Saturday, April 17, 2010

CNN Hasn't Learned Their Lesson

Queers United alerts us to a poll on CNN's homepage asking readers whether they agreed with Obama's hospital visitation order. This comes only ten days after CNN hosted notoriously insane "ex-gay therapist" Richard Cohen, who told viewers that gays could be "fixed", something for which the network later offered a halfhearted apology. At least the vast majority of those responding to the poll approve of civil rights for minorities, even if CNN still thinks it's an issue worth debating. Complain here.

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Want


Here's how they did it.

(Via - Andrew Sullivan)

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Today In Lying Bigots: ENDA Will Cause Sexual Assaults On Disabled Veterans

Right Wing Watch points us a poorly attended panel on the "gay agenda" that took place at the Freedom Federation's Awakenings Conference. In the clip below, liars Matt Barber (Liberty Counsel) and Andrea Lafferty (Traditional Values Coalition) explain to their meager audience that the passage of ENDA will unleash who-knows-how-many amputee stump lovers, pedophiles, and horse fuckers upon the nation's employers.
What are those "isms" and "philias"? You can be aroused by stumps of amputees. And we brought that up during the hate crimes thing because what if you have an employee working at the VA and someone has just come back from Iraq and they have this orientation. You can't fire them. What about the family that's upset that they've been aroused by their family member? It's disgusting. And it's tragic for the victim. Um, men that want to rub their bodies up and down women. That's on the list, that might become a protected class. Fecal matter. Their involvement with fecal matter. Or urine. Transvestism. The list goes on, I'm not naming all of them. Children. Animals. And so we really need to draw a line in the sand.

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Caption This

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Anti-Gay Group Got $3M From Feds

The virulently anti-gay Iowa Family Policy Center has received over $3M in federal funding in the last five years.
In 2004 and 2005 the IFPC received a total of $850,000 from the Administration for Children and Families’ Compassion Capital Fund. From 2006 to 2009 they received $2.2 million through the U.S. Healthy Marriage Demonstration Fund, which is doled out in yearly increments of $550,000 and will be awarded to IFPC through 2011. The Iowa Family Policy Center’s 2007 tax return claims $558,337 of their $1.1 million revenue came from federal grants. Tom Campbell, a representative at the Administration of Children and Families (ACF), the awarding agency within the HHS, said this money must be passed from the IFPC to a third-party to execute the Healthy Marriage Demonstration — the name under which the grants were awarded to IFPC — as part of the government’s Healthy Marriage Program.
The funding was uncovered by local Des Moines blogger Erich Riesenberg. Aside from funding the fight against marriage equality, the Iowa Family Policy Center has said that all homosexual acts should be outlawed by constitutional amendment. Spokesman Bryan English: "This isn’t a civil rights issue. [Homosexuality] is a choice in behavior and as a Christian organization we don’t believe this is a right, it is a sin against Jesus Christ."

We have GOT to put a stop to this. I will follow this story closely and let you know what action needs to taken to ensure that no further federal money funds this hate group.

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Weekend Mix - DJ Dave Huge


Kick off your weekend with rising NYC nu-disco/house talent DJ Dave Huge. Setlist. Website. Next gig: Large Hardon Collider, Saturday April 24th @ Stonewall. [Photo credit: ReddyWhp]

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Friday, April 16, 2010

ARKANSAS: Judge Strikes Down Ban On Unmarried Couples Adopting

Mike "Children Are Not Puppies" Huckabee must be very unhappy with his home state today.
Act 1, passed by voters in 2008, unconstitutionally burdens non-marital relationships and acts of sexual intimacy between adults by forcing them to choose between becoming a parent and having any meaningful type of intimate relationship outside of marriage, Circuit Judge Chris Piazza ruled in a lawsuit challenging the law. “It infringes upon the fundamental right to privacy guaranteed to all citizens of Arkansas,” the judge ruled in the lawsuit filed by the ACLU. The state had argued that children are better off raised in traditional family settings, with married parents, and that the law should be upheld because it protects children from abuse and neglect.
While the Arkansas law had effectively prevented gay couples from adopting, Florida remains the only state with a specific ban.

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Former LA Police Chief Darryl Gates Dies

Former Los Angeles police chief Darryl Gates, whose legacy includes his disastrous handling of the Rodney King beating and subsequent citywide riots, has died at the age of 83.
As chief during the 1980s, Gates earned a reputation for dealing with gangs, drugs and street crime with a mix of tough, paramilitary force and innovation, establishing the first Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT, unit and deploying helicopters to help patrol the sprawling city. But he came under fierce criticism after the violent March 3, 1991, arrest of Rodney King, a black parolee whose beating by Los Angeles police was captured on videotape and broadcast around the world as evidence of LAPD racism and brutality. Four of the officers were put on trial for King's beating and their acquittal in April 1992 by an all-white jury touched off three days of the worst urban riots in modern U.S. history, leaving 53 people dead. Gates, who was roundly criticized for attending a fund-raising dinner in the first hours of rioting, came under heavy pressure to resign and stepped down in June of that year.
Veteran Los Angeles-based gay reporter Karen Ocamb recalls Gates' notorious homophobia.
[T]he hell experienced by gay officers inside the LAPD was made public when Mitch Grobeson filed his famous lawsuit in 1988, describing harassment and being left without back up in a dangerous situation. Gay attorney Jon Davidson, now Legal Director for Lambda Legal, made sure Grobeson and other gays testified before Christopher Commission about the harassment they faced under Gate’s command – and the abuse the LGBT community suffered at the hand of LAPD cops. One interesting point from the Christopher Commission Report – which Gates threw down and stomped on – was this little tidbit: one of the Mobile Digital Transmissions (MDTs) referred to gays as “NHI” – “No Human Involved.”
Read Ocamb's exhaustive recounting of Gates' career. It's a fascinating look at the evolution of gay-police relations in Los Angeles.

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Eurovision: Ireland's Niamh Kavanagh

I prefer the over-the-top cheesy glitz of most Eurovision entries, but as power ballads go, this one is pretty good. (Despite a tiny hint of Titanic-ness.)

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Ipad Banned In Israel

The Israeli government has banned Apple's iPad, saying its wireless signal is too strong and could interfere with devices that operate at a lower power.
The Ministry of Communications said the ban was instituted earlier this week because the iPad's Wi-Fi wireless technology was built to the U.S. standard, which allows stronger signals than those allowed in Europe and Israel. "This device's wireless strengths violate Israeli law and will overpower other wireless devices in Israel," ministry spokesman Yechiel Shavi said. Mr. Shavi said once Apple releases a version of the device built according to European wireless specifications, the ban will be reversed. An Apple spokeswoman said the "iPad complies with international industry standards for Wi-Fi specifications." The decision has left many scratching their heads. Travelers have been bringing laptops and cellphones configured to U.S. standards, including other Apple devices with the same wireless configuration, into Israel for years without incident. Some Israeli lawmakers alleged on Friday the decision undermines Israel's status as a global leader in the high-tech industry.
Industry experts say the iPad's wi-fi signal is actually weaker than comparable devices already sold in Israel.

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Multiple Felon Drug Trafficker Calls President Obama "Anti-American"

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Craig Lowe Wins Recount In Gainesville

The Gainesville Sun reports that openly gay mayoral candidate Craig Lowe has won the vote recount from Tuesday's election. Lowe's narrow 25-vote win triggered the recount. His final margin was 42 votes. Lowe's campaign had been plagued by repulsive anti-gay rhetoric from Christian groups, including from one local church that's had its tax-exempt status challenged because of its "No Homo Mayor" signage.

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Bryan Safi: On Gays & Proms

Current TV host Bryan Safi tears into the Constance McMillen story.

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Big Brother: School Took Thousands Of Photos Inside Students' Homes

Remember the Pennsylvania high school accused of spying on its students via their their laptop webcams?
Student Blake Robbins says Lower Merion School District officials secretly activated the webcams and captured him sleeping in bed and partly undressed. They say the school also took screen shots of instant messages he exchanged with friends. And his lawyer says they have evidence the school captured thousands of screenshots and webcam images, many taken inside students' homes. The district admits it made mistakes in activating the webcams to locate missing laptops. But officials insist they have no evidence employees used the software program improperly.
Lawyers from both sides are meeting today.

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Gluteal Cleft Shield

First it was elective rectal cleansing, now it's coin-slot protection. Fashionista reports getting the following email.
I am the designer of a product called the Backtacular gluteal cleft shield. It’s a hypoallergenic adhesive patch that is applied directly to the skin above the gluteal cleft area of the buttocks. The patch is made of denim with a rhine stone and/or rhine stud design. The product stops gluteal cleft exposure when wearing low rise apparel. The picture of Jennifer Garner below is courtesy of the TMZ ” Crack Is Wack” section of the TMZ website. The Backtacular Gluteal cleft patch is patent and trademark pending. I would appreciate your consideration in taking my company on as a client.
Check out the site if you'd like a bedazzled crack. I guess that's better than being vajazzled.

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Your Daily Minute Of Crazy

Rep. Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann (R-Pluto) says the federal government owns 51% of the private economy.

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San Francisco AIDS Groups Get $140K From Estate Of Disco Legend Sylvester

The Bay Area Reporter notes that two San Francisco-based AIDS relief agencies are sharing $140,000 in music royalties from the estate of the late disco diva Sylvester. Matthew Bajko reports:
Twenty-one years after the death of Sylvester James, a flamboyant and openly gay disco superstar from San Francisco, his music is now profiting two local agencies that serve people living with HIV and AIDS. James died December 16, 1988 at the age of 41 from complications due to AIDS. But it wasn't until last week that the AIDS Emergency Fund and Project Open Hand split a check from the drag performer's estate totaling nearly $140,000. "When I came into this job seven and a half years ago, I inherited three bankers' boxes filled with all of the early records from Sylvester's estate. The documents were page after page of all the financial records of his estate, which clearly showed tremendous amounts of debt and no clear path to having them paid off," said Mike Smith, executive director of the AIDS Emergency Fund. "AEF never expected this estate to pay out the way it just has."
Shortly before his death Sylvester had bequeathed his future royalties to local AIDS groups, but as he died deeply in debt there was no money to distribute until the late 90s. Once his advances were repaid, his early-career label Fantasy Records then kept the money in an account until its proper recipient could be legally determined. The advent of iTunes and the recent usage of Sylvester's music in movies means that more money will be coming. Project Open Hand reports that their 25% share of the first distribution will buy 13,000 meals for people with AIDS. Sylvester would be thrilled.

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Grayson: Don't Privatize Space Program

Rep. Alan Grayson opposes the president's plan to dismantle the space program and turn future endeavors over to private industry. Grayson's congressional district in Central Florida doesn't include the Kennedy Space Center, but many space industry employees live in and around Orlando.

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Today: GLSEN's Day Of Silence

Today is GLSEN's national annual Day Of Silence in which students draw attention to anti-gay bullying by pledging to remain silent at school (except during class when required.) GLSEN is asking to students to Tweet The Silence to remind others. Anti-gay groups have called for Christian students to walk out of class today in an effort to punish participating schools financially.
"Every child that stays home on Friday in protest will take almost $100, in California at least, from the government school system in the form of ADA -- average daily attendance funds," (Save California's Randy Thomasson] explains. "We think that's appropriate punishment for a school district that allows homosexual indoctrination of children." He adds that it is the only type of lesson to be learned for public schools which value money much more than morality. Other groups calling for parents to keep their children at home as a protest of the Day of Silence include the American Family Association and the Illinois Family Institute.

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AIDS Healthcare Sues Porn Agents For Allowing Clients To Bareback

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Los Angeles is suing nine porn actors' agencies for letting their clients bareback in movies. The lawsuit was filed with the California labor commissioner.
“These talent agencies are a pipeline for the procurement of young people for the adult film industry,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “It is reckless for these agents to jeopardize the health of their clients by encouraging and profiting from the unsafe, potentially life-threatening behavior of the models and performers they represent. Many of these agents are callous enough to describe the unprotected sexual acts their clients will engage in on a checklist on their websites as cavalierly as if one was ordering off a menu in a restaurant. We are asking the California Labor Commissioner to investigate and crack down on the illegal behavior of these state-licensed agencies.” The talent agencies targeted in AHF’s labor commission complaints include: A List Media; ATMLA; Gold Star Modeling; LA Direct Models; Lisa Ann’s Talent Management; Metro Talent Management; Spiegler Girls; Type 9 Models, Inc. and World Modeling. The agencies represent anywhere from approximately 30 to as many as 140 models and performers each, with a mix of male and female performers, however far more female performers appear on each website.
Weinstein told reporters: "If there were a construction employment agency, they couldn't say John Doe is available to dangle 100 feet over the ground without a harness. That would be shut down instantaneously."

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Top 40 Radio Teen Advice Host Says He'll End Partnership With Exodus

Only a few days after learning that nationally syndicated radio advice host Dawson McCallister was directing sexually questioning teens to the "ex-gay" group Exodus International, the NGLTF reports that Clear Channel has pressured him to end the practice. Clear Channel's statement:
Although Clear Channel, its Premiere Radio Networks and its radio stations are not involved in the operation of the Hopeline or the Association, we were concerned about how listener calls to the Hopeline that discussed sexuality were addressed and referrals callers were given to third parties. Clear Channel has a history of making significant commitments to diversity within our own company, and has been honored by the Human Rights Campaign for its policies regarding GLBT employees and business partners. After looking into this matter, we expressed to the producers of Dawson McAllister Live that Clear Channel listeners who call the Hopeline be treated in a manner consistent with our corporate commitments to diversity. As a result of those discussions, the Dawson McAllister Association has reviewed its training for Hopeline volunteers and will remove the Exodus organization from its referral system and remove links to Exodus from its website.
Excellent response and fast action by both the Task Force and Clear Channel. Now let's see if McCallister and his people really stop.

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Rachel Maddow Mixes It Up For You


In honor of yesterday's date, Rachel Maddow devoted a segment to the proper making of a champagne cocktail and a Manhattan. Apparently the Great Bitters Shortage of '09 is at last over.

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NOM Goes After NH Gov. John Lynch

NOM is campaigning against the reelection of New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, claiming "he lied" about opposing same-sex marriage. Lynch did sign his state's marriage equality bill last June, but only after insisting upon and getting new wording that specifically exempted churches performing same-sex ceremonies if they didn't want to.

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April 22nd: LGBT Leadership Town Hall

SiriusXM radio host Michelangelo Signorile will host a national LGBT leadership town hall in Washington DC on Thursday, April 22nd. The show will aired live nationally.

The Panel:
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force executive director Rea Carey; Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese;National Center for Transgender Equality executive director Mara Keisling; Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis; former Clinton White House adviser on gay rights Richard Socarides and blogger and activist Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend.

When:
Thursday, April 22, 2-4 ET, Sirius 109, XM 98.

Where: XM studios, Washington DC. (Listeners can enter a drawing to win tickets to be part of our studio audience, must be in by Friday at the end of the day to win). Will be aired live on The Michelangelo Signorile Show, 2-4 ET, Sirius 109, XM 98 and streamed online.


Signorile reports that activists David Mixner and GetEQUAL's Robin McGehee will be among the special guests asking questions from the studio audience. Solmonese vs. McGehee, that should be very interesting.

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Taxes At Lowest Level In 60 Years

The truth about taxes is something that the teabaggers either won't believe or deliberately lie about.
Despite big tax cuts included last year's economic stimulus package, the latest CBS News/New York Times poll finds that as many as 34% of Americans think President Obama raised their taxes. William Gale, head of the Tax Policy Center at the Brookings Institution, tells CBS News that federal taxes are actually "at their lowest levels in 60 years." Said Gale: "The relation between what is said in the tax debate and what is true about tax policy is often quite tenuous. The rise of the Tea Party at at time when taxes are literally at their lowest in decades is really hard to understand."
Oh, I don't think it's so hard to understand.

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16 Senate Dems Uncommitted On ENDA

The long overdue vote on ENDA does appear to be coming, but support is lacking in the Senate where 16 Democrats have not signed on as co-sponsors. DC Agenda reports:
As of this week, there were 45 Senate co-sponsors of ENDA, along with chief sponsor Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), bringing the total committed votes to 46. Of the 46, 42 are Democrats and two are independents. Maine senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are the only Senate Republicans that have signed on as co-sponsors. Thirty-nine Republican senators have declined to co-sponsor the bill compared to the 16 Democrats who chose not to become a co-sponsor. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) signed on as a co-sponsor on March 10, reducing the number of uncommitted Democrats from 17 to 16. For the first of a series of reports on the Democratic senators uncommitted on ENDA, DC Agenda contacted experts and activists in the states that five of those senators represent, seeking to assess how they would vote if the measure reaches the Senate floor sometime this year. The five senators include Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Thomas Carper (D-Del.), Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), and Clare McCaskill (D-Mo.). Spokespeople for the five did not return calls this week seeking to determine their position on ENDA.
Things look better in the House, where 199 reps (of the needed 216) have signed on as co-sponsors. In 2007 a trans-exclusive version of ENDA passed easily in the House with 35 Republicans on board, but was never voted upon by the Senate. The current version of the bill IS trans-inclusive.

ACTION: Call your Congressional representatives TODAY and request their support on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. In the Senate, the bill is S.1584. (Direct phone numbers here.) In the House, it's HR 3017. (Direct phone numbers here.) The main Congressional switchboard number: 202.224.3121.

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CNN On Obama's Hospital Ruling

President Obama's hospital visitation rights order late yesterday was heavily covered by the networks. Last night Anderson Cooper hosted Janice Langbern, whose story about being blocked from seeing her partner in a Miami hospital made national news. Obama called Langbern yesterday shortly before his order became public and apologized for the manner is which she and her late partner had been treated.

(Via - Towleroad)

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Game Station Owns Your Soul

Video game retailer Game Station conducted a little experiment to see who really reads the terms and conditions on their site.
The "Immortal Soul Clause" was added as part of an attempt to highlight how few customers read the terms and conditions of an online sale. GameStation claims that 88 percent of customers did not read the clause, which gives legal ownership of the customer's soul over to the UK-based games retailer. The remaining 12 percent of customers however did notice the clause and clicked the relevant opt-out box, netting themselves a £5 GBP gift voucher in the process. GameStation executives are now assuring all customers that they are not enforcing the Immortal Soul Clause and will be contacting customers via email with a notice of nullification - phew!
The company says 7500 customers fell for the gag, which began on April Fool's Day.

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Teabagging For Jesus

YouTube religion satirist Edward Current takes on the teabaggers.

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HomoClimbtastic

Every week I get at least a hundred requests to help promote some event. Of course, I can rarely oblige and usually do so only if it's something I'm attending myself. But the name and logo of the above rock climbing group amused me, so here goes.
HomoClimbtastic returns to the New River Gorge for four extraordinary days (July 15-18) of climbing and homo-socializing in the mountains of West Virginia.The New River Gorge is one of the premier sport/trad climbing areas in North America, with more than 2,500 established routes on beautiful white, orange, and purple sandstone walls. The NRG is located in Fayetteville, WV, although climbing areas extend along Hwy 19 to Summersville Lake and along the Meadow River.
Facebook event page here. Anybody JMG-reading rock climbers out there?

A Case Of Gay Senior Abuse

Here's a timely story in light of last night's hospital directive from President Obama. The National Center for Lesbian Rights is helping out in the case of two gay seniors, one of whom has since died, after the two were kept apart when one was hospitalized. The case report is heartbreaking.
Ignoring Clay’s significant role in Harold’s life, the county continued to treat Harold like he had no family and went to court seeking the power to make financial decisions on his behalf. Outrageously, the county represented to the judge that Clay was merely Harold’s “roommate.” The court denied their efforts, but did grant the county limited access to one of Harold’s bank accounts to pay for his care.

What happened next is even more chilling: without authority, without determining the value of Clay and Harold’s possessions accumulated over the course of their 20 years together or making any effort to determine which items belonged to whom, the county took everything Harold and Clay owned and auctioned off all of their belongings. Adding further insult to grave injury, the county removed Clay from his home and confined him to a nursing home against his will. The county workers then terminated Clay and Harold's lease and surrendered the home they had shared for many years to the landlord.

Three months after he was hospitalized, Harold died in the nursing home. Because of the county’s actions, Clay missed the final months he should have had with his partner of 20 years. Compounding this tragedy, Clay has literally nothing left of the home he had shared with Harold or the life he was living up until the day that Harold fell, because he has been unable to recover any of his property. The only memento Clay has is a photo album that Harold painstakingly put together for Clay during the last three months of his life.
A trial has been set to begin in July in Sonoma Country, California.

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Crack Is Whack

After Whitney Houston's disastrous concert in Birmingham, England on Tuesday, some fans demanded ticket refunds amid rumors that the diva is again struggling with a drug problem.
According to reports, Houston performed so ineptly during her two-hour stint Tuesday night that fans began to boo — and some, who paid upward of $200 for a ticket, told local outlets they wanted their money back. Their biggest source of ire: After singing for barely 20 minutes, Houston disappeared for a 20-minute break as her backup singers performed renditions of "Queen of the Night" and "For the Love of You." Soon after, the audience was treated to Houston's smash hit "One Moment in Time" — in a pre-recorded video montage. This was all before Miss Houston began to slaughter "I Will Always Love You": Her attempt at the award-winning ballad is currently drawing ridicule on YouTube. "It was a con, a ripoff. It wasn't a concert," said one angry fan. Added another: "She kept the crowd waiting for ages after every song, and all she did was talk to stop her from having to sing. I was so looking forward to it, but I appeared to have wasted [my money]." Critics weren't kind, either: By Wednesday morning, British Web sites and newspapers were calling the 46-year-old's performance everything from "horrendous" to "appalling."
Houston earned similarly scathing reviews last month when she toured Australia. Here's the clip from Birmingham, cover your ears.

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Broadway Friday

-Daniel Radcliffe will star in the 2011 revival of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Radcliffe received positive notice in 2008's production of Equus, but has not yet performed in a Broadway musical. Matthew Broderick won the Tony in the same role in 1995.

-The NFL makes its first foray into Broadway as a promoter of the upcoming Lombardi, a show about legendary coach Vince Lombardi. Dan Lauria of The Wonder Years will star in the title role.

-Monday, May 3rd, Rep. Barney Frank will join the cast of The Temperamentals for a post-show chat on stage. Ugly Betty's Michael Urie co-stars in this telling of the formation of the early gay rights group, The Mattachine Society.

-South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have announced plans for a musical Latter Day Saints spoof tentatively titled The Book Of Mormon. The show is set to open in March 2011 and OMG Cheyenne Jackson will star.

-Dances With Wolves: The Musical. SRSLY.

-The Ali Forney Center's annual Broadway Beauty Pageant takes place Monday, April 19th at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side. Get tickets here.

VIDEO: Here's the new ad for Come Fly Away. Dancer and actor unions are presently warring over who should administer the show. The dancers union says the show, which features the recorded vocals of Frank Sinatra, has "no narrative thread," meaning it is strictly a dance show and therefore under their purview.

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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Obama Mandates Hospital Visitation Rights For LGBT Couples

President Obama tonight ordered the Department of Health & Human Services to prohibit hospitals from discriminating against LGBT couples when it comes to visitations rights.
Administration officials and gay activists, who have been quietly working together on the issue, said the new rule will affect any hospital that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding, a move that covers the vast majority of the nation's health-care institutions. It is currently common policy in many hospitals that only those related by blood or marriage be allowed to visit patients. "Discrimination touches every facet of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, including at times of crisis and illness, when we need our loved ones with us more than ever," Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in praising the decision. Obama's actions are the latest attempt by his administration to advance the agenda of a constituency that strongly supported his presidential campaign.
It's not yet clear how gay couples will establish the validity of their relationships to hospitals, as most do not yet have one that is legally recognized. A side effect to this otherwise very welcome move by the president is that it removes one of the most compelling arguments for marriage equality.

UPDATE: Here's the wording from the first section of the order. "Legally valid advance directives" will be required, apparently.
Initiate appropriate rulemaking, pursuant to your authority under 42 U.S.C. 1395x and other relevant provisions of law, to ensure that hospitals that participate in Medicare or Medicaid respect the rights of patients to designate visitors. It should be made clear that designated visitors, including individuals designated by legally valid advance directives (such as durable powers of attorney and health care proxies), should enjoy visitation privileges that are no more restrictive than those that immediate family members enjoy. You should also provide that participating hospitals may not deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The rulemaking should take into account the need for hospitals to restrict visitation in medically appropriate circumstances as well as the clinical decisions that medical professionals make about a patient's care or treatment.

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Estelle Shouts-Out To JMG

Grammy and Brit Award winner Estelle sends us a shout-out, followed by the video for her latest single Freak. Estelle's 2008 smash American Boy was a top ten hit all over the world, reaching #1 in her native UK. This weekend she headlines at Miami Pride. Download Estelle's latest here.

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Hung, On The Cross

Crooks And Liars tips us to a controversy in suburban Oklahoma City, where parishioners at a Catholic church are swelling in anger over a seemingly very well hung Jesus.
Critics of the crucifix take issue with what appears to be a large penis covering Jesus’ abdominal area. Seeton said the portion of the crucifix in question is meant to be Jesus’ abdomen "showing distension” — not a penis. Seeton said, "I’ve had people who have vocally said that that’s what they see there. I’ve had people who have been just as vocal who said that’s not what they’re seeing there.” Janet Jaime, a local iconography artist who designed the crucifix, had no comment. "I think it was painted according to the certain specific rules of iconography and church art,” Seeton said of the crucifix. The crucifix is about 10 feet tall. It has been hanging above the altar since Feb. 21.
Some have quit the parish over the girthy Jesus. The 12th century crucifix upon which the Oklahoma item was modeled hangs slightly to the left in Assisi, Italy.

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Suicidal Statuary

The NYPD rushed to the Empire State Building yesterday after getting reports of a man about to jump off the 24th floor setback. The "man" was actually a statue that is part of the citywide "Event Horizon" installation by artist Antony Gormley, whose statues caused a similar suicide-y ruckus in London three years ago. None of the other ledges and rooftops hosting the statues in NYC are as closely associated with suicide as the ESB. The NYPD is highly unamused.
Police sources say the scourge has led to daily 911 calls that distract operators from assisting in real emergencies. "It's a pain in the ass," said one officer of the art project. "It's a waste of manpower. We're short cops to begin with and we don't have enough cops to waste answering calls of statues committing suicide." The cop's frustration was shared by dumbfounded Empire State Building staff. They couldn't figure out why management would allow a statue to be placed on a building so notorious for suicides that some believed it inspired the term "86'd" -- because people jump off the 86th-floor observation deck. Six people have jumped from the building in the last 10 years, and 34 since the building opened in 1931.
Empire State officials say they plan to leave the statue where it is, despite complaints from the police. Critics expressed concern that all the mistaken calls about the ledge-riding statues might slow the police from rushing to a real jumper's aid. Just last week a young man hurled himself from the 86th floor of the ESB.

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Eurovision 2010: Greece's Giorgos Alkaios

Eurovision just posted this beefcake-y performance clip from Greece's entry, Giorgos Alkaios & Friends. We like the friends. Giorgos ain't too shabby either.

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This Saturday: Furball NYC

This Saturday, April 17th, Furball returns to Dance 208 at the NYC LGBT Community Center.
Let the fur fly! The Furball is a celebration of everything furry and fuzzy. Dance:208 the biweekly dance party/fundraiser for the NYC LGBT Community Center presents the infamous NYC fur attack--Furball! Furball, usually taking place in November and May, is a multi-level furry dance party that takes over the LGBT Center in NYC at 208 West 13th Street. Hosted by Joe Fiore and sponsored by Mark Nelson Events, Max Scott Productions, Will Clark World, NY Metrobears, Bear Cafe, Bear411, bearwww. The Complete Bear, A Bear's Life, Mark Thomas Hotel. Cheap beer! Cheap men! Good sounds! Go-go bears! Two dancefloors! Over 800 of your furry friends from around the world! What are you waiting for?
Facebook event page here. Always an amazing night. Can this post count as the Bear Of The Day entry?

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Justice Stephen Breyer: Health Care Reform May End Up Before SCOTUS

Breyer's comment was announced from the podium of the teabagger rally in Washington DC today. The crowd responded with an enormous roar of approval.

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On Christian Terrorism

Alternet today features a lengthy essay on the rise of Christian terrorism seen recently via the murders of abortion providers and the resurgence of heavily armed Christian militias.
Christian terrorism has returned to America with a vengeance. And it is not just [Dr. Tiller's murderer] Roeder. When members of the Hutaree militia in Michigan and Ohio recently were arrested with plans to kill a random policeman and then plant Improvised Explosive Devices in the area where the funeral would be held to kill hundreds more, this was a terrorist plot of the sort that would impress Shi’ite militia and al Qaeda activists in Iraq. The Southern Poverty Law Center, founded by Morris Dees, which has closely watched the rise of right-wing extremism in this country for many decades, declares that threats and incidents of right-wing violence have risen 200% in this past year—unfortunately coinciding with the tenure of the first African-American president in US history. When Chip Berlet, one of this country’s best monitors of right-wing extremism, warned in a perceptive essay last week on RD that the hostile right-wing political climate in this country has created the groundwork for a demonic new form of violence and terrorism, I fear that he is correct.
Read the entire scary piece.

(Tipped by JMG reader Jimmy)

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Meteor Lights Up Midwest

JMG reader Paul in Minnesota tips us to the below image of a meteor exploding into the atmosphere over the midwest last night. The fireball was visible from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, northern Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Its path was caught by Doppler radar at the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities region.

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At DC's Teabagger Rally

JMG reader Albert braved the teabagger rally in DC today and sends us these photos. Looks like one of them there infiltrators snuck in.

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How To Print From Your iPad

(Via - Engadget)

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Seattle Glee Flash Mob

Yeah, yeah, I recently ragged on flash mobs as so ovah, but this one was created by a gay PR firm in Seattle to promote Glee, so I guess it gets a pass. One Degree Events also promotes Seattle's Pride Fest.

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The Next Step In Internet Lovin'

You just know the internet porn industry has got their eyes on this one.
Hong Kong scientists have developed a robotic hand that allows people talking over the web to experience the sensation of touching each other — even feeling the strength of a handshake. The cyber hand can grip and shake as well as make the signs for OK and 'V' for victory. Professor Liu Yunhui, who led researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said: "At this moment the function is not perfect and it can't copy exactly, partly because the robot hand is different from the human hand in terms of the degree of freedom of movement it has.
I give it three years before cyberhands are a basic feature of hookup sites. Maybe sooner. The above rudimentary model goes on sale at the end of this year at the startlingly low price of $35.

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Bigots Agree: We Don't Want A Damned Queer On The Supreme Court

As the president considers the list of potential replacements for retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, anti-gay groups are issuing hysterical warnings that he better not pick a goddamn queer.

Focus On The Family:
Our concern at the Supreme Court is judicial philosophy. Sexual orientation only becomes an issue if it effects their judging. If someone says, `I don’t care what the law says, on the next case involving sexual orientation, I’m going to decide the case in favor of the openly gay party,’ that would be a breach of judicial duty.
American Family Association:
If we elevate an open homosexual to the Supreme Court, we will be elevating someone who freely admits that he (generic use) engages routinely in behavior that was still a felony in every state in the Union as recently as 1962 and a felony in the other 49 states until 1972. Sodomy is still a felony in the criminal code of about a dozen states. The Lawrence decision of 2003, an egregious act of judicial activism, prohibited enforcement of these laws, but the fact remains that 25% of the states in the Union still regard it as criminal behavior. We simply should not elevate to the highest court in the land people who are known for engaging in sexually abnormal behavior which would technically make them felons in a quarter of the states over which they will have jurisdiction.
AFA radio host Bryan Fischer concludes:
With an active homosexual on the bench, Lady Justice will no longer even pretend to be blind. She will be peeking out from under her blindfold to determine the sexual preference of those standing before her, then will let the fold slip back into place before ruling in every case to legitimize sexual deviancy. Bottom line: the American ideal of absolute equality before the law will inevitably be shredded by a homosexual judge. Neither the Constitution nor the American people should be subjected to that kind of judicial malpractice. We can and should expect more from those who occupy seats on the highest bench in the land.
All this before they even know who the nominee may be.

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Sean Hannity Is OUTRAGED About The Teabagger Infiltrators

And he brings on two "redneck radio" hosts to complain.

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Google Earth: NYC In 3-D

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J.K. Rowling Wants To Pay Her Share

Unlike many of Britain's uber-wealthy, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling isn't dodging her taxes by setting up a home in another country.
I chose to remain a domiciled taxpayer for a couple of reasons. The main one was that I wanted my children to grow up where I grew up, to have proper roots in a culture as old and magnificent as Britain’s. A second reason, however, was that I am indebted to the British welfare state; the very one that Mr Cameron would like to replace with charity handouts. When my life hit rock bottom, that safety net, threadbare though it had become under John Major’s Government, was there to break the fall. I cannot help feeling, therefore, that it would have been contemptible to scarper for the West Indies at the first sniff of a seven-figure royalty cheque. This, if you like, is my notion of patriotism.
Yes, that IS a notion of patriotism that we like.

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Cameraman Incident Roils Australia

An Australian network television reporter chased down a father and son leaving a courthouse appearance, refusing their repeated requests to leave them alone and eventually calling one of them a "fucking terrorist." Because they were Muslim, of course. The incident has caused a national outcry about journalistic ethics. The son had been accused of inciting a bar fight, but he was later cleared of the charges. Below, Australia's somber Media Watch program covers the story. Wait for the son's meltdown when he finally confronts the cameraman, who has since been fired. Outraged Aussie commenters weigh in at the above link.

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PhoboQuotable - Andrea Lafferty

"Every state will be forced to make cross-dressers, drag queens, transsexuals, and she-males (male-female hybrids) into protected classes. Therefore, every school district in America will be forbidden by law to reassign any she-male teacher because this would be considered 'discrimination.' Thus, children will be trapped in classes taught by men who dress as women, and students will be indoctrinated to affirm that this is normal behavior.

"Children need a stable and secure environment in which to learn. ENDA threatens that. Our nation's children will be victims of ENDA. All too often I hear, 'Hey, my kids are in a Christian school' or 'My kids are home schooled so this won't affect me.' The reality is that an estimated 90+ percent of Christian kids attend public school in the United States. ENDA will impact these children in devastating ways." - Traditional Values Coalition executive director Andrea Lafferty, writing for the American Family Association's OneNewsNow to rally support for TVC's ENDA Hurts Kids campaign.

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Poisonous Veggieburgers?

Mother Jones reports that some brands of veggieburgers contain a poisonous neurotoxin.
In order to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers, manufacturers of soy-based fake meat like to make their products have as little fat as possible. The cheapest way to do this is by submerging soybeans in a bath of hexane to separate the oil from the protein. Says Cornucopia Institute senior researcher Charlotte Vallaeys, "If a non-organic product contains a soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, or texturized vegetable protein, you can be pretty sure it was made using soy beans that were made with hexane." If you've heard about hexane before, it was likely in the context of gasoline—the air pollutant is also a byproduct of gas refining. But in 2007, grain processors were responsible for two-thirds of our national hexane emissions. Hexane is hazardous in the factory, too: Workers who have been exposed to it have developed both skin and nervous system disorders. Troubling, then, that the FDA does not monitor or regulate hexane residue in foods. More worrisome still: According to the report, "Nearly every major ingredient in conventional soy-based infant formula is hexane extracted."
Hit the link for the brands that have hexane in them. The one brand I can bear, Boca Burger, is on the list, of course.

UPDATE: Readers point to this Boing Boing story debunking the Mother Jones piece. Does this mean I can go back to enjoying my delicious Boca Burgers? Mmmm, hexaney.

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Boldly Going To A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Openly gay Intrepid Air & Space Museum director Bill White is asking fans of Star Wars and Star Trek to put down their phasers and light sabers and appear today in full costume at an event to rally support for the campaign to get a decommissioned space shuttle added to the collection of historic vehicles displayed on the deck of the aircraft carrier Intrepid in Manhattan. At this writing, Klingons and storm troopers are gathering in Grand Central.

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Quote Of The Day - Anthony Weiner

"Every single moment that we are stroking our beards and gazing at our navel and thinking about the world we’d like to be and singing ‘Kumbaya’ is another day we’re not punching Bill O’Reilly in the nose. I follow Twitter for the Tea Party and just show up to fuck with them. No, I don’t do that. I just sit at my desk and they send me talcum powder every couple of weeks." - Rep. Anthony Weiner, telling jokes from the DJ booth of a Lower East Side bar. Weiner used to be Jon Stewart's roommate, which explains a lot.

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David Mixner's 20 Most Powerful Lesbians

For those you who have issues with yesterday Out Power 50 list, former Clinton White House adviser David Mixner has his own list of the 20 most powerful lesbians in politics. Mixner's top ten: Rachel Maddow, Tammy Baldwin, Hilary Rosen, Pam Spaulding, Randi Weingarten, Christine Quinn, Annise Parker, Rea Carey, Urvashi Vaid, Dr. Marjorie Hill. Hit the link for the complete list and Mixner's explanations.

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Photo Of The Day - Fake Brownstone

Curbed discovered that the above brownstone in Brooklyn Heights is actually a secret emergency exit for the subway. An open secret to BH-locals perhaps, but cool to me. NYC is full of subway secrets like this.

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Teabaggers Shun Orly Taitz

Tea Party organizers in California have disinvited Orly Taitz from their rallies this week because nobody wants to be seen on the same stage with her loony ass.
“We hadn’t done our research,’’ said Bridget Melson, who is organizing the rally in Pleasanton, which has one of the larger Tea Party groups in the states. “When some of the more defamatory comments she was making came out we realized that wasn’t what the Tea Party was about.’’ Taitz, a Laguna Niguel lawyer, has received national attention for her crusade to prove that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. She has had her lawsuits tossed out of court and was fined …$20,000 for filing frivolous ones. In a phone interview with her Thursday morning, Taitz, who is a candidate in the GOP primary for secretary of state, said she will be at the Pleasanton event and two other Tea Party rallies upstate. “If they won’t let me speak from the stage, I will just be talking to people in the crowd,’’ she said. Taitz added that when she was asked to speak at this event “they were very aware of the fact that I had filed a number of legal actions questioning Obama’s legitimacy.’’
Man, when you're too crazy for the teabaggers, that there's some crazy.

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Tweet Of The Day - Mark Indelicato

Teen actor Mark Indelicato channels RuPaul in lamenting the end of Ugly Betty. If you saw last night's final episode, hit the comments.

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Whoopi Rips Huckabee Over Comments About Same-Sex Marriage

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Open Thread Thursday

The comments thread in yesterday's post about RuPaul's Drag Race revives a question asked in this space several years ago: What's your favorite drag name? Mine remain Rita Beads (for the youngins, here's why) and Peaches Christ, which is just as funny the millionth time you say it.

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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Taking Back "Teabagger"

Judging by this video, it appears some teabaggers have given up their lie that the term originated as a description of a "perverted gay sex practice" and are now proudly claiming the name. Watch it until the end.

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Generic Angry Slogan!

As I noted earlier today, fake teabaggers are infiltrating Tea Party rallies around the country. The above pranksters attended the Boston rally where Sarah Palin spoke. World Net Daily is displeased and has posted links to the fakers' Flickr accounts.

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Burned Rainbow Flag Hung Outside Of NYC LGBT Community Center

Staffers at the NYC LGBT Community Center in Manhattan's West Village found a burned and torn rainbow flag affixed to their front wall this morning. Executive director Glennda Testone:
"This morning our building staff arrived and discovered a burned rainbow flag hanging on one of the poster display cases outside our building. We called the NYPD, and they immediately dispatched detectives from the hate crimes unit and our local precinct. They are currently investigating the crime. We at the Center will not stand for anyone who thinks they can come into our community and try to intimidate us. We work hard to create a safe environment and provide a safe space for all LGBT New Yorkers. Hate and intolerance against us will not be accepted in New York, and it is so important the Center is a safe space in our city. It is sad that such incidents still happen in this day and age, but we appreciate the NYPD and especially the hate crimes unit doing everything they can to ensure the safety of all LGBT people in New York."
Testone reports that the perpetrator was captured on the Center's security camera, but she encourages anybody with additional information to call the NYPD at 1-800-577-TIPS.

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Every MOMA Painting In Two Minutes

Jen Carlson at Gothamist finds the greatest stuff.

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How Sexy Is Too Sexy For Gay Blogs?

Over at Mediaite, Michael Triplett has posted an interesting look into the editorial decisions of (mostly male) gay bloggers, who must carefully tread the line between hard news LGBT activism and the desire of some of their readers to see the occasional bit of beefcake. The column arises out off a feud between (now former) Bilerico blogger David Badash and the site's editor, Bil Browning, after Browning wrote a post about a porn site featuring Mormon men masturbating.
Open up almost any LGBT newspaper or click on almost any gay blog and you are going to see a little sex. Whether it’s shirtless models posing in underwear (or less), ads for sex chat lines, escort classifieds, or just regular advertising that features guys busting out of their tight shirts or jeans, sex is everywhere. And it helps keeps gay publications and blogs afloat. In addition, there is the added layer that sexuality is what unites its readership. Sexuality isn’t a dirty word for many LGBT media consumers and glorifying–even objectifying–sexuality isn’t problematic. In responding to Badash’s concerns, Browning conceded “[s]exy pictures always bring in viewers. I’m not ashamed of using that mentality to continue to bring new readers to one of the smartest, sharpest and controversial LGBT websites where you can talk openly about anything remotely queer.” Browning called the correlation between sexy posts, increased page views, and advertising impressions that lead to more income a “win-win” and that the content of the site was not lessened by a few posts that have a sexual content that appeal to gay men. Browning’s site is not all “boys in underwear” and porn links; far from it. With a large number of lesbian and transgender columnists, it reads more like a queer studies lecture than a porn-script. In fact, there are actually very few photographs visible on the site’s homepage.
Triplett points to Towleroad as an example of a site that frequently features shirtless hotties as post subjects, yet has the reputation (and resultant traffic) as the top LGBT news site in the nation. As longtime readers know, I've only very rarely gone the beefcake route, although I think it's totally fine within limits. (I should probably start a Bear Of The Day feature or something.) Sometimes I do worry that the banner ads, which I don't see until you do, might cross the line into NSFW and cause a reader some problems at the office, but the service is very responsive whenever I ask for a change.

Triplett makes the excellent point that comparable straight sites often feature at least as much skin or frank sexual language as the average gay news site, but appear to suffer little criticism for it. Is JMG too porn-ish? Do you tend to dismiss an LGBT activism site as non-serious if they occasionally veer into sexual imagery? Obviously, this is a decades-old dilemma for gay print, but a relatively recent issue for gay blogs which are mostly read at work. Like you are doing right now.

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