Original Fire Island Pines Sign

Circa 1957.

State Department Issues Global Terrorism Alert For Travelers

Photographer Joe Hepworth

This afternoon Father Tony and I dropped in at the 14th biennial Fire Island Pines Art Show, where my pal (and former NYC Eagle bartender) Joe Hepworth was showing some of his photography.

Time-Warner Cable Vs CBS

All Time-Warner Cable customers got this email yesterday:

CBS Corporation, the owner of several TV networks and broadcast TV stations, has made outrageous demands for the right to continue delivering their programming to our customers. As a result, several CBS-owned channels have been removed from your lineup while we continue to negotiate for fair and reasonable terms. We deeply regret being forced into this position by CBS, but we're prepared to stand by our customers and do what it takes to fight these unreasonable demands.

The removed channels include CBS, Showtime, the Movie Channel, and Flix. 

Raven Simone Comes Out

Actress Raven Simone (The Cosby Show, That's So Raven) has come out.

According to a report from Pop2It, it was the Supreme Court's striking down of the Defense of Marriage Act earlier this summer that prompted the 27-year-old to go public. "I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you," she tweeted. A rumor about Simone's sexuality hit the National Enquirer last year, and it indicated she was living with a contestant on America's Next Top Model. At that time Raven clearly wasn't ready to come out to everyone.  "My sexual orientation is mine, and the person I'm datings to know. I'm not one for a public display of my life," she said in 2012.

Afternoon View - Fire Island Pavilion

This (I think) is the third Fire Island Pines Pavilion, which contains two bars, a nightclub, a gym, and several retailers. It's rainy and grey here today and most folks haven't yet ventured out of their houses.

CALIFORNIA: San Diego County Clerk Drops Bid To Stop Same-Sex Marriages

San Diego's Union-Tribune reports:

San Diego County Clerk Ernest Dronenburg has withdrawn a petition asking the state Supreme Court to rule on whether same-sex marriages have truly become legal in California. In a news release sent out Friday afternoon, Dronenburg said he canceled the petition because it covered the same ground as another petition filed earlier to the court.  The first petition was filed July 12 by Dennis Hollingsworth and others. Hollingsworth, a former state senator, has worked with ProtectMarriage.com in support of Proposition 8, which amended the state Constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Dronenburg said he was withdrawing his petition, which he filed July 19, to speed up the legal process that he hopes will clarify the current legal standing of Prop. 8.

What The Tea Party Wants

National Gay & Lesbian Sports Hall Of Fame To Induct First Class Of Honorees

Tonight the National Gay & Lesbian Sports Hall Of Fame will induct its first class of honorees in Chicago.

Dave Pallone, who was part of Chicago history when he umpired the first night game at Wrigley Field, is returning to Chicago to take part in another chapter of American sports history: His inclusion in the inaugural class of what organizers say is the first-of-its-kind National Gay & Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. On Friday night, Pallone will be honored in the first class of inductees that includes tennis greats Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King, Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis, and Jason Collins, who in April became the first active male professional athlete in a major team sport to publicly reveal he was gay. "It is a tremendous honor and ... I hope it gives young people and adults alike who happen to be LGBT and want to be in professional sports another example of why they should continue to strive for their dreams," Pallone said.

Being posthumously inducted is late pro baseball player Glenn Burke, who is credited with popularizing the high-five. Burke died of AIDS in 1995.

Sec. Of State John Kerry: Visas Are Now Available For Same-Sex Couples

Secretary of State John Kerry today announced the immediate availability of visas for same-sex couples. Via Metro Weekly:

"If you are the spouse of a U.S. citizen, your visa application will be treated equally. If you are the spouse of a non-citizen, your visa application will be treated equally. And if you are in a country that doesn’t recognize your same-sex marriage, then your visa application will still be treated equally at every single one of our 222 visa processing centers around the world," Kerry said during an appearance at the U.S. embassy in London.

The announcement is the latest repercussion following the Supreme Court's June decision striking down Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage as between a man and a woman. "Now, as long as a marriage has been performed in a jurisdiction that recognizes it so that it is legal, then that marriage is valid under U.S. immigration laws, and every married couple will be treated exactly the same, and that is what we believe is appropriate," Kerry added.

The new policy will also apply to the children of the foreign spouse in a same-sex marriage.

Afternoon View - Fire Island Marina

I'm with Father Tony as the guests of the hamlet of Fire Island Pines for a weekend press junket. I'll have more photos tomorrow and Sunday should the FSM provide me with reliable internet, something that Fire Island is notoriously short on.

FKA Twigs - Water Me

Strange. Hypnotic. Shades of Massive Attack.

Scott Lively Has The Papal Sadz

"Clearly, Pope Francis is NOT endorsing homosexual conduct as so many in the liberal media have dishonestly claimed. He affirms the Catholic Catechism, which is explicit on that point. My concern is about his use of the phrases 'a gay person' and 'the fact of that person being gay.' Saying 'a gay person,' instead of “a person who struggles with homosexual temptation,” or 'a person who defines himself as homosexual' is on its face a major concession to sexual-orientation theory when used by a church leader about Christians. Further, in the context of the sentence, it implies a softening of church policy that those with a deep-seated homosexual identity, even if celibate, are unfit for the priesthood. If the pope has conceded that “gayness” is an acceptable basis for self-identity, that suggests he is willing to integrate people into the priesthood who define themselves by their sin, rather than as sinners washed and transformed by the blood of Christ." - Hate group crackpot Scott Lively, writing for World Net Daily.

Every Country In Four Minutes

A man who visited every country in the world has edited down all of his video into a single four-minute clip. Gawker recaps his story:

In November 2012, Liverpool resident Graham Hughes successfully became the first person to ever visit all United Nations member states without flying. The Atlas-ian task took Hughes nearly four years, during which he traveled to over 201 nations (plus 15 "assorted territories"), filming his adventure as he went. Here, then, is Hughes entire "Odyssey Expedition," boiled down to four minutes, or one second per nation (full list of tour stops can be found in the video's description).

SWEDEN: Topless FEMEN Activists Storm Russia's Embassy In Stockholm

Two of Ukraine's famed FEMEN topless activists climbed a fence yesterday and rushed into Russia's embassy in Stockholm in a protest over LGBT rights.

The two women, linked to the Ukrainian feminist group Femen, waved a rainbow flag at the embassy's grounds and carried a sign saying "homosexual propaganda on Russian ground." They were supported by two other activists outside the embassy, who shouted "Gay Rights are Human Rights." The activities coincide with Stockholm Pride festival, which is being held this week and which has put special focus on gay rights in Russia. Earlier this week, Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt also reacted to the deteriorating situation for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Russia. "Hate-mongering against LGBT persons on the rise in Russia after recent law," he wrote on Twitter. "Repulsive. Inhuman."

Also protesting outside the embassy was a crowd of more than two hundred Swedes.

Quote Of The Day - Maggie Gallagher

"Professor Nicholas Cummings, rather a giant in the field of psychology who gave a deposition in this case, published an op-ed Wednesday in USA Today. Some have accused Cummings of supporting damaging forms of what they call 'reparation therapy.' But the SPLC lawsuit originally claimed any form of sexual-orientation change therapy was necessarily fraud because it never helps people. Cummings’s point is that competent therapy can be helpful to highly motivated patients who choose to deal with same-sex attraction in other ways than, well, being gay. He is firmly pro–gay rights — but for all gay people, even those who choose to live their sex lives in accordance with their faith." - Maggie Gallagher, writing for the National Review.  (Tipped by JMG reader Christopher)

FACT CHECK: Cummings may consider himself "pro-gay rights," but somebody who keynotes the convention of NARTH, the most vile and lying of all the "ex-gay" groups, is no fucking friend of ours.

One Million Moms: We Killed Save Me

"Dear Joe, Thank you for not taking the summer off! This summer has been a busy one, but our efforts have paid off. 1MM has been productive and has closely monitored several television programs this season that need to be taken off the air. Many sponsors have pulled their support - too many to list here – and as a result one program has been canceled already! NBC's Save Me can't be saved without any sponsors so it has been pulled off the air and will not be returning for a second season. I appreciate all your dedication to our mission. 1MM continues to stand up for traditional Christian values. Together, and with God’s help, we are taking a stand for our children and our voice is being heard." - One Million Moms, via email.

FACT CHECK: Save Me was actually cancelled because it averaged an abysmal 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic. That pesky fact, of course, is missing from the above message.

Auto-Play Ads Coming To Facebook

Oh THIS won't be annoying.

It was only a matter of time before Facebook started bringing auto-play ads into users’ news feeds. Unnamed sources tell Bloomberg that Facebook will start letting marketers “buy their way directly” into Facebook users’ feeds “with a 15-second pitch” that will cost them between $1 million to $2.5 million per day to buy. Bloomberg’s sources say that “the commercials will initially be sold on a full-day basis and can only be targeted to users based on age and gender” and that “Facebook members won’t see a spot more than three times in a given day.”

The Bloomberg story is here.

MINNESOTA: Rep. Keith Ellison Celebrate Marriage Equality With A Song

Just amazing.

Manchester To Send Sister City Of St. Petersburg Letter Denouncing Anti-Gay Bill

The city leaders of Manchester will send a letter to their sister city of St. Petersburg which denounces Russia's "homosexual propaganda" bill.

Deputy leader Sue Murphy said the city would not be "severing ties", but a protest letter would be sent. "I'm writing to the governor to express our concerns about the way people are being treated as a result of this legislation," she said. "We expect anybody that we have a relationship with to respect people's human rights and to treat them properly." She said the letter also pointed out the benefits Manchester had experienced through its "history of tolerance", including population growth and a reputation as a "leading tourist destination".

The city's relationship with St Petersburg is the oldest formal link the city has with another and dates back to a friendship agreement signed in 1962. The council's letter follows calls by businesses in the city's gay village to "untwin" and the launch of an online petition, which stated it was "no longer appropriate" to be linked to St Petersburg. Several of the businesses have also joined bars and clubs in London and North America in boycotting Russian products, particularly vodka brands such as Stolichnaya.

RELATED: A petition has been launched which demands that Los Angeles sever its sister city relationship with St. Peterburg.

Headline Of The Day

The Human Rights Campaign reacts:

“Today the U.S. Senate confirmed five highly qualified nominees to important posts who happen to be gay,” Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin said in a statement to BuzzFeed. “It is a testament to President Obama and the U.S. Senate that the sexual orientation of these nominees was irrelevant to their qualifications for their posts, as it should be. All Americans should be proud to have these fine public servants representing the interests of the United States,” Griffin added.

NOTE: Not among the names put up for approval yesterday was Wally Brewster, whose nomination to be the ambassador to the Dominican Republic has caused protests there. Last month Cardinal Nicolas Rodriquez called Brewster a "faggot" during a press conference. It's not clear when Brewster will be put forward for approval.

MINNESOTA: Anti-Gay Christian Group Vows To Punish Pro-Marriage Politicians

As same-sex marriages became legal in Minnesota, the anti-gay Minnesota For Marriage (home to Kalley Yanta) yesterday vowed that it will punish gay-friendly legislators during the 2014 election. With the financial help of NOM, of course.

Minnesota for Marriage said it will support lawmakers who took politically difficult votes against the gay marriage bill and encourage opposition to those who voted for it. Leva said it's premature to say whether the goal will be to reverse the law. For now, she said, the idea is to help voters find lawmakers who share their values. "Minnesotans around the state have been asking 'what's next?' after a group of legislators forced same-sex marriage on the state. The Marriage Majority Initiative will help them answer that question by restoring a pro-marriage majority in their state government," John Helmberger, chairman of Minnesota for Marriage and CEO of the Minnesota Family Council, said in a statement.

Considering NOM's super-shitty track record of "punishing" our allies, Minnesota's pols probably don't have much to worry about.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Pastafarian Wins Right To Wear Pasta Strainer For ID Photo

A man in the Czech Republic has won his religious battle to wear a pasta strainer on his head for his official government ID photo.

Prankster Lukas Novy, from Brno in the Czech Republic, claims that his Pastafarian faith means he has to wear the sieve at all times. Officials ruled that turning down Novy's request would be a breach of the country's religious equality laws. Brno City Hall spokesman Pavel Zara explained: 'The application complies with the laws of the Czech Republic where headgear for religious or medical reasons is permitted if it does not hide the face.' Novy claims to be a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, when emerged in the USA as spoof on organised religion. According to its tongue-in-cheek website their 'only dogma ... is the rejection of dogma'. Members claim to believe that an invisible alien made of spaghetti and meatballs created the universe after 'drinking heavily.'

All praise His noodly appendage!

TENNESSEE: Newspaper Editor Fired For Column Telling Obama To "Shove It"

Chattanooga Free Press editor Drew Johnson has been fired after the above-titled editorial went viral across Teabagistan.

According to the paper, the headline was “inappropriate” and “outside of normal editing procedures.” “It was not the original headline approved for publication, and Johnson violated the normal editing process when he changed the headline,” the Free Press wrote Thursday. “The newspaper’s decision to terminate Johnson had nothing to do with the content of the editorial, which criticized the president’s job creation ideas and Chattanooga’s Smart Grid. The Free Press page has often printed editorials critical of the president and his policies.

Johnson is now touring right-wing radio and television shows to tell his version of the story.

Rep. Gwen Moore Files To Add LGBT Youth To Homeless & Runaway Youth Bill

The Runaway & Homeless Youth Act, which was first passed in 2008, is due to be reauthorized. Rep. Gwen Moore has filed a new version of the bill that would explicitly include LGBT youth in its coverage. Moore's bill is co-sponsored by openly gay Rep. Mark Pocan.

I ran away from home when I was an adolescent,” said Rep. Moore. “It was the first and last time. Living on the streets is a difficult and dangerous experience – one that no child should have to endure. Unfortunately, homelessness is the reality for hundreds of thousands of youth each year. According to some studies, LGBT youth account for up to 40 percent of all homeless youth. LGBT homelessness is an issue that negatively impacts our children, our families and our communities."

LGBT youth advocate Cyndi Lauper reacts via press release:

No young person should ever be homeless, let alone because they are gay or transgender, but when they are, we need to ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect when they seek help,” said Cyndi Lauper, Co-Founder of the True Colors Fund. “I applaud Representatives Moore and Pocan for championing the Runaway and Homeless Youth Inclusion Act. Every young person, no matter who they are, deserves an even break and should never be turned away. If we want a strong future, we need to invest in all of our youth.”

Here's some background on the bill:

Currently, the legislation omits language relating to LGBT youth. The Runaway and Homeless Youth Inclusion Act (RHYIA) would help ensure that LGBT youth are not discriminated against and that grant recipients have the cultural competency to effectively serve these youth. In addition, RHYIA would take important steps to provide family support services for those struggling with the sexual orientation or gender identity of youth in their families.

Sen. Ed Markey Writes To Russia

"I am especially concerned with the provision of the law that allows for the possible detention of foreign citizens for up to 14 days before they would be expelled from the country. Many members of international athletic delegations, their families, spectators, and support staff proudly identify as members of the LGBT community. I believe it is essential for them to both feel and be safe from arrest, detention, and other forms of discrimination while in Russia." - Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), in a letter to Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.

RELATED: The newest member of the Senate, Markey won the special election to replace John Kerry last month.

FRC Action Vice President Departs

McClusky was the senior vice president of FRC Action, the DC lobbying arm of the Family Research Council. His tweets tend to be very jokey, so the above might not mean anything. Or maybe it might.

UPDATE: A reader reminds me that 25 year-old Josh Duggar (of those Duggars) just became executive director of FRC Action, so this change may be related to that.

At Jerusalem Pride 2013

Yesterday's gay pride event in Jerusalem drew 5000 participants and was relatively unmarred by protesters, unlike in recent years. The anti-gay donkeys made another appearance, but this time they were humans.

As usual, the march drew counter-protests. The "pride" march is particularly controversial in Jerusalem, Judaism's holiest city, with many Jews and Muslims arguing that it encourages immoral acts and constitute a desecration of the holy city. One counter-protester was arrested for throwing a stink bomb at marchers. A short time later, two women were arrested for a particularly attention-grabbing protest. The two had dressed up as animals, one as a monkey, and one as a donkey with a sign reading, “I’m a proud donkey.”

Their protest was similar to one that took place one year earlier. During the 2012 march, counter-protesters brought three donkeys wearing sheets with the words “I’m a proud donkey” written on them. Homosexual politicians in Israel have expropriated the Hebrew word "ge'eh," meaning "proud," to denote "homosexual," making use of the word's similarity to the English "gay." Thus "I'm a proud donkey" has a double meaning.

PENNSYLVANIA: Montgomery County Commission Holds Marriage Meeting

Philadelphia's CBS affiliate reports:

The Montgomery County commissioners held their first public meeting Thursday since the county started issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The decision was made by the register of wills, D. Bruce Hanes, not the commissioners, but two of them - Chairman Josh Shapiro (D) and Vice Chairman Leslie Richards (D) applauded the move. Also applauding the move were most of the 17 registered speakers. "I would commend you and your register of wills for embarking on this most courageous journey," said Eileen DiFranco of the Journeys of the Heart Ministry. Pennsylvania's law prohibits same sex marriage, but Hanes declared last week the equality wording in the state constitution trumps that law. Supporters of his view spoke of marriage equality and how it can transform.

All but one of the citizens that spoke at the meeting backed same-sex marriage.

Photo Of The Day

As Pennsylvania's marriage battle continues to heat up, Commonwealth Equality is inviting its Facebook followers to submit photos like the one above posted by openly gay state Rep. Brian Sims and state Rep. Steve McCarter of Montgomery County, which continues to defy the governor and issue marriage licenses.

TRAILER: Teenage Exorcists

Clip description:

Sick of taking responsibility for the shitty things that have happened to you in your life? Help is on the way, in the virginal and strangely vacant form of three bible-thumping teenage exorcists from Phoenix, Arizona. Eighteen-year-old Brynne Larson and her friends Tess and Savannah Sherkenback (18 and 21, respectively) claim to be able to confront the demons lurking inside traumatized people and draw them out using nothing more than a crucifix and a few choice words. But are these teenage exorcists really empowered by the Almighty, or merely by Brynne's father, a failed televangelist named Reverend Bob?

That televangelist would be regular JMG subject Bob Larson.

Senate Resolution Will Call On IOC To Denounce Russia's Anti-Gay Laws

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) will introduce a resolution which calls on the International Olympic Committee to explicitly denounce Russia's ban on "homosexual propaganda." Via Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed:

The resolution will ask the IOC both to oppose the law itself and to receive a guarantee that athletes and spectators will not be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity at the Sochi Winter Olympics, Merkley spokesman Jamal Raad said. The language is still being finalized, however, and he said the resolution will not be introduced formally until the Senate returns from its August recess. The resolution would be the Senate’s first formal statement regarding the Russian law, which was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in June. The Human Rights Campaign praised Merkley — also the lead sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban anti-LGBT discrimination in employment in the U.S. — for the move.

Perkins: Obamacare Is A Flesh-Eating Bacteria That Threatens America's Future

Backed by nutcase Rep. Louie Gohmert and a cavalcade of crackpottery, yesterday hate group leader Tony Perkins held a press conference in Washington DC to declare that Obamacare is a "rare strain of flesh-eating bacteria that if not stopped and stopped now threatens the very life of our Republic."

Brian Brown: Support San Diego's Clerk

"As you know, our courageous County Clerk Ernie Dronenburg filed a lawsuit seeking guidance and clarification by the California Supreme Court as to whether Proposition 8 is still law - because it has not been overruled by any appellate court, and the federal district court injunction against it only applies to Alameda and Los Angeles Counties. Confusing!! Therefore, Ernie's lawsuit is intended to clarify and uphold the rule of law. As our County Clerk, Ernie Dronenburg is sworn to uphold the California Constitution.

"His lawsuit seeks to ensure that all marriages performed enjoy constitutional protection. BUT Ernie has come under fierce attack by special interest groups who oppose Prop. 8, and are seeking to bring heavy political pressure to force Ernie to drop the case. We must be defensive in this matter! Do not let a very small % of the population speak for you! Please immediately reach out to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and urge them to support Ernie Dronenburg in this lawsuit. Ask them to encourage Ernie not to withdraw the lawsuit. Please call or email the below County Supervisors today. Do Not let our Governor and Attorney General overturn the vote of 7 million Californians who voted for Proposition 8." - Hate group leader Brian Brown.

Christian Groups Attack Pat Robertson For Sympathetic Trans Commentary

Three days ago I noted Pat Robertson's surprisingly sympathetic commentary on transgender people. That post got a lot of notice and the attacks on Robertson have begun. From the anti-gay LifeSiteNews:

Traditional Christians have condemned such actions as a form of self-mutilation since the days of the ancient church. Speaking specifically of castration, the Apostolic Canons, a fourth century Syrian document, states, “If a layman mutilate himself, let him be excommunicated for three years, as practising against his own life.” More contemporary teachers uphold the Christian admonition to maintain one's biological gender and respect our bodies.

"To destroy organs purposefully that are healthy and functioning, and to try to create imitation organs which will never have the genuineness and functioning of authentic organs lacks charity,” said Fr. William Saunders, professor of Catechetics and Theology at Christendom College's Notre Dame Graduate School. "Such surgery which purposefully destroys the bodily integrity of the person must be condemned.”

The National Catholic Bioethics Center wrote, "Changing one’s sex is fundamentally impossible; these procedures are fundamentally acts of mutilation...Doing violence to one’s body when there is nothing wrong with it is an unjustifiable mutilation. “Furthermore, seeking such a mutilation manifests a self-hatred inconsistent with the charity we owe to ourselves,” the group added. “Persons seeking such operations are clearly uncomfortable with who they really are. Loving such persons properly demands addressing the beliefs and self-understanding that give rise to this fundamental rejection of self.”

The above-linked article concludes with a short cataloging of other controversial statements by Robertson, some of which were also mentioned here at the time.

Harvey Fierstein On "Rat Putin": It's Time For The Gay Community To Get Dangerous

Here's an except from Harvey Fierstein's interview with Michelangelo Signorile:

“It seemed to me a really good time for us as a community to say, ‘You know what boys? Time to stop fucking with us,’” he said, also backing the boycott of Stolichnaya Vodka that has taken off worldwide. “It’s time for them to stop to making money. Time for churches to stop raising money by demonizing us. Time for politicians to stop making money by demonizing us. It’s time to make the gay community too dangerous to do that too. Russia happens to be a great place to do it because Putin -- I call him 'Rat Putin' -- is such a villain. I think there’s an entire movement here and an opportunity to say the gay community is no longer available to be your scapegoat.” Fierstein urged LGBT people to take a stand. “A lot of people are saying, ‘We can’t do this, we can’t do that,’” he said. “You can do everything. You don’t necessarily see the results right away. We have to create an environment where we are too dangerous to mess with. “

Listen to the full clip.

Canadian Foreign Minister Slams Russia

"As concerned as we are about the Olympics, that's nothing. That's two, three, four weeks for the athletes and participants and the visitors. This mean-spirited and hateful law will affect all Russians 365 days of the year, every year. It is an incitement to intolerance, which breeds hate. And intolerance and hate breed violence. We wanted more than a verbal commitment to the IOC. And now the comments by the Russian sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, are of deep concern. The Olympics is a great celebration of international sport, of international co-operation. This type of law being enforced flies in the face of the entire Olympic spirit." - Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird, who adds that instead of a boycott, the Sochi Games should be used as a "spotlight to bring pressure to bear on the Russian government."

HomoQuotable - Fred Sainz

"One wonders which Russian authorities the IOC is speaking to. Within the past twenty-four hours, two high level officials have gone out of their way to contradict the IOC in no uncertain terms. The opinion of the Russian government is now perfectly clear: if you’re gay and you come to Russia for the Olympics, you will be in harm’s way. What this makes all the more clear is that LGBT Russians and expats alike are also in peril. The law is so obtuse that circumstances can be contrived to prosecute LGBT individuals who are simply living their lives. These laws are an abomination and pose a human rights imperative for all to speak out." - HRC vice president Fred Sainz, speaking to Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed.

The Greatest Thing You'll See Today

An Iowa woman recorded her neighbor as she confronted her for harvesting rhubarb from near her back fence. The resulting outburst from already virally-famous Rhubarb Lady could have been scripted by John Waters. Seriously, this is like an outtake from Serial Mom and I can't stop laughing.

(Via Gawker)

Palm Springs Pride Names Grand Marshal

You won't be more surprised than I was.

Petition Of The Day II

Read and sign.

Brown University Vs Westboro

Via JMG reader Dwight comes this photo snapped by Brown Professor Wendy Schiller.  Westboro is touring Rhode Island today to whine about the first day of same-sex marriage.

Russian Minister: IOC Is Wrong, We WILL Enforce Anti-Gay Laws During Olympics

Russian Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko says that despite the "assurances" claimed by the International Olympic Committee, Russia will indeed arrest any athlete or fan who violates their ban on "homosexual propaganda." Via Russia's state news agency:

The IOC told R-Sport Friday it "has received assurances from the highest level of government in Russia that the legislation will not affect those attending or taking part in the Games," which start February 7. But in the first reaction from the government since the IOC made that claim, Mutko appeared to set the record straight. "No one is forbidding an athlete with non-traditional sexual orientation from coming to Sochi, but if he goes onto the street and starts propagandizing it, then of course he will be held accountable," Mutko told R-Sport. The legislation, signed into law by President Vladimir Putin in June, levies fines for such offenses from 800,000 rubles ($24,000) to 1 million rubles ($30,500) for legal entities, from 4,000 rubles ($120) to 5,000 rubles ($150) for individuals and from 40,000 rubles ($1,220) to 50,000 rubles ($1,530) for officials.

Human Rights Campaign head Chad Griffin was totally correct last week when he told the IOC that they could not trust the Russian government.

NY OK's Pharmacy Meningitis Shots

Via press release:

Last night, New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law State Senator Brad Hoylman’s (D -Manhattan) and State Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell’s (D-Manhattan) legislation to expand access to meningitis vaccines in the midst of an alarming and deadly outbreak of the disease among men who have sex with men (MSM).

According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), 22 cases of meningitis among MSM have been reported since 2010, including 17 cases since 2012, seven of which were fatal. The legislation (S.4881A/A.7324A) authorizes licensed pharmacists who have received additional certification, as well as certified nurse practitioners, to administer meningococcal vaccinations to adults 18 years of age and older.

“I am grateful to Governor Cuomo for signing this potentially life-saving bill into law,” said Senator Hoylman. “Allowing pharmacists to administer the meningitis vaccine will help us stop a wider outbreak of this deadly disease, which had evolved into a serious public health concern for New York’s LGBT community. The best way to prevent illness and death from meningitis is to be vaccinated. As we've seen with the flu vaccine, when pharmacists have the authority to administer a vaccine, immunization rates increase.”

I remain very impressed with both the state's and NYC's aggressive handling of this issue.  Have you been vaccinated?

The Smithsonian Wants Trayvon's Hoodie

The Smithsonian has expressed an interest in acquiring the hoodie worn by Trayvon Martin on the night he was murdered.

Lonnie Bunch, director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture told The Washington Post Martin's hoodie represents an to further the discussion about race in America. “It became the symbolic way to talk the Trayvon Martin case. It’s rare that you get one artifact that really becomes the symbol,” Bunch told the newspaper. “Because it’s such a symbol, it would allow you to talk about race in the age of Obama.” Bunch, who has acquired a guard tower from Louisiana’s Angola State Penitentiary and the handcuffs used to restrain Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. in 2009, said he'd like to have the hoodie for his collection once the legal case is over.

All of the physical evidence in the case is being held while the Justice Department mulls a possible civil rights case against George Zimmerman.

Christie Vs Paul, Round Five

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has rejected a peace offering by Sen. Rand Paul after their tit-for-tat feud stretched into a full week of returned insults.

"We’re going to have to patch things up if we can sit down," Paul said in an interview on Fox News. "I am inviting him for a beer, anytime he would like to come down and sit down at the pub right around the corner from the Senate we’ll have a beer." "I’m running for re-election in New Jersey. I don’t really have time for that at the moment," Christie said to Eric Scott on 101.5 FM's "Ask The Governor" program on Wednesday, according to the Asbury Park Press. "You know, if I find myself down in Washington, I'll certainly look him up. I don't suspect I'll be there anytime soon. I've got work to do here."

Send in Jimmy Carter!

Anti-Quinn Group Posts Video Denouncing Her Support For NYPD Head Ray Kelly

WARNING: This video includes a scene in which the NYPD shoots a dog on an East Village street. Details of that incident are here.

NOTE: This video was posted to a YouTube account with the name "BradHoylman2014." In fact, openly gay state Sen. Hoylman has endorsed Christine Quinn.

Petition Of The Day

Read more.

Anti-Gay Hate Group Tells Clerks In MN & RI They Don't Have To Marry Gays

Just one day after NOM's Brian Brown issued a spittle-flecked denouncement of the "lawless" politicians who defy same-sex marriage bans, Alliance Defending Freedom has issued a notice to clerks in Rhode Island and Minnesota, offering them free legal defense if they defy local marriage laws.

Alliance Defending Freedom is advising officials responsible for issuing marriage licenses in Rhode Island and Minnesota that they do not have to violate their faith or conscience by personally issuing licenses to applicants who are of the same sex. Two new legal memos issued Wednesday in Rhode Island and Minnesota advise officials that they can delegate responsibility for issuing the licenses to deputies or assistants who don’t have conscience-based objections to issuing the licenses to same-sex applicants.

“No American should have to choose between their conscience and their job in America,” said Litigation Counsel Kellie Fiedorek. “The First Amendment protects Americans from being coerced to give up their careers to maintain their religious freedom. Religious freedom is guaranteed to every American, including those issuing marriage licenses.” Fiedorek explained that the government can respect the faith and conscience of officials while providing no impediment to carrying out the law.

The rules are always different if you love Jesus. Praise! Glory! (Via Zack Ford @ Think Progress)

PENNSYLVANIA: "Fuck All You Libtards" Gun Nut Rural Sheriff Suspended

The crackpot rural Pennsylvania sheriff whose machine-gun-firing "fuck all you libtards" video went viral, has been suspended after a town meeting reportedly attended by thousands of supporters.

The borough council in the coal town of Gilberton said that police Chief Mark Kessler used "borough property for non-borough purposes without prior borough permission" when he made the video where he's seen shooting semiautomatic and automatic weapons. Thousands of gun-rights activists descended on the town of 750 for the meeting, openly sporting firearms, CNN affiliate WPMT reported. "I make no apologies and I have no regrets," a defiant Kessler told the council after its 5-1 vote, according to CNN affiliate WFMZ. He added he would be back "30 days from tonight." Soon afterward, Kessler posted a statement on his website saying that Mayor Mary Lou Hannon and two council members -- Eric Boxer and Daniel Malloy -- "are conspiring behind closed doors for full termination." "They needed to suspend first to allow themselves time to look for or make up any reason or lie," he said.

Penn Live has posted a slideshow of Kessler's supporters.

NEW YORK CITY: Chelsea's Rawhide Location To Become Pizza Chain Outlet

Back in March, I reported that Chelsea's iconic Rawhide bar was closing after 34 years in business.  Jeremiah's Vanishing New York reports on what is going in at that location:

Crain's reports that Chelsea's iconic gay leather bar is "being replaced by a West coast pizza chain, in another sign of the gentrification of the area around the popular High Line." Project Pie is known as "the Chipotle of fast-casual pizza," which means it's a chain that models itself on another chain where your food is made on an assembly line. It [Rawhide] was the first gay bar in the neighborhood when it opened in 1979. It survived hatred and bricks through the windows. It survived the AIDS crisis and Giuliani. But it could not survive the High Line and Bloomberg's New York. Then it was gone. The California pizza chain signed a 15-year lease for the space at $228 per square foot for 2,640 square feet. You do the math. That's a lot of assembly line pizza.

Jeremiah wryly notes that the site's landlord is claiming that Project Pie is going to bring "a little more local flair" to the neighborhood.

RELATED: Another iconic Chelsea landmark, Splash Bar, is closing next week after 22 years. Unconfirmed rumors on Facebook and elsewhere claim that Splash will relocate in Hell's Kitchen, which has became the epicenter of Manhattan's gay nightlife over the last few years.

Marriages Begin In Rhode Island

Dozens of couples married in Minnesota last night at the stroke of midnight, but it appears that Rhode Island's marriages just started this morning.

Officials around Rhode Island began issuing licenses when offices opened at 8:30 a.m., including in Newport. A couple that have been together for 41 years, Federico Santi and John Gacher, arrived first thing at the Newport clerk's office. They had previously been joined in a civil union, so they were immediately married after getting their license. Newport City Clerk Kathleen Silvia calls Thursday, in her words, "a day of smooching" in Rhode Island.

RELATED: Four members of Westboro Baptist Church are hopping around Rhode Island this morning for protests at various civic venues. Counter-protesters are matching their every move.

Kristin Chenoweth Sings About Weiner

Fabulous: "You will be popular, the right kind of popular. I'll teach to zip your fly, you won't be that guy, with a camera down his pants."

CALIFORNIA: Catholic School Fires Gay Man After His Wedding Makes News

A Catholic high school in San Bernadino has fired a teacher after his same-sex wedding was covered by the local news.

School administrators declined to discuss the firing on camera. But they did issue a statement that read, in part, “We respect and protect privacy interests and, to be respectful of those involved, the school does not comment on confidential matters. St. Lucy’s wishes to reassure all in our community that upholding its mission to educate students in the tradition of the Catholic faith is of paramount importance.” [Ken] Bencomo, 45, had been a teacher at St. Lucy’s for 17 years. He was head of the English department and he coached the dance squad. His attorney says the school knew Bencomo was gay and continued to renew his contract every year — until he got married.

At this writing over 5000 people have signed a petition which demands that Bencomo be reinstated.

NASA's Photo Of The Day

NASA explains today's photo:

The Great Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda (aka M31), a mere 2.5 million light-years distant, is the closest large spiral to our own Milky Way. Andromeda is visible to the unaided eye as a small, faint, fuzzy patch, but because its surface brightness is so low, casual skygazers can't appreciate the galaxy's impressive extent in planet Earth's sky. This entertaining composite image compares the angular size of the nearby galaxy to a brighter, more familiar celestial sight. In it, a deep exposure of Andromeda, tracing beautiful blue star clusters in spiral arms far beyond the bright yellow core, is combined with a typical view of a nearly full Moon. Shown at the same angular scale, the Moon covers about 1/2 degree on the sky, while the galaxy is clearly several times that size. The deep Andromeda exposure also includes two bright satellite galaxies, M32 and M110 (bottom).

(Tipped by JMG reader Ray)

Sully Bait

Tweet Of The Day - Wikileaks

USA Today has more:

National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has been granted temporary asylum in Russia for one year and left a Moscow airport to formally enter the country's territory, according to his lawyer. Anatoly Kucherena, Snowden's legal representative, told Interfax Thursday that he had given Snowden temporary papers issued by the Russian Immigration Service. The Associated Press reported that Snowden had actually left Sheremetyevo airport, where he has been holed up since arriving June 23 from Hong Kong. Kucherena said Snowden was unaccompanied when he left the airport in a regular taxi. RT.com reported that his whereabouts will be kept secret.

Snowden's father this morning thanked Vladimir Putin for having the "courage and strength of conviction to keep my son safe."

Brian Sims On PA's Marriage Battle

OKLAHOMA: Suit To Overturn Marriage Ban Renewed After Repeal Of DOMA

The Oklahoman reports:

A lesbian couple challenging Oklahoma's ban on gay marriages say the U.S. Supreme Court has bolstered their arguments that the state prohibition is unconstitutional. The high court's decision last month in a gay marriage case “provides clear and explicit guidance for concluding Oklahoma's marriage ban violates both (the couple's) fundamental right to marry, and the exercise of liberties inherent in such fundamental right,” according to a legal brief filed Monday in the case.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law barring benefits for same-sex couples, ruling that it violated “basic due process and equal protection principles applicable to the federal government.” The lawsuit against the Oklahoma ban was filed in federal court in Tulsa in 2004 and has been stalled for more than a year as same-sex marriage cases from other states moved toward consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a separate motion, the same lawyer filed a demand that Oklahoma recognize marriages from other states.

Neil Patrick Harris: Gays Get A Special Pass When It Comes To Butt-Grabbing

AFA Predicted "Thousands Of Ex-Gays" Would Descend Upon DC Yesterday

Fewer than ten actually showed up, including Richard "Tennis Racket" Cohen and PFOX loser Greg Quinlan, but that's not what Sandy Rios predicted on her national radio show for the American Family Association. This is their most hilarious fail since "Ex-Gay" Pride Month got canceled, but you can bet all those AFA radio listeners won't hear about it.

UPDATE: "Hip-hip hooray for ex-gays!"

Brian Brown Issues New Mexico Alert

"The battle for marriage as God designed has come to The Land of Enchantment; and it's your turn to stand in the breach. Every person who believes marriage to be the union of one man and one woman needs to contact Governor Martinez today, urging her and her administration to give their full support to the defense of marriage. As you are probably aware, two men applied for a marriage license in Santa Fe County. A brave County Clerk refused to issue the license because she knew, as you do, that New Mexico's definition of marriage is the union of one man and one woman. As a result, these men have filed a lawsuit seeking to have New Mexico give legal recognition to same sex marriage. And yesterday the Santa Fe Commission voted to support this suit! We need the Governor to intervene because the State’s Attorney General is refusing to do so. In fact, the Attorney General has betrayed his oath of office by urging the Court to overturn New Mexico’s recognition of traditional marriage and legalize same-sex marriage." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, calling on supporters to contact Martinez. When Brian Brown gets worried like this, you know what happens next!

Church Sign Of The Day

Gone viral on Facebook.

Open Thread Thursday

Tell us about your first love.

Marriages Begin In Minnesota

Shortly after midnight local time, dozens of gay couples were married tonight by the mayor of Minneapolis.

Clad in red and black gowns, Margaret Miles and Cathy ten Broeke stood facing each other, smiling through tears in the white-marbled, Minneapolis City Hall rotunda as the clock ticked toward midnight. Seconds later, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak declared: “Margaret and Cathy, by the power now finally vested in me, by the laws of the people of Minnesota, we hereby declare Margaret and Cathy legally married. You may now kiss the bride.”

The two kissed as hundreds of guests erupted in cheers and applause, amid a hall filled with fresh flowers, live music and cases of donated champagne. From Minneapolis and St. Paul to Duluth and Crookston, dozens of gay and lesbian couples tied the knot in the pre-dawn hours Thursday as Minnesota became the 13th state to legalize same-sex marriage. Couples and guests gathered in city halls, a conservatory, the Mall of America, even a bar to be among the first to usher in a new era of marriage equality in Minnesota.

“We are happy to recommit to one another every day, but the opportunity to be the symbol for the community is unequaled,” a beaming Miles said. The ceremonies across the state capped a polarizing and expensive political fight that settled the question of law while leaving Minnesotans still divided over same-sex marriage.

Check out the Star-Tribune for a live blog of the festivities.

MN Dems Congratulate Newlyweds

Scott Lively Has The Documentary Sadz

"Any American who has ever watched their favored candidate for office being unfairly smeared in a television commercial knows the destructive power of lies and misrepresentation in film. Both the Democrat and Republican parties are masters at twisting and spinning facts to destroy their opponents. But nobody is better at malicious propaganda than the political left on the issue of homosexuality, and they have never worked quite so hard at it as in their attempt to slander the people of Uganda. If the vast sums of money spent by western liberals to smear this emerging nation for opposing homosexual sin had instead been spent on feeding starving Africans, or fighting the many terrible diseases of that continent, they would have saved tens of thousands of human lives instead of producing tens of thousands of feet of worthless film. Real life in Uganda is far, far different from what is portrayed in these disgusting anti-Christian ‘documentaries.’" - Anti-gay crackpot Scott Lively, who is ever so upset at his portrayal in documentaries about the Christian pogrom against homosexuals in Uganda.

"Ex-Gays" Protest At Supreme Court

Christopher Doyle wants his "ex-gay" equal rights!

Headline Of The Day

Details.

Wingnut Tries To Stop RI Marriage

Same-sex marriage becomes legal tomorrow in Rhode Island and the wingnuts are flailing about in their usual desperation to stop it.

Ronald L’Heureux, a cofounder of the Faith Alliance to Preserve the Sanctity of Marriage as Defined by God, brought a petition and complaint to the court on Tuesday morning and sought a temporary restraining order to stop the law from taking effect. Judge Daniel A. Procaccini denied the request, saying L’Heureux had fallen “far short” of the criteria needed to obtain a temporary restraining order, said court spokesman Craig Berke.  Instead, Procaccini scheduled a preliminary hearing for Aug. 9.

L’Heureux’s complaint, which names Governor Chafee, state Department of Health Director Michael Fine and 75 state lawmakers who voted for same-sex marriage as defendants, argues that legalizing same-sex marriage will violate religious freedoms guaranteed by the state Constitution, forcing people to accept, in public spheres such as schools, a practice that they oppose based on their faith. “It violates the Constitution and causes irreparable harm, and once it passes they’re going to teach my children and grandchildren conduct that’s reprehensible to my faith,” said L’Heureux, who represented himself in court.

The above-linked story is presently at the top of NOM's blog.

Rush Limbaugh: The Democrats Will Nominate Chris Christie For President

The latest from master prognosticator Rush Limbaugh:

The next presidential election is still three years away, but top-rated radio host Rush Limbaugh is already making a bold prediction about who will be the likely nominee for the Democratic Party. “I think it’s going to be Chris Christie,” Limbaugh said on his national program Tuesday. “I think the contest in 2016, the Democrat side, is gonna be between Rahm Emanuel and Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie.”

What makes the prediction especially noteworthy is that Christie, the governor of New Jersey, is at present a Republican, and he would have to switch parties to be nominated by the Democrats. On June 5, Limbaugh first brought up the possibility of Christie looking to lead the Democratic ticket, saying at the time: “I’m not predicting it officially here, but I will not be surprised, if when 2016 rolls around and Governor Christie is seeking the presidency, I won’t be surprised if he seeks the Democrat Party nomination.”

Limbaugh's latest prediction doubtlessly arises from the ongoing and increasingly personal feud between Christie and Sen. Rand Paul.

MSNBC Host Thomas Roberts On Weiner's Accuser: This Chick Is So Batshit

MSNBC host Thomas Roberts got a little potty-mouthed this afternoon, drawing snickers across the Twitterverse. Roberts later apologized on-air for his language.

The Daily Show On Pope Francis

TONIGHT: 42 Gay Couples To Marry At Midnight At Minneapolis City Hall

NPR Minnesota reports:

The city of Minneapolis is hosting an extravaganza at City Hall tonight where Mayor R.T. Rybak will officiate at the marriage of 42 same-sex couples. The celebration, which will stretch well into Thursday morning, includes performances by local musicians, a brass quintet and a reception at the nearby Hotel Minneapolis. Rybak staffer Andy Holmaas, who helped organize the Minneapolis event, said everyone from photographers to General Mills, which provided the cakes, have pitched in for free to help make the event successful. "People have been bending over backwards at the slightest ask -- an unbelievable outpouring," Holmaas said. "It's not surprising, but it's still really inspiring to see Minneapolis and the whole region just jump on board to do everything they can."

RELATED: Same-sex marriage also becomes legal tomorrow in Rhode Island.  Westboro Baptist Church claims it will protest both at the state capitol building and later at Providence City Hall.

Signorile Interviews Stoli CEO

Yesterday Michelangelo Signorile interviewed Stoli CEO Val Mendeleev on his new Sirius XM show. Audio of the full interview is at the bottom of this post.

In response to the boycott, Mendeleev said the company is in the beginning phase of seeking a group to which it could donate money to help fight the anti-gay government repression in Russia, and would be making an announcement in coming days.

“We are right now contemplating the best way to [use our influence],” he said. “I’ve been giving interviews, some of them in Russia, emphasizing our position, that we are upset by the lack of tolerance in Russia and the law limiting rights. But at the same time, we’re now analyzing the best way to influence this in Russia. Probably we will identify a global or local charity that knows better than us how to tackle the issue and influence the issue in Russia. And we’ll support it financially.”

Mendeleev at first appeared to be unaware of his own company’s policies on LGBT employees. After being informed by a p.r. executive who was present, he said that the new U.S. office that SPI Group opened has an anti-discrimination policy and offers domestic partnership benefits. He at first said such policies weren’t necessary in Luxembourg. After continued discussed he said he would look into the situation in Luxembourg and in Russia and elsewhere.

“Stoli has been a friend of the LGBT community and has been an opponent of the Russian government,” Mendeleev said. “Stoli was singled out by the community with which we associated in a way that we don’t believe was appropriate. If you look at our relationship with the Russian government, we’ve been boycotted by the Russian government for the past 10 years. We’ve been threatened, raided. And now we are being boycotted by the LGBT community.”

LGBT Groups Launch $2M ENDA Push

A coalition of the LGBT rights groups today announced a $2M campaign to support the passage of ENDA.  Via press release:

Today the bipartisan campaign Americans for Workplace Opportunity announced it had formed in order to take advantage of a historic opportunity to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act 19 years after its first introduction -- a bill to ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The group plans to spend more than $2 million on the effort and has hired Matt McTighe, a veteran strategist who most recently served as Marriage Project Director for Gill Action after winning the campaign to bring marriage equality to Maine, to serve as the campaign manager. A majority of states lack laws protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from workplace bias and there is no federal law explicitly barring employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

"No one should be fired for who they are or who they love, and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is a bipartisan, common-sense way to put those values into federal law," said McTighe. "Our campaign will mobilize the supermajority of diverse Americans who believe in workplace fairness and push Congress to act on ENDA this year."

The steering committee of Americans for Workplace Opportunity is a diverse and bipartisan group of organizations composed of: American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Teachers, American Unity Fund, Human Rights Campaign, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, and the Service Employees International Union. Dozens of other organizations that support ENDA will also be involved in the coalition.

The list of sponsoring organizations is here.