Saturday, April 13, 2013

KMart Ad Goes Viral

3.5M views in 72 hours. You know who will be pissed.

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French Anti-Gay Leader Vows Violence: Hollande Wants Blood And He'll Get It

Frigide Barjot (center in the above photo), the leader of France's Manif Pour Tous, vowed yesterday that the decision to speed up the finalization of the marriage equality bill will bring violence.
"This is a disgrace. The French people don't want this law, and what do they do? They speed up its passage. Hollande wants blood, and he will get it," Barjot was quoted as saying by France's TF1, adding "We live in a dictatorship. The President of the Republic has guillotined us." Centre-right UMP deputy Christian Jacob joined the fray, saying in a statement that by accelerating the bill's now almost certain passage into law, "the President of the Republic is risking a violent confrontation with the French people." Fellow UMP deputy Hervé Mariton denounced the move as "an incitement to civil war."
There's already been plenty of violence on their side, including a confrontation with tear gas-lobbing Paris police and the brutal gay bashing last week of a gay man.

On their website, today Manif Pour Tous claims that a supporter of theirs was stabbed early this morning over his position on the bill. Translation via JMG reader David in Paris:
At 5 AM this Saturday April 13th at Odeon métro station, Samuel Lafont was violently attacked. He was stabbed in the back six times, as well as other injuries. Two persons accompanying him were also hurt. One was stabbed in the back once, the second was punched. Samuel Lafont, in serious condition, is presently in the operating room at the Georges Pompidou hospital center in Paris.

This morning there were tweets on Twitter that dared celebrate what happened. One stated that having no news from Lafont for hours, s/he hoped that Lafont was dead but “not from worry”. The Manif Pour Tous, greatly saddened by this grave matter, will hold a silent rally this evening near the Wall of Peace at 7PM. We extend our support to the families and friends of the three victims.

Also, the Manif Pour Tous has strongly condemned the attack on Wilfred. We demand the government react just as firmly for the attack on Samuel Lafont and his two friends. Again, The Manif pour Tous points out that the "marriage for all" bill and the denial of democracy makes victims of all opponents to this project, creating an increasingly poisonous social climate.

Although the majority of French people disapprove of this bill, Mr. Hollande persists and has even accelerated the voting processes underway. A spontaneous rally, organized by friends of Samuel Lafont, will take place this evening at 7PM at the Wall of Peace on the Champ de Mars (Métro École Militaire). For more details on the event, see our Facebook page here.
A blog post on the news site Nouvelles de France denies that the stabbing had anything to do with the marriage bill.  Translation again via JMG reader David in Paris:
There are rumors on Facebook, Twitter and certain blogs that Samuel Lafont who masterminded the Camping pour Tous in Luxembourg Gardens, also a UMP national adviser, was attacked early this Saturday morning by LGBT militants at Odeon métro station, in the 6th district of the capital. This is entirely false. He and two friends, out after drinking and clubbing, ran into three surly Romas and were stabbed.

Their lives are not in danger, and Samuel (as well as one of his friends) is still hospitalized as we write. According to our informers, the three young men were not wearing any particularly distinctive clothing associating them with La Manif Pour Tous. The spread of this false rumor is evidence of the tensions between certain young defenders of traditional marriage.

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State Department Announces LGBT Rights Program For Western Hemisphere

Yesterday the State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs announced a new program:
Secretary of State John Kerry has committed to advancing the human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals as a central part of our human rights engagement. Taking into account the Secretary’s commitment as well as the Presidential Memorandum issued December 6, 2011, that directs all federal agencies engaged abroad to ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs has developed a regional strategy that strives to eliminate violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Respect for the human rights of LGBT persons in the Western Hemisphere varies dramatically by country. Some countries offer legal protections for LGBT persons, whereas others have laws that criminalize same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults. Recognizing that violence and discrimination based on a person’s real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity hinder the prosperity of countries.
The four-part strategy of the new program: 1) Expand public outreach and awareness of LGBT issues; 2) Create and leverage existing partnerships and programs; 3) Collaborate with multilateral partners; and 4) Engage directly with host country governments.

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WeHo Gay Man Brain Dead Of Meningitis

West Hollywood resident Brett Shaad was declared brain dead yesterday afternoon after suffering a fast-moving bacterial meningitis infection, prompting fears that the outbreak currently hitting New York City's gay men has spread to the west coast. Karen Ocamb reports at Frontiers:
The 33 year old West Hollywood resident was a lawyer, a real estate broker and very popular among his friends, many of whom surrounded his bed at Cedar Sinai Hospital in shock and disbelief. “Last weekend I was with him at a local restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard,” said West Hollywood Councilmember John Duran at a news conference about the meningitis scare. “He was tall and muscular, robust, looking as fit as a fiddle and we notified on Wednesday he was at Cedars and then yesterday, he was in a coma. And now he’s going to be removed from life support.”
The city of West Hollywood has issued an "urgent warning."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been alerted about a Los Angeles County case of meningococcal infection. Tests are being conducted to determine the imprint of this strain, which is not a new one. There may be similarities to an especially deadly strain of meningococcal infection found recently in New York that has resulted in twenty-two cases, including ten fatalities since 2010. The outbreak in New York City involved a strain circulating among men who have sex with men and may be transmitted during intimate encounters including sex.
Saying that the Los Angeles Department of Health is "dragging its feet," yesterday West Hollywood Councilman John Duran said that on Monday he will introduce a measure to provide a $20,000 fund for vaccines for the uninsured.

RELATED: Earlier this month the New York State Department of Health issued a statewide call for all gay men to be vaccinated against meningitis.

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Ben Carson Pulls Out Of Another Speech

Ben Carson has canceled another speech just days after pulling out of his planned commencement address to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University.
The LGBT caucus within the American Academy of Physicians Assistants, which had started a petition to protest Carson's upcoming May keynote speech at the organization's conference, said Carson had withdrawn his participation. Outcry was sparked in March when Carson equated homosexuality with pedophilia and bestiality during a television interview centered on same-sex marriage. “Dr. Carson's remarks perpetuate bias, discrimination, and stigma that are not representative of the ethics and values of the Physician Assistant profession,” the LGBT caucus of AAPA wrote in a statement Friday.

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Karl Rove: My Hecklers Are Pathetic

And liberals are just intolerant.

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Friday, April 12, 2013

France Speeds Up Marriage Bill

After yesterday's final passage by the French Senate, the marriage equality bill was supposed to go back to the Assembly for reconciliation on May 20th, allowing opponents more than a month to scream, rage, and plot to thwart it. Well, them haters better get to plottin', because the Assembly is getting the bill in five days.
The ruling Socialists said the bill would return to the National Assembly by Wednesday - far earlier than the expected date of May 20. Opponents accused them of seeking to rush through the law, with the head of the right-wing UMP's faction in the assembly, Christian Jacob, saying President Francois Hollande was "risking a violent confrontation with the French people" over the bill. Senators had earlier approved crucial articles of the bill granting gay couples the right to marry and to adopt. Christiane Taubira, the justice minister, hailed the Senate vote, saying it had strengthened French society "by granting the simple recognition of full citizenship to homosexual couples".
Opponents have said that they will hold another massive demonstration on May 26th, but that plan, obviously, will likely change.

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Paul Cameron Repeats Same Tired Lie:
Gay Men Die 20-30 Years Early

Using Cameron's methods, one could argue that since middle school children killed in car accidents are an average of twelve years old, the life expectancy for  middle school students is twelve.  Cameron also claims that Denmark legalized same-sex marriage in 1989.  In fact, that happened just nine months ago.

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Brian Brown Cheers Anti-Gay Democrat

"We commend Senator Pryor for standing tall for marriage as the union of one man and one woman and for resisting political pressure to switch positions on such a foundational issue of critical importance to society. The media has often portrayed the marriage debate in partisan terms, but there is nothing inherently political or partisan about marriage. Many of the strongest supporters of marriage are Democrats, including leading African Americans and prominent elected officials such as New York Senator Ruben Diaz." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, writing for NOM's blog.

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Frank Ocean - Lost

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RNC Reaffirms: We're Bigots

At its spring meeting in Los Angeles, today the Republican National Committee approved a resolution that reaffirmed the GOP's opposition to gay marriage. There wasn't really much doubt of their doing so, but major hate groups like the FRC and the AFA had threatened to leave the party entirely if they didn't.

UPDATE: Via press release from Young Conservatives For The Freedom To Marry.
The passage of this resolution shows a party stuck in the past, not aligned with the majority of Americans and not aligned with the next generation of the conservative movement. We will continue to push our leaders to move toward a stance on marriage that includes all loving and committed couples, which is completely in line with the conservative tenets of freedom, personal responsibility, and family.
UPDATE II: Jimmy LaSalvia weighs in.

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From A Rick Perry Appointee

Salon reports that Rick Perry appointee Barry Smitherman, who runs the panel which regulates the oil industry in Texas, today tweeted an image which apparently calls for hanging the GOP Senators that helped advance the gun control bill. Smitherman is reportedly planning to run for Texas Attorney General in 2014.
“Barry Smitherman’s reprehensible action is disturbing, disgusting, and has absolutely no place in our political discourse,” Matt Glazer, the Executive Director of Progress Texas said in a statement. “To suggest that any American, let alone a U.S. Senator, deserves to be hung for a democratically cast vote is absolutely unacceptable.” The liberal group is calling on Perry to officially admonish Smitherman.

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GLSEN Vs Linda Harvey

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Jonathan Winters Dead At 87

Actor and comedian Jonathan Winters has died.
Winters died last night of natural causes in Montecito, Calif, around 6:30 p.m., surrounded by friends and family. Winters' career began when he won a talent contest, which led to radio gigs and appearances at comedy clubs. He was a staple on the late night TV circuit for decades -- he was one of Jack Paar's favorite guests and a Johnny Carson regular -- and recorded several classic comedy albums.

He often performed in character ... the best known of which was Maude Frickert, the seemingly sweet old lady with a quick and acid wit. Winters appeared in nearly 50 films and TV shows ... including the classic "It's a "Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" ... and was a regular on the Saturday morning children's television program "Hot Dog" in the '70s. He co-starred with Robin Williams as Mearth -- Mork and Mindy's son ... who was hatched from an egg and aged backwards.

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BBC: No "Ding Dong" Song

Saying that they are "between a rock and a hard place," the BBC announced today that they will only play a five-second snippet of Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead during this weekend's countdown of the Top 40.
Sales of Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead have soared since the former Prime Minister's death on Monday, aged 87. Mr Cooper called the decision "a difficult compromise". The song is set to take the number three spot in Sunday's countdown, according to the Official Charts Company. Speaking to Radio 1 Newsbeat, Mr Cooper said: "The decision I have made is I am not going to play it in full but that I will play a clip of it in a news environment. "When I say a news environment, that is a newsreader telling you about the fact that this record has reached a certain place in the chart and here is a clip of that track."
In a separate blog post, the head of Radio 1 added this: "To ban the record from our airwaves completely would risk giving the campaign the oxygen of further publicity and might inflame an already delicate situation."

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Parents Of Driver Killed While Texting Publish His Interrupted Final Message

Copyranter is calling this "more powerful than the usual violent, bloody images created by big fancy ad agencies."
The police report says Heit, a Northern Colorado student, drifted into oncoming traffic, jerked the steering wheel and went off the road, rolling his car. Witnesses told police that Heit appeared to have his head down when he began drifting into the oncoming lane in the outskirts of Greeley, where the University of Northern Colorado is located. An oncoming driver slowed and moved over just before Heit looked up and jerked the steering wheel. Police said Heit had a spotless driving record and wasn't speeding. Heit died shortly after the crash, but his parents released the photo of his last text hoping it will stop future accidents. "In a split second you could ruin your future, injure or kill others, and tear a hole in the heart of everyone who loves you," Sharon Heit, Alexander's mother, said.

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The Simpsons Takes On Breaking Bad

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New NOM Video: Gay Marriage Will Be On The Curriculum At Public Schools

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Thatcher Funeral To Cost £10M

The funeral for Margaret Thatcher will cost an estimated £10M, a figure which will surely provide fodder for the critics of the Iron Lady's famed austerity principles.  More on the planning:
The ceremony will be held at St Paul's Cathedral in London next Wednesday. The Queen and Prince Philip have already confirmed they will go. The guest list for the funeral was drawn up by Lady Thatcher's family with the assistance of the government and the Conservative Party, with more than 2,000 invitations being dispatched on Friday. It will be the first funeral of a British politician the Queen has attended since that of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.

Broadcaster Andrew Neil and actor Michael Crawford will be present, as will Tory donor Lord Harris and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Those who have already confirmed they will not be attending include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan's widow Nancy. Neither George Bush Senior, Mr Reagan's vice-president who succeeded him in the White House, nor his son George W Bush, US president between 2001 and 2009, will be attending.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been invited to attend, but it's not yet clear how the Obama administration might be represented.  Newt Gingrich says he is going.

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Tweet Of The Day - Rep. Steve Stockman

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Russia Considers Moon Mission

It was 52 years ago today that cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth. According to this Russia Today report, Russia is ramping up their space program and is considering an attempt to establish a lunar base.

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The Lost Gay Bars Of San Francisco

From the Pop-Up Museum Of Queer History, an interesting map.
I recently began a mapping project of lost San Francisco gay bars using ads from magazines, matchbooks from archives and mentions in gay papers to try and reconstruct San Francisco in the years before the epidemic. What struck me most is that —in a far more hostile era there seemed to be far less ghettoization. Certainly the Castro, Polk and South of Market were still gay centers — but there were also bars in traditionally “straight” neighborhoods as well — North Beach and the Haight, the Marina and the Presidio.
Here's the full-size map and bar names. (Tipped by JMG reader Mike)

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Bill Donohue: Marriage Isn't About Love

It's about babies. Donohue goes on to say that he would support civil unions if there was a federal ban on same-sex marriage. Watch John Fugelsang nail Donohue on all the ways that he violates Leviticus, such as eating bacon and wearing clothes made of mixed fibers.  Donohue: "I think there's a little bit of difference between what kind of shirt I buy and two guys having anal sex."  Donohue then dismisses some claims of molestation by priests, saying: "Grabbing some kid's ass is rape?"  Fugelsang: "No, putting your penis in a kid's mouth is rape."

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Vietnam Drops Gay Wedding Fines

Same-sex marriage remains banned in Vietnam, but the government this week announced that couples who hold ceremonies will no longer be fined.
Under the draft decree that would have taken effect this July, homosexual couples that get married would have been fined VND200,000-1 million (US$9.55), twice the current fine introduced in 2000. Gay rights activists lambasted the proposal, dismissing it as a “step back” for the protection of LGBT rights in a Confucian society where homosexuality was once labeled as taboo and even a “social evil.”

After a firestorm of criticism from the media and the public, authorities took note and did away with the fine. And by doing so, they have implicitly acknowledged the “nonsensical” implications of the draft laws, gay-rights activists say. “This is another new step forward that is in line with Vietnam’s current trend [of] protecting the rights of LGBT people,” said Le Quang Binh, a sociologist who runs the iSEE.
The Vietnamese legislature is expected to begin considering a marriage equality bill some time in 2014.  

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Sequester Threatens NYC Fleet Week

Thanks to the sequester, it appears that this year's Fleet Week will be a bust for New York City.
How can there be a Fleet Week without the fleet? Organizers are still looking for ways to salvage the 29-year-old event, which was scheduled to start on May 23. But it seems certain that it will be without some key ingredients: naval ships and the thousands of sailors and Marines who would have filed off them and into the streets of New York.  “No branch of the armed forces may participate in community relations or outreach events that come at additional cost to government or rely on anything other than local assets and personnel, said Rear Adm. John F. Kirby, the chief information officer for the Navy. “We will follow that direction to include participation in Fleet Weeks.”
Fleet Weeks in other cities have already been scaled back or canceled entirely. (Tipped by JMG reader Dave)

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NBC Poll: 53% Back Marriage

Here's yet another poll for the right wing to denounce:
Fifty-three percent of respondents favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, which is up 2 points since the NBC/WSJ survey last asked this question in December, though that increase is within the poll’s margin of error. Forty-two percent oppose gay marriage – also up 2 points since late last year.

By party, 73 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents back gay marriage, while 66 percent of Republicans oppose it. Strikingly, nearly 8-in-10 respondents (79 percent) say they know or work with someone who is gay or lesbian, which is an increase of 14 points since December and 17 points since 2004.

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French Senate Approves Full Marriage Bill

Today the French Senate finalized its vote on same-sex marriage!
The French Senate has voted to legalize same-sex marriage in France, putting a landmark bill on track to become law by summer. The vote in the upper house of parliament — led by President Francois Hollande’s Socialists — comes despite boisterous protests. Opponents — mostly conservatives and fervent Roman Catholics — have sought to defend traditional marriage. Both houses of parliament will now take up a second reading to consider minor Senate changes to the bill passed in February by the National Assembly, also controlled by a Socialist-led majority.

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Warren: My Son Committed Suicide With An Unregistered Gun Bought On The Web

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Toronto Cops: Stop Bullying Now


(Via Towleroad)

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NOM On The Florist Suit

Posted to NOM's blog yesterday:
When issues of consequence like this were raised during the campaign against same-sex marriage, the backers of same-sex marriage said things like this would never happen. They went so far as to claim we were lying and that religious freedom was fully protected. That so-called “protection” didn’t even last a matter of weeks. This is just the latest example that whenever marriage is redefined, it’s the end of full religious liberty for the citizens in that jurisdiction.

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Homofascists Will Force Christians To Wear Patches Like Nazis Did With Jews

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And Still They Danced

At tonight's gala fundraiser marking the 30th anniversary of the NYC LGBT Community Center, the headlining honoree was DOMA plaintiff Edie Windsor. Upon taking the stage, Edie led us through her 42-year relationship with her late wife, Thea Spyer, starting with their closeted courtship and through the decades until their 2007 wedding in Toronto.

During her speech, Edie spoke of how even though her late wife's MS progressively got worse, they continued to go dancing. When Thea first needed a cane, they danced.  When Thea worsened and needed a walker, they danced. Then came the day that Thea needed a wheelchair. And still they danced. The first time they wheelchair-danced was at a women's party at the Limelight in 1982. That first wheelchair-dance song? Edie smiled. "It was a disco version of If My Friends Could See Me Now."

For Edie and Thea.

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Thursday, April 11, 2013

Number Five And Rising

On Monday I reported about the Facebook campaign to send Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead to the top of the British pop chart. At this writing the tune is #5 and rising, but it's not yet clear if the BBC will include the track in its weekly countdown.
In a statement it said: "The Official Chart Show on Sunday is a historical and factual account of what the British public has been buying and we will make a decision about playing it when the final chart positions are clear." The song was written by EY Harburg and composed by Harold Arlen and featured in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Elvis Costello's 1989 anti-Thatcher song, Tramp The Dirt Down, also this week re-entered the chart at #79.

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Porno Pete Stalks Gays In San Francisco

In a blog entry posted today, Porno Pete LaBarbera revealed that he traveled to San Francisco last month in order to stalk the performers and attendees at the "uber blasphemous" Hunky Jesus contest held every Easter by the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence at Dolores Park.  But Porno's creepy cross-country crusade was tragically for naught, as the contest was postponed due to rain and all he got was photos of a couple of bare-bottomed dudes in bunny costumes. WAH-wah.

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Missouri Hospital Issues Another Statement On Arrested Gay Man [UPDATED]

Earlier today we learned that a Missouri gay man had been arrested after refusing to leave his partner's hospital bedside at the demand of the ill man's family. Moments ago the hospital issued another statement on its Facebook page, which has been scrubbed of many complaining comments.
We appreciate your concern and would like to assure you that Research Medical Center puts the care of our patients as our #1 priority regardless of sexual orientation. We support all the communities we serve. We have a long history of commitment to a culture of diversity. Research Medical Center was one of the first hospitals in Kansas City to offer domestic partner benefits, which have been in place since 2005, and we have had a policy specifically acknowledging domestic partners’ visitation rights in place for years.

This was an issue of disruptive and belligerent behavior by the visitor that affected patient care. The hospital’s response followed the same policies that would apply to any individual engaged in this behavior in a patient care setting and was not in any way related to the patient’s or the visitor’s sexual orientation or marital status. This visitor created a barrier for us to care for the patient. Attempts were made to deescalate the situation. Unfortunately, we had no choice but to involve security and the Kansas City MO Police Department.

We would also like to correct the misinformation about a restraining order. There was no issue of a restraining order by the hospital.
The restraining order was reported upon by multiple news sites. I'll try to track down the original source of that claim.

UPDATE: The local Fox affiliate now shows this headline, but no further details are available at this writing.
Good for them for using "husband."

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Quote Of The Day - Kerry Rhodes

"Photos have been circulating of my former assistant and I that have caused some rumors regarding my sexuality, and I wanted to address the situation. I am not gay. The shots were taken during a past vacation in a casual environment with my entire business team. I know a lot of people are recently talking about athletes struggling to come out to their fans right now, and I support them, as well as wish those individuals comfort." - NFL star Kerry Rhodes, responding to these photos.

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Nevada Marriage Bill Advances

This afternoon a Nevada Senate committee advanced a bill that starts the state down a very long road to marriage equality.
On a party-line, 3-2 vote, the Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections amended and passed Senate Joint Resolution 13. It not only repeals the state’s heterosexual definition of marriage, but says Nevada recognizes all marriages regardless of gender.  Because it is a constitutional amendment, the measure must be approved by the Legislature this year and in 2015 before it would go to voters in 2016 for ratification. Supporters said they’ll keep up their campaign for passage.

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Rep. Ron Kind Backs Marriage

Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) endorsed marriage equality today.
Kind, a La Crosse Democrat whose Third Congressional District includes Chippewa Falls and Dunn County, made the announcement this morning on his Facebook page, saying in part, “My 18-year marriage to Tawni has taught me that we’re both stronger because we love and support each other. I support marriage equality because if two people want to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for one another, then the government shouldn't stand in the way.”
Kind added that he will now sign on as a supporter of the Respect For Marriage Act

RELATED: In the last week I've been able to line-out seven House Democrats from last week's listing of reps who have not yet publicly indicated their support. In several cases, that support was merely not easily available when the list was compiled.

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Rep. Pete Visclosky Backs Marriage

Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN) endorsed marriage equality today.
In a statement issued Thursday, Visclosky, D-Merrillville, said he supports marriage equality for all couples and believes “every single American should be able to marry the person they love.”

“I believe that we can no longer allow the states to discriminate against same sex-marriages. Rather, I believe that the federal government should ensure that all consenting adults, no matter who they are or who they love, have the exact same marriage rights,” Visclosky said. Visclosky joins fellow Democrat and Northwest Indiana lawmaker U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, who last week publicly stated support for marriage equality.
(Tipped by JMG reader Peter)

RELATED: In the last week I've been able to line-out six House Democrats from last week's listing of reps who have not yet publicly indicated their support. In several cases, that support was merely not easily available when the list was compiled.

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National Hockey League Partners With Anti-Homophobia Sports Group

The National Hockey League announced today that they will formally partner with the anti-homophobia sport group You Can Play. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:
"Our motto is 'Hockey Is For Everyone,'" NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement announcing the news, "and our partnership with You Can Play certifies that position in a clear and unequivocal way. While we believe that our actions in the past have shown our support for the LGBT community, we are delighted to reaffirm through this joint venture with the NHL Players' Association that the official policy of the NHL is one of inclusion on the ice, in our locker rooms and in the stands."

Patrick Burke, who started the You Can Play Project in part to advance the legacy of his brother Brendan, an out collegiate hockey coach and former player who died in 2009, called the NHL's move historic. "I think the most important thing is that we're seeing a major professional league and a major professional players' association step up and make an official statement about inclusion. This isn't, 'Oh, we'll deal with it.' This isn't, 'Oh, we'll tolerate it,'" he said. "This is the hockey community saying to the LGBT community, 'You are invited. You are welcome. You are embraced here.' This is huge. From a sports perspective, this is historic."

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Ann Coulter: Kill Meghan McCain

Ann Coulter may have finally gone too far.
In a column published on Thursday, conservative pundit Ann Coulter joked that the killing of politicians’ children should “start with Meghan McCain.” Earlier this week, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MA) told MSNBC host Martin Bashir that he was sensitive to the need for more gun control because his nephew had been shot and killed several years ago.

Bashir suggested that members of Congress should not have to experience the death of a family member to understand that gun violence was a problem. “But Congressman, is that what needs to happen to move these senators to stop threatening a filibuster?” Bashir asked. “Is that really what needs to happen? That you need to have a member of your family killed in order for you to do what the American people want you to do?”

Conservative websites interpreted Bashir’s statement to mean that he was advocating the murder of politicians’ family members. And on Thursday, Coulter decided it would be funny to suggest the daughter of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) should be the first to die.
It will be interesting to see which news channel will next be willing to book Coulter.

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Marriage Equality Nations

(Via JMG reader Thomas)

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FRANCE: Marriage Debate Almost Done

JMG reader David in Paris sends us the translation of the above tweet from the Senate sponsor of France's marriage equality bill: "All the articles have been voted on. From this point on, we'll tackle additional amendments! Finish line in sight!"

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VIDEO: History In Uruguay

No narration needed.

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PC Sales Down After Windows 8 Release

According to reports released yesterday by two firms that analyze the computer market, PC sales have dropped steeply since the release of Windows 8.
The ailing personal computer market is getting weaker, and it's starting to look like it will never fully recover as a new generation of mobile devices reshapes the way people use technology. As if that news wasn't troubling enough, it appears that a pivotal makeover of Microsoft's ubiquitous Windows operating system seems to have done more harm than good since the software was released last October.

"This is horrific news for PCs," said BGC Financial analyst Colin Gillis. "It's all about mobile computing now. We have definitely reached the tipping point." First-quarter shipments of PCs fell 14 percent from the same time last year, according to International Data Corp. That's the deepest quarterly drop since the firm started tracking the industry in 1994. Another research firm, Gartner Inc., pegged the first-quarter decline at 11 percent.
The above-linked story notes that one of the firms did not include PC tablets or any device with a detachable keyboard in its sales analysis.

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Ben Carson Cancels Johns Hopkins Speech

Blaming the controversy on "political correctness," Tea Party hero Ben Carson has canceled his commencement address at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University. Last week Carson made a "sincere" apology after a Fox News appearance in which he compared gay people to pedophiles and animal-fuckers.
“Given all the national media surrounding my statements as to my belief in traditional marriage, I believe it would be in the best interests of the students for me to voluntarily withdraw as your commencement speaker this year,” he said in an email sent Wednesday to Paul Rothman, the dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins medicine. “My presence is likely to distract from the true celebratory nature of the day. Someday in the future, it is my hope and prayer that the emphasis on political correctness will decrease and we will start emphasizing rational discussion of differences so we can actually resolve problems and chart a course that is inclusive of everyone.”

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We're Going To Need A Bigger Boat


(Via Towleroad)

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Missouri Man Arrested For Refusing To Leave Partner's Hospital Bedside

A gay man in Missouri has been arrested after refusing to leave his partner's hospital beside when the ill man's family demanded that he be ejected from the premises. Via Raw Story:
Roger Gorley [on the right in this photo] told WDAF that even though he has power of attorney to handle his partner’s affairs, a family member asked him to leave when he visited Research Medical Center in Kansas City on Tuesday. Gorley said he refused to leave his partner Allen’s bedside, and that’s when security put him in handcuffs and escorted him from the building. “I was not recognized as being the husband, I wasn’t recognized as being the partner,” Gorley explained. He said the nurse refused to confirm that the couple shared power of attorney and made medical decision for each other. “She didn’t even bother to look it up, to check in to it,” the Lee’s Summit resident recalled.
The arrested man in now under a restraining order and may not enter the hospital grounds at all. A hospital spokesman has issued a statement.
"We believe involving the family is an important part of the patient care process. And, the patient`s needs are always our first priority. When anyone becomes disruptive to providing the necessary patient care, we involve our security team to help calm the situation and to protect our patients and staff. If the situation continues to escalate, we have no choice but to request police assistance."
The arrested man says he and his partner were joined in a civil union five years ago. Civil unions, of course, are not legally recognized by the state of Missouri. (Tipped by JMG reader Str8 Grandmother)

RELATED: In 2010 President Obama mandated that any hospital that receives federal funding such as Medicare or Medicaid must allow visitation privileges for same-sex partners.

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Opera Supports Harlem's Chipped Cup

Two weeks ago Harlem's Chipped Cup coffee shop was in the news after a customer launched an internet campaign against them for placing a pro-gay message on their menu board during the Supreme Court hearings on marriage. That customer performs in local opera productions and tonight the Chipped Cup will see some love from more equality-minded members of the opera community.
Show support as a member of the opera community by showing up at the Chipped Cup on April 11th! Between 5-8pm there will be a group of us, but swing by anytime that day!! Tell them Opera supports The Chipped Cup. Or you don't have to say anything. Just bring an opera score with you and have it in your hand or place it on your table.
The Chipped Cup is at Broadway & 148th in Harlem's Hamilton Heights neighborhood. (Tipped by JMG reader Suzanna)

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Trent Reznor: Just Because

From a Buzzfeed photo compilation titled 31 Hunks From 90s Bands: Then And Now. Most of them, of course, look better today. RELATED: I think the only reason I lived through a riotous 1990 Nine Inch Nails concert in Miami Beach is because booze was only served in the balcony, where it turned out we were safe from all the violent moshing. Beer saves the day, again.

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NYC's Pier 57 To Get Major Makeover

The New York City Council has approved a deal with developers for a $200M makeover for the "crumbling" Pier 57, located just north of the West Village on the Hudson River. The cavernous site, which last year hosted an indoor version of NYC Pride's famed Pier Dance, will emerge from the renovations as a 100,000 square foot "retail, food, art, and cultural beacon" with a permanent outdoor venue for the Tribeca Film Festival on its roof. 

In return for sinking all that money into the pier, the developers will get a 49-year lease on the property from the Hudson River Trust, a jointly-run city and state group which operates the five mile long Hudson River Park along the west side of the island.  City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who has long been criticized as "being in the pocket" of major developers, is thrilled about the deal and tells the Daily News, "This will be pretty cool if I say so myself."

It does look cool, but it also sounds like an attempt to create a more hip version of the South Street Seaport, Manhattan's tourist trap on the East River. Construction on Pier 57 is scheduled to begin this October.

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Ellen & Portia In Elle Decor

Elle Decor has published a 17-photo look at the California ranch of Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi.

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Tony Perkins On WA Florist Lawsuit

"In Eastern Washington, religious hostility is in full bloom. Just ask Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers. After a longtime business relationship with an openly gay customer, Stutzman now finds herself in Benton County Superior Court fighting for her rights.Leading up to last November's election, when Washington State voted to legalize same-sex 'marriage,' supporters argued that redefining marriage wouldn't hurt anyone--that it was just about two people who love each other. Well, it may be about two people who love each other, but it's also about the florists, the bakers, the candlestick makers, and everyone else the Left wants to force to endorse their relationship!" - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.

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Another Lawsuit For WA Florist?

At Seattle's Stranger, Dominic Holden has an update in the case of the florist who was sued this week by the Washington state Attorney General.
After five weeks of biting their tongues, a gay couple in Richland, Washington, is making a loaded offer to a florist who refused to sell them flowers based her biblical belief that "marriage is between a man and a woman." Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed's lawyers, working with the legal powerhouse at the ACLU of Washington, sent a letter today to Arlene's Flowers owner Baronelle Stutzman saying she has two options: (1) She can vow to never again discriminate in her services for gay people, write an apology letter to be published in the Tri-City Herald, and contribute $5,000 to a local LGBT youth center, or (2) she can get sued for violating the Washington State Civil Rights Act.
The couple is being represented by the ACLU.  Read the letter.

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Hate Groups Threaten To Leave GOP If Gay Marriage Opposition Is Ended

The above hate group leaders and crackpots have signed a letter to RNC chairman Reince Preibus in which they threaten to end their support for the GOP if the party platform is amended to remove the opposition to same-sex marriage.  Here's an excerpt:
Many homosexuals are active in the GOP because they agree with Republicans on economic issues. The fact that the Party is strongly committed to traditional marriage has not prevented their involvement through GOProud or Log Cabin Republicans. We deeply resent the insinuation that we have treated homosexuals unkindly personally.

And we would like to point out that in the four blue states where voters narrowly voted for same sex marriage in 2012, Mitt Romney, who refused to discuss the issue, lost by an average of five points more than the state initiatives to preserve marriage.

We respectfully warn GOP Leadership that an abandonment of its principles will necessarily result in the abandonment of our constituents to their support. We could not change that even if we wished to.

As a gesture of good faith and an affirmation of its positions, we strongly recommend that the RNC meeting in Los Angeles on April 9th pass a resolution reaffirming its support of the 2012 National GOP Platform adopted in Tampa.
The RNC meeting continues until the end of the week. Think Progress has the text of a proposed meeting resolution that reaffirms the continued opposition to same-sex marriage. Hit that link and you'll note that the resolution copiously cites the widely-debunked Regnerus study.

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Santorum Is Back On With MI School

The Michigan high school that two days ago rescinded their invitation for Rick Santorum to speak before a student assembly has re-invited him
Grosse Pointe Public School Superintendent Dr. Thomas Harwood says former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum's speech will happen in the district, after a brief cancelation and a few ruffled political feathers. Wednesday, Santorum had accused school officials of cancelling his planned visit, saying educators didn't agree with his politics. Harwood says parents will now be able to sign a permission slip to decide if students can attend the event to hear Santorum speak. This compromise was reached between the school administration and the South student club Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), the event organizers. The district says students participating in YAF raised $18,000 to bring Santorum to Michigan.
The initial cancellation came after Santorum refused to provide an advance copy of his speech, saying that he rarely speaks from a prepared text.

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