Saturday, February 14, 2015

KANSAS: Hundreds Protest Brownback

Hundreds of Kansans protested against Gov. Sam Brownback today in a rally held at the state capitol building. From the Topeka Capitol-Journal:
Organizers in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community arranged the protest on short notice after Gov. Sam Brownback announced Tuesday that he would rescind an executive order issue by former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius that prevented some state employees from being fired on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Brownback framed the issue as an attempt to make sure all state employees had the same protections. Kansas law prohibits discrimination based on religion, race, gender and some other categories. To Tom Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, removing the protection not only threatens some employees’ livelihoods, but insults them and their work for the state. “(Brownback) told every one of them that is L, G, B or T, ‘I don’t value you,’” he said. Witt urged the crowd to continue protesting and to support HB 2323, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s anti-discrimination laws. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. John Carmichael, D-Wichita, spoke during the rally about how Kansas and the United States have expanded equality over time to women, racial minorities, immigrants and people with disabilities. “Our law still allows Kansans to be fired for who they love,” he said.
(Tipped by JMG reader Michael)

Labels: , , , , , , , , ,


C-SPAN: Brian Brown Vs Lambda Legal

Brian Brown appeared on C-SPAN's Washington Journal this morning to debate Lambda Legal litigation director Susan Sommer. As you'd expect, much of the discussion centered on Alabama and Roy Moore. Brown says that it's "absurd" to believe that the 14th Amendment creates the right to marry "out of thin air." Also: polygamy! The clip is not embeddable and can been seen here. Start at the 5:00 mark. (Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

Labels: , , , , , , , ,


SF Considers Leather-Themed Park

Via the Bay Area Reporter:
A leather-themed public plaza would be built on the roadway outside the Eagle bar in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood under a proposal backed by the developer of a new mixed-use housing and retail development. The plan would turn a block of 12th Street, between Harrison and Bernice, fronting the gay-owned bar into a parklet with design elements celebrating SOMA's ties to both the LGBT and leather communities. Since the 1950s the neighborhood has been home to a number of gay bars and nightclubs, many catering to the leather scene.

Today, most of the remaining LGBT nightlife establishments are centered on or near 11th Street between Folsom and Harrison streets, with the Eagle a block away. The city has designated that section of western SOMA as part of an LGBTQ cultural heritage district. Backers of what is being called the Eagle Plaza contend it could serve as a focal point and main gathering spot for the LGBTQ district. "I am super excited about it. I think it is beautiful," said District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim, whose office has been involved in the initial talks about the proposed plaza.
Concept designs for the park will be on display at the Eagle tomorrow during beer bust.

Labels: , ,


Southern Baptists Leader Russell Moore: Officials Who Won't Comply With Marriage Laws Should Seek Other Employment

Via the Tennessean:
The Southern Baptist Convention's top policy official has a message for Alabama Christians wringing their hands over legal same-sex marriage. It was unavoidable, and accepting it doesn't mean you're conceding defeat. Not accepting it means you need to reexamine your faith. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, opened the floor to questions Thursday at his group's quarterly luncheon, which draws local evangelical pastors, musicians and a variety of other devout people, mostly men, to downtown Nashville. A luncheon attendee asked Moore if he believed there would come a time when Christians had to practice "civil disobedience" over the issue and cited Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore, who advised the state's probate judges to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Russell Moore said Christians shouldn't confuse disobeying laws they don't support with appropriate civil disobedience. If Christians can't follow laws in good conscience, he said, they may have to resign as agents of the state and act in accordance with their beliefs as regular citizens.
(Tipped by JMG reader Str8 Grandmother)

Labels: , , , , , ,


ALABAMA: And More Counties Relent

As of mid-day yesterday at least 51 of Alabama's 67 counties had begun issuing same-sex marriage licenses. Seven of the holdout counties are issuing licenses to opposite sex couples only and the rest are not issuing licenses at all. About half of the counties now obeying the law began doing so after federal Judge Ginny Granade's Thursday order against Mobile County. Same-sex licenses are currently available to at least 86% of Alabama's population.

Labels: , ,


HOUSTON: Jury Rules That LGBT Rights Repeal Petition Signatures Were Forged, But Case Is Far From Over

Via the Houston Chronicle:
The city claimed victory Friday when the jury in the trial surrounding Houston's equal rights ordinance found that the law's opponents submitted a repeal referendum petition that contained forgery and other flaws. However, it issued a series of decisions that were far from a clean sweep for either side. The ruling is not final, and a judge will now consider the jury's findings about the work of more than 100 circulators of the petition that the city rejected last summer, citing overwhelming notary and signature-gatherer errors. District Judge Robert Schaffer was not present for Friday's ruling after nearly six days of jury deliberation. Attorneys on both sides said he will now begin counting which signatures are valid to see if opponents have reached the needed 17,269-signature threshold.
The anti-gay groups supporting the repeal have not yet reacted on Twitter.  Whatever the final outcome, the losing side is expected to appeal.

Labels: , , , , , , , ,


ALABAMA: State Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Liberty Counsel's Marriage Petition

Last last night the Alabama Supreme Court agreed to consider the petition for a writ of mandamus filed on Wednesday by Liberty Counsel.
In a 6-2 decision issued late Friday, the Alabama Supreme Court set up a schedule next week for the different sides to file their answers and briefs on the request by the Alabama Policy Institute and Alabama Citizens Action Program. The court, however, did not say whether it would hold a hearing for oral arguments before responding to the petition. The order stated the briefs by probate judges should address issues raised by the petition, including whether the state Supreme Court even has jurisdiction to hear the petition.

Answers and briefs by probate judges are to be filed by 5 p.m. Feb. 18 and then ALCAP and API will have a chance to respond by 5 p.m. Feb. 20. API and ALCAP, which both oppose gay marriage, on Wednesday filed their emergency petition for a writ of mandamus declaring the state's ban on same-sex unions is still in force and to halt any probate judge from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

ALCAP and API name those county probate judges who have begun issuing licenses to same-sex couples in response to U.S. District Court Judge Callie Granade's order declaring Alabama's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Chief Justice Roy Moore, who has been the most outspoken in advising probate judges not to issue same-sex licenses, was the only justice not listed as taking part in Friday's decision.
Yesterday a coalition of pro-LGBT groups filed their own petition asking the state Supreme Court to dismiss the Liberty Counsel's demand.
"This request before the Alabama Supreme Court is nothing but an attempt at delaying the happiness that all families deserve - a last-ditch, failing effort to stand in the way of the love we've seen in this historic week," Ben Cooper, board chair of Equality Alabama, said in a statement released Friday night. "The petition should be dismissed, and all probate judges in every corner of the state should follow the law." That brief was filed on behalf of Equality Alabama by counsel from the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the ACLU of Alabama Foundation, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Labels: , , , , , , , ,


Friday, February 13, 2015

TRAILER: Bjork's Black Lake

Via Pitchfork:
On March 7, New York City's Museum of Modern Art will open the Björk retrospective Björk, an exhibit that will "chronicle her career through sound, film, visuals, instruments, objects, costumes, and performance." Today, the artist shared a teaser of the video and sound installation "Black Lake", which will be a part of the exhibition. Watch the teaser below. "Black Lake" is also the name of a song on her newest album, Vulnicura.
More from the MOMA:
The Museum of Modern Art presents a retrospective of the multifaceted work of composer, musician, and singer Björk. The exhibition draws from more than 20 years of the artist’s daring and innovative projects and her eight full-length albums to chronicle her career through sound, film, visuals, instruments, objects, and costumes. In the Museum lobby, instruments used on Biophilia (2011)—a gameleste, pipe organ, gravity harp, and Tesla coil—play songs from the album at different points throughout the day. On the second floor, in the Marron Atrium, two spaces have been constructed: one is dedicated to a new sound and video installation, commissioned by The Museum of Modern Art, for “Black Lake,” a song from Björk’s new album Vulnicura (2015); and the second is a cinema room that screens a retrospective in music videos, from Debut (1993) to Biophilia
Entrance to the Bjork exhibits are included with regular MOMA admission although timed tickets are required for an interactive exhibit on the third floor.

Labels: , , , ,


NOM: Congress Must Investigate Ruth Bader Ginsburg If She Refuses To Recuse

We knew that Brian Brown wouldn't limit his outrage to this morning's two-line sound bite in World Net Daily. Just posted to NOM's website:
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today issued a demand that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recuse herself from hearing the pending same-sex marriage cases because of comments she gave in a media interview that foreshadows her ruling in the upcoming cases even before they are briefed or argued. If she fails to recuse herself, NOM will ask Congress to conduct an investigation of her conduct and to consider legislation to discipline justices who speak out publicly about pending cases. "Justice Ginsburg has brought disrepute on the Supreme Court and eliminated any pretext that she will approach the marriage issue with an open mind when it comes before her. Because of this prejudice, federal law requires her to remove herself from hearing the cases," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "If she does not step aside, we will ask Congress to investigate the matter and pursue legislative remedies."
Legislative remedies? Oh, my sides. The last time a Supreme Court justice was impeached was 210 years ago. And that removal attempt only succeeded in the House.

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


OREGON: Democratic Gov. John Kizhaber Resigns In Scandal Over His Fiance, Successor Kate Brown Is Openly Bisexual

Via Bloomberg:
Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber’s almost four-decade political career fell apart Friday, as he heeded calls from fellow Democrats to resign after a scandal involving his fiancee’s use of his office to generate business for her energy-consulting firm. Kitzhaber, a 67-year-old re-elected to a fourth term in November, announced his departure in a news release. Secretary of State Kate Brown, also a Democrat, will assume the office until 2016.
Oregon's now governor-to-be Kate Brown is married to a man and is openly bisexual, which will make her the first openly LGBT governor in American history. Unless you count former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevy, which you shouldn't.

Labels: , , ,


ARKANSAS: Bill To Ban All LGBT Rights Laws Heads To Governor's Desk

Via Buzzfeed:
The Arkansas legislature gave its final thumbs-up Friday to a bill that would block cities and counties from enacting antidiscrimination laws that protect LGBT people. The Arkansas House of Representatives voted decisively, 57-20, for SB202, with seven members voting present. Having already cleared the state Senate Monday, the bill now heads to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is not expected to veto the legislation. The bill’s sponsor, Republican State Sen. Bart Hester [photo], told BuzzFeed News this week that he sponsored the measure to create consistent policies across Arkansas that will attract business, and because he was infuriated that cities were attempting to expand civil rights laws for LGBT people. “This bill creates uniformity for business, and citizens for that matter, so that our employment laws will be the same throughout the state,” Republican Rep. Bob Ballinger, the bill’s House sponsor, said before today’s vote on the House floor. “There are some things on a statewide basis we deal with all the time, such as murder and fraud — a variety of things that need to be uniform,” he said.
Fayetteville's LGBT rights ordinance was repealed in December following a vicious campaign by the Family Research Council and the Duggar family. Early this week the popular LGBT destination of Eureka Springs hastily approved a sweeping rights bill, becoming the only municipality in the state with such a law on the books. GOP members of the Arkansas legislature say that they believe their bill will overturn the ordinance in Eureka Springs.

Labels: , , , , , , , ,


March Issue Of Texas Monthly

Labels: , ,


Freedom To Marry Celebrates Alabama

Get a tissue, my tender kittens.

Labels: , ,


The Ten Hottest Chorus Boys Of 2015

Time Out New York has published their annual listing of the ten hottest chorus boys now appearing on Broadway. Beefcake and scruff at the link as well as the hottest chorus girls of this year. Seen above is Garen Scribner of An American In Paris, which opens next month.

Labels: , , ,


Antonin Scalia: Don't Paint Me As Anti-Gay

"The issue of gay rights, on abortion, on many of the issues in which Ruth’s opinions and mine differ does not pertain to the substance. It doesn’t pertain to whether gay people ought to have those rights or whether there ought to be a constitutional right or a right to an abortion. That isn’t the issue. The issue is who decides. That’s all. I don’t have any public views on any of those things. The point is who decides? Should these decisions be made by the Supreme Court without any text in the Constitution or any history in the Constitution to support imposing on the whole country or is it a matter left to the people? But don’t paint me as anti-gay or anti-abortion or anything else. All I’m doing on the Supreme Court is opining about who should decide." - Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, speaking last night at the George Washington University event where Ruth Bader Ginsburg made her "not 100% sober" comment.

Labels: , ,


Rep. Tim Huelskamp: Gay Marriage Hurts The Economy, Rejects Laws Of Nature

Rep. Tim Huelskamp appeared on Tony Perkins' radio show last night to flog the latest attempt to pass the Federal Marriage Amendment. "This is National Marriage Week. What a better time to call your members of Congress and say, 'What are you doing to protect marriage? What are you doing to protect children and our economic well-being?"

Labels: , , , , , , , , ,


IRELAND: 6/1 Odds For Gay Marriage

Ireland's same-sex marriage referendum is being given a 6/1 chance of passage by bookmakers Paddy Power. The controversial gambling outfit, which operates hundreds of betting parlors across Ireland and Great Britain, made international news in 2012 with the announcement that bets on Obama winning a second term would be paid out on the day before the election. Paddy Power regularly courts outrage. In 2012 they ran a contest to "Spot The Tranny" during Ladies Day at a famous horse race. In 2008 they were forced to suspend a betting contest on whether Obama would survive his first term without being assassinated.

Labels: , ,


Brian Brown: In Five Money Begs This Week We've Raked In Over $10,000!

"I've been incredibly gratified to see the number of new $10 and $15 donors that have stepped up in the fight to defend marriage - people who have never before given to NOM, but who realize the incredible importance and urgency of the fight right now. These people are sacrificially giving to a cause they understand is necessary, noble and just - because they understand that marriage is and always will be the foundation of civilization and worth fighting for! We've raised over $10,000 in just 4 days toward our $100,000 matching gift challenge - which is amazing - but we have so much further to go. Won't you please join us by making a generous gift right away? Most people reading this email haven't yet donated. I am asking you, if you haven't yet donated to this campaign, to do so now - renewing your commitment to defending marriage by making a contribution in support of the 2015 March for Marriage." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, in his fifth money beg this week and ninth this month.

Labels: , , , , , , , ,


ALABAMA: More Counties Tumble

Yesterday's ruling in Mobile County is having the predicted effect and more than a dozen other counties have relented this morning.

UPDATE: Seven more counties.

Labels: , ,


Ruth Bader Ginsburg: I Wasn't 100% Sober At The State Of The Union Address

Via Talking Points Memo:
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's rabid Internet following is sure to go nuts over the admission that she dozed off at the President's State of the Union address after drinking a fine wine. Ginsburg was asked about her SOTU catnap Thursday at George Washington University, where she and her colleague Justice Antonin Scalia were interviewed by NPR. "The audience for the most part is awake because they're bobbing up and down all the time. And we sit there, stone faced, the sober judges," Ginsburg said. "But we're not, at least I was not, 100 percent sober." She explained that the justices have dinner together before the annual speech, which she said Scalia hadn't attended in several years, and that Justice Anthony Kennedy brought along a bottle of California wine that was just too good to resist.

Labels: , ,


Gays Are Using Up Alabama's Batteries

Via AL.com:
Cedric Hatcher, an outspoken street evangelist and regular at Birmingham City Hall, took to the lectern during the public comment portion of today's meeting to express his disapproval of the marriages that took place just across Linn Park and around the state Monday. "To me yesterday was one of the most bizarre scenes I've ever seen in the city," Hatcher said. "It was one of the most comedic scenes I've ever seen in public when I witnessed men with size 13 and 14 shoes out there kissing each other in the mouth in front of little kids. It was like a freak scene going on, that's what I call it." Like his previous statements on social issues, Hatcher didn't soften his approach when criticizing the legalization of same-sex marriage. He delivered an abrasive critique instead. Hatcher cited several Bible passages and decried the presence of children in ceremonies he believed were abominable.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But the worst part? There are no batteries to be found on the shelves of Birmingham stores. Because gay marriage.

Labels: , ,


Biden Gives Shout Out To "Butt Buddy"

Via the New York Post:
Joe Biden put his foot where the sun don’t shine at a speech in Iowa when he punctuated his remarks by giving a shout-out to his “butt buddy.” At one point during the talk in Des Moines, the Vice President declared: “Neal Smith, an old butt buddy. Are you here, Neal? Neal, I miss you, man. I miss you.” If the bizarre use of 80s teenage slang was a stutter or a slip up, the Vice President didn’t stop to correct himself. Neal Smith is a 94-year-old former Iowa congressman who was pals with the VP when Biden was a Senator.
Wingnuts are mocking up a storm.

Labels: , ,


Perkins Attacks John Kerry Over Creation Of US Envoy On Global LGBT Rights

"Most people probably assumed that America already had an ambassador for homosexuality: it's called the Obama administration. But now, Secretary John Kerry wants to make it official by creating a permanent position in the State Department devoted entirely to strong-arming other countries into embracing his view of homosexuality. In another major U-turn from the Bush years, the Obama administration is adding a full-time, taxpayer-funded, openly gay diplomat to the payroll whose sole purpose will be forcing the President's radical social agenda on reluctant countries. Like Hillary Clinton before him, Kerry has turned the State Department into a satellite office of the Human Rights Campaign, where the only goal seems to be exporting homosexual extremism to a world preoccupied by far more important issues." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.

Labels: , , , , , , , ,


Brendan Maclean - Only Boyfriend

"Because no one ever writes decent Valentines for homos." I first wrote about Maclean back in 2013 for the release of his quirky Australian hit Stupid, which made my top ten for that year.

Labels: , ,


Brian Brown: Ginsburg Must Recuse

From World Net Daily:
The calls for Ruth Bader Ginsburg to drop out of the same-sex marriage case looming before the U.S. Supreme Court are surging after she gave Bloomberg News an interview in which she lobbied for the practice. The 81-year-old, far-left justice revealed her preferences when she said it “would not take a large adjustment” for Americans “should the justices say gay marriage is constitutional.” “Even the attempt to posture that as a judge you’re obeying a code of ethics is now gone,” [snip] The National Organization for Marriage agreed with Whelan. Brian Brown, the group’s president, told WND. “They do whatever they want. She should recuse herself. It’s embarrassing for the judiciary.” Brown said basic judicial ethics “that any judge should follow would clearly advise against commenting on a case currently coming up before you.” WND previously noted both Ginsburg and Kagan, who was appointed by Barack Obama, have officiated at same-sex ceremonies.
Not mentioned by WND, of course, is that Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas both openly socialize with anti-gay marriage activists and former NOM chairman Robert George.

Labels: , , , , , , , ,


TEXAS: Plaintiffs Ask Fifth Circuit Court To Lift Stay On Same-Sex Marriages

John Wright reports at the Texas Observer:
Attorneys for two gay couples are asking a federal appeals court to allow same-sex marriages to begin in Texas immediately. In a motion filed Thursday, attorneys for the couples asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to lift a district judge’s stay of his 2014 decision striking down Texas’ marriage ban. If the 5th Circuit agrees to lift the stay, it would clear the way for same-sex marriages to begin in Texas. If the 5th Circuit doesn’t lift the stay for all same-sex couples, the motion asks that it be lifted for the limited purpose of establishing the parental rights of plaintiff Cleopatra DeLeon, whose wife, Nicole Dimetman, is expecting a child in March. The motion cites the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to halt same-sex marriages in both Alabama and Florida, after federal district judges struck down bans in those states.
Yesterday's motion will be considered by the same Fifth Circuit three-judge panel that heard oral arguments in the Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana cases last month. Most observers at the courthouse that day have predicted a 2-1 split in favor of the plaintiffs in all three cases.

Labels: , ,


Christian Blogger: I Love My Gay Moms But They Don't Deserve To Be Married

Two weeks ago Christian blogger Katy Faust earned praise across Teabagistan for her open letter to Justice Anthony Kennedy in which she declared her opposition to same-sex marriage despite loving her lesbian mother and her mom's partner. That letter followed her January collaboration with Robert Oscar Lopez in a SCOTUS brief which was widely reported upon by multiple anti-gay sites. Yesterday Faust took her crusade to the YouTube show Above The Paygrade.

(Tipped by JMG reader TJ)

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Writer David Carr Dies At Age 58

Via the New York Times:
David Carr, a writer who wriggled away from the demon of drug addiction to become a name-brand media columnist at The New York Times, and the star of “Page One,” a documentary about the newspaper, died on Thursday in Manhattan. He was 58. Mr. Carr collapsed in The Times newsroom, where he was found shortly before 9 p.m. He was taken to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Earlier in the evening, he moderated a panel discussion about the film “Citizenfour” with its principal subject, Edward J. Snowden; the film’s director, Laura Poitras; and Glenn Greenwald, a journalist. Mr. Carr wrote about cultural subjects for The Times; he initiated the feature known as The Carpetbagger, a regular report on the news and nonsense from the red carpet during awards season. He championed offbeat movies like “Juno,” with Ellen Page, and he interviewed stars both enduring and evanescent — Woody Harrelson, Neil Young, Michael Cera. More recently, however, he was best known for The Media Equation, a Monday column in The Times that analyzed news and developments in publishing, television, social media — for which he was an early evangelist — and other mass communications platforms.
Accolades from fellow journalists have been pouring out on Twitter.

Labels: , ,


Thursday, February 12, 2015

Singer Steve Strange Dies At Age 55

Via BBC News:
Steve Strange, lead singer of 1980s pop band Visage, has died aged 55 following a heart attack, his record label says. The Welsh New Romantic icon - best known for the hit Fade To Grey - died in hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Record label boss Marc Green said his "family, band members and friends are all distraught at his untimely death". Born in Newbridge, Caerphilly county, Strange got involved in music after seeing the Sex Pistols in concert in 1976. He went to London aged 15 to work for Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McClaren before setting up the Blitz Club in Soho, central London, which would become a focal point for the New Romantic movement. Bands including Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Culture Club all got their start at the club before finding stardom. His band, Visage, formed in 1979 and released their breakthrough record, Fade To Grey, the following year, peaking at number eight in the UK Singles Chart. Strange finished recording a classical interpretation of the record last year.
I just wrote about Strange's latest project in November. You might recall that he was depicted in Boy George's 2002 Broadway musical, Taboo.


Labels: , , ,


ALABAMA: First Couple Marries In Mobile

Labels: , ,


ALABAMA: Judge Orders Mobile County To Begin Issuing Marriage Licenses

Via Reuters:
A federal judge on Thursday ordered an Alabama official to comply with her earlier ruling striking down the state's ban on same-sex matrimony by beginning to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. U.S. District Court Judge Callie Granade's order sought to clarify that Mobile County Probate Court Judge Don Davis should follow her directive, and not a contravening order from Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore that has led to many state judges to refrain from issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.
Read the ruling.

UPDATE: From the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
Today’s order followed a hearing in which four same-sex couples, who were unable to obtain marriage licenses in Mobile on Monday when marriage equality went into effect in the state, asked Judge Granade to instruct Judge Davis to begin issuing marriage licenses. The order requires Judge Davis to begin issuing licenses immediately.

The Alabama couples are James Strawser and John Humphrey, who previously obtained a ruling from Judge Granade declaring that Alabama’s exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage is unconstitutional, Meredith Miller and Anna Lisa Carmichael, Robert Povilat and Milton Persinger, and Kristy Simmons and Marshay Safford. The couples are represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), the ACLU of Alabama, and Birmingham attorney Heather Fann, and the ACLU of Alabama.

Said NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter: “Today’s ruling by Judge Granade provides clear direction to Judge Davis and other probate judges and will help ensure that all same-sex couples in Alabama, regardless of whether they live, have the freedom to marry.”

Added Randall Marshall, Legal Director of the ACLU of Alabama: “Judge Granade’s ruling confirms that the U.S. Constitution requires Alabama probate judges to issue marriage licenses to all qualified couples, gay and straight. We hope state and local officials will recognize that their first obligation is to comply with our federal Constitution and will move quickly to follow the court’s ruling so that all couples in Alabama will be able to share in the dignity and protection that marriage provides.”

Labels: , ,


Obama Gets Goofy For Buzzfeed

Via the Washington Post:
The #Millennial-friendly Web site BuzzFeed has taken over for Zach Galifianakis as the White House's preferred video venue for encouraging young people to sign up for health insurance. You remember the Galifianakis video, of course; Obama's self-deprecating appearance on the fake interview show last year was credited with a big boost in traffic (however short-lived) to HealthCare.gov. In 2015, it's BuzzFeed, with this number. Again, self-deprecating. And actually more so; last year the target of the jokes was mostly Galifianakis. Here it's just Obama being a weirdo. You know, just like us, or whatever. Someone somewhere -- someone who already doesn't like Obama -- is going to isolate some part of this as perfectly encapsulating How Obama is Diminishing the Presidency, just as he did in his Glozell interview and just as he did with Galifianakis and just as every presidency in the modern media era has done in some way, according to his opponents.

Labels: , , ,


Pope Francis: It's Selfish Not To Have Kids

Via NPR:
Pope Francis said that couples who opt not to have children are being "selfish" as he spoke of a "greedy generation" that's choosing not to procreate. The pontiff's remarks come just weeks after he seemed to send a contradictory message, telling Catholics that they don't need to breed "like rabbits." Speaking at his general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, Francis talked on the joy of children and their importance in society, at one point reminiscing about his own mother. "A society with a greedy generation, that doesn't want to surround itself with children, that considers them above all worrisome, a weight, a risk, is a depressed society," the pope said. "The choice to not have children is selfish. Life rejuvenates and acquires energy when it multiplies: It is enriched, not impoverished."
Don't breed like rabbits! Surround yourself with children! Norman, coordinate!

Labels: , ,


Funny Or Die: The Handkerchief Code

Quite the odd turn at the end. Naughty language!

Labels: , , ,


ALABAMA: Mobile Hearing Is Underway

MSNBC is live-tweeting from the courthouse.

UPDATE: Well, that was quick.

Labels: , ,


A Word Cloud From NOM's Blog

Scott Wooledge swears that he make no adjustments after running a word cloud on NOM's blog.

Labels: , , ,


Haters Have The Notorious RBG Sadz

The National Review is ever so upset about today's Bloomberg interview with Ruth Bader Ginsburg:  "Unbelievable. How can Ginsburg possibly think that it’s proper judicial conduct for her to speak out on this issue while the marriage case is pending before the Court? If she had any sense of her duty to maintain both the appearance and the reality of impartiality, she would recognize that she is now obligated to recuse herself from the case. But of course she won’t."

Labels: , , , , , ,


Philly To Host 2016 Dem Convention

The other finalists were New York City and Columbus. The GOP convention will be in Cleveland.

Labels: , ,


Tony Perkins Slams Obama On Marriage Evolution Story Told By David Axelrod

"It's a good thing President Obama doesn't work for NBC -- or else he might have been suspended for lying too! Like the NBC's Brian Williams, voters would have a difficult time narrowing down all the untruths to one. This President has told so many whoppers that Burger King should name a sandwich after him! David Axelrod, a former political advisor, spilled the beans about one of the President's most unconvincing fibs in his new book, Believer. Unfortunately, this President hasn't exactly staked his legacy on honesty. From Benghazi, taxpayer-funded abortion, and ObamaCare to Fast and Furious, religious liberty, and executive authority, it's become more difficult to find instances when the President has told the truth. Fortunately for FRC and a majority of conservatives, we never believed in evolution anyway!" - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.

Labels: , , , , , , , ,


Fifty Shades Of Today


(Tipped by JMG reader Hairy Doc)

Labels: , , ,


From Alabama's Largest Newspaper

The Birmingham News has been absolutely relentless in their supportive coverage of Alabama's marriage battle and one of the stars of that coverage has been cartoonist JD Crowe. Hit the link for a slideshow of Crowe's work about Judge Roy Moore.

Labels: , , ,


CNN's Chris Cuomo Battles Judge Roy Moore In Blistering 25-Minute Interview

Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore was interviewed this morning by CNN's Chris Cuomo, who attacked Moore relentlessly over his position on same-sex marriage. While some of the interview devolved into back-and-forth bickering, Cuomo landed blow after blow, at one point telling Moore that he was merely spewing "word salad." For his part, Moore repeatedly demanded that Cuomo say whether he would have enforced Plessy v Ferguson or Dred Scott, had he been a jurist at that time. Because gay marriage is exactly like slavery. Several times Moore retreated to familiar Christianist talking points about secular laws being based on the word of God, after which Cuomo went ballistic. The clip below is long but every minute is worth watching.

Labels: , , , , , , , , ,


Facebook Launches New Policy On Account Status Following Death Of User

Via the Washington Post:
Facebook has announced that it will grant users more control over what happens to their Facebook pages after they die. Starting Thursday, users should see a new option pop up in their security settings that will let them choose whether they want to pass their information and account management over to someone else when the time comes. As of Thursday, there will be three basic options: 1) You can do nothing, in which case the current rules apply and your account can be memorialized by anyone after your death, providing that the company gets adequate proof of your death. 2) You can ask Facebook to delete your account after you die. 3) You can designate someone -- called your legacy contact -- to manage your account. Once Facebook is notified of your death, your timeline will also change to let people know you've died. Facebook does this by adding the word "Remembering" ahead of your name -- i.e. "Remembering John Doe."

The legacy contact must be a Facebook user and will be able to do specific things, such as accept requests from those who want to befriend an account to do things such as post messages on a user's timeline. Contacts will also be able to pin posts to the top of a profile page and change the late person's profile picture or cover photo. To keep from unduly upsetting a deceased Facebook users' friends, these types of notifications will be suppressed -- meaning you shouldn't see them pop up on your own timeline, alongside normal profile updates. Facebook users can also specify whether they'd like the legacy contact to access a downloadable archive of their Facebook information after death. Sure, the information you post on Facebook probably isn't crucial -- your photos, your cheesy inspirational quotes, your bad puns -- but those little things are also often what people miss about you when you're gone.
But who do you choose to be your legacy contact?

RELATED: Two years ago Google introduced a policy in which users can choose to have all of their accounts (YouTube, Gmail, Google+, etc) automatically deleted after a user-specified period of inactivity.

Labels: , ,


SCOTUS Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Americans Are Ready For Gay Marriage

Via Bloomberg:
Americans are prepared to accept a U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, pointing to what she described as a sweeping change in attitudes toward gays. In an interview Wednesday in the court’s oak-paneled east conference room, Ginsburg also said President Barack Obama’s health-care law, which is under attack in a case before the Supreme Court next month, will be a central part of his legacy.

The 81-year-old justice discussed the public’s increasing acceptance of gays against the backdrop of resistance by Alabama officials to a federal court order that took effect Monday and made it the 37th gay-marriage state. With the high court set to rule on the issue by June, she said it “would not take a large adjustment” for Americans should the justices say that gay marriage is a constitutional right.

“The change in people’s attitudes on that issue has been enormous,” Ginsburg said. “In recent years, people have said, ‘This is the way I am.’ And others looked around, and we discovered it’s our next-door neighbor -- we’re very fond of them. Or it’s our child’s best friend, or even our child. I think that as more and more people came out and said that ‘this is who I am,’ the rest of us recognized that they are one of us.”

Labels: , ,


Image Of Russian Gay Couple Wins World Press Photo Of The Year For 2014

Via the Associated Press:
An atmospheric image of a gay couple in Russia by Danish photographer Mads Nissen was crowned the World Press Photo of the Year 2014 on Thursday. The intimate image of Jon and Alex is part of a larger project by Nissen called "Homophobia in Russia" that highlights how life is increasingly difficult for sexual minorities in Russia. Nissen said he sees the image, shot in St. Petersburg, as "a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story" about two people in love but facing outside forces who want to deny them their feelings. Its sensitivity also appeared intended to act as a counterpoint to gruesome photographs and video spread by terrorists that increasingly come to dominate the news. "Today, terrorists use graphic images for propaganda. We have to respond with something more subtle, intense and thoughtful," said World Press Photo jury member Alessia Glaviano.
Nearly 100,000 images from over 5700 photographers were submitted for the contest.  See many more of the top-ranked photos here. (Tipped by JMG reader Cricket)

Labels: , ,


Op-Ed Of The Day

John Hammontree writes for AL.com:
Of the 36 states that currently allow gay marriage, only 11 states do so as a result of legislation or popular vote. The vast majority of states have achieved marriage equality through judicial fiat. So the idea that Alabama is the 36th state, or the 14th state or the 50th state to achieve marriage equality is an arbitrary metric, determined by a court docket, not the expansive hearts of the rest of the country's voters. Alabamians need to stop behaving like we have a monopoly on hatred. When we let the country focus on our intolerance, we let fourteen other states that still deny same-sex marriages off the hook. That gives the fourteen states that are currently considering bills that would exempt individuals from performing marriages for same-sex couples if they have religious objections to it a free pass.

Because every Alabama ex-pat that says "this is why I could never move back to Alabama," reinforces the external viewpoint that retrograde thinking is an inherently Southern trait, which prevents us from having a national conversation about gender equality the same way that it has prevented us from having a national conversation about race. Alabama has already become synonymous with racism in our nation's textbooks and in click bait media culture. If you mention racial turmoil to anyone in America, they'll immediately think of police dogs and fire hoses in Birmingham. [snip] Alabama doesn't own hatred. We just happen to excel at branding it.
The column is titled California Voters Should Thank God For Roy Moore. Read the full thing.

CORRECTION: I've corrected the attribution of the op-ed.

Labels: , ,


AUSTRALIA: Nick Jonas To Headline Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras

Via the Sydney Daily Telegraph:
Nick Jonas will headline this year’s annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Party. The former teen star has been announced in a line-up that includes Jessica Mauboy, Jake Shears and Paul Mac to perform at the much hyped event that follows the annual Mardi Gras Parade on March 7. “I will be making my first appearance in Australia at Mardi Gras,” Jonas said in an interview to air on Smallzy’s Surgery on Nova 96.9 from 7pm tonight. “I am so excited to perform, I know Mardi Gras is an amazing night and whole thing and I am just thrilled.” Others on the Mardi Gras line-up include Dan Murphy, Betty Who, Courtney Act and David Morales. “I think if you acknowledge it, it makes it un-sexy,” Jonas said of being a sex symbol.
(Tipped by JMG reader Lezhow)

Labels: , ,


Seen At San Diego International

The above sign can be seen at San Diego International Airport across from the Virgin America gates. Photo by Mario Inchiosa.

Labels: , , ,


ALABAMA: State Supreme Court Punts On Request To Clarify Roy Moore's Order

Via AL.com:
The Alabama Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a request by Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis to clarify Chief Justice Roy Moore's order instructing probate judges to ignore a federal court ruling allowing same-sex marriage. The justices wrote that they do not have the authority to address the question. Mark Erwin, the chief of state for the probate office, referred questions for comment to outside lawyers representing Davis. They did not have an immediate response. Davis and many other probate judges have refused to comply with U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. "Ginny" Granade's order making same-sex marriage legal in Alabama as of Monday. Davis cited Moore's order and asked for clarification. David Kennedy, an attorney for a group of plaintiffs challenging Davis, said he was disappointed that the Supreme Court did not invalidate Moore's order. But he said it should remove any doubt if Granade rules in favor of the plaintiffs after a hearing scheduled for Thursday in Mobile's federal court.
Moore recused himself from the request. (Tipped by JMG reader TJ)

Labels: , , ,


NYT "Sort Of" Defends Roy Moore

From the New York Times:
Roy Moore is right that on its face, Granade’s order doesn’t require state probate judges all over Alabama — who weren’t named in the case Granade heard — to issue marriage licenses. Granade merely instructed Alabama’s attorney general not to enforce the state’s same-sex-marriage ban. That means a probate judge could go along with her decision, as some have, (and as clerks of the court did in Florida, after a similar district-court decision there went into effect in January). But they don’t necessarily have to. “If the 11th Circuit had invalidated Alabama’s gay-marriage ban, all the state-court judges would know what to do,” the Florida International University law professor Howard Wasserman, who has written about the Alabama dust-up, told me. “But the district court’s authority is much more limited.”
It's an interesting piece, hit the link and read the full thing.

Labels: , , ,


Open Thread Thursday

Do you have any Valentine's Day traditions?

Labels: ,


ITALY: Captain In Cruise Ship Disaster Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison

Labels: , ,


Jon Stewart On Kansas Gov. Brownback: There's No Place Like Home...ophobia

Labels: , , , , , , , , ,


Wednesday, February 11, 2015

ALABAMA: Liberty Counsel Petitions State Supreme Court To Order County Judges To Stop All Same-Sex Marriages

The Liberty Counsel today filed an emergency petition for a writ of mandamus to the Alabama Supreme Court, demanding that the entire bench join Chief Justice Roy Moore in ordering state probate judges to cease issuing same-sex marriage licenses. From the petition:
The duty of each Respondent probate judge not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples is unequivocal under both the Marriage Amendment and the Marriage Act. Relators have no other remedy against Respondent probate judges’ issuance of illegal marriage licenses, in derogation of their public duty, because the public cannot be a party to a marriage license proceeding before any Respondent and is not otherwise able to appeal Respondents’ illegal issuance of licenses.

The Marriage Amendment, the Marriage Act, and the Administrative Order could not be more clear: Alabama probate judges are prohibited from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. It is equally clear that neither the Searcy nor the Strawser Injunction, nor any other authority compels or authorizes probate judges to disregard Alabama’s marriage laws. Nonetheless, some probate judges havedone just that, creating confusion and disarray in the issuance of marriage licenses in the state. This Court should remove the confusion and disarray by giving Alabama probate judges a clear judicial pronouncement that Alabama law prohibits the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Via press release from the Liberty Counsel:
“Many Alabama probate judges are acting lawlessly,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “Alabama probate judges do not have discretion to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Neither the Searcy nor the Strawser Injunction requires Alabama probate judges to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples,” Staver pointed out. “The only remedy to this lawlessness is mandamus relief, an order from the Alabama Supreme Court to command probate judges to perform their ministerial duty not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples,” Staver concluded.

Labels: , , , , , , ,


Alabama Republican Party: God Will Destroy America Over Same-Sex Marriage

"I have just returned from a week in Israel [JMG: Paid for by the AFA] where I visited many holy sites from both the Old and New Testament. I walked where Jesus walked in Galilee, Nazareth, Jerusalem and other sites. I stood where Abraham stood at the gate at the City of Dan, the northern most city of the kingdom of Israel, where he rescued his nephew Lot. Scripture comes alive more than ever as you come to realize much of what you see of God’s chosen land is what was seen by Jesus and those who lived in Biblical times, like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It also solidifies the permanency of the teachings of the Scriptures.

"God’s word never changes. What He proclaimed thousands of years ago as truth is still truth in the eyes of true believers. So how is it that God’s truth can be turned on its head as the debate now rages in Alabama regarding the meaning of marriage? The answer is that we, as a society, have become our own god. We have made God in our image. But, God will not be mocked. The State of Alabama and the United States of America will reap God’s wrath if we embrace and condone things that are abhorrent to God, such as redefining marriage as anything other than a union between one man and one woman." - Alabama GOP chairman Bill Armistead, posting on their official site.

Labels: , , , , , , , , ,


Linda Harvey: Christians Should Be Extra Anti-Gay For Valentine's Day

"The leftists love Valentine’s Day. This year, they will exhibit a bizarre preoccupation with the movie Fifty Shades of Grey, as America’s notion of 'love' is stretched to unrecognizable limits. So what can Christians do in 2015 to promote true love? Don’t be afraid to say, 'Not true!' when some maintain that sodomy and abortion are the high ground, as is same-sex 'marriage,' that children should be encouraged to change genders, that Americans are all racists and that Christianity is hateful. Get ready to say NO and shine the light of reality back at them. So, how do we do this? Start with fervent and persistent prayer. Then, commit to at least one 'push back' activity each week. Make one phone call to a corporate supporter of  'LGBT'  deviance. Make an online comment challenging notions of homosexuality as 'marriage' or anti-Christian bigotry. Be sure to call your child’s school and object to anti-American, pro-Marxist lessons." - Linda Harvey, writing for World Net Daily.

Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,


From Todd Starnes' YouTube Channel

Labels: , ,


SLOVENIA: Marriage Bill Advances

Via RTV Slovenia:
The Committee of the National Assembly voted 11-2 on an amendment to the law on marriage and family relations, which changes the definition of marriage. Will same-sex partnership be seen as equal to a marriage between a man and a woman? The debate lasted for several hours in the parliamentary committee for Labour, Family, Social Affairs and the Disabled. Members discussed the amendment of the Law on Marriage and Family Relations. The amendment was proposed by the opposition party, United Left, which says that marriage applies to two people - regardless of gender.
More from Pink News:
“This is an infinitely practical suggestion; it proposes treating all couples with dignity and respect. Such a move would signal that Slovenia values its same-sex couples just as much as its heterosexual citizens; based on basic equality principles and common sense” said Evelyne Paradis, ILGA-Europe’s Executive Director. A new Family Code which extended rights and protections currently enjoyed by married heterosexual couples to same-sex unions in Slovenia was previously approved by the parliament in 2011. However, that law was rejected by a narrow margin in a referendum held the following year.
(Tipped by JMG reader Andrea)

Labels: , ,


Headline Of The Day

Via the Associated Press:
A Montana lawmaker is seeking to strengthen the state’s indecent exposure law, stopping just short of his wish to outlaw yoga pants. Rep. David Moore on Tuesday introduced House Bill 365 in the House Judiciary Committee in response to a group of naked bicyclists who rolled through Missoula in August. The proposal would expand indecent exposure law to include any nipple exposure, including men’s, and any garment that “gives the appearance or simulates” a person’s buttocks, genitals, pelvic area or female nipple. The Republican from Missoula said tight-fitting beige clothing could be considered indecent exposure under his proposal. “Yoga pants should be illegal in public anyway,” Moore said after the hearing.

Labels: , , ,