Jack Price March & Rally In Queens

This afternoon the Farmboyz and I traveled to the working-class neighborhood of College Point, Queens, far past the end of subway service, to attend the march and rally in support of gay bashing victim Jack Price. We were a bit concerned that the 90+ minute trek from Manhattan might hamper a strong show of support, but were very pleased to arrive and find about 300 LGBT activists, allies, and supportive locals already on the street near the site of the attack.

After a 15-minute march down College Point Boulevard to the sullen or unknowing stares of locals, we were shocked to find a group of 20 or so counter-protesters, PRO gay bashers, already in a pen perilously close to the park where the rally was to take place. Leading the pro-bashers was Mr. Leviticus Tattoo himself. He and his co-thugs wore stickers in support of the jailed cowards as they shouted "Free Daniel Rodriquez!" and "No hate crime!" Among their signs was "Daniel doesn't hate gays!" Riiiight. Fortunately, there was a huge NYPD presence on hand and the two groups were not permitted to get closer than shouting distance.Speakers at the rally included the usual folks that show up at these things, something I hate knowing, but do because I've now attended so fucking many. We heard from the Queens borough president, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Queens activist Brendan Fey, Congressman Anthony Weiner, and City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Bill Thompson, just to name a few. During lulls as the microphone changed hands, the thug pen across the street would take advantage of the momentary silence to renew their chants.

During the speeches, I sought out some locals. One mother pointed her cigarette at the miscreants across the street and rasped, "Them there's all the troublemakers in this neighborhood, my daughter knows she's not to associate wit' a single one of 'em." An elderly man in a Vietnam-era flight jacket pointed at the hoodlums and told me, "This neighborhood has gone down the toilet because of them there. You just get them punks down in the basement of my VFW, my boys and I will take care of 'em real good. You folks from the city won't never have to hear from 'em again."

Another woman spoke to me and Andy Humm of Gay City News, and on the condition of confidentiality, revealed that more young people from College Point would have been at the rally, but feared relataliation from the supporters of the attackers. She also said that the attackers and their friends had been the ones writing the lewd graffitti messages supposedly from Jack Price. "It's them. I know it's them. It's all the same handwriting with the same Sharpie." I'll have Andy's accounting of his interviews with the thugs as soon as Gay City News publishes.

Below is a slideshow of the afternoon, including some shots of the thug pen. I've never seen counter-protesters at an anti-bashing rally. I don't know what it means. It worries me.

UPDATE: Michael K. Lavers at EGDE has posted his report which includes statements from the counter-protesters.

Father Of Queens Basher Begs For Mercy

Max Blumenthal On The Link Between Closet Cases And The Religious Right

It's a bit of a dry speech, by the usual Blumenthal standards, but well worth watching. "The modern radical right, the most homophobic political movement in American history, has become a sanctuary for repressed gay men."

White House Opposes Anti-Gay Ballots In Washington And Maine

After prodding from The Advocate, the White House has issued a statement ostensibly about the anti-gay ballots in Washington state and Maine.

In response to an inquiry from The Advocate, the White House issued the following statement regarding President Barack Obama’s position on anti-gay voter referenda in Maine and Washington.

“The President has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same-sex couples, and as he said at the Human Rights Campaign dinner, he believes ‘strongly in stopping laws designed to take rights away.’ Also at the dinner, he said he supports, ‘ensuring that committed gay couples have the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple in this country.’"

Hang on, did we see the words "Maine" or "Washington" in there? Weak.

80's Flashback

Patrick Cowley, Megatron Man, 1982. I don't even know how to begin a post about Patrick Cowley, the openly gay and still influential electronic music pioneer who so dominated the soundtrack of my early club life. Everything he released, from his collaborations with Sylvester (Do You Wanna Funk), Paul Parker (Right On Target), and Loverde (Die Hard Lover) to his three seminal solo albums Menergy, Megatron Man, and Mind Warp - they all became immediate gay club standards and are still so today. (And not least of all, his epic 15-minute remix of Donna Summer's I Feel Love.) I remember being stunned and confused when Cowley became the first person I'd ever heard of to die of AIDS. That was in 1982, when it was still called GRID. He was only 32.

This Sunday in San Francisco there will be a free celebration and "living memorial" to the life and music of Patrick Cowley. A previously unreleased album of Cowley's work, Catholic, will be debuted at the event. I'll have information here about where to get Catholic when I get it. You can preview tracks here. Attendees of the event are invited to bring any personal items related to Patrick Cowley to contribute to the memorial.

More Lies From Stand For Marriage

Despite repeated editorials and stories from Maine's newspapers, including this one about Attorney General Janet Mills, the good Christians at Stand For Marriage continue their brazen campaign of lies, as witnessed by their new ad below.

The state's same-sex marriage law has no bearing on what can be taught in public schools, Attorney General Janet Mills said Thursday. Mills examined the issue at the request of Education Commissioner Susan Gendron, who had been fielding questions from school officials and the news media. The issue has been a central part of the Yes on 1 campaign, which is seeking to repeal the state law that allows gay and lesbian people to marry. "I have scoured Maine laws relating to the education of its children for any references to marriage in the public school curricula," Mills wrote in her opinion. "I have found none."

Broadway Friday

- Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner will receive the Courage Award from the NYC Anti-Violence Project at an event to be held November 9th. Get tickets here.

The evening will include cocktails, a chefs' tasting, and a program featuring the award presentation. Honorees will also include Clifford Chance US LLP, and Weblog creators Bil Browning, Joe Jervis, Pam Spaulding and Andy Towle. AVP is an organization that serves New York's Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and HIV-Affected communities.

- Christine Lahti, Jimmy Smits, Annie Potts and Ken Stott join the cast of Gods Of Carnage.

- Sutton Foster will star in City Center's production of Anyone Can Whistle.

- On October 29th, Ian McKellen will stage a one-night only performance of his personal life retrospective for the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington DC. "His solo performance weaves together stories of his early experiences in the theatre, his advocacy of GLBT rights and his more recent world-wide acclaim and film celebrity. This will be a rare opportunity to hear the personal and heartfelt story of one of the greatest living actors of stage and screen."

- The cast of GLEE will perform the national anthem before Game 3 of the World Series, to take place either in Los Angeles or Philadelphia.

- The first ever revival of Bye Bye Birdy opens "with a thud."

Balloon Boy Copies Nation's Opinion

Little Boy Asks President Obama: Why Do People Hate You?

A little boy got right to it during Obama's press conference in New Orleans.

"Why do people hate you?", a fourth-grade boy asked Obama at a town hall event in New Orleans today. "They're supposed to love you. And God is love." "That's what I'm talking about," replied the President. "First of all, I did get elected president, so not everybody hates me," Obama noted, before adding, "What is true is if you were watching TV lately, it seems like everybody's just getting mad all the time. And I -- you know, I think that you've got to take it with a grain of salt. Some of it is just what's called politics where, you know, once one party wins, then the other party kind of gets -- feels like it needs to poke you a little bit to keep you on your toes."

"And so you shouldn't take it too seriously," Obama told the boy. "And then, sometimes, as I said before, people just -- I think they're worried about their own lives. A lot of people are losing their jobs right now. A lot of people are losing their health care or they've lost their homes to foreclosure, and they're feeling frustrated. And when you're president of the United States, you know, you've got to deal with all of that." You get some of the credit when things go good. And when things are going tough, then, you know, you're going to get some of the blame, and that's part of the job," he continued. "But, you know, I'm a pretty tough guy. You've just got to keep on going, even when folks are criticizing you, because -- as long as you know that you're doing it for other people, all right?" Obama concluded.

(Via - Pam's House Blend)

NC Church To Conduct Book Burning

The Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Canton, North Carolina will stage a Halloween book burning of evil, dirty ideas. Like versions of the Bible they don't like, and the works of the Pope and Rick Warren.

The website for the Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Canton, N.C., says there are "scriptural bases" for the book burning. The site quotes Acts 19:18-20: "And many that believed, came and confessed and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts, brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." Church leaders deem Good News for Modern Man, the Evidence Bible, the New International Version Bible, the Green Bible and the Message Bible, as well as at least seven other versions of the Bible as "Satan's Bibles," according to the website. Attendees will also set fire to "Satan's popular books" such as the work of "heretics" including the Pope, Mother Teresa, Billy Graham and Rick Warren.

They also plan to burn country music CDs. For some reason.

Catholic League President Bill Donohue: Church Doesn't Have Pedophile Problem, It's A Homosexual Problem

Parroting the recent words of Pope Palpatine, Catholic League president Bill Donohue says the Church doesn't have a problem with pedophiles, it has a problem with homosexuals. Yeeeeeah. He also rails against gay adoption, calling it "against God." According to Donohue, "sexual libertines" want to destroy the Catholic Church.

(Tipped by JMG reader Diane)

Teen Lesbian Gets Photo Pulled From High School Yearbook

Openly lesbian Mississippi high school senior Ceara Sturgis had her photo pulled from her school's yearbook because she dared to pose in a tuxedo.

Veronica Rodriguez describes her daughter, 17-year-old Ceara Sturgis, as a perfect child: a straight-A student, goalie on the soccer team, a trumpet player in the band and active in Students Against Drunk Driving. She also is gay and feels more comfortable in boy's clothes. So, Rodriguez said she supported her daughter's decision to wear a tuxedo, rather than the drape customary for girls, when she had her senior portrait made in July. But Rodriguez said school officials at Wesson Attendance Center, a K-12 school in the Copiah County School District, were not as supportive and have refused to include the picture in the school yearbook. "The yearbook is not for the parents or the teachers. It's for the students," Rodriguez said. The school district had no comment on the matter. But Rodriguez said she has argued her case to school officials since the start of the school year before being told late last month that her daughter's picture would not be allowed in the yearbook because of her clothing. "She's not a troublemaker," Rodriguez said. "She is gay. She wants to wear the tuxedo because that's who she is. She's not ashamed of that."

The Mississippi chapter of the ACLU is on the case.

Wingnuts Lament Rush Limbaugh's Loss Of NFL Team Bid

Tomorrow: March And Rally For Queens Gay Bashing Victim Jack Price

A coalition of LGBT and civil rights groups will join tomorrow in a march and rally in support of Queens gay bashing victim Jack Price.

March and Rally in College Point on Saturday October 17th, step off at 2pm.

We'll be marching down College Point Boulevard from 20th avenue until 14th avenue.
and then holding a rally at nearby Popenhusen playground. Speakers TBA.

Directions: Take the 7 train to Main Street and then the Q65 bus from Roosevelt and Main Street to 20th ave. Please bring signs without wooden sticks, banners, friends, and your best self.

These event are endorsed by Generation Q/the Queens Community House, the Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee, the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights, St. Pat’s for All Parade, Astorians United Against Hate Crimes, Gay Peruvians of the Americas, the Long Island City Alliance, the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens, Las Buenas Amigas, Integrity NYC, Western Queens for Marriage Equality, the Anti Violence Project, the International Socialist Organization, Carmen’s Place, the New York Civil Liberties Union, Project Reach, Make the Road NY.

Facebook group here.

Iran Executes Man For "Homosexual Act"

The gay witch hunt continues unabated in Iran.

On October 6, 2009, Rahim Mohammadi was executed in Tabriz, a city in northwest Iran, after being convicted of sexual abuse and rape during sexual relations between males (a homosexual act called Lavat). According to Rahim’s lawyer (here), Mr. Mohammad Mostafayi, there was not enough evidence presented to the court to prove such accusations; the court nevertheless decided that once a person is convicted of Lavat, he must be executed. Mostafayi, who had not been informed of the court’s decision once it was handed down - and was only contacted after his client Rahim had been executed - wrote a letter of further explanation to the authorities.

The above-linked story from the Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees notes that many European countries continue to deny asylum to gay Iranians, saying there are "no life-threatening risks in their cases."

Sen. Mark Udall Asks Obama For DADT Repeal Plan Within 30 Days

AmericaBlog has a copy of a letter to President Obama from Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO), demanding a plan with repeal DADT within 30 days. John Aravosis:

President Obama has been claiming (incorrectly) for a while now that his hands are tied on Don't Ask Don't Tell until Congress takes action. Congress is now taking action and asking the White House for their help. The White House now has 30 days to make good on their promises. Otherwise, come November 14th or so, we're going to have another brouhaha in the gay community over why the President went to the HRC dinner and made a promise on DADT that he didn't intend to keep. Hopefully, the President will provide Senator Udall with the information he is requesting, so we can all move ahead on implementing the President's promise to get DADT repealed.

View the letter here.

HomoQuotable - Edmund White

"I believe in promiscuity. But you know people are a lot more complicated than they appear to be. I mean, right now I'm in a relationship where I am faithful because my partner wants me to be, and I respect him enough -- and it lowers the level of anxiety in our relationship. He's also extraordinarily hot.

"In the past, when gays were very flamboyant as drag queens or as leather queens or whatever, that just amused people. And most of the people that come and watch the gay Halloween parade, where all those excesses are on display, those are straight families, and they think it's funny. But what people don't think is so funny is when two middle-aged lawyers who are married to each other move in next door to you and your wife and they have adopted a Korean girl and they want to send her to school with your children and they want to socialize with you and share a drink over the backyard fence. That creeps people out, especially Christians. So, I don't think gay marriage is a conservative issue. I think it's a radical issue." - Famed author Edmund White, speaking to Salon about his new memoir, City Boy.

Astroturfistan: Maddow Rips President Of "Americans For Prosperity"

Last night Rachel Maddow tore into the president of the anti-Obama astroturf group Americans For Prosperity, who refused to say where his funding really comes from.

Bloomberg Flip-Flops: I Can't Get The GOP Votes For Gay Marriage

After saying last month that he was confident he could get Republican state senators to change their minds on same-sex marriage, Mayor Bloomberg now tells the Gay City News that he can't do it.

Less than a month after defending his support for Republican state senators, saying he could get their votes for gay marriage, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said conservatives in that body will not support what the mayor termed “our number one priority” at a recent campaign event with gay supporters. “Those will not be the Republican votes that I will get, but they will be there for other things that are important to the city,” Bloomberg said in an hour-long interview with Gay City News and its sister papers, The Villager, Downtown Express, and Chelsea Now. In a September 17 interview with Gay City News, Bloomberg described himself as “the main funder” of the State Senate Republicans, and said he could sway even Brooklyn’s Martin Golden and Frank Padavan from Queens, two conservatives who staunchly oppose gay marriage. During the October 9 interview with the newspapers, Bloomberg said of Padavan, “On this issue, he’s not gettable.”

Bloomberg went on to flip-flop (again) on the possibility of the issue coming to a vote, saying, "Somebody asked me, more than once, whether I think the likelihood of them doing it. I’m skeptical if any of these guys at the national or state level are willing to face controversial issues."

Louisiana Judge Denies Marriage License To Interracial Couple

Saying that such unions "don't last long" and that he was worried about their potential children, yesterday Tangipahoa Parish Judge Keith Bardwell denied a marriage license to an interracial couple.

"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else." Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said. Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said. "There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," Bardwell said. "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it." If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said. "I try to treat everyone equally," he said. Bardwell estimates that he has refused to marry about four couples during his career, all in the past 2 1/2 years.

The couple plans to files a discrimination complaint with the Justice Department.

Three Arrests Made In Gay Bashing Murder Of London Gay Man

Two 17 year-old girls and an 18 year-old man have been arrested by London's Metropolitan Police in the Trafalgar Square gay bashing murder of 62 year-old Ian Baynham.

According to a Metropolitan Police spokesman, the girls were arrested at their homes in south-east London, as was the 18-year-old male. They are being held at separate police stations and will be questioned. Baynham was out celebrating a new job with a friend when the attack happened. The teenagers had reportedly been shouting obscenities at passerbys when he confronted them over their behaviour. They allegedly screaming homophobic abuse at him before they kicked him to death. Detective chief inspector Clive Heys told the Evening Standard yesterday that Baynham, of Beckenham, Kent, had recently won a job at the UK Border Agency after a long period out of work. He had also qualified as a counsellor for AIDS sufferers. He added: “I don't criticise Mr Baynham in any way for his actions. If you are 62 years of age and minding your own business when somebody hurls abuse at you, I think you are entitled to remonstrate with them. It is horrendous that this can happen in Trafalgar Square on a Friday night. It would appear to be completely random.”

Police say Baynham's friend had managed to temporarily detain one of the girls, but she escaped when passersby mistakenly intervened.

Glenn Beck Cries For Lost America

America Gets Punked

Via the Borowitz Report:

Moments after a little boy who was believed to be in his parents' homemade helium balloon was found safe and sound, millions of Americans came to the realization that they had flushed the entire fucking afternoon down the fucking toilet. "I watched the entire drama unfold and then it turned out that no drama had unfolded," said Carol Foyler, 32, of Missoula, Montana. "I can't tell you how pissed I am at that fucking kid." At their Colorado home, the parents of six-year-old Falcon Heene said that they were relieved that their son was all right and that they were pushing forward with their plans to build a giant child-operated flame-throwing robot.

(Tipped by JMG reader Sean)

R-71 Names To Go Public

The 9th U.S. District Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court's ruling, saying that the names of those who signed the petition to put the anti-gay Referendum 71 on the ballot can be made public.

A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a previous decision by U.S. District Judge Ben Settle in Tacoma to block release of the petitions. Settle held that releasing the names could chill the First Amendment rights of petition signers. Stephen Pidgeon, an attorney for the petition sponsors, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Despite the appeals-court ruling, the names weren't immediately released. Janelle Guthrie, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Rob McKenna, said her office must now ask a Thurston County judge to lift a temporary restraining order issued Wednesday forbidding the release of the petitions until the 9th Circuit could rule. "These petitions are not like a secret ballot, but amount to taking part in our legislative process, which is required to be open and accountable," Secretary of State Sam Reed said.

Get ready for the wingnuts to start screaming about activist judges. Bwah ha ha.

80's Flashback

Cabaret Voltaire, Sensoria, 1984. My roommate and I discovered this track because at the time we were buying just about any band that came out of Sheffield, England: Human League/Heaven 17, ABC, Pulp, etc - they just all seemed to be perfect to us. As I recall, there were two or three quite different versions of Sensoria - it took us a while to finally track down the 12" for this, the version that was popular in the gay clubs. Sensoria never charted anywhere to my knowledge, but I still hear it occasionally, as well as their other club hit, the even odder Yashar. There's 70 billion people on the Earth - where are they hiding?

SF-Based Marketing Company Making $600K To Fight Gay Marriage In Maine

The San Francisco Appeal reports that a local marketing company is being paid over $600,000 by Stand For Marriage Maine, according to just-released financial records.

The most recent email sent by Marc Mutty, Chairman of Stand For Marriage Mainehere). (so we're clear, the only marriages he's standing for are the male-female kind, not the rest of 'em), complains that the opposition to the marriage ban now on the ballot in Maine comes from "mostly from the gay activist political elite from all corners of the nation, including Hollywood, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts." Mutty's group displays a different attitude when it comes to sending money out of state. In the filings, released yesterday, from Stand For Marriage Maine, the "Expenditures to support or oppose" section contains this entry: Payment To Support 2009 Question 1: People's Veto Of Same Sex Marriage Law: $113,196.00.

This company is listed 4 more times in that section, and has been paid nearly $360K. They're also listed 12 more times in the "unpaid debts" section, billing about $240K more. So, so far they stand to make at least $600,000 off the deal. Coincidentally, this is just slightly higher than the extra tax burden shouldered by many gay couples due to discriminatory tax penalties. So, what's this company at 58 Maiden Lane, Second Floor? (In researching this piece, one employee of a PR agency told the Appeal "They better move their offices, you can't get much faggier than Maiden Lane") It's been reported that the company in question is Criswell Associates, listen on Linkedin as "a small, fully independent integrated marketing communications company."

Reporters from the SF Appeal called Criswell Associates, who said no one was available to comment.

Come Out, Come Out

(Tipped by JMG reader Richard)

Family Equality Council Honors Leffews

The Leffew family, whose popular YouTube videos about two men raising two kids have been posted here and in much of the gay blogosphere, will be honored with an award from the Family Equality Council. The event takes place this Sunday in Los Angeles and will be hosted by Wanda Sykes. Get tickets here.

Mormon Leader: The Prop 8 Backlash Is Like What Happened To Blacks In The 60's

On Tuesday, Mormon "apostle" Dallin H. Oaks compared the Prop 8 backlash against the LDS Church to the persecution blacks experienced during the civil rights struggles of the 60's.

Last year, the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints urged its followers to donate money and time to pass Prop 8, the successful ballot measure that eliminated the right of same-sex couples to wed in California. Afterward, protests, including several near LDS temples, erupted along with boycotts of business owners who donated to Prop 8 and even some vandalism of LDS meetinghouses. "In their effect," Oaks said, "they are like the well-known and widely condemned voter-intimidation of blacks in the South that produced corrective federal civil-rights legislation." Jeanetta Williams, president of the NAACP's Salt Lake branch, said there is "no comparison." "I don't see where the LDS Church has been denied any of their rights," she said. "What the gay and lesbian communities are fighting for, that is a civil-rights issue."

A Univeristy of Utah historian retorts: "Were four little Mormon girls blown up in the church at Sunday school? Were there burning crosses planted on local bishops' lawns? Were people lynched and their genitals stuffed in their mouths? By comparing these two things, it diminishes the real violence that African-Americans experienced in the '60s, when they were struggling for equal rights. There is no equivalence between the two."

Friend Of Queens Gay Bashers: Jack Price Had It Coming

You knew this was coming. A friend of the Queens gay bashers who put Jack Price in a coma is claiming that Price frequently came on to men in his neighborhood and therefore deserved his beating. The man even proudly showed local news his Leviticus tattoo. The above sickening image is via Towleroad, it's from the clip below.

Olson/Boies Prop 8 Overturn Case Headed For 2010 Federal Trial

Yesterday a federal judge dismissed a challenge to Ted Olson and David Boies' case to overturn Proposition 8, meaning the case will now be heard in federal court sometime in 2010. During the hearing, the lawyer for Protect Marriage surprised the court when he said he couldn't say how, exactly, same-sex marriage threatens opposite marriage.

The unusual exchange between U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker and Charles Cooper, a lawyer for the group that sponsored Proposition 8, came during a hearing on a lawsuit challenging the measure as discriminatory under the U.S. Constitution. Cooper had asked Walker to throw out the suit or make it more difficult for those civil rights claims to prevail.The judge not only refused but signaled that when the case goes to trial in January, he expects Cooper and his legal team to present evidence showing that male-female marriages would be undermined if same-sex marriages were legal.

The question is relevant to the assertion that Proposition 8 is constitutionally valid because it furthers the states goal of fostering "naturally procreative relationships," Walker explained. "What is the harm to the procreation purpose you outlined of allowing same-sex couples to get married?" Walker asked. "My answer is, I don't know. I don't know," Cooper answered. Moment later, after assuring the judge his response did not mean Proposition 8 was doomed to be struck down, Cooper tried to clarify his position. The relevant question was not whether there is proof that same-sex unions jeopardize marriages between men and women, but whether "the state is entitled, when dealing with radical proposals to make changes to bedrock institutions such as this ... to take a wait and see attitude," he said.

The trial is tentatively scheduled to begin January 11th, but may be delayed as Protect Marriage appeals the judge's order that they turn over internal documents from the Yes On 8 campaign.

Auto-Tune The News #9

Virginia GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Bob McDonnell Reaffirms Anti-Gay Stance

Bob McDonnell says if elected Virginia's governor, he would not renew his predecessor's executive order banning discrimination against gays.

Relatives Of Hate Crime Perp: He Doesn't Hate Gays, Had A Gay Roommate

During his perp-walk into an NYPD precinct last night, gay basher Daniel Rodriguez denied shouting anti-gay slurs during his vicious beating of Jack Price. Rodriquez' relatives chimed in that he was not homophobic, has gay friends and even had a gay roommate at one time.

One of the thugs charged with attacking a gay Queens man must be innocent, his sister says, because he has gay relatives - and even once had a gay roommate. "This wasn't a hate crime," Christina Rodriguez said of her brother Daniel, 21, who was returned to Queens on Wednesday night after being nabbed in Virginia. "If he's guilty of anything, he'll man up to it." His brother also came to his defense. "I know he's far away from being a hateful person," said Eddie Rodriguez, 28. "He don't hate nobody." Like Aleman, Rodriguez faces charges of assault as a hate crime. Aleman, according to sources, also implicated himself but says he simply joined in on the assault for no good reason - and then went home and fell asleep. "Me being a stupid ass took a couple of cheap shots on the white guy," he said of Price, one source said. Aleman's roommate, who identified himself only as Mario, said he was aghast. "He lost his morals and ruined his life," said the man. "He never gave me the impression he had something against gays." Price's family said the victim jotted down for police the gay slurs the suspects shouted as they beat him, collapsing his lungs and breaking his jaw and several ribs.

Jack Price continues to improve and was taken off the respirator last night.

Gay Panic: Six Month Sentence For Murder Of Washington DC Gay Man

In yet another example of how a "gay panic" defense can still work, Robert Hannah, 19, has been sentenced to a mere 180 days in jail for the September 2008 murder of Washington, DC resident Toby Hunter.

Tony Randolph Hunter died several days after being punched in the head by Robert Hannah, 19. The incident happened on September 10th 2008. As Hunter fell, he hit his head on the pavement, causing a fatal brain injury. The victim and a friend were on their way to a local gay bar, something which gay activists have said could have been a motive for the attack. The friend with Hunter at the time said the attack had been unprovoked. Last month, Hannah pleaded guilty to one charge of misdemeanor assault as part of a plea bargain offered by prosecutors. In exchange for the guilty plea, a charge of shoplifting against him was dropped. He has already served two months in prison. The sentence of 180 days is the highest that can be given for a misdemeanor assault conviction. Hannah claimed Hunter had tried to come on to him and touched his groin and buttocks, which he said led to the assault. Hunter's friend said he did not see the victim touch Hannah. The defendant was with two other men at the time, one of whom backed up his statement, while the other said he had not seen the alleged sexual touching.

Uganda Proposes Gay Death Penalty

Homosexuals in Uganda will face the death penalty if a new law proposed by Parliament member David Bahait is adopted.

Aggravated homosexuality will be punished by death, according to a new bill tabled in Parliament yesterday. The private member’s bill was tabled by Ndorwa West MP David Bahati (NRM). A person commits aggravated homosexuality when the victim is a person with disability or below the age of 18, or when the offender is HIV-positive. The bill thus equates aggravated homosexuality to aggravated defilement among people of different sexes, which also carries the death sentence.

The Bill, entitled the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009, also states that anyone who commits the offence of homosexuality will be liable to life imprisonment. This was already the case under the current Penal Code Act. However, it gives a broader definition of the offence of homosexuality. A person charged with the offence will have to undergo a mandatory medical examination to ascertain his or her HIV status. The bill further states that anybody who “attempts to commit the offence” is liable to imprisonment for seven years. “The same applies to anybody who “aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage in acts of homosexuality” or anybody who keeps a house or room for the purpose of homosexuality. The bill also proposes stiff sentences for people promoting homosexuality. They risk a fine of sh100m or prison sentences of five to seven years. This applies to people who produce, publish or distribute pornographic material for purposes of promoting homosexuality, fund or sponsor homosexuality.

Representatives of non-governmental organizations such a workers for international health relief groups would also be subject to the new law.

Whatcha Thinkin' About, Rev. Terry?

JMG reader Marli sends us this picture of Rev. Randall Terry straddling a gory abortion placard as he screams into the face of a gay man about the disgustness of hot, hot homo sex. Looks like Rev. Terry has a little sumpin' sumpin' going on down there.

Kalamazoo's First Non-Discrimination Ad

In January, the American Family Association forced the repeal of Kalamazoo's new LGBT rights law. The issue has been put to a public vote and here is the first ad in support of next month's ballot.

Open Thread Thursday

If you went, tell us about your experience at the National Equality March.

Barney Frank On Joy Behar

Barney Frank talks to Joy Behar about health care reform, then at the 4:00 mark, defends his comments ripping the National Equality March.

Paris: Muslim Soccer Team Renegs, Kicked Out Of League

That all-Muslim amateur soccer team in Paris refused for a second time to play the all-gay team, despite saying last week that they would. Here's the result.

So, just a few days after a French Muslim soccer team, Créteil Bébel, agreed to play a French gay soccer team, Paris Foot Gay (PFG), to quash allegations of homophobia, team Créteil Bébel for a second time refused to play PFG. As a result, team Créteil Bébel has been thrown out of its local Paris league, the Commission Football Loisir (CFL), for "refus de match avec propos discriminants [refusing a match with discriminatory sentiments]."

Anti-Gay Preacher Randall Terry At The National Equality March

Noted asshat and anti-abortionist Randall Terry has just posted this clip of he and his fellow bigots harassing the attendees of the National Equality March.

Belinda Carlisle Comes Out For No On 1

Revealing that her son is gay, former Go-Go's leader singer Belinda Carlisle has come out in support of marriage equality in Maine.

80's Flashback

Luther Vandross, Never Too Much, 1981. Vandross wrote and produced this first single from his debut solo album of the same name, after spending much of the 70's as a backup vocalist for the likes of Roberta Flack, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, and many others. Never Too Much reached #1 on the R&B chart and #33 on pop. Once it hit the radio, many gay men immediately recognized the voice behind Never Too Much as the vocalist for the popular disco studio groups Change and Bionic Boogie, whose hits Searching and Hot Butterfly, respectively, had been massive gay club hits. Never Too Much remains a staple of late night quiet storm radio as does another single from the album, his unspeakably gorgeous take on the Bacharach/David classic A House Is Not A Home. Vandross died in 2005, having never come out. Trivia: As a teenager, Vandross was the founder of the Patti Labelle fan club. More trivia: In the 70's Vandross wrote and sang commercial jingles for Kentucky Fried Chicken and Juicy Fruit gum.

The Gay Blood Libel

The Advocate has published an excellent and extensive article by Steven W. Thrasher about the FDA's decades-old ban on gay men donating blood. An excerpt:

Today, three years after the American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks, and America’s Blood Centers blasted the policy as “scientifically and medically unwarranted,” congressional representatives have ramped up pressure on the FDA to reconsider the ban. They’re not alone. Several colleges and universities throughout the nation have scrapped on-campus blood drives, claiming that the policy runs counter to collegiate antidiscrimination rules. Abroad, Italy and Spain have adopted blood donation policies based on the risks of sexual practices, regardless of sexual orientation, while several other countries now allow gay men to donate if they have abstained from sexual contact for one year.

President Barack Obama, who announced just weeks into his administration that the nation “will make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology,” tapped Margaret Hamburg, MD, a former New York City health commissioner who spent much of the 1990s intimately involved with HIV/AIDS issues, to head the FDA. In August the president nominated Helene Gayle, MD, a 25-year veteran of HIV research who has worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to replace Oklahoma U.S. senator Tom Coburn, a medical doctor who has railed against the efficacy of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted diseases, as chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.

So the groundwork has been laid for examining if and how gay men can donate blood safely in the United States. But whether this will lead to a scientifically sound change in blood donation policy remains unclear.

Read the entire article.

GOP: There's A Rep For That!

Another winner from Rob Tisinai. Watch this.

Slap On Wrist For Chicago-Area Teacher Who Railed About "Black Fags"

Last night the Geneva School Board in suburban Chicago voted to only give high school teacher Dave Burk a warning for telling several classes, "How do you feel about your tax dollars being spent to fund black fags taking pictures of other black fags in New York?"

The notice against teacher David Burk states that any further improprieties could result in dismissal. Geneva High School senior Jordan Hunter, who is gay and said he was personally offended by the remark, did not think the board's action went far enough. He believed Burk should have been fired. "I'm just disappointed," Hunter said. "I'm shocked, really. This is not an acceptable end result." According to Hunter, Burk said during a classroom lecture on Oct. 5, "How do you feel about your tax dollars being spent to fund black [homosexual slur] taking pictures of other black [homosexual slur] in New York?" "It was in extremely poor judgment," said Hunter, who attended the board meeting. "Not only is it a homophobic remark, it is also a racist remark." Hunter said Burk made the comment while talking about how tax monies are used for the National Endowment for the Arts. School board Vice President Tim Moran said the warning notice sets the stage for harsher action if such behavior takes place again. "The reality is that there are legal steps that have to be taken," Moran said. "The step we took we believe to be the harshest we can as it stands now."

Freepers weigh in predictably:

- "Like blacks casually calling each other n*ggers, homosexuals dish at each other calling each other f*gs. But pity the poor fool who dares to talk about it."
- "The left-wing are in reality making an assualt on everyone’s rights with this type of fascist behavior. I absolutely believe that homosexuality is a corruption of natural human sexuality."
- "Jordan needs to develop a thicker skin. He’s in for a rude awakening in the real world."
- "The left has given them 'sacred' status and they are making this country into a PC hellhole."
- "To me, in the photo provided, Jordan Hunter looks uncomfortable with himself. It is as if he knows that homosexual acts are acts of grave depravity, and are contrary to natural law. He knows that under no circumstances can they be approved. We do not know whether he chose his homosexual condition; because for most it is a trial."
- "Poofer gets the vapors... tears @ 11."
- "Talk about someone in serious need of a butt kicking. I’m sure that Jordan’s Rest Stop Bathroom Buddies will take care of that."
-

Maine Poll: Marriage Vote In Dead Heat

According to a just released poll, the fight to retain marriage equality in Maine is essentially tied.

According to new poll data, 51.8 percent of people who plan to vote in November say they will vote no or are leaning in that direction on question 1, the people’s veto of Maine’s same-sex marriage law. The poll shows that 42.9 percent plan to vote yes, or are leaning that way. And 5.2 percent remain undecided. A “no” vote would allow the same-sex marriage law to stand. A “yes” vote would overturn the law. The poll was from Portland-based Pan Atlantic SMS Group, which released its fall Omnibus Poll today. The poll looks at state referendum issues, as well as the governor’s race and national policy questions. According to Pan Atlantic, the survey is of 401 Mainers who identified themselves as “likely” voters in the Nov. 3 election. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

Remember that polls in California showed that more people said they'd oppose Prop 8 than actually did, as some didn't want to reveal their bigotry to pollsters. Donate to help today.

The Full Silkwood

Wingnuts: Speak To HRC, Go To Hell

According to the wingnuts at RenewAmerica, President Obama is going to hell for speaking at the HRC dinner. And he's Satan. Or something.

Because of his double-tongued speech, he is not of the God of the Bible but of the demonic. There is no in-between. One is either in league with the Holy Spirit or the unholy spirit. Obama's religious convictions place him clearly in the unholy spirit category. No matter what his mouth may say otherwise, his ethics are on the side of the anti-Bible. Consequently, when Obama slaps on the back the homosexuals on the march to Washington DC he slaps God in the face. He will pay severely for this at the Judgment Seat of Christ. He will lose his soul to damnation if he continues on that course. Now to those knowledgeable concerning the Word of God, that is not severe language. That is truth. To liberals who are anti-Bible or ignorant of Scripture that sounds harsh. So be it. The liberals' reaction is nothing new. Yes, Obama, the liberal churchman who works day and night to further everything that Christ taught against, stands right alongside those enhancing AIDS-HIV and other diseases by sexual sins. Obama, stating he is in favor of healthy families, actually opposes that in practice. By smiling upon same-sex activities, Obama blatantly opens the doors to traumatic illnesses and death due to those exchanges. One cannot have it both ways. One cannot be for America's health and at the same time further sexual alliances that yield tragic, terminal illnesses brought on by practicing sin.

From their mission statement: "The mission of RenewAmerica is to expand the influence of America's grassroots — both among individual citizens and among principled groups — in the cause of preserving our nation upon its founding ideals, specifically those in the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, as well as those derived from biblical principles."

Illinois Family Institute Needs New Haters

In this new clip from the Illinois Family Institute, they seek new "ambassadors" to fight homosexuals, sex predators, gamblers, and abortionists.

"Ex-Gays" Ask Disney For Inclusion In Employee Protections

A shareholder resolution has been submitted by a Walt Disney Company stockholder, demanding that the company include "ex-gays" as a protected sexual orientation under employee discrimination rules.

"It is about time Disney treated ex-gays with the respect they deserve," said Bobbie Strobhar, the stockholder who submitted the shareholder resolution, reports Rueters. "Former homosexuals are true models of courage who have been vilified by gay activists." The organization Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) has come out in support of the resolution. "Disney's exclusion of ex-gays from its sexual orientation policy and programs reinforces the second-class status of ex-gays, and contributes to the negative perceptions and discrimination against former homosexuals," said Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX, in a press release announcing the resolution.

In August, PFOX won their case in Washington DC that the National Education Association recognize "ex-gay" as a sexual orientation.

PhoboQuotable - Alexandria Coronado

"I think it just absolutely denigrates the entire civil rights movement. Homosexuality is not a civil right. I don't remember the last time that a homosexual person was forced to move out of their seat on a public bus, like Rosa Parks. And I don't remember the last time that a homosexual person or student...was forced to go to a segregated school, as in the case of Mendez v. Westminster, which took place right here in Orange County, California." - Alexandria Coronado, chairperson of the Orange County, California Board of Education, who is "absolutely furious" about the approval of Harvey Milk Day. Last month the Orange County Board of Education voted unanimously to oppose the holiday.

Glenn Beck: Barack Obama Is Our Own Chairman Mao

Moscow: Hillary Attends Unveiling Of Statue Honoring Gay Poet Walt Whitman

Today Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended the unveiling of a statue of gay poet Walt Whitman at Moscow State University. But local Russian LGBT activists are disappointed the Clinton did not use the opportunity to denounce the homophobia of the Russian government.

Russia's leading gay activist said Wednesday that he was disappointed that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with an outspoken foe of gay rights during her two-day trip to Russia and did not decry homophobia in the country. Clinton attended a ceremony unveiling a statue of Walt Whitman at Moscow State University with Russian officials including Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. Luzhkov has blocked all attempts to hold gay pride marches in Moscow, once saying they "can be described in no other way than as satanic."

Clinton did not mention of the issue during the ceremony. Some biographers have described Whitman as homosexual and U.S. gay activists have claimed him as symbol of their movement. "Just as Pushkin and Whitman reset poetry we are resetting our relations for the 21st century," Clinton said. A statue of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was erected at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., in 2000. It was not clear whether Luzhkov was aware of Whitman's status as a gay icon, and sponsors of the statue said they were honoring Whitman strictly for his contributions to literature.

The State Department says they are unaware of any request by Russian activists regarding the event.

London: Gay Bashing Victim Dies After Three Months In Coma

Life support machines for London resident Ian Baynham, 62, were turned off last night, three months after his vicious gay bashing by two women in Trafalgar Square. Police continue to seek his attackers and have just released surveillance images of the assault.

Police are searching for two blonde women and a dark-skinned man who were shown on CCTV in the area at around 11pm, the time the attack took place. All were aged between 16 and 20. Baynham and and another man were walking through the area when they were verbally abused by one woman who shouted homophobic taunts. Following the argument, the woman and two friends – a man and another woman – kicked him to the ground. Police described the assault as "vicious" and said the innocent men were on a night out in London. The second man, aged 30, was treated for minor injuries. Last week, CCTV images of the women were released. DCI Alexis Boon from Westminster Public Protection Unit said last week: "We hope release of these images will help us to identify members of the public who were in the area at the time of the attack and may be able to provide us with valuable information. It is vital that anyone who can assist contacts us as soon as possible."

With Baynham's death, the case is now in the hands of Scotland Yard.

Orly Taitz On Joy Behar

Enjoy the crazy. I keep waiting for her to say, "Boris, vee moost get moose and squirrel."

Second Suspect Captured In Brutal Queens Gay Bashing Case

Congratulations are due to the NYPD for giving this case its proper urgency and attention.

Police say they have collared their second suspect in Friday's brutal beating of a gay man in Queens, just as a video of the crime has surfaced, ABC local affiliate WABC reported. Twenty-one-year-old Daniel Rodriguez was taken into custody by the United States Marshals Services at a relative's home in Norfolk, Virginia on Tuesday. Rodriguez and twenty-six-year-old Daniel Aleman, who was arrested on Sunday, attacked Jack Price, 49, as he was coming out of a corner deli around 3AM in the middle-class neighborhood of College Point in Queens, New York, police say. Video footage captured by a nearby business shows the 5-foot-6, 130-pound Price being pummeled and kicked by two men in the middle of the deserted street for about 3 minutes. Price suffered a broken jaw, fractured ribs and a lacerated spleen. He said the two men followed him to the store and called him “faggot” in identifying the men who beat him.

Relatives report that Jack Price is out of his coma but still on a respirator.

VIDEO: DADT Victims Lay Wreath At Tomb Of Unknown Soldier

JMG reader Sean Chapin is back from the National Equality March and sends us this clip of Lt. Dan Choi and other victims of DADT laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Sobering stuff.

VIDEO: Gay Bashing Of Queens Man

The vicious gay bashing of Queens resident Jack Price was captured by a surveillance camera from a nearby shop. The suspect already in custody has told police that he and his fellow coward were fighting in self defense. As you'll see below, Price couldn't even shield his face from their blows.

(Via - Towleroad)

Maine Marriage Money War Heats Up

Hot on the heels of last week's news that Maine's Ethics Commission is looking into the fundraising practices of Stand For Marriage, today we learned that the pro-gay No on 1 campaign has raised $2.7M from 12,000 donors, almost half of which came from Mainers themselves. But that may not be enough as polls show the issue still too close to call. The team at AmericaBlog has set up a dedicated donation page on Act Blue where you can help with a last-minute push.

Meanwhile, Stand For Marriage has the gall to complain about "outside interference" in Maine. This from an organization whose entire existence is based on outside interference. From their Fuckweasel-In-Chief, Marc Mutty.

"Today's financial reports reveal a disturbing, but unsurprising reality. Our opponents, while claiming to be the home-grown, locally supported campaign, have amassed from virtually every state in the nation a campaign fortune of more than $2 million to destroy traditional marriage in Maine.

"They don't want to defend the teaching of homosexual marriage to young children in public schools, so they are spending millions to try to deny and deny. They don't want to talk about individuals, small businesses and religious groups being sued for refusing to support homosexual marriage, so they are spending millions to calls us liars. And they don't want to explain to voters why the law they sponsored and advocated strips from Maine's marriage statutes the interests of nurturing children, so they are spending millions making the oxymoronic claim that we are trying to 'harm children.'

"We have been outspent approximately $2.6 million to $1.1 million, yet the fate of Question 1 is too close to call. That goes to show that even with millions of dollars pouring in from well-heeled political elite, gay activists in Hollywood, New York, Massachusetts, or the democratic political machine, Act Blue, our messages of truthful consequences of erasing the definition of traditional marriage is resonating with Mainers."

George Takei & Husband Talk About Being First Gay Couple On The Newlywed Game

80's Flashback

ABBA, The Visitors, 1981. The final single from their eighth and final studio album of the same name, ABBA's The Visitors has become one of the most beloved and enduring dance classics of gay clubs worldwide. A radical departure from their trademarked style, The Visitors did not chart in the UK, but reached #62 on the U.S. pop chart and #8 on dance. The full-length album was banned in Russia in 1982 after the band issued a statement saying that the mysterious and ominous lyrics of the single were about the mistreatment of political dissidents there. Trivia: In 1982 The Visitors became the first album ever manufactured on CD. More trivia: Sales for the single were hampered because many listeners wrongly decided that the title of the song was Crackin' Up.

VIDEO: No production video clip of The Visitors appears to be available, but you might dig this clip of the dance floor at Sunday's Remember The Party in San Francisco, where patron DJ Rotten Robbie captured an eruption of joy as legendary DJ Jerry Bonham segued out of The Carpenter's Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft and into The Visitors. The party's fantastic lighting crew kept the dance floor dark until just the right moment, so it's a minute or so before you can really see anything. I'll have a proper recap of the weekend, including photos from the party, as soon as I pull together what everybody is sending me.

She Fights Her Own Battles

Post Office, East 70th Street, 2PM

An elderly woman is taking a very long time at the automated postage computer and a lengthy line has formed behind her.

Young Man (very loudly): There should be a muthafuckin' age limit for these machines!
Middle-Aged Man: Sir! That language is uncalled for around ladies! Unacceptable!
Elderly Woman: Thank you, but I can fight my own battles. (Speaking to young man) Eat shit, dick face!
Young Woman: ROCK ON!

Birther Loon Orly Taitz Slapped With $20K Fine For Terrible Wig And Douchnozzelry

Fed up with her incessant frivolous filings and claims that he is involved in a conspiracy to cloak the true citizenship status of President Obama, a federal judge has slammed birther loon Orly Taitz with a $20,000 fine. The order from U.S. District Court judge Clay Land is 43 pages long and includes this passage:

When a lawyer files complaints and motions without a reasonable basis for believing that they are supported by existing law or a modification or extension of existing law, that lawyer abuses her privilege to practice law. When a lawyer uses the courts as a platform for a political agenda disconnected from any legitimate legal cause of action, that lawyer abuses her privilege to practice law. When a lawyer personally attacks opposing parties and disrespects the integrity of the judiciary, that lawyer abuses her privilege to practice law. When a lawyer recklessly accuses a judge of violating the Judicial Code of Conduct with no supporting evidence beyond her dissatisfaction with the judge's rulings, that lawyer abuses her privilege to practice law. When a lawyer abuses her privilege to practice law, that lawyer ceases to advance her cause or the ends of justice.

Taitz says she has no intention of paying the fine.

"Are you kidding? Of course not," she said, asked whether she planned to send a check. "This is a form of intimidation." Instead, she plans to file yet another written response (though it's unclear whether the court will even accept one). "I'll go to the circuit court of appeals. I'll take this as high as I have to go," Taitz said. Asked about the judge's promise to refer the matter to the U.S. Attorney if she didn't pay within 30 days, Taitz said she'd have to take a look at the order.

Let's hope she keeps her word and doesn't pay. We'd love to see a video clip of her being dragged into custody, screaming and kicking her plasticine Payless heels.

(Tipped by JMG reader BStewart23)