rescind policies that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, arguing in a letter sent to each school Thursday that their boards of visitors have no legal authority to adopt such statements. In the letter, Cuccinelli (R) wrote that only the General Assembly can extend legal protections to gay state employees -- a move the legislature has repeatedly declined to take, including as recently as this week.

"It is my advice that the law and public policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia prohibit a college or university from including 'sexual orientation,' 'gender identity,' 'gender expression,' or like classification as a protected class within its non-discrimination policy absent specific authorization from the General Assembly," he wrote. Colleges that have included such language in their policies -- which include all of Virginia's leading schools -- have done so "without proper authority" and should "take appropriate actions to bring their policies in conformance with the law and public policy of Virginia," Cuccinelli wrote.
Virginia is going to have a VERY hard time attracting top students and faculty after this, not to mention the inevitable backlash against people or companies willing to work with the Virginia higher education system. This is yet another example of the critical importance of ENDA.

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Help Send Someone To ENDA Lobby Day

The Bilerico Project and PFLAG are teaming up to send people who've been fired for being gay to an important ENDA Lobby Day in Washington DC on March 16th. Via Dr. Jillian T. Weiss at Bilerico:
It is particularly important to ENDA that people attend from the eight states in which Senators are on the fence. If you live in one of these states, you hold the fate of ENDA in your hands. If you are from one of these eight states, and you are a currently-unemployed LGBT person who is unemployed because of job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, the Bilerico Project would like to help you get there.
  • Alaska
  • Arkansas
  • Florida
  • Indiana
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota>
  • Ohio
  • West Virginia
This is too important to be limited to only middle or upper class people who can afford a ticket. Bilerico is excited to be partnering with PFLAG National to support PFLAG's policy work in order to bring people with stories of discrimination to Capitol Hill.
Hit the link for information on how to donate or for instructions on how to apply for compensation to attend. It's still legal to fire someone for being gay or transgender in 31 states. The trans-inclusive federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act can end all that this year. Today Rep. Barney Frank promised that ENDA will have a vote in the U.S. House this month. As longtime readers of this blog know, I consider ENDA to be the single most important bit of LGBT rights legislation we may likely ever see.

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Colorado Catholic School Bans Preschooler Because He Has Two Mommies

The reporter notes that the Archdiocese told school employees not to discuss the decision, but some did come forward to express outrage.

(Via - Queerty)

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Butt Drugs

A couple of YouTube comedians make commercials for local small businesses in a promotion for some accounting company.

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James Dobson Steps Down At FOF

"James Dobson has assisted millions of Americans in bringing up children in more positive and constructive homes and communities. By doing so, he has created wealth by helping people thrive. If his work has spared even one child a life of drugs or criminality, he has improved the human condition. There is no limit to the market for those who trade in constructive information. So count on Family Talk to become another success story, much like Focus on the Family. Count on these two organization to work together. And count on the success of Family Talk to serve as that metaphorical tide that lifts all ships." - The Colorado Springs Gazette, lionizing the founder of one of the most successful and influential anti-gay organizations in American history. Dobson is stepping down from daily operations at Focus Of The Family to launch a new radio show.

As I noted last month:
With an annual budget of $128M, Focus On The Family devotes a large portion of its activity to funding anti-gay ballot initiatives and challenging legally mandated LGBT rights in court. The group deliberately bleeds funds from LGBT groups forced to defend legal challenges. Don't expect Dobson's stepping down as chairman to have the slightest change in their evil doings.
Oh yeah, go freep their fucking poll.

(Tipped by JMG reader Alan)

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Victoria Jackson, Still Not Funny

Former SNL cast member Victoria Jackson, who has starred in nothing but her own child-voiced mind since she was fired from the show 18 years ago, has become a darling of the Tea Party crowd for her Obama=Hitler, Obama=Communist ukulele shtick. If you stand it, here's her latest.

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Today In Frivolous Lawsuits

A women in Queens is suing a local wig shop because as she was trying on a Diana Ross wig, the saleswoman accidentally knocked a plastic mannequin head onto her foot, leaving the customer unable to have sex with her husband. Her lawyer says that nerve damage has left his client unable to curl her toes. Or her husband's, somehow.

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Anti-Government Christianist Militias Are Openly Training In Louisiana

A couple of hundred old white guys are being armed and trained by a local Louisiana sheriff in Bible-inspired operation called "Operation Exodus." They claim they're preparing for domestic terrorism, but their real intent is the overthrow of the federal government.

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SF: Three Men Arrested In Anti-Gay Drive-By BB Gun Shooting

If you think it's hilarious to drive around shooting a BB gun at suspected homos, you probably shouldn't videotape yourself doing it.
The victim of Friday's attack was walking on the 3200 block of 16th Street near Guerrero Street about 10 p.m. when a car pulled up and someone inside opened fire with a BB rifle, police said. The man was hit in the face but refused medical treatment, said Lt. Lyn Tomioka, spokeswoman for the Police Department. He reported the shooting to police, who pulled over a car that matched the assailants' vehicle a short distance away and arrested the three Hayward men. Investigators believe the assailants chose the victim because he appeared to be gay. When the men were pulled over, police found a video camera that was used to film the shooting, investigators said. Assistant District Attorney Victor Hwang, the prosecutor in the case, said the men are cooperating in the investigation.
Police are asking for other victims to come forward.

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Alan Grayson Vs. Michele Bachmann

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) took on Crazy Face Bachmann (R-MN) over health care reform on Larry King last night. Watch this.

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

From the author of Pride And Prejudice And Zombies.

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Broadway Friday

- Neil Patrick Harris will star in a mixed live action/animated version of The Smurfs. NPH will be live, Alan Cumming and Jonathan Winters will be animated. NPH is also slated to guest star in an upcoming episode of Glee.

- Ugly Betty stars Vanessa Williams and Michael Urie will co-host this year's 76th Annual Drama League Awards on May 21st at the Marriott Marquis Grand Ballroom.

- Dumbo: The Musical is in the works to join the other 23 Disney shows on Broadway.

- Broadway's Theater Development Fund has a great program for the hearing and vision impaired. Go here for a list of upcoming shows that are open-captioned, offer audio descriptions, or feature sign language interpreters.

- Christopher Walken is earning rave notices in A Behanding In Spokane, as are costars Sam Rockwell, Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan.

- Here's a nice slideshow of recent gay-themed Broadway productions.

- The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is working on bringing its Gutter Ballet to Broadway. The band is just about to kick off their first ever non-holiday tour.

- Sleepless In Seattle: The Musical. SRSLY. Coming Valentine's Day 2011. Original screenplay writer Jeff Arch will write the libretto.

- Yank!, a gay military romance musical set in WWII is now playing Off Broadway at the Theater at St. Peter's. NYT sez: "The show has a fine mix of humor and simmering drama and decent enough songs to keep you anticipating the next one. Probably a few too many themes are introduced and left underexplored — fidelity in gay relationships, for example, and personal loyalty versus respect for military codes."

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COLLUSION: People Knew Roy Ashburn Was Gay And They Said Nothing

At least two California newspapers and the openly gay mayor of West Sacramento knew anti-gay state Sen. Roy Ashburn was gay and yet they said nothing. On Wednesday, Ashburn was arrested for DUI while leaving a Sacramento gay bar in the company of as yet unidentified man.

Last summer an editor at Ashburn's hometown paper, the Bakersfield Californian, heard that a Sacramento paper was about to out him. So they called him and asked him point-blank if he is gay.
His response: "Why would that be anyone's business? Including The Californian's? "I think there are certain subjects that are simply not relevant and this is one of them. It has no bearing on the job I do." During the course of our conversation I listed several instances in which a politician's sexual orientation, or even just their sexual activity -- straight or gay -- would be relevant. If Ashburn were a staunch anti-gay activist but was secretly gay, I said, that would be a legitimate concern to his constituents. Ashburn agreed but said he didn't believe he had been such an activist. I pointed out he had voted conservatively on gay issues throughout his career. Yes, he said, but he'd done so on almost all social issues. He represents a conservative district and votes as his constituents would want him to, he said. Several political organizations have ranked Ashburn's voting record as extremely unfriendly to gays. (I'm not sure where those organizations rank Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez, a Democrat, who initially voted against all gay issues for much the same reason, but since has turned a new leaf.) And Ashburn did organize a "Traditional Family Values" rally in 2005 to drum up support for a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
The Californian decided that Ashburn's sexuality wasn't "relevant." The unnamed Sacramento paper apparently did too and never published. To recap: It's not relevant that a state politician with a 100% rating from an anti-gay group is gay himself. Can you fucking BELIEVE that? And it turns out that the openly gay mayor of West Sacramento has known about Ashburn for a long time.
Christopher Cabaldon, the openly gay mayor of West Sacramento told KOVR he has spotted Senator Ashburn at gay hot spots a number of times. According to Project Vote Smart, Ashburn's has consistently voted against gay rights legislation including no on recognizing out of state same-sex marriages, no on creating a state recognized Harvey Milk Day, and no on expanding anti-discrimination laws. "To live a secret life and at the same time be attacking the people who you're one of but are too ashamed to admit, that's hypocrisy," said Cabaldon to KOVR CBS 13.
That hypocrisy apparently didn't bother Mayor Cabaldon enough to actually fucking say something. And you know that if Cabaldon knew, many other queers in Sacramento knew. If I lived in West Sacramento, I'd want to have a long angry talk with my mayor.

At this moment, I'm not so interested in the detestable Roy Ashburn and his pathetic defense of "I was voting the way my constituents wanted." Because to my mind, the biggest story here isn't Ashburn's closeted homosexuality and anti-gay voting record. As we all know, that is a story we have seen a hundred times. And will see a hundred times more. The REAL story here is the media's collusion and the conspiracy of silence on the part of our own people. Folks, when you know somebody is actively working day and night to thwart the rights of your FAMILY, of your PEOPLE, you fucking say something.

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Thursday, March 04, 2010

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch Cherry Bomb

I'll admit I'm quite skeptical about the coming Runaways biopic. But holy crap, this cast cover of their 1976 proto-punk classic Cherry Bomb totally does NOT suck. Just true enough to the original and different enough too. Dakota Fanning, who knew? (Yes, I was rocking the original on 8-track in my '73 Lemans. Suck it, kiddies.)

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The Truth About Hiram Monserrate

Fight Back New York has launched The Truth About Hiram Monserrate, a site with links to many major news stories about the girlfriend-slashing former NY state senator, as well as lots of downloadable fliers such as the one above. (I love the signs that include broken glass.) Donate to support Monserrate's opponent, the LGBT-friendly Jose Peralta here.

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AFA's Bryan Fischer: The Bible Calls For Sea World Staff To Be Put To Death

"What about the term 'killer whale' do SeaWorld officials not understand? If the counsel of the Judeo-Christian tradition had been followed, Tillikum would have been put out of everyone's misery back in 1991 and would not have had the opportunity to claim two more human lives. Says the ancient civil code of Israel, 'When an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner shall not be liable.' (Exodus 21:28)

"So, your animal kills somebody, your moral responsibility is to put that animal to death. You have no moral culpability in the death, because you didn't know the animal was going to go postal on somebody. But, the Scripture soberly warns, if one of your animals kills a second time because you didn't kill it after it claimed its first human victim, this time you die right along with your animal. To use the example from Exodus, if your ox kills a second time, 'the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.' (Exodus 21:29)" - American Family Association radio host Bryan Fischer in a column titled Bible Ignored, Trainer Dies, saying that the people running Sea World need to be put to death. It's RIGHT THERE in the Babble, people!

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Just Another Christobuffoon Protesting Marriage Equality In DC

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Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) - Let Gay Men Donate Blood

Sen. John Kerry and numerous fellow Senators today called for lifting the ban on gay men donating blood.
"Not a single piece of scientific evidence supports the ban,” Kerry said. “A law that was once considered medically justified is today simply outdated and needs to end." Kerry was one of 18 U.S. Senators -- 17 Democrats and one independent -- who in a letter on Thursday asked the Food and Drug Administration to lift the ban on gay men donating blood. The ban was put in place in 1983, at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis and before modern screening and advanced testing methods for HIV were developed. Experts say current screening and testing have reduced the risk of tainted blood entering the blood supply undetected to virtually zero. The American Red Cross, America's Blood Centers and AABB all support repealing the ban, saying the law is “medically and scientifically unwarranted.” The American Medical Association also supports modifying the ban.

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RNC Chairman Michael Steele Responds To Fundraising Scandal

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Gay Prostitution Scandal Hits Vatican

I can't fucking wait to hear how Ill Papa tries to wriggle out of THIS one!
"Put on some music, swallow a Viagra, and adelante!" That's the headline in Europe today following reports that a papal aide used an intermediary in an elite Vatican choir to solicit young male choristers and seminarians for prostitution. Police wiretaps are expected to result in charges against Angelo Balducci, 63, a Papal Gentleman, as lay attendant are called, and the former chairman of the Holy See's Public Works Department, which is itself caught up in a corruption investigation. According to police, Balducci regularly contacted Chinedu Ehiem Thomas, a Nigerian man who sings in St. Peter's Cappella Giulia, to engage the sexual services of young male members of the choir, along with seminarians and undocumented immigrants seeking residency status. The Cappella Giulia is the official choir of the St. Peter's Basilica and performs at many solemn Vatican functions not involving the pope, who is accompanied by the Sistine Chapel choir. Ehiem, 40, who goes by the nickname Mike, and his assistant Lorenzo Renzi, 33, allegedly arranged for prostitutes for Balducci several times a week. The two men are said to have operated a network of aspiring young priests, choir members and sometimes recruited foreigners seeking to secure their immigration status.
Go to Gay News Watch for a few transcriptions of the wiretaps. "You'll get up to 2,000 euros ... Do not touch his balls. You need the money."

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VIDEO: Huge Wave Hits Mediterranean Cruise Ship, Kills Two, Injures Many

Somebody was videotaping in one of the upper deck restaurants when the wave hit this morning, killing two passengers and seriously injuring up to twenty other passengers and crew. The ship returned to port in Barcelona immediately after the incident.

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Betty Bowers' Carly Simon Entry

Carly Simon is holding a video contest for her remake of You're So Vain. Here's the entry from Betty Bowers, America's best Christian.

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RUMOR: SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts Considering Stepping Down

This comes from Radar Online, which has gotten a few juicy scoops recently, but still...grain of salt and all that.
John Roberts, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, is seriously considering stepping down from the nation’s highest court for personal reasons, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively. Roberts, known for his conservative judicial philosophy, has served on the Supreme Court since 2005, having been nominated by President George W. Bush after the death of former Chief William Rehnquist. RadarOnline.com has been told that Roberts, 55, could announce his decision at any time. The decision paves the way for President Barack Obama to make his second appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court following his first, Sonia Sotomayor.
Earlier this week, Roberts declined to block same-sex marriage in Washington DC. An Obama appointment to replace Roberts could swing the court to the liberal side, making the future of Perry vs. Schwarzenegger a lot brighter.

UPDATE: Closet case homocon Matt Drudge has this headline:
TOP COURT SOURCE TELLS DRUDGE: 'THIS IS NOT HAPPENING... NEWS TO ME'... DEVELOPING...
Even if this is crap, it's fun to watch the Freepers dissolve into hysterics. My favorite: "Roberts could be caught kidnapping children to perform in the North Korean Man-Boy circus...and I’d still want him to stay."

UPDATE II: Less than an hour after its first post, Radar Online now says: "RadarOnline.com has obtained new information that Justice Roberts will NOT resign. The justice will be staying on the bench." Oh well, that was fun for a few minutes in dreamland and for a few thousand freaked out comments on Free Republic.

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Goldfrapp - Rocket

New single from Goldfrapp to be released on March 8th.

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Cool Ad Of The Day

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Gay Marriage Comes To Mexico City

Today is the first day that gay couples in Mexico City can register to marry.
The law, which was passed by the city's local assembly in December, gives gay people full marital rights, including the right to adopt. Several gay couples are now expected to register to get married as early as next week. Mexico City is one of the first capitals in Latin America to fully recognise gay marriages. Judith Vazquez and partner Lol-kin Castaneda hope to become one of the first couples to marry under the new law. "It's the end of our fight and the beginning of life in freedom in Mexico City," Ms Vazquez told the BBC. "This is a great, historic moment for the whole of society in Mexico City," added Ms Castaneda. With this law - and previous legalisation on abortion and some form of euthanasia - the Mexican capital has become a liberal and progressive island in what remains a mostly conservative nation, says the BBC's Julian Miglierini in Mexico City.
It's been a banner week for justice and equality in the capital cities of our hemisphere. Today, Mexico City. Yesterday, Washington DC. And also yesterday, Buenos Aires saw its second legal gay marriage.

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Now Airing In NYC

As amusing as this ad may be, the cynic in me wonders if this personal injury firm wasn't forced into this campaign as part of some fraud settlement.

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Virginia Christians Tell Women: Dress Like That And You Deserve To Be Raped

Our second American Talibangelists post for today: An anonymous Christian group is approaching women in Virginia and handing them leaflets that advise that their clothing is "ungodly" and because men cannot withstand such temptation, they may be deservingly facilitating their own rapes. Here's what a young woman working a fast food drive-thru window experienced:
“Even though nothing is showing, you’re being ungodly,” Canter recalled the woman telling her. “You make men want to be sinful.” Canter was wearing boots pulled up over jeans, a pink zebra-print shirt with a black jacket zipped up over it. She has blond hair, dark eye make-up and a little red lip ring. “I just asked if she needed any salt, pepper or ketchup,” Canter said. “I mean, how do I respond to that?” Minutes later, Canter’s mother, Pam Yates, who owns the restaurant, returned from the bank. Canter handed her “Women & Girls” and Yates started reading. “You may have been given this leaflet because of the way you are dressed,” it begins. “Have you thought about standing before the true and living God to be judged?”

It continues with one essential theme: The sins of men are, in part, the fault of women, specifically women in tight-fitting clothing. Yates was annoyed. Then she got to a section on page two: “Scripture tells us that when a man looks on a woman to lust for her he has already committed adultery in his heart. If you are dressed in a way that tempts a men to do this secret (or not so secret) sin, you are a participant in the sin,” the leaflet states. “By the way, some rape victims would not have been raped if they had dressed properly. So can we really say they were innocent victims?”
Victim blaming is the #1 reason women do not report rape.

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Former Air Force Major Mike Almy Testifies About Being Fired For Being Gay

DADT victim Major Mike Almy appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show last night following his Senate testimony about the repeal effort. Read Major Almy's full testimony here. A snippet:
"At a time when our military is stretched thin from two wars, we need the valuable service of every capable American willing to risk their life and to not be discharging people solely because of who they are. I'm outraged that I am now considered unfit for military service, and yet our nation has actively recruited convicted felons and brought them into the service of the military under moral waivers. It is time to strenghten our national defense by no longer wasting the valuable contributions of thousands of patriotic Americans. Repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell will end this discrimination, and America will be stronger and safer as a result. "I'd like to give a heartfelt thanks to Senators Lieberman and Levin and the rest of the distinguished senators here today for their leadership in repealing this, this discriminatory law. It is long overdue. Thank you."

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RNC's Oopsie: Leaving Their Entire Fundraising Plan Behind In A Florida Hotel

Who needs Watergate? The Republican National Committee is furiously backpedaling after their offensive and crude fundraising strategy presentation was accidentally left behind following a $2500/head event in Boca Raton, Florida.
The strategy was detailed in a confidential party fundraising presentation, obtained by POLITICO, which also outlines how “ego-driven” wealthy donors can be tapped with offers of access and “tchochkes.” The presentation was delivered by RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart to top donors and fundraisers at a party retreat in Boca Grande, Florida on February 18, a source at the gathering said. In neat PowerPoint pages, it lifts the curtain on the often-cynical terms of political marketing, displaying an air of disdain for the party’s donors that is usually confined to the barroom conversations of political operatives. The presentation explains the Republican fundraising in simple terms. "What can you sell when you do not have the White House, the House, or the Senate...?" it asks. The answer: "Save the country from trending toward Socialism!” Manipulating donors with crude caricatures and playing on their fears is hardly unique to Republicans or to the RNC – Democrats raised millions off George W. Bush in similar terms – but rarely is it practiced in such cartoonish terms. One page, headed “The Evil Empire,” pictures Obama as the Joker from Batman, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leaders Harry Reid are depicted as Cruella DeVille and Scooby Doo, respectively.
See the entire presentation (PDF) which provides exact fundraising goals by demographic and points to which Democratic seats will be targeted. The RNC points to both New York Senators Gillibrand and Schumer as "wild cards" that could be brought down in 2010. Below is their crass strategy to increase donations. Of course, the RNC is saying today that the presentation "would NEVER be used" at the national convention and that chairman Michael Steele "never saw it" and "has nothing to do with it." Hah!

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NY Sen. Ruben Diaz Blocking Trans Rights

As expected, this week the New York Assembly passed GENDA, a comprehensive transgender rights bill, for the third time. The bill is now mired in a state Senate committee staffed by the state's most notorious homophobe, Rev. Ruben Diaz.
GENDA currently awaits action in the Investigations and Government Operations Committee chaired by Nassau County Democrat Craig Johnson. Though Johnson is a strong supporter of the measure, he has been unable to overcome opposition by fellow Democrat Ruben Diaz, Sr., a Bronx Pentecostal minister and fierce LGBT rights foe, in forging a majority in the committee where Democrats hold a 5-3 edge. For the moment, at least, the bill cannot move to the floor without the committee’s approval. Some advocates have pressed Duane to bring the measure before a more amenable committee, but that route would require a tweaking of its language, since other committees have oversight over different sections of the state code. The fact that the Assembly has chosen to move forward with passage in its current form suggests that solution is off the table.
It's unclear whether GENDA, if it ever gets past Diaz in committee, has the necessary votes for passage before the full Senate. That's where YOU come in. Please consider helping the Empire State Pride Agenda with its GENDA phonebanking effort to take place TONIGHT and next week (after office hours) at the ESPA headquarters in NYC.

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Samantha Bee Meets Jonah Falcon

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Teachers Suspended For Handing Out Photos Of RuPaul & OJ Simpson

Three white elementary teachers in Los Angeles have been suspended for handing out photos of RuPaul, OJ Simpson, and Dennis Rodman as joking examples of black heroes for the children to carry during a parade marking Black History Month.
A district spokeswoman said the teachers at Wadsworth Elementary School, where the majority of the students are Latino, could have made more appropriate choices, such as Oprah Winfrey. Civil rights activists said the choices made a mockery of black history and reinforced racial stereotypes. "Their selection goes beyond ignorance. It speaks to arrogance and racism," said Rev. Eric Lee, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of greater Los Angeles. The Friday parade included children from several classes who carried photos of President Obama, Nelson Mandela and Harriet Tubman. The three unidentified male teachers were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. L.A. Unified School District Superintendent Ramon Cortines told the local ABC affiliate he has asked that the teachers be suspended without pay.
I actually don't have a problem with the RuPaul photo, although the teachers obviously meant to express homophobia. RuPaul IS a hero, to me.

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American Talibangelists Destoying Lives Of Swingers In Texas

Dan Savage notes that the bizarre Christian group Repent Amarillo is staking out a Texas swingers club and calling the employers, employees, and families of its patrons in order to wreck their jobs and home lives. You might recall Repent America, their parent group, for their call for a boycott of Houston due to their newly elected lesbian mayor.
In June, when the building reopened, Repent Amarillo became an almost-constant presence, shouting through bullhorns, blasting Christian music, haranguing club members, following swingers in vehicles and sticking video cameras into people’s faces. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has been called out twice. Police records show that nearby businesses have called frequently with noise complaints. Repent even showed up on occasion when the Route 66 building was rented out for non-swinger events. “They have been here every time we open our doors, regardless of what kind of functions we have, whether I’m down here doing maintenance, cleaning, whatever,” Mac says. “They don’t have a life. Well, I guess we are their lives. We’re their blood. At three or four in the morning, we’ll open the door, and there they are. They come waddling out of their vehicles with their cameras.”
Some of the club's members have lost their jobs, others have been ostracized by friends and family. Read the full story. On their website Repent Amarillo has a war chart of sexually-related business they are targeting: gay bars, porn shops, strip clubs, etc. The site includes military imagery and gunshot sound effects when scrolling over certain items. They note that they intend to target upcoming gay pride events in Texas. Repent America: sharia law with a Christian face.

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Photo Of The Day - Rush Limbaugh's Pad

Rush Limbaugh has placed his $14M Fifth Avenue penthouse on the market and lawds, there's some tacky ass shit up in that joint. Gawker has many more hilarious photos.

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Bidding War

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Anti-Gay GOP CA State Sen. Roy Ashburn Busted For DUI While Leaving Sacramento Gay Bar With Another Man

Anti-gay GOP California state Sen. Roy Ashburn was arrested for DUI yesterday after leaving Faces, a popular Sacramento gay bar, with an unidentified male passenger. Ashburn has been a loud opponent of LGBT rights and has organized and hosted anti-gay marriage rallies for the Traditional Values Coalition. He also has a 100% rating from the anti-gay Capitol Resource Family Impact group for voting against every LGBT rights bill during his tenure.
The California Highway Patrol pulled over Senator Roy Ashburn at 2:00 a.m. Wednesday after an officer noticed a black Chevy Tahoe swerving at 13th and L Streets. When the officer stopped the state-issued vehicle, the driver identified himself as Senator Ashburn. He was arrested without incident and charged with two misdemeanors: driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol level higher than .08% or higher. A male passenger, who was not identified as a lawmaker, was also in the car but was not detained. Ashburn was booked into the Sacramento County Jail and released on $1,400 bond. Ashburn, a father of four, is a Republican Senator representing parts of Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino Counties with a history of opposing gay rights. Ashburn issued a statement on the arrest Wednesday afternoon: "I am deeply sorry for my actions and offer no excuse for my poor judgment. I accept complete responsibility for my conduct and am prepared to accept the consequences for what I did. I am also truly sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me – my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate."
Ashburn is being term-limited out of office in 2010. In January he surprised supporters by announcing that he would not be running for the U.S. House or the powerful California State Tax Board, two jobs he'd publicly had his eye on for the last year. Ashburn divorced his wife in 2003.

ANTI-GAY VOTING RECORD:
In March 2009, Sen. Ashburn voted against a Senate resolution declaring Proposition 8 unconstitutional. Ashburn voted three times to oppose the creation of Harvey Milk Day. In September he voted against California recognizing out of state same-sex marriages. In 2008 he voted to oppose an expansion of the state's insurance laws to include sexual orientation as a protected class.

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