Streaker Flashes Live Weather Report

I only use the word "streaker" because that's what the media is calling this. But as anyone around during the 70's knows, streaking actually means leaving 100% of your clothes behind.

Buff Boys Love Bollywood

Apparently! According to YouTube comments, this clip has gone viral and is "much beloved" among Indians.

Bloomberg Updates Irene Plan

Just in case something terrible does happen, I'm trying not to be a douche about how overhyped this all this drama feels. We'll all know very soon.

Photo Of The Day

NYC To Begin Zone Rates For Taxis

With all of mass transit out of service, today New York City's Taxi & Limousine Commission ordered livery cabs and taxis to switch to a zoned fare system. Zoned fares begin tomorrow morning and metered rides will continue until then. Twitter users have already begun reporting major cab fare ripoffs since the subways closed down at noon. As in "$50 to go downtown."

Here's the PDF of the temporary rules.

New From Ron Paul

"Ron Paul, the one who can restore liberty. Ron Paul, the one who can beat Obama. Ron Paul, the one who can restore America NOW!"

Linda Harvey: Nobody Is Gay

"There’s one big fact that’s not backed up. There is no proof that there’s ever anything like a gay, lesbian or bisexual or transgendered child, or teen or human. One of the other things you’re gonna see as I mentioned is a big campaign GLSEN’s gonna roll out this year calling for 'respect,' respect! Not just for people, but for homosexual lifestyle. The PR campaign to hold up gay as a good thing: the lifestyle, not the person, because there are no such humans." - Hate group leader Linda Harvey, of Mission America.

Come On, Irene

Listen if you dare, but remember that if the power goes out you'll be stuck with an earworm and nothing to drive it out.

The Four Year-Old Preacher

Horrifying.

Rick Perry Signs NOM's Hate Pledge

Rick Perry has joined Frothy Mix, Crazy Eyes, and Magic Underpants in signing NOM's five-part vow to crush the civil rights of LGBT Americans if elected president.

"Kudos to Gov. Rick Perry for making it clear: he's a marriage champion!" cheered Brian Brown, president of NOM, in a statement. "The purpose of NOM's Marriage Pledge is to move from vague values statements to concrete actions to protect marriage." The NOM presidential to-do list includes amending the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage, nominating judges who say the Constitution doesn't guarantee marriage equality, and putting gay marriage up to a vote in the District of Columbia, where local lawmakers made it legal. Perry and the others also promise to fight for the Defense of Marriage Act in court — something President Obama isn't doing. By adding his name to the NOM pledge, Perry has also committed to create a "presidential commission on religious liberty" that would "investigate" Americans who oppose bans on gay marriage for supposed harassment of such measures' supporters.

Maddow Rips FL Gov. Rick Scott

Remember when FL Gov. Rick "Medicare Fraud" Scott mandated that all welfare applicants pass a drug test before receiving benefits? It turns out that so few applicants are failing the test, the entire program will cost much more than it saves. That's probably no concern for Scott's wife, who has a financial interest in one of the companies doing the testing.

This Is Why We Have Copy Editors

The Friendly Atheist chortles: "Bravo, McElroy Road Church of Christ. I know what you were getting at, but you inadvertently did our work for us. (Thanks for the free ad!) Not only are they telling us that god doesn’t exist (in a large font, no less), they’re also telling us to be skeptical of what we hear! I couldn’t have said it better myself."

And The Altar Boys Sighed In Relief

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan has granted the city's Catholics permission to miss Mass tomorrow.

"With all of our friends and neighbors here in the community we love, we in the Catholic family are united in prayer for protection from the impending storm, and eager to offer refuge and help to those who may be endangered or harmed. Catholics take Sunday Mass very seriously, but the Church never asks us to risk our health or safety to get to church on the Lord’s Day. Please be careful! Do not take any chance with your safety and health if things get dangerous."

Hinckle: We Just Talked About Baseball

Indiana state GOP Rep. Phillip Hinkle now claims that all his did was talk about baseball with the 18 year-old male hooker he hired "for a good time" via Craigslist. And he totally never got naked and made a grab for the kid's ass.

"These people," Hinkle said, "are lying through their teeth." Hinkle said that when Gibson got there they just talked about "baseball and the view," and that when Hinkle came out of the bathroom Gibson had left, and stole the money, the iPad and the Blackberry. "I went to the edge," Hinkle said, "but I didn't fall over the edge." "I got everything back but the iPad," Hinkle told the Star, "and quite frankly, if that makes them feel good, so be it." He noted that he won't be filing a police report. When asked why he arranged the encounter to begin with -- and why he used his public e-mail address -- Hinkle said. "I don't know. I'm telling you, I don't know." Hinkle told Matthew Tully of the Star: "Somewhere upstairs a button got pushed, and I want to know why. People keep asking: 'What were you thinking?' I honestly don't know. It's as simple as that." "I say that emphatically," Hinkle also said. "I'm not gay."

Uh huh. Totally not gay. That must be why his wife offered $10,000 in hush money to the hooker's sister, who spilled the beans to the press.

RELATED: Hinkle has a long record of voting against LGBT rights.

Quote Of The Day - Sinead O'Connor

"I’ve been repeatedly asked will I ‘do anal sex’. Let me make it very clear. Any man I contemplate has to be into anal sex. It was a family paper so they wudnt have printed it but let me now take time to make VERY clear that yes I ‘do anal’ and in fact I would be deeply unhappy if ‘doing anal’ wasn’t on the menu, amongst everything else. So if u don’t like ‘the difficult brown’. Don’t apply. I’ve had reasonable complaints from lesbians that they have been excluded. This was terribly remiss of me and I would now like to make it clear that women will also be very much considered." - Sinead O'Connor, writing on her personal site about her search for a lover.

FLORIDA: Anti-Gay Parents Testify In Support Of "Cesspool" Teacher

Shortly after the below school board meeting, teacher Jerry Buell was reinstated. The KKK had threatened to picket the school board if Buell didn't return to his classroom.

Joe Solmonese Stepping Down At HRC

Pam Spaulding has the big scoop that longtime Human Rights Campaign head Joe Solmonese will be stepping down at the end of the year.

His departure also signals, according to our source, the beginning of a larger staff shake-up in the HRC. The Blend can also report that a replacement executive director has been identified -- it will be someone who is not currently on the HRC's staff, but is currently a paid consultant that has worked with the civil rights group for some time. During his tenure, the Human Rights Campaign has become a bedrock institution that has played a role in successes -- a hate crimes law passed, the legislative repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- the extent of its leadership and success also depends on your point of view and knowledge of the back stories related to the hard work to make these gains happen. We can review and critique the effectiveness of Solmonese's tenure in the growth of the organization and political savvy in working with the Hill all day long, but it's time to think about the job his successor has in front of him/her.

Metro Weekly reporter Chris Geidner has confirmed Spaulding's report, but says Solmonese's replacement may not come in the way described: "Although Spaulding reported that 'a replacement executive director has been identified,' four sources familiar with the situation describe that portion of the report as inaccurate -- with one saying the process is just beginning and will not be rapid."

PUERTO RICO: Chair Of 2004 Dubya Campaign Busted Showing Hole On Grindr

Puerto Rico's Sen. Roberto Arango, who chaired the local 2004 campaign to reelect George W. Bush, has been found showing his anus (NSFW) on the gay hook-up site Grindr. Arango semi-acknowledges that the pics are of him, but says he was merely taking photos to show off his recent weight loss. IN HIS ANUS. Some images in the below clip, while blurred, may be NSFW. Prior to this scandal, Arango was mostly known for the ridicule he endured after publishing a grammatically disastrous letter demanding statehood for Puerto Rico because (among other reasons) so many fast food restaurants have outlets there.

UPDATE: A source tips us about Arango's anti-gay legislative history.

In 2009 he voted in favor of Resolution 99 which would have amended Puerto Rico's constitution to ban the recognition of same-sex marriages (it didn't pass). He has been opposed to civil union bills and in 2004 he used a rubber duck and made it quack to make fun of an opponent (in Puerto Rico, the word for duck, "pato", means faggot.)

UPDATE II: Spanish-speaking JMG readers tip us that the below clip feels somewhat homophobic in its intent. I'll replace it if another clip appears.

Hurricane Irene Bingo

(Via - Gothamist)

Darren Hayes - Black Out The Sun

From the openly gay former frontman for Savage Garden.

AFA: Whoops, We're Big Fat Liars

Without apology, the American Family Association has rescinded its ridiculous lie that the APA was considering "normalizing" pedophilia. This move follows a JMG post denouncing this lie and numerous JMG reader emails to the APA demanding action. However Matt Barber's press release on this nonsense has also been picked up by virtually every wingnut outlet, including World Net Daily, Townhall and others. But good work, JMG-ers!

NEW YORK: Cuomo Orders Complete MTA Shutdown At Noon Tomorrow, Bloomberg Calls For Mandatory Zone A Evacuation

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has ordered the complete shutdown of mass transit beginning at noon tomorrow. He also activated the state National Guard.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority, which provides transit services to New York City and its suburbs, will institute a system-wide shutdown starting after the final runs around noon on Saturday. The shutdown includes subways, buses, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and Access-A-Ride. Bridges in the region, as well as the state Thruway, may also close if wind speeds exceed 60 mph, Cuomo said. Those include the George Washington and Tappan Zee bridges and the other Hudson River bridges: Bear Mountain, Newburgh-Beacon, Mid-Hudson, Kingston-Rhinecliff, and Rip Van Winkle. Cuomo said the Thruway and possibly other major highways would be closed if sustained wind speeds exceed 60 mph.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has issued a mandatory evacuation order for Zone A, the most low-lying portions of the five boroughs. About 250,000 people live in Zone A.

He admitted, "We've never done a mandatory evacuation before. But this is a serious storm. We need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best," and warned, "This is very serious. Do not be fooled by the sun outside." Bloomberg said all residents need to be out by 5 p.m. tomorrow (8/27)—"If you can leave today, that would be helpful...At the moment the strongest winds are expected to arrive in the early evening tomorrow. It is expected to be a category 1 storm. The full brunt of the storm—if you are in its way—is a lot more powerful than any of us."

UPDATE: Bloomberg has expanded his mandatory evacuation order to include all of the Rockaways, which are in Zone B. No other Zone B areas have yet been mentioned.

Family Research Council: Anti-Gay Parents Denounce CA Education Bill

This is the second clip by the FRC on this topic today.

Tweet Of The Day - Matt Barber

Right Wing Watch notes that Liberty Counsel spokesbigot Matt Barber has joined the very recent flood of high-profile Christianists denying any knowledge of the dominionist movement, which claims that only Christians are authorized by God to run America's government, schools, and courts. Barber's tweet is rather laughable, considering that just last year the Liberty Counsel themselves hosted a conference titled Sovereignty and Dominion: Biblical Blueprints For Victory.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #82

1955's Giant starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson. Directed by George Stevens.

Church Sign Of The Day

This is actually an improvement over what the sign used to say. The pastor of this church is a viciously anti-gay douchebag whose YouTube channel is filled with lies about LGBT people.

From The Teabagger's Mailbox

The above image is being gleefully posted on wingnut forums such as Free Republic and Rush Limbaugh's equally fascist brother is tweeting it to all his followers. Nobody is mentioning that Obama's photo was taken while he was a senior majoring in political science at Columbia University. That's the Ivy League, teabaggers. And despite what the photo suggests, at age 22 Rick Perry was not some glory-drenched fighter pilot strafing Vietnamese civilians with napalm. He was a male cheerleader at Texas A&M. Ahem.

Irene From The Int'l Space Station

Just in from the ISS:

From 230 miles above the Earth, cameras on the International Space Station captured new views of powerful Hurricane Irene as it churned over the Bahamas on August 26, 2011. Irene is moving to the northwest as a Category 3 hurricane, packing winds of 120 miles an hour. Irene is expected to strengthen to a Category 4 storm as it heads toward the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Eastern Seaboard and the middle Atlantic and New England states.

Russia Today Rips NOM, Yehuda Levin

According to Wikipedia, Russia Today is now the second-most watched foreign news network in the United States, behind the BBC. This is a good example why.

Rodents Of Unusual Size

A maintenance worker at a Brooklyn housing project speared this three-foot rat after residents reported seeing several such behemoths darting around the complex. Rodent experts say these ROUS's are the Gambian pouched rat, which was once a popular pet until being banned after having been found to carry the monkeypox virus. Despite what some residents believe, the Gambian rat is genetically unable to breed with local rats and these discarded pets will simply vanish at the end of their life span. SO THEY SAY. There were more than one....

Nate Silver On Hurricane History

Statistics geek Nate Silver charts the rare history of hurricanes and tropical storms in the northeast. According to Silver, a direct hit from a Category 1 storm could cost New York City as much as $22 billion in economic damages.

Quote Of The Day - Jerry Buell

"I am a man of God and I try to be like Jesus every day. I teach God's truth, I make very few compromises. If you believe you may have a problem with that, get your schedule changed, 'cause I ain't changing! I try to teach and lead my students as if Lake Co. Schools had hired Jesus Christ himself." - A message to students from the syllabus of Florida public school teacher Jerry Buell, who was reinstated yesterday after the KKK threatened to protest the school board.

George Pataki Backs Down

Cold Star

I have no idea how to characterize this wonderfully weird clip, so let's just go with its YouTube description:

A boy experiences new desires while watching a man at an indoor swimming pool. Forced up the diving platform by a rowdy gang, he receives unexpected help. Cold Star is a mixture of short and music video. A hybrid, that connects the emotions of a short with beats and lyrics of music. The film is an appeal for acceptance of your own and others sexual identity.

UES Parking Rates

Last night Mayor Bloomberg said city residents should move their cars out of underground garages to "higher ground." To which everybody responded, "Yeah? Like where?" Anyway, this morning I noticed a long line of people waiting to get their cars out of the underground garage across the street and decided to snap a photo of their new rates.

Storm Surge

"According to New York City's Office of Emergency Management, the last hurricane to pass directly over the city was in 1821. The storm surge was so high that the city was flooded up to Canal Street." - Buzzfeed. Irene is now predicted to make landfall somewhere east of Queens. At high tide. Last night Mayor Bloomberg announced that any plan to evacuate NYC's Zone A would be made at 8am tomorrow. He added that city residents should expect that all mass transit (buses, subway, LIRR, PATH) will be out of service from Saturday evening until mid-day on Monday.

Irene Bonus Fun Fact: An MTA official speculated that heavy flooding "might drive millions of subway rats to seek higher ground." Oh, fantastic.

Tick-Tock

Remembering Jack Layton

Canada's 22 Minutes (which is sort of like the Daily Show) has posted a montage of amusing moments with the late LGBT ally Jack Layton.

Boy Scouts Boot Lesbian Mom

The Boy Scouts have booted Virginia mom Denise Steele from her position as den mother after the Christian sponsors of her son's troop discovered that Steele has been partnered with another woman for 19 years.

Phil Holliday, the executive pastor at Christian Fellowship Church and Esther Schaeffer, the charter organization representative, say they are simply following the rules. When a chartered partner agrees to sponsor a scouting unit, an annual charter agreement is signed, they explained. In the contract, they agree to provide a place for a meeting, select volunteer leaders and follow the policies and guidelines established by the Boy Scouts of America. “We are simply doing what we agreed to do in our charter,” Schaeffer said.

The scouting official who turned Steele in sent an email to one of her friends: "As her friend, this may be an opportunity for you to share with her about Christ’s love and the need to believe that as sinners we cannot get to heaven on our own and that we need a savior."

Perkins: California Plans To Indoctrinate Five Year Olds About Homosexuality

Apostrophe

(Source)

Jon Huntsman Vs. Rick Perry

"I live in the real world. I believe in science." Unlike others...

Brian Brown: Help! I'm Being Oppressed!

"You and I have always fought together under the banner of truth. Together, truth and love will prevail, as Maggie says. Not Truth without the love of God and our neighbor in our hearts. Nor a Love which is afraid to speak truth for fear of being labeled a bigot or a hater by those who wield scorn and hatred as a weapon to suppress the truth and those who speak it. They win by making us afraid to speak and to act for marriage in the public square. They can only win if they can get us to accept and internalize the second-class status they propose for us. To accept our own marginalization, to be quiet, to stand down and keep our heads down. To live in fear, instead of acting, with courage, out of hope. They do not know us. They do not know the One whom we know. - Brian Brown, completely abandoning the pretense that NOM is a secular organization.

Pay Attention

A public service message from NYC artist Jay Shells' "Metropolitan Etiquette Authority." More signs at the link.

No 2020 Olympics For NYC

New York was among the four American cities hoping to vie for the 2020 Summer Olympics, but this week the United States pulled entirely out of consideration, citing a long-running revenue sharing dispute with the International Olympic Committee.

The decision by the Olympic committee, made in advance of the Sept. 1 deadline to submit bid cities to the International Olympic Committee, was conveyed last weekend to the American cities considering bidding for the 2020 Olympics. Chicago, New York, Dallas and Las Vegas were among the cities that had shown interest. “We haven’t been engaged in the process and haven’t been focused on bidding at any point lately, so we just let the cities know that we aren’t going forward,” Patrick Sandusky, the spokesman for the U.S.O.C., said Monday in a telephone interview. “We couldn’t, in the time we had left, put together a bid that was fair and a bid that could win.”

Rome, Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul have all announced plans to bid for the 2020 Summer Games. That decision will be announced sometime in 2013.

Ladybird Barbarians Flash Mob

About a hundred gay barbarians performed a flash mob dance today outside of Ladybird Bachmann's "pray away the gay" clinic.

Robertson Doesn't Want To Get Weird

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t want to get weird on this so please take it for what it’s worth. But it seems to me the Washington Monument is a symbol of America’s power, it has been the symbol of our great nation, we look at that monument and say this is one nation under God. Now there’s a crack in it, there’s a crack in it and it’s closed up. Is that a sign from the Lord? Is that something that has significance or is it just result of an earthquake? You judge, but I just want to bring that to your attention. It seems to me symbolic. When Jesus was crucified and when he died the curtain in the Temple was rent from top to bottom and there was a tear and it was extremely symbolic, is this symbolic? You judge." - Escaped mental patient Pat Robertson.

If You Love Jeebus, Hand Me Cash

This witch won't let the room full of teenagers leave until they wave cash for Jeebus over their heads. "If you're giving an offering, that tells me that you love Jesus for REAL."

(Source)

CENSUS: America's Ten Gayest Cities

That is, gayest in terms of the percentage of self-identified same-sex couple households. I'm surprised that Wilton Manors is behind Provincetown, but that's probably due to migration to the recently popular-with-the-gays Oakland Park, which is next door and comes in at #10.

FLORIDA: Anti-Gay Teacher Reinstated After KKK Threatens School Board

Florida public school teacher Jerry Buell has been reinstated after a suspension following an anti-gay tirade on his personal Facebook page.

Lake County School District Superintendent Susan Moxley reinstated Mount Dora High School social studies teacher Jerry Buell after his controversial anti-gay postings on Facebook. "I'm excited about going back to school tomorrow," said Buell. The school board decided Buell did not violate the district's code of conduct when he allegedly posted a comment on his Facebook wall saying that gay marriages made him want to throw up. Sources close to the investigation told WFTV that the school board chose the easy way out. They say the board thought Buell had violated the rules, but didn't want to deal with a costly legal battle or backlash from the KKK, which had threatened to protest in front of the district headquarters. Buell missed the first three days of class because he was transferred to an administrative position during the investigation. The district said the former Teacher of The Year posted on his personal Facebook that same sex unions are a "cesspool," which make him want to throw up.

Buell says he plans to use his suspension in future lessons about the First Amendment.

TEXAS: More Sexual Allegations Against Rick Perry From Backer Of Anti-Perry Ad

Ron Paul supporter Robert Morrow appeared on Austin's Outcast radio show this week to make some pretty wild sexual allegations against Rick Perry, including a story about a visit to strip club. This is the guy who last week published a newspaper ad urging anybody who'd had sex with Perry to come forward.

Tony Perkins: Help! I'm Being Oppressed!

"They will not be satisfied until those who hold to a traditional, natural view of marriage are completely silenced. They are so intent on accomplishing this that anyone and everyone who would challenge them must be silenced. And we are seeing this in the media, and now we’re seeing this into the marketplace. It’s an effort to stigmatize, to marginalize and ultimately to cause people to self-censor. I don’t think you can look at homosexuality and what is taking place without examining the spiritual dynamics here. This is essentially man shaking his fist in the face of God and saying I don’t need you, that we will do it our way. It is the height of humanism." - Hate group leader, white supremacist, and KKK donor Tony Perkins, complaining about the Change.org campaign urging major corporations to abandon a Christianist re-seller site.

RELATED: The Christians Give Back Group site was founded by nutjob actor Stephen Baldwin and nutjob stage dad Michael Lohan (father of Lindsey.) Many major corporations populate the site and portions of purchases made through CGBG links go back to fund anti-gay hate groups like Focus On The Family and the Family Research Council. After several big defections from the site, the Catholic League this week issued a demand that no more companies bow to "homosexualist extremists."

Radical proponents of gay marriage have taken the culture war to the marketplace. Rejecting diversity and tolerance, these activists have declared an economic war against any organization that embraces the Judeo-Christian understanding of marriage. They are now contacting retailers asking them to withdraw their association with CGBG, the online charity support group that helps to channel money to various worthwhile organizations, maintaining that some of the recipients are Christian "hate groups." This is a lie.

An anti-Christian force, Change.org, funded by George Soros, is the forum for these activists. Among the groups they have set their sights on is the Family Research Council, led by Tony Perkins. Perkins is an eminently decent man and a leader in the evangelical community. If these extremists get their way, they will silence the Christian voice. Which is why the bullies must be defeated. Right now, Catholics need to let three major companies know of their need not to follow the dictates of these anti-Christian forces: Netflix, Walgreens and Petco. We are not asking them to jump into the culture war on our side; we simply ask that they remain neutral.

NYC Releases Evacuation Plan

No order to evacuate any part of NYC has been issued, but just in case, today Mayor Bloomberg's office released the above map of areas to skedaddle from, should the edict come. (Huge version here.) City beaches will likely be closed this weekend due to riptides, regardless of the storm's track. Airlines are reportedly making plans to reposition their aircraft away from the "most vulnerable airports," which will likely mean hundreds of canceled flights. Drama!

Sean Chapin - MLK Tribute

JMG regular Sean Chapin visited the site of Martin Luther King's assassination as part of this tribute video. The MLK memorial in DC is about to have its official opening.

We Are SO Broken Up, Alcide

Matthew Rettenmund tips us that True Blood hottie Joe Manganiello tells People Magazine that his favorite book is Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. UGH. There goes our plan to marry a seven-foot tall werewolf.

Like A Persian

MTV promotes the upcoming VMA awards with a feline recreation of Madonna's famed performance on the show's 1984 edition.

(Via - Boy Culture)

BT - In The Air

Brian Transeau (BT) was a large part of my weekend soundtrack in San Francisco. Pleasuredome daddies should hear something familiar in this track.

Email Of The Day - Eugene Delguadio

"Dear Joe, Yes, it's true, homosexual activists are riding high. Homosexual marriage passed in New York; judges in Iowa threw out two hundred years of law and declared for homosexual marriage by fiat; a judge in California denies the vote of the people and declares homosexual marriage a 'right'; and every day the drumbeat from the media and Hollywood culture is how good and normal homosexual sex is and how you and I are bigoted fools blinded by a false religion. Now homosexual activists bang through the halls of Congress chortling with glee. They insist they have the votes to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, and Obama will sign it. They even hint they plan to introduce legislation mandating homosexual marriage in every state. Old friends shy away from me in the hallways. I can see it in their eyes, fear." - Eugene Delguadio, self-declared Public Advocate of the Unites States, in another hilariously bombastic plea for the donations.

"Ex-Gay" Survivor Tells Story

Samuel Brinton, now a 23 year-old MIT graduate, tells Bay Windows about the "ex-gay" therapist his parents forced him to visit at the age of 13.

During his first one-on-one appointment, the session leader―who Sam specifies was a "religious therapist" and not a doctor―told Sam, "I want you to know that you’re gay, and all gay people have AIDS." The therapist then showed Sam pictures of men dying from AIDS, using them as visual indicators of how Sam, himself, would die. Together, the therapist and Sam’s parents instilled in the boy the belief that he was the only living gay person in the world, that the government had killed all the other gay children, and that they’d kill him too if he acted gay. He carried this belief as truth until his second year of college. Loneliness colored Sam’s thirteen-year-old world. "I’m dying of AIDS, I’m completely alone, and the government is looking for me," Sam remembers feeling. The worst part? Sam’s parents and therapist told him God had abandoned him and his chances at getting into heaven were shrinking every day. "The strongest thing my family has is its relationship to God, and now He hates me," Sam recalls.

Brinton's "treatments" including physical abuse such as electroshock therapy.

NYC Tabs Love Irene

Hurricane Irene is a juicy gift to NYC's tabloids (and local TV) who are running wall-to-wall breathless updates on the approaching end of the world.

Photo Of The Day - Jack Layton Tribute

In Toronto's Phillips Square, hundreds of residents have created chalk tributes to the late progressive leader Jack Layton, who died of cancer last week at the age of 61. Layton was considered Canada's most passionate and effective ally of the LGBT community and his passing has affected the gay political world like nothing in recent memory.

Crazy Eyes To Keynote FL Hate Group

Michele Bachmann, who lately claims she is uninterested in discussing "frivolous topics" like LGBT rights, will nonetheless be the keynote speaker at the annual convention of the Florida hate group that funded the successful ballot measure banning same-sex marriage. Remember, she "respects your dignity," even though you are "of Satan."

Transwoman Confronts Black Israelites

For those unaware, the Black Israelites, who believe themselves to be the lost tribe of Israel, are probably the most vile and violent anti-gay street preachers in the nation. A recent expose revealed that many members are woman-abusing convicted felons with drug and alcohol addictions. Standing on street corners in their Earth, Wind & Fire costumes, they frequently rail against homosexuality and loudly call for the Godly murders of gay people. Watch this clip from their own YouTube channel in which a young transwoman bravely confronts them at great length. Clip description:

After brothers shut down the camp, an unclean spirit in the form of a homosexual/transvestite came and spewed all kinds of wickedness. This is the type of demonic activity America allows. This is what happens when you promote homosexuality. You cause a young black man to corrupt and castrate himself. Repent Israel! Be not partakers of her (America) sins.

UPDATE: YouTube has pulled the clip for violating their rules on hate speech.

RELATED: Last month a member of a Black Israelite-affiliated sect was arrested in North Carolina after murdering a four year-old boy for "acting gay."

FLASHBACK: Rick Perry In 2008

From Rick Perry's 2008 book, On My Honor.

FOTF: If Prop 8 Trial Is Aired, Christians Might Be Murdered By Homosexuals

Next week a judge will decide whether recordings of last year's Prop 8 trial may be broadcast. According to Focus On The Family, that will put Christians "once again" in danger of being murdered by radical homosexuals.

Many pastors and other Prop. 8 supporters found themselves targeted by radical homosexuals during the campaign and afterward, prompting many to hire personal security guards in the wake of credible death threats. “Just because the trial’s over doesn’t mean that threat isn’t still there,” said CitizenLink Judicial Issues Analyst Bruce Hausknecht. “Judge Walker himself promised the parties to the lawsuit that only he, Walker, would ever look at the video, and only during his deliberations. That’s obviously being violated just by the request. “Why is this judge even considering this request, given that both the trial judge and the Supreme Court have already spoken?”

By "credible death threats," they mean anonymous comments left on the internet. (Unlike the Christianists who proudly use their full legal name when threatening to murder gays and atheists.) And I don't recall hearing about anybody hiring "personal security guards."

To The Extreme

Hurricane forecasters have raised the threat level for the NYC area to "extreme," although the most reliable model shows the storm making landfall somewhere around mid-Long Island. Fire Island residents are standing by for word of evacuation orders. In related news, my mom is emailing me hurricane preparedness tips. From Florida.

Glee Will Turn Your Kids Gay

Richard Dawkins On The GOP

"There is nothing unusual about Governor Rick Perry. Uneducated fools can be found in every country and every period of history, and they are not unknown in high office. What is unusual about today’s Republican party (I disavow the ridiculous ‘GOP’ nickname, because the party of Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt has lately forfeited all claim to be considered ‘grand’) is this: In any other party and in any other country, an individual may occasionally rise to the top in spite of being an uneducated ignoramus. In today’s Republican Party ‘in spite of’ is not the phrase we need. Ignorance and lack of education are positive qualifications, bordering on obligatory. Intellect, knowledge and linguistic mastery are mistrusted by Republican voters, who, when choosing a president, would apparently prefer someone like themselves over someone actually qualified for the job." - Famed atheist Richard Dawkins, responding to Rick Perry's denouncement of evolution.

Open Thread Thursday

What's your absolute single worst personality trait?

Steve Jobs Resigns At Apple

Steve Jobs resigned today as CEO of Apple, spawning rumors that his health was once again declining. The company's board of directors announced that COO Tim Cook (left) will take the position. You may recall that Cook was outed in January by the gossip site Gawker. In April, Out Magazine declared that Cook was the nation's most powerful gay person.

Pat Robertson: I've Created 500M Xtians

Pat Robertson says he's "brought 500 million people to Christ" via his cable program. That's probably his most ridiculous claim since he declared that he could leg-press 2000 pounds, which at the time was 665 pounds more than the current record. Oh, but you TOO could leg-press 2000 pounds if you purchased "Pat Robertson's Age-Defying Energy Shake," which was, conveniently enough, for sale on the CBN website.

Joseph Farah: Hurricanes & Earthquakes Are Punishments For Homosexuality

"If America doesn't face judgment soon, God will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. And God doesn't offer apologies. He does, however, offer second chances, third chances, fourth chances. He's trying to get your attention. Are you paying heed? What will it take? Will your world have to be turned upside down before you recognize what's happening? Would even that be enough? I know. I know. It was just a little earthquake – and just another hurricane. They happen all the time. What are you making such a big deal about, Farah? You're right. We escaped this time. No big deal. But when your world is shaking, you tend to think about the things that really matter. And what really matters is our relationship with our heavenly Father, our Creator, the Lord of the universe. He is trying to tell us something. His message is very clear. Don't say you weren't warned." - Joseph Farah, founder of World Net Daily.

New Propaganda From The FRC

HRC Issues Memo Detailing NOM's Many Donor Disclosure Court Losses

In what may be a shot across the bow regarding the upcoming marriage ballot in Maine, today the Human Rights Campaign issued a memo detailing NOM's unblemished record of court losses in their attempts to evade state campaign finance laws.

The latest in NOM’s string of legal defeats came on August 11 when the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the group’s challenges in Maine and Rhode Island. On its Law Blog, the Wall Street Journal put the cases into perspective. “The 1st Circuit issued rulings in two cases that raise an important campaign finance issue: the extent to which states can require advocacy groups to report details about their expenditures in support of candidates or political causes.” Given the recent historical record, states do in fact take disclosure, and legal compliance, in earnest. NOM has unsuccessfully challenged disclosure laws in Maine, Minnesota, New York, California, Rhode Island, and Iowa.

All of the above losses came after the fact, when the elections were already over, and NOM has flouted court rulings in every single case with no apparent punishment. What will be very interesting to see is whether NOM re-enters the Maine campaign having lost their disclosure case there. Oh, what a happy day it would be to see Slaggie and Brian Brown led away in handcuffs for contempt of court.

RELATED: There has been increasing speculation that NOM is secretly and primarily funded by one or two very deep-pocketed individuals who have reputations so appalling that NOM will do anything to shield them.

Hot Dog Flavored Potato Chips

They exist.

FLORIDA: Suspended Anti-Gay Teacher Defends Facebook "Cesspool" Rant

With his Liberty Counsel attorney by his side. Ladies and gents, we give you the hate industry's latest martyr!

White House To Honor Trevor Project

Just in via press release:

Tomorrow, Thursday, August 25, 2011, the White House will honor The Trevor Project as a leading innovator in the realm of suicide prevention as part of the “Champions of Change” initiative. The Trevor Project is the leading organization selected for this honor representing youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth, specifically. Accepting the honor and speaking with Administration officials about priorities for improving suicide prevention nationally will be David McFarland, Interim Executive Director and CEO of The Trevor Project. The event occurs ten days prior to National Suicide Prevention Week, (Sept. 4-10, 2011).

Bounty Placed On Gaddafi

New From Jon Huntsman

INDIANA: Male Hooker Hiring Lawmaker Won't Resign, Says "I'm Not Gay!"

GOP Indiana state Rep. Phil Hinkle says that he is TOTALLY not gay, despite having been busted after hiring an 18 year-old male hooker from Craiglist. And since he's not gay, there's NO reason for him to resign. Or something. Hinkle's bosses in the state GOP have been pressuring him to quit.

Heritage Foundation: Poor People Aren't Really Poor, Poverty Is A Leftist Scam

"The typical poor child, in fact, lives in a house that has air conditioning, cable TV, a computer, three color televisions, an Xbox, a DVD [player], one or two cars [for] the household, [and] there's not any sign of food scarcity. Everything I just said comes from government reports, but the government doesn't publicize that information. The welfare state has a vested interest in exaggerating poverty in order to build bigger government bureaucracies to serve the poor, and the news media are even worse than the government." - Robert Rector, "senior research fellow" with the Heritage Foundation.

Caption This

(Tipped by JMG reader Ken)

OK Go - The Muppet Show Theme

(Tipped by JMG reader Daddy Ray)

GLSEN Forces The Family Research Council To Edit Their Lying Video

Last week GLSEN sent the Family Research Council a cease-and-desist letter after this and other blogs pointed out a major lie in the FRC's latest hate video. Today Holy Bullies reports that the FRC has quietly edited the clip to remove that bullshit claim that GLSEN had distributed explicit safer sex materials to middle school students. As the linked story notes, FRC offers no apologies for their outrageous lie.

Gay Ginger Breeders

UNRELATED: I really don't care for the recent affectation of referring to redheads as "gingers." Just another Britishism I can do without.

Boo-Boos With Bible Verses

Indoctrination! But at least the kid will associate pain with Jeebus. (Source)

Slaggie: Help! I'm Being Oppressed!

"The new public norms at the heart of 'marriage equality' attempt to deface the Bible by ripping out Genesis and remaking the American tradition, so that public norms are incompatible with orthodox Judeo-Christian beliefs. For the first time in American history, mainstream, orthodox Judeo-Christian beliefs will render an American a second-class citizen, subject to a variety of bars and exclusions government imposes to reduce the reach of 'anti-equality' bigotry. It’s hard to see what conservatives will have left to conserve if we accept this, especially at the most fundamental level (which is the philosophical level, the level on which America is founded and sustained, for we are a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated therefore to propositions). - Hate group leader Maggie Gallagher, writing for Public Discourse.

Ecstasy Tested As Cancer Treatment

Scientists are looking into MDMA's possible effectiveness in treating some forms of cancer.

Researchers from Birmingham University claimed the designer drug, also known as MDMA, could be used to treat leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma after making it 100 times more effective at suppressing growth. Ecstasy was already known to be effective against more than half of white blood cell cancers, but previously the large dose required to treat a tumour would also have killed the patient. In a study published in the Investigational New Drugs journal, the scientists said the new drug could be used by doctors to treat cancer if it can be produced in a safe form.

In "normal" doses, MDMA is already known to sometimes be effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jay Bakker On LGBT Rights

The son of whackadoodle Jim Bakker and the late Tammy Faye Messner turned out to be an OK dude.

Hurricane Irene Intensifies

Forecasters have upgraded the threat level to the northeast and now say that Irene could be the most powerful hurricane to hit the New York City area in many years. On the upside, it now appears Florida will be entirely spared. And incidentally, it was my 25 years in Florida that turned me into this hurricane junkie. Expect at least a daily post about Irene. Sorry!

We SHALL Rebuild

Gay Marriage Caused The Earthquake

That didn't take long! New York City's Rabbi Yehuda Levin, who recently blamed the murder of an eight year-old boy on the passage of same-sex marriage, says that yesterday's earthquake expressed God's great disgust with gay activism. "One of the reasons that God brings earthquakes to the world is because of the transgression of homosexuality. The Talmud states, 'You have shaken your male member in a place where it doesn't belong. I too, will shake the earth.'"

RELATED: At all of the New York's recent anti-gay hate rallies, Levin has proudly marched arm-in-arm with NOM's Brian Brown and NY Sen. Reverend Ruben Douchebag.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the Karpel Group, today's Swag Tuesday prize is What Matters Most, the brand new album from the legendary Barbra Streisand, which was released nationwide today in all formats.

The incomparable Barbra Streisand's long-cherished desire to release an album of music with lyrics exclusively written by her collaborators and friends, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, is achieved on What Matters Most- Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The new album, which Streisand personally produced, is comprised of ten Bergman songs which Streisand has never previously recorded. Included in the set are the Academy Award winning songs "The Windmill of your Mind" (from the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair); "So Many Stars" (originally a hit song for Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66); "Nice 'n' Easy" (popularized by Frank Sinatra); and "That Face" (first recorded by Fred Astaire) . The CD is packaged in a jewel box with a 24-page color booklet.

We have five copies of What Matters Most to give away. Enter to win by commenting on this post. Please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. Winners will by chosen randomly after entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.