Wednesday In Times Square

Details. (Via Memographs)

Quote Of The Day: Cardinal Donald Wuerl

"If someone describes marriage as inherently something between a man and a woman only, is this somehow discrimination, bigotry or even hate speech? Until just a few years ago, this question would be looked upon as absurd. But today it is a real inquiry and an open challenge to the truth about human sexuality, the complementarity of man and woman, and the nature of marriage. The assertion is made that for the Church to profess that some activities are immoral is in itself wrongful and, therefore, Catholics should not be free to publicly proclaim the Church’s revealed and received tradition. When discussions occur within the secular community, the assumed context is called civil discourse and it should not be stifled by gratuitous charges of discrimination against those who hold differing positions on an issue." - Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who in 2010 sponsored a campaign to get Catholics to sign the Manhattan Declaration, which calls on Christians to disobey existing laws that protect LGBT people from discrimination.

HuffPo Ends Anonymous Commenting

(Tipped by JMG reader Ray)

How To Disappear From The Web

Wired explains a new website:

Even if you’re not Edward Snowden, there are times when excising your social media presence is necessary. Companies usually don’t make it easy, though, often hiding the delete button inside myriad confusing menus and settings. Save some time and bookmark justdelete.me, a new page that collects direct links for killing various accounts dead and puts them all on one, easy-to-use page. Justdelete.me is an excellent resource and evidently quite a bit of work went into it. For instance, for Facebook, the link goes directly to the delete button (no “deactivation” shenanigans here.) But not all accounts are as simple: Sometimes you’ve got to contact customer service, or, like Netflix, they’ll cancel your account but won’t delete your data. Even here justdelete.me excels, linking to the relevant help pages and contact forms.

One of the Wired readers wonders: "If you had access to someone else's accounts, could you use this tool to assassinate their online presence? Example: A frenemy leaves their laptop open. You go to justdelete.me and ka-POW!"

PBS News Hour On Chelsea Manning

With an interview with Allyson Robinson.

Filner Has Resigned

Filner went out denying all allegations and denouncing the "hysteria of lynch mobs."

ISRAEL: Tel Aviv To Get Holocaust Monument To Gays Persecuted By Nazis

Monuments that honor the gay people persecuted by the Nazis exist in Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Sydney and San Francisco. Soon Tel Aviv will have one too.

At the center of the monument will be a concrete triangle containing a pink triangle, the symbol used by the Nazis used to mark homosexuals. A bench and plaque beside the monument will give information about the persecution of homosexuals during the Holocaust.

The monument, costing NIS 150,000, was the idea of attorney Eran Lev, a member of the municipal council from the Meretz party. He began working on the project after receiving support from Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai. Landscape architect Professor Yael Moriah, who was responsible for the park’s renovation over the past years, was put in charge of the planning.

“This will be the first and only memorial site in Israel to mention the victims of the Nazis who were persecuted for anything other than being Jewish,” Lev told Haaretz. “As a cosmopolitan city and an international gay center, Tel Aviv will offer a memorial site that is universal in its essence. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not a monument, but a place — a place of quiet that will invite visitors to sit, contemplate, reflect and be in solitude.”

The monument will be located in a park near Tel Aviv's gay community center.

Fake "Ex-Gay" Story Goes Viral

But thanks anyway to the hundred JMG readers who sent it to me. (Seriously - don't stop sending me your tips.)

New York Times To Publish Documents Leaked To Guardian By Edward Snowden

Citing oppressive measures by the British government, the Guardian has partnered with the New York Times to publish documents leaked to them by Edward Snowden.

The New York Times is in the Snowden game. The paper — which NSA leaker Edward Snowden deliberately avoided over his fear that it would cooperate with the United States government — is now working with the Guardian on a series of stories based on documents that detail National Security Agency cooperation with its British counterpart, the Government Communications Headquarters, known as GCHQ. “In a climate of intense pressure from the UK government, The Guardian decided to bring in a US partner to work on the GCHQ documents provided by Edward Snowden,” Guardian spokeswoman Jennifer Lindenauer said in an email. “We are continuing to work in partnership with the NYT and others to report these stories.”

Last month British officials demanded that the Guardian hand over Snowden's documents. When they refused, the officials reportedly made them destroy several hard drives in their presence. The Times and the Guardian have worked together in the past on the Wikileaks story and on the News Corp wiretapping scandal.

NEW MEXICO: Two Dozen GOP Reps To Sue To Stop Dona Ana Marriage Licenses

I'm just surprised they waited this long. Via the Sante Fe Nex Mexican:

Republican Sen. William Sharer of Farmington said a lawsuit will be filed, potentially by the end of the week, seeking a court order to stop County Clerk Lynn Ellins. “It has to do with a county clerk cannot make law. That is the Legislature’s job,” said Sharer, who sponsored a constitutional amendment in 2011 to define marriage as between a man and woman. He said more than two dozen GOP lawmakers have agreed to join the lawsuit. It likely will be filed with the state Supreme Court, but Sharer said lawyers were trying to decide the best legal strategy.

As of today, Dona Ana County has issued 91 licenses to same-sex couples, many of whom traveled from other counties across the state.

Schlafly: Obama Will Bring Communism Through Immigration And Obamacare

Queer Nation To Protest Coca-Cola's Sponsorship Of Sochi Olympics

Details from their Facebook page:

Coke: Don't Sponsor Hate! The Coca Cola Company is sponsoring Russian government hate at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. In June, Russia enacted its anti-gay propaganda law that bans any pro-LGBT statement in public or private and on the Internet. The Russian government has made being out and proud a crime. Coke is a World Partner and a major sponsor of the Games. Join Queer Nation NY and RUSA LGBT.

The protest begins at noon on Wednesday.

Emergency Paint Job Coming

USA Today chuckles:

There may not be a Pride House at the Sochi Olympics. Visitors and athletes may run afoul of the anti-gay laws by wearing a rainbow pin. But somehow this slipped by Russia’s anti-propaganda police: A giant rainbow Olympic building! Notice it’s not five colors of the Olympic rings. It’s the whole rainbow spectrum including indigo and violet. Whooops!

NEW MEXICO: Judge Orders Sante Fe County To Issue Gay Marriage Licenses

Things are moving fast in New Mexico:

A New Mexico district judge has ordered the Santa Fe County clerk to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, just two days after a another county clerk in the state decided to start issuing gay marriage licenses. The order issued late Thursday by Judge Sarah Singleton comes in a lawsuit by two Santa Fe men. It represents the first time a New Mexico judge has ruled that gay and lesbian couples can be married, said Rep. Brian Egolf, a lawyer representing the men. The order mandates that Santa Fe County Clerk Geraldine Salazar issue the marriage licenses or appear in court to tell the judge why that shouldn’t happen.

And down in Dona Ana County, ninety gay couples have already gotten their licenses.

Bryan Fischer Has The New Mexico Sadz

Blurred Lines: Gaye's Estate Rejected Six-Figure Offer From Robin Thicke

Last week Robin Thicke filed a preemptive lawsuit against the estate of Marvin Gaye, just in case they decided to sue over the alleged similarities between Gaye's 1977 smash Got To Give It Up and Thicke's Blurred Lines, which remains at #1 today for the 11th consecutive week. Today Billboard reports that Gaye's family had rejected a six-figure offer from Thicke's camp.

According to sources knowledgeable with the lawsuit, the settlement offer came after Frankie Christian Gaye, Marvin Gaye III and Nona Marvisa Gaye accused Thicke's "Blurred Lines" hit single of plagiarizing "Got To Give it Up," written and composed by Marvin Gaye, who died in 1984. Subsequently, Thicke, along with "Blurred Lines" co-writers Pharrell Williams and Clifford Harris, Jr., filed a lawsuit on Aug. 15 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles requesting a ruling that "Blurred Lines" does not infringe on "Got To Give It Up." Thicke's lawsuit said the "intent in producing 'Blurred Lines' was to evoke an era. In reality, the Gaye defendants are claiming ownership of an entire genre. The reality is that the songs themselves are starkly different."

RELATED: Thicke's hit is the biggest selling single of the year and is now tied as the 5th longest-running #1 single of all time. (There are numerous ties above him as well.) With the exception of Elvis Presley's Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel (1956), all of the singles in Thicke's company have come after 1991, which is when Billboard began using SoundScan to track sales.

Putin Bans Protests During Olympics

Pink News has the story:

A decree banning demonstrations and rallies has been signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and will take place over the duration of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. The decree, signed today will block all demonstrations and rallies from taking place, will take effect for two and a half months covering the games, reports the Associated Press. Published in the government newspaper, the decree states that all “gatherings, rallies, demonstrations, marches and pickets” which are not part of the Winter Olympics or Paralympics will be barred in the city between 7 Jan and 21 March 2014.

John Aravosis weighs in at AmericaBlog:

This fits a larger pattern of Russian threats against Olympics in the past few weeks, when both the Russian Sports Minister, Vitaly Mutko, and the Russian Interior Ministry, responsible for overseeing domestic order (i.e., clamping down on dissidents and any public criticism of the Kremlin), threatened to jail gay and gay-friendly Olympians, guests and media during the Sochi games. This isn’t the first time that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) got egg on its face by claiming, falsely, that the Russians would not restrict human rights during the Sochi Games. But it is perhaps the most embarrassing for the IOC, as only 24 hours ago, Olympic President Count Rogge, claimed the situation was settled.

Sen. Barbara Boxer Writes To Putin

"Dear President Putin: As the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee dedicated to the protection of human rights, I urge you to work to repeal recent laws and policies that severely infringe upon the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in Russia. These efforts—including legislation you recently signed banning 'homosexual propaganda'—are not only an affront to fundamental principles of equality, but also contradict the rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Russia is a party. [snip]

"Furthermore, I am deeply concerned about the significant detrimental impact of these laws on the Winter Olympic Games that Russia is scheduled to host next year. The United States—like many other countries—will be sending both LGBT athletes and spectators to the Games. I firmly expect Russia to support the Charter of the Olympic Games, which refers to sport as a human right that should be practiced without 'discrimination of any kind.' Any attempt at discrimination will be met with significant protest and will leave a dark stain on Russia’s international image for decades to come." - Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), in a letter published today by Buzzfeed.

SCOTLAND: Disgraced Cardinal Keith O'Brien Halted Sexual Abuse Inquiries

Back in February, Cardinal Keith O'Brien resigned two days after four priests accused him of "inappropriate contact" with them while they were seminary students in the 1980s. O'Brien later issued a murky confession about behavior "below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal." Today we learn that O'Brien halted an inquiry into sexual abuses by other priests over a year before he resigned.

The Bishops' Conference of Scotland commissioned a report into allegations of abuse in 2011 but it was halted the following year when Cardinal O'Brien, then president of the conference, withdrew his support. His opposition to an inquiry into Church-related abuse allegations was revealed by the retired archbishop of Glasgow, Mario Conti, in a letter to the Catholic newspaper The Tablet. Mr Conti wrote: "It was the intention of all but one member of the Bishops' Conference to commission an independent examination of the historical cases we had on file in all of our respective dioceses and publish the results, but this was delayed by the objection of the then president of the conference; without full participation of all the dioceses the exercise would have been faulty."

RELATED: After O'Brien's resigned, one of his accusers, a former priest, revealed that he had been O'Brien's long-term boyfriend and had outed him because he was angry about O'Brien's opposition to same-sex marriage.

Trans Navy SEAL Slams Chelsea Manning

"What you wear, what color you are, your religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity has no basis on whether you are a CRIMINAL or NOT.  For this person, whether male or female to use gender identity to act 'BADLY' is a slap in the face to me and everyone who does not fit the 'Binary Gender Norm.' It is not an excuse for anything illegal or unjust. This person took an oath to protect American interest and defend the constitution, and took additional oaths due to security clearances to protect information that leaders deem secret. There are legal avenues to whistle blow or bring attention to issues. THIS person is a liar and a thief and a traitor to many people. If Bradley is truly 'Chelsea' then 'she' is a traitor to ME personally. There is no excuse." - Former Navy SEAL Kristin Beck, writing on her Facebook page. Beck herself came out as transgender in June. (Via Towleroad)

Tweet Of The Day - Stephen Fry

VA Poll: Hillary Clinton Dominates Christie & Cruz In Potential 2016 Matchups

From a new Quinnipiac poll:

Looking ahead to the 2016 presidential campaign, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to be the apple of Virginia voters' eyes, leading New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie 46 - 37 percent, compared to 45 - 40 percent when Quinnipiac University asked that question in July. Christie continues to lead Vice President Joseph Biden, 44 - 37 percent today compared to 46 - 38 percent last month. Clinton crushes Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas 53 - 34 percent. Biden tops Cruz 47 - 37 percent. Virginia voters give President Barack Obama a split 48 - 48 percent job approval rating, compared to a negative 46 - 51 percent score last month.

GOP Mocks Potential Biden 2016 Bid

Brian Brown Has The New Mexico Sadz

"This decision is outrageous. While simultaneously admitting that this decision will harm the Huguenins, the court uses its full power of coercion to force them to compromise their beliefs. This is not what this country was founded upon; governmental coercion has no place in the public square never mind the freedom of religion supposedly enjoyed by the Huguenins. People of faith should not be coerced to denying their beliefs or losing their livelihoods There are plenty of photographers, bed and breakfast owners, or florists who would happily serve same-sex ceremonies. However, same-sex 'marriage' activists are not concerned with getting service, but instead forcing Americans of faith to compromise their beliefs and support something they know is objectively wrong." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, in his eleventh consecutive case of the sadz.

NEW YORK CITY: Transgender Woman Dies After Savage Attack In Harlem

Islan Nettles, 21, was taken off life support yesterday after what police describe as a brutal beating by a man shouting homophobic slurs in Harlem on Saturday night.

Nettles was out with several other transgender women at 11 p.m. Saturday when she ran across a group of men near West 148th Street and Eighth Avenue — directly across from the housing bureau's Police Service Area 6 precinct. When the man realized that Nettles and her friends were transgender, they began throwing punches and yelling homophobic slurs, cops said. Nettles, who also went by Vaughn Nettles and Alon Nettles, was taken to Harlem Hospital, but could not be revived, cops said. A 20-year-old man, whose identity was not immediately released, was arrested in connection with the attack, police said. He was initially charged with misdemeanor assault, but cops said they expected to upgrade the charges on Friday.

The new charges may include murder as a hate crime.

UPDATE: NYC Public Advocate (and mayoral candidate) Bill De Blasio has issued a statement.

“This is a horrifying and painful moment for our city. Ms. Nettles' murder was crime rooted in hate and ignorance. My heart goes out to her family and her friends as they come to terms with this inexplicable act of violence. Make no mistake: The denial of fundamental rights to transgender New Yorkers fuels the appalling violence this community continues to face. That must end. Delivering justice here requires we investigate this hate crime and hold the perpetrator or perpetrators fully responsible. But it also demands we finally affirm the rights of transgender New Yorkers as full and equal members of our city, state and country.”

UPDATE II: The NYC Anti-Violence Project will hold a vigil for Nettles on Monday night. Watch their Facebook page for the details to be announced.

Philadelphia Promotes Gay Tourism

From the city's Visit Philly tourism agency.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of its award-winning Philadelphia – Get Your History Straight and Your Nightlife Gay® campaign, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is set to release its second commercial geared toward the LGBT traveler. In 2004, GPTMC produced the first TV commercial by a U.S. destination for the LGBT travel market. “Ten years ago, Philadelphia was proud to officially ‘come out’ as a gay-friendly destination when we invited LGBT travelers to visit,” said Meryl Levitz, president and CEO of GPTMC. “With our new commercial, we’re going beyond our history roots and reiterating our invitation, celebrating both the city’s evolution into a premier destination and the LGBT community’s progress over the last decade.”

NYC Council Overrides Bloomberg's Vetoes Of Bills To Create New NYPD Oversight

The New York City Council yesterday voted to override Mayor Bloomberg's veto of two bills intended to crack down on the abuses of the NYPD.

The predominantly Democratic council voted 39 to 10 yesterday to pass the inspector-general measure and 34 to 15 to nullify a second veto of a bill allowing lawsuits when an officer uses racial profiling as a reason for questioning someone. Votes by at least 34 of the council’s 51 members are required to override a mayoral veto. The inspector-general decision followed a federal court ruling this month that police violated the U.S. Constitution in stop-and-frisk encounters with hundreds of thousands of mostly black and Hispanic young men. To restrain the practice, U.S. District Judge Shira Sheindlin appointed a monitor she said would ensure that police act lawfully.

Bloomberg is furious: "Today’s vote is an example of election-year politics at its very worst and political pandering at its most deadly. We will ask the courts to step in before innocent people are harmed."

The Gay Men's Health Crisis applauded the vote.

"Stigma related to race, sexual orientation and gender identity continues to be a driving force of the HIV epidemic in New York City," said Janet Weinberg, Chief Operating Officer of GMHC. "It is critical that police committed to protecting all New Yorkers stop harming them through profiling based on real or perceived race, sexual orientation, gender identity and HIV status."

On Transgender Military Service

First in a coming web series.

While the policy was in effect, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT)—the law that banned LGB Americans from serving openly in the nation’s military—addressed sexual orientation not gender identity. The repeal of DADT had no effect on transgender service-members who still serve in silence. It has and continues to be legal to “ask” if a person is trans and fire them even without voluntary disclosure. However, the U.K. has accepted transgender service members since 1999, before they authorized LGB personnel to serve openly. This workplace gender discrimination affects everyone and if we can achieve equality in the military we can achieve equality elsewhere. The TransMilitary project will engage and entertain a wide and diverse American audience audience while challenging their assumptions about gender and gender identity making this content a catalyst for change.

PENNSYLVANIA: Court Defines Issues For Montgomery County Marriages Cases

Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court has published five guidelines that define the issues to be decided in the lawsuit to stop Montgomery County from issuing same-sex marriage licenses.

According to the court directive, the five main issues to be argued in the lawsuit include whether Commonwealth Court has jurisdiction, because Hanes might be considered a judicial officer, and whether the issuance of a marriage license is even a judicial act at all. Another issue is whether the Pennsylvania Health Department, which filed the lawsuit against Hanes, has the legal standing to sue. If it does not, a judge will have to determine whether Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s refusal to defend the state’s marriage act has any implications for the case. Since the Health Department is asking the court to issue a writ of mandamus against Hanes — essentially ordering him to stop issuing the licenses — a judge will also have to decide whether his actions are constitutional.

The case begins on September 4th. (Tipped by JMG reader Samuel)

He's Batman

Todrick Hall - Cinderonce

"The classic story of Cinderella told through Beyonce songs."

ADF Has The New Mexico Sadz

"Government-coerced expression is a feature of dictatorships that has no place in a free country. This decision is a blow to our client and to every American’s right to live free. Decisions like this undermine the constitutionally protected freedoms of expression and conscience that we have all taken for granted. America was founded on the fundamental freedom of every citizen to live and work according to their beliefs and not to be compelled by the government to express ideas and messages they decline to support. We are considering our next steps, including asking the U.S. Supreme Court to right this wrong." - Jordan Lorence, head counsel for the anti-gay Alliance Defending Freedom, which today lost its gay wedding photography case in New Mexico.

New York Times On Chelsea Manning

The New York Times is being rather public about its quandary on properly gendering Chelsea Manning, noting that while they want to handle the situation respectfully, there's no precedent for talking about a person of such "extraordinary prominence."

Toward that end, she [deputy editor Susan Wessling] said, “We’ll probably use more words than less.” In other words, The Times will explain the change in stories. “We can’t just spring a new name and a new pronoun” on readers with no explanation, she said. She noted the importance in the stylebook entry of the words “unless a former name is newsworthy or pertinent,” which certainly applies here.  An article on The Times’s Web site on Thursday morning on the gender issue continued to use the masculine pronoun and courtesy title. That, said the associate managing editor Philip B. Corbett, will evolve over time. It’s tricky, no doubt. But given Ms. Manning’s preference, it may be best to quickly change to the feminine and to explain that — rather than the other way around.

The Times links its own style guide:

transgender (adj.) is an overall term for people whose current identity differs from their sex at birth, whether or not they have changed their biological characteristics. Cite a person’s transgender status only when it is pertinent and its pertinence is clear to the reader. Unless a former name is newsworthy or pertinent, use the name and pronouns (he, his, she, her, hers) preferred by the transgender person. If no preference is known, use the pronouns consistent with the way the subject lives publicly.

MA State Supreme Court To Hear Suit To Remove "Under God" From Pledge

On September 4th the Massachusetts Supreme Court will hear arguments in a suit that seeks to remove the phrase "under God" from the Pledge Of Allegiance. The case was brought on behalf of a Massachusetts family with children enrolled in public schools. The Christian Post reports:

Brought by the American Humanist Association, the suit alleges that the pledge's "Under God" phrase excludes non-theists and violates their equal protection under law. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is representing the defendants, as they have in previous lawsuits against the "under God" phrase. Roy Speckhardt, executive director for the American Humanist Association, told The Christian Post that the focus of the lawsuit on this issue contrasts with previous suits filed.

"Instead of focusing on the pledge as being a violation of the First Amendment guarantee of no government establishment of religion, we are primarily arguing that the pledge violates our right to equal protection under the law," said Speckhardt. "It makes us appear as second class citizens just because we believe something different from the majority." The case is being handled by the Appignani Humanist Legal Center, which is the legal arm of the American Humanist Association.

"Under God" was added to the Pledge during the Cold War in 1954 as a statement against the officially atheist Soviet Union. Previous suits to remove the phrase have all failed.

Guys With Fancy Lady Hair

The Bold Italic took some long-haired dudes to the beauty parlor for some fancy lady 'dos that came out "baby breath-taking." More examples at the link.

Al Gore On Global Warming

"I think the most important part of it is winning the conversation. I remember as a boy when the conversation on civil rights was won in the South. I remember a time when one of my friends made a racist joke and another said, "Hey man, we don’t go for that anymore.' The same thing happened on apartheid. The same thing happened on the nuclear arms race with the freeze movement. The same thing happened in an earlier era with abolition. A few months ago, I saw an article about two gay men standing in line for pizza and some homophobe made an ugly comment about them holding hands and everyone else in line told them to shut up. We’re winning that conversation." - Al Gore, who has caused quite a stir by comparing global warming deniers to racists and homophobes.

NEW MEXICO: Supreme Court Rules That Photographer Discriminated Against Gays

The case that has inflamed anti-gay groups for years has finally been settled by the New Mexico state Supreme Court. Via press release from the ACLU:

The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled today that Elane Photography illegally discriminated against a same-sex couple by refusing to photograph their commitment ceremony due to the business owner’s religious beliefs.

The opinion stated: “We conclude that a commercial photography business that offers its services to the public, thereby increasing its visibility to potential clients, is subject to the antidiscrimination provisions of the [New Mexico Human Rights Act] and must serve same-sex couples on the same basis that it serves opposite-sex couples. Therefore, when Elane Photography refused to photograph a same-sex commitment ceremony, it violated the NMHRA in the same way as if it had refused to photograph a wedding between people of different races.”

“When you open a business, you are opening your doors to all people in your community, not just the select few who share your personal beliefs,” said Louise Melling, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “The Constitution guarantees religious freedom in this country, but we are not entitled to use our beliefs as an excuse to discriminate against other people.”

Stand by for a renewed avalanche of the outraged sadz.

New York Daily News Endorses Quinn

The New York Daily News has endorsed Christine Quinn by calling her the right person to continue the Bloomberg era. Which is pretty much what her detractors have been warning about.

The Bloomberg era will end with crime lower than it has ever been, employment at a record level, neighborhoods reborn, the schools rescued from a culture of failure and an economy enlivened by cutting-edge high-tech enterprises. The streets are clean, the parks are in good shape and New Yorkers are living to riper, older ages. Like Bloomberg or not, the gains have been real and, because they have been sustained, they are far too easily taken for granted. Allow crime to rise and the party’s over. Let up on demanding achievement from the schools and they will quickly surrender hard-fought progress. Against this backdrop, the Daily News measured the backgrounds and promises of each contender by the standards of pragmatism, realism and effectiveness: Council Speaker Christine Quinn is the Democratic primary candidate best qualified to lead New York as mayor over the next four years.

New York's other major newspapers have not yet made endorsements.

Oh, Meu Deus

A Brazilian comedy troupe takes a dig at the people who see Jesus in tree stumps and toast.  (No tree stumps or toast are in this clip.) Click play then hit the quote bubble for an English transcript.

NOM: Marriage Emergency In New Mexico!

"Same-sex 'marriage' activists in New Mexico are not content to wait for the courts. Now they have found a county clerk willing to defy the Governor and Attorney General by issuing illegal 'marriage' licenses to same-sex couples. 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, urging her and her administration to give their full support to the defense of marriage. This latest action goes beyond the pending lawsuits in New Mexico and moves into the realm of lawlessness and anarchy. County Clerks are not free to make up law on their own; it is there job to uphold the law and serve the people who elected them." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, who is once again very upset that a county clerk is doing exactly what hate groups have demanded of clerks in states where marriage was legalized.

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner To Resign

NBC San Diego has the story:

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has agreed to resign as part of a deal reached this week with city officials, NBC 7 News has learned. Filner, spotted leaving City Hall with packing boxes Wednesday night, will formally vacate the office following a closed session of City Council Friday, according to several sources. City officials announced just before 7 p.m. Wednesday a proposed solution had been reached in the scandal that has consumed the city of San Diego since it first broke July 10. In the last six weeks, more than a dozen women have come forward with tales of alleged sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances.

Finally.

UPDATE: Upon Filner's resignation and according to city rules, San Diego's acting mayor will be openly gay city council president Todd Gloria, who will hold office until a special election can be held.

Liberty Counsel: NJ Gov. Chris Christie Thinks He Knows Better Than God

LGBT Orgs Respond To Chelsea Manning

ACLU LGBT Project

In response to Chelsea Manning's disclosure that she is female, has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, and will be seeking hormone therapy as a part of her transition during her incarceration, public statements by military officials that the Army does not provide hormone therapy to treat gender dysphoria raise serious constitutional concerns. Gender dysphoria is a serious medical condition in which a person's gender identity does not correspond to his or her assigned sex at birth, and hormone therapy is part of the accepted standards of care for this condition.

Without the necessary treatment, gender dysphoria can cause severe psychological distress, including anxiety and suicide. When the government holds individuals in its custody, it must provide them with medically necessary care. The official policy of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and most state agencies is to provide medically necessary care for the treatment of gender dysphoria, and courts have consistently found that denying such care to prisoners based on blanket exclusions violates the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.

Human Rights Campaign

Regardless of how she came to our attention, Pvt. Chelsea Manning’s transition deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. As she requested in her letter, journalists and other officials should use her chosen name of Chelsea and refer to her with female pronouns. Using the name Bradley or male pronouns is nothing short of an insult. Media, having reported on her wishes, must respect them as is the standard followed by the AP Stylebook.

As Pvt. Manning serves her sentence, she deserves the same thing that any incarcerated person does – appropriate and competent medical care and protection from discrimination and violence. The care she receives should be something that she and her doctors – including professionals who understand transgender care – agree is best for her. There is a clear legal consensus that it is the government’s responsibility to provide medically necessary care for transgender people and the military has an obligation to follow those guidelines.

What should not be lost is that there are transgender servicemembers and veterans who serve and have served this nation with honor, distinction and great sacrifice. We must not forget or dishonor those individuals. Pvt. Manning’s experience is not a proxy for any other transgender man or woman who wears the uniform of the United States.

Lambda Legal

Transgender people--like all people--deserve health care and are constitutionally protected in prison. Period. In fact the U.S. Supreme Court has previously ruled in Farmer v. Brennan on the right of transgender people to be free from cruel and unusual punishment while in prison which includes withholding medically necessary treatment.

"It would be a shame if the U.S. military prison system held itself to a lower standard than civil prisons. The Constitution requires that Chelsea Manning receive medical care at Ft. Leavenworth--to do otherwise would be a violation of the Eighth Amendment."

In the 1994 seminal Eighth Amendment case involving a transgender plaintiff, Farmer v. Brennan, the court stated that "prison officials have a duty under the Eighth Amendment to provide humane conditions of confinement. They must ensure that inmates receive adequate food, clothing, shelter, and medical care."

Just last year the U.S. Supreme Court declined review of a 6th Circuit decision in Fields v. Smith striking down as unconstitutional a Wisconsin law that barred medical care for transgender prisoners. Lambda Legal and the ACLU won that case on behalf of transgender prisoners.

DENMARK: 10,000 March In Copenhagen In Protest Against Russia's Anti-Gay Laws

Via the Copenhagen Post:

Ten thousand people got an early start on Copenhagen Pride festivities on Tuesday with a demonstration against Russia’s recently passed anti-gay law. Protestors taking part in the ‘To Russia with Love’ demonstration gathered in front of Christiansborg, the house of parliament, and then proceeded to march to the Russian Embassy, where they submitted signatures of people opposing the law. The demonstration’s organisers had hoped 2,000 people would participate, but media reports put the turnout at upwards of 10,000 demonstrators.

(Via Towleroad)

Ron Paul Backs Bradley Manning

The screaming across Teabagistan this morning is really something.  And the senior Paul's position is miles away from his son's.

"There do have to be laws to protect some secrets. I think if you’ve got the, you know, the plans on how to make a nuclear bomb that is a state secret. If you give that to the enemy, that is being treasonous,” said the Senator from Kentucky, “Even if you reveal it, you just have to have laws against that. What Manning did was just willy-nilly, just released millions of pages of things and I think some people have said there is potentially some harm from that. You know individual agents that could have been killed or put at risk from this. So there is a problem with that. So I just can’t support that.”

Quote Of The Day - Bill Donohue

"It was the Democrats who made the difference between last week and this week. Last week, they were indecisive; this week they decided to cast their vote in favor of a bill that discriminates against the Catholic Church. We need a lawmaker who will introduce a bill that discriminates against the public sector. The bill should suspend the statute of limitations in cases involving the sexual abuse of minors who were victimized in a public school or any other public entity. All private institutions, including Catholic schools, would be given a pass. This is the only way to send a message to the public about this phony war on child abuse. Anyone who is serious about this issue would never entertain a bill that had selective application." - Catholic League blowhard Bill Donohue, who is very upset about a California bill that would suspend the statute of limitations for the victims of pedophile clergy members.

Eugene Delgaudio: I've Got One Million Petition Signatures Against ENDA

Back in May crackpot Eugene Delgaudio posted a video in which he displayed suspiciously light boxes which he claimed contained one million petition signatures against the "Homosexual Classrooms Act" (or as the rest of the world calls it, the Student Non-Discrimination Act).  Today's he's back with the same scam, but this time it's about ENDA.

Dear Joe, The Gay Bill of Special Rights (S. 815) has been sent to the Senate floor for the first time in almost 20 years. Public Advocate swung into action immediately. We have collected over 1 million signed pro-Family petitions and surveys against the Gay Bill of Special Rights. And in the video below, we deliver them all to the U.S. Senate. We have generated thousands of faxes, tens of thousands of phone calls, and untold numbers of emails. And we aren't finished yet. However, every single one of these actions costs money -- even printing out and delivering petitions gets expensive when you have a million to handle! Please consider chipping in with a generous donation right now to fund Public Advocate's fight against the Homosexual Lobby and S. 815, the Gay Bill of Special Rights.

Photo Of The Day

Karen Ocamb writes at Frontiers Magazine:

Los Angeles City Councilmembers Mike Bonin, Mitch O’Farrell and Tom LaBonge eloquently described their anger over the anti-gay “propaganda” law now being enforced in Russia before unveiling a small Rainbow flag attached to the St. Petersburg Sister City sign prominently displayed near City Hall. They declared their opposition to severing Sister City ties, hoping to leverage the relationship to benefit harassed and oppressed LGBT Russians. After the unveiling, the councilmembers introduced a resolution to strongly urge the State Department to expedite the asylum program.

Mexican Bishop Denounces Homophobia

Andres Duque notes some surprising support from Bishop Jose Raul Vera Lopez:

The Bishop has some funky theories on what determines whether someone is born gay (he chalks it up to hormonal differences) but speaks forcefully against religious based homophobia and calls homophobes the perverse ones. He also tells the reporter people have to stop bashing gays with the words of the Bible and that they should read the passages they use to condemn gays within a historical context to realize the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. Yesterday's interview is not the first time Bishop has supported LGBT issues. The AP says that he backed a same-sex civil unions law in the region and was called to the Vatican two years ago to explain an outreach program he organized for gay youth. He has also received death threats for his outspokenness.

Click the quote bubble for a transcript in English.

Sparks Fly At NYC Mayoral Debate

Everybody seemed to gang up on new frontrunner Bill De Blasio at last night's Democratic mayoral debate. Most analysts are saying that Christine Quinn turned in one of her strongest performances, however she continued to slam De Blasio's wife for allegedly attacking her for not having children, a charge angrily denied by the De Blasio camp, which pointed out that the New York Times has corrected their story which misquoted De Blasio's wife.  In one of the evening's lighter moments, Anthony Wiener got one of the biggest laughs when he admitted that he had texted whiled driving. (The question was asked of all candidates.)

Russian Gov't Defends Anti-Gay Law In Letter To International Olympic Committee

The Russian government has "reassured" the International Olympic Committee that they will not discriminate against gay people during the Sochi Olympics.  Except that they might.

The IOC received a letter from Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak giving reassurances the host country will comply fully with the Olympic Charter's provision against discrimination of any kind. "The Russian Federation guarantees the fulfillment of its obligations before the International Olympic Committee in its entirety," Kozak said. However, Kozak did not back down on the issue of the new law, which penalizes anyone who distributes information aimed at persuading minors that "nontraditional" relationships are normal or attractive. The law applies equally to everyone and "cannot be regarded as discrimination based on sexual orientation," Kozak said. The letter still leaves open the question of what would happen to Olympic athletes or fans if they make statements or gestures that could be considered propaganda.

Bradley Manning: Call Me Chelsea

CNN has the story:

WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning intends to begin hormone therapy for gender reassignment and live the rest of his life as a woman, according to a statement from him read on NBC's "Today" show Thursday.  Manning wants to be referred to as Chelsea -- not Bradley -- according to the statement. Manning's announcement comes a day after a military judge sentenced him to 35 years in prison for leaking hundreds of thousands of U.S. military and diplomatic documents.

UPDATE: Politico has Manning's letter.

“As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. I hope that you will support me in this transition. I also request that, starting today, you refer to me by my new name and use the feminine pronoun (except in official mail to the confinement facility). I look forward to receiving letters from supporters and having the opportunity to write back."

Manning's lawyer says he intends to fight to ensure that Fort Leavenworth, where Manning is expected to serve the sentence, provides the treatment.

UPDATE II: Manning plans to petition President Obama for a pardon.

Bradley Manning will send a personal plea to Barack Obama next week for a presidential pardon after he was sentenced on Wednesday to 35 years in prison for passing hundreds of thousands of classified military documents to WikiLeaks. "When I chose to disclose classified information, I did so out of a love to my country and a sense of duty to others," Manning will tell Obama. "If you deny my request for a pardon, I will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price to live in a free society."

INDIANA: Activists Rally Against Proposed Constitutional Marriage Ban

Via the Associated Press:

A coalition of businesses and activist groups who launched a push Wednesday to defeat an amendment that would write Indiana's same-sex marriage ban into the state constitution warned that if it passes it would set the state back and undermine the rights of its gay and lesbian residents. The push by the new Freedom Indiana coalition heralds an expected battle in Indiana's next legislative session, not just between same-sex marriage opponents and gay rights advocates, but also big corporations who contend such a ban would be bad for business. Freedom Indiana's campaign manager is Megan Robertson, a Republican who ran U.S. Rep. Luke Messer's successful 2012 campaign to win the eastern Indiana seat Rep. Mike Pence vacated to run for governor. She said the coalition's push to defeat the amendment in the state's Republican-controlled Legislature will be a bipartisan effort.

Time Warner - Thanks For Your Patience

The CBS blackout is in its third week.  If it continues into the start of the NFL season, people are really going to start losing their shit.

Tweet Of The Day - Ken Cuccinelli

One Million Moms Vs Mistresses

"Dear Joe, Keep up the great work! Almost every single sponsor that One Million Moms contacted in our previous campaign decided to no longer sponsor Mistresses. Their ads were not present in the last episode. The most recent episode included a scene at a strip club where three people leave hand-in-hand, one a dancer, insinuating a three-some. The episode ends with a graphic s*x scene. All this aired before 10:00 pm in the Central Time Zone. ABC has sunk to an all time low with this program Mistresses. ABC is making a trend out of selling infidelity as normal. Hollywood continually pushes casual s*x with multiple partners as acceptable behavior. One Million Moms is determined to clean up broadcast airwaves, but we need your help!" - Monica Cole, via email.

Open Thread Thursday

Tell about your favorite restaurant.

Prison Break Star Wentworth Miller Comes Out, Turns Down Invitation To Russia

Prison Break star Wentworth Miller came out today in a letter declining an invitation to appear at a Russian film festival.

When Miller was invited to be guest of honor at the upcoming St. Petersburg International Film Festival, he wrote a letter, which was posted on the GLAAD website, explaining exactly why he wouldn't attend. "Thank you for your kind invitation," he began his letter to the festival's director, Maria Averbakh. "As someone who has enjoyed visiting Russia in the past and can also claim a degree of Russian ancestry, it would make me happy to say yes. However, as a gay man, I must decline.

"I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government," he continued. "The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly. Perhaps, when and if circumstances improve, I'll be free to make a different choice."

Read Miller's letter.

IOWA: Brian Brown Loses Again, State Won't Remove Campaign Investigator

Last week NOM's Brian Brown launched a screaming complaint campaign against the Iowa official assigned to investigate Fred Karger's complaint that they violated campaign finance rules. This just in from Karger:

The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board will not remove its executive director from an investigation into whether the National Organization for Marriage violated state law by not disclosing campaign donors. A complaint filed in June alleges NOM did not disclose donors or all of its contributions when it funded campaigns against Iowa Supreme Court justices up for retention in 2010 and 2012.  The complaint claims NOM spent $635,000 in 2010 and about $100,000 in 2012 to defeat Iowa justices who decided in 2009 that Iowa's law prohibiting gay marriage was unconstitutional. Three were forced from the court in the 2010 election. NOM wants Ethics Board Executive Director Megan Tooker removed from the investigation claiming she's biased. The board unanimously voted Wednesday to allow her to investigate the matter.

Muttley laugh.....

NEW MEXICO: State AG Won't Challenge County Issuing Gay Marriage Licenses

New Mexico state Attorney General Gary King said this afternoon that he will not challenge the same-sex marriage licenses that Dona Ana County began issuing today.  Back in June, King similarly said that he will not defend the state against a lawsuit that demands marriage equality. However, King warned today that Dona Ana marriages could be ruled invalid by the state Supreme Court. (Tipped by JMG reader Tyler)

VIRGINIA: Ken "Sodomy" Cuccinelli Trails In Just Released Gubernatorial Poll

Virginia state Attorney General Ken "Sodomy" Cuccinelli is trailing Democrat Terry McAuliffe in a gubernatorial poll released today.

McAuliffe has a 48 - 42 percent lead over Republican State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in the race to become Virginia's next governor, according to today's Quinnipiac University poll, the first survey in this race among voters likely to vote in the November election. McAuliffe carries Democrats 92 - 1 percent while Cuccinelli wins Republicans 90 - 6 percent. Independent voters are divided with 42 percent for McAuliffe and 44 percent for Cuccinelli. The candidates break even 45 - 46 percent among men while McAuliffe takes women 50 - 38 percent. Cuccinelli wins white voters 50 - 42 percent, while black voters go Democratic 74 - 7 percent.

RELATED:  In June Cuccinelli filed an appeal with the Supreme Court to keep Virginia's ban on sodomy.  In 2011 Cuccinelli ordered Virginia's Board Of Social Services to deny adoption rights to same-sex couples. That same year he fired an Atlanta law firm because it had refused to defend DOMA for the GOP.  In 2010 he declared that "gays are a detriment to our culture." Defying long-standing tradition, Cuccinelli has refused to step down as attorney general during his run for governor.

Tweet Of The Day - Sarah Palin

Glenn Beck: I'll Fire Anybody Who Does Anything Because Of Global Warming

Louisiana GOP Poll

I'm sure YOU don't need to be reminded that Hurricane Katrina happened in 2005. Source.

This Is An Ad For Something

Monica Cole, to the Batphone!

TENNESSEE: Church Boots Out Lesbian Cop's Relatives After City Backs Benefits

Two weeks ago I reported that the small Tennessee town of Collegedale had become the first in the state to offer benefits to the partners of LGBT employees. Among the people that supported the measure was openly gay Collegedale police officer Kat Cooper and her wife. In retaliation, a local church has booted Cooper's relatives out of the congregation.

Leaders at Ridgedale Church of Christ met in private with Kat Cooper's mother, aunt and uncle on Sunday after the regular worship service. They were given an ultimatum: They could repent for their sins and ask forgiveness in front of the congregation. Or leave the church. Their sins? "My mother was up here and she sat beside me. That's it," said Kat Cooper. "Literally, they're exiling members for unconditionally loving their children -- and even extended family members."  But the family's support of Kat Cooper was as good as an endorsement of homosexuality, said Ken Willis, minister at Ridgedale Church of Christ. "The sin would be endorsing that lifestyle," Willis said. "The Bible speaks very plainly about that." Willis, a father himself, said the church didn't expect the Cooper family to disown their daughter. "But you certainly can't condone that lifestyle, whether it's any kind of sin -- whether they're shacked up with someone or living in a state of fornication or they're guilty of crimes," he said. "You don't condone it. You still love them as a parent."

Cooper's father says they have "no sin to repent for" and that it was an easy decision to leave their church. His wife, he said, has not been able to stop crying. (Tipped by JMG reader Carver)

AUSTRALIA: Former Deputy PM Warns Against Travel To Murderous United States

"Just for the record, Australia has had zero gun massacres since 1996, and in the United States, 80 people are killed by guns every single day. So, it is another example of murder and mayhem on Main Street. Yes, people are thinking of going to the USA on business, vacation, trips, should think carefully about it given the statistical facts you are 15 times more likely to be shot dead in the USA than in Australia per capita per million people. We don't have gun shows where you can walk up and not even be subject to a background check in one of the most dumbest decisions so far in the litany of agony over the gun laws and gun policies of the NRA and the USA." - Former Australian Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer, responding to the Oklahoma murder of an Australian college student who was shot dead by three local teens who told police that they were simply "bored."

Many American right-wing sites are attacking Fischer today for "capitalizing on a tragedy."  One example:

Fischer's comments are disgraceful in myriad ways. To advance one's political agenda by tapping into the powerful emotions that continue to emanate from this tragedy is beneath the dignity of anyone, let alone a former deputy prime minister. No law controlling or banning guns would have prevented those Oklahoma thugs from opening fire into the back of Chris Lane. Sadly, Fischer and other Australians who reject the right of people to protect themselves have lately taken advantage of gun-related deaths in the United States to support the continuation of gun control in their home country and to make Australians think that they are the beneficiaries of such measures.

The three teens were formally charged yesterday.

Fischer's comments are disgraceful in myriad ways. To advance one's political agenda by tapping into the powerful emotions that continue to emanate from this tragedy is beneath the dignity of anyone, let alone a former deputy prime minister. No law controlling or banning guns would have prevented those Oklahoma thugs from opening fire into the back of Chris Lane. Sadly, Fischer and other Australians who reject the right of people to protect themselves have lately taken advantage of gun-related deaths in the United States to support the continuation of gun control in their home country and to make Australians think that they are the beneficiaries of such measures.

FACT: The US rate of firearm murders per 100,000 population: 3.60. The rate in Australia: 0.13.  Source.

Headline Of The Day

Details.

Homocon Reporter Jamie Kirchick Kicked Off Russian Network After Denouncing "Homosexual Propaganda" Ban

I've been rather harsh about Kirchick over the years, but this is damn fantastic. Via the Washington Free Beacon:

Reporter James Kirchick was kicked off the air of Russian TV Wednesday after he refused to talk about Bradley Manning and instead spoke about the Russian government’s anti-gay laws. “Being here on a Kremlin-funded propaganda network, I’m going to wear my gay pride suspenders and speak out against the horrific, anti-gay legislation that Vladimir Putin has signed into law,” Kirchick said.

RT is funded by the Russian government, which recently passed a sweeping law that bans the public discussion of gay rights and relationships in the presence of children. As Kirchick continued to speak about the laws and the government’s funding of the network, one RT host insisted to Kirchick, “You have to come over here and see for yourself.” “You have 24 hours a day to lie about America, I am going to tell the truth with my two minutes,” Kirkchick went on to say after RT hosts tried to cut him off. 

The Beacon notes that Kirchick vanished from the network's split-screen moments after the below clip ends.

RELATED: According to Wikipedia, the RT network is the second-most watched foreign news channel in the United States after the BBC.