Instant Message Non-Sequitur Of The Day

Chris: I wanna start an all-lesbian radio station called WVJJ.

Still Bad

All 50 of Michael Jackson's comeback/farewell concerts sold out within hours in the UK yesterday.

Sales of Michael Jackson's just-announced comeback performances in London have been thrilling: his run of 50 U.K. concerts scheduled to begin on July 8 sold out five hours after tickets went on sale on Friday, according to promoters. The 50-year old pop star was originally slated to perform 10 concerts for his This Is It tour at London's O2 Arena, but the overwhelming fan response – 750,000 tickets have been sold to date at the rate of 11 tickets per second – led organizers to expand the run to 50 shows, ending on February 24, 2010.

Tickets were £50 and £75, and are already re-selling online for thirty times face value. Wanna bet this "goodbye" tour goes like Cher's has?

Sign Of The Times

Gothamist is wondering who's hacking NYC's traffic signs.

Debaptize Me

Some atheists are trying have their baptism records expunged from official church records. From the UK:

The National Secular Society would like the Church of England to devise a formal procedure for cancelling baptisms, with a change in the baptismal roll as part of it. In the face of resistance from the Church, the society has come up with a document of its own. The "Certificate of Debaptism" has a deliberately home-made look, with its mock-official decoration and quasi-official language. Sitting on a bench in the grounds of St Jude's Church, John Hunt intoned the opening lines. "I, John Jeffrey Hunt, having been subjected to the rite of Christian baptism in infancy... hereby publicly revoke any implications of that rite. I reject all its creeds and other such superstitions in particular the perfidious belief that any baby needs to be cleansed of original sin." The society's president, Terry Sanderson, says the certificate is not designed to be taken too seriously, and he suggests displaying it in the loo. However, he says, it has now been downloaded more that 60,000 times, and has taken on a life of its own. "The debaptism certificate started out as a kind of satirical comment on the idea that you could be enrolled in a church before you could talk, but it seems to have taken off from there. People are beginning to take it seriously."

According to the story, British churches will not remove your name from the rolls of the baptized, because "you can't remove something from the record that actually happened." Therefore, the names of those who wish to renounce their baptisms will forever bloat the official count of church members. Hmm, I once registered as an Independent. That actually happened and I undid it without a problem.

CNN On DADT

Flaunting our sexuality. Dirty homos in the showers. Radical social agenda. CNN interviews the usual haters against repealing DADT as well as Unfriendly Fire author Nathaniel Frank. There's actually no shouting or cross-talking here. The Capitol Resource Institute's logic-impaired Karen England: "I hope our military doesn't make decisions based on polls of the American people." Two minutes later she cites a poll of military personnel in which 58% say they are opposed to repealing DADT. In other words, polls that favor HER position are fine. Moron.

NAACP Sues Mortgage Lenders

The NAACP is suing two major banks, claiming they engaged in racist lending practices.

The NAACP filed lawsuits Friday against two of the nation's largest mortgage lenders -- HSBC and Wells Fargo -- alleging "systematic, institutionalized racism" in their subprime lending.
NAACP CEO Benjamin Jealous says, "We are not seeking damages; we just want them to fix the problem." We have targeted these banks because we have gone through what we can get our hands on, and it seems like there's a real problem here," NAACP CEO Benjamin Jealous told CNN. Jealous said the group wants "transparency." "We want to see the books," he added. "We are not seeking damages; we just want them to fix the problem." [snip] Under subprime lending, people who don't qualify for lower interest rates can borrow money at higher rates. The NAACP argues that the companies gave subprime rates to African-Americans who qualified for better rates and gave better rates to white customers with similar credit histories.

No damages requested, just a "you stop that right now." Hmm. Maybe the NAACP doesn't think the banks would be able to pay in the first place.

Jonny McGovern - Good Cop/Gay Cop

Possibly NSFW.

Day Of Decision Rally Planned For CA

Activist Robin Tyler is organizing a statewide Day Of Decision rally to take place on the evening of the California Supreme Court ruling on overturning Prop 8.

"Win or lose, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community & our allies must respond immediately to the forthcoming California Supreme Court decision on whether to invalidate Proposition 8," says veteran activist Robin Tyler, who, with her wife, Diane Olson, were the first plaintiffs in the original landmark lawsuit to win marriage for same-sex couples in California. Tyler & Olson are also petitioners in the current legal challenge against Proposition 8. Tyler and her co-organizer, Andy Thayer have called for "Day of Decision" actions the night the court releases its decision. Both have been involved in organizing hundreds of local protests across the country, and Tyler has worked on organizing all 4 LGBT marches on Washington. National groups including, Join the Impact, Centerlink, (the National Association of LGBT Community centers), Metropolitan Community Churches & others have signed on to help organize across the nation.

Go to the Day Of Decision website and sign up for an emailed alert when the decision is expected.

What Will Idol Do With Adam Lambert?

JMG reader Guy points us to the comments section of an Entertainment Weekly piece that ponders why American Idol hasn't profiled the personal life of openly gay contestant Adam Lambert. After all, we know know that one contestant used to sing his homework, one has a sister who is also blind, and one was just widowed. It's an interesting comment thread, but the Freeper-types are beginning to pile on to a site that normally is quite gay-friendly.

I would stop watching immediately! The line has to be drawn somewhere. There is no difference between homosexuality and bestiality. I will not have my children in an environment where they are brought up to think homosexuality is normal any more than I would tell them it is ok to marry their uncle when they reach the age of 12. I am agnostic btw. Homosexuality is a sickness like depression or bipolar disorder and should be treated as such.

Okay, I just google-imaged Adam Lambert and now I'm sick to my stomach. There are several photos of him inserting his tongue into another dude's mouth. SICK! That is totally twisted no matter how you slice it!! C'mon people, wake up! I'm wondering why Simon even likes this guy.

Bottom line: a huge number of people who watch Idol believe that homosexuality is wrong, a sin. If any contestant were to 'come out', he or she would not make it to the top (remember, even the Christians get a vote) AND the show's ratings would take a nosedive. It's popular in 'enlightened' circles and, especially, in the media to speak of homosexuality like it's normal - reality check: most Americans still agree with God - homosexuality is wrong.

It goes back and back in the familiar fashion, but now I'm more curious than ever to see what American Idol does with Lambert and what the reaction will be.

Meal O'Bama

A street-meat vendor named Mohammed has opened a new Herald Square location celebrating a wee slice of the heritage of our Irish-Kenyan-Hawaiian-Indonesian-NotAmerican president. Is chicken shawarma an Irish dish? MidtownLunch wonders how long it will before Fox News crows: "Muslim Street Vendors Support Obama!"

Daily Ungrumble

On Monday I nearly got clobbered by some dizzy broad whipping into the crosswalk while she yammered on her cell. (No right on red in New York, bitches!) Therefore I am highly pleased by the NYPD's just-launched "cell phone ticketing blitz" which resulted in 4000 $120 citations yesterday alone. More please.

Uninventing Suburbia

Over at The Atlantic, Richard Florida thinks the current economic crisis will result in the most radical redrawing of the physical American landscape since the onset of the Industrial Age.

The housing bubble was the ultimate expression, and perhaps the last gasp, of an economic system some 80 years in the making, and now well past its “sell-by” date. The bubble encouraged massive, unsustainable growth in places where land was cheap and the real-estate economy dominant. It encouraged low-density sprawl, which is ill-fitted to a creative, postindustrial economy. And not least, it created a workforce too often stuck in place, anchored by houses that cannot be profitably sold, at a time when flexibility and mobility are of great importance.

So how do we move past the bubble, the crash, and an aging, obsolescent model of economic life? What’s the right spatial fix for the economy today, and how do we achieve it?

The solution begins with the removal of homeownership from its long-privileged place at the center of the U.S. economy. Substantial incentives for homeownership (from tax breaks to artificially low mortgage-interest rates) distort demand, encouraging people to buy bigger houses than they otherwise would. That means less spending on medical technology, or software, or alternative energy—the sectors and products that could drive U.S. growth and exports in the coming years. Artificial demand for bigger houses also skews residential patterns, leading to excessive low-density suburban growth. The measures that prop up this demand should be eliminated.

If anything, our government policies should encourage renting, not buying. Homeownership occupies a central place in the American Dream primarily because decades of policy have put it there.

I recommend reading the entire (very long) article. There's some fascinating stuff there about mega-cities and urban sprawl, and about which cities are best poised to weather the next few years. Surprisingly to me, the author thinks New York City will do much better than most.

Pickle Surprise

Yesterday an old friend reminded me about 1989's Pickle Surprise, which is Wigstock:The Movie director Tom Rubnitz' strange bit of absurdity starring Lady Bunny and RuPaul. I remember Rubnitz' equally strange Strawberry Shortcut being a favorite at Fort Lauderdale's Cathode Ray video bar. Rubnitz died of AIDS in the early 90's.

NOTE: For those that don't know, here's how Urban Dictionary defines "pickle surprise."

That's Life: Board Games Make You Gay!

Under the site-topping headline "Game For 6 Year Olds Pushes Same Sex Marriage!", World Net Daily is foaming at the mouth because some mom somewhere noticed that the online version of Milton Bradley's kid classic The Game Of Life does not prevent children from selecting a same-sex spouse.

The online version of a popular board game from many Americans' childhood includes an option for players to choose homosexual marriage and child-rearing as a way of life. Through the Shockwave.com website, even children can download and play a free trial version of The Game of Life, the first game ever created by Mr. Milton Bradley in 1860. The player's first option in the online version is to choose a persona based on pictures that clearly depict men and women. Shortly thereafter, the game invites players to choose a spouse, regardless of the potential spouse's sex.

Everybody here who put two pink or two blue pegs into that little car on the physical version of the game raise your hand. Yeah, me too. World Net Daily wrote to the company to complain.

"Your guidelines ask us to 'keep your language safe for the kids,' yet here's a game where children may choose homosexual marriage and child-rearing," WND wrote. "Many sections of society accept this as normative, but many also would consider this too mature a theme for children. Others would consider this downright offensive. Is it appropriate to include, for example, lesbianism in this game?"

You have to give them credit for finding new and inventive ways to hate.

60 Co-Sponsors For Maine Marriage Bill

Very encouraging!

The author of a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Maine says more than 60 legislators from both parties have signed on as co-sponsors. Democratic Sen. Dennis Damon of Trenton said those lining up in support of his bill include representatives from Maine's smallest towns and its largest cities. He said many legislators sought to have their names associated with the bill, prompting leadership to open it up to unlimited sponsorship. Normally, no more than 10 lawmakers can be listed as co-sponsors of a bill.

Jon Stewart Vs. Jim Cramer=TENSE

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Interview Outtake Pt. 3

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

The GOP Has Hope For America

Morning View - Madison Square Dog Park

A buddy of mine swears the Madison Square dog run is the place to meet other dog-happy homos, but all I saw were nannies, admins, and the stray hipster.

Casting Out The Homosexual Spirit

"Get on up outta this young man, you HOMOSEXUAL DEMON!" Watch below the insanity of Overseer And Prophetress McKinney of the Manifested Glory Ministry of Bridgeport, CT. Folks, this is TORTURE, plain and simple. Cruel, devastating, and probably permanently damaging torture. It's gruesome, infuriating, and sick-making to watch. BUT DO WATCH. This is what we're up against in some places.


(Via Good As You, where Jeremy has more.)

Meet In The Middle 4 Equality

Central California is planning a special marriage rally on the Saturday after the state Supreme Court issues its ruling on Prop 8.

Rally for national LGBT equality the first Saturday AFTER the California Supreme Court issues its rulings on the Proposition 8 cases. Meet on the steps of City Hall in downtown Fresno at 1:00 PM.

Why Fresno? The battle for equality has to be fought in towns like Fresno, CA — not only in gay-friendly cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. California's Central Valley population is far more reflective of national attitudes towards LBGT Equality and until we engage the communities of "middle-America", we will not gain the full equality we deserve.

It's a good strategy. Take the fight to the small towns, not the metro areas where we're already there. Visit the site, subscribe for updates, join the Facebook group.

7 Billion

We have seriously got to step up the homo recruiting.

The world's population will hit 7 billion early in 2012 and top 9 billion in 2050, with the vast majority of the increase coming in the developing countries of Asia and Africa, according to a U.N. estimate released Wednesday. Hania Zlotnik, director of the U.N. Population Division, said that "there have been no big changes" from the previous estimate in 2006. "We are still projecting that by 2050 the population of the world will be around 9.1 billion," she said at a news conference. "The projections are based on the assumption that fertility that is now around 2.56 children per woman is going to decline to about 2.02 children per woman in the world." Population growth will remain concentrated in the most populous countries through 2050. Nine nations are expected to account for half the projected increase: India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, the U.S., Congo, Tanzania, China and Bangladesh, the report said."

Over 40 (mostly western European and former Soviet) nations will see current populations decline by 10% or more by 2050. Present trends indicate that the U.S. will top 400 million by then, helped along by the world's highest immigration rate of over 1 million annually.

Crist Steps To The Left, Eyes Senate Run

Florida Gov. Charlie "Closet Case" Crist has just pissed off the fundie world by appointing black civil rights activist James Perry to the state Supreme Court.

In a move that angered some conservatives but could please minority supporters, Gov. Charlie Crist has named Circuit Judge James Perry of Sanford to the Florida Supreme Court. Conservative interest groups including the National Rifle Association, the Florida Family Policy Council and Florida Right to Life had advocated 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Alan Lawson, calling him more qualified. Perry, 65, a registered Democrat with a history of community involvement and occasional involvement in civil rights litigation, was appointed to the bench by former Gov. Jeb Bush in 2000.

Some of the groups who backed Lawson charged that Crist was seeking to win black support for next year's U.S. Senate race.Crist has said he's considering running for the Senate instead of running for re-election. "It's a politically calculated move," said Adam Goldman, legislative vice president of Florida Right to Life. "Gov. Crist really is taking a risk. I'm sure there's going to be a primary for the Senate race, and he's not doing himself any favors." John Stemberger of the Florida Family Policy Council called Crist's decision, "stunning and profoundly disappointing."

LGBT rights groups had supported Perry's appointment. And anything that "profoundly disappoints" the Family Policy Council is good news for us, whatever the motive.

Washington Senate OKs Domestic Partners

Yesterday the Washington state Senate approved domestic partners legislation that would give gay couples all the rights of marriage (but not the name.)

The bill passed on a mostly party-line 30-18 vote Tuesday night and now heads to the House. The Senate rejected two Republican amendments, including one that would have sent the measure to voters. The bill expands on previous domestic partnership laws by adding reference to partnerships alongside all remaining areas of state law where currently only married couples are mentioned, statutes ranging from labor and employment to pensions and other public employee benefits.

Democrats have a 63-35 majority in the Washington state House, making it a fair bet that the bill will pass there. States currently with civil unions or domestic partners laws: Vermont, New Jersey, California, New Hampshire, and Oregon.

ACLU Video: We Still Have To Protest This?

Via the ACLU, here's more of last week's debate outside the California Supreme Court.

HomoQuotable - David MacDonald

"The culture of pushing sex down people's throats is not working. There is nothing wrong with abstinence from sex. This goes for everyone who is not married to someone of the opposite sex. I've been single and chaste for many years after having left the gay community. You don't die from not having sex. It's not like air or water. Recent laws, policies and public funding aimed at reducing the rate of suicide, addiction, partner abuse, and STI's by granting more sexual freedom have not diminished those statistics.

"In fact, there has been an increase since the beginning of the 'rights' movement in the early 70's, and it's getting worse, not better. In places like San Francisco and the Netherlands where gay sex has been normalized, many of these stats are worse, so I have difficulty with the theory that more freedom, money and legislation will reduce these stats. That is just not where the facts point. The Church talks about Natural Law and says that if something is true it will prove true in many ways. The Bible says gay sex is a problem, biology doesn't support it, and health statistics demonstrate its problems. Why not abstain? That's what I'm doing." - "Ex-gay" gospel singer David MacDonald, who says he hasn't had gay sex (or any sex) in 20 years because of the health risks. Oh, and to please God. And for bonus Jeebus points, he says hasn't even masturbated in years. Yeah.

MacDonald's "testimony" has been making the rounds of Christianist sites all week, where it's being hailed as proof that homosexuals can simply stop being who they are. Read his...uh...interesting life story here.

ACLU Backs Lesbian Over Prom Tux

How can these silly battles still be going on?

A 17-year-old Boone County girl has sued Lebanon Schools after her high school principal told her she could not wear a tuxedo to the school's April 25 prom but would have to wear a dress. The Lebanon High School senior, whose name is not revealed in the lawsuit, is a lesbian and does not wear dresses because she sees them as expressing a sexual identity that she does not embrace, court filings said. Her attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana has asked a federal court to issue an injunction that would require the school to let her wear the same formal attire to the prom as male students at the school.

Michael Steele Is SO Gonna Be Fired

As if he wasn't in enough trouble with the all the back and forth with defacto GOP head Rush Limbaugh, nominal GOP head Michael Steele has now totally signed his own death warrant. From an interview with GQ, as reported by Political Wire:

On if women have the right to choose an abortion: "Yeah. I mean, again, I think that's an individual choice."

Oh, but wait.

On whether homosexuality is a choice: "Oh, no. I don't think I've ever really subscribed to that view, that you can turn it on and off like a water tap. Um, you know, I think that there's a whole lot that goes into the makeup of an individual that, uh, you just can't simply say, oh, like, 'Tomorrow morning I'm gonna stop being gay.' It's like saying, 'Tomorrow morning I'm gonna stop being black.'"

See what he just did? The head of the Republican Party has unwittingly endorsed the comparison between gay rights and black civil rights, the talking point that the wingnuts loooove to dispute. But don't go feeling all warm and fuzzy about Steele. Remember he's the same guy who, when asked if he approved of civil unions for gays, said, "What are you, crazy?" Steele thinks being gay is as natural and immutable as being black AND he still thinks we don't deserve equal rights. He's still getting fired, though.

Wingnut Lawyer Ambushes Scalia Over Obama's Nationality

Yes, the "Obama Is Not An American" meme is still going strong in Wingnutistan. World Net Daily is breathlessly reporting that one of their drones got called on at a book signing reception for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and demanded to know why SCOTUS won't hear any of the numerous cases filed on the topic. But the answer wasn't what they wanted to hear.

"I told Scalia that I was an attorney that filed Lightfoot v. Bowen that Chief Justice Roberts distributed for conference on Jan. 23 and now I represent nine state reps and 120 military officers, many of them high ranked, and I want to know if they will hear Quo Warranto and if they would hear it on original jurisdiction, if I bring Hawaii as an additional defendant to unseal the records and ascertain Obama's legitimacy for presidency." Taitz said she had some worries asking the question. "I have to say that I prepared myself to a lot of boo-ing, knowing that Los Angeles trial lawyers and entertainment elite are Obama's stronghold, however there was no boo-ing, no negative remarks," she said. "I actually could see a lot of approving nods, smiles, many gasped and listened intensely. I could tell, that even Obama's strongest supporters wanted to know the answer. Scalia stated that it would be heard if I can get four people to hear it. He repeated, you need four for the argument. I got a feeling that he was saying that one of these four that call themselves constitutionalists went to the other side," Taitz said.

The nine SCOTUS judges are generally considered to be evenly split with four conservatives, four liberals, and one swing voter. Since four justices must agree to hear a case, the wingnuts are dismayed to learn that at least one of "their" justices has apparently refused to allow the petitions to move forward. What a pity.

FCC Complaint Filed Over Family Guy

Predictably, fundies are filing an FCC complaint over Sunday's "Peter Goes Gay" episode of Family Guy and are calling on the show's sponsors to suspend advertising. (Feel free to stretch and yawn.) From the fundie-run Parents Television Council:

Our organization is taking its concerns directly to every parent, every Fox affiliate and every advertiser -- as well as to those whom the Congress has instructed to uphold the law: the FCC. We encourage our members and concerned citizens to contact their local broadcasters and their public servants with their complaints. Each and every advertiser who paid for this show to air will also be personally contacted by the PTC and asked if bringing orgies and bestiality into American living rooms resonates with their corporate image.

I don't disagree that this episode of Family Guy was one of the most crude things ever seen on television. But so what? The show was preceded by a stern warning to parents and I believe there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 million other channels.

The PTC files complaints on almost every show on TV, including fluff like Friends (likely because of the lesbian wedding episode). Meanwhile the rest of us get served dumbed and watered down nonsense because fundie parents don't know how to use the blocking services provided on every cable box in America. Hell, I had to enter a PIN just to watch CNN at my (relatively) liberal sister's house. There's a reason why almost every memorable series in the last ten years has been on pay cable. It's spelled P-T-C.

Α Δ Φ vs. Westboro Baptist Church

Wait until the music starts.

(Via - The Chaser Blog)

Morning View - Food Emporium 1st & 72nd

Many of Manhattan's grocery stores have cramped little aisles too narrow for burb-style buggies. Some of them provide tiny "I'm a BIG boy" carts, which one can feel a bit ridiculous pushing around. But the Food Emporium by my place just switched over to normal height double-deckers. Adult dignity, slightly restored. However they also started charging for delivering your in-store purchases a few month ago and I think I'm noticing more old ladies struggling home with their bags.

Open Thread Thursday

What's your relationship status? Single and happy? Single and looking? Domestic partnered? Civil unioned? Married? Coupled? Thrupled?

I asked this question a year ago, so it will be interesting to see what changes may have come for some of our JMG regulars.

Friendly Voices - Ashton Kutcher

(Via Rebecca Armendariz @ Washington Blade)

Bob Mould - Life And Times

Life And Times, the new album by openly gay godfather of punk grunge Bob Mould is now available for pre-ordering. The CD drops on April 7th and the first single I'm Sorry, Baby, But You Can't Stand In My Light Any More is now available at iTunes and Amazon.

Mould is working on an autobiography for release in 2010 and will be touring nationwide to support the new album. Tonight he plays in an R.E.M tribute show at Carnegie Hall and returns to NYC for a solo show at Joe's Pub on April 8th. Advance tickets here.

You Won't Be Text-Communicated

A Seattle church is encouraging congregants to Twitter throughout the service.

The Mars Hill Church in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood is not your grandma's church. On Sunday, the pastor's sermon was being broadcast on large video screens to accommodate his laryngitis and the congregants in church were broadcasting on their iPhones. They weren’t talking, but “Twittering,” typing in brief thoughts or messages for their friends to read in real time. "How does the service impact them, what does worship feel like to them and its a good way for them to kind of tell their friends what church is about without their friends even coming in the building,” aid Kyle Firstenberg, Mars Hill Campus Administrator.

I'd have to Tweet the standard: "Video or it didn't happen."

Swag Winners Alert

The new commenting system is working pretty well so far, we haven't had anybody voted off the island by readers and nobody has been banned since it started. However, among the bugs still being worked out is that I can't access readers' email addresses in their profiles. That's a big problem for Lady Randomocity, because she's spun her glittery wheel* and picked the three JMG readers who have won tickets to the Radio City Music Hall Speaker Series event on March 31st.

Randy In Brooklyn
David Dust
John O'Malley

Above folks, please email me with your full names and mailing addresses.

*JMG newbies: Winners are selected by entering the total number of comments into a random number reordering program. Whosever comment number lands at the top gets the swag.

Saturday: NYC Beard Championships

While I have not yet shaved in 2009, I will not compete. I've never really had a "full" beard before, always done the #1 or #2 crop. Gotta learn how to do the "shaping" thing.

Bristol & Levi's Wedding Is Off

Gov. Palin is only going to use her shotgun to shoot animals from helicopters. Cuz not only is the wedding off, Bristol and Levi are broken up.

In a new interview with Star Magazine, Levi's sister Mercede Johnston says Bristol actually broke up with Levi more than a month ago, is not attending school and rarely lets her baby daddy see their young son. Mercede also says Bristol even told him that she hates him and, when she learned she was pregnant, wished the baby wasn't his. Mercede told Star: "Bristol's just crazy. That's the nicest way I can put it. She and Levi actually broke up a while ago!" Apparently, Levi is also far from being a hands-on dad. Said Mercede: "Levi tries to visit Tripp every single day, but Bristol makes it nearly impossible for him. She tells him he can't take the baby to our house because she doesn't want him around 'white trash.' She treats him so badly!"

Oh, for the halcyon days when Bristol and Levi were tarted up and trotted out onto the stage of the Republican National Convention as glittering Godly examples of Doing The Right Thing.

FL Gets Bill To Overturn Adoption Ban

As Florida awaits an appeals court ruling that may legalize gay adoption, state Sen. Nan Rich (D-Weston) is doing an end run around the court.

Rich, who is co-chair of the Senate Children & Families Committee, has filed a bill to repeal the 1977 Florida law that prohibits gay men and lesbians from adopting children. A second bill would specify that judges would determine adoptions based solely on ''the best interests'' of children. ''Someone who is a good parent -- whether they are heterosexual or homosexual -- that's what we should be basing decisions on, not sexual orientation,'' Rich said. "We need to be looking at what's in the best interests of children.'' Florida's adoption law has been stirring controversy since last summer, when a Monroe County judge, David John Audlin Jr., declared the law unconstitutional, allowing a Key West lawyer and his longtime partner to adopt a boy they had raised in foster care for several years.

The Florida Bar Board Of Governors wants to issue an amicus brief in support of the case pending in the appeals court. However the Christianist group Liberty Counsel has petitioned the state Supreme Court to have the brief barred, saying the Bar does not represent lawyers who oppose gay adoption. Liberty Counsel's Mat Staver: "Homosexual adoption is nothing less than a policy which says that moms and dads are expendable.''

The above-linked story does not speculate on whether Sen. Rich's bill would pass.

Pole Tax

Wait, what?

The New York legislator who brought the nation its first law against driving while using a cell phone is proposing a $10 tax for patrons of nude and seminude dance clubs and strip bars. Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, a Bronx Democrat, says the revenue would go toward helping victims of human trafficking at a time when government budgets are being slashed. The bill doesn't have a Senate sponsor yet.

$10 tax to get into a titty bar, in order to end human trafficking. Hmm, I can sorta see the relationship to things like cigarette taxes that go to anti-smoking campaigns. I think. Although, who wants to bet that opponents of the titty-tax will demand a door charge tax on gay bars, in order to fund AIDS research?

Went With The Wind Barbie

Mattel has released a Bob Mackie-designed Carol Burnett Barbie.

A comic legend, a noted fashion and costume designer, an unforgettable television show. These elements join forces in The Carol Burnett Show Went with the Wind! Barbie® doll. One of the shows most memorable sketches “Went with the Wind” is based on the classic film “Gone with the Wind.” In an effort to woo Rat Butler, Starlet quickly creates a dress sure to impress her gentleman caller. The results are unforgettable — a velvety green gown made of drapes, complete with the curtain rod! This wonderful character doll is beautifully sculpted in the likeness of Miss Burnett. She wears an elaborate re-creation of the original costume, re-imagined by the original designer, acclaimed costumer Bob Mackie. Designed by Bob Mackie.

Carol Burnett is an idol to Ellen DeGeneres and today she appeared on Ellen to gift a teary DeGeneres with the doll. The Barbie brand turns 50 this month. Below is the original sketch from The Carol Burnett Show.

Maureen Mullarkey Files Police Complaint Over Prop 8 Hate Mail

The gay Nazis are still after artist/critic Maureen Mullarkey. In a long rambling Weekly Standard piece complaining about how the gay community's "brownshirts" have targeted her since her Prop 8 donation became public, she closes with this:

It is one thing to read hate-filled mail on a computer screen. It is something else to have it in hand. At the end of the week, when it started coming to my house, I filed a police report. Until now, donating to a cause did not open private citizens to a battery of invective and jackboot tactics. While celebrities sport their moral vanity with white ribbons, thousands of ordinary Americans who donated to Prop 8 are being targeted in a vile campaign of intimidation for having supported a measure that, in essence, ratified the crucial relation between marriage and childbearing. Some in California have lost their jobs over it; others worry about an unhinged stranger showing up at the door. Who was it who predicted that if fascism ever came to the United States, it would come in the guise of liberal egalitarianism?

Mullarkey:

[M]y opposition to same-sex marriage does not originate in the pew. However much sympathy, affection--indeed, love--I have for certain gay persons, "gay marriage" burlesques a primal institution rooted in nature. Marriage, as a unique bond between male and female, predates all politics and religious doctrines. And no one has to believe in God to see social anarchy, with children adrift in the wreckage, at the end of the same-sex marriage road. But any semblance of moral reasoning is lost on a mob. The character and sensibility of the same-sex marriage brigades is told in their litany of sexual hostility.

Ooh, "gay marriage" scare quotes! Of course, Mullarkey is the new grand dame of homosexual persecution over in Freeperland. Seriously, if you are going to piss off your collegeaues by being anti-gay, can there possibly be a worse place in the world to do that than the NYC art community?

The First Openly Gay Idol?

After last night's performance, some folks are saying openly gay American Idol contestant Adam Lambert has positioned himself as a front runner. Sorry, but I'm just not feeling it yet. And where are this year's trainwrecks? Where's Sanjaya 2009?

Jesus Is Everywhere

(Via - Towleroad)

Same Sex Kiss Day

Via their website:

THE PLAN
Show up at a Starbucks on Tax Day at 7:15 AM, 12:15 PM, 5:15 PM, or 8:15 PM , buy a cuppa joe, then share a kiss with your sweetie, or a friend, or even a long-time crush! RAWR!

INFO
LGBT couples have yet to be granted the same rights to file our taxes jointly on a Federal level, and we can still be fired for being openly gay in the workplace. That's why you're encouraged to be seen on Tax Day, April 15, 2009, spreading your love with a KISS!

Supposedly Starbucks has been chosen due to their support of LGBT rights "since the beginning of time." So...silly idea? Fun? The Freepers are having an outrage extravaganza.

Morning View - One Madison Park

The 60-story luxury condo One Madison Park, started in much better times, is nearing completion on East 23rd Street. The 7500 sq. foot penthouse triplex is "holding firm" at an asking price of $45M - good luck with that. Curbed has some great photos of the unfinished space at the top, the views are astounding.

HomoQuotable - Jared Polis

"Oh, it didn't pass? OK. So we still need to pass it? OK. So we'll try to pass that one for you, too. But that's why we need it. And of course Obama supports that, our Congress supports that, our Senate supports that. I thought we did pass it, so we will try to get that. But that's exactly why we need it though, because in some of the areas where gays and lesbians do feel terrorized every day, the local authorities are in league with the forces of hate. And this would, when we pass it -- thanks for pointing that out -- give you recourse to go to the federal government to investigate hate crimes in your area." - Openly gay freshman Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), who didn't know that gays are not covered by federal hate crimes laws.

The Dallas Voice has the audio of Polis' speech, during which he was corrected by the president of the Texas Stonewall Democatic Caucus. I find it rather incredible that an openly gay Congress member does not know exactly what the goals of the movement are.

UPDATE: Andy Towle has gotten a statement about the flap from Polis, which says in part:

"It's rather remarkable to me that this is getting so much play. Obviously I am well acquainted with hate crimes laws, ENDA, DADT, and other issues facing our community but we all sometimes make mistakes when we're speaking, especially in this case when I had just finished talking about how we in Colorado had gotten a hate-crimes law.

"I didn't just start working on these issues when I arrived in Congress, I've been an active supporter of HRC for years and advocated for the hate crimes law when it was being considered in Colorado.

"There's no excuse for the mistake, but anyone who speaks a lot is bound to make them from time to time. What surprises me is how eagerly some people have leapt on it. We are on the same side, fighting the same fight, and supporting our LGBT community, as I was in Austin for the Stonewall Dems.

Jared Polis"

Read Towleroad's entire post on the story.

FTC Goes After Credit Report Scammers

The Federal Trade Commission has issued the above parody video as part of their just-launched campaign to warn against a certain "free" credit report company with an incredibly annoying TV ad.

The Federal Trade Commission is getting hip and cool. Today the federal agency launched a series of silly videos to clear up confusion about which Web site offers truly free credit reports. The videos feature a young man jamming on his guitar while singing with friends about checking credit reports on Annualcreditreport.com. That site is the place where, under federal law, people are allowed to receive a free copy of their credit report once each year. The FTC’s videos are a spoof on FreeCreditReport.com, which has advertised its site for years with similar catchy videos of young men singing about their credit and repeating FreeCreditReport.com. Users of FreeCreditReport.com, however, are charged a fee if they do not cancel their membership within seven days of signing up.

Christianist Groups Call For Student Walk-Out On Day To Protest LGBT Bullying

Christianist groups are calling for a nationwide student walk-out in public schools that participate in next month's annual Day Of Silence, an event designed to call attention to the bullying of LGBT students. From Americans For Truth spokesdouche Peter LaBarbera:

TAKE ACTION: spread the word about the student walkout to protest the pro-homosexual-activist “Day of Silence” — on Friday, April 17 –by GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network). Find out if your children’s (middle or high) school is endorsing the Day of Silence by allowing students (or teachers) to go “silent” during class time — thus disrupting the learning environment of all students. [snip]

Folks, it’s no secret that American public schools are failing at teaching the basics. So they need to get out of the values-adjustment (or should I say values-subversion) business. The “Day of Silence” is a thinly-veiled attempt to propagandize students using the time-tested technique of hyping homosexuals as victims. The “gay-victim” gig is getting very old, especially when one considers that the homosexual lobby is in the vanguard of: viciously demonizing Christians like Dr. James Dobson and equating religious moral teachings with “hate”; working to deny Christians the right to live by their own moral code; and “silencing” viewpoints with which they disagree. Help make the DOS walkout a success by spreading the word.

Pro-child violence hate groups encouraging the student walk-out include:

Abiding Truth Ministries; American Family Association (AFA) Michigan; AFA Pennsylvania; AFA National; Americans for Truth About Homosexuality; Association of Maryland Families; Called2Action; Campaign for Children and Families; Citizens for Community Values of Ohio; Coalition of Conscience; Community Issues Council; Concerned Women for America National; Concerned Women for America Washington; Culture Campaign; Faith2Action; Faith, Family & Freedom Alliance; Illinois Family Institute; Indiana Voice; Liberty Alliance Action; Liberty Counsel; Maine Family Policy Council; MassResistance; Mission America; Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX).

The above-named organizations are directly ENDORSING the violent bullying of LGBT students that takes place in every school in every city on every day. They have the blood of gay youth on their hands and they are PROUD to say so. If I were the parent of one of the many gay students that will kill themselves this year, I'd throw the child's ashes in their hate-filled faces.

Launched: Fairness West Virginia

New activism in West Virginia! Via press release:

Today, West Virginians announced the formation of a new statewide civil rights organization committed to ensuring fair treatment for all gay and lesbian people in the state. Fairness West Virginia’s mission is to ensure gay people are treated safely and fairly in their homes, at work and in their communities. “Discrimination in any form is unjust regardless of an individual’s real or perceived sexual orientation,” said Stephen Skinner, a member of Fairness West Virginia’s Board of Directors and an attorney.

The organization seeks to cooperate with both the public and private sector to enact policies that reflect West Virginia’s values and to send a signal to the rest of the nation—especially to corporate America—that we are open for business for everyone. A dozen citizens—both gay and straight—from diverse backgrounds, including a doctor, a university professor, businessmen and women, and lawyers, among others, are the volunteers behind the creation of the new organization. They are Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who believe fairness transcends partisan politics. “Our immediate call to action is to achieve the membership goal of 1,000 West Virginians for Fairness in twenty days,” said board member Christopher Turman of Moorefield.

If you are in West Virginia, please visit FairnessWV.org. Their goal is 1000 new members by the of the month.

Lady Graceful

CA: Here Come The Ballot Drives

Two new California groups are working on 2010 marriage equality ballot amendments, but they have very different goals.

The first is aiming for a straight-forward (heh) repeal of Proposition 8.

"Our logic is that we should not put all our eggs in one basket and wait for the Supreme Court," said Charles Lowe, who after campaigning against Proposition 8 founded a Davis-based group called Yes! on Equality. "By doing so, we lose anywhere from 8 to 12 months." His proposed constitutional amendment would repeal Proposition 8, which holds that "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California."

The second group wants to get California out of the marriage business entirely.

Two heterosexual Southern California college students – Ali Shams and Kaelan Housewright – want to take the state out of the marriage business. Their proposed measure calls for the term "marriage" to be removed from state laws and replaced with "domestic partnerships." Shams maintains the measure would provide equality to all couples, regardless of sexual orientation, while preserving marriage as a religious and social ceremony. "This is a compromise," Shams said. "It says 'Get rid of marriage as a state institution. Make it a religious institution, keep politics out of it and stop the fighting.'"

The groups must get nearly 700,000 petition signature by August to make the 2010 ballot.

Week Six: RuPaul's Drag Race

I didn't do a recap of RuPaul's Drag Race last week after Ongina's very untimely departure. And while last night's hour-long Absolut infomercial was certainly tedious in portions, there were a few highlights - most notably Charo's terrible "Spooning leads to forking" joke. No spoilers in this clip. Y'all know who went home.

Real Or Fake?

Equality California sent out the above photo with its latest donations pitch yesterday, saying this sign was displayed at the Supreme Court hearings in SF last week. But Dan Savage has some questions:

Who took the picture? Where? When? Is the person holding the sign standing inside a building? Weren't the demonstrations outside? And who is holding the sign? Why is the picture cropped the way it is? Why was the person holding the sign cropped out of it? If someone was carrying that sign at the massive demonstrations outside the California Supreme Court's hearing last week about Prop 8, wouldn't dozens of people have taken pictures of it? Wouldn't it have been all over gay blogs and news website right away? Why did it take nearly a week for this picture—seemingly the only one taken of this sign—to surface? And it surfaces not on blogs or news websites, but in a fundraising email for the group that fatally mismanaged the "No on 8" campaign?

If we heard about a gay person carrying an outrageously incendiary sign at a large, public demonstration ("Kill All the Christians and Let God Sort 'Em Out!" or whatever) and a picture didn't surface until days later, and the person carrying the sign was carefully cropped out, and it wasn't entirely clear that the person carrying the sign was even at the demonstration, we would be skeptical, to say the least. We'd be screaming bloody murder, actually, and demanding proof.

Did any JMG readers actually see this sign AT the rally? Can you provide me with a photo?

UPDATE: JMG reader Rick found the photo on Flickr. I'd say it's real.

YouTube Music Vids Blocked In UK

YouTube users in the UK cannot see music videos at the moment, thanks to another breakdown between Google and the major music publishers.

Google Inc. said Monday it will block U.K. users from watching music videos on its popular video-sharing site YouTube after negotiations with Britain's music royalty-collecting body broke down. Google said it would begin blocking British users starting Monday night. The Internet titan said it knew the move would cause "significant disappointment." But it said its hand was forced by PRS for Music, which it said is asking for royalties that would cause Google to lose money every time a video was played on YouTube. "Our previous license from PRS for Music has expired, and we've been unable so far to come to an agreement to renew it on terms that are economically sustainable for us," Google said in a statement

In other YouTube news, Google also isn't pleased about Muziic, a new free program written by a 15 year old whiz kid which allows you to stream all of YouTube's music content into an iTunes-like player, allowing users to create seamless playlists. Google is probably going to quash Muziic like a bug, so you might want to check it out while you can.

To Sleeve Or Not To Sleeve

It cracks me up that people are actually having dead serious debates in the press about whether Michelle Obama should go sleeveless. Maureen Dowd:

Let’s face it: The only bracing symbol of American strength right now is the image of Michelle Obama’s sculpted biceps. Her husband urges bold action, but it is Michelle who looks as though she could easily wind up and punch out Rush Limbaugh, Bernie Madoff and all the corporate creeps who ripped off America.

In the taxi, when I asked David Brooks about her amazing arms, he indicated it was time for her to cover up. “She’s made her point,” he said. “Now she should put away Thunder and Lightning.” I’d seen the plaint echoed elsewhere. “Someone should tell Michelle to mix up her wardrobe and cover up from time to time,” Sandra McElwaine wrote last week on The Daily Beast. Washington is a place where people have always been suspect of style and overt sexuality. Too much preening signals that you’re not up late studying cap-and-trade agreements.

Since we have to have an opinion on this, I think she should go for the gun show.

Röyksopp - Happy Up Here

Here's the first single from Röyksopp's upcoming album Junior. With extra Space Invaders coolness.

Ironic Quote Of The Day

"One characteristic of cults is that they strongly believe they alone are right in their beliefs and everyone else is wrong. Thus they reject the central truths of the Bible that Christians have held in common for almost 2,000 years and substitute their own beliefs for the clear teaching of Scripture." - Billy Graham.

Morning View - Shake Shack

I posted a Morning View of Madison Square Park's Shake Shack a couple of years ago, but today's is just to show that Gothamites are willing to stand in a one to three hour line for their Shack burgers, even when it's 40 degrees outside. (You can check the status of the line on their live cam.) Next month Shake Shack debuts its third location at Citi Field, the new home of the Mets. Lets hope the lines there are shorter than the games.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the Saint-At-Large, today's swag prize is two tickets to Rites XXX: The Black Party, the 30th annual installation of the most legendary gay dance party in history.

Black Party XXX takes place Saturday, March 21st at Manhattan's Roseland Ballroom in Times Square.

This year's Black Party DJs are Eddie Elias, Boris, and Junior Vasquez. View a special (NSFW) Black Party trailer here. Doors open at 10PM Saturday and the party runs "until Sunday afternoon." Advance tickets are $110 until the day of the event, then $125 at the door. Purchase advance tickets online here. Tickets are also available at five Manhattan retailers: Nasty Pig, 265-A West 19th Street; Wear Me Out, 353 West 47th Street, The Leather Man, 111 Christopher Street; Steel Gym, 146 West 23rd Street; and Screaming Mimi's, 382 Lafayette Street.

Enter to win two tickets to Black Party XXX by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to include an email address that you check frequently. If you cannot be in NYC on the day of the event, tickets are transferable to your favorite local leather man/boy/bear/cub. Entries close at midnight Wednesday, left coast time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

What If God Disappeared?

This clip seems appropriate today in light of my earlier post about the doubling number of non-religious Americans. It's also amusing to read the angry comments by atheists on YouTube who clearly didn't watch the clip long enough to get the satire.

(Tipped by JMG reader Jennifer)

Activism CAN Work

All those protests and rallies about the NYC gay men falsely arrested for prostitution at the city's adult bookstore have seen results. Duncan Osborne at Gay City News reports on the latest development:

Activists who met with Robert Morgenthau report that the district attorney said he would investigate the 2008 prostitution arrests of at least 30 gay and bisexual men in at least six Manhattan porn shops, and may dismiss the cases against five of the men who are contesting the charges. "The first thing Morgenthau said was, 'We are going to investigate all these cases,'" said Joey Nelson, coordinator for the Queer Justice League and a member of the Coalition to Stop the Arrests. "That was the first thing out of his mouth."

The March 6 meeting lasted roughly an hour, and included coalition members, elected officials or their representatives, community groups, and Leroy Frazer, the executive assistant district attorney for governmental affairs and community relations. "They were going to go back and start looking at all the individual cases," said Robert Pinter, also a coalition member and one of the men who was arrested last year. "They really seemed genuinely concerned that something wrong was happening here."

In addition to the investigation into NYPD's campaign, activists want the five men who plead guilty to have their pleas vacated, the charges dismissed, and then for the cases to be sealed.