Coldplay - Every Teardrop

Your favorite band to hate is back. Naturally, there's already a controversy about the song which interestingly (to me) contains "elements" of Peter Allen's classic I Go To Rio.

Cubs To Make "It Gets Better" Clip

The Chicago Cubs have announced their intent to follow the lead of the San Francisco Giants and create an It Gets Better clip.

The Cubs will be the second professional sports team to participate in the "It Gets Better" campaign following the San Francisco Giants who released their video earlier this week. "The Cubs applaud the Giants for their stand against anti-LGBT bullying. Bullying of anyone for any reason is unacceptable," said Laura Ricketts, Cubs owner and board member. "We are proud to join the Giants in taking a stand against bullying and encourage other professional sports organizations to do the same.

Last year the Cubs had a float in the Chicago Pride Parade.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #76

1933's Dinner At Eight starring Jean Harlow.

John Edwards: I Didn't Break The Law

Edwards pleaded not guilty today to charges that he diverted campaign funds to cover up his affair.

James Arness Dies At Age 88

The Associated Press reports:

Matt Dillon, the mythical marshal of Dodge City, stood tall — all 6 feet, 6 inches of him — on "Gunsmoke" from 1955 to 1975. He outlasted dozens of other Western heroes while making history on TV's longest-running dramatic series, a record that held until NBC's "Law & Order" tied the CBS Western's record in 2010. Through all those gunslinging years, James Arness, who died Friday, kept Marshal Dillon righteous, peace-seeking and, most of all, believable.

I was never a fan of Gunsmoke, but I do fondly recall Arness for playing the monster in The Thing From Another World.

Dan Savage For Pride Magazine

This gorgeous image was taken by famed photographer Marius Bugge for my Pride Magazine 2011 cover story on Dan Savage. (Marius also shot our last two covers with Dan Choi and Rachel Maddow.) This year's issue of Pride will begin appearing in the usual locations this weekend and I'll post an excerpt from my interview shortly. By the way, I had to flee back inside the studio when Dan leapt up on that 18th floor railing for this shot, which embiggens nicely.

SAN FRANCISCO: "Foreskin Man" Comic Riles Opponents Of Circumcision Ban

Opponents of San Francisco's proposed ban on circumcision say a comic book being using to promote the ballot referendum is anti-Semitic. The comic is being sold on the website of Matthew Hess, the bill's chief author and proponent. It features a muscular blond superhero fighting off rabbis who are attempting to complete a circumcision.

Saunders asked Hess if his comic is anti-Semitic. His answer: "A lot of people have said that, but we're not trying to be anti-Semitic. We're trying to be pro-human rights." He told her the "next issue will deal with a different kind of circumcision."Meantime, Hess is pushing his political effort with other dark, threatening images of Jewish characters. His "Foreskin Man" card set being sold through Cafe Press feautures the terrifying-looking "Monster Mohel." The astounding description of a person qualified to perform the Jewish rite of circumcision: "Nothing excites Monster Mohel more than cutting into the infantile penile flesh of an eight day old boy."

AGAIN: Palin Mangles U.S. History

Quote Of The Day - Bob Marshall

"The Richmond Fed’s endorsement of costly, anti-social, immoral behavior is rejected by 6,000 years of Western Religious and moral teaching. You want the American people to trust your [judgment] in economic matters when your spokesperson celebrates an attack on public morals?" - Virginia state Delegate Bob Marshall, claiming that by flying the rainbow flag in observance of Pride Month, the Federal Reserve is celebrating an act that is a Class Six felony.

RELATED: The off-his-Jeebus-rocker Marshall has previously called on Virginia to issue its own currency, and has claimed that God punishes women who have abortions by giving them deformed children. And after the DADT repeal bill passed in December, Marshall tried to have gays banned from the Virginia National Guard.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler Compares Gay Marriage To Incest, Polygamy, And Pedophilia

Before being elected to Congress, Hartzler headed the Coalition to Protect Marriage in Missouri, which in 2004 backed the successful campaign to install a statewide constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Catholic Conference Denounces "Hate Purveyors" Attacking NY Sen. Ruben Diaz

The New York State Catholic Conference has issued a statement backing state Sen. Ruben Diaz, who is all over the net this week making unsubstantiated claims of receiving death threats from gay activists.

It is now reported, in a popular political blog that all policy-makers read in Albany, that the “F*** Ruben Diaz Festival” will be held soon in Brooklyn, where winners of the “F*** Ruben Diaz: Gay Erotica Featuring NYC’s Number One Bigot” writing contest will entertain themselves reading their dirty stories to each other, mocking this minister of the Gospel. And this is all known to the press and in the halls of the Capitol. So where is the outrage in the media? Where is the cry for tolerance and justice for Rev. Diaz against these hate purveyors? The answer, sadly, is that there is no outcry.

Are they saving it for after something truly awful happens to this good man? Until the hate that is being incited boils over into violent behavior? We are unjustly called “haters” and “bigots” by those who have carefully framed their advocacy strategy. The entire campaign to enact same-sex marriage is conducted under a banner of acceptance, and equality and respect for others. Yet behind that banner of tolerance is another campaign – of intimidation, threats and ugliness.

Uh yeah. "This good man" is the same one who stood beaming on the Bronx hate rally stage while his invited speakers called for the deaths of homosexuals.

TRAILER: Beginners

Subtitle: "A son's love letter to his gay father." Based on the filmmaker's real life story. It looks wonderful.

Crazy Eyes: I Will Repeal "Obamacare"

At today's Faith & Freedom Coalition Conference.

George & Farid Want To Marry

Via press release from Freedom To Marry:

“Farid and George have been in a loving, committed relationship for over 10 years, doing the hard work of marriage – in addition to the hard work of owning a successful restaurant business together – yet without the support and respect marriage would provide,” said Evan Wolfson, Founder and President of Freedom to Marry. “They have wanted to marry for years, but with a baby on the way, they feel even more strongly the need for the critical safety-net that marriage brings. New York couples like Farid and George want the freedom to marry, a super-majority of New Yorkers want them to have it, and the New York state legislature should pass the marriage bill - now.”

GERMANY: Catholic Doctors Group Selling Homeopathic "Treatment" For Gayness

Germany's Union of Catholic Doctors is selling a homeopathic "treatment" for gayness on their website.

The religious association, which calls itself the "voice of the Catholic medical community," writes on its website that while "homosexuality is not an illness," a host of treatments are available to keep such "inclinations" at bay. Possibilities include "constitutional treatments with homeopathic tools … such as homeopathic dilutions like Platinum," "psychotherapy," and "religious counseling." Among homeopathy's controversial treatments are the prescription of "Globuli," tiny pills that consisting mostly of sugar. "We know about a number of people with homosexual feelings who find themselves in a spiritual and psychological emergency and suffer greatly," UCP head Gero Winkelmann told SPIEGEL in a written statement. "If someone is unhappy, ill or feels they are in an emergency, they should be able to find options for help with us."

Homeopathy and religion, two crazy ideas meant to be together!

CHINA: Teen Sells Kidney For iPad

A teenager in China reportedly sold one of his kidneys on the black market in order to buy himself an iPad.

The 17-year-old, identified only as Little Zheng, told a local TV station he had arranged the sale of the kidney over the internet.The story only came to light after the teenager's mother became suspicious. The case highlights China's black market in organ trafficking. A scarcity of organ donors has led to a flourishing trade. It all started when the high school student saw an online advert offering money to organ donors. Illegal agents organised a trip to the hospital and paid him $3,392 (£2,077) after the operation. With the cash the student bought an iPad 2, as well as a laptop. When his mother noticed the computers and the deep red scar on his body, which was caused by the surgery, Little Zheng confessed.

Crazy Eyes: Obama Is My Only Competitor

AFA: Home Depot Blew Us Off

The American Family Association is whining that Home Depot executives gave them a "cool" reception when they delivered anti-gay petitions to the company's board of directors.

"We presented to the shareholders and to the chairman and the board of directors over 470,000 signature petitions asking them to remain neutral in the culture war, specifically when it addresses gay marriage and homosexual activist groups," Sharp tells OneNewsNow. The reception was cool, adds the AFA spokesman. Blake thanked AFA for the petitions but again, as in the past, reiterated the company's support for "diversity," which includes same-gender "marriage." Sharp adds: "We're disappointed that The Home Depot continues to close the door and not listen to the millions of customers who are offended that they are engaging in the culture war and taking a position in favor of gay marriage."

Good for Home Depot. Again.

Dr. Jack Kevorkian Dies At 84

Assisted suicide advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian has died of a pulmonary thrombosis at the age of 84. Kevorkian claims to have helped over 100 terminally ill patients end their lives. He spent eight years in prison for doing so.

AUSTRALIA: Safer Sex Activists Act Out Actual Anti-Gay Letters To The Editor

How Geeks Meditate

(Source)

Huckabee: I'm Open To VP Nomination

Even though he pulled the plug on his own presidential campaign, Mike Huckabee now says he's totally open to being vice president, should anybody select him to be their running mate.

"You know, everything is still open. I mean, I haven’t closed doors. I found long ago that that’s not the smart thing to do,” he told reporters following a speech at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Ark. GOP presidential candidates are likely to seek Huckabee's support. He finished first in the 2008 Iowa caucuses and came in second to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for the Republican Party's nomination, but he decided to sit out the 2012 campaign.

RUSSIA: Popular Comedy Show Covers Gay Pride Battle With West Side Story Skit

The Moscow Times reports:

Channel One’s mock news show “Yesterday Live” imagined what might have happened if City Hall had permitted the [gay pride] march and the two sides had gotten together to celebrate, in a surprisingly tolerant comedy sketch. A news reader in a satin jacket reads from a pink page against a gay rights flag. “It would be curious to see gays and border guards marking their holiday on the same day,” he says. The sketch shows stereotypically mincing gay activists in Village People outfits and boas fraternizing with the swaggering border guards in stripy vests. “We’ve waited 17 years for Luzhkov to leave,” one says, referring to the openly homophobic mayor, sacked in September. The two sides join for a “West Side Story”-style dance routine to the tune of the song “America” with a joke about the sexual orientation of the pop singers at the traditional concert for the border guards. At the end, the two groups separate, but one border guard confusedly stays with the gay group, before running back to his brothers in arms with a scream of alarm.

Courtesy of Blabbeando, here's the skit. The audio is unfortunately out of sync.

FRC's Prayer Of The Day

The Family Research Council is asking its followers to pray that President Obama realize the inherent evil in his LGBT Pride Month proclamation, which "endorses the behavior that leads to AIDS."

Pray that God will protect America from the spiritual effects of this evil Presidential Proclamation. May Christians -- who will be targeted by HRC's smear campaign -- enjoy God's protection. And may this administration's efforts to promote homosexuality overseas be resisted and defeated at home and abroad! (Ps 16:1; 25:19-21; 27:5-6; 121:7-8; Ps 119:126; 140:1-13; Eph 6:10 ff; 2 Tim 3.

The Gay Who Wasn't Gay Enough

Chris Christie Pays Up

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has reimbursed the state for his helicopter ride to his son's baseball game.

The unapologetic governor on Thursday reimbursed the state $2,100 himself and $1,200 from the state Republican Party to cover the cost of two helicopter flights to see his oldest son, Andrew, star in two baseball tournament games. “Afterwards, he said to me, ‘Dad, thanks for coming,” Christie recalled at a news conference in Denville. Democrats had a less heart-warming response when learning of Christie’s use of a month-old, $12.5 million state police helicopter to shuttle him from the Statehouse to the ballpark. They have called for hearings to look into the governor’s personal use of the perk and called Christie a hypocrite for wasteful spending.

Olivia Newton-John - Magic

Remix and video done as a cancer fundraiser.

Tony Perkins On Illinois Civil Unions

"The so-called Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act has already done more harm to religious freedom than good. The Roman Catholic diocese in Rockford has announced that it will close its doors on the church's adoption program before subjecting children to placement in homosexual homes. Like it did in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., the Catholic Church refused to violate its convictions. Unfortunately, it's only a matter of time before other dioceses follow suit. For the church, this is an act of self-defense. Without a religious exemption, the law makes programs like this one vulnerable to lawsuits or state budget cuts. Much to the frustration of the bill's own sponsor, the state refused to carve out special protections for the religious organizations like this one. And now the state's neediest children will be paying for it." - Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council.

Rick Perry: God Caused The Bad Economy So We'll Return To Biblical Principles

So says the governor of Texas.

What Was GOProud Backer Andrew Breitbart's Real Role In "Weiner-gate"?

According to Salon and The Smoking Gun, the person who appears to have hacked Rep. Anthony Weiner's Twitter account may have been in prior contact with GOProud backer (and notorious liar) Andrew Breitbart, who first "broke" the story. Hit the links, it's all verrrry interesting.

Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend

(Via - Pop In Stereo)

The Non-Witch Gets Off

The Federal Elections Commission has dismissed the complaint against failed U.S. Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell. The complaint, which had been filed by the Delaware Republican Party, alleged that O'Donnell broke FEC rules by collaborating with the Tea Party Express on fundraising and advertising.

Billboard Of The Day

Steve Barnes at the Albany Times-Union reports:

A prominent billboard urging a local politician to vote for same-sex marriage has a restaurant source: Bombers Burrito Bar. The billboard, on I-787 south between I-90 and the Clinton Avenue exit, is addressed to Republican Roy McDonald, who voted against gay marriage while in the Assembly and, in 2009, as a state senator representing parts of Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. As my colleague Jimmy Vielkind reported last week, McDonald, who has been mum on the issue lately, is one of a handful of senators of both parties whose votes are uncertain.

Bombers Burrito Bar is owned by Matt Baumgartner, who owns several other restaurants across New York state.

Mittens Makes It Official

VIRGINIA: Christianist Hate Group Upset Over Rainbow Flag At Federal Reserve

The American Family Association is upset that the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond, Virginia is flying the rainbow flag in recognition of Pride Month.

The Mississippi-based American Family Association has received a complaint from a Federal Reserve employee who objects to the flag and what it represents. In reference to the "gay pride" flag flying just below the American flag, the employee wrote in an email: "For the past five or six years, the homosexual agenda has been pushed down our throats. [The bank president and vice president] have initiated this agenda. This offends me as a Christian." According to Cobb, more than just bank employees are offended. "We know of businesses that are actually housed within the Federal Reserve building that I [bet] are very unhappy today," she suggests. "So it's going to be interesting to get the feedback from them." But aside from the workers, she says the flag flies in the face of most Virginians. "In Virginia, this is not a stand that should be taken. We've as a state said we are not going to support gay marriage, for example, in our constitution, and we've been very clear on issues of gay rights," the pro-family advocate notes. "So it's disappointing to see such a large flag flying, as if it's something that this commonwealth supports."

A Federal Reserve spokesperson has essentially told the AFA to drop dead.

Seems About Right

(Source)

MSNBC Interviews Ben Cohen

NY Sen. Ruben Diaz Defends Comparing Homosexuality To Bestiality

Blabbeando blogger Andres Duque has transcribed NY Sen. Ruben Diaz' appearance on Pura Politica, some of which I excerpted here yesterday. In the below clip, host Juan Manuel Benitez plays a 2009 interview segment in which Diaz compares being gay to having sex with animals, a position Diaz then defends. Start at around 6:00.

LGBT History: San Francisco & HIV/AIDS

Technically, this is an ad for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Interesting, nonetheless.

(Via - David Mixner)

AFA Launches Anti-Gay Phone Campaign To Local Home Depot Store Managers

Via press release:

Home Depot is having its annual shareholder meeting this week. Many shareholders are upset with Home Depot's sponsorship of numerous gay pride events and support for homosexual marriage. Shareholders will be addressing the board of directors personally this week and plan to make sure the board of directors know they need to end the boycott! But...they need YOUR support. Your local store manager is the closest personal contact you can have with the company. They are the "eyes and ears" of the company and can make sure your concerns get to the right people. Today, call your local Home Depot store and ask to speak to the manager. You can find the number to your local store here (click "Store Finder" at top of page) or in your local phone book. Politely let him know you are boycotting his store until the company agrees to remain neutral in the culture wars and stops supporting homosexuality.

Do call your local Home Depot and personally thank the manager for their support of their LGBT customers.

Today In Christian Love™

"If children start to believe it is okay to be gay, they will think it's okay to be a pedophile or have sex with animals. It's a slippery slope. This gay pride nonsense is an abomination. God does not want to see homosexuals in our parks." - Pastor Ronald Ferguson, objecting to a planned gay pride picnic in a Harlem park.

FLORIDA: Gov. Rick Scott Signs Bill Requiring Drug Test To Receive Welfare

Tea Party hero FL Gov. Rick "Medicare Fraud" Scott has signed a bill requiring welfare recipients to pass a drug test before receiving any checks. Applicants must pay for their own tests. The ACLU isn't having it.

"The wasteful program created by this law subjects Floridians who are impacted by the economic downturn, as well as their families, to a humiliating search of their urine and body fluids without cause or even suspicion of drug abuse," said Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida. "Searching the bodily fluids of those in need of assistance is a scientifically, fiscally, and constitutionally unsound policy. Today, that unsound policy is Florida law."

I'm betting that the governor also has his fingers in the companies that would be providing these millions of drug tests.

Quote Of The Day - Sen. Rand Paul

"I’m not for profiling people on the color of their skin, or on their religion, but I would take into account where they’ve been traveling and perhaps, you might have to indirectly take into account whether or not they’ve been going to radical political speeches by religious leaders. It wouldn’t be that they are Islamic. But if someone is attending speeches from someone who is promoting the violent overthrow of our government, that’s really an offense that we should be going after — they should be deported or put in prison." - Supposedly libertarian Sen. Rand Paul, who presumably includes revolution-minded teabaggers among those who should be imprisoned.

Regular Folks For New York Marriage

The Human Rights Campaign gives us a break from all the celebrity endorsements.

Gov. Chris Christie, Fiscal Conservative

This is how New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the fiscal hero to conservatives, attends his son's baseball games.

Right before the lineup cards were being exchanged on the field, a noise from above distracted the spectators as the 55-foot long helicopter buzzed over trees in left field, circled the outfield and landed in an adjacent football field. Christie disembarked from the helicopter and got into a black car with tinted windows that drove him about a 100 yards to the baseball field.During the 5th inning, Christie and First Lady Mary Pat Christie got into the car, rode back to the helicopter and left the game. During a pitching change, play was stopped for a couple of minutes while the helicopter took off.

Despite a media outcry, today Christie's spokesman defended the helicopter trip as "appropriate" and said the governor would not be reimbursing the state for its cost.

Grenade Or Aid?

A massive version of the above chart can be found here.

Wingnut Author: Sesame Street Has Liberal Bias And Turns Boys Into Prom Queens

HomoQuotable - Chris Barron

"Let’s be honest, the left doesn’t hate me because I am mean or brash or too aggressive – the same label can be applied to many of my critics. No, the left hates me because I have the audacity to stand up to them. They hate me because I am a conservative who happens to be gay. They hate me because I won’t be bullied by them. They hate me because I have dared to wander off the liberal plantation, because I refuse to play the victim card, and because I have rejected their failed big government agenda. So if the left is looking for an apology for things I say on twitter or the things I write on my blog or for statements I make on TV, they won’t get one. Indeed, they can expect more of the same." - GOProud chairman Chris Barron, writing on his personal blog.

Fischer: Gay Activists Will Commit Virtual Genocide Against Christian Soldiers

Open Thread Thursday

The complaint box is open.

New White House Site: Winning the Future, Obama and the LGBT Community

The Obama administration today launched a new official subsite titled "Winning The Future: President Obama & the LGBT Community." Chris Geidner reports at Metro Weekly:

In addition to the fact sheet and email sign-up page, the LGBT home page contains links to the administration's "It Gets Better" videos; White House blog posts relating to LGBT issues; LGBT-related news releases from the administration; and links to resources, including StopBullying.gov, AIDS.gov and the Defense Department's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal page.

The two-page, "The Obama Administration's Commitment to Winning the Future for the LGBT Community" fact sheet contains many bullet points of accomplishments -- similar to but more expansive than Tuesday's 2011 LGBT Pride Month proclamation from Obama -- and three bullet points about future progress. The "progress" points all relate, at least in part, to relationship recognition -- a topic absent from Tuesday's proclamation.

Tim Pawlently: I'm Still A Big Douchebag

Newt Gingrich For Liberty Law School

Newt Gingrich has recorded the below commercial endorsing the law school at Dead Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, where students are given failing or bad grades if they fail to cite "God's law" as having precedence over American civil laws. Like that one against kidnapping.

Religion Shrinks Your Brain

From Scientific American:

In this study, Owen et al. used MRI to measure the volume of the hippocampus, a central structure of the limbic system that is involved in emotion as well as in memory formation. They evaluated the MRIs of 268 men and women aged 58 and over, who were originally recruited for the NeuroCognitive Outcomes of Depression in the Elderly study, but who also answered several questions regarding their religious beliefs and affiliation. The study by Owen et al. is unique in that it focuses specifically on religious individuals compared to non-religious individuals. This study also broke down these individuals into those who are born again or who have had life-changing religious experiences. The results showed significantly greater hippocampal atrophy in individuals reporting a life-changing religious experience.

Italics are mine. Heh.

San Francisco Giants - It Gets Better

Lady Gaga Sells 1.1M In First Week

The first week of sales for Lady Gaga's Born This Way are the highest for any release in the last six years.

Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" album debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 1,108,000 copies sold in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's only the 17th album to sell a million in a week since SoundScan began tracking sales data in 1991, and the highest sales week since 2005. "Born This Way" also marks Gaga's first No. 1 album -- "The Fame" debut peaked at No. 2, while "The Fame Monster" EP reached No. 5 and dance effort "The Remix" hit No. 6. "Born This Way's" bow reaps the largest sales week of any album since 50 Cent's "The Massacre" did 1,141,000 in its first week, in March of 2005. The last time we had a million-plus frame was when Taylor Swift's "Speak Now" premiered at No. 1 with 1,047,000 in November of 2010. The SoundScan-era record week is held by NSYNC's "No Strings Attached," when it debuted at No. 1 with 2,416,000 in 2000.

Crazy Eyes Vs. Sarah Palin

Crazy Eyes says "there is plenty of room" for lots of teabaggers in the 2012 GOP presidential field.

HIV Map Of America

Wired Magazine reports:

With HIV’s 30th anniversary around the corner, a new interactive map reveals U.S. data on the disease down to individual counties and, for some cities, even zip codes. The nonprofit mapping effort, called AIDSVu, isn’t a perfect representation of the disease in the United States. The visualization is based on 2008 data, some states didn’t contribute county or demographic information that others did, and the map shows only diagnosed rates and cases. An estimated 1 in 5 HIV carriers in the U.S. are undiagnosed. Despite these limitations, it may be the most thorough geographical depiction of HIV ever created.

(Tipped by JMG reader Nicholas)

The Herman Cain Train

Apple To Launch iCloud

Apple is set to launch a cloud-based music player that will scan a user's home iTunes library and then make those tracks available from any web device.

Apple has signed deals with Warner Music Group Corp., Sony Corp.'s Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Group Ltd. and expects to sign a fourth with Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group this week. The agreements will let Apple offer an easy way for consumers to create and listen online to their entire music collections, without the time-consuming work of manually transferring or uploading songs. Many in the music industry see such offerings as a key next step in the evolution of digital media, in which music, and eventually video, is convenient and ubiquitous. Apple wouldn't be the first company to offer such a service, but its standing as the world's largest music retailer and more than 200 million iTunes accounts would give it clout that others have lacked.

The cost of the service has not yet been disclosed.

PhoboQuotable - Porno Pete LaBarbera

"Homosexual behavior is always wrong, according to vast scope of Judeo-Christian history, so it is tragic to behold the State of Illinois – or any government entity – recognizing immoral same-sex relationships and treating them like marriage. Moreover, for the City of Chicago and Gov. Pat Quinn to celebrate homosexuality with a mass Civil Union ceremony June 2nd is an act of hubris and defiance toward the Creator that mocks His wonderful plan for real marriage – the sacred union of a man and a woman to produce children and family. The pandering Quinn – epitomizing the modern Democratic politician –mocks his own professed Catholicism by working tirelessly to undermine its clear moral dictates. The anti-Christian Civil Unions law must be repealed." - Porno Pete LaBarbera, who has launched a petition campaign to ban all LGBT relationship recognitions in Illinois.

Savage & Miller At Google Headquarters

Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller visited Google headquarters for a lengthy discussion on the origins of the It Gets Better Project.

(Tipped by JMG reader Dave)

Maggie Gallagher: I Still Love Ladyfingers

NOM usually deletes my comments from their blog, but Maggie Gallagher yesterday responded to my comment on their post congratulating Miss Ladyfingers USA on the birth of her baby. Gallagher may claim to have "never backed away" from Ladyfingers, but those of us who monitored their website daily at the time noted the complete scrubbing of all previous mentions of Prejean.

Focus On The Family Picks Up On Queerty's Now-Infamous "Indoctrination" Post

Add Focus On The Family to the list of hate groups gleefully jumping on Queerty's now-infamous post about "indoctrinating" students. Last month Queerty's article was republished by NOM, the Family Research Council, and the Concerned Women for America.

More Lies From NY Sen. Ruben Diaz

Pam's House Blend guest columnist Tony Varona notes:

Time and again I have seen how bilingual and bicultural politicians, religious leaders and other public figures make outrageously defamatory and inaccurate statements against the LGBT community in Spanish media that they would never get away with making in English-language broadcast and print interviews. Much of the time, the interviewer allows them to make whatever outlandish and homophobic or transphobic claims about us without any follow-up questions or challenge of any sort. Not so with Juan Manuel Benitez's 21-minute interview of Sen. Díaz.

And here is Varona's transcript of Diaz making such an outrageous lie this week on local NYC Spanish-language television. This time, the interviewer calls him out repeatedly.

Benitez: This legislation does not affect your church. It is a civil issue. Why are you still opposed?
Sen. Díaz: That is not the case.
Benitez: Someone will force you to [solemnize same-sex marriages]?
Sen. Díaz: Yes. According to the bill as written, and in the future, yes. Churches will be forced.
Benitez: That is not true. Let us talk about facts. We are talking about civil marriage. No one will go to your church to have you marry them.
Sen. Díaz: Marriage is marriage.
Benitez: Civil marriage.
Sen. Díaz: Marriage is marriage. And the bill as written... the bill does not exclude... as it is written specifically... does not exclude either churches or ministers specifically. It does not say it in the bill.
Benitez: The bill refers only to civil marriage, never to religious marriage.
Sen. Díaz: Marriage refers only to marriage between man and woman.
Benitez: The bill refers only to civil marriage, not religious marriage. Do you really think same-sex couples would go to your church to get married... to have you marry them?
Sen. Díaz: Well, who knows? They would come to my church so that I would refuse to marry them, and so that they could sue me, and mount a discrimination case. To mount a case in favor of stripping my church of taxes [tax exempt status], just because I would not marry them. [...]
Benitez: I don't know if you have read the bill, but the bill specifically excludes churches and deals only with civil marriage, which is performed by civil authorities. It deals with civil marriage and not religious marriage.

ILLINOIS: Civil Unions Begin

Today Illinois becomes the sixth state with legalized civil unions.

Long lines are expected to form early Wednesday at the Cook County Clerk's downtown office of vital records as couples from across Chicago gather to be part of a historic moment — the issuing of the state's first civil union licenses. The doors will open at 7:30 a.m. and the clerk's office will celebrate what it calls "the momentous occasion" by awarding a special gift package to the first couple to get a license. Adding to the festive atmosphere, about 20 local businesses will be supplying gifts that will be raffled off to other couples in line. As with marriage licenses, couples will have to pay a $35 fee and wait one day before they can hold a civil union ceremony. Couples who are already registered as domestic partners in Cook County but want to enter into a civil union will get a $20 discount and their domestic partnership will be automatically dissolved.

Civil unions laws in Hawaii and Delaware have not yet gone into effect.

Chuck Colson: If You Obey God's Moral Laws, You Won't Turn Out Homosexual

So says the convicted Watergate felon and co-author of the Manhattan Declaration, which calls on Christians to disobey any law granting rights to gay Americans.

Sarah Palin: Obama Is Beatable

Palin/Trump 2012.

Tweet Of The Day - Bryan Fischer

AUSTRALIA: Safer-Sex Campaign Reinstated After Ad Company Relents

Brisbane's safer-sex ad campaign has been reinstated after widespread outrage across Australia. The campaign had been yanked after complaints from an anti-gay Christian group.

Announcing their backflip this afternoon, the company said it had changed its mind because it did not realise it had been subjected to a campaign from the Australian Christian Lobby to remove the posters. “Following ACL Queensland director Wendy Francis’ acknowledgement that the complaints received by Adshel, Brisbane City Council and the Advertising Standards Bureau regarding QAHC’s campaign have been orchestrated by the Australian Christian Lobby, Adshel is reinstating the ‘Rip and Roll’ campaign," a company press release said. "Adshel earlier responded to a series of complaints by removing the campaign from its media panels yesterday. None of the complaints indicated any liaison with the ACL, so Adshel was made to believe that they originated from individual members of the public.”

Stealing Dogs For Jeebus

Obama Issues Pride Month Proclamation

The White House today issued a proclamation recognizing LGBT Pride Month. Metro Weekly notes that for the first time since Obama took office, the statement makes no mention of recognizing gay relationships. The proclamation begins:

The story of America's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community is the story of our fathers and sons, our mothers and daughters, and our friends and neighbors who continue the task of making our country a more perfect Union. It is a story about the struggle to realize the great American promise that all people can live with dignity and fairness under the law. Each June, we commemorate the courageous individuals who have fought to achieve this promise for LGBT Americans, and we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Read the proclamation in full (PDF).

Randall Sells Out

Shades of the Sassy Best Friend. Randall's YouTube fans are split on this development, of course.

HomoQuotable - Dan Savage

"The first adult authority figure that I came out to who wasn't a member of my family: my pediatrician. I'd been seeing him since I was a child and he was still my doctor. After my third or fourth visit about 'a small skin blemish,' he asked me what I was really worried about. I remember what I said to him: 'I'm gay and I don't want to have AIDS.' I don't remember what he said to me, but I'll never forget the look on his face. It was this combination of pity, panic, disappointment, and judgement. I never saw him again." - Dan Savage, in a post marking the first year of AIDS in the United States.

AFA's Poll Of The Day

The American Family Association has posted another of its classic "polls," this one about the Obama administration's denouncement of the GOP's attempt to derail the repeal of DADT.

Pat Robertson: Opposing Islam Is As Valid As Opposing The Nazis

"Why is it bigoted to speak against a force that is slowly but surely trying to exercise domination over the entire world?" - Pat Robertson, speaking without the slightest fucking trace of irony.

Afternoon View - Wall Street Baths

It's an actual bathhouse, but not in that gay way.

Vanessa Williams For New York Marriage

Perkins: America Needs Godly Leaders

"I believe that we will have to give an account [to God] as Christians in America for the leaders we have selected over time and the direction they have taken us."

FLORIDA: Transgender Student Named High School Prom Queen

Steve Rothaus reports at the Miami Herald:

They’ve bullied and taunted her, calling her names and writing on her locker. And now, the seniors at McFatter Technical High School have elected Andrew Viveros their 2011 prom queen. “They called my name and I was in total shock,’’ said Andrew, a 17-year-old who was born male but has publicly presented herself as female for the last two years. With her long wavy brown hair, Andrew wore a royal blue dress and got a fresh manicure for the Friday night dance. Andrew, also known as Andii, plans to someday change her name to Andrea after she transitions. She wanted to run for prom queen in order to show other transgender teens “it gets better.” She ran against 14 others.

Photo Of The Day - Manhattanhenge

JMG reader Inga sends us her stunning photo of last night's Manhattanhenge.

Swag Tuesday

Today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Zarkana, the new Cirque Du Soleil show opening in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on June 9th.

Cirque du Soleil invites you to Zarkana, a beautifully bizarre journey premiering exclusively at Radio City Music Hall. This epic spectacle takes audiences into a fantastical and suspenseful world where highly-acrobatic feats are heightened by original live music and interactive multimedia elements. Zarkana transforms the grandest stage in the world into a world of unreality as only Cirque du Soleil could imagine. Directed by the internationally acclaimed François Girard (The Red Violin, Silk), this new production features 71 international artists and follows Zark, a magician on a quest to find his lost powers. He finds himself plunged into a world inhabited by surreal and mesmerizing creatures. The music of Zarkana is composed by Nick Littlemore, a protégé of Sir Elton John. Zarkana from Cirque du Soleil begins June 9 for a limited engagement.

Advance tickets to Zarkana are on sale now. Enter to win two tickets by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your entry. Entries close at midnight on Wednesday, west coast time. If you cannot be in NYC to attend the show, your winning entry is transferable to the person of your choice.

Improv Everywhere - Mute Button

Germany To Shut All Nuclear Plants

Germany has announced plans to close all its nuclear power plants by 2022.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition endorsed a blueprint to shut its nuclear-power plants by 2022, repealing the law she pushed to extend the life of the reactors to become the biggest nation to exit atomic power. The decision in the early morning hours today by coalition leaders in Berlin underscored Merkel’s flip-flop from a 2009 re- election promise to extend the life of nuclear reactors. She did her about-face after the March meltdown in Japan as the anti- nuclear Green Party gained in polls. Her party lost control of Baden-Wuerttemberg state to the Greens in March and finished behind them in a state election for the first time on May 22.

CNN Speaks To Ben Cohen

Circumcision Ban Attempt Spreads

First San Francisco, now Santa Monica.

Performing a circumcision on a boy under age 18 — even for religious reasons — would be illegal under a measure that a San Diego group hopes to place on Santa Monica's November 2012 ballot. A similar initiative this month from the anti-circumcision group known as MGM Bill garnered enough signatures in San Francisco to place it on that city's November ballot. MGM stands for "male genital mutilation."

Porno Pete Speaks At Chicago Hate Rally

AUSTRALIA: Christianist Group Forces Removal Of Safer Sex Campaign

An anti-gay Christian group in Brisbane, Australia has forced an outdoor advertising company to yank a just-launched safer sex campaign. The ads featured a fully-clothed gay couple holding an unopened condom.

Adshel, the company that provides advertising for Brisbane's bus shelters; Goa Billboards; and the Advertising Standards Bureau were targeted in an orchestrated campaign by the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL). Healthy Communities executive director Paul Martin said it was extremely disheartening that Adshel had buckled. "Those of us who have been around fighting HIV in Queensland for a while will remember this kind of reaction from days gone by," he told AAP. "We certainly don't expect it in 2011."

ACL was trying to have gay people "erased from the public sphere", Mr Martin said. "It's an extreme minority of people who are very well organised and are able to launch this kind of action," he said. "The vast majority of Queenslanders support gay and lesbian rights." ACL Queensland director Wendy Francis said she objected to the sexual nature of the ads, not the fact the couple pictured were gay. Ms Francis was last year forced to apologise publicly after a Tweet likening gay marriage to legalising child abuse.

TRAILER: The Waiting Game

A Christian abstinence film with a cameo by Ted Haggard.

Old Navy Launches Gay Pride T-Shirts

Yesterday Old Navy began selling gay pride-themed t-shirts.

The T-shirts, which are priced from $7 to $14, bear the rainbow flag, a symbol of gay pride, and different messages, including “Love Proudly” and “Pride 2011.” The retailer says the campaign honors Pride month and is part of its larger flag T-shirt collection. Old Navy is donating 10 percent of the proceeds to the “It Gets Better Project,” an organization dedicated to preventing suicide among gay and lesbian youth.

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

State Dept Condemns Moscow Arrests

The U.S. State Department has issued a letter condemning the arrests of gay activists in Moscow over the weekend.

STATEMENT BY MARK TONER, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON

Concern about Freedom of Assembly in Russia

We note with concern that in Moscow on Saturday, May 28, a peaceable demonstration of Russians advocating for the rights of gays and lesbians, joined by international supporters, was forcefully disrupted by counter-protesters, and that Russian security forces then detained people from both groups, including American citizens. Some protestors were seriously injured according to media reports.

Freedom of assembly is a fundamental right all members of the OSCE committed to, including in the Moscow declaration and as recently as the Astana summit. As nationwide legislative elections approach, constraints on the ability of Russian citizens peacefully to gather and express their views will be closely watched in evaluating the integrity of the electoral process. We call on Russian authorities to work with municipal officials to find better ways to safeguard these fundamental freedoms.

50 State Stereotypes

Afternoon View

The water taxi from downtown Manhattan to Brooklyn provides a great view of the Statue of Liberty.

NEW YORK: Eight State Senators Still Undecided On Gay Marriage

With the legislative year fast drawing to an end, eight New York state senators say they have yet to make up their minds on same-sex marriage.

The measure would need 32 votes for adoption in the Senate, and 26 senators, all Democrats, indicated they would back the bill. Twenty-eight senators expressed opposition — possibly leaving the measure's fate in the hands of the eight undecided lawmakers, five Republicans and three Democrats. The senators who have not publicly declared their stance include Sens. Steve Saland, R-Poughkeepsie; Greg Ball, R-Carmel, Putnam County; and James Alesi, R-Perinton, Monroe County. Alesi and Saland voted against the bill in 2009 when it failed by eight votes. "I've heard from any number of people on both sides of the issue," Saland explained. "And certainly I'm trying to take into account, in a deliberative fashion, the issues that have been raised by the proponents, issues which hadn't necessarily been raised with me when I cast a vote previously."

In 2009 same-sex marriage failed in the New York senate when eight Democrats voted against it.

Fischer: U.S. Should Outlaw Blasphemy

Family Research Council Hate Reel

Our hard-working video clipper Dave Evans has compiled the below reel of the Family Research Council proving why they deserve their hate group designation.

Tap Tap Tap

Is this thing on? Anybody working today?

This Week In Holy Crimes

Over the last seven days...

Wisconsin: Pastor David E. Radtke charged with sexual assault on a 16 year-old student.
Georgia: Pastor David Pope charged with child molestation.
Wisconsin: Father Michael Nowak charged with making obscene phone calls to underage girls.
Kentucky: Pastor Jeremy Caraway charged with child rape.
Arizona: Two Mormon bishops will not be charged for failing to report a church member who confessed to child molestation.
Missouri: Father Shawn Ratigan pleads not guilty to taking pornographic photos of young girls.
Nevada: Pastor Raymond Mosely charged with compelling a four year-old to touch his genitals.
Michigan: Pastor Christopher Settlemoir sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexual assault on a minor.
Delaware: Father James O'Neill has confessed to molesting a pre-teen boy hundreds of times over several years. The victim, now 43, has settled a lawsuit with the Diocese of Wilmington.
West Virginia: Pastor Matthew Jarrell kills himself in jail after being charged with rape.
New York: The ultra-Orthodox Agudath Israel of America has ruled that rabbis must first be consulted before notifying police about child molestation.
Louisiana: Youth Pastor Angelo Golatt indicted on multiple counts of molesting children as young as nine years old.

This Week's Winner
Netherlands: A Dutch Catholic priest identified as Father Van B. has admitted to serving on the board of directors of a group lobbying for the legalization of pedophilia. The priest's superior says that he was aware of Father Van B's involvement with the group. The church is said to be investigating.

Grand Rapids Lip-Dub

Residents of Grand Rapids, Michigan responded with this video after being named one of America's "dying cities." I hate hate hate the song with a blinding white super-hate, but I have to admit the production is stunning.

San Francisco Circumcision Debate

ILLINOIS: Local News Covers Porno Pete's Anti-Gay Marriage Rally

The red-caped loons were there!

Morning View - The Gaga Train

Every square inch of the S train is covered with Lady Gaga. And there are four small TV screens in each car playing Born This Way on a loop.

HomoQuotable - Peter Tatchell

"We witnessed a high level of fraternisation and collusion between neo-Nazis and the Moscow police. I saw neo-Nazis leave and re-enter police buses parked on Tverskaya Street by City Hall. Our suspicion is that many of the neo-Nazis were actually plainclothes police officers, who did to us what their uniformed colleagues dared not do in front of the world’s media. Either that, or the police were actively facilitating the right-wing extremists with transport to the protest.

"During the Second World War, Mucovites stood against the Nazis. Now the Mayor of Moscow is colluding with neo-Nazis. He gave the neo-Nazi groups permission to stage a protest calling for violence against gay people, while denying Moscow Gay Pride a permit to rally for gay equality." - Famed British activist Peter Tatchell, reporting from yesterday's demonstration in Moscow.