Damage Control

Interpublic Group (IPG), the parent company of global ad agency McCann-Erickson, has issued their own apology for the Hanes ads, saying the work was done without their approval is order to compete in India for a local advertising award. The apology appears on a single-post blog created by IPG titled Apology 4 Fake Hanes Ads.

Fake local print ads were produced by McCann Erickson India – without the knowledge, approval or consent of Hanesbrands Inc. – solely for the purpose of entry into creative competitions. These fake ads were wholly inconsistent with the interest of the Hanes brand, would never have been approved had our internal procedures been followed and, accordingly, should never have been publicly distributed.

We have apologized to Hanesbrands for developing this objectionable work, which uses hateful language. We extend our apologies to those who these fake ads have offended, as well as to Hanesbrands’ customers and business partners.

The ads in question were developed and run locally, without the knowledge of anyone at IPG, or of McCann’s global management. The ads appeared once in a small publication in Mumbai in late 2007 so as to qualify for consideration in award competitions and were recently posted by local Indian employees at McCann onto two web sites that display international advertising campaigns. We have identified the circumstances that led to this violation of our policies and of our trust, and we are taking immediate corrective action.

Sounds like some heads are gonna roll at McCann. By the way, that the ads were created to compete for an award was suggested in an earlier comment by a JMG reader in Brazil. The IPG blog was created by Philippe Krakowsky, IPG's Executive Vice President, Strategy and Corporate Relations. Krakowsky let us know of the blog in the comments of the Hanes apology post.

Obviously, this story is a dead horse - fake ads, apologies all around. But isn't it interesting to see how quickly even international corporations rush in to apologize when they fear they may have pissed off the queers? It's a good thing. (And I still like the ads.)

Morning View - Mixed Message

I didn't get this sign in the window of the bike shop near by apartment, but when I showed it to Little David, he roared.

Sex, Lies, & Videotape

Our long wait (five minutes? six?) for the next Republican gay sex scandal is over. On March 31st, Republican commissioner of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Bruce Barclay was accused of man rape. But home videos have surfaced proving that the sex was consensual, even though Barclay's partner was unaware he was being taped. And neither were the hundreds of other men that Barclay taped in his home and office.

For days, Bruce Barclay's political career hung in the balance. The Republican commissioner of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, had been accused of rape -- by a man, no less -- and the police were bearing down. Barclay's lawyer issued a strong denial ("This accusation of rape is ludicrous It will be defended forever and is wrong."). But it was clear things were looking pretty dicey. Until... vindication! Well, sort of.

On March 31st, police, investigating the allegation of rape by the 20-year old Marshall McCurdy, obtained a warrant to search Barclay's home. They didn't find evidence of rape. But they did find videotapes of hundreds of sexual encounters with men that Barclay had filmed on high-tech surveillance cameras. The cameras were hidden inside AM/FM radios, motion detectors and intercom speaker systems, among other places. There was also one at his business office.

None of the subjects were aware they were being filmed and no permission had been obtained, Barclay admitted. According to a second warrant issued on April 9th, Barclay also admitted to hiring prostitutes on a weekly basis from the now-defunct website harrisburgfratboys.com.

On April 10th, the rape charges were dropped. One of the videos found during the search showed Barclay and McCurdy engaging in apparently consensual sex. As his lawyer put it:

"It is clear in my client's private life he has made an error of judgment. What is striking is this very same lack of judgment exonerates him from a rape allegation that wasn't going anywhere."

Sadly, his vindication was his undoing. Barclay was forced to resign.

And legally, Barclay's not quite out of the woods yet-- he's still facing possible charges for privacy violations and promoting prostitution. McCurdy, however, has been charged with making false reports to law enforcement authorities and unsworn falsifications to authorities. He's up for a possible 3-year prison stint and $7,500 in fines.

Man, Republicans get so much gay ass, it's almost enough to make you wanna switch. Almost.

Fallout For Azariah Southworth

After coming out in the gay press two days ago, there has been some fallout in the "Christian industry" for televangelist Azariah Southworth. Nashville columnist Nathan West, who writes for the local gay newspaper Out & About, has done an interview with Southworth. An excerpt:

Nathan: What is the current status of The Remix? [Southworth's show.] Has it been canceled, and/or do the networks even know you came out yet?

Azariah: I do know that as of today (Thursday) the second day of all the chaos, one network has taken The Remix off the air. I have not heard from the other two networks. I do know they are soon to follow.

Nathan: Is the show something you’d want to fight for? If you love it and it’s your passion, would you be curious to see if you can stand up and insist that the show go on, since you are the producer?

Azariah: I know these people, and this crowd. It’s the whole Pat Robertson and TBN crowd. There is no way in this lifetime they will allow a openly gay person on their networks. I wouldn’t fight for it because I know the fight would be in vain. I’m hoping that secular networks will come forth and be interested in picking it up. It really is a great show concept and very fast paced and I still own the rights to it! I know it would do great on something like MTV, FUSE, LOGO, etc.

Nathan: I’m sure there are many gay men and women in Christian media who are hiding in the closet. Is it something everybody knows but doesn’t talk about? Do you know if anyone else plans on coming out specifically because you did?

Azariah: I have actually received several emails from people actually coming out to me that are in the Christian industry. Sometimes everyone does know about “that one person in the office” but no one dares talk about it. No one has come to me saying they have plans to come out but I have been told they wish they had the courage to.

Read the rest of Southworth's interview on Nathan West's blog, Nathan Exposed.

Post 4000

This is the 4000th post on JMG. As I said in December for post 3000, what HAVE we been going on about? Oh, wait. I do know: blah, bears, blah, gay marriage, blah, wingnuts, blah, Clintobama, blah-dee-freekin-blah. Sheesh.

Rub Your Way To Good Health

An Australian study has shown that frequent masturbation may reduce your risk of prostate cancer.

It will make you go blind. It will make your palms grow hairy. Such myths about masturbation are largely a thing of the past. But the latest research has even better news for young men: frequent self-pleasuring could protect against the most common kind of cancer.

A team in Australia led by Graham Giles of The Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne asked 1079 men with prostate cancer to fill in a questionnaire detailing their sexual habits, and compared their responses with those of 1259 healthy men of the same age. The team concludes that the more men ejaculate between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to develop prostate cancer.

The protective effect is greatest while men are in their twenties: those who had ejaculated more than five times per week in their twenties, for instance, were one-third less likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer later in life (BJU International, vol 92, p 211).

Feeling a little better about your Xtube obsession?

(Via - Box Turtle Bulletin)

Mike Ator - Happy

Singer/songwriter Mike Ator will perform at the Nashville stop of the Bearapolooza 2008 tour and after hearing Happy, his gorgeous and wistful new single, I asked Mike for the backstory to the song.

"Happy" is a tribute to my friend Lance, a wonderful, unforgettable character, who sadly took his own life last Summer. Yes, I know, a singer/songwriter's ode to a suicide has Phoebe Buffet written all over it. But, there's more to the story... Actually, I took Lance's death very hard and so did others. I knew his mother and best friend and was there for the fallout. That part was strange and horrible, but I personally went through a kind of spiritual crisis afterward. Ultimately, that's what inspired the tune. I wrote it in a flash over two days and recorded it with some sparse accompaniment. I shared it with a few friends and it got passed around some.

In August, a film-maker named JoséAntonio Danner (LA) heard it and contacted me about a doing a video. At first, I thought 'no way.' I didn't know him from Adam and it just didn't seem right for a number of reasons. The whole "experiment" was rather unplanned on my part. I never intended to perform it or feature it in any way. The loss was still so fresh, and part of me felt that it was inappropriate. Well, nobody agreed. In short order, "Happy" became a project with a life of its own. A composer friend Edwin Wendler with whom I've collaborated a number of times - also from LA - took my string parts and re-arranged and re-recorded them, adding some additional orchestration here and there. I worked on cleaning up the demo tracks on my end, and by mid-September we had a mix that was sounding remarkably release-worthy. JoséAntonio kept his word and flew in for a weekend of shooting me playing the song all over inner-city Houston - quite an adventure by itself.

Ator is selling Happy on iTunes and donating the proceeds to OutYouth, an Austin, Texas-based LGBT youth organization that his friend Lance was involved with. Get it on your iPod today. I've already played the video a dozen times, I can't get enough of it. I've always had a weak spot for songs that make me tear up. Best song of the year so far, easily.

Feds Indict Staffers, Christine Quinn Hires Criminal Defense Lawyer

Two city council staffers were indicted by the feds yesterday for embezzlement and Speaker Christine Quinn, the most powerful openly gay politician in NYC, has hired a criminal defense attorney for herself.

The indictment Wednesday of two City Council staffers on charges of stealing $145,000 in a complex money-laundering scheme could be just the beginning, investigators warned. The legal action puts new pressure on Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan), who claims she tried to end the practice of creating a slush fund in which budget money was put in fake accounts. The cash was later doled out at individual Council members' discretion. "Without transparency and accountability in the budget process, discretionary items are ripe for abuse," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said as he announced the indictments.

Via the NY Daily News:

This year $47.4 million went to Council discretionary funds, with Speaker Christine Quinn controlling $21 million and the rest split up among rank-and-file members. Other untold millions are buried in another $313 million budgeted by the Council. Quinn controls how that money is spent on supposed "new initiatives" and "restorations," but individual members or borough delegations often get to share in passing it on to favored groups and take credit for it in their districts.

Possible abuse of discretionary funds is at the heart of the ongoing probe by DOI and the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office, whose investigators have discovered a shocking example of alleged fiscal trickery used to hide and obfuscate. They uncovered the Council's secret method of parking discretionary funds in fictional nonprofits to distribute later. That practice, they say, dates back at least to 2003, implicating Quinn and her predecessor, Gifford Miller.

Quinn has hired Lee S. Richards III, a criminal attorney who is a former federal prosecutor, to represent her. Richards will be paid with city funds.

NYC's PRIDEfest Returns

After last year's contentious permit dispute with the city resulted in the cancellation of PRIDEfest (the post-parade street fair), Heritage Of Pride has secured the city's approval for a new location of the event.

The 15th Annual PRIDEfest will take place Sunday, June 29, on Hudson Street between Abingdon Square and West 14th Street. Last year, HOP requested to move the event a day earlier and to Eighth Avenue in Chelsea because the old space on Washington Street was too crowded and less accessible; HOP also claimed that holding the event the same time as the March limited the number of people who could attend both.

But the mayor’s office made it clear that Chelsea was not an option, so HOP did some scouting around. Many of their choices were off-limits: major construction was under way at Washington Square Park, and none of the avenues were available because Fifth Avenue was already closed due to the March. David Schneider, co-chair of HOP, said that their options narrowed down to two: the former Washington Street space or Hudson Street. “We chose the new space for its width and its better upkeep,” he said.

(Via - New York Blade)

Morning View - Fashion Walk Of Fame

Beginning in 1999, the Fashion Center Business Improvement District began selecting honorees for the Fashion Walk Of Fame, which runs along the east side of Seventh Avenue from 35th to 41st streets. To meet the criteria for the Walk, fashion designers must have had a "clear and significant New York presence", must have owned their own business for ten years, and must have had a "significant impact on fashion through either innovative design or the use of materials, or significantly influenced the way America dresses." First year selectees included Bill Blass, Halston, Rudi Gernreich, and Claire McArdell. There are 24 plaques at present. (I only shot this picture of Betsey Johnson's plaque because nobody happened to be standing on it.)

Isaiah 45:7 - I (The Lord) Create Evil

Obama: No More Debates With Hillary

After his widely-panned performance in Wednesday's debate in Philadelphia, Barack Obama has decided that 21 debates with Hillary Clinton is enough.

Sen. Barack Obama suggested Thursday that he doesn't see any point in having another debate with Democratic rival Sen. Hillary Clinton. Wednesday's debate on ABC may be the final face-off between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

At an appearance in Raleigh, North Carolina, Obama said he has a lot of campaigning to do in a limited amount of time. Obama said he had agreed to an earlier debate, but Clinton declined that one. "I'll be honest with you, we've now had 21," he said. "It's not as if we don't know how to do these things. I could deliver Sen. Clinton's lines; she could, I'm sure, deliver mine."

Can't say I blame him. Even the Obamatons were taken aback by Wednesday's debate performance.

Broadway Friday

- On April 28th, Xanadu star Cheyenne Jackson will host Live Out Loud's 7th Annual Gala, a benefit dedicated to empowering LGBT youth. Hundreds of community leaders will be on hand as scholarships are awarded to four high school seniors who have "demonstrated outstanding leadership skills." Tickets start at $85.

- The Catered Affair, starring Harvey Fierstein, is getting generally poor reviews. Disappointing. But USA Today loved it.

- Danny Elfman (my favorite movie scorer) will write the music for a Broadway musical about Harry Houdini, which is set to open in 2010. Lyrics by David Yazbek, book by Spy Magazine founder (and former editor of New York) Kurt Anderson. Tony winner Jack O'Brien (The Coast Of Utopia, Hairspray) will direct.

- Broadway's hits continue to flop in Las Vegas, with Spamalot to be replaced in July with impressionist Danny Gans. Recent closures in Vegas include Hairspray and Avenue Q. A language barrier for foreign visitors and the "short attention span of gamblers" is being blamed. Meanwhile, Cirque du Soleil is set to open their sixth permanent show on the Strip.

- The same company that handed a talk show to Ricki Lake a few years after the first Hairspray movie is now giving one to Marissa Jaret Winokur, who won a Tony for her Broadway version of Tracy Turnblad. Winokur's show launches nationwide next fall. I loved her in American Beauty. "You are so busted."

- More Cheyenne Jackson. About to beginning shooting is Shifting The Canvas, a movie starring Jackson as a just-out gay Wall Streeter. The flick "tells the story about a group of artists living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn who struggle to maintain a rather dysfunctional family of friends in a post-9/11 world challenged by gentrification, deception, and sterilization." Also cast: Kids In The Hall alum Scott Thompson and Long Duc Dong Gedde Watanabe. "Sexy girrrrlfriend!"

Hanes Apologizes

After a complaint from GLAAD, Hanes has apologized for the "Lipstick" campaign, which came to national attention last week after a JMG reader tipped us when he found the images on a website dedicated to overseas advertising. The ad was created by a Bombay-based division of McCann Erickson. Via GLAAD:

According to a press release from Hanes dated April 15, 2008, “[T]hese ads were not developed at the request of Hanesbrands,” and that “the ads were developed by advertising agency McCann Erickson for their own purposes and did not receive authorized approval from Hanesbrands.” Hanes went on to say, “We regret this episode and are taking steps to assure that such an event never occurs again. We apologize to all those offended by the ads. We, too, were offended.”

I can definitely understand GLAAD's posture that the "f-word" is unacceptable in any context, even moreso in advertising, but I still found the ads compelling and challenging.

Underwear Day

I spend an fair amount of my job dealing with ad and PR agencies, attending dreary riveting meetings in over-austere offices. And while underwear models are more Towleroad or Queerty territory than JMG, since I spent an hour at the launch party for 2(x)ist's new Liquid Cotton line today, I hope you won't object to a little beefcake on the twink side of life. Definitely beats my normal day.

The PR materials in the gift bag say "liquid cotton combines the best of both worlds, a rich cotton touch with the added benefit of comfort stretch" and the Dow Chemicals rep on hand invited me to ask the models how their junk feels inside the undies, but I'm not sure any of them could speak. I kid, they seemed like nice guys, although it must feel weird to stand around in very snug underwear while media wonks chatter and consume nibbly bits. But that comes with the territory, I suppose.

BELOW: Factory PR honchess Mary Lou Burkhardt shows off the goods.

Wingnut Lawyers Offer To Defend Students Who Sit Out Day Of Silence

The Liberty Counsel, a right-wing group that provides free legal defense on issues of religious liberty and "family values" has issued a counter-protest advisory in advance of next week's National Day Of Silence, the annual protest of anti-gay bullying in public schools, and is asking students who feel discriminated against to contact them.

Liberty Counsel is encouraging students to mount a counter-celebration to promote a positive message of purity on the Day of Silence. Students are encouraged to wear white and to distribute flyers promoting sexual purity whenever other students are permitted to distribute literature promoting the Day of Silence. We have posted informational flyers and resources on our Day of Purity web site to promote abstinence. The flyers include information about relationships, STDs and related topics.

Some school administrators do not understand that students cannot be penalized for refusing to observe the Day of Silence. Here are some recent complaints Liberty Counsel has received:

Florida - A principal told a father that if his son was not at school on the Day of Silence that the boy would fail the school year. Indiana - A public school is participating in the Day of Silence against the wishes of some parents. Parents were told that it is "against the law" to cancel the program and that any absences would be unexcused that day. Iowa - A school board member told a former student that a student refusing to speak on the Day of Silence was not anymore disruptive in a school setting than a "Christian wearing a cross." Oklahoma - A high school graduate wrote to her former principal to protest the celebration of the Day of Silence. The principal said that if he did not allow the Day of Silence, he could not allow Bible clubs and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. South Dakota - A student was told that if she is absent on the Day of Silence, she must write a paper explaining why she will not participate.

Students are not required to participate in the Day of Silence. Parents who do not want their children exposed to GLSEN's anti-family agenda can choose to keep their children home. We have prepared a letter that explains that students can choose not to participate in the Day of Silence.

If your child is being discriminated against for not observing the Day of Silence, call Liberty Counsel at 800-671-1776. If you send an email, please include your name, address, daytime telephone number and the best time to return your call.

Please pray that students will be protected from forced indoctrination by GLSEN, especially next week, and that the truth will prevail.

"Sexual purity." You know you want to call them.

Daily Grumble

Speaking of foreign currency, I found a 1000 Bolivar (Venezuelan) note on the floor of the subway yesterday and thought, "Ooh. Sweet." Turns out to be worth about 46 cents. Oh well.

€ign Of The Times

Counterproductive To Military Readiness

Calling it "counterproductive to military readiness", yesterday Ronald Reagan's former Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence J. Korb pleaded for an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" before a joint meeting of the House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee and the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee.

"First, repeal the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy," Korb told the joint hearing. "The Army and Marine Corps cannot afford to place unnecessary obstacles in the way of qualified men and women who want to serve." Korb went on to note that "over the past 10 years more than 10,000 personnel have been discharged as a result of this policy, including 800 with skills deemed 'mission critical,' such as pilots, combat engineers, and linguists. These are the very job functions for which the military has experienced personnel shortfalls."

The Servicemember's Legal Defense Network which advocates for gays in the military estimates that two members of the armed forces are discharged every day because they are gay. A study conducted last year for SLDN concluded that the U.S. military could attract as many as 41,000 new recruits if gays and lesbians in the military were able to be open about their sexual orientation.

The Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal DADT, is currently before both chambers of Congress and has support from both sides of the aisle. However, the act is not expected to be voted upon until after the election, obviously, for the protection of its supporters.

Final Filth Recap

Big hugs to all my sweet peeps who came out for last night's final installment of Reading For Filth at Rapture Books: Little David, Dr. Jeff, Eddie, George, Chris, Craig, Wolf and everybody else. Thanks to the lesbian performers last night was easily the filthiest Filth that every filthed. (And usually it's the men who talk about fisting and watersports.)

I read The Mommy Box, a story that appeared on JMG in five episodes in late 2004, but was later taken down for another project. It's a story that is very uncharacteristic of my previous shows: tough material, grim resolution. And while it had a moment or two of comic relief, I had a hard time getting through some of it and my performance suffered for it, dammit.

However dark my piece was, the rest of the performers were a riot and I think the audience had a blast. Kudos to Joe Birdsong and his staff for a great run and here's hoping their plans to move Reading For Filth to a larger venue come to fruition. Rapture is having some great events before their April 24th "transition" (closing), so please drop by while you still can. They've got some major performers lined up over the next week or so.

BELOW: I'm throwing the other photo from the night out to tattooed love boy Jonny Tingle (his real name), who opened the show with his hilarious and erotic story Peter & The Wolf. I know you want a pic of Eric Leven too, but he's feeling overexposed on JMG these days. I kid, I kid.

Raves For BoltBus

BoltBus, the new mega-cheap bus line operated by Greyhound that I mentioned here last month, earned a rave review from my friend Eddie last night. Eddie reports that for his $5 fare from Philly to NYC, he got a brand new bus with wi-fi service and power outlets at each seat. AND the driver even detoured from her route to drop him directly at his destination in the East Village. However, there were only two other passengers on the bus (hence the detour), so it remains to be seen whether BoltBus will survive to challenge the Chinese bus lines. I'll give BoltBus a whirl on my next trip to DC and give y'all a full report.

Morning View - Bloomingdale's

In 1872 the Bloomingdale brothers moved their business uptown from the Lower East Side, opening the East Side Bazaar in in a row house at Third Avenue and 56th Street, moving in 1886 to the location of the current Bloomingdale's at Third and 59th. After expanding over decades to cover the entire block, in 1930 was building was redesigned to its present Art Deco style.

Open Thread Thursday

In the comments of this week's story about the rising cost of medication co-pays, a reader suggest this week's open thread topic: What's your health insurance situation?

HomoQuotable - Azariah Southworth

"This has been a long time coming. I’m in a place where I’m at peace with my faith, friends, family and more importantly myself. I know this will end my career in Christian television, but I must now live my life openly and honestly with everyone. This is my reason for doing this.

"I know I will be cut off from many within the Christian community, and if so, then they didn’t get the point of the life of Christ. I believe by me living my life honestly and authentically now, I am able to be a better person and a better Christian. We all know there are so many other gay people in the Christian industry; they’re just all scared. I was scared, but now I’m no longer afraid." - Nashville-based Christian television host Azariah Southworth, coming out to the press.

Southworth's popular syndicated show, The Remix, can be seen in 128 million homes worldwide on several Christian networks. Welcome, Azariah.

GB:NYC 5 - May 16-18

This year's GB:NYC5, the fifth annual gathering of gay bloggers in NYC, is under the management of Father Tony and Little David and they report that attendance from around the country will be even greater than last year. As in previous years, there will be drink-up/meet-ups in a Hell's Kitchen bar, a picnic in Central Park on Bear Hill, and oh, how about some more drinking?

Go to the official GB:NYC5 blog for details. JMG reader and fellow blogger Tater has even created a line of GB:NYC5 blogger-wear, available here on Cafe Press. We hope to see you this year. If things go as they have in years past, there will be lots of blogger-on-blogger action.

Tonight:: Get Filthy

Please consider dropping by tonight's final installment of Dean Johnson's Reading For Filth: Queer Writers Read About Queer Sex at Rapture Books at 200 Avenue A in the East Village. The show starts at 8PM.

Tonight I'll be performing a piece that appeared on JMG several years ago, but was taken down in 2005. It's a tough story and quite different than the stuff I usually perform, so hopefully I can get through it. Also performing tonight is Eric Leven, Jonny Tingle, Chadwick Moore, Eileen Myles, and Kari Krome.

Bitter Fallout

Sally Kern's Hate Hurts Local Economy

The other (economic) shoe is starting to drop in the wake of all the bad press Sally Kern's homophobia has brought to Oklahoma.

A San Francisco Bay-area financial services company has not yet ruled out Oklahoma City for a major office relocation, a vice president of a real estate search firm confirmed. A decision is expected in three to four weeks.

But Tom Maloney, vice president of California-based Staubach Co., would neither confirm nor deny that the 1,000-employee, AAA-rated client company’s top executive is a lesbian who expressed concern over Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern’s recent anti-homosexual statements, as has been the topic circulating among local business leaders.

Roy Williams, president of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, said the issue is a major concern the chamber is trying to address. He confirmed a Staubach consultant was troubled by Kern’s comments during a recent visit to the city. “He told us straight up … ‘I cannot recommend to any of my clients that they should consider Oklahoma City because of that,’” Williams said. “When you have one of the nation’s premier relocation experts making those statements, you should pay attention to that and not dismiss it.

Rock The (Gay Kiss) Vote

MTV's newest Rock The Vote PSA includes a gay interracial marriage (and kiss!) Fantastic.

(Via - Visible Vote 08)

Um, Progress?

Food Emporium, 1st & 72nd, 9PM

Woman On Cell: "Well, you tell that your brother that if he dares to bring that little bitch to MY Seder, he is no longer my son. What? What? You know I don't care about that. And at least your uncle's boyfriend is Jewish."

I followed her for another minute to get more, but the rest of conversation was about fish. Seriously though, I get my best material at Food Emporium. Something about grocery stores makes people forget that other people have ears. I always take a pen to Food Emporium.

Chelsea & The Red Dress Boys

Via Pam's House Blend, here's a shot of Chelsea Clinton attending the Red Dress Night fundraiser for Portland, Oregon's LGBT community. Where do you get a red latex dress these days? [Photo credit: Just Out/Marty Davis.]

Revenge Via YouTube

Are you a celebrity unhappy with your divorce settlement? Take it to YouTube. Here's playwright Tricia Walsh-Smith, currently embroiled in a nasty negotiation with her husband Phil Smith, millionaire head of New York's Schubert Organization, the largest theater owner on Broadway. On the phone to her husband's secretary: "I don't know if you know, but Phillip and I never had sex, so I'm calling to ask what wants me to do with all his condoms and Viagra and porn tapes." Yowtch.

Bankruptcy Roll Call

Things are getting very grim for the nation's retailers, which is no surprise to anybody who has seen the graveyard of empty storefronts dotting the malls.

Bankrupt retailers: Sharper Image, Levitz, Fortunoff, Lillian Vernon, Linens 'n' Things, Wickes, Harvey Electronics, Bombay, Domain.

Wobbly retailers: Best Buy, J.C. Penney, Lane Bryant, Lowe's, Office Depot, Foot Locker, Zales, Ann Taylor.

Some of the wobbly chains are closing more than 100 outlets in a desperate bid to stay in business. Thanks to the mortgage crisis, banks are pulling back on loans to retail chains, money typically extended to tide the retailers over during regular down cycles. Things are going to get worse, much worse.

Bearapalooza 2008

Via Queerty, here's the promo vid for Bearapalozza 2008 which features "the talents of over 25 bear and bear-identified performers." The NYC date for the tour is May 6th at the Eagle. Here's their Flickr page of past events.

Morning View - 34th & 7th

California Supreme Court Rumored To Be Set To Approve Gay Marriage

From the Huffington Post's Ryan J. Davis:

Sources wishing to remain anonymous in the California Court System indicate that the court, which has until June 2, 2008 to issue it's marriage ruling, is considering issuing it on Friday, May 23, 2008, with the decision being written by Chief Justice Ronald George. The Court is readying itself for a backlash that may follow the rumored and bold decision. There is talk that the Court will not simply strike down Proposition 22, but will move the State of California toward full marriage, if not even granting full marriage rights for gays and lesbians outright.

Obviously aware of what's coming, Gov. Schwarzenegger came out swinging against the FRC's proposed amendment, "I will always be there to fight against that," he said to huge applause this weekend at a Log Cabin Republican Convention in San Diego. He went so far as to call the initiative a "waste of time" and acknowledge that the people of California are, "much further along on that issue." The latest Field Poll shows only 51% of Californians oppose full gay marriage, an 11 point drop since 2000.

There seems little doubt that California is moving toward full gay marriage equality.

Goes California, goes the nation. Cross your fingers, kids.

Two Birds, One Stone

If any NYC-based activists are of a "two birds, one stone" mind, the Westboro loonies will be at Ground Zero on Saturday at 8:30AM to protest Ill Papa's presence. And then they'll pack up their box of crazy and head to Yankee Stadium to protest the mass-Mass that Ratnazinger will conduct at 11AM. I can't wait to see how the NYPD handles Fred Phelps and crew.

Foreman Farewell Fotos

Here's a few more pics from Matt Foreman's going away party on Saturday, where slideshows projected onto two walls depicted Foreman's decades of LGBT activism in New York. The photos ranged from his days as a founder of Heritage of Pride, his six years as head of the NYC Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, his six years as Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, and his five years as head of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. Today is Foreman's last day with the Task Force.

BELOW: Matt and his partner Frank De Leon share a moment on the stage.BELOW: Matt and Friedrike Merck.BELOW: Me with Freedom To Marry Executive Director (and cutie) Evan Wolfson.BELOW: Charley Beal and Frank De Leon. Beal is a noted filmmaker and most recently worked as the art director for Milk, the upcoming Harvey Milk film starring Sean Penn.BELOW: Original Saint DJ Robbie Leslie, who logically closed the party with the Village People's San Francisco and Go West.BELOW: Matt Foreman and my tribute shirt. [Photo credit: Yvette Christofilis, Westchester County's director of LGBT Affairs.]

Go Deep With Your Manhood

Over on Good As You, I found another hilarious "ex-gay" video, this one hawking The WorkOUT, a degayifying "Life Coaching" program from the suspiciously named David Pickup. A couple of the best quotes from the clip: "The WorkOUT is a unique program that helps a man who's dealing with homosexual issues go deep." And: "I love helping other men be men." Oh, me too, sister!

The cost of joining the WorkOUT program is $250 a month. That includes a one-hour life coaching session per week (which is conducted "face-to-face" (ahem) or on the phone), plus one hour of "911" phone counselings, for those "Help! I'm buying poppers!" moments. Pickup's counseling appears to all but ignore the usual Christian admonitions against gayness and mostly focuses on "manhood" and "masculinity."

Pickup: "The authors of this site are opposed to any hate-filled effort to judge or disrespect any man, and recognizes that bigotry sometimes comes from the very people who claim to love God." Mostly, he seems interested in men who are unhappy with their gay-ass queeniness and pledges that he can turn them into self-loving butch breeders.

So. Real or satire? A little research reveals that Mr. Pickup has been in a couple of queer-themed movies: Queerspiracy, a 2007 short that played at least one gay film festival, and Deviant Desires, a 2002 flick that appears to be soft-core lesbian porn. With Pickup's film history and the double entendres in the above clip, one is inclined to think that he's pulling a Donnie Davies on us. But on the other hand, on his site he does link all the foul "ex-gay" ministries and he has penned at least one definitely unfunny anti-gay rant. (Donnie Davies was always funny.)

On the other other hand, this gem also appears there: "Dave has a passion for helping men be men. He wants to help as many guys as possible and invites men who have the same desire to join with him. If you are interested in joining the Life Coaching team, please contact David for an interview and training program details."

So I don't know. As someone said about The Daily Show, "The best satire is transparent, sitting back and letting the absurdities of its subject do the talking." Therefore David Pickup is either a (mostly) sharp satirist or an unintentionally funny masculinity-obsessed self-hater. You decide.

Complaint Filed Over Elton John Concert

Judicial Watch, a right-wing government watchdog group, has filed a formal complaint with the Federal Elections Commission, charging that last week's Elton John's fundraiser concert for Hillary Clinton violated the "foreign intervention" clause of American election law.

“Recent news reports suggest that Hillary Clinton and Hillary Clinton for President have accepted an in-kind contribution from a foreign national, Sir Elton John, in contravention of federal electon laws,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton stated in an April 14 letter to the Office of the General Counsel for the FEC. “On behalf of Judicial Watch and its supporters, I hereby request that the FEC investigate this matter.”

According to a press release issued by the Clinton campaign, the expressed intent of the concert was to raise funds for Hillary’s campaign for president. In the release, Elton John is quoted as saying, “I'm excited to support Hillary by performing at what will be a truly memorable night.”

Press reports also show that Sir Elton John, on March 17, 2008, through the Clinton campaign, sent out a mass email announcing the concert and soliciting support. The Elton John concert took place on April 9, 2008 and raised more than $2.5 million (from the sale of 5,000 tickets) for Hillary Clinton and Hillary Clinton for President.

However, according to 2 U.S.C. § 441e, “Contributions and donations by foreign nationals,” it is illegal for any foreign national to “make a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value in connection with a Federal, State or local election.” The Washington Times reported March 27, 2008, that a “1981 FEC decision prohibited a foreign national artist from donating his services in connection with fundraising for a U.S. Senate campaign.”

“It looks as if Elton John, a foreign national, gave a valuable, in-kind contribution to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, which is prohibited by law. The FEC and other authorities need to take appropriate action and investigate Hillary Clinton, her campaign, and Elton John,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

I hate to say it, but the law does seem clear.

Gay Groups Plead Mercy For Lawrence King's Killer

An alliance of 27 LGBT groups is asking the Ventura County, California district attorney to try the 14-year old murderer of Lawrence King (left) as a juvenile.

Here's a statement from the alliance, which includes Lambda Legal, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, GLSEN, and the Transgender Law Center:

"We are saddened and outraged by the murder of junior high school student Lawrence King. At the same time, we call on prosecutors not to compound this tragedy with another wrong, we call on them to treat the suspect as a juvenile, not as an adult.

"The facts in this matter seem clear: one boy killed another in a climate of intolerance and fear about sexual orientation and gender expression. The alleged perpetrator, who turned 14 years old less than three weeks before the shooting, should be held accountable for his actions.

"But we support the principles underlying our juvenile justice system that treat children differently than adults and provide greater hope and opportunity for rehabilitation. California law does not require District Attorneys to prosecute 14 year-olds as adults, even in circumstances such as these, and we oppose them doing so.

"We are issuing this joint statement because we believe so strongly in principles of justice that protect all our young people and know that, even in the face of strong emotions, we should not abandon them.

"We refuse to let our sense of outrage blind us to the fact that the suspect is only 14 years old."

If tried as an adult, Brandon McInerney (right) faces up to 24 years to life in prison, with an added three year hate crime enhancement.

I have a feeling this will be a hot topic today. I'm somewhat torn on this, so I'll throw the question out to you.

Filthy Reminder: Tomorrow 8PM

Morning View - Subway Scientologists

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of publisher Alyson Books, today's Swag Tuesday giveaway is a trio of books from author Erin McHugh's fascinating The Portable Queer series: Out Of The Mouths Of Queers, A Gay In The Life, and Homo History.

Out Of The Mouths Of Queers: A Compendium of Bon Mots, Words of Wisdom and Sassy Sayings - Thoughts from gays of yesteryear to today’s “friends of queers.” Observations on love and sex, politics, fashion, and much more, these are the words that have endured through the centuries. But it’s not all wisecracks and witticisms – included are some of the most scandalous remarks ever made!

A Gay In The Life: A Compendium of Saints and Sinners in Gay History - Those who have changed the face of homosexuality over the centuries are not always heroic. Learn about the first great gay activist Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, read of brave men and women of the Matachine Society and of the Stonewall Riots, and relive the stories of the writers and artists who pushed a movement forward. Intriguing, shocking, and ultimately hopeful!

Homo History: A Compendium of Events that Shook and Shaped the Gay World - From the Old Testament to the New World Order, the centuries have not always championed homosexuality. But the past has also been checkered with surprising liberal periods. From ancient Rome to gay pride, here is a time capsule of gay history, presented in quick, short takes. Strange, fascinating, and historically revealing.

Enter to win all three books by commenting on this post. Only comment once and please remember to leave an email address you check frequently. Publicists: if you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

I Can Haz Shark For Teh Jumpen?

From the LOLCats Bible:

Oh hai. In teh beginnin Ceiling Cat maded teh skiez An da Urfs, but he did not eated dem.

Da Urfs no had shapez An haded dark face, An Ceiling Cat rode invisible bike over teh waterz.

At start, no has lyte. An Ceiling Cat sayz, i can haz lite? An lite wuz. An Ceiling Cat sawed teh lite, to seez stuffs, An splitted teh lite from dark but taht wuz ok cuz kittehs can see in teh dark An not tripz over nethin. An Ceiling Cat sayed light Day An dark no Day. It were FURST!!!1

(Via - Slog, from whose comments I lifted this post's title.)

McCain's Girls A Hoax

Speaking of raining men, the NY Times is reporting that the "McCain Girls" video that cracked us up here a few weeks ago is a hoax.

John McCain says the “McCain Girls,” a trio of singing and dancing campaign supporters, are wonderful and entertaining. True believers or not, these women were paid to sing “It’s Raining McCain.” Given his flair for irony, it’s a little hard to tell whether he gets the joke.

The McCain Girls videos, which were posted on YouTube last month with no clues about their provenance, are clearly meant to be imitations of — or parodies of — the “Obama Girl” videos, which themselves are parodies (right?).

While the Obama Girl looks like a pinup and sings catchy tunes, the McCain Girls could not be confused with fashion models or pop music stars. Their first video, “Raining McCain,” set to the tune of “It’s Raining Men,” was posted on YouTube four weeks ago. A sample lyric: “In the 2008 election, the forecast calls for rain; the first time in history, it’s gonna start raining McCain.”

That video recorded more than 1.6 million views and earned mentions on CNN and on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” with people alternately mocking it and wondering who was responsible. The singers seemed intentionally bad, which led many bloggers and YouTube commenters to assume that it was meant to insult Mr. McCain.

[snip]

Drum roll, please: The creators of the McCain Girls turn out to be the comedy team behind 23/6, a five-month-old Web site owned by an affiliate of IAC/InterActiveCorp that parodies the news. The site, at 236.com, uses the motto “Some of the news, most of the time.” Indeed, the videos’ makers say they were trying to tread the line between sincerity and irony. “We wanted to parody the campaign-song phenomenon,” said Sarah Bernard, the president of 23/6. Because most of the so-called stars of YouTube are amateurs, the comedy site decided to take no credit for its creation.

Well played!

Curse Of The Upper East Side Strikes Again

Good grief. It's raining men again on the UES.

A man fell to his death at a construction site on the Upper East Side on Monday. The incident happened at 67th Street and 1st Avenue at a building called The Laurel. Police said they responded to the fall at around 10:32 a.m. The 24-year-old man fell from the 23rd floor to the 14th floor balcony, police said.

The medical examiner's office was determining the cause of death. Police said they are continuing to investigate what led to the fall. A preliminary investigation revealed that the construction site had 38 violations, including 36 "Grade A" violations, which are the most hazardous, according to Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. Stringer called the finding an "outrage." Construction workers laid flowers at the site.

How can a building with 38 Grade A violations still have workers on it? This happened over on Dr. Jeff's block and he reports that someone in his office saw the body fly past their window.

Serbia's Eurovision: Too Dangerous For Gays To Attend?

The president of Serbia has issued "a guarantee for the safety of delegations, press and fans" attending this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade. Concerns have been raised about possible violence from Serbia's active fascist element, particularly against the many gay men that follow Eurovision so avidly.

Last week a local fascist organization vowed in their newspaper to attack gays attending the contest, calling Eurovision "gay youth day." In 2001, dozens were seriously injured when the group attacked attendees of Belgrade's first gay pride event. Video here. Serbia, one of worst places in the world to be gay, is not a member of the EU and alarms were raised when they won the right to host the 53rd annual Eurovision. The British government already advises citizens to exercise "extreme caution" when visiting Serbia.

Photo Of The Day

JMG reader and former blogger Chris and his partner Michael had some fun at this weekend's Phoenix Pride. Love it.

Saturday Night's Alright

Saturday night Aaron and I were seriously overbooked with commitments to three parties. It's always feast or famine in my social life and my apologies go out to George for missing out on his housewarming party in Brooklyn Heights.

After dropping in at PR guru David Orchard's 40th birthday bash at the HK Lounge, we attended the going away party for outgoing Task Force head Matt Foreman, held at a commercial loft space in Chelsea.

Original Saint DJ Robbie Leslie spun tunes for the movers and shakers of LGBT activism who gathered to show their gratitude to Matt and I waited until I had a few cocktails before I opened my shirt to reveal my own tribute (above). [Photo credit: Matt's partner, Frank De Leon.] I'll put up a few photos of my own in a later post.

HomoQuotable - Ben Patrick Johnson

"Dear colleagues at the Capitol Resource Institute,

"I am a firm supporter of freedom of speech, and therefore I support yours, even if it in direct contrast with my own. However, we all use the media and the internet to spread our message: and with no hubris intended, I advise you -- if you continue your efforts, we will BURY you ... with public opinion, with media, and ultimately with legislation. EQCA passed NINE bills last year to protect basic dignities and we have every intention of yours going down, as have others who oppose decency and human rights.

"Today, over 150,000 Californians will receive the following message via email blast, MySpace, YouTube, and iTunes -- in other words, we're everywhere. I invite you to subscribe to my daily webcast, not because you agree with what I/we have to say, but for your own information ... so you can see what thousands of Californians are hearing and seeing about you." - Ben Patrick Johnson, Equality California activist, author, and the gravelly voice of every movie trailer you see.

I have no idea why Johnson refers to the wingnuts as "colleagues." The Capitol Resource Institute responds:

"For a group that purports to expand tolerance and civil rights, Equality California is not practicing what it preaches. This type of language evokes images of Communist leader Nikita Khrushchev pounding his shoe on the podium of the United Nations when he declared that Communism would bury America. The irony is not lost on us – Communists squelch all opposing speech, just as the modern 'intolerance' movement seeks to silence all opposing viewpoints.

"Johnson then threatens 'we have every intention of yours [group] going down, as have others who oppose decency and human rights.' It is shameful that a group that represents itself as promoting tolerance and civil rights would stoop to the very tactics it accuses CRI of using. Not once has CRI personally attacked opponents in such a degrading and vicious manner."

(Via - WingNutDaily)

Caption This

Brilliance From San Francisco

There's a movement afoot among those wacky San Franciscans to rename a local sewage plant in "honor" of George W. Bush.

Looking to honor the forty-third President of the United States of America, George W. Bush, the recently formed Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is looking to change the name of the Oceanside Wastewater Treatment Facility. It seems the group would like to rename the SF Zoo adjacent facility to the "George W Bush Sewage Plant." Genius.

The local grassroots movement, helmed by "Wayne Pickering," is proposing an ordinance initiative for the November 2008 San Francisco ballot in order to get the poop/pee/vomit plant's title changed. Why? To honor our current leader of the free world with an "appropriate and enduring legacy, for no other president in modern American history has accomplished so much in such a short time.

If you visit their Presidential Memorial Commission site, you'll note that the board of directors include fabulous drag entertainer Peaches Christ (which is still my one of my favorite drag names ever), and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence members Sister Porn Again and Sister Selma Soul. I love my people.

(Via - Andrew Sullivan)

Quinn's Star Dims

After last week's "Slushgate" revelation that her office had been funneling millions in city funds into sham organizations, openly lesbian New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is now facing calls for her resignation.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn burned up the phone lines over the weekend, trying to calm an uprising by rank-and-file Council members infuriated by the financial scandal on her watch.

Her fellow lawmakers were caught by surprise when Quinn's secret slush fund was exposed, then were blindsided again Friday when she said she would reform the system by limiting their discretionary funds as well. That prompted a series of extraordinary meetings by delegations from Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, Council sources said.

"We're upset," Councilman Erik Martin Dilan said at Brooklyn Borough Hall last night, after the Brooklyn delegation emerged from a 2-1/2-hour meeting. "The Council wasn't briefed about the investigation, and now the speaker is proposing changes," Dilan said. "We acknowledge we need change, but don't want to cede the power of the City Council."

Councilman Kendall Stewart, who was subpoenaed in connection with the probe last fall but said he is not a target, added, "The changes that the speaker is talking about cannot be allowed to happen. A lot of our smaller groups would be left out."

Brooklyn Councilman Charles Barron has called for Quinn to step down, and although other members tossed around the word coup yesterday, they said there were no plots to oust her from her post.

Even if Quinn survives this scandal, her hopes to succeed Bloomberg as mayor next year have been seriously damaged.

Hackers Crash Anti-Gay Site

WingNutDaily is claiming that pro-gay hackers have repeatedly crashed the site of Capitol Resource Family Impact, which is working to reverse California's anti-bullying law, SB777.

Staff members for a prominent pro-family organization that has been key to the battle against California's mandated homosexual indoctrination programs for public schools are working off-site while an investigation is conducted into threats that someone would arrive at the office and "punish" them, officials confirmed today.

The investigation into the threats follows several days of aggressive attacks on the website for Capitol Resource Family Impact, which has restored the site multiple times, only to see another hacker attack disable the location. Karen England, chief of the organization that has played a prominent role in a challenge to the implementation of SB777, a legislative plan to mandate only positive messages about homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality in public schools, confirmed the web attacks, and the subsequent threat.

"Last night CRI's website was hacked again by the same vandals that have been attacking our website and e-mail servers for the last several days," she said in a notification to supporters. "One of our internet savvy supporters has been investigating the source of the hacks and discovered that several hacker websites are taking credit for the attack on our organization.

Hacking the sites of our enemies, while it may be temporarily satisfying, is contrary to the ideals of the kind of open society we are trying to build. Don't do it, people.