TRAILER: My Husband's Not Gay

Via The Wrap   

TLC will air a special in January called “My Husband’s Not Gay” that follows four men living in Salt Lake City, Utah, who don’t identify themselves as homosexual despite having an attraction to men. The show focuses on three married couples: Jeff and Tanya, Pret and Megan, and Curtis and Tera. Joining the cast is 35-year-old Tom, the bachelor of the group who enjoys fishing and baseball andserved as a missionary in Long Beach. All cast members are devout Mormons belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The special will follow the cast as they navigate life while explaining to outsiders their unique marriages. “I get a little defensive when somebody calls my husband gay,” one wife says in the debut trailer.

(Tipped by JMG reader Lulu)

Glenn Beck: I'm Not Crazy

Via Mediaite:

Glenn Beck is not crazy. That’s why, last night, he acted out a whole scenario in which he’s a 90-year-old man in the year 2054 proving just how not-crazy he is. Beck got makeup and hair to make him look like a feeble old man, 40 years in the future, where (I’m guessing, it’s never directly said) progressives have turned the United States into some kind of authoritarian hellhole where chips are implanted into your arms and good, honest people like Beck have been forced underground. Beck starts out the bit by saying, “My name is Glenn Beck. I used to be somebody. I don’t really remember quite who, except I was American.”

The full deranged 20 minutes is at the above link. Below Right Wing Watch provides a three-minute excerpt, which is almost three minutes more than you need.

Madonna Releases Six New Tracks

Via Rolling Stone:

Madonna hadn't planned on releasing her 13th album, Rebel Heart, until spring 2015. But leakers had other plans for the Queen of Pop's follow-up to 2012's MDNA, unleashing early mixes of 13 tracks onto the Internet this week. In response, Madonna has put six official versions of the songs up for sale on iTunes and other digital music retailers, effective immediately. More music will be available February 9th, and the full album will be released the first week of March via Interscope. "I was hoping to release my new single 'Living for Love' on Valentine's Day with the rest of the album coming in the spring," she said in a statement. "I would prefer my fans to hear completed versions of some of the songs instead of the incomplete tracks that are circulating. Please consider these six songs as an early Christmas gift."

One of the new tracks is a duet with Nicki Minaj titled Bitch, I'm Madonna. You can find rips of all six singles on YouTube. Below is the only one posted so far to Madonna's official channel.

Matt Barber: I've Left The GOP

"I am no longer a Republican. John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and their Democrat-lite, RINO Republican establishment have seen to that. They have betrayed their own constituents. They have actively turned against the American people – the very voters who granted them power to do good. Even before the gavel has sounded on the Republican-led 114th Congress, these treacherous cowards shamelessly, eagerly, it seems, squandered perhaps the one opportunity they had to stop, in his tracks, America’s first cultural Marxist, anti-American, palpably evil president. I don’t know what kind of dirt Barack Obama and his NSA-KGB have on John Boehner, but within a week of the elections it became abundantly clear that the GOP would betray us.

"Republicans have, without batting an eye, and in the face of overwhelming bipartisan opposition from the electorate, funded executive amnesty, paid for Obamacare in all its abortion-mandating, economy-killing, freedom-trampling infamy, and otherwise approved every radical, unconstitutional and tyrannical dictate these statists have rammed down our throats. If, for instance, some squishy, Karl Rove-approved RINO like Jeb Bush, Chris Christie or Mitt Romney once again finagles the GOP nomination in 2016, I will not only reject him, I will actively oppose him – even if it means President Hillary Clinton." - Hate group leader Matt Barber, writing for World Net Daily.

Marilyn Manson - Deep Six

Recap via Stereogum:

The video for Marilyn Manson’s crunching, seething new single “Deep Six” is about an undulating CGI black worm with Marilyn Manson’s face. Or maybe it’s about an undulating CGI black worm who swallows Marilyn Manson. Either explanation seems plausible. Also, that worm swallows a woman who doesn’t have any nipples. That’s pretty much all you need to know to figure out whether you should watch this strange and possibly upsetting video.

Some Analysis On Florida

Via Chris Johnson at Washington Blade:

The refusal from the Supreme Court to stay same-sex marriages in Florida is noteworthy because although justices have denied similar requests to halt same-sex marriages in Alaska, Idaho, South Carolina and Kansas, they’ve never done so before in a state where a federal appeals court has yet to rule on the issue. The decision with regard to Florida could be a sign the Supreme Court is ready to rule in favor of nationwide marriage equality no matter what the federal appeals courts decide in the interim.

From Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed:

While the decision from the Supreme Court has no bearing, technically, on the issue of whether marriage ban such as Florida’s are constitutional, it does show a growing comfort with the justices to allowing same-sex couples to marry before they themselves have resolved the issue definitively. A year ago, when same-sex couples began marrying in Utah, for example, the Supreme Court weighed in a few weeks after the marriages started — issuing a stay while the appeals court considered the issue. Now, less than a year later, only two justices announced that they would have granted Florida’s stay request.

Now we begin the battle with the county clerks.

Key West Bartenders Celebrate!

Pam Bondi Has The Florida Sadz

"Tonight, the United States Supreme Court denied the State’s request for a stay in the case before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Regardless of the ruling it has always been our goal to have uniformity throughout Florida until the final resolution of the numerous challenges to the voter-approved constitutional amendment on marriage. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court has now spoken, and the stay will end on Jan. 5." - Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, via press release.

BREAKING: Florida! Florida! Florida!

UPDATE: I just spoke with Key West plaintiff Aaron Huntsman: "I'm so thrilled to have been part of the process that hopefully has ended marriage inequality in Florida once and for all."

UPDATE II: The ACLU reacts via press release.

This is a thrilling day for all Florida families. As we explained to the Court, every day that the ban remains in place, couples are suffering real harms. We are grateful that the Court recognized that, and that as a result, those days are finally coming to an end. Now that the last-ditch efforts of Governor Scott and Pam Bondi to delay implementation of Judge Hinkle’s ruling have failed, we turn our focus to marriage equality coming to Florida. The nation’s highest court has now given its blessing to marriage going forward in Florida. Those who were waiting for the Supreme Court to weigh in have gotten exactly what they asked for. We expect public officials in all of Florida’s 67 counties to understand the significance of this development and look forward to full implementation of Judge Hinkle’s decision across our state.

Key West Winners

William Jones (left) and Aaron Huntsman are the Key West bartenders whose marriage equality lawsuit against Monroe County was the first of five wins in Florida, earning them grand marshal titles in this year's Fantasy Fest Parade, the first "political" selection in the event's history. Jones and Huntsman dropped in at the Island House this afternoon for an interview with me and South Florida Gay News writer Tony Adams. Look for Tony's interview online and in print on Wednesday. My piece will appear in the 2015 issue of Pride Magazine, by which time we'll hopefully have a final resolution on Florida marriage - if not the entire national shebang.

Conchita Wurst To Host Eurovision 2015

Via Pink News:

It has been announced this week that Conchita Wurst will make a return to the contest in Vienna – as a presenter. The singer was confirmed as host for the Green Room segment of the show, interviewing the current acts. She will be joined by an all-female presenting team, with Mirjam Weichselbraun, Alice Tumler and Arabella Kiesbauer taking up the main hosting roles during the event. The drag star is also expected to reprise her previous winner’s song, Rise Like a Phoenix, during the Grand Final, as is tradition for Eurovision. Kathrin Zechner of broadcaster ORF said: "[Conchita] won the contest with her personality, voice and song for Austria. She did not take the first but the most powerful Austrian step in the fight for self-determination and respect in Europe and the world."

As upset as the hater nations were about Conchita performing her one song, you can expect some real screaming about this hosting gig.

Warwick Rowers Holiday Singalong

I suspect you won't mind the singing.

Pastor Rick Wiles: Russia Will Nuke The United States Over Gay Rights

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Wiles says God will destroy America and the survivors will be the "slaves of sodomites." Wiles says ebola could solve "America's problem with gays and atheists." Last year he declared that MSNBC viewers are "demon-possessed fans of the anti-Christ." And then there was that time he declared that God sent a plague of locusts to Egypt because Obama.

FBI: North Korea Definitely Did The Hack

Who Is The Horse's Ass Of 2014?

People For The American Way and its affiliate Right Wing Watch invite your votes for the 2014 Equine Posterior Achievement Award. We can think of oh-so-many write-in candidates: Brian Brown, Scott Lively, Porno Pete, Mat Staver, Matt Barber, Tony Perkins, Josh Duggar, Linda Harvey, Phylis Schlafly, Monica Cole, Christopher Doyle, Franklin Graham, Austin Ruse, and on and on and on. How to choose, how to choose.

GOP Bickers Publicly Over Cuba

Last Christmas (I Gayview Mahat)

The Wham classic. Lyrics via Facebook names.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #128

Clip recap:

Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and a brilliant cast ring in the season in George Cukor’s HOLIDAY (1938). Adapted by Donald Ogden Stewart and Sidney Buchman from the play by Philip Barry, it deals with an unconventional young man (Grant) who wishes to marry into a wealthy family without sacrificing his ideals. He meets a comrade in the feisty sister of his fiancé (Hepburn) and her alcoholic brother Lew Ayres, in a brilliant performance. As always, Grant and Hepburn sparkle together. The dialogue is sophisticated, witty and the message as relevant today as it was when it was made. From all of us at Tired Old Queen at the Movies have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a lovely “Holiday”.

Porno Pete: Walmart Is Incentivizing Its Employees To Become Gay & Transgender

Porno Pete is ever so pissed that Walmart gave some dough to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. From a press release published by Christian Newswire:

Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) is alerting the nation to Walmart's increasing capitulation to the homosexual-bisexual-transgender agenda-and is calling on Americans to urge Walmart to stop promoting homosexuality and gender confusion (transgenderism) with its corporate dollars. TAKE ACTION: Call Walmart's headquarters at 479-273-4000 or use their Contact Page to politely express your concerns about Walmart "going gay" and turning its back on godly morality and traditional marriage. "During the Christmas season, we should focus on honoring God and His Son, Jesus, who came to earth to die for our sins," said AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera. "Walmart has done much good in the world - but celebrating politically correct sins - homosexuality and transsexuality -only dishonors God and incentivizes Walmart's own workers to embrace immoral and confused behavior patterns in their lives. Walmart needs to get out of the sin promotion business and at least return to neutrality on the homosexual/transgender issue," LaBarbera said.

Walmart has a 90% rating from the Human Rights Campaign.

Tom Goss - Festivus

Poland Rejects Civil Unions

By a vote of 235-185, Polish lawmakers have rejected placing a civil unions bill on the agenda for the coming legislative session. This is the third consecutive year that such an action was rejected. The 2013 attempt to pass a civil partnerships bill failed to advance by 17 votes.

Feds Announce Trans Protections

Via the Associated Press:

The Justice Department is now interpreting federal law to explicitly prohibit workplace discrimination against transgender people, according to a memo released Thursday by Attorney General Eric Holder. That means the Justice Department will be able to bring legal claims on behalf of people who say they've been discriminated against by state and local public employers based on sex identity. In defending lawsuits, the federal government also will no longer take the position that Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act, which bans sex discrimination, does not protect against workplace discrimination on the basis of gender status.

Holder's announcement reaffirms the position taken two years ago by the EEOC.

UPDATE: Closeted homosexual Matt Drudge is handling the story in his usual fashion.

Willie Robertson: People Might Be Born Gay But Jesus Can Totally Still Fix Them

BOSTON: Obama Calls Into Public Radio Show, Chats With Gov. Deval Patrick

Yesterday President Obama surprised Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick by calling into the governor's monthly Boston Public Radio show. "Uh, Governor, this is Barack Obama, formerly of Somerville. I've got a few complaints about service in and around the neighborhood, but I've moved down South since that time..."

(Tipped by JMG reader Daddy Ray)

CHINA: Court Orders "Ex-Gay" Torture Clinic To Pay Compensation To Victim

In the first-ever such ruling in Chinese history, a court has ordered an "ex-gay" torture clinic to pay compensation to one of its victims. Via the Wall Street Journal:

“We’re incredibly happy,” said Yang Teng, the plaintiff in the case. Mr. Yang earlier told China Real Time (which previously quoted him using the pseudonym Xiao Zhen) that staff at a clinic in the southwestern city of Chongqing told him they could cure his homosexuality, then put him in a state of light hypnosis and shocked him with electrodes every time he thought of gay sex. “In her decision, the judge said that homosexuality is not a disease, therefore the clinic had no basis to undertake treatment,” he said. Mr. Yang said the court had ordered the clinic, Chongqing Jinyu Piaoxiang, to pay him 3,500 yuan ($563) in compensation. It also required the clinic to post an apology for offering the treatment on the front page of its website for 48 hours and ordered an investigation whether the clinic’s license was valid.

Chinese search engine giant Baidu was also named in the suit, but the court ruled that it could not be held liable for running ads for the torture clinics. Those ads have since been removed and a spokesman for Baidu commented on the ruling: "We’re very glad to see justice served, and we share the opinion that unqualified therapy must be very vigilantly regulated. We hope Yang Teng will find some comfort in the court’s ruling."

Liberace: The Hologram Show

Via the Hollywood Reporter:

In partnership with the Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts, Hologram USA reported that it has started work on a hologram-like version of the famous entertainer for a feature-length live show that be would staged in such a way that "Liberace" would be able to interact with the audience. “This is a major step in the evolution of this medium for entertainment,” Hologram USA CEO Alki David said in a statement. “With our partners at the Liberace Foundation we’ll be able to stage a show so lifelike — the room will be filled with all of the great singer’s charm and charisma.” Hologram USA was responsible for the recent appearance of a virtual Jimmy Kimmel, and said it holds the North American license for the system that was used to place a virtual Tupac at Coachella in 2012.

After a launch in Las Vegas, the show is expected to tour worldwide.

AUSTRALIA: Grieving Partner Of Murdered Hero Cafe Manager Speaks Out

Via Australian television:

Siege victim Tori Johnson's partner has thanked Australia and the world for the outpouring of support for the family that has come in the wake of the Martin Place tragedy. Thomas Zinn read an emotional statement directly to viewers on the TODAY Show this morning, speaking of the family's pride in the strength of the community. "As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our family," he said. "We are experiencing unimaginable grief but when we look at the sea of flowers with all the heartfelt messages, and the crowds of supports at Martin Place, we know this grief is shared by the country and the rest of the world." He extended particular thanks to the police and emergency services who worked tirelessly to resolve the siege and supported the family during those horrible hours. He also offered Mr Johnson's family's love to the family of the other siege victim, barrister Katrina Dawson.

Johnson's father speaks in the final clip below. The "sea of flowers" at the site of the murders will be composted and used as part of the landscaping for a planned memorial.

Morning View - Island House

All is quiet at this early hour at the Island House. As usual there are some JMG readers here this week: two self-proclaimed "flying monkeys" from Minneapolis, Mike from Atlanta, Russ from Manhattan, and a boisterous bear couple from Surrey, England. Say hello, boys!

Epic Stephen Colbert Finale

Stephen Colbert said goodbye to his long-running Comedy Central show last night with an epic star-studded group singalong of We'll Meet Again. Joining Colbert were Jon Stewart, Henry Kissinger, Katie Couric, Cory Booker, Andrew Sullivan, Alan Alda, Andy Cohen, George Lucas, Cyndi Lauper, Tom Brokaw, Bill Clinton, and about a hundred other folks whom you'll likely recognize.

FLORIDA: ACLU Files SCOTUS Response To Pam Bondi's Stay Extension Demand

From the ACLU Of Florida:

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a response at the United States Supreme Court today stating that the Court should reject Florida’s request for further extension of the stay placed on a federal court’s decision that struck down Florida’s ban on allowing and recognizing the marriages of same-sex couples. The response argued that Florida families suffer harms every day the ban remains in place.

“Governor Scott, his appointees, and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s efforts to delay the implementation of the order striking down the marriage ban are as senseless as they are incredibly harmful,” stated ACLU of Florida LGBT rights staff attorney Daniel Tilley. “Every day that the couples we represent and the thousands of families across Florida who are also denied the protections of marriage go without those protections, they are suffering real harm, as Judge Hinkle’s order made plainly clear. We are glad to have had the opportunity to explain to our nation’s highest court why it is time to let love win in Florida, and we are hopeful that the Court will reject Governor Scott and Attorney General Bondi’s increasingly-desperate efforts, just as it has refused all requests to stay rulings striking down discriminatory marriage bans since this October.”

Read the response.

FLORIDA: Courthouse Plans To Open At Midnight On Day Of Stay Expiration

Via the Osceola News-Gazette:

The Osceola County Courthouse will open for a couple hours at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 6 – the moment that Florida’s voter-approved ban on gay marriage expires – to issue marriage licenses and possibly perform services. Osceola County Clerk of the Courts Armando Ramirez said he expected to process up to 30 licenses that night for gay couples who have long-waited for the right to marry. My wife and I will also be there personally to witness the historic moment,” Ramirez said. “I believe marriage is just a legal pact between two adults, and there needs to be a separation of church and state.” Ramirez got approval to open the second-floor courthouse office where passports and marriage licenses are issued and $725 for a seven-person security detail from the Osceola County Commission this week.

All of this depends on SCOTUS, of course.

Vaccines Can Make Your Kids Gay

The above is from an "anti-vax" Facebook page. Source. (Tipped by JMG reader Daniel)

Tim Cook Gives Big To HRC

The Human Rights Campaign today announced that Apple CEO Tim Cook has made a large donation to help fund LGBT advocacy in southern states including his native Alabama.

The amount of Cook's contribution to the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign wasn't disclosed, but the advocacy organization called it "substantial." Organizers said it would help fund a three-year, $8.5 million campaign launched in April in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. Called Project One America, the goal of the public relations effort is to build acceptance for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in the states. The campaign includes advertising on TV and elsewhere, direct-mail fliers and staff members hired in each state. "We hope Tim Cook's substantial personal investment inspires others to support this vital and historic project," Jason Rahlan, a spokesman for Human Rights Campaign, said in an email.

Cook formally came out in October, spawning widespread condemnation by anti-gay groups but no organized campaign to boycott Apple has yet developed.

Afternoon View - Sushi's Shoe

Key West's Bourbon Pub is all set for their famed Drag Queen Drop in which local star Sushi is lowered in a giant pump at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.

RNC Posts Letter To Santa From Hillary

Embiggen to read the assholery.

FLORIDA: Liberty Counsel Offers To Defend County Clerks Who Refuse Gays

Via press release:

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver is urging Florida court clerks to take the advice of their own legal counsel and uphold Florida’s marriage laws. “No clerk outside of Washington County is bound by the federal judge’s ruling,” the letter from the legal counsel says, “and it would be a crime under Florida law for a clerk in any of those 66 other counties to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple.” The attorneys who brought the federal suit, however, are already threatening to sue any Florida clerk who refuses to issue the illegal same-sex licenses. Liberty Counsel will defend—at no cost to taxpayers—any Florida court clerk who is sued for upholding Florida’s marriage laws. Liberty Counsel will also defend any clerk in Washington County or elsewhere who, for conscience reasons, refuses to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple.

The Liberty Counsel is based in Orlando.

Today In Derpitude

Crazy Eyes: I Outsmarted The Left

Sam Smith Goes Platinum

Sam Smith today became this year's only artist to sell one million albums in both the UK and the United States. Smith is only the second artist to hit platinum status in the US this year, following Taylor Swift's 1989. The multi-artist soundtrack for Disney's Frozen is the year's biggest domestic seller with 3.4M copies.

TRAILER: Amazing America Season Two

Today's New York Post

Inside The Key West Christmas Cab

So this happened the other night on our way back to Island House. Father Tony writes:

Joe and I returning from El Siboney Cuban Restaurant - per our tradition - got into the Best. Cab. Ever. The driver said, "Are you guys ready for Christmas?" We said no, and he fired up Bing Crosby doing the Hawaiian Christmas Song and then he said, "Mind if I turn on my Christmas lights?" Suddenly the floor of the cab was in synch with the music.

And then the cabbie performed Christmas In Hollis.

EGYPT: Immediate Trial Date Set For 26 Men Arrested In Bathhouse Raid

Via the Associated Press:

Egyptian official says prosecutors have referred 26 men arrested in a raid on a bath house to trial on charges connected to their suspected homosexuality. The prosecution official said Wednesday the trial will begin Sunday, a quick referral in a case that has captured public attention following the men's televised arrest. Scenes of half-naked men escorted by policemen out of the bath house in Cairo on Dec. 7 were filmed by a private TV channel and later aired amid criticism from activists. Many in the public were also stunned by the widely circulated pictures of the bathers covering their faces from cameras.

The speedy trial date is considered highly unusual as Egypt's backlogged court system typically means waits of up to a year. The men have been charged with "debauchery" as homosexuality is technically legal in Egypt.

RUSSIA: Vladimir Putin Vows To Repair Ruble, Blames Crash On The West

Via Reuters:

President Vladimir Putin assured Russians on Thursday that the economy would rebound after the ruble's dramatic slide this year but offered no remedy for a deepening financial crisis. In an assured performance at a three-hour news conference, Putin blamed the economic problems on external factors and said the crisis over Ukraine was caused by the West, which he accused of building a "virtual" Berlin Wall to contain Russia. Putin even cracked jokes at times, despite pressure to fix an economy that is heading into recession and caught by what his economy minister called a "perfect storm" of low oil prices, Western sanctions over Ukraine and global economic problems. The ruble has fallen about 45 percent against the dollar this year, and suffered particularly steep falls on Monday and Tuesday, but Putin said its eventual rise was unavoidable and avoided using the word "crisis".

The retail fallout has been immediate.

Russian consumers flocked to the stores Wednesday, frantically buying a range of big-ticket items to preempt the price rises kicked off by the staggering fall in the value of the ruble in recent days. As the Russian authorities announced a series of measures to ease the pressure on the ruble, which slid 15 percent in the previous two days and raised fears of a bank run, many Russians were buying cars and home appliances — in some cases in record numbers — before prices for these imported goods shoot higher. The Swedish furniture giant IKEA already warned Russian consumers that its prices will rise Thursday, which resulted in weekend-like crowds at a Moscow store on a Wednesday afternoon.

General Motors, Audi, Land Rover, and Apple have temporarily suspended sales inside Russia.

Teabaggers Have The Cuba Sadz

TODAY: Hawaii Supreme Court Hears Challenge To Same-Sex Marriage Law

The Christianist crusade of Hawaii state Rep. Bob McDermott comes to a head today.

Hawaii's Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments in a state Republican representative's lawsuit challenging the gay marriage law. While the Legislature was considering the bill last year, Rep. Bob McDermott tried to stop the state from issuing any marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The circuit court denied his motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. McDermott appealed. McDermott's lawsuit says the Legislature didn't have authority to pass the law.

From the court's docket notice:

On appeal to this court, Respondents contend that the trial court erred in denying their motion for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, and in granting the Petitioners’ motion for summary judgment. Respondents argue, inter alia, that the Hawai`i Marriage Equality Act is unconstitutional because in 1998, the people of Hawai`i voted to amend article 1, section 23 of the Hawai`i Constitution to state that “the legislature shall have the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples.” Respondents argue that the intent of this amendment was to constitutionally reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples, so the legislature was not authorized to pass the Hawai`i Marriage Equality Act. In response, Petitioners argue that article 1, section 23 allows the legislature to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples, but does not require it to do so. Petitioners also argue that Respondents lacked standing to bring this lawsuit.

The hearing is set for 11AM local time. (Tipped by JMG reader Lulu)

Headline Of The Day

From the Telegraph:

A teenage girl hanged herself because she feared telling her devoutly Christian parents she might be gay, an inquest has heard. Elizabeth Lowe, 14, known as Lizzie, had confided in friends that she thought she might be a lesbian, but was struggling to reconcile her feelings with her own deep faith. She was also worried about telling her parents, but her father said her fears were misplaced and she would have received a “wealth of love and acceptance”. Lizzie was a top academic performer at Parrs Wood High School and a member of the Scout movement and a musician in a Christian orchestra. Senior Coroner Nigel Meadows said the school couldn't have done any more to pick up on her distress. Recording a verdict of suicide, Senior Coroner, Nigel Meadows, said:  :She was clearly an intelligent young woman. She was a successful student but was going through issues of developing maturity and exploring her sexuality and was struggling to come to terms with that against her faith beliefs."

(Via Christian Nightmares)

Liberty Counsel Cheers Fayetteville

Liberty Counsel is taking credit for the repeal of Fayetteville's LGBT rights ordinance, which we're pretty sure was the work of the FRC and the Duggar family. Via press release:

In a special referendum vote, Fayetteville voters repealed a law passed by the City Council in August that required churches, Christian schools, and other para-church ministries to hire homosexuals for “secular” jobs (such as school teachers), allowed men to use women’s restrooms and locker rooms, and required Christian business owners to service “same-sex weddings.” The law even provided for criminal prosecution of those who refused to comply.

Liberty Counsel became involved as soon as word spread that the City Council was considering passage of the radical ordinance, and Liberty Counsel attorneys wrote a letter to the Fayetteville City Council. Liberty Counsel worked with local attorneys Stephanie Nichols and Travis Story (the former graduated from Regent University and the latter graduated from Liberty University School of Law). Together, these attorneys drafted the referendum to repeal the law, and more than enough signatures were obtained to place the matter in a special election. The voters were heard and the law was repealed by a margin of 52 to 48 percent.

Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, said, “Homosexual activists are intolerant. The repeal of this radical and immoral law is a clear reminder that when good people unite and pastors speak up, their voices will be heard and they can make a difference. This ordinance sought to criminalize Judeo-Christian values. The American people should wake up and fight to preserve our inalienable right to freedom of conscience.”

(Tipped by JMG reader Dustin)

Gandalf & The Cookie Monster

(Tipped by JMG reader Alan)

Open Thread Thursday

Where will you be in one week? Who will you be with?

People Are Awesome 2014

IDAHO: Gov. Butch Otter Asks SCOTUS To Hear Same-Sex Marriage Appeal

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter today filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in which he demands that they hear the appeal from his state over any others.

If this Court is prepared to decide the constitutionality of state man-woman marriage laws - as amicus believes it should - it is important that the Court have before it at least one case in which state officials will vigorously defend those laws on the merits. Unless state representatives in one case are mounting such a defense — including an explanation of why the man-woman definition of marriage satisfies any form of heightened scrutiny — neither the Court nor the public can be assured that the ultimate decision will be the product of a fair contest between opponents who made the strongest possible arguments on both sides.

Although the officials in the cases now before the Court have been well represented, none has demonstrated a willingness to mount such a defense. Perhaps they believe this Court will inevitably reject all the arguments for heightened scrutiny, thus making a defense under such a standard superfluous. Or perhaps some fear (incorrectly) that a vigorous defense will impugn the parenting skills of same-sex couples and thus be offensive to gays and lesbians. Whatever the reason, these officials’ presentations have left an important viewpoint unrepresented, and it is one that needs to be vigorously presented in this Court.

That is a main reason Governor Otter respectfully suggests that the Court ensure that the Idaho case Otter v. Latta, - in which the Governor is a named party - is among the cases the Court uses as “vehicles” for deciding the constitutionality of the man-woman definition. Unlike the laws now before the Court, Idaho’s definition has been vigorously defended, in part on the ground that it satisfies the heightened scrutiny that the Ninth Circuit held applies to such laws. And unlike those cases, the Ninth Circuit in Latta purported to address Idaho’s heightened-scrutiny defense. Moreover, Latta will likely be before the Court in a very few days: Unless the Ninth Circuit quickly grants the pending petition for rehearing en banc, amicus intends to seek this Court’s review by January 5, 2015.

Read the full brief at Equality Case Files.

Snowden Applauds Chelsea Manning

LONDON: Subway Erasure Singalong

Via the BBC:

A fan of Erasure sparked an impromptu singalong on the London Underground with his own version of the band's A Little Respect. Neil Francis, who sings at venues around Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, was waiting at the Kentish Town station when he decided to break into song. "I love the sound of the acoustics in the tube station, so I thought 'give it some'," he said. "It went mental, and got louder and louder." Mr Francis, who admitted having had a couple of drinks to "wet the whistle", said people asked him to carry on singing once they got on the train.

636K views so far. Hit the link for an interview with him.

Most Major Theater Chains Pull The Interview Over Terrorist ThreatsUPDATE: Sony Has Pulled The Film

Via the Los Angeles Times:

The nation's leading theater chains are pulling the plug on screening "The Interview." Regal, AMC and Cinemark -- the three largest chains in the United States -- have decided not to screen “The Interview” when it debuts on Christmas Day in the wake of threats made by Sony hackers, said people familiar with the decision. The chains have asked Sony to postpone the release date of the controversial film. The decision represents a major blow to Sony Pictures Entertainment, which has been under siege by a hack attack that became public Nov. 24. A representative of Sony Pictures Entertainment declined to comment. Late Tuesday, Carmike Cinemas, the fourth-largest theater chain, with 2,917 screens in 41 states, became the first major exhibitor to scrap plans to screen "The Interview."

More from the Associated Press:

The fallout from the Sony Pictures Entertainment hack that began four weeks ago exploded Tuesday after the shadowy group calling themselves Guardians of Peace escalated their attack beyond corporate espionage and threatened moviegoers with violence reminiscent of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Department of Homeland Security said there was "no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters," but noted it was still analyzing messages from the group, dubbed GOP. The warning did prompt law enforcement in New York and Los Angeles to address measures to ramp up security.

UPDATE: Sony has pulled the film entirely.

In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release. We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers. Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like. We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.

Sony could lose $100M.

BREAKING: Supreme Court To Consider Louisiana Case At January Conference

See the docket notice.

TURKEY: US Diplomat Charles Hunter To Marry Local Musician Boyfriend

Charles Hunter, US Consul General to Turkey, has confirmed to the local press that he will marry his Turkish boyfriend with the ceremony to take place in Wisconsin.

Hunter was at an event at the Dutch consulate the previous day where he sang at an a capella choir. He responded to reporters' questions afterward. Naturally, almost all questions were about his affair with Turkish artist Ramadan Çaysever, and Hunter spoke about the affair for the first time. He said he "confirmed" all the reports in the press about his affair and planned marriage, but avoided elaborating on the matter. Çaysever, who frequently accompanies the Consul General at events, was absent at Tuesday night's event. Meanwhile, rumors made the rounds in the media about the top diplomat's affair. Some media outlets claimed Çaysever converted to Christianity for his partner. Milliyet, a Turkish daily, claimed Hunter asked for assignment of a bodyguard for Çaysever who has moved in with him, but has not been assigned one yet.

Hunter reportedly met Çaysever at one of his concerts. His music sounds quite like 80s Italo.

FLORIDA: Judge Grants First Gay Divorce

Via the Associated Press:

The first formal divorce for a gay couple in Florida has been granted by a county judge who also declared the state's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Circuit Judge Dale Cohen on Wednesday dissolved the marriage of Heather Brassner and Megan Lade. They were united in a 2002 civil union in Vermont. Cohen had ruled in August that Florida's gay marriage ban is unconstitutional and that out-of-state gay marriages should be recognized. Brassner attorney Nancy Brodzki said it was Florida's first gay divorce. Brodzki says she expects Attorney General Pam Bondi to appeal the decision, just as she has several other rulings against the gay marriage ban. There was no immediate reaction from Bondi's office.

(Tipped by JMG reader Lulu)

RUSSIA: State TV Runs Action Movie-Style Trailer For Putin Press Conference

Via Vox:

Russia's official state-run news channel, Russia-1, has always been a bit brazen about cheerleading Russian President Vladimir Putin as a national action hero. But Russia-1 is taking that to a new level this week. The channel is broadcasting ads for Putin's forthcoming press conference, on the disastrous fall of the ruble, that look very little like sober news coverage and very much like the trailer for a Hollywood Michael Bay action film. That is not hyperbole: the ads literally look like action movie trailers.

(Tipped by JMG reader Mike)

Brian Brown: Send Me Money To Fight Billionaire Teabagger David Koch

"I have to let you know exactly what we're up against. Recently, the news reported that David Koch—the conservative boogeyman of the left—will be interviewed by ABC's Barbara Walters for her 'The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2014' special scheduled to air on Sunday. In the interview, he unequivocally states, 'I'm basically a libertarian, and I'm a conservative on economic matters, and I'm a social liberal.' It harkens back to a 2012 Politico article where he said, 'I believe in gay marriage.'  This is exactly the problem. Millionaires and billionaires are lining up in support of this radical social agenda... even on the right! And I need your help to stop it! Won't you please click here right away to make a generous donation of $35, $50, $100, $500, or $1,000 or more to help us carry out our mission of protecting marriage and the faith communities that sustain it? When the radical left—like Human Rights Campaign and Freedom to Marry, each bankrolled to the tune of tens of millions of dollars per year—pushes this agenda, they claim people are accepting gay 'marriage' in ever increasing numbers. But what they really mean is that a bunch of hyper-wealthy social liberals are trying to push this agenda on America whether they like it or not." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, via email.

NOTE: Walters' special actually aired last Sunday.