Saturday, July 12, 2014

At Bear Week 2014

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Crazy Eyes 2016?

"The one issue that is near and dear to my heart is to stand strong for the Jewish state of Israel. I sit on an intelligence committee -- I'm very deeply concerned about national security and foreign affairs. And I want to continue to stay involved in that realm. I hope to remain active on the media on the national level and also speak across the United States, and internationally, and continue to write and perhaps do some teaching. But I intend to want to continue the message because we need to have a very strong, powerful, united voice standing strong for the Jewish state. And the Jewish state clearly is under attack, not just in her own backyard, but here in the United States. We need strong voices standing up for Israel and I intend to continue to do that until my last breath." - Rep. Michele Bachmann, declining to tell Ben Shapiro whether she plans to run for president again. Bachmann's final term in the House expires in January.

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World Health Organization: ALL Gay Men Should Be On Anti-Retroviral Drugs

A stunning declaration from the World Health Organization:
The World Health Organization has suggested for the first time that all men who have sex with men should take antiretroviral medicine, warning that HIV infection rates among gay men are exploding around the world. In guidelines published Friday, it said that it “strongly recommends men who have sex with men consider taking antiretroviral medicines as an additional method of preventing HIV infection.” Similar guidelines were issued by the U.S. in May.
In May, the CDC expanded its own recommendations, saying that anybody at risk for HIV, not just gay men, should be taking Truvada.

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BRITAIN: Same-Sex Couples Could Be Banned From Ballroom Dancing

Via the Guardian:
It is a pursuit that – behind the glitz, sequins and sashays – is known for fierce rivalries and cut-throat determination. But the strain behind the smiles in the world of ballroom dancing is beginning to show, as its governing body pushes to ban same-sex couples from ballroom dance competitions, provoking outrage among competitors. The British Dance Council is to consider proposals that would define a dance partnership as having to consist between a man and "a lady" on 21 July, just before a major competition in Bournemouth. If it is passed, it will ban same-sex couples from mainstream contests, regulating them to same-sex-only categories.

It is currently not specified that partners in competitions must come from opposite sexes, and two women dancing together has long been a commonly accepted practice. The best known same-sex pair on the ballroom dancing scene are perhaps Bradley and Soren Stauffer-Kruse, the married gay couple better known as the Sugar Dandies, who were semi-finalists on Britain's Got Talent in 2012. Although there are only a handful of same-sex couples competing, the number is increasing, said the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who is supporting the campaign against the rule change.
A petition British Dance Council president Byran Allen has been launched.

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Olympian Ian Thorpe Comes Out

Via the Sydney Morning Herald:
After years of dismissing speculation about his sexuality, Ian Thorpe has revealed he is gay. Thorpe made the admission in a tell-all interview with Sir Michael Parkinson, News Corp reports. The interview, which will air on Sunday night on Channel Ten, has been described by Sir Michael as one he had wanted to do for a long time. “Ian Thorpe has always been near the top of my list to interview. The reasons are obvious. Not many athletes can claim to be the best of all time. Ian can."Before he retired for the first time at the age of 24, Thorpe broke 22 world records and won five gold and three silver medals and one bronze medal at the Olympic Games.
In his 2012 autobiography, Thorpe wrote, "For the record, I am not gay and all my sexual experiences have been straight. I'm attracted to women, I love children and aspire to have a family one day.  I know what it's like to grow up and be told what your sexuality is, then realising that it's not the full reality. I was accused of being gay before I knew who I was.''

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New From Florida Gov. Rick Scott

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Headline Of The Day

Whoa.

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OKLAHOMA: Christian College Expels Student Over Her Gay Marriage

Via Religion News Service:
A lesbian student who married her partner was expelled from an Oklahoma university one semester shy of her sports management degree. Christian Minard married Kadyn Parks on March 17, 2014. Christian Minard, 22, attended Southwestern Christian University, a school affiliated with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church in Bethany, Okla. As part of her admission requirements, she signed a lifestyle covenant that prohibits “homosexual behavior.” Minard, who belongs to an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation in Oklahoma City, is a Christian, but her decision to marry her partner, Kadyn Parks, put her at odds with the school’s lifestyle covenant. The two were married in Albuquerque, N.M., on March 17. On Wednesday (July 9), a letter addressed to Minard from Brad Davis, the school’s vice president of student life, arrived at her parents’ home, telling her she was being expelled.
The school's lifestyle contract includes "homosexual behavior, harassment, sexual misconduct, pornography, alcohol, and tobacco."

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Viral Video Of The Day

1.3M views in the first day.

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MISSISSIPPI: Baby Thought To Be "Cured" Of HIV Suffers Relapse

Another setback:
A Mississippi baby scientists thought was "functionally cured" of HIV now has detectable levels of the virus in her blood, her doctors say. The news is disappointing for a case the scientific community hailed just last year as a potential game changer in the fight against AIDS. "It felt like a punch to the gut," Dr. Hannah Gay, a pediatric HIV specialist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, said of seeing signs of the virus on test results earlier this month. "It was extremely disappointing from both the scientific standpoint ... but mainly for the sake of the child who is back on medicine and expected to stay on medicine for a very long time." During a routine doctor visit early this month, tests detected HIV antibodies in the now 4-year-old child. Her T-cell count was also low, indicating a weakened immune system. More than two years after being taken off the medication, doctors started her again on antiretroviral therapy. She will need to be on these medications for life -- or until scientists find a cure for HIV.

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TOMORROW: Furball At Bear Week

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Friday, July 11, 2014

UTAH: Tenth Circuit Court Denies Request For Permanent Stay, "Go To SCOTUS"

Via press release from the ACLU of Utah:
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit denied Utah's request to suspend a lower court's ruling ordering the state to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples who were legally married after a federal court struck down a state ban, but before the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted additional marriages from taking place. Over 1,000 same-sex couples married in Utah during that time period. In May, a federal court ordered the state to recognize those marriages as legally valid, but Utah had asked that the lower court's order be suspended as the appeals process continued. Today's ruling denies that request, but does give the state 10 days to decide to seek a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court.

The couples are represented by American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Utah, and Strindberg & Scholnick, LLC, who sought the preliminary injunction for the marriages to be recognized while their lawsuit continues. "It's a relief to our clients and the 1,000 other lawfully wedded same-sex couples in our state that their marriages will be recognized throughout this process," said John Mejia, legal director of the ACLU of Utah. "We continue to fight to ensure that these loving and committed couples get the permanent recognition they deserve."

"The court of appeals has granted these families the peace of mind of knowing that they will not be excluded from the protection and dignity that only marriage can provide," said Joshua Block, staff attorney with the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project. "We're grateful that these couples will be able to move forward with their lives as this case moves forward in the courts." The lawsuit is separate from the original federal case challenging Utah's marriage ban, which was recently also struck down by the 10th Circuit. That case was brought by the law firm of Magleby & Greenwood on behalf of three other couples. The ACLU filed a friend-of-the-court brief in that case.
Tonight's ruling was issued with a temporary 10-day stay to give the state time to appeal the US Supreme Court. The stay expires on July 21st.

UPDATE: Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes says he will rush to SCOTUS.
"In response to the United States Court of Appeal for the Tenth Circuit denial of stay in Evans v. Utah, the state is prepared to file an Application for Stay before the United States Supreme Court in the coming days to avoid uncertainty," according to a statement from the attorney general’s office. "The State recognizes that pending cases regarding same-sex marriage in Utah impact the lives of many individuals and families and is diligently seeking uniform certainty through proper and orderly legal processes until Kitchen v. Herbert is resolved."

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IRELAND: US-Based Church To Hold HIV "Cure" Sessions Using Industrial Bleach

Via the Independent:
A controversial American Church which is coming to Ireland this weekend is promising a “miracle” cure for patients – but it is, in fact, industrial-strength bleach. The Genesis II Church will hold an event in Monkstown in Dublin over the weekend. On its website it is advertising the event as including access to its “miracle mineral solution” which, it claims, can “remove” a number of serious conditions including cancer, HIV and autism. However, the product – which is also known as MMS – has been banned in a number of countries including the US and the UK because tests by health and food watchdogs identified it as an “industrial-strength bleach”. Health watchdogs here, contacted by the Irish Examiner newspaper, have also issued warnings. It is understood that those planning to attend the seminar over the weekend will be asked to pay a €295 compulsory donation. The church has a number of Irish members.
From the church's "our beliefs" page:
Spirituality is beyond definition by governments. It is the stuff of natural law, which is shaped by immortal forces and not by humankind. Statutes, constitutions and judicial rulings are created by humankind based on their best, but limited, understanding of how things work. Natural law was here before we humans arrived and will be here long after we are gone. It cannot be governed by mortal minds. The Genesis II Church is unique, as it was formed for the purpose of serving mankind and not for the purpose of worship. Thus the religious beliefs of our members and of other churches are not our business.

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"Dear White Gays" Author On CNN

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Bryan Fischer Has The Burger King Sadz

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Next Friday In Provincetown...

Andy Towle writes at Towleroad:
Join us for our weekly Friday morning coffee meet-up on JULY 18 from 9 - 11 am at the Central House restaurant at The Crown & Anchor Inn. This week's guest is our friend and fellow blogger Joe Jervis who writes Joe.My.God! Come meet Joe along with Towleroad's Andy Towle and Michael Goff and enjoy some coffee to start your Friday!
I'm sure I'll have run into most of you long before Friday, but I encourage you to attend. At least at that hour you won't find me with a drink in my hand. Probably.

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Today In Self-Awareness

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Trump Attacks Rosie O'Donnell

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Credit Joan Rivers

Tea Party hero and conspiracy theory crackpot supreme Alex Jones yesterday declared that the First Lady is a transsexual.
Joan Rivers talked about it the other day, and now it’s an international news story. The question is, ‘Who is Michelle Obama? Is she really a woman? Is she a man?’ Now, I’m not drawing any conclusions here. but I know this — it’s fair to question anything and everything this administration says. I can’t think of an administration in history that’s been caught with such a perfect record of everything they say and do being a lie or a fraud. These people are the authors of such tyranny that they shouldn’t whine and complain when the public doesn’t believe anything they’re saying — especially when every time I look at ‘Michelle’ or ‘Michael’ Obama, the First Lady, or First Tranny, something doesn’t look right. She doesn’t look like any black woman I’ve ever known. She’s got shoulders that are wider than a man’s, which physiologically doesn’t happen. You can put three heads on a man’s shoulders, and two heads on a woman’s shoulders — that’s a known anatomy.
In his typical fashion, Jones says the First Lady has a "chromosomal disorder" because of all the genetically modified food that Americans are forced to eat due to a super-secret international conspiracy. Or something. The clip below then ends with Jones pitching iodine supplements.

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Putin Writes Off 90% Of Cuban Debt

Via the Wire:
Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently on a grand tour of Latin America. His first stop is in Havana, Cuba. Ahead of arriving in Cuba, Putin decided to bestow a gift upon the Cuban government. With one swift signature, he eliminated $32 billion of Cuba's debt, left over from the Soviet era. Cuba isn't completely off the hook. They will be required to pay back just $3.2 billion over the next ten years, a 90 percent decrease from what they previously owed. The first payment is due in October, and will be made from the National Bank of Cuba to the Russian lender Vnesheconombank.
And why did he do it? Probably because Cuba is sitting on $900B in oil reserves and Russia's state-owned oil company wants it.

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VIRGINIA: Hate Group To Fast For 40 Days Against SCOTUS And Gay Marriage

From the Virginia Family Foundation:
Join us for 40 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Repentance for Marriage from August 27 through October 5, 2014. Our state and nation are mired in confusion and post-modern thinking and nowhere is this more evident than in the current debate raging about what constitutes marriage. The Supreme Court begins their session on October 6th. We fully expect them to take a marriage case sometime in the next year. Our 40 Days will culminate on October 5th just before the court begins their session. Let us know you will join our 40 Days for Marriage.
(Via Good As You)

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Quote Of The Day - Sierra Mannie

"Dear white gays: Stop stealing black female culture. You are not a black woman, and you do not get to claim either blackness or womanhood. There is a clear line between appreciation and appropriation. I need some of you to cut it the hell out. Maybe, for some of you, it’s a presumed mutual appreciation for Beyoncé and weaves that has you thinking that I’m going to be amused by you approaching me in your best 'Shanequa from around the way' voice. I don’t know. What I do know is that I don’t care how well you can quote Madea, who told you that your booty was getting bigger than hers, how cute you think it is to call yourself a strong black woman, who taught you to twerk, how funny you think it is to call yourself Quita or Keisha or for which black male you’ve been bottoming — you are not a black woman, and you do not get to claim either blackness or womanhood. It is not yours. It is not for you. So, you aren’t a strong black woman, or a ghetto girl, or any of that other foolery that some of you with trash Vine accounts try to be. It’s okay. You don’t have to be. No one asked you to be. You weren’t ever meant to be. What you can be, however, is part of the solution. Check your privilege. Try to strengthen the people around you." - Sierra Mannie, writing for TIME Magazine.  According to her Facebook page, Mannie will appear on CNN today to talk about the reactions to her piece.

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Mary Lambert - Secrets

From the coming album Heart On My Sleeve, due in October. I met Mary at a recent event and she could not have been any sweeter. This is a great track.

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Brian Brown Vs Activist Scott Wooledge

NOM chairman Brian Brown rarely responds to anybody on Twitter, but this morning he couldn't resist the above image posted by activist Scott Wooledge, who was reacting to a screed posted yesterday by Brown on NOM's blog. An excerpt:
You may have read the completely misleading headline this week: "Children of Same Sex Couples are Happier and Healthier than Peers, Research Shows" (Washington Post, July 7). The sensationalized headline is yet another example of the mainstream media and their active agenda to push the redefinition of marriage across America. You'll remember the Pew Research study of media coverage of gay marriage where they found that stories sympathetic to redefining marriage outnumbered those sympathetic to preserving marriage by a five to one margin. The media's bias and intellectual dishonesty when it comes to the marriage debate allows them to trumpet a recent Australian study as if it is proven fact, while at the same time being highly critical of the New Family Structures Study and other research that challenges their political posture on the issue. The subject of the headline is a farce of a study based on bad methodology. The survey the Post reports on was done in Australia and purports to show that children of same-sex parents actually are better off than their peers being raised by a mother and father. We know of course that there is no basis for such an outrageous claim, and a closer look at this Australian survey itself confirms our skepticism about it.
On Wednesday, Regnerus himself denounced the Australian study in a lengthy rant published by the Witherspoon Institute. Here's how he begins:
Imagine if evangelical sociologists set out to document how the children of evangelical Christian parents fare in life. Imagine that they begin their effort by recruiting parents of children who attend Sunday School classes at places like Wheaton Bible Church outside Chicago and Saddleback Community Church in Orange County, California—both located in prosperous communities with above-average social capital and support for families, children, and faith. They choose this approach because churchgoing, self-identified evangelicals with children under age eighteen comprise less than 3 percent of the population of American adults (this is true), and the researchers figure it will be easier to recruit participants than to evaluate those who might show up randomly in a population-based sample. They know a random sample is best, but they cite “cost constraints” and “difficult research constraints” in justifying their decision to use a convenience sample. Would the social scientific community consider this study a solid one, employing high-quality sample selection methods and useful both for understanding the experience of Christian households in America and for comparing this group of children with other children? To put it mildly, it’s unlikely. And I would agree with them.

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Homocon House Candidate Carl DeMaio: Deport All Those Immigrant Children

Via the Voice Of San Diego:
Carl DeMaio has a simple solution to how we handle the tens of thousands of desperate Central American children who have presented themselves to the Border Patrol: Send them home. Don’t give them hearings for asylum. Don’t screen them to ensure they’re not being trafficked. And DeMaio’s stance is a bold one. He’s saying we should get rid of a 2008 law that passed Congress unopposed. It’s called the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 and it was a product of former President George W. Bush and a bipartisan group of lawmakers. It’s not totally clear how much this law and others have contributed to apparent confusion over what happens to kids who make it to this country. But the fact is many of them are released temporarily into the country to live with family members here, potentially for years as they await hearings. The law says we have to screen unaccompanied youth who come to this country. We have to determine whether they are being trafficked or are in other danger.
DeMaio has launched a "Secure Our Borders Now" petition. If you sign it, you get taken to his campaign donation page. He will face Rep. Scott Peters in November.

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PENNSYLVANIA: Wedding Venue Refuses To Host Same-Sex Ceremonies

A wedding venue near Scranton is refusing to host same-sex ceremonies.
When Pennsylvania’s gay marriage ban was ruled unconstitutional by a federal court, Desiree Mark of Greenfield Twp. abandoned her plans to be married in New York or Connecticut and happily focused on planning a wedding in her home state. When the 29-year-old sent queries to Scranton area wedding venues requesting an appointment, she learned that marriage equality does not mean equality for gays and lesbians. “Unfortunately, we do not hold same sex marriages at our facility,” read the email from Courtney Killeen, wedding and event planner for Inne at the Abingtons. “I truly do hope you find somewhere that will fulfill all your wedding dreams.” Met at the North Abington Twp. venue Thursday, Ms. Killeen confirmed the email was authentic and reflected the policy of the Inne, not her personal belief. “I don’t agree with it,” she said, adding the owner, John O. Antolick, would be unlikely to comment publicly. Mr. Antolick did not respond to several requests for an interview.
Pennsylvania is one of 29 states with no statewide public accommodation protections for LGBT citizens although such protections exist in 34 Pennsylvania municipalities including Scranton. A spokesman for the ACLU quoted in the above-linked story notes that the venue's refusal is currently legal. (Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)

RELATED: A bill before the Pennsylvania state legislature would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in employment, housing and public accommodations. It currently has 96 co-sponsors in the House.

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Rick Perry Remix

Via Memeographs.

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SAN DIEGO: Catholic Group To Pray For Chastity And Purity At Pride Parade

A group of local Catholics plans to demonstrate at next weekend's San Diego Pride parade where they will pray the rosary against the "satanic evil" of homosexuality. Via California Catholic Daily:
We’ll meet at St. John the Evangelist parish, 1638 Polk Ave. in Hillcrest, for 5:45 p.m. Mass followed by 7:00 p.m. Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and then begin our walk immediately afterward. We’ll pray aloud the entire Rosary (all 20 decades) and the Divine Mercy Chaplet for purity and chastity as we walk the “pride” parade route along University and Sixth Avenues. Our walk will take us past many “gay” bars and other restaurants where many “pride”-goers will be partying. Please bring sacramentals, such as holy water and blessed salt, religious images, and crucifixes. Last year, we had only a handful of prayer walk participants, and the crowds were very hostile to our presence. We expect similar hostility this year, so we really need more prayer warriors–and our Lord Jesus Christ needs us to be His witness in the midst of this satanic evil.
It's unclear if the demonstration is sanctioned by their church.

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Tony Perkins Has The Colorado Sadz

"Most people have seen the movie Groundhog Day -- and now, thanks to the courts, they're living it. Every morning, Americans seem to be waking up to the same headlines on marriage: judge strikes down marriage amendment in [fill in the state]. Wednesday, reporters on the marriage beat had another easy day cutting and pasting the same constitutionally flawed reasoning from a court in Colorado. The string of states taking aim -- not only at marriage law, but the democratic process -- now numbers 16, thanks to the politically correct thinking of Judge Scott Crabtree. Eight years after the state voted to protect natural marriage, one district court judge decided he knew better than 855,126 voters and struck down the amendment. For conservatives, it's déjà activism in a news cycle that continues to be dominated by a misunderstanding of the Supreme Court's Windsor decision last summer." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.

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Meet Colombia's Trans Football Club

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Thursday, July 10, 2014

WISCONSIN: Attorney General Appeals Marriage Ruling To Seventh Circuit Court

As he vowed to do last month, GOP Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen today filed an appeal with the Seventh Circuit Court, asking that the June 6th overturn of his state's same-sex marriage ban be voided.
The 7th Circuit last month ordered an expedited schedule in Indiana's case, requiring parties to file all of their briefs on motions no later than Aug. 5, with oral arguments to be scheduled a short time later. Van Hollen had until July 21 to file an appeal, but he said in a statement that the appeals court's decision to speed up the Indiana case led him to do it sooner. "The goal of our timing is simple: to ensure that Wisconsin is placed on equal footing with Indiana, and that our constitution and laws are given timely consideration by the appellate judges," Van Hollen said in an email. Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who is seeking re-election this year and considering a run for president in 2016, was an early vocal supporter of the gay marriage ban and voted for it in 2006. But amid polls showing most Wisconsin voters support gay marriage, Walker has said his position doesn't matter because the governor plays no role in changing the constitution. Walker is a named defendant in the lawsuit and has been supportive of Van Hollen appealing the ruling.
The judge who overturned the ban stayed her own ruling one week later, but not before many couples had married.

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Mika - Boum Boum Boum

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Richard Nixon: Gays Are Born That Way

"Let me say something before we get off the gay thing. I don’t want my views misunderstood. I am the most tolerant person on that of anybody in this shop. They have a problem. They’re born that way. You know that. That’s all. I think they are. Anyway, my point is, though, when I say they’re born that way, the tendency is there. [But] my point is that Boy Scout leaders, YMCA leaders, and others bring them in that direction, and teachers. And if you look over the history of societies, you will find, of course, that some of the highly intelligent people - Oscar Wilde, Aristotle, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, were all homosexuals. Nero, of course, was, in a public way, in with a boy in Rome. But the point is, look at that, once a society moves in that direction, the vitality goes out of that society." - Richard Nixon, in a secretly recorded and just-transcribed 1971 conversation with Henry Kissinger and White House chief of staff Bob Haldeman. Nixon went on to denounce gay rights.

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Paging Keith Ablow...


(Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

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Fitness Model Disses Obama's Jeans

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FLASHBACK: Anita Bryant Launches America's First Major Anti-Gay Campaign

JMG reader Dave Evans has dug into the archives once more and compiled more than hour of historical news footage about Anita Bryant's anti-gay campaign in Florida. From the clip description:
Featuring gay rights activists Bob Kunst, Leonard Matlovich, Jack Campbell, Ruth Shack & Melodie Moorehead. Save Our Children, Inc. was a political coalition formed in 1977 in Miami, Florida to overturn a recently legislated county ordinance that banned discrimination in areas of housing, employment, and public accommodation based on sexual orientation. The coalition was publicly headed by celebrity singer Anita Bryant, who claimed the ordinance discriminated against her right to teach her children biblical morality. It was a well-organized campaign that initiated a bitter political fight between unprepared gay activists and highly motivated Christian fundamentalists. When the repeal of the ordinance went to a vote, it attracted the largest response of any special election in Dade County's history, passing by 70%. Save Our Children was the first organized opposition to the gay rights movement, whose beginnings were traced to the Stonewall riots in 1969. The defeat of the ordinance encouraged groups in other cities to attempt to overturn similar laws. In the next year voters in St. Paul, Minnesota, Wichita, Kansas, and Eugene, Oregon overturned ordinances in those cities, sharing many of the same campaign strategies that were used in Miami. Save Our Children was also involved in Seattle, Washington, where they were unsuccessful, and heavily influenced Proposition 6—a proposed state law in California that would have made the firing of openly gay public school employees mandatory—that was rejected by California voters in 1978.
This clip is especially timely as Florida draws close to achieving marriage equality. Watch and see how anti-gay language has scarcely changed in nearly 40 years. Kudos to Dave!

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COLORADO: Judge Says Boulder County Clerk Can Continue Issuing Licenses

Via the Washington Post:
Boulder County clerk who has been issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in defiance of Colorado’s gay-marriage ban can continue, a judge ruled Thursday. Boulder County Judge Andrew Hartman decided county clerk Hillary Hall can ignore a federal stay on a ruling from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver that states cannot set gender requirements for marriage. The judge said gay marriage is still technically illegal in Colorado but that Hall’s behavior was not harming anyone. But he said all who receive a license should be warned that they could still be invalid if a judge finds after trial that Hall didn’t have the authority to issue them. Hartman also noted that every judge — including one in Colorado the previous afternoon — in the past year has ruled that gay marriage bans are unconstitutional and that Colorado’s prohibition is “hanging by a thread.”
So far Hall has issued more than 100 licenses to gay couples.

UPDATE: Clerks in Denver and Pueblo counties have announced that they will begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses too! More from the Denver Post:
The Denver County clerk's office on Thursday will begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson confirmed to The Denver Post. Johnson's decision came after a Boulder County judge said he would allow Boulder's clerk to continue issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, rejecting a request from Attorney General John Suthers to issue an injunction. Johnson said on her Twitter account: "FINALLY! We can issue marriage licenses to ALL loving couples here in CO. Our Office will be issuing licenses till 4:30pm today."

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Tweet Of The Day - Rep. Aaron Schock

(Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)

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Emmy History: Laverne Cox Earns Acting Nomination For Orange Is The New Black

Via GLAAD:
GLAAD today applauded the list of nominees for the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, which was among the most LGBT-inclusive list in Emmy history. Laverne Cox became the first transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy in an acting category. Cox received a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sophia Burset in the hit Netflix Original Series Orange is the New Black. This year's list of nominees also included many openly LGB actors. Matt Bomer, Joe Mantello and Jim Parsons are all nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a TV Movie or Mini-Series for their work in The Normal Heart. Parsons was also nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series for Big Bang Theory. Out comedian and actress Kate McKinnon received her first nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Saturday Night Live. Sarah Paulson received a nomination for Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-Series for American Horror Story: Coven. Jesse Tyler Ferguson received another nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for playing a gay dad on Modern Family and Nathan Lane received a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his role on Modern Family.
The 2014 Emmy Awards air on August 25th.

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Fox News' Keith Ablow: California Will Now Give Marriage Licenses To Three Humans And The Canine They Love

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Louie Gohmert: I Feel Sorry For Atheists

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NEW YORK CITY: Cops Collar Suspect In Street Attack On Eagle Bartender

On Tuesday night. New York City Eagle bartender Paul Martone, 49, was left in critical condition after hitting his head on a Hell's Kitchen street following a punch by a stranger with whom he had argued about his dog. Martone's condition was upgraded to stable last night and today the NYPD reports that the attacker has been arrested.
Corey Pohan, 32, was found hiding at his mother’s Lakewood, New Jersey, home on Wednesday, after a tipster recognized him from a shocking video of the single punch that left 49-year-old Paul Martone on his back, the sources said. Martone — who hit his head on the pavement when he fell from the blow at Ninth Ave. and W. 55th St. early Tuesday — was in stable condition at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center on Thursday. The wild confrontation erupted after Pohan allegedly stepped over Martone’s pet pooch to get to the sidewalk, sources said. Martone yelled at him and pushed Pohan — who turned around and slugged Martone, knocking him to the ground. A witness used a cell phone to record the attack, which a witness recorded with a cell phone. Detectives went to New Jersey after they identified the suspect. Pohan initially surrendered and was on his way back across the Hudson River until he suddenly changed his mind and jumped out of the car near the Lincoln Tunnel, sources said. Local authorities were called to arrest Pohan, who was taken into custody at the scene.
Pohan remains in a New Jersey jail while awaiting extradition. The incident has turned into a minor social media sensation over whether Martone had instigated the confrontation.

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Updated Marriage Map

I think the reason that Nebraska  and Mississippi are lacking the ticking clock is because the lawsuits there only ask for recognition of out-of-state marriages. According to the linked recaps at Freedom To Marry, both those cases have been dismissed but the plaintiffs plan to appeal. I'm sure some of you folks can fill us in. Is anybody else starting to lose track of all this? It's a good thing, right? I really do like this guy's maps.

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NEW YORK CITY: Midtown Manhattan May Get World's Tallest Residential Tower

According to plans leaked by New York Yimby, a skyscraper planned for midtown Manhattan would be only one foot shorter than WTC 1, making it the tallest residential tower in the world.
225 West 57th Street‘s facade will top-out 1,479′ above street level, while a surprise spire on top will cap the tower at 1,775 feet. Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill are designing the building. New York City’s skyscraper boom is entering unparalleled territory, and 225 West 57th Street could very well represent the crest of the current wave, assuming the tower is financed. The new height details will result in several superlatives: Manhattan will finally retake the ‘tallest roof’ in the United States from Chicago’s Willis Tower, which stands 1,451′, and 225 West 57th Street will become the tallest residential building in the entire world, surpassing both 432 Park Avenue and Mumbai’s World One Tower.
Several other midtown towers now under construction will challenge the height of the Empire State Building. (Via Towleroad)

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FORT LAUDERDALE: Convention Bureau Endorses Overturn of Marriage Ban

Via press release:
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau today announced its unconditional support for the overturning of bans on same-sex marriage in Florida. Florida’s prohibition of same-sex marriages, including a ban on recognizing same-sex marriage performed in states where it is legal, may be repealed this year pending the outcome of two separate lawsuits currently before state and federal courts. Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau President, Nicki E. Grossman, said “after years of seeking equal rights for the LGBT community in Florida, it is the right time to do the right thing and allow same sex marriage throughout the state.”

With the highest number of same-sex couples in the country, and as one of the top LGBT vacation destinations in the world, Greater Fort Lauderdale has long been a pioneering advocate of the LGBT community in Florida.“The rainbow flag flies loud and proud in Broward County and we can’t wait to celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage with couples from all walks of life and from all over the country,” Ms. Grossman said. The destination’s open and welcoming relationship with transgender, lesbian, gay, and bi-sexual residents, tourists and businesses, has been gratifying with a resulting record-breaking 1.3 million LGBT visitors in 2013.
Marriage hearings have already been held in the cases brought against Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Summary judgments were requested in both cases. The cities of Orlando and Miami Beach have also issued resolutions endorsing the overturn of the ban.

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2014 Emmy Nominations Announced

The 2014 Emmy nominations were announced this morning. Among the nods are The Normal Heart and its lead actor Mark Ruffalo. The full list is here.

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ARGENTINA: Gay Activists To Stage Kiss-In During Visit By Vladimir Putin

The kiss-in will take place today outside the Russian embassy. Source.

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Sen. Rob Portman: If I Run For President, My Gay Marriage Support Will Be A Plus

GOP Sen. Rob Portman is considering a 2016 presidential bid and says that his support for same-sex marriage would only help his campaign. The Washington Post yesterday declared that Portman's candidacy could set up a "nightmare scenario" for the Republican Party.
This raises the possibility of a scenario that Republicans who agree with Portman — and believe the party must evolve on gay marriage to stay in step with the country’s cultural and demographic shifts — might want to start worrying about right about now. It’s not hard to imagine that Senator Ted Cruz might make precisely the opposite case from Portman, making the case that the party must reaffirm its support for “traditional marriage” key to his GOP presidential primary run. This could come after the Supreme Court has declared a Constitutional right to gay marriage — which Cruz would then be vociferously calling on Republicans to help roll back. Gay advocates believe lower court rulings overturning state gay marriage bans on Constitutional equal protection grounds could portend an eventual SCOTUS ruling that enshrines a national right to gay marriage. That could happen in time for the 2016 primary.
Two weeks ago Cruz said that Americans should "come to our knees to God" in defense of one man, one woman marriage.

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SAN DIEGO: GOP Mayor Celebrates Pride

Via the San Diego Gay & Lesbian News:
Kevin L. Faulconer today became the first mayor of San Diego to hoist rainbow flags over the city's historic Gaslamp Quarter. Faulconer, a moderate Republican who is one of the national chairs of the Mayors for the Freedom to Marry, kicked off the 40th anniversary of San Diego Pride at noon today with a brief ceremony at the corner of Fifth Avenue and L Street in front of Nobu Restaurant. He presented a city proclamation recognizing the historic anniversary year to San Diego Pride executive director Stephen Whitburn. The mayor then climbed onto a scissor lift, which rose to the top of a street lamp where he hooked up a rainbow flag that symbolizes Gay Pride. Faulconer placed two of 124 rainbow flags that will wave high about Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter – a first for America’s Finest City. Traditionally, rainbow flags fly high along University Avenue in Hillcrest, the city's gayborhood, and at local college campuses.
San Diego Pride is next weekend.

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Poppers Linked To Eye Damage

Via Reuters:
A club drug and aphrodisiac since the 1970s, inhaled “poppers” are increasingly linked to eye damage - possibly due to a new formulation - according to a short report from the UK. The case study describes a 30-year-old white male who developed vision loss in both eyes after inhaling poppers. The researchers noticed subtle changes in the form of yellow spots on the macula deep inside the man’s eye, but they say it’s still unclear just how the drug may be destroying vision. “Over the past 18 months or so I have come across almost 10 patients with poppers maculopathy, whilst several years ago I had not even heard of the condition, same with a lot of my colleagues,” said Dr. Anna Gruener, a physician at Guy’s and St Mary’s Foundation Trust in London. “I felt it was important to raise the issue and increase awareness,” she told Reuters Health. Gruener thinks this sudden emergence of poppers maculopathy in Europe was most likely linked to a change in the type of nitrite chemicals used in poppers. Before a 2007 European Union law banned it, isobutyl nitrate was the most commonly used fluid in poppers. Now they are most often made with isopropyl nitrate.

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INDIANA: Gov. Mike Pence Orders State Not To Recognize Same-Sex Marriages

GOP Indiana Gov. Mike Pence yesterday issued a memo which orders state agencies not to recognize the hundreds of same-sex marriages that took place in the brief period before a stay was ordered.
The memo from the governor's chief counsel tells executive branch agencies to execute their functions as though the June 25 court order had not been issued. Pence defended the memo Wednesday and the sentiment expressed in it Wednesday afternoon. He said it was his job as governor to carry out the laws of the State of Indiana. "The State of Indiana must operate in a manner with the laws of Indiana. So we have directed our state agencies earlier this week to conduct themselves in a way that respects current Indiana law, pending this matter's process through the courts," Pence said. A federal judge in Indianapolis struck down the state's gay marriage ban as unconstitutional that day, leading to hundreds of same-sex marriages around the state. But an appeals court stayed that ruling three days later after an appeal from the state attorney general's office.
Hoosier Unite For Marriage issued a statement:
"Last month, Governor Pence held a summit about strengthening families. He lauded single parents, adoptive parents and marriages between one man and one woman. Notably absent was any mention of loving, committed same-sex couples and their families. The couples who said their vows during the three-day window when same-sex marriage was legal in Indiana are legally married, and they deserve the respect and recognition that comes with that commitment. We are deeply disappointed in the Governor's decision not to recognize these marriages and families, and we will continue to fight for these couples to be treated equally. We look forward to the day when marriage equality is the law of the land so that these families no longer have to worry about politicians deciding the fate of their love."
Read the full memo. (Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

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Caption This

(Tipped by JMG reader David)

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Tony Perkins On ENDA

"Speaking of ideological oppression, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is full of it. But apparently, not full enough to suit the radical Left. After months of demanding action, liberals are abruptly bailing on the legislation, which many of them called their top legislative priority. The about-face comes just days after the Supreme Court upheld the religious rights of businesses like Hobby Lobby. It's a ruling, liberals worry, could translate into new protections for employers with similar faith-based objections to homosexuality. This is how extreme homosexual activists are. If they can't demand acceptance from every American, regardless of their moral views, then they aren't interested in enacting ENDA. Not until they can order Christian schools, daycares, summer camps, and other role model occupations into celebrating a lifestyle diametrically opposed to their faith. Leaders in Congress and elsewhere mistakenly think they can satisfy this radical fringe by climbing aboard the 'special rights' bandwagon. They can't. The only satisfaction they're interested in is complete and utter surrender." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, who has enjoyed "special rights" since the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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Michael Sam For Out Magazine

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Wednesday, July 09, 2014

SCOTUS Rejects Clerk's Bid To Stop Pennsylvania Same-Sex Marriages

She didn't have a shot in hell.

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BREAKING: State Judge Strikes Down Colorado's Marriage Ban, Ruling Is Stayed

Here's the full ruling.

UPDATE: From the Denver Post.
The Adams County District Court judge overseeing a lawsuit challenging Colorado's same-sex marriage ban declared the ban unconstitutional on Wednesday but stayed his ruling. The ruling makes Colorado the latest in a string of states that have seen their bans on same-sex marriages tossed out by state and federal judges. The ruling came as another judge in Boulder County considered a request by Attorney General John Suthers to stop a county clerk from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Last week, attorneys filed a federal lawsuit seeking to challenge Colorado's gay marriage ban. Adams County District Court Judge C. Scott Crabtree issued his ruling Wednesday afternoon, but he issued an immediate stay. Attorneys for 18 plaintiffs — nine couples — from Denver and Adams counties argued that the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution.
UPDATE II: Freedom To Marry reacts.
Yet another court has concluded that there is no good reason for denying gay couples the freedom to marry, and has found marriage discrimination unconstitutional. It is time that Colorado’s gay couples and their loved ones be able to share in the joy and security that marriage brings, and time for the Supreme Court to bring the freedom to marry home nationwide. Every day of denial is a day of wrongful deprivation. Today’s latest victory in the Mountain West shows that all of America is ready for the freedom to marry.
UPDATE III: US Rep. Jared Polis reacts.
“I am thrilled that Judge Crabtree has recognized that the Colorado ban on same sex marriage is a violation of due process and equal protection guarantees under the Fourteenth Amendment. More than that, he has recognized, as many of his peers across the country have, that marriage should be an institution of love and commitment, not prohibition and discrimination. I look forward to his ruling being upheld by the higher courts, and am confident marriage equality in Colorado is within sight.”
UPDATE IV: From Why Marriage Matters Colorado.
Today, all across Colorado, committed same-sex couples who have waited for years, even decades, are closer than ever before to having the freedom to say those two magical words—‘I do’—here in the state we all call home. Today’s ruling, combined with the earlier decision of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, leaves no room for doubt that Colorado’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples is unconstitutional and indefensible. With court after court recognizing the freedom to marry, their decision should be a simple and immediate one. We call on Colorado Attorney General John Suthers and the other defendants to let today’s historic ruling stand and to drop, once and for all, their defense of Colorado’s unconstitutional marriage ban. It’s only a matter of time before wedding bells will be ringing all across the state. We recognize the determination and resolve of the couples and attorneys who brought this suit and everyone else who has worked hard, fought, and sacrificed to make today’s historic ruling a reality.

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