Broadway Stars To Provide Free NYC-DC Buses For National Equality March

Thanks to donations from its major stars, Broadway Impact is now offering free roundtrip bus transportation to the National Equality March.

Thanks to their generous sponsors including Sutton Foster, Gavin Creel, Audra McDonald, David Stone, Broadway.com, and many others, all the costs have been covered. Buses will depart NYC at 6:00am Sunday, October 11, and then you can request a departure time from D.C.–every two hours between 8:00pm and 4:00am. All you need to do is stop by Vlada Lounge (331 West 51st Street) to sign up between 6:00pm and 12:00am anytime between now and September 25 OR you can e-mail BroadwayImpact.com with you name, e-mail address, and cell phone number and wait for your confirmation. Visit BroadwayImpact.com for more information.

Serbia Cancels Belgrade Pride: We Can't Protect The Marchers From Violence

Backing down on their promise to protect marchers with thousands of riot police, the Serbian government has canceled Belgrade Pride, which was to occur this weekend for the first time since 2001.

Authorities have told organizers of the Pride Parade that the safety of its participants cannot be guaranteed and that, therefore, the event cannot be held. Organizers held an emergency press conference after a meeting with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, at which they were told that the risk of excessive attacks on the rally is too great for police to guarantee safety for everyone involved. Organizers of the Pride Parade stated that this does not mean that the event will be prohibited, rather that it may be relocated, because the risk of excessive attacks is very high, and the police might not be able to protect the participators at the agreed location—the plateau in front of the Philosophy Faculty. “It is not a prohibition de jure, but a prohibition de facto,” Organizational Committee official Dušan Kosanović said.

Minority organizations have stated that moving the rally to a different location is out of the question. Kosanović said that the recommendation to move the rally to Ušće, located on the mouth of the Sava River into the Danube, where many large concert events are held, is not acceptable. He said that according to the law on public gatherings, no rally has been scheduled to be held at that location, and therefore cannot be allowed. “The symbolism of this event everywhere in the world is to symbolically walk through the center of the city and show that we are equal citizens. We don’t want to walk on some field in Ušće, that would not be a Pride Parade,” organizational committee member Majda Puača said.

Belgrade Pride has issued a strong denouncement of the decision on their site.

In the last 48 hours the police in meetings with pride organizers refused all cooperation for the securing of the pride, applying further pressure to organizers to cancel. Police refused to take responsibility for maintaining public order during the event. Instead telling the Pride organizers that they would be held responsible for any public damage caused by the hooligans and fascist groups who have been organizing a violent response to Pride. In the past week the logistical plans of fascist groups for their violence towards pride participants have been published in Serbian media, these plans include calls for the lynching and beating LGBT people attending the pride. Serbia has laws against hate speech but at no point has there been any move on the part of authorities to prosecute, instead the official line has been that this is “a debate, an exchange of opinions.”

Ultra-right extremists celebrated.

The ultra-nationalist Serb Popular Movement 1389 hailed the cancellation of the march as "a great victory for normal Serbia." The group said it would be going ahead with its own demonstration planned at the philosophy faculty at 8:00 am (0600 GMT), three hours before the Gay Pride would have begun, for a "non-violent and non-deviant popular Serb rally." "In our city, infidels and Satanists will not pass," it added. Ultra-nationalist group, Nasi (Ours), warned that "European Union and American leaders who support (homosexuals) should know that as long as there are Orthodox Serbs there will be no homosexual parade in Serbia."

Several days ago soccer hooligans unveiled the banner below during a match. It was allowed to remain.(Via - Towleroad)

3.1415% Of Sailors Arrrr Butt Pi Rates

Today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Let the bad jokes fly. And since it's also Rosh Hashanah, points for the talking like a Jewish pirate. Happy New Yarrrrr.

Commence.

(This post appeared briefly yesterday because I misdated it.)

F That Chicken, The Remix

(Via - All The Excess)

Bruiser At Jersey City's Star Bar

I forgot to put up some photos after last week's debut of Bruiser, the new Sunday afternoon bear party at Jersey City's Star Bar, but this can serve as a reminder in case anybody's thinking of attending this weekend. Star Bar owner Wolf put on a great event and the little joint overflowed, with as many people outside on the sidewalk as in the bar, to the delight of the excellent Mexican street meat vendor parked ten feet from the door. Caution, that food is insanely hot. I gave Bruiser's DJ Damien Cote a bite of my sandwich, sending him sprinting to the nearest bodega for some milk. Star Bar is one block from the Grove Street PATH station, about a 15 minute ride from Manhattan. By the way, the Dugout/Ramrod was just purchased by the owners of Chelsea's Gym Bar, it's unknown what their plans for the space may be.

NY Sen. Ruben Diaz Blames Bloomberg For New York Not Having Marriage Equality

NY state Sen. Ruben Diaz has posted an opinion to local 24 hour news channel NY1 claiming that the only reason New York City doesn't have marriage equality is because of a 2005 appeal Mayor Bloomberg filed. And not because Diaz has relentlessly campaigned against same-sex marriage, including bringing 10,000 anti-gay Hispanic evangelicals to protest outside of Gov. Paterson's Manhattan office.

Broadway Friday

- Matthew Broderick will star in Kenneth Lonergan's new play The Starry Messenger, set to have its world premiere on October 24th at Theatre Row.

- The Broadway Cabaret Festival opens at Town Hall on October 16th with A Tribute To David Merrick, the producer who brought Gypsy, Oliver!, Hello Dolly! and 42nd Street to Broadway. Robert Cuccioli, Stephen Bogardus, Jim Caruso, and Carleton Carpenter are among the performers.

- Hipster alert: A musical based on the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, titled Beauty, is Broadway bound with the help of indie star Regina Spektor, who is collaborating on lyrics.

- An explosion of feathers: Spring will be a drag on Broadway, with the revival of La Cage Aux Folles set to open at the Longacre, followed shortly by Dame Edna's third stint on the Great White Way. Jerry Zaks will direct Dame Edna, whose show will be called It's All About Me.

- At Sunday's final Broadway performance of Avenue Q, producer Kevin McCullom took the stage with the surprise announcement that the show would be reopening a few blocks away at the New World Stages on October 9th.

- Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will release Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols For A Cure on October 24th, a two-disc set of traditional holiday songs performed by the casts of hit Broadway and Off Broadway shows. Pre-order your copy online here.

- And as reported here earlier this week, on Friday I upgraded my show queen card to Platinum Level.

80's Flashback

Edelweiss, Bring Me Edelweiss, 1988. Following the step-by-step instructions on how to create a pop smash as laid out in the KLF's book, The Manual, three Austrian men teamed up with vocalist Maria Mathis to make Bring Me Edelweiss, a manic combination of fiddles, accordions, rapping, pop samples, ABBA and Indeep lyrics, and most notably, yodeling. Ruck. Sack. RUCKSACK. The KLF's methodology worked perfectly - Bring Me Edelweiss went to #1 in 17 countries and reached #7 on the U.S. dance chart.

Ukraine Offers Guardianship Deal To Elton

Stung by international criticism of their denial of Elton John's request to adopt a baby he met in an orphanage, Ukraine officials are offering Elton a guardianship deal. And, it turns out, the baby does have a mother.

After being branded unsuitable to adopt by Ukrainian officials because of his age and sexuality, Elton John was given new hope yesterday that he could look after the baby boy who won his heart in a Ukrainian children's home. After originally saying the pop star was barred from becoming little Lev's legal guardian, the authorities there have come up with a compromise. The deal would allow Sir Elton to bring up the child in Britain with his partner David Furnish but also involve Lev's mother, who retains parental rights to him. t was unveiled by Ukraine Families Minister Yuri Pavlenko who had previously refused to contemplate the 14-month-old boy's adoption because the 62-year-old pop star was too old and in a same-sex relationship. Last night he said Sir Elton 'has the right and opportunity to invite the family of this boy to visit him, take them under his guardianship, and help him grow into a good person'. He stressed: 'I'd like to ask everyone be tolerant to the boy. This is not an orphan, the child has a mother and an elder brother and so he cannot be adopted by law.

Under the proposed terms, the baby's HIV+ mother would be allowed to visit him at Elton John's home in England.

At The Values Voters Summit

It was a cavalcade of bigotry on parade yesterday at the Focus On The Family's Values Voters Summit. First up, Maggie Gallagher describes being "extraordinarily moved" by Carrie Prejean's words at Miss USA, then Miss California Fake Tits herself takes the podium to tell the audience that God himself was speaking through her.

Photo Of The Day

(Via- Dan Savage)

National Equality March Travel Deals

Equality Across America has posted a lengthy list of ways to get to Washington DC for the National Equality March, including discounted air, rail, and bus deals, couch surfing and free housing info, and rideshare programs. There's even a list of RV parks nearby in Maryland and Virginia, for you Winnebagoans.

The LGBT Youth Homelessness Epidemic

Today the Indypendent published a heartbreaking story about the epidemic of LGBT homeless youth on the streets of NYC, where every night hundreds of gay children hustle for money, drugs, or just a warm place to sleep.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 575,000 to 1.6 million homeless and runaway youth are living on the streets from New York City to Los Angeles. Of these, between 20 and 40 percent are LGBT , according to the 2007 seminal study, “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth: An Epidemic of Homelessness” by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF). The study highlights a particularly dismal fact: Given that between 3 percent and 5 percent of the U.S. population identifies as lesbian, gay or bisexual, it is clear that LGBT youth experience homelessness at a hugely disproportionate rate. LGBT youth homelessness is a hidden reality of 21st-century America. The stories of despair, high HIV rates and street murders continue to be under-reported and unaddressed.

Read the gripping story by Jimmy Tobias as he visits the streets, the piers, and the city's overwhelmed LGBT youth homeless shelters. Tobias also talks to the Ali Forney Center's Carl Siciliano, who delivers this quote: "I don’t think there are 200 beds in the country for gay youth. If there are more than 1,000 gay youth on the streets in New York, there has got to be at least 20,000 in the country. And that is a conservative estimate. So 200 beds for 20,000 kids? Obviously we are not stepping up to the plate."

Nancy Pelosi Recalls Harvey Milk, Warns Current Climate Could Lead To Repeat

On San Francisco's Treasure Island for an event dedicating a building to Harvey Milk, yesterday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi choked up while recalling Milk's assassination. Pelosi referred to today's political climate, warning that government protesters had to "take responsibility" for their actions. Earlier this week Pelosi had expressed concern for the safety of President Obama.

Pelosi, responding to a question about whether anti-government rhetoric posed a threat of domestic violence, said that protesters on all sides had the right to voice their opposition to legislative proposals in a heated fashion. But then Pelosi -- whose weekly press conferences are legendary for their highly scripted nature and her rote recitation of Democratic message points -- paused and took a deep breath as she recounted the tone of some protests in her hometown. "I saw this myself in the late '70s in San Francisco," she said, a reference to the antigay laws and protests as that city became the flashpoint of the civil rights movement for gays and lesbians. "It created an environment in which violence took place."

Tenthers: Throw Off The Shackles Of The Federal Goverment

Some outfit called the Tenth Amendment Center used the occasion of Constitution Day yesterday to urge Americans to encourage their states to "opt-out of the shackles of the federal government." They demand that candidates in the 2010 election sign on to their "10-4 pledge to return sovereignty to the states." The last line of this clip: "The federal government is as worthless as it is dangerous." The tenthers are behind much of the secessionist movement we've seen in states such as Texas, Montana, and Idaho.

NYC Fox Host Apologizes For F-Bomb

NYC Fox News anchor Ernie Anastos apologized last night for his Wednesday night gaffe, in which he told weatherman Nick Gregory "keep on fucking that chicken." Fox 5's general manager issued a statement expressing disappointment with Anastos, but did not mention firing or disciplining him. The NY Daily News polled its readers online, asking what, if anything, should be done to Anastos. Over 40% said he should be praised for "making the news interesting."

Tomorrow: Rally At Atlanta City Hall To Protest Police Harassment At Eagle Raid

At noon tomorrow, Saturday, a massive rally is planned for Atlanta's City Hall in protest of police actions during the raid of the Atlanta Eagle last week. From GLBT/ATL:

GLBTATL, made up of members of Atlanta's LGBT community, and our allies are highly concerned with the Atlanta Police Department in their handling of the police action against the Atlanta Eagle bar on September 10, 2009. We believe that no person, regardless of sexual orientation, race, or other aspect, should be treated in the manners alleged in the official complaints. We are further disappointed in the sluggish response from the Atlanta City Council, and particularly with the abject silence of Mayor Shirley Franklin. We join with other local and national groups in calling for an immediate, transparent investigation into the events. Should the allegations of improper police conduct prove true, the offending parties should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. As community leaders, we want it to be understood that our trust in the protection and dedication of Atlanta Police Department officers has been violated.

No community should live in fear of its protectors in law enforcement, whether in Fort Worth, TX (where a similar raid occurred in June at that city's "Rainbow Lounge"), Atlanta, or anywhere in America. As Atlantans, as Americans, and as humans, we demand respect, fairness, and common sense from our law enforcement and our government. We recognize that this issue represents a gross violation of the civil rights, and likely violation of United States Constitution-conferred rights, of Atlanta's citizens. Though as activists we may represent Atlanta's gay community, these events are a pandemic issue of violation of civil, and basic human, rights.

Facebook action page here. JMG readers attending the rally, please send me any photos and video you take for immediate posting here.

Is Your Hair Gay?

The Guardian UK has picked up on a 2004 study into how hair whorls on men may predict sexual orientation. Old news, to be sure, but still fascinating. It seems that about four times as many gay men have a counter-clockwise whorl as the general public. (I'm sure a lot of British moms ran to check their boys' heads after this story appeared.) I'd love to be able to tell you my own whorlientation. But, you know.

EU Condemns Lithuania's Anti-Gay Law

Yesterday the European Union approved a resolution condemning Lithuania's new outlawing of any mention of homosexuality in public schools or media "accessible by young people."

The law, titled 'Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information', includes "the propaganda of homosexuality [or] bisexuality" as a detrimental factor on young people. It has been compared to Section 28, the law which prohibited discussion of homosexuality in UK schools. In June, President Adamkus vetoed the law, but parliament has the power to override him and did so on July 14th with a vote of 87-6. It is expected the law will come into force on March 1st 2010. Gay rights campaigners said it would lead to increased homophobic bulling and discrimination against gay people. They also raised concerns that LGBT young people would not be able to access the information they need.

Lithuania became a member of the European Union in 2004 and according to yesterday's resolution is "now in breach of EU and international treaties and anti-discrimination texts." It's unclear what action the EU may take against Lithuania, if any.

DKos Poll: Maine Poised To Lose Marriage Equality 48-46

The highly awaited Maine marriage poll conducted by Daily Kos/Research 2000 has just been released and it is ominous. Results show that if the voting were done today, Maine would lose marriage equality 48-46.
There is a bit of confusion in the poll's wording, as is so often the case. A "no" vote meant you DO want gays to be able to marry.

Out Lesbian Becomes Tampa's Top Cop

Out lesbian Jane Castor has become the chief of police in Tampa, Florida.

There are nine female police chiefs in Florida, including Pinellas Park Chief Dorene Thomas, according to the Florida Police Chiefs Association. Nationwide, about 300 out of 18,000 police chiefs are women, according to women-in-policing expert Dorothy Schulz of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Castor's promotion had added significance for another reason. Openly gay, she has served for more than six years as a liaison to Tampa's gay and lesbian community. Brian Winfield, spokesman for Equality Florida, said it was that communication that eventually helped police identify Steven Lorenzo of Seminole Heights as a suspect in the 2003 murders of two gay men. "We think it's incredible," Winfield said. "She's been instrumental in building a bridge of communication, and she's built a trust that is exceptional and unfortunately rare in the rest of the state."

Castor: "The significance of being the first female is certainly not lost on me. Frankly, I'd rather be known as a good chief than the first female."

Rep. Tammy Baldwin's Message To Gays On Health Care Reform

Openly lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) urges LGBT Americans to support President Obama's health care reform bill, speaking about the fact that gays tend to be less insured than the general public, often because they cannot get spousal or family insurance through their employers.

$10M Judgment For Teen Who Lost Insurance After He Tested HIV+

A 17 year-old South Carolina boy has been awarded $10M after his insurance company dropped him because he tested HIV positive.

South Carolina’s supreme court has ordered Fortis Insurance to cough up $10 million for wrongly revoking coverage of a 17-year-old college student after he tested positive for HIV. It is the most an insurance company has ever been ordered to pay in a case involving the practice of rescission -- when an insurance company retroactively cancels coverage based on alleged misstatements, often right after diagnoses of life-threatening diseases. Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal called the 2002 decision by Fortis Insurance “reprehensible.”

The student tested positive after donating blood. The insurance company decided that he knew about his status before he applied for coverage. Not that that should matter.

Bloomberg & Matt Damon

I was half-expecting something like this.

Quote Of The Day - Michele Bachmann

"President Obama said we can't eat as much food as we want and think the rest of the world will be okay about that -- as if that matters to freedom-loving Americans. Well, we just heard last week that the Federal Government now under the Obama administration is calling for a re-ordering of America's food supply. What's that going to mean? Now will the White House decide how many calories we consume, or what types of food we consume?" - Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN).

O'Reilly: Christian Children Should Be Allowed To Bully Gay Kids

Bill O'Reilly: "If you are a religious person, you don't want someone telling your child it's OK to be gay." O'Reilly and his co-host object to a one-day anti-bullying class being taught in Oakland, California schools. Parents are not allowed to have their children opt-out of the class and even though the class is only conducted once a year, Christians are up in arms. Surprise!

Yard Signs

(Via - Slog)

Maine: Take A Volunteer Vacation To Protect Marriage Equality

No On 1/Protect Maine Marriage invites you take a volunteer vacation.

How It Works
During the month leading up to the election, the campaign will be hosting a team of highly motivated volunteers to serve as full-time, volunteer campaign staff. In Maine voters begin casting their ballots in October, so we’re planning the Volunteer Vacation to run during the entire month of October. There are several shifts to choose from, each lasting one week (although you’re welcome to stay longer):

• WEEK #1: Sun, Oct 4 – Sun, Oct 11 (Arrive Sat, Oct 3. Orientation Sun, Oct 4. Depart Sun, Oct 11)
• WEEK #2: Sun, Oct 11 – Sun, Oct 18 (Arrive Sat, Oct 10. Orientation Sun, Oct 11. Depart Sun, Oct 18)
• WEEK #3: Sun, Oct 18 – Sun, Oct 25 (Arrive Sat, Oct 17. Orientation Sun, Oct 18. Depart Sun, Oct 25)
• WEEK #4: Sun, Oct 25 – Wednesday, Nov 4 (Arrive Sat, Oct 24. Orientation Sun, Oct 25. Depart Sun, Nov 1)

When you arrive, you will receive a full orientation and will be assigned to a team, where you will be trained on various aspects of the campaign.

Caption This

(Via - Twitter user Luc Latulippe)

80's Flashback

Baltimora, Tarzan Boy, 1985. Baltimora was a six-man band from Italy fronted by Irish citizen Jimmy McShane, whom many wrongly believed was the entire act. McShane was not a musician or singer and was selected for band based on his flamboyant appearance and dancing abilities. In the video for Tarzan Boy, McShane is lip-syncing the vocals of Baltimora's Maurizio Bassi. Tarzan Boy was a global smash, hitting the top ten in most of Europe and reaching #13 in the U.S. Subsequent singles, some of which were written by McShane, were less successful, hence Baltimora is often found near the top of lists of one-hit wonders. The group disbanded in 1987. Jimmy McShane died of AIDS in 1995, two years after Tarzan Boy had recharted in the U.S. due to its usage in a Listerine commercial.

Pro Wrestling's Linda McMahon To Run For Senate Against Chris Dodd (D-CT)

WWE CEO Linda McMahon, wife of pro-wrestling mogul Vince McMahon, has announced her candidacy to unseat Sen. Chris Dodd in Connecticut.

McMahon, who is 60 and lives in Greenwich, is joining an increasingly crowded Republican field hoping to oust the man many perceive as the Senate's weakest incumbent, Connecticut Democrat Christopher J. Dodd. "I have spent the past 30 years growing what began as a 13-employee small business into a publicly traded, global entertainment company that now provides over 500 jobs here in Connecticut,'' McMahon said in a statement Tuesday. "I understand what it takes to balance a budget, create jobs and grow the economy. Washington is out of control, and sadly, Sen. Chris Dodd has lost his way and our trust. I can't sit by on the sidelines anymore knowing that I have both the experience and the strength to stand up to special interests and bring badly needed change to Washington."

Blah, blah, blah. And laugh if you will, but remember Jesse Ventura. Linda, who last year gave an address at the Republican convention, has frequently appeared in the ring at WWE events, which is sure to provide ample fodder for her opponents. Here's a three-second sample.

Glennda Testone Named Executive Director Of NYC LGBT Community Center

After a 22 year career, Richard Burns stepped down as executive director of the NYC LGBT Community Center eight months ago. Longtime LGBT and women's activist Glennda Testone has been named to replace him, making her the first woman to take the post.

“At a time when the opportunities and challenges faced by our community are limitless, the Center is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of LGBT people,” said Testone. “I am honored and excited to lead the Center in providing the kind of thriving, nurturing community that we all want to come home to. It is an ambitious goal, but my commitment to serving the LGBT community, the passion of the people involved and the possibilities for this institution are also limitless.”

NYC's LGBT Center is visited by 8000 people weekly and hosts over 300 community groups. It is the second-largest LGBT center in the world.

See What You Just Did?

Food Emporium, Wednesday, 8PM, UES

6 Year-Old Girl: I hate this place! Why do we have to come here!

Dad: How do you think all that food gets to our kitchen? Magic?

6 Year-Old Girl: Well, I'm gonna wish that every night everybody's kitchen fills up with food so nobody has to ever come here ever ever ever again!

Dad: OK. And then there won't be any more farms, or any more cows or sheep or chickens, and all the people in all the grocery stores in all of the world won't have any place to work and they'll all die. See what you just did?

Dancing With The Czars

The DNC responds to Glenn Beck's ranting about Obama's czars by pointing out that Dubya actually had several more than the current administration. Don't expect Beck to ever acknowledge that, of course.

HomoQuotable - Toni Broaddus

"Dear Cleve, We don't really know each other, but I've always respected your work, especially as a leader working on HIV and AIDS issues. And I know that hundreds of thousands of LGBT people still look up to you, especially since your early days of activism have been immortalized on the big screen. But over the past year, I've become increasingly disillusioned by your comments in the press about the work of our movement in the states. You have repeatedly said that 'the state strategy is a failed strategy.' Cleve, nothing could be farther from the truth.

"Over the past three decades, our movement has passed hundreds of laws at the state and local level. By way of contrast, we have been unable to pass any laws at the federal level that would prohibit discrimination against LGBT people, let alone bring us closer to equality. Cleve, it is a fact that the only success our movement has had in securing equal rights for LGBT people to date is at the state level, even as most of our movement's resources have been focused on the national level. Your claim of a failed state strategy simply is not supported by reality. Without our work to achieve equality in the states, LGBT people in this country would have no rights at all." - Equality Foundation executive director Toni Broaddus, in an open letter written to National Equality March founder Cleve Jones, just published on The Bilerico Project.

Read Broaddus' entire letter. She takes great exception to Jones' dismissal of local and state activism as less effective than working for equality at the federal level.

NYC Fox Anchor Drops Live F-Bomb

What the hell does "keep on fucking that chicken" MEAN, anyway?

Same-Sex Pair Auditions Well On So You Think You Can Dance

You may recall that the last time a same-sex couple auditioned on So You Think You Can Dance, judge Nigel Lythgoe told them they "would alienate the audience" and "I like to see guys be guys and girls be girls on stage." Lythgoe's comments were condemned by GLAAD and he eventually issued an apology. Properly cowed, last night Lythgoe was much kinder to another same-sex pair, who performed much better than the ones that had caused the earlier flap, bringing the female judges to tears.

Serbia To Try Gay Pride Again, Extremists Promise Violence

Serbia's last gay Pride event was in 2001, when extremists attacked participants with stones and rioted around a student center where gays had taken refuge. Subsequent attempts to restage a parade failed. But this weekend, Belgrade will try again. Orthodox Bishop Amfilohije has already warned Serbians that the event will be a "parade of shame" adding that "gay and lesbian leads to death and suicide." Skinheads and ultra-right groups promise a repeat of 2001.

Mladen Obradovic, from the ultranationalist group Obraz, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that "we will not allow this devious gathering to take place." "We are waiting for them," Obradovic said. Politika and Vecernje Novosti dailies reported that hundreds of extremists and soccer fans from Serbia and Serb areas in Bosnia are planning to attack the gay pride activists and police with Molotov cocktails and rocks. Police chief Ivica Dacic said police will secure the gathering and try to prevent the violence. He said the gay pride march is "the highest security-risk event in Serbia in a long while." Amnesty International said authorities "must condemn publicly all attacks on and threats to human rights activists, and provide protection and support during the forthcoming Belgrade Pride," the group said.

Thousands of riot police will be on hand to protect the marchers. Cross your fingers.

Still Just A Bill

Judge Threatens Birther Loon Orly Taitz For "Frivolous Lawsuit"

Not only did he toss out wild wig-woman Orly Taitz's lawsuit demanding that Barack Obama issue his birth certificate, a federal judge threatened her with sanctions if she tried again. Taitz's suit was filed on behalf of Army Capt. Connie Rhodes, who says since Obama is not her legitimate commander in chief, she didn't have to deploy to Iraq. She is the second military officer to make such a claim. The judge's slam:

Plaintiff’s counsel, who champions herself as a defender of liberty and freedom, seeks to use the power of the judiciary to compel a citizen, albeit the President of the United States, to “prove his innocence” to “charges” that are based upon conjecture and speculation. Any middle school civics student would readily recognize the irony of abandoning fundamental principles upon which our Country was founded in order to purportedly “protect and preserve” those very principles ....Plaintiff’s complaint is not plausible on its face. To the extent that it alleges any “facts,” the Complaint does not connect those facts to any actual violation of Plaintiff’s individual constitutional rights. Unlike in Alice in Wonderland, simply saying something is so does not make it so.

Taitz says that the judge's threat doesn't concern her and she's willing to go all Nelson Mandela for her cause. "Listen, Nelson Mandela stayed in prison for years in order to get to the truth and justice." She also says the judge "disrespected the Constitution" and should be tried for treason with Obama. World Net Daily will doubtlessly be canonizing her for her bravery today.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/16/connie-rhodes-birther-cha_n_288814.html

Olbermann Vs. Racist Wingnuts

Keith Olbermann ticks off the last year of anti-Obama racism. Required viewing.

NEM Support In Denmark

Supportive Danes will rally at the American embassy in Copenhagen as LGBT Americans gather in Washington, DC for the National Equality March.

From their Facebook group page:

Host: Brandon Mayo
Type: Causes - Rally
Network: Global
Date: Sunday, October 11, 2009
Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: American Embassy
Street: Dag Hammarskjölds Allé 24
City/Town: Copenhagen, Denmark
Email: BrandonMayo@gmail.com

Mange tak, Denmark!

Blowoff Three-Way Giveaway

Head over to Bearotic where they are giving away tickets to the next three Blowoff parties, including tomorrow night's beer-soaked bacchanal at the Highline Ballroom in NYC, and followed by Saturday's party in DC and next week's in SF.

Here's the schedule for the rest of the month:

New York — Friday, September 18th, 2009
11:30PM - 4AM @ Highline Ballroom 431 W16th ST, NYC
Washington DC — Saturday September 19th, 2009
11:30PM - 3:30AM @ 9:30 Club 815 V ST NW, WDC
San Francisco — Saturday, September 26th, 2009
10PM - 2AM @ Slim’s 333 11th ST, San Francisco.

Backlash Against Jimmy Carter Begins

Fox is lashing back at Jimmy Carter for saying that much of the criticism of Obama is borne of racism. Laura Ingraham: "There's nothing worse than a self-loathing Southerner." Nothing, Laura?

Open Thread Thursday

Puff The Magic Dragon, as noted in the previous post, always makes me cry. I can't explain it and I can't control it. What songs have that effect on you? Some others for me are below. A couple of them are instrumentals, but a lot of late 90's trance was just so damn melancholy.

Pet Shop Boys - Being Boring
Voyage - Souvenirs
Chicane - Halcyon (the second half)
Gouryella - Gouryella
Madagascar - You're Beautiful

Folk Star Mary Travers Dead At 72

The celebrity death toll of 2009 continues to gain speed. Mary Travers of the famed 1960's folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary has died at the age of 72.

The band's publicist, Heather Lylis, says Travers died at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut on Wednesday. She was 72 and had battled leukemia for several years. Travers joined forces with Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey in the early 1960s. The trio mingled their music with liberal politics, both onstage and off. Their version of "If I Had a Hammer" became an anthem for racial equality. Other hits included "Lemon Tree," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff (The Magic Dragon.)" They were early champions of Bob Dylan and performed his "Blowin' in the Wind" at the August 1963 March on Washington. And they were vehement in their opposition to the Vietnam War, managing to stay true to their liberal beliefs while creating music that resonated in the American mainstream. The group collected five Grammy Awards for their three-part harmony on enduring songs like "Leaving on a Jet Plane," "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" and "Blowin' in the Wind." At one point in 1963, three of their albums were in the top six Billboard best-selling LPs as they became the biggest stars of the folk revival movement.

The band always denied that their most famous song, Puff The Magic Dragon, was about marijuana, as popular legend had it. All I know is it used to make me tear up when I was little. Still does. My green scales are falling like rain tonight.

Laugh-In Star Henry Gibson, 73

Henry Gibson, one of the standout ensemble members of the late 60's counter-culture comedy show Laugh-In, has died at age 73.

Actor Henry Gibson, who played roles ranging from loopy poets to vengeful Illinois Nazis and cranky judges during a 40-year film and television career, has died at age 73, his representatives said Wednesday. Gibson was a regular on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In," where he was known for popping up to read short, humorous poems during the show's 1968-71 run. He was a frequent guest star on television shows from the 1970s through the mid-2000s, with a recurring role as a judge on ABC's "Boston Legal" as late as 2008. His movie roles included turns in two of director Robert Altman's 1970s films, "Nashville" and "The Long Goodbye," and as the neo-Nazi leader pursuing John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd in "The Blues Brothers."

My father used to do an impression of Henry Gibson's poet character on Laugh-In. It totally killed.

The Bullfrog by Henry Gibson

The bullfrog is my pal true blue.
He don't smoke or drink or chew.
His only hang-up is he sniffs glue.
If I was a bullfrog I would too.

The New Redneck Anthem

Cletus and Maybelle Hillbilly of Slack Jaw, West Virginia give us their musical opinion on same-sex marriage. You just have to laugh. Note the Sarah Palin lookalike playing the teacher. Here's their site. (Warning: autoplay nincompoopery.)

80's Flashback

Man 2 Man Meets Man Parrish, Male Stripper, 1986. Brothers Miki and Paul Zone, formerly of the '70s queercore innovators The Fast (who were known as "the male Plasmatics"), teamed up with NYC's electro pioneer Man Parrish to create this homage to gay strippers, taking it all the way to #4 on the British singles chart and even performing it on Top Of The Pops. While not a radio hit stateside, the deliciously silly Male Stripper was quite popular here in gay clubs and video bars and many now consider it an Italo/Hi-NRG classic. Built like a truck, I pump for a buck, in hot cop drag, or leatherman stag. Sadly, Miki Zone died in NYC on New Year's Eve, 1986, just before the re-release of Male Stripper exploded in Europe.

George Takei & Husband To Be First Gay Couple On The Newlywed Game

Star Trek's George Takei and his husband Brad Altman will be the first gay couple to appear as contestants on The Newlywed Game. I had forgotten the show was back in production, but with Takei's famous sense of humor, it'll be worth it to tune for his answer to the show's classic question, "Where's the most unusual place you and your spouse have made whoopie?"

You may recall the flap from last year when it was learned that the Newlywed Game's producers had issued a requirement that all contestants be in a marriage "defined as legal in all 50 states." So much for that. Good. At the time, I groused, "I can't imagine any self-respecting queer couple wanting to go on The Newlywed Game, but then again I didn't use to think that people would eat worms for money on TV." Guess I have to eat worms on that.

Atlanta Eagle Raid: Complaints Charge Cops With Harassment, Verbal Abuse

The Southern Voice has published some of the complaints filed with the Atlanta police after their raid of the Eagle nightclub, during which many patrons were forced to lie face-down and handcuffed on a filthy floor. According to the complaints, police officers made racist and homophobic comments during the raid.

• One man said officers grabbed patrons who didn't immediately lie down by the neck and forced them to the ground. The man said he was kicked in the ribs while lying down. "Then I heard laughing and giggling and saying this is more fun than raiding ni**ers with crack. They also told us to shut the fuck up unless we were spoken too [sic]." The man said he heard one person told that if he spoke again he would be hit by a chair. He also reported that one officer "said to everyone in general that all you all do is flash your asses and show your cocks."
• An Eagle employee said he did not know what he was charged with until he got to jail. "A lot of officers were laughing and high-fiving each other, and I heard one officer say I thought this was a sex club."
• Another patron described listening to officers chat about their cell phone plans as he lay on the ground. "I was forced down by physical force. They grabbed my neck and pushed me down. They put their boot on my back and told me to stay down. … If anyone asked anything they were told to 'shut the fuck up.'"
• Another patron said he saw officers forcing people to the ground by officers pushing their shoulders or the backs of their heads. He said he asked to move because there was broken glass on the floor where he was lying, and he was told to "shut the fuck up." The customer recounted hearing anti-gay slurs: "I heard several slurs such as 'I hate homosexuals.' I also heard 'I don't like fags.' One officer asked me if I was married and had any children, and he told me I should be ashamed for being there." The customer recounted having his diabetes medication, which was in an unmarked container, taken and not returned. He recounted hearing another customer told that if he didn't be quiet, an officer would hit him over the head with one of the barstools. "There were several officers standing over me that started joking about this is a lot of fun, we ought to come back and do this every week." The customer said he heard an officer say pictures of men on the walls made him sick, and make comments about people's appearance, including calling him "big boy." He also said officers were watching the football game on TV during the raid.
• A customer said he at first thought the bar was being robbed because the first police officer to yell "get the fuck on the floor" was dressed in civilian clothes and did not display a badge.
• An employee who was arrested said that after the customers were allowed to leave, "the officers started high fiving and jumping up in the air bumping into each other like they were at a football game."
• An employee who lives in an apartment over the Eagle, who said he was not working that night, said someone started pounding on his door. He opened the door to two cops who asked if anyone was having sex there. They asked why there was a bed and he said it was because he lives there. He was made to come downstairs and was arrested with the other employees. He recalled hearing comments like "You people are despicable."

Southern Voice has also published the anonymously submitted Crime Stoppers complaint (PDF) against the Eagle, which is so incredibly detailed that one can only presume it was submitted by a gay man. Embiggen the below excerpt to see. Did one of our own bring the Atlanta police down on the Eagle? Another club owner, perhaps?

Limbaugh Proves Jimmy Carter Right

Two black kids beat up a white kid on a school bus and Rush Limbaugh says it's because Obama is president. "Welcome to Obama's America."

NYC Adds Two More Gays To City Council (And They're NOT From Manhattan)

Two of the three openly gay city council candidates from Queens won yesterday's Democratic primary and are expected to coast to November victories in their overwhelmingly Dem districts.

Openly gay candidates made gains in local New York City primary elections on Tuesday, as Daniel Drumm and James Van Bramer [JMG: pictured], both from Queens, each won their district’s Democratic nomination for City Council. As winning the primary is tantamount to capturing the seat in the heavily Democratic districts, Drumm and Van Bramer appear poised to become the first openly gay elected officials to represent a borough outside Manhattan. Out lesbian Lynn Schulman, also from Queens, narrowly lost her city council bid. All three candidates received support from the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

Openly lesbian City Council Speaker Christine Quinn took 52% of the vote to hold her Manhattan district, as did out Manhattan lesbian Rosie Mendez, who won with a larger margin. NYC Comptroller William Thompson took the Democratic win to face Bloomberg's third term billions in November. Good luck with that.

(Via - The Advocate)

British Soldier Honors Battlefield Pact, Wears A Dress To Best Friend's Funeral

This story just destroys me.

It was a promise neither man would have wanted to keep. Yesterday the funeral of a Black Watch soldier killed in Afghanistan took a bizarre turn when his best friend arrived in a bright green dress and pink leg warmers to honour a pact that the two of them had made. Private Kevin Elliott and his friend, Barry Delaney, had agreed that whoever survived the other should wear a dress to the dead man’s funeral. Mr Delaney duly fulfilled the pledge as a tribute to Private Elliott, who was killed aged 24 while on foot patrol in the southern province of Helmand on August 31. Mr Delaney wept on his knees at the graveside in Dundee as shots were fired during the military funeral. His dress plans are believed to have been known about in advance by other mourners.

This weekend in Grand Central Terminal, I saw a Marine being seen off by his family. The kid was so young, so incredibly young, not a whisker on his chin, and all I could think was, "This child shouldn't be going off to war. He should be at home, playing Rock Guitar and sending girls awkward text messages." Even though I know how very young our troops can be, it always takes my breath away when I see them in their uniforms. Or in a lime green dress.

DADT Repeal Sponsor Rep. Patrick Murphy: Hearings Will Come In Spring 2010

DADT repeal sponsor Rep. Patrick Murphy says he expects the first hearings to take place in the spring of 2010. Murphy tells the Washington Blade that his bill has 166 cosponsors and that another 10 House reps have promised to vote for the repeal even though they aren't listed.

Over on the Senate side, the DADT repeal fight is already sorely missing Ted Kennedy, but Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has said that Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) has agreed to hearings this fall. Murphy thinks that "the votes are there" in the Senate, but his House bill will need 218 votes. According to Murphy's latest numbers, he has 176.

Protect Maine Equality Responds To "Distortions" Of Stand For Marriage

No On 1/Protect Maine Equality has rushed out this strong response to anti-gay Stand For Marriage's first television salvo. Donate to keep this ad on the air in Maine.

Costume Decisions

Tuesday, 10pm, Chelsea

Twink 1: What should I go as for Halloween?
Twink 2: A top?
Twink 1: Funny. And you can go as "sobriety."

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR): Approving DOMA Was The Worst Vote Of My Career

Saying that he thought by approving DOMA, he was helping "take the steam out of the Newt Gingrich-Tom Delay Congress, which was using the homophobic right-wing agenda to mobilize their base at the expense of millions of LGBT Americans," Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) looks back on one of what he calls the "worst vote" of his 13-year Congressional career.

It should have been obvious to me that we would not be able to quell this assault based on sexual orientation. Far from stopping it, this vote fed the bigotry. Once Congress had put its imprimatur on DOMA, it was a logical step for the homophobes and political cynics to intensify their efforts and make permanent a ban on gay marriage in both the U.S. and state constitutions -- spawning many state initiatives and intensifying the assault. As for the expectation that my friends, allies, and supporters within the community would understand my vote, that too was fundamentally flawed. Friends gay and straight were perplexed, confused, and hurt. Logical political calculation -- after all, I'm the "political expert" -- made no sense. First of all, I was fundamentally wrong about how the politics would play out, but it was also flawed on a more basic level. Here I was making political calculations on the basis of other people's civil rights and identity as human beings. The ultimate arrogance in this -- even had my calculations turned out right (which they weren't) -- was just wrong.

Blumenauer is a co-sponsor of Rep. Jerrold Nadler's DOMA-repeal act.

Quote Of The Day - Jimmy Carter

"I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he's African American. I live in the South, and I've seen the South come a long way, and I've seen the rest of the country that shared the South's attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African Americans. And that racism inclination still exists. . . . It's an abominable circumstance, and it grieves me and concerns me very deeply." - Former president Jimmy Carter, speaking to NBC News.

PFOX: Faking Hate Crimes

A couple of paragraphs in an interesting story by Amanda Hess in last week's Washington City Paper show us how the "ex-gays" in PFOX operate.

Discretion is key in the vicinity of PFOX propaganda. Periodically, the group alerts its followers to assaults against an ex-gay manning one of the organization’s booths. In 2006, ex-gay activist Greg Quinlan claims he was assaulted at a National Education Association convention in Florida by gay activist Wayne Besen. In 2007, PFOX claimed that an unnamed ex-gay volunteer was attacked at the Arlington County Fair by an unknown (but gay) assailant. Weeks later, at the Falls Church Fair, a PFOX volunteer accused Falls Church News-Press editor Nicholas Benton—also gay—of “looking like the guy who assaulted the ex-gay at the Arlington Fair.”

“Their strategy is to create fake hate crimes,” says Besen, who says he ended up on the wrong end of a PFOX accusation only after first receiving a threatening chest-bump from the ex-gay. “They are attempting to portray ex-gays as victims of discrimination to get legal recognition. They’ll wait until there are four of them and one of you, and no witnesses, and then call the cops. But there’s never any ‘there’ there,” Besen says. “The fear is that somebody, under the right circumstances, could actually end up in trouble over this. So I urge everyone to do anything they can to just stay away from them.”

Faking hate crimes for Jeebus. Sounds about right. Read the entire story.

(Tipped by JMG reader Michael M.)

Rep. Jerrold Nadler Announces RMA

Flanked by some of his 91 co-sponsors, yesterday afternoon Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) stood outside the U.S. Capitol to announce the submission of his Respect for Marriage Act (RMA), which would repeal DOMA.

Broadway Impact Plugs The NEM

Here's a cute clip from Broadway Impact urging your attendance at the National Equality March, in which openly gay Hair star Gavin Creel sings a song called Goin' To DC. Go to Broadway Impact's site to purchase a $20 NYC-DC roundtrip ticket on their Equality Buses. They also invite sponsors to make a tax-deductible $2400 donation to cover the bus ticket cost for 100 marchers.

OH: House Passes Major LGBT Rights Bill

Ohio's House of Representatives has passed a sweeping gay rights law that would provide LGBT residents with discrimination protections in employment, housing, and public accommodations. It is the first time in history that an LGBT rights law has passed in either chamber of Ohio's legislature, a state where an anti-marriage equality law passed easily at the ballot in 2004. Law Dork reports on one of the bill's opponents, who complained that homos are multiplying in Ohio.

No one could have said it better today in the Ohio House of Representatives than Republican Representative Jeff Wagner, when — during the House debate over H.B. 176, the Equal Housing and Employment Act — he told his colleagues, “When speaking against a bill like this, it’s easy to come across the wrong way.” Wagner then did his best to prove his point, talking about the “sexual revolution,” how increased numbers of homosexuals have led to increased incident of sexually transmitted diseases and the dangers inherent in living in a world in which homosexuality is accepted. He told his colleagues, “You can live with whoever you want, but don’t use the state government to force acceptance.”

Sheesh, which is it, Rep. Wingnut? Either there's far fewer of us than we claim, or... (sinister music) WE ARE EVERYWHERE.

The bill is expected to hit the wall in the GOP-ruled Ohio Senate, whose president says there are plenty of protections already in place. Just not that pesky "You're gay? FIRED!" thingy. Just like in 30 other states. Once again: ENDA, ENDA, ENDA.

NOTE: It would be unfair not to note that virtually every major city in Ohio has its own LGBT employment protections. But not everybody lives in a major city.