Saturday, July 11, 2009

More Harassment Of Texas Gay Bars?

In what some patrons are describing as a continuing harassment of Texas gay bars, yesterday the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission closed the Dallas Eagle during its grand re-opening due to the presence of a minor. TABC agents had visited the club earlier in the evening and forced the suspension of sales because an inaccurate address on the liquor license. (The club had moved approximately 100 yards across a parking lot.) That issue was apparently resolved and the party continued. But after an undercover minor was served a drink, TABC agents returned in "ninja masks" and closed the club again. One person may have been arrested for "public intoxication," but that is not confirmed.

Two weeks ago the Rainbow Lounge in nearby Fort Worth was raided by the TABC and local police in an incident that resulted in charges of police brutality after a patron was hospitalized with a severe head injury. The Fort Worth police have since suspended working with the TABC pending an inquiry.

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Cuffed For A Kiss

On Thursday a Salt Lake City gay couple was briefly handcuffed and detained by police after sharing a kiss on a plaza owned by the Mormon Church.
"They targeted us," said Matt Aune, 28. "We weren't doing anything inappropriate or illegal, or anything most people would consider inappropriate for any other couple." Aune and his partner, Derek Jones, 25, were cited by Salt Lake City police for trespassing on the plaza, located at 50 East North Temple, according to Sgt. Robin Snyder. In a written statement, church spokeswoman Kim Farah denied the two were singled out for being gay. The church contends the couple was "asked to stop engaging in inappropriate behavior just as any other couple would have been. They became argumentative and used profanity and refused to leave the property. They were arrested and then given a citation for criminal trespass by SLPD."

Though Salt Lake City sold the property to the church in the late 1990s, it remains a popular pedestrian thoroughfare, and a site where couples often pose affectionately for photos. The Salt Lake Police Department on Friday denied a Salt Lake Tribune request for a full police report on the incident, citing Utah laws giving them five business days to respond to records requests. Snyder refused to name the reason security guards gave for alerting police, saying it is "irrelevant." "If a person is asked to leave private property for whatever reason and refuses to do so, that is technically trespassing," she said.
The kiss happened on a formerly public easement that was transferred to the Mormon Church in 2003, a transaction that one member of the gay couple says he protested at the time. He also admits "unleashing a flurry of profanities" upon the police during the incident.

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Auto-Tune The News #6

These just get better and better. Starring Rep. Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin.

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You've Already Seen Bruno

Last night my loyal companion Aaron accompanied me to the 7:40pm showing of Bruno at Times Square's AMC Empire 25, the nation's busiest movie theater. Folks who tend to call movies "films" like to trumpet their avoidance of the Empire due to its notoriously raucous minority teenage patrons, but I wanted to see the movie with exactly that audience.

Bruno was showing on five screens and our showing was sold out, but even arriving twenty minutes early we still had to take seats in the third row. As expected, the audience was overwhelmingly comprised of black, Latin, and Asian teens and young adults. Aaron guessed their average age to be in the low-20's.

So here's the thing. You've already seen Bruno, even if you haven't. There have been so many trailers, so many press stunts, so many alarmed and dismissive reviews - there was little in the film that Aaron and I weren't already well familiar with. And I'd say that held true for much of the audience, judging by how some of the earliest sketches were greeted with gleeful anticipation. But that high energy seemed to sink after the first reel. I can't say everybody else was as bored as we were, but judging by the increasing level of cell phone activity by the last quarter of the film, even the kids were grateful for Bruno's mercifully short 83 minute running time.

Was it funny? Meh. We laughed a couple of times, but most of Bruno features Sasha Baron Cohen's well-worn "cringe factor" style of interviewing in which you can find yourself, impossibly, feeling bad for his victims. Aaron buried his head on my shoulders during a couple of those scenes.

But the biggest question, "Is Bruno bad for the gay movement?"....well, I just don't know. There's lots to object to here; his relentless horniness, his vapid, rude personality, and the tiresome gerbil and dildo jokes. Was the audience at the Empire 25 enlightened about homophobia? Probably not. But will the movie exacerbate any distaste they have for gay people? Again, probably not. I think, I hope, that the reaction to Bruno we witnessed last night was just that of any audience that loves potty humor, embarrassed celebrities, and Jackass-style idiocy. The Punk'd generation, if you will.

After Bruno ended, I waited in a long line for the men's room and listened to the chatter. I didn't hear a single anti-gay comment - just some grousing about the fake boobs of the dominatrix and dismissive remarks about how obviously staged some of the scenes were. I'm sure the name "Bruno" will now become frat boy shorthand to describe an effeminate gay man. That's a given. (But that's better than "faggot," most might say.)

But really, Bruno is just dull. It's Cohen's one-joke schtick stretched painfully thin with a few "Oh no, he didn't!" moments to break up the tedium. The part I enjoyed the most was when the above-mentioned dominatrix gave Cohen a real whipping, raising visible welts across his torso. Does that make me homophobic? Cuz I just hated Bruno.

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Cops Catch One UES Serial Gay Basher

The NYPD has arrested a 19 year-old man who has admitted taking part in the recent spree of gay bashings in Manhattan's Upper East Side.
Driton Nicaj, 19, is accused of two alleged attacks on gay men - and allegedly admitted to police he was on the scene when a third man was assaulted. He was charged with robbery and aggravated harassment, both as hate crimes, said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Cops said Nicaj, an Albanian immigrant, was part of a roving pack of thugs who beat and robbed gay men over the last few weeks. "The investigation is going forward," Kelly said. "We're looking for other people involved in these assaults."

The first attack happened May 31 in Carl Schurz Park near Gracie Mansion when at least four other men surrounded two gay men and robbed them. The gang struck again June 27, accosting Boston resident Joseph Holladay at E. 81st St. just after 4 a.m. The 36-year-old victim was pistol-whipped and robbed of his wallet, glasses and a Movado watch, said NYPD chief spokesman Paul Browne. Nicaj admitted to witnessing Holladay's attack but claims he didn't participate, police said. The next day, Michael Doane, 40, was pummeled on Second Ave. near 84th St. A witness walking his dog saw two men kicking Doane in the head, Browne said. Doane, who lives on the Upper East Side, suffered two skull fractures and a broken nose and his iPod was stolen, Browne said. Nicaj, who was captured on security cameras, confessed to beating and robbing Doane, police said.
Nicaj has prior drunk driving and drug arrests in Pennsylvania. Police continue to seek his accomplices.

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Friday, July 10, 2009

Civil Rights Group May Boot Leader For Supporting Marriage Equality

The LA chapter head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Rev. Eric P. Lee, may be kicked out for supporting same-sex marriage. The SLCL was founded over 50 years ago by Martin Luther King, Jr. and is one of the most noted civil rights groups in American history.
Mr. Lee’s opposition to Proposition 8 “created tension in my life I had never experienced with black clergy,” he said. “But it was clear to me that any time you deny one group of people the same right that other groups have that is a clear violation of civil rights and I have to speak up on that.” In April, Mr. Lee attended a board meeting of the civil rights organization in Kansas City, Mo., and found himself once again in the minority position among his colleagues on the issue of same-sex marriage, but was told, he said, by the interim president of the civil rights organization, Byron Clay, that the group publicly had a neutral position on the issue. So a month later, Mr. Lee said, he was surprised to receive a call from the National Board of Directors summoning him immediately to Atlanta to explain why he had taken a position on the same-sex marriage issue without the authority of the national board. Explaining that he was unable to come to Atlanta on such short notice, Mr. Lee then received two letters from the organization’s lawyer, Dexter M. Wimbish, threatening him with suspension or removal as president of the Los Angeles chapter if he did not come soon to explain himself.
According to the above-linked story, it is unclear if the national board has the authority to remove chapter presidents.

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Obama Meets Ill Papa

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DOD To Ban Smoking?

The Pentagon is considering banning the use and sale of tobacco products for U.S. soldiers.
Pentagon health experts are urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ban the use of tobacco by troops and end its sale on military property, a change that could dramatically alter a culture intertwined with smoking. Jack Smith, head of the Pentagon's office of clinical and program policy, says he will recommend that Gates adopt proposals by a federal study that cites rising tobacco use and higher costs for the Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs as reasons for the ban. The study by the Institute of Medicine, requested by the VA and Pentagon, calls for a phased-in ban over a period of years, perhaps up to 20. "We'll certainly be taking that recommendation forward," Smith says. A tobacco ban would confront a military culture, the report says, in which "the image of the battle-weary soldier in fatigues and helmet, fighting for his country, has frequently included his lit cigarette." Also, the report said, troops worn out by repeated deployments often rely on cigarettes as a "stress reliever." The study found that tobacco use in the military increased after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began.
An estimated 37% of U.S. soldiers use tobacco and that number rises to more than 50% if the soldier has seen combat.

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Letterman On Bruno

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Christian Movie Site: Ban Bruno

Under the headline Stop ‘Brüno' From Molesting Children and Teens, Christian movie review site Movieguide says they are asking the government to suspend today's release of Bruno.
Movieguide® has sent a letter asking local government officials throughout the U.S. to consider stopping the screening of the controversial movie "Brüno" starring comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, Movieguide® Publisher Dr. Ted Baehr announced today. In the letter, Movieguide® asks officials to get an injunction against screening the movie on Friday until officials can look at the movie and determine whether it should be banned because it does not fit the "community standards" in their area, as defined by U.S. Supreme Court rulings on obscenity and pornography. "This movie has been cut to get an R rating," Dr. Baehr said, "but it still contains much pornographic, offensive content." Among the "pornographic" content in the movie, according to Movieguide® and Dr. Baehr, are "extremely graphic" sex scenes, including depicted intercourse, depicted homosexual sodomy, a depicted orgy, and depicted oral sex (including anal licking); explicit shots, including extensive close-ups, of full male and female nudity; and, "obscene" language about sex acts. "The movie also contains scenes mocking Jews, African Americans and Christian evangelicals," Dr. Baehr said.
Baehr's claims may actually help the movie as the reviews have been mixed at best. From David Rakoff's Slate piece, Why Bruno Is Bad For The Gays:
The film is cringily thin broth, even as many will view Baron Cohen's gay-face portrayal as a testament to his versatility as a performer. Such a performance by an out gay actor would have the opposite effect: It would be the final nail, confirming his essential uncastability. But no actual gay guy would ever have made this film. "Brüno" preaches a false emancipation. It's Jerry Lewis playing Steve Biko. A shot of Snoop Dogg, mere seconds long, rapping in the film's closing number -- which includes Bono and Elton John -- "He's gay. He's gay ..." He shrugs. "OK," does more to advance the cause than the previous, interminable 80 minutes.

If there is any comfort to take away from this it is that Baron Cohen exhibits a similar disconnect and misunderstanding about attitudes toward gay men as the government, since most polls show that Washington lags behind popular opinion when it comes to tolerance.

There will be those who will tell me to lighten up, and it's not like I don't want to. I really, really do. Brüno gets his anus bleached in the movie, whereas I don't know if there is Clorox enough in the world to make me clean again.

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Tonight In San Diego: Vigil For Murdered Gay Sailor August Provost

A candlelight vigil for murdered gay sailor August Provost will be held tonight at 7pm at 1300 N. Coast Hwy at Monterey Drive in Oceanside, CA near the Camp Pendleton base entrance. Facebook event page here.

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Two Men Charged With Hate Crime In Attack On Queens Transgender Woman

Two NYC men are under arrest and charged with a hate crime after throwing rocks and beer bottles at a transgender woman in Queens.
"I was being attacked because of who I am," said victim Carmella Etienne, 22. "I'm pretty traumatized." Nathaniel Mims, 25, and Rasheed Thomas, 22, allegedly screamed anti-gay slurs and threatened to cut the woman's throat Wednesday night in St. Albans. They face charges of assault as a hate crime, menacing and harassment. "I didn't know you could get locked up for calling somebody names," Thomas said after his arrest, according to prosecutors. "I called her a bunch of names. I called her a [expletive deleted], but she didn't see me throw anything." Etienne, hit in the leg, told cops she saw the men throwing things at her. "They were yelling homophobic slurs at me. They threatened to kill me. Chunky rocks and empty beer bottles they were throwing at me," said the aspiring fashion designer. "Don't ever walk that block anymore or we will slash your throat," one of the defendants said, according to cops. Etienne is now afraid to leave her home. "The law will hopefully put them to justice. I love being myself," she said.
Etienne was treated for a deep cut to her leg and has been released from the hospital. The men are being held on $5000 bail and face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. NYC has experienced a rash of assaults against LGBT people over the last few weeks.

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NYTimes Considers $5 Monthly Online Fee

The New York Times is considering taking its site to subscription only at a cost of $5/month. Print subscribers would get online access for only $2.50/month.
Times Co. is contemplating additional sources of revenue as marketers slow spending on the Internet. Ad sales at the publisher’s sites, also including about.com and boston.com, fell 8 percent and 3.5 percent in the first quarter and fourth quarter of 2008 respectively. They gained 6.5 percent last year. “The question here for consumers is the psychological barrier of now paying when you were getting it for free before, and you’re going to lose some readers as a result,” said Ken Doctor, an analyst at Outsell Inc. in Burlingame, California. “The New York Times will also have to evaluate what this means for ad rates as they lose readers.”
$5/month seems a fair price to me for a paper of the NYT's quality. You?

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Levis Johnston: Palin Left For The Money

Aspiring actor and model Levi Johnston says Palin quit to make more money and that he wouldn't vote for her again. Johnston's proposed stage name? Ricky Hollywood. SRSLY.

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The Bi$hop Want$ Ca$h

Washington DC began recognizing same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions on Tuesday after ruling that the issue could not be put to a public vote as it would violate its 1995 Human Rights Act. Undeterred by reality, Bishop Harry Jackson is asking for donations to register a ballot measure for the November election. From Christianist news site One News Now:
"The reality is we've got to start now. We need help from the grassroots. We need finance. We need volunteers coming in. We need people who are going to start the battle to collect the signatures at the end of the summer," he says. "So, all of that has to happen right now." Jackson would need the signatures of 21,000 registered DC voters -- approximately five percent of the voting public in the District -- to get the initiative on the November 2010 ballot.
A DC Superior Court and the city's Board of Elections and Ethics has already shot Jackson down. Does he really expect to miraculously get the issue on the ballot or is he just panhandling for donations? You know the answer.

UPDATE: The Washington Blade reports that DC may revoke Jackson's right to vote for fraudulently claiming he is a DC resident.
In a June 30 letter, the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics informed Rev. Harry Jackson that District residents Cary Silverman and Martin Moulton filed a challenge to his claim to be a city resident. The letter, written by Karen F. Brooks, the election board’s registrar of voters, says the board will revoke Jackson’s D.C. voter registration unless he responds to the challenge within 30 days by submitting evidence confirming that he lives in the city. “Please be advised that under D.C. Code 1-1001.14(a), an applicant violating applicable voter registration procedures shall be subjected to the same criminal sanctions for fraudulently attempting to register to vote that apply to all applicants,” Brooks stated in her letter to Jackson. Her letter was sent to an apartment at the Whitman Condominium at 910 M St., N.W., that Jackson declared as his residence when he registered to vote in D.C. on April 22, 2009. Sources familiar with the Whitman say Jackson informed the building’s management that he moved out of the building two weeks ago.
The apartment Jackson claims as his DC residence is owned by somebody else and cannot be legally rented under its condo association rules.

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Caption This

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At Yesterday's Capitol AIDS Protest

A YouTube commenter on this clip reports that all of the protesters from yesterday's needle exchange protest are now out of jail.

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Burris Won't Run In 2010

Blagojevich appointee Sen. Roland Burris says he won't run for his seat in 2010. Burris decision appears to have been based at least in part on the fact that he has not been able to raise money for an election campaign.
As of March 31st, reports CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris, Burris had raised only $845 and had $111,031 in campaign debt, according to FEC reports. Burris was appointed to Barack Obama's former Senate seat by Blagojevich, who was impeached in part on charges of offering the appointment in exchange for campaign contributions. Senate Democrats initially opposed the appointment because of the charges against Blagojevich but eventually seated Burris after he made assurances that he had not acted improperly in his discussions with the governor's office.
Who gave him $845?

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$100K To Sen. Ensign's Mistress

The family of GOP Sen. John "Defender Of Marriage" Ensign paid his mistress $96,000 out of the kindness of their hearts. Not as hush money. Totally not. Ensign's lawyer:
In April 2008, Senator John Ensign's parents each made gifts to Doug Hampton, Cindy Hampton, and two of their children in the form of a check totaling $96,000. Each gift was limited to $12,000. The payments were made as gifts, accepted as gifts and complied with tax rules governing gifts. After the Senator told his parents about the affair, his parents decided to make the gifts out of concern for the well-being of long-time family friends during a difficult time. The gifts are consistent with a pattern of generosity by the Ensign family to the Hamptons and others.

The cuckolded husband of Ensign's mistress released a handwritten letter from the Senator yesterday in which he plead for forgiveness for having used her "for his pleasure" and having sinned against God. Ensign has not addressed his having pilloried Clinton for adultery and having endorsed anti-gay marriage legislation...all while being a cheater himself.

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Maddow On The C Street House

A bunch of wingnut Congressmen all live in the same DC house owned by a secret Christian cult? Okaaaaaay.

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Ranked: Safest Cities For Drivers

Allstate has released their annual list of the safest cities for drivers. The ranking is based on the average number of years between collisions for a driver in that town. Unsurprisingly, smaller cities tend to dominate the top of the chart. The lower chart ranks the top ten safest cities with a population over one million. Phoenix is the safest town on that chart, but still comes as the 95th safest overall.

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Olbermann: The GOP Urban Dictionary

"Pulling a Palin." "Hiking the Appalachian trail." And more.

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Thursday, July 09, 2009

NY Sen. Thomas Duane: Forget About Marriage Equality For Now

The office of openly gay New York state Sen. Thomas Duane sends this message via email:
“The month long stalemate in the Senate has ended. I am pleased that the Democratic Conference remains, as they were elected to be, in the majority. It is now time for the Senate to get back to work. The June 8th coup was a painful and disturbing moment in the history of the Senate. Members’ emotions are raw, feelings are hurt and trust is lost. It will take time for these wounds to heal. As a result, I expect that the Senate this week will pass only time-sensitive, non-controversial legislation.”

“As disappointing as it is to admit, it is clear that this week is not the right moment for same-sex marriage legislation. Senators need some time and distance to regroup after this month’s partisan-charged and explosive atmosphere. Before June 8th, Senators from both sides of the aisle committed to me that they would vote for marriage equality. I still believe this to be the case. However, as I have said many times this session, I will not gamble when civil rights are at stake. If this means a short delay in order for marriage to become law it is well worth the wait.”

“I will not be put off for long. I am 100% committed to passing legislation crucial to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. Our safety and civil rights must be enshrined into law. During the weeks and months ahead the Senate will be called back to Albany to deal with a range of issues that are extremely important to me and that impact the lives of all New Yorkers. I will fight for and demand, with bipartisan support, that bills important to the LGBT community come to the floor for a vote – and pass. The June 8th coup may have delayed equality, but it will not stop it.”
And so it ends for now. Rallies, marches, vigils, action days, bus trips, protests, letter writing campaigns, digital activism...all brought to a fevered pitch within moments of a vote...only to be brought crashing down by asinine infighting among criminals, homophobes, Christianists, and idiots of every description. My first thought upon receipt of the above was for Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell, who will once again have to stand at that podium in Albany and defend his own marriage equality bill.

We WILL remember this come election time. OH YES, WE WILL.

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America's Top Drag Tupperware Lady

Love the accent!

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NY Sen. Pedro Espada: Triple Agent

Claiming to have a "handshake deal" to be named NY Senate majority leader, Sen. Pedro Espada told the NY Post today that he is flipping back to the Dem side of the aisle, once again giving the Democrats a 32-30 edge in the deadlocked chamber. How many "majority leaders" does that make for the NY Senate in the last two months? Three? Four? And will the Dems take him back anyway?
Several Democratic senators have repeatedly insisted they would not accept Espada's return to their Conference because of a series of allegations of improper or illegal activities that his political opponents have leveled against him. Espada has been described as an unpredictable ally by Republicans and Democrats and some of his statements in recent weeks, including his claim that as many as 20 Democrats were set to defect to the GOP, turned out to be false. The impact of Espada's decision on a new legal challenge brought by Senate Republicans to Paterson's appointment of Ravitch - which Attorney General Andrew Cuomo says is unconstitutional - could not be immediately determined.
Espada is under investigation for numerous ethical violations, including that he does not actually reside in his Bronx district, where neighbors report never seeing him in the building where he rents an apartment. Espada's primary residence appears to be in suburban Mamaroneck. The renegade Senator recently made a big show of displaying his clothes closet in the Bronx apartment as proof that he really lived there. Additionally, Espada has been fined over $60K for campaign finance violations and is under investigation for earmarking over $2M in state funds for health care centers that he co-founded. One of the organizations was created one week before Espada requested the funding.

But hey, Espada says he's for marriage equality, so it's all good as of today, right?

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Rockstar Energy Drink Disavows Michael Savage, Donates $100K To LGBT Causes

After threatening to sue gay blog site The Bilerico Project for publishing a story linking the company to the anti-gay rantings of its founder's father, radio blowhard Michael Savage, Rockstar Energy Drink has issued a statement disavowing Savage and pledging $100K to LGBT causes.
ROCKSTAR Energy Drink CEO Russell Weiner announced today that the beverage company will expand its LGBT corporate policies and make $100,000 in donations, shared among several prominent LGBT organizations. The donations represent a significant contribution given ROCKSTAR's relatively small staff of 120 employees. The contribution will be shared among the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), and The Trevor Project, and ROCKSTAR Energy Drink will also financially sponsor the National LGBT Bloggers Initiative. The donations and affirmation of LGBT-friendly corporate policies mark steps by ROCKSTAR to demonstrate support for the LGBT community.

"It has recently come to ROCKSTAR's attention that there might be a misconception about our company's policy and my personal support for LGBT rights," said Weiner. "We apologize for that misunderstanding, and want to make clear today that our company fully supports our LGBT employees and our LGBT customers. Some have erroneously associated our company with offensive language directed at LGBT people, specifically statements coming from Michael Savage, who is not and has never been a shareholder or officer of ROCKSTAR Energy Drink. On behalf of our company and directors, including myself and CFO Janet Weiner, I would like to take this opportunity to disavow any offensive statements directed toward LGBT people, including statements from Michael Savage. ROCKSTAR assures our customers and the general public that our brand will never be associated with any language that does not affirm the essential dignity of every person in our diverse national community."
Read the complete statement on The Bilerico Project.

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Carl Walker-Hoover's Mom Testifies Before Congress About Bullying

The mother of Carl Walker-Hoover, who took his own life at the age of 11 due to anti-gay bullying, testified before the House Education and Labor Committee yesterday in support of anti-bullying laws.

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26 AIDS Activists Arrested In Capitol Building's Rotunda Over Obama's Failure To Allow Needle Exchanges

Twenty-six AIDS activists were arrested in the Capitol Building's rotunda this morning in a protest over President Obama's refusal to lift a ban on needle exchanges, something he promised to do during his campaign.
By 10:45, police had arrested 11 men and 15 women. Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said they would all be charged with unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct, loud and boisterous. Schneider said the protesters bound themselves together with plastic chains. They then became “really noisy,” she added, and officers decided that they should be arrested. Those arrested are being transported to a processing facility at 67 K St. SW. The activists, who come from a coalition of groups, could be heard yelling “clean needles save lives” as they were being handcuffed. Eustacia Smith, a volunteer with Health Global Access Project, said Obama had made a “number of promises” on AIDS funding and so far had not delivered. Those arrested come from several groups, including Health GAP, Housing Works, DC Fights Back and ACT UP Philadelphia.
Upon his election, Obama's official website read: "The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users." But as late as May this year, White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said, "We have not removed the ban in our budget proposal because we want to work with Congress and the American public to build support for this change. We are committed to doing this as part of a National HIV/AIDS strategy and are confident that we can build support for these scientifically-based programs."

John Aravosis:
Let's see...

1. The candidate promised to lift the ban.
2. The Web site reaffirmed his commitment to lifting the ban.
3. The president now refuses to lift the ban.
4. The president actually affirmatively makes things worse by enforcing the ban.
5. The spokesman reiterates the president's support for lifting the ban, some day, once Congress gets around to it.

Sound familiar?
(Photo credit: Bill Clark/Roll Call)

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Letterman: Was It Something I Said?

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Once In A Lifetime, And We Missed It

Around this time yesterday it was 12:34:56 7/8/9.

Oh well, see you next century.

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India Supreme Court To Review Repeal Of Decriminalization Of Homosexuality

Last week the Dehli High Court issued a landmark ruling rolling back a colonial era law prohibiting homosexual sex in India. Yesterday the India Supreme Court said it will hear an objection to the law's repeal brought by....an astrologer.
In his petition, Sushil Kumar Kaushal said “even animals don’t indulge in such activities,” adding that allowing gay sex would help spread HIV/AIDS. The latest development indicated that despite a recent Delhi High Court ruling, gays in India still face a long battle to gain acceptance - social and legal - in this deeply conservative country where even heterosexual sex is talked about in hushed tones. “If such abnormality is permitted, then tomorrow people might seek permission for having sex with animals,” Kaushal said. Gays in India are shackled by a law known as Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which makes sex between people of the same gender punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The British colonial era law classifies gay sex as “against the order of nature.”
The Supreme Court will hear the astrologer's complaint on July 20th and has invited the Indian government and a gay rights group to speak as well. Their ruling will be binding nationwide.

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Texas: Kicked Out For A Kiss

A group of gay men were thrown out of an El Paso, Texas restaurant last week after a security guard objected to a kiss between two of the men. The cops were summoned and the ejected men were stunned when police told them they were liable for a citation as homosexual activity was illegal in Texas.
At about 12:30 a.m. on the morning of June 29, the five men were placing their order at the Chico's Tacos on Montwood when the two men made their public display of affection, sparking the ire of two contracted security guards at the restaurant, police and witnesses said. After the group sat down, the security guards told them "they didn't allow that faggot stuff to go on there," and made them leave, de Leon said. An officer arrived at the restaurant about an hour later, after police received five calls, including from the security guards and de Leon. The men were told to leave the restaurant and had anti-gay slurs directed at them while they waited for the police.

"I went up to the police officer to tell him what was going on and he didn't want to hear my side," de Leon said. "He wanted to hear the security guard's side first." The officer informed the group it was illegal for two men or two women to kiss in public, de Leon said. The five were told they could be cited for homosexual conduct - a charge the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in 2003 in Lawrence v. Texas. That same year, the city of El Paso passed an ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation by employees of the city and by businesses open to the public. El Paso Police Detective Carlos Carrillo said a more appropriate charge would probably be criminal trespass. "The security guard received a complaint from some of the customers there," Carrillo said. "Every business has the right to refuse service. They have the right to refuse service to whoever they don't want there. That's their prerogative."
The ACLU and a local civil rights group point out that if lewd behavior was the restaurant's complaint, that standard must apply equally to straight and gay patrons by El Paso law. Clearly the El Paso police are not up to speed and the gay men have grounds for a lawsuit.

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NY's New Lt. Gov: Former Head Of MTA

In the hope of breaking the deadlock in the NY state Senate, yesterday Gov. Paterson appointed former MTA chairman Richard Ravitch as Lt. Governor, the job Paterson held before the Eliot Spitzer scandal.
Paterson said he appointed Ravitch because the leadership void needed to be filled. He said state law did not prevent him from making the appointment. "Today I will appoint a lieutenant governor who will fill out the remainder of my term with me," Paterson said, adding that Ravitch won't seek a full term. The appointment of Ravitch, who once worked for Gov. Hugh Carey in the 1970s, however, may lead to litigation. Earlier this week Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said filling the vacant post would be unconstitutional. Ravitch is chairman of the Commission on Metropolitan Transportation Authority Financing, the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust’s Board of Trustees and the AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust’s Advisory Board.
The lieutenant governor can cast tie-breaking votes in the state Senate, but it may be a long time before Ravitch could do so, as the Senate GOP leadership has promised a lawsuit to block his appointment. Meanwhile, there hasn't been a peep about the marriage equality bill in weeks.

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The Cheat-Team Hotline

"What's our credo, gentlemen?" Lie, lie, lie. Stand next to your wife and cry.

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HomoQuotable - Peter Tatchell

"While the film scores plenty of laughs by mercilessly exposing dim-witted homophobes, Bruno's persona also embodies some really lazy, crude gay stereotypes. A sex-obsessed 'cockaholic,' he is a shallow bitchy queen who uses and abuses everyone around him. Not nice. On the plus side, ultra gay Bruno will make many bigoted straight people feel uncomfortable, which is a delicious prospect. But quite a few gay men watching this movie may also squirm with discomfort.

"Does Bruno reinforce or undermine homophobia? I am not sure. If Cohen's intention was to mock prejudice, this film doesn't always pull off the money shot. Compared to Borat, it is more hit and miss. The movie rolls back the boundaries, with its in-your-face raw portrayals of gay sexuality. Some might argue that this honesty and debunking of taboos is refreshing and ground-breaking. But do these no-holds-barred erotic depictions advance or reverse public acceptance of queer life?

"Surely no cinema can be so influential that it sways public opinion for or against prejudice? After all, it is only a film. Moreover, it is a comedy and was never intended to be taken seriously. Fair point. But although it may not create homophobia, perhaps it can reinforce and inflame it? Go see Bruno. You decide." - Noted British gay activist Peter Tatchell, speaking to Attitude Magazine.

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In Mid July

It's almost like I moved back to SF this summer. I needed a jacket to leave the house this morning. In July.

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Olson/Boies To LGBT Orgs: Get Lost

Two weeks ago I told you that Lambda Legal, the ACLU, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights had reversed course and decided that they did want to join in the Olson/Boies federal marriage lawsuit after all. But still smarting from the way LGBT organizations dissed their proposal, the foundation supporting the superstar lawyers says they're not interested.
But the newly formed political group funding the case, the American Foundation for Equal Rights, is opposing the request. The foundation scored a public relations coup when it persuaded the high-profile lawyers who squared off over the disputed 2000 presidential election to take on the lawsuit. In a letter to the legal groups sent Wednesday, board president Chad Griffin, a Los Angeles-based political consultant, said the show of solidarity was coming too late since the same groups originally criticized a federal civil rights claim as premature. "You have unrelentingly and unequivocally acted to undermine this case even before it was filed. Considering this, it is inconceivable that you would zealously and effectively litigate this case if you were successful in intervening," Griffin said. "Therefore, we will vigorously oppose any motion to intervene."
Dayum!

UPDATE: Larry Kramer weighs in via email to the above-named LGBT orgs.
i implore your three organizations, lambda legal of los angeles, national center for lesbian rights, and aclu lgbt project, to not interfere with the olson/boies case. you will only botch up what they are trying to achieve. you have thus far not achieved it on your own and with your own tactics, so why are you trying to kybosh someone who has come along with fresh new energy, ideas, and clout? you are only behaving in the worst possible bitchy way, the way gay groups can fall victim to when their feelings are hurt. keep your noses out of it, will you please? i beg of you. you should be cheering these guys from the sidelines and showering them with gratitude for coming along and trying to help us in our hugely enfeebled position, brought on in great part by our inability to work together effectively ourselves. you are only perpetuating this useless behavior.

larry kramer
(Via - Rex Wockner)

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Mount Rushbama

Greenpeace activists unfurled a massive banner of Barack Obama on Mount Rushmore yesterday, urging the president to speak out on global warming at the Group Of Eight summit in Italy.
The 65-foot by 35-foot banner — which read "America Honors Leaders, Not Politicians: Stop Global Warming" — was hung to the immediate right of Lincoln at about 10 a.m. local time, said Patty Rooney, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service's Midwest Regional Office. She said an undetermined number of people were taken into custody following the incident. Daniel Kessler, a spokesman for Greenpeace, said 11 people were detained, but it was not clear how many of them were Greenpeace employees. No injuries were reported. Park workers are trying to remove the banner, Rooney said, but strong winds have complicated the process. "It is not down yet," she said shortly before noon. She said park workers will assess damage to the 5,725-foot mountain once the banner is down.

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Marriage Equality Heats Up In PA

Pennsylvania state Sen. Daylin Leach spoke wonderfully in support of his marriage equality bill on Good Morning Philadelphia yesterday, where Redeem The Vote president Bill Devlin sputtered out the same old tired objections. Keep an eye on Leach, he does very well here.

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Mark Leno Works A Prop 8 Loophole

Working a loophole, openly gay California Assemblyman Mark Leno has introduced legislation to allow the recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages performed before the enactment of Prop 8. Couples married in other jurisdictions after Prop 8 would "receive all the rights and obligations opposite-sex California couples enjoy, with the exception of the designation of "marriage.""
The bill faces its first test today in the Assembly Judiciary Committee, which is dominated by Democrats. It already has generated opposition from two conservative groups, the California Catholic Conference and the Capitol Resource Institute. "This bill is a direct effort to undercut what the voters did on Nov. 5, 2008," Karen England, executive director of CRI, which defends "family-friendly policies" in California, said in an e-mail alert sent out Monday.

Leno called that a complete misreading of SB 54. All he's doing, he said Monday, is trying to put into state statutes the language of the California Supreme Court's May 26 ruling in Strauss v. Horton (pdf), 46 Cal.4th 364, which said Prop 8 isn't retroactive and that the only exception to equal protection for same-sex couples is the use of the word "marriage." "This is, in the strictest terms, merely codifying the Supreme Court decision," Leno said. "We don't interpret. We don't extrapolate. We don't extend. We just place in statute what the court said in the majority opinion." The California Supreme Court explicitly declined in Strauss to decide the fate of out-of-state marriages that were performed while same-sex marriage was legal in California, saying that the question was not properly before the court.
Ron Prentice of Protect Marriage is worried:
As if the Legislature doesn’t have enough issues to deal with given the chronic $26 billion state budget deficit, some legislators are advancing a new bill in Sacramento designed to rip a huge hole in Proposition 8 and further undercut traditional marriage in California. We need your help immediately to contact legislators and the Governor to oppose Senate Bill 54, which seeks to undermine Proposition 8, and further attempts to sneak this change by the people of California through a legislative maneuver known as the “gut and amend.”

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Lech Walesa: Madonna Is Committing A Satanic Provocation Against Poland

Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Polish president Lech Walesa plans to join a protest against Madonna's August concert in Warsaw, saying that she had dishonored his religion by posing as the Black Madonna of Czestochowa on the cover of a Polish magazine three years ago. Walesa is especially angry because the concert falls on a Catholic holiday important to Poles. From the Christianist news outlet LifeSiteNews.com:
"It's a satanic provocation" Walesa said at a press conference. Pointing to the icon of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa that he has been carrying pinned to his lapel for decades, Walesa said: "I carry this portrait on my chest, so it is understandable, that I am not glad about this concert taking place on the day of Her feast." "I am a man of faith and I would ask for such events not to happen on the day of such an important feast of my religion," Walesa said. He added that he would be willing to meet with the pop star to discuss a change of dates for the concert. "I have nothing against her personally, even though she has committed many provocations," Walesa observed. Krzysztof Zagozda of the Catholic group Unum Principum also shared his opinion about the 50-year-old singer's concert date: "It offends our religious faith. Besides that, Madonna's performances are anti-Christian."
Still pissing off Catholics after all these years! Protesters are planning a prayer crusade for the two weeks leading up to the show, presumably to ask the mythical Madonna to smite this earthly pretender.

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Rep. Patrick Murphy "Takes Point" On The Repeal Of DADT

Iraq war veteran Rep. Patrick Murphy says he is "taking the point" in Congress to repeal DADT.

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Morning View - James Farley Post Office

The James Farley Post Office was built in 1912 and is the main USPS location for NYC. Right now the future of the James Farley is in question, as long-standing plans to turn it into a new entrance and concourse for Penn Station have been put on hold due to the economic downturn. The plan is/was to build a new Madison Square Garden on the west side of the Farley and turn the post office into a grand above-ground train station to be called Moynihan Station, after the late U.S. senator from New York. (The current and fourth incarnation of Madison Square Garden sits across from the Farley atop the subterranean and spectacularly ugly Penn Station.) Barack Obama's federal stimulus plan may turn out to be the salvation of the original plan for the Farley. If you embiggen the photo you'll see that the "Future Home Of Moynihan Station" sign remains.

RELATED: Above the line of columns in this photo is the famous inscription: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." That line is derived from The Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus, in which it refers to the mail service of the Persian Empire. Contrary to popular opinion, the quote is not the official motto of the USPS, as it has none.

(Photo credit: Dr. Jeff)

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Open Thread Thursday

What languages do you speak? Do you continue to learn new ones?

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Wednesday, July 08, 2009

First, They Came For The Gays....

A "community activist" group in Milwaukee wants their police chief charged with a felony for committing adultery, something he has admitted.
A group of community activists met face-to-face with the Milwaukee district attorney, demanding criminal charges against the police chief for having an extramarital affair. While they appreciate the crime fighting success of Milwaukee's police chief, they say Ed Flynn's extramarital affair with Jessica McBride is criminal. "It's a felony act," said one activist." The chief has admitted to being in this affair and we think these issues need to be investigated." Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm says adultery, while a felony in Wisconsin, is not on his office's front burner. "This is not a crime that is prosecuted," said Chisholm. "And I know of no case that's been prosecuted by this office since I've been an assistant [district attorney]." A class one felony of adultery can bring three and a half years in prison.

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The Saga Of Marion & Donna

Washington City Paper has somehow obtained voicemails exchanged by defender of marriage and "moral politician" Marion Barry and not-his-wife Donna Watts-Brighthaupt. Over the weekend Barry was arrested for stalking Donna, although he told police that he "just didn't realize" that it was her car he was following through a city park. The most amusing of the voicemails reveals that Barry threw Donna out of their Denver hotel room for refusing to give him oral sex.

Sez Donna:
Why you saying he fuck me like you did?...Why you sayin’ he has my credit fucked up, and. you know. I think you telling your friends, sayin’ I want a man who fucked me up, fucked my credit up, got me to lose my house and she keep goin’ back to that man…You want me to think I’m crazy…All I’m trying to saying is I forgive. You put me out in Denver cause I wouldn’t suck your dick. You put me out in Denver! You made me have to fuck your ass up in the middle of a [unintelligible]. We were like fuckin’ Tina and Ike Turner. And I forgive. Alright you just wastin my damn time?...I can’t believe this….you always… you don’t think about other people’s time. You’re inconsiderate…
Barry is expected to battle DC's marriage equality legislation this fall, just as he joined the failed attempt to put the issue to a referendum last month.

(Tipped by JMG reader Daddy B)

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Daily Ungrumble

My sturdy digicam finally died this weekend, but I'm ungrumbling this because it was a great little tank-like machine that withstood over three years of disco fog, humid bike rides, rain-soaked leather fairs, and being dropped into the gutters of New York, Berlin, and San Francisco. (Also one toilet, but that's another story.) Feel free to offer suggestions for a replacement. I want something front-pocket small, durable enough to withstand my clumsiness, but inexpensive enough that I won't cry if I lose it. All of the latest digicams on the review sites right now say things like, "Great camera, except you can't..." or "Love it, only it doesn't..." That doesn't help.

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Pride Donation Rocks Canada's Feds

Canada's parliament is up in arms because of a CN $400K donation to Pride Toronto made from a fund designed to boost tourism. Members of the Saskatchewan Conservative Party (again!) are driving a call to discipline the MP who posed with drag queens in a check presentation ceremony.
Toronto's Pride Week may have seen its last cheque from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government after this year's $400,000 contribution provoked a backlash from within the ranks of MPs and Conservative supporters. And Tourism Minister Diane Ablonczy appears to have been disciplined for the controversy, losing her power to announce handouts from the $190 million Marquee Tourism Events Program, which gave money to the event. Brad Trost, a Saskatchewan Conservative MP, spoke out this week against federal support for Pride Week, arguing that the caucus and Harper's office were caught off guard by Ablonczy's announcement of support for the event. "The pro-life and the pro-family community should know and understand that the tourism funding money that went to the gay pride parade in Toronto was not government policy, was not supported by – I think it's safe to say by a large majority – of the MPs," Trost said in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com, a website founded by the Campaign Life organization.
Canada's wingnuts are clearly taking their cues from their anti-gay counterparts to the south. On the upside, the Canadian federal government gave CN $400K to support gay Pride. Can you imagine that happening in the U.S.?

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Maine's Haters: We've Got The Signatures

Stand For Marriage, the Maine group behind the petition drive to get a referendum on the November ballot to repeal same-sex marriage, says they have the required signatures.
Looking to overturn a bill signed by Governor John Baldacci in May approving same sex marriage, Stand For Marriage Maine announced today that they have collected more than the 55,087 signatures needed to place a People's Veto on the November ballot and are collecting additional signatures as insurance to meet the deadline to qualify the measure for the 2009 statewide election. "In just four weeks, we've gathered more than 55,000 signatures from Mainers who believe they, not the legislature and governor, should have the final say on the definition of marriage," said Marc Mutty, Chairman of the coalition. "There has been an extraordinary outpouring of support from voters across the state. This response gives us momentum that will lift us over the first hurdle of putting the issue before the people and, ultimately, carry us to victory in November." All signatures must be certified by the Secretary of State for validity. Once certified, the issue is cleared to appear on the November 2009 ballot.
Last month Stand For Marriage was caught lying to Mainers outside of post offices, claiming that their petition actually supported same-sex marriage. But deception by any means is legal in petition drives and the good gentle Christians behind the repeal merely shrugged and kept on lying for the Lord after they were caught.

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Hypocri$y Inc: Catholic Church Selling "Historic Prop 8 Desk" Of Suspended Priest

Father Geoff Farrow came out to his Fresno, California congregation in October last year in a sermon decrying Proposition 8. Predictably, his diocese promptly suspended him. But far be it for the Catholic Church to miss ANY opportunity to rake in some dough, even in the case of a "disgraced" priest, as they are now SELLING Father Geoff's office desk on eBay, billing the item as the "historic Prop. 8 desk of Father Geoff Farrow."

JMG reader Jeff, who is the administrator of the Facebook group "Supporters Of Father Geoff," warns: "Please be advised that Father Geoff is NOT involved in this. The desk is being auctioned by the Archbishop of Fresno that suspended him. Apparently they have NO problem in attempting to benefit from the harm they inflicted upon him."

Unbelievable.

UPDATE: Father Geoff has confirmed that item for sale is the desk he used at the St. Paul's Newman Center in Fresno. I'm trying to determine the identity of the eBay user who made the post. His eBay activity appears to date back to 1999, with dozens of "positive feedback" mentions.

UPDATE II: From Father Geoff Farrow's blog.
The ad on E-bay states that the proceeds will go to an unspecified charity. As far as I know, the desk and chair are the property of Saint Paul’s Newman Center in Fresno and, of course, ultimately of the Diocese of Fresno. If this were still the case then the sale of the desk and chair would have to be authorized by Deacon John Supino, the current administrator of St. Paul’s. In that case, I would deduce that the charity in question would be St. Paul’s; however, that information was not specifically stated in the E-bay ad.

All of this seems rather ironic, since the Diocese actively worked for the passage of Prop 8, which stripped same sex couples of marriage equality in California. The fact that they would now refer to the desk as the “historic Prop 8 desk of Father Geoff Farrow” seems disingenuous. I do not want someone to purchase these items under the mistaken belief that their funds will contribute to the ongoing struggle for full marriage equality.

I would suggest that anyone seriously interested in purchasing this desk/chair contact Deacon John Supino at St. Paul’s Newman Center in Fresno, CA. and ask him what the “charity” is which will benefit from the sale of these items.

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Mass AG Files Federal DOMA Suit

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley filed a lawsuit today challenging the federal government for denying equal benefits to the citizens of her state under DOMA.

In March, Coakley expressed strong support for GLAD's similar DOMA challenge, saying, "DOMA is a law that codifies discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Because of this law, individuals in same-sex marriages often pay more in federal income taxes, are not eligible for surviving spouse benefits from the Social Security Administration and, if they are employed by the federal government, cannot obtain healthcare coverage for their spouses."

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Batwoman Runs For Mayor Of DC

Billing herself as the nation's first openly lesbian Jewish superhero, a candidate named Batwoman has thrown her cowl into the DC mayoral race.
Today, I Batwoman, proudly announce my candidacy for mayor Washington, DC. I do so because I believe that we are in a monumental period in the history of our nation's capital that requires a different kind of leadership. We need a real hero for real equality. My father, my personal hero, instilled in me a commitment to community, family and service. Because of this and my love of DC, I am committed to making our city the most livable city on earth. I have spent a majority of my adult fighting against corruption and crime as a superhero. I now look to continue my service to the people of DC by working to reduce violent crime, ensure that all residents are able to see a doctor when ill and that every person is able to marry the person they love.
Batwoman faces a hard battle against popular incumbent Adrian Fenty, who also supports marriage equality, but who rarely wears a cape.

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No Paychecks For NY Senators

New York state Controller Thomas DiNapoli has come through on his promise to withhold the paychecks of our do-nothing state Senate.
Senators, can you spare a dime? Thirty-one days into their stalemate, do-nothing warring state senators are having their salaries withheld Wednesday - for the first time since the infamous June 8 Republican-led coup. State Controller Thomas DiNapoli last week ordered the biweekly paychecks of all 62 senators held until the Senate wraps up its fight. Wednesday is the first payday since the order. Payroll for 62 senators amounts to some $190,000 - or $3,049 per senator, every two weeks. "The controller didn't want to interject his office in what's an internal dispute, but he just felt he couldn't continue to process payroll as if everything was normal," DiNapoli spokesman Dennis Tompkins said.
DiNapoli has also refused to process over $1.5M in expense reports.

UPDATE: Gov. Paterson is asking for airtime on all NY stations at 5pm today, when he is expected to announce the appointment of a Lt. Governor is order to break the Senate deadlock. Paterson's plan is already meeting opposition.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo rejected the lieutenant-governor proposal Monday that was pitched by good-government groups, saying it would be unconstitutional. But even with Cuomo’s decision, Paterson said he would review the idea. The state has been without a lieutenant governor since Paterson left the position in March 2008 to succeed Eliot Spitzer, who resigned amid links to a prostitution sting.

Already, Republicans are warning Paterson that they would go to court to block him from naming a lieutenant governor. Cuomo, who is speculated to be interested in running for governor himself next year, and Republicans have argued that the state constitution doesn’t allow the governor to appoint a lieutenant governor when there is a vacancy. “I think it’s absolutely wrong,” Sen. Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said on Albany radio station Talk 1300-AM. Skelos added, “I just think this is another desperate and quite frankly sad stunt on the part of the governor to try to get attention and to try to show that he’s a leader.”

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Google To Launch Operating System

Last month Microsoft challenged Google with their own search engine, the (as of yet) little used Bing. Today Google fired back with the announcement of their own operating system.
Saying current operating systems were designed for a time when there was no World Wide Web, Google Inc. said Wednesday it will develop a new one based on its Chrome browser. The new operating system puts Google more squarely in competition with Microsoft Corp., which relies on its Windows operating system for more than half its revenue. "Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the Web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems," the Mountain View, Calif-based search giant said on its official blog.
Google says their OS will debut in late 2010 as an open-source system designed for netbooks, but will later widen the release to include desktops.

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The End Of Porn Plots

The NY Times takes note of the internet's effect on porn production as studios now mostly create three minute vignettes suitable for net viewing.
The pornographic movie industry has long had only a casual interest in plot and dialogue. But moviemakers are focusing even less on narrative arcs these days. Instead, they are filming more short scenes that can be easily uploaded to Web sites and sold in several-minute chunks. "On the Internet, the average attention span is three to five minutes," said Steven Hirsch, co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment. "We have to cater to that." Vivid, one of the most prominent pornography studios, makes 60 films a year. Three years ago, almost all of them were feature-length films with story lines. Today, more than half are a series of sex scenes, loosely connected by some thread - "vignettes" in the industry vernacular - that can be presented separately online. Other major studios are making similar shifts.

The industry's interest in scripted scenes has waxed and waned in recent decades because of changes in technology. In the early 1970s, movies with loose story lines, like "Deep Throat" and "Behind the Green Door," won a mainstream audience, and others tried to copy their success, selling plot-centric movies to couples watching at home with the VCR technology introduced in 1975. The falling cost of hand-held video cameras gave birth to a generation of pornographers with little interest in drama beyond a clichéd plot involving a pizza delivery boy, said Paul Fishbein, president of the AVN Media Network, an industry trade publication.
Same as it ever was. I remember when porn came on a Super-8 reel, was at most six minutes long, and had titles like Fuck Truck '74. Hey there's a guy in a truck! Fuck him! The end.

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