Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Pat Robertson: Sinning In Video Games Is The Same As Sinning In Real Life

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Quote Of The Day - Sandy Rios

"I would never say that homosexuals cannot love. They can, of course. Capable of great love. And I know there’s been tremendous heartbreak in the homosexual community – and I’ve talked about this before – heartbreak when you lose a loved one, heartbreak when you break up. Because, you know, there aren’t many lasting relationships – maybe among lesbians, but certainly not among gay men, that’s not the norm. So, there’s a lot of heartbreak, a lot of rejection when you get older, so I know that you’re capable and able. You’re humans, you love. The point is, the right kind of love. The right kind of love is life-giving. And the right kind of love is love for God, love for your natural family, love between a man and a woman and a woman and a man in marriage. Not cohabitating. There’s just some standards that God lays down." - American Family Association radio host Sandy Rios, responding to criticism after she compared gay people to kidnapper Ariel Castro, who apparently had the same kind of love for his victims as gay people do for their partners.

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F. Virtue - Anita Bryant

"This isn't a gay rap. Do gay chefs make gay food?"

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Today's Gay Etiquette Question

From Steven Petrow's Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question:
Q. Dear Civil Behavior: When the Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriages in California to resume in June, my partner and I (together for nearly two decades) celebrated our community’s long overdue equality. But it seems to have given license to everybody to start nudging us toward the altar. I don’t go around challenging straight couples I know about when they will tie the knot, and I’m tired of explaining my own longstanding ambivalence toward state-sanctioned marriage. Committed partnerships can be noble, with or without government imprimatur. So how do I handle these well-meaning but presumptuous questions about marriage (usually from straight people) without sounding like a grump? — Name withheld, San Francisco
Give us your answer then hit the link for Petrow's response.

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NYT Op-Doc: An Attack On Equality

Watch this.

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Daddy Days Launch In Provincetown

Hot on the heels of long-running and wildly popular Bear Week comes Daddy Days, Provincetown's first get together for older gay men. The event is sponsored, unsurprisingly, by the website DaddyHunt. Via press release:
Gay social network Daddyhunt.com announced that it will kick off its first annual Provincetown Daddy Days this Saturday, August 10th. The week-long event will be a celebration of gay men of all ages, featuring parties, dinners, performances and tea-dances at locations across Provincetown. "We wanted to find a way to bring together the strong, smart men who helped build the gay community we know today,” says Javier Cobo, Community Director for Daddyhunt. “We've seen historic changes in the past few years politically, and it’s time for us to realize we're maturing as a community as well. Love and sex aren’t limited by age. With Daddy Days, we’re hoping to bring together not only daddies and daddy hunters, but guys that enjoy a broader definition of community.”
Bear Week already draws a nice number of older guys, so it'll be interesting to see how Daddy Days works out. If you go, send us your thoughts.

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Linda Harvey: Non-Discrimination Laws Create Climate Of Suspicion And Revenge

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NEW YORK CITY: Judge Dismisses Suit Against Telephoto "Voyeur" Photographer

Back in the spring, I mentioned that residents of a luxury Tribeca building were seething about an art gallery's exhibition of photos taken of them with a telephoto lens from an apartment across the street.  Yesterday a state judge dismissed the lawsuit filed by the building's tenants, two of whom claimed that their children's faces were identifiable in the photos.
"An artist may create and sell a work of art that resembles an individual without his or her written consent," Judge Rakower wrote in her decision, underscoring a central principle of the case. Under New York state law, it is illegal to use a person's likeness for commercial purposes without written consent. But Judge Rakower rejected the Foster's argument on the grounds that New York state civil rights laws "yield to an artist’s protections under the First Amendment under the circumstances presented here.” She also concluded that Svenson's images were primarily works of art, not advertising or objects for commercial trade, so they weren't in violation of state privacy laws. ”The value of artistic expression outweighs any sale that stems from the published photos," she wrote in the ruling.
As the above-linked article notes, many New Yorkers were furious with the photographer and the gallery. Close the drapes, folks. Or leave them open and wait for your own gallery debut.

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Petition Of The Day

Details.

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PENNSYLVANIA: Anti-Gay Rep Calls For Impeaching Pro-Gay Marriage Policiticans

Virulently anti-gay Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Melcalf has called for the impeachment of officials who back same-sex marriage.  Via the anti-gay LifeSiteNews:
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, has said [Attorney General Kathleen] Kane's actions merit impeachment, because they spread “lawlessness.” “I think breaking the law is worthy of impeachment,” Metcalfe told local media. “Her duty is to defend the law. Shortly after her announcement, Montgomery County Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes began issuing marriage licenses to homosexuals, despite the fact that state law forbids such unions. As of Friday afternoon, Hanes had issued 62 marriage licenses to homosexual couples, and 13 of their recipients have completed wedding ceremonies. “By her example, this Montgomery County official felt emboldened to violate the law also,” Metcalfe said. He believes Hanes should be impeached, as well. By the laws of the state, Hanes is “charged with carrying out the law of Pennsylvania and this individual breaks the law.” “Ultimately, I think there might be an impeachment procedure,” he said. “The legislature could remove this individual from office for violating the law.”
RELATED: Two months ago Metcalf used a chamber rule to stop openly gay state Rep. Brian Sims from speaking about the historic DOMA ruling on the state House floor, saying that Sims was in "open rebellion against God's law." In 2011 and in 2012 Metcalfe introduced bills to insert a ban on same-sex marriage into the state constitution.  Both attempts failed. Still pending is the constitutional ban introduced by Metcalf in March of this year.

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McDonald's: Proud Winter Games Partner


(Tipped by JMG reader Robert)

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TN Couple Applies For Marriage License

Via Out & About Nashville, more action in Tennessee:
After announcing that they would begin encouraging same-sex couples to apply for Tennessee state marriage licenses at their monthly community meeting last week, the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP) joined couples this morning seeking to not only apply for a marriage license but also clarify the standing of existing marriages. Davidson County couple Jeff Laudieri and Will Peyton have been together for nine years and this morning applied for a Tennessee state marriage license. "It's important that Tennessee get on board with the other 13 states that have done this ... we are at a serious economic disadvantage and a civic disadvantage for not being able to marry," Laudieri told reporters after he and Peyton were denied based on Tennessee law. "We just want the same piece of mind that every other married couple has always had and we want to do it in Tennessee where we live."
Note that the clerk apologized three times.

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CM Punk's Grammar Slam

More of his slams are at The Nerdist.

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Four New Covers By Ebony

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Shark On The Train

No, it's not the latest movie from SyFy. Somebody found a dead shark today on the Queens-bound N train.  Gothamist asked the MTA how these situations are handled: "Live sharks are wrangled by Shark Maintainer IIs, who have passed the qualification test and have minimum three years in the Shark Maintainer I title. Dead ones are handled by Shark Maintainer Is, or if none are available on that shift, then by Aquatic Mammal Handler IIs."  Best comment on Gothamist: "Famous last words: 'Quick.... please.... tell... me... which train to... the... Coney Island.... Aquari..."

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Somebody Was Mean To Sean Hannity

And here to defend Hannity is Miss Oklahoma. Seriously.

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How Cable News Covered Russia

Via Media Matters.

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Obama Cancels Meetings With Putin

The Associated Press reports:
In a rare diplomatic rebuke, President Barack Obama on Wednesday canceled his Moscow summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The decision reflected both U.S. anger over Russia's harboring of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden and growing frustration within the Obama administration over what it sees as Moscow's stubbornness on other key issues, including missile defense and human rights. Obama will still attend the Group of 20 economic summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, but a top White House official said the president had no plans to hold one-on-one talks with Putin while there. Instead of visiting Putin in Moscow, the president will add a stop in Sweden to his early September travel itinerary.
The above-linked story makes no mention of Russia's crackdown on gays, but does note that some members of Congress have suggested boycotting the Olympics.

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New York Times: Why Aren't Olympic Officials More Outraged About Russia?

Here's what NBC really said in the article linked by Fischer:
NBC officials might have been expected to speak forcefully, given that the network paid $775 million to broadcast the Sochi Games, and that its journalists face the potential of being prosecuted for addressing the issue of homosexuality. NBC Universal reiterated on Tuesday a statement that it “strongly supports equal rights and the fair treatment of all people.” Recently, Mark Lazarus, the chairman of the NBC Sports Group, told television critics, “If it is still their law and it is impacting any part of the Olympic Games, we will make sure that we acknowledge it and recognize it.
The Times also notes that the IOC itself might quash pro-gay protests.
Just as Russia now prohibits “propaganda” in support of “nontraditional” sexual orientation, the Olympic charter prohibits athletes from making political gestures during the Winter and Summer Games. So it is entirely possible that any bobsledder or skier wearing a pin, patch or T-shirt in support of gay rights could be sent home from Sochi, not by Russian authorities, but by another group that suppresses expression: the International Olympic Committee. Would the I.O.C. inflict such a public-relations disaster on itself? Perhaps not. But Olympic officials worldwide, including those in the United States, along with NBC and corporate sponsors, have put themselves and athletes in an awkward position by only tepidly opposing the Russian law that bans “homosexual propaganda.”

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TENNESSEE: Small Town Becomes State's First To Offer Same-Sex Benefits

Monday night the small Tennessee town of Collegedale became the first in the state to offer benefits to the partners of LGBT employees.
For some walking out the doors of Collegedale City Hall on Monday night, that distinction is a badge of honor and a far-reaching victory. For other residents of the small town, it’s a heavy disappointment in what they say is an erosion of traditional family values they hoped their city leaders would defend. “It looks like we are condoning same-sex marriage,” said resident Dolly Fillman. “I know they said that wasn’t what they were doing, but it looks like it to me.” For Collegedale Detective Kat Cooper, the new policy means relief. Her wife can finally have insurance coverage. “It is such a huge weight off our shoulders,” she said. “We don’t have to constantly worry about health expenses or sudden emergencies. It’s hard to explain how much this means to us.” Cooper led the charge to change the policy after she was denied family health coverage for her wife, Krista. The two were married in Maryland this spring.
The only dissenting vote came from the mayor, who said he was doing so on behalf of the 74 people who had contacted him in opposition to the benefits. (Tipped by JMG reader Kyle)

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HomoQuotable - Stephen Fry

"I am gay. I am a Jew. My mother lost over a dozen of her family to Hitler's anti-Semitism. Every time in Russia (and it is constantly) a gay teenager is forced into suicide, a lesbian 'correctively' raped, gay men and women beaten to death by neo-Nazi thugs while the Russian police stand idly by, the world is diminished and I for one, weep anew at seeing history repeat itself. 'All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing,' so wrote Edmund Burke. Are you, the men and women of the IOC going to be those 'good' who allow evil to triumph? The Summer Olympics of 2012 were one of the most glorious moments of my life and the life of my country. For there to be a Russian Winter Olympics would stain the movement forever and wipe away any of that glory. The Five Rings would finally be forever smeared, besmirched and ruined in the eyes of the civilised world." - Stephen Fry, in an open letter to the IOC and British Prime Minister David Cameron.

You really should read the full essay.

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Anti-Gay US Groups Back Russia

Several times I've posted pro-Russia comments by anti-gay American hate groups.  Russia's state news agency has noticed this support as well.
Politics, it has been said, makes strange bedfellows. Now, as US gay rights groups protest against Russia’s new laws on homosexuality, conservatives across America have quietly begun to align themselves with the Russian government in a rare union that defies a long history of animosity.  “Russia could be a great ally for conservatives, on issues like defending the family, abortions, even strengthening marriage and promoting more children,” said Larry Jacobs, managing director the World Congress of Families, an Illinois-based organization that promotes traditional family values in the US and abroad, in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Next year the group plans to hold its eighth annual International Congress in Moscow, a move Jacobs said was “absolutely” an indication of support for Russia’s growing conservative stance on a number of social issues. Other conservative groups are also joining what might seem to be an odd alliance. "We fully support the widespread notion in Russia that homosexuality has no place in the teaching of children. We also welcome the leading role Russia is taking on this issue at the United Nations,” said Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute, a US-based non-profit research group that works to defend life and family values around the world, in a statement to RIA Novosti.
The story goes on to quote Porno Pete: "Russians do not want to follow America’s reckless and decadent promotion of gender confusion, sexual perversion, and anti-biblical ideologies to youth." (Tipped by JMG reader Duncan)

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Anthony Weiner Calls Rival "Grandpa" At Forum Hosted By The AARP

ABC News has the story:
Longshot Republican candidate George McDonald frequently mocks the former Democratic congressman's sexting scandal. Tensions between them erupted again before the Manhattan forum Tuesday, when Weiner touched his 69-year-old opponent's chest in greeting. McDonald barked, "Don't put your hands on me ever again." The 48-year-old Weiner responded by telling McDonald he has "anger issues." When McDonald disagreed, Weiner said, "Yes, you do, Grandpa." The angry exchange was caught on camera by cable news station NY1.
Both are not expected to survive the primary.

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NORTH CAROLINA: Married Dutch Lesbian Granted Green Card By USCIS

Via the DOMA Project:
Although North Carolina voters passed the infamous anti-gay state constitutional “Amendment 1″ in May 2012 that bars The Tar Heel State from recognizing and performing marriages or civil unions of same-sex couples, Masliah & Soloway clients, Becky and Sanne, who married in the Netherlands, were treated just as any other married couple as they arrived at their green card interview on Monday, August 5th, at 10 a.m. at the USCIS office in Charlotte. The Officer thoroughly reviewed the journey of their relationship which began in India and included time spent in Belgium and the Netherlands as well as Africa. The Officer was satisfied that they had provided sufficient evidence of the bona fides of their marriage and officially re-opened the denied green card application (the Board of Immigration Appeals had already ordered the green card petition to be re-opened) and adjudicated it at the same time.
Read their full story and smile.

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ILLINOIS: Hate Group Compares Gay Marriage To Incest, Polygamy, Blah, Blah

"Arguing that marriage should be available to any human beings who profess to love each other not only ignores unique biological fruitfulness of male and female unions, but it also makes us wonder when -- and why -- plaintiffs would ever draw the line. Stretching plaintiffs' rationale to the limits of their logic, why or how could they bar or limit the legality of 'marriages' between brothers and sisters, so long as they profess 'love' toward one another, or between cousins of close consanguinity, let alone polygamy, or polyandry, or even polyamory. Thus the plaintiffs' rationale goes far beyond the pale, founders on its own illogic, and affords no good reason at all for overturning our traditional, classic understanding of this vital social institution" - Thomas More Society president Tom Brejcha, on yesterday's oral arguments before the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois, where the ACLU and Lambda Legal are attempting to overturn the ban on same-sex marriage. Thomas More is representing two downstate county clerks in the suit.

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One Million Moms Vs NBC's Camp

"Dear Joe, NBC's newest program, 'Camp,' could be misleading to parents with this title, but with a TV-14 DLS rating you can be assured this will not be for family viewing. The content in this program (and even in its commercials) is inappropriate for tweens and teens and will send the wrong message to America's youth. Unacceptable content in the program included: 'This is a p*rn desert.' 'Fifty Shades of Little Otter' (Little Otter is the name of camp), mom walks in on son m*sturbating, g*mbling add*cts, p-word used, and one camper has g*nital h*rpes, s*xual innuendos, politically correct situations with a h*mosexual couple.  NBC's newest show is irresponsible and tasteless. It is appalling that NBC intends to air a show that features immoral behavior in a positive light while attempting to draw in young viewers with the title and adolescent plot of the program." - One Million Moms, in this week's plea to contact advertisers.

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Obama On Russia: I Have No Patience For Countries That Treat LGBT People Badly

Last night President Obama made a lengthy appearance on the Tonight Show, where Jay Leno brought up the subject of Russia's crackdown on LGBT people.
Jay Leno also brought up the recent crackdown on gays in Russia, comparing the country’s treatment of homosexuality to the way Nazi Germany persecuted Jews. President Obama said he has “no patience for countries that try to treat gays or lesbians or transgender persons in ways that intimidate them or are harmful to them.”

“I think Putin and Russia have a big stake in making sure that the Olympics work, and I think that they understand that for most of the countries that participate in the Olympics we wouldn’t tolerate gays and lesbians being treated differently. They are athletes. They are there to compete.”

Russia has said that the anti-gay laws will be enforced during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, which have sparked protests and demonstrations for boycotting the Sochi Olympics. “If Russia wants to uphold the Olympic spirit, then every judgment should be made on the track or in the swimming pool or on the balance beam and people’s sexual orientation shouldn’t have anything to do with it,” Obama said Tuesday evening.
NBC has posted the full appearance in several clips.

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Tuesday, August 06, 2013

George Soros Endorses Bill De Blasio

Billionaire liberal George Soros today endorsed New York City Public Advocate Bill De Blasio for mayor.
In a prepared statement, Soros said de Blasio, a 52-year-old Democrat, would work to reduce economic inequality and guard against too much influence over elections by corporations and wealthy individuals. He is competing against six other Democrats in a Sept. 10 primary election to win the party’s mayoral nomination. Soros, who has given the campaign $2,000, was unavailable for interviews, said Michael Vachon, a spokesman. “New York’s next mayor needs to possess conviction, intelligence, and a clear vision for where they want to take the city,” Soros said in a news release distributed by de Blasio’s campaign. "Bill de Blasio possesses these qualities.”
If you've ever traipsed through the blogs of Teabagistan, you know that after President Obama, George Soros is considered the most dangerous person in America. Because Marxist, socialist, communist, Martian, etc etc etc.  De Blasio is presently polling second behind City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a position he vaulted into thanks to Carlos Danger.

UPDATE: The Orthodox Jewish site, Yeshiva World News, is already criticizing De Blasio for the Soros endorsement.
George Soros’ network of foundations contributes tens of millions of dollars annually to groups that wage “political warfare” against Israel, according to a new report by NGO Monitor. Several of the OFS-sponsored groups, funded by Soros, support boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaigns against Israel, equate Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with South Africa’s former apartheid regime, and in some cases deny Israel’s right to exist.

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Cuccinelli Vs McDonnell

Today's installment of GOP infighting comes out of Virginia, where anti-gay Attorney General (and gubernatorial candidate) Ken Cuccinelli has demanded a special legislative session on political ethics, something that scandal-plagued and anti-gay Gov. Bob McDonnell (shockingly) does not want.
With McDonnell (R) embroiled in a gifts scandal, the Republican candidate to succeed him said Virginia cannot wait until the legislature reconvenes in January to tighten the state’s lax disclosure requirements. “Trust is something that is easy to lose and hard to recover,” Cuccinelli said in an interview with The Washington Post. “I think the longer we let this go, the more difficult it is for Virginians to achieve the level of faith in their government that I think they’re accustomed to. And I think that’s something we can achieve if we move quickly.” Cuccinelli’s chief deputy told the governor in a face-to-face meeting Monday that the attorney general would publicly urge him to call the special session. After the meeting, a spokesman for the governor said he sees no need for it. Cuccinelli’s move puts more space between the attorney general, who has been touched by the scandal, and the governor, who has been consumed by it.
Cuccinelli, who last month launched a website in support of his campaign to reinstate anti-sodomy laws, presently trails former DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe by several points in polls for the governor's race.

RELATED: Speaking of ethics, there have been many calls for Cuccinelli to resign as other state attorneys general have historically done once they announced their candidacy for governor. He has refused even though he holds a large stock interest in a company currently suing the state over a tax dispute.  Cucinelli has a long and vile history of blocking LGBT rights in Virginia, including supporting a ban on gay adoptions. In 2011 he declared that God had personally placed him in office to fight President Obama.

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Sigur Rós – #Stormur

Stereogum explains the latest from Sigur Rós:
The video that I saw for Sigur Rós’ “Stormur” will not be the video that you see for the track. It won’t be the video any of my co-workers sees or any of the rest of the Stereogum community checks out. The band has set up a website that collects videos from Instagram with the tag #Stormur and uploads them to a site that plays an ever-evolving clip for the song.
View the clip.  The version I got was pretty cool.

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George Takei: Move The Olympics

"Last week, Russia’s Sports Minister confirmed that the country intends to enforce its laws against visiting LGBT athletes, trainers and fans, meaning anyone even so much as waving a rainbow flag (and I presume many men enthusiastically watching and dramatically commenting on figure skating) would be arrested, held for weeks and then deported.Given this position, the IOC must do the right thing, protect its athletes and the fans, and move the 2014 Winter Olympics out of Russia. [snip]

"Many believe that such a call to move the Olympics out of Russia goes too far. Would this be their opinion if the law instead called for the arrest of any Jews, Roman Catholics or Muslims should they display any sign of their religion, such as a wearing a yamaka or praying while facing Mecca? Discrimination in any form is a blight upon the Winter Games, and it must not be tolerated." - George Takei, writing on the blog of the coming musical, Allegiance.

Read the full essay.

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US Consulate In Amsterdam Issues First Visa For Spouse Of Gay American

On Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry announced the immediate availability of visas for the spouses for gay Americans. Two days later the first such document was issued in the Netherlands. From the Facebook page of the US Consulate General, Amsterdam:
Mr. Francois Conradie is moving to New York, and visited the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam for his L2 visa interview on Friday. Today, he was surprised by Consul General Berry, who presented him with the printed visa placed in his passport. This is the first derivative visa we have had the privilege of issuing to the same-sex spouse of a visa applicant in Amsterdam since the U.S. Supreme Court's repeal of DOMA. Have a great trip Mr. Conradie!

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ILLINOIS: Court Hears Motion To Dismiss Marriage Equality Lawsuit

Today in Illinois the Cook County Circuit Court heard oral arguments in the anti-gay Thomas More Society's bid to dismiss the marriage equality lawsuit brought in May 2012 by Lambda Legal and the ACLU. Lambda Legal writes via press release:
Today we urged the court to ensure that same-sex couples and their families get their day in court. We put forward the severe harms experienced by the 25 plaintiff couples and the thousands of same-sex couples and their children in Illinois every day because their government marks them as unequal. The recent Supreme Court ruling striking down DOMA has made the freedom to marry even more urgent in Illinois than it was before because Illinois now stands between these families and a host of federal protections, benefits, rights and responsibilities. Civil unions do not fully access the federal safety net that marriage provides, and Illinois families can’t wait any longer.
No word on when a ruling is expected.

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Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

This week's recap:
Another huge week for equality, with marriages starting in Minnesota and Rhode Island. There's a major new lawsuit in Virginia, and legal tussling in Pennsylvania, where the Governor and Attorney General are at at odds over the constitutionality of the state's marriage ban. We'll explain the dispute -- plus updates from Michigan, Oklahoma, and Illinois.

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Editorial Of The Day

From the Washington Post editorial board:
In the politically charged election year of 1996 — the same year the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) passed both houses of Congress with veto-proof margins — the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) reached the Senate floor and was defeated by a single vote.

Reading the tea leaves then, it might have seemed that employment discrimination against gay workers would become illegal long before 17 years would pass. It was same-sex marriage that seemed unlikely. But a nation that has evolved rapidly toward supporting marriage equality continues to drag its feet on workforce fairness. The rejection of ENDA, a version of which was proposed as far back as the mid-1970s, has become something of a ritual: The act has been introduced in every Congress since 1994, save one. [snip]

Mr. Obama promised on the campaign trail in 2008 that he would sign an executive order protecting gays in the federal contractor force. His failure to do so becomes increasingly indefensible and inexplicable by the day. An executive order could generate momentum for ENDA, not to mention put in place at least some protections until the act becomes law. After helping to end discrimination in the military and publicly endorsing same-sex marriage in his first term, it’s time the president honor the promise he made five years ago.

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RUSSIA: Paratroopers Attack Gay Rights Activist In St. Petersburg

Pink News reports:
A lone gay rights activist, Krill Kalugin, was assaulted by a violent group of Russian paratroopers in the city that was the birth place of the country’s anti-gay legislation. Mr Kalugin was holding a rainbow banner in St Petersburg that read “This is propagating tolerance” when he was attacked. Although riot police intervened to arrest the paratroopers, it is not known if Mr Kalugin was arrested or charged too.
The clip below already has over 1.2M views.

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NEW YORK: ABC News Editor Blames Transgender Reversal On Amnesia

Right wing sites such as World Net Daily and the Washington Times are trumpeting the strange story of ABC News editor Don Ellis, who tells the New York Post today that he is no longer a transgender woman named Dawn.  Because it was amnesia that made him no longer believe he should be a woman.
He thought he was a woman trapped in a man’s body — but it turns out he’s “just another boring straight guy.” ABC News editor Don Ennis strolled into the newsroom in May wearing a little black dress and an auburn wig and announced he was transgender and splitting from his wife. He wanted to be called Dawn.

But now he says he suffered from a two-day bout of amnesia that has made him realize he wants to live his life again as Don. “I accused my wife of playing some kind of cruel joke, dressing me up in a wig and bra and making fake ID’s with the name ‘Dawn’ on it. Seriously,” Ennis wrote in an e-mail to friends and colleagues Friday, explaining his shock after he woke up from what he called a “transient global amnesia” last month.

“It became obvious this was not the case once I took off the bra — and discovered two reasons I was wearing one,” he said, referring to his hormone-induced breasts. “I thought it was 1999 . . . and I was sure as hell that I was a man,” Ennis said in the e-mail titled “Not Reportable, Very Confirmed.”
Ellis told the Post that despite his reversal, he considers his three months living as a woman to have been a "tremendous gift," adding, "I know my wonderful colleagues will no doubt make it easier for the next person to transition at ABC." Hate group leader Bryan Fischer snarked this morning: "Guess he wasn't 'born that way' after all, eh?"

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Matt Barber's Prayer For America

"Father God, Son and Holy Spirit, Maker of heaven and earth, You are the First Cause of these United States of America. You are the Author of all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. We confess that we have perverted Your design for human sexuality. We have taken sins that You deem 'abominable' and called them 'equality.' We have mocked marriage, spurred divorce, scorned purity, glorified promiscuity, sexualized our children, belittled our stay-at-home mothers, stunted natural reproduction and called it all 'liberation.' Your word tells us that 'the wages of sin is death.' Indeed, as died many once mighty, hard-fallen nations before us, justice demands that we reap a yield most destructive. And we may yet. Even still, we implore You to suspend sentence. For these and manifold sins, hitherto unnamed, of both act and omission – individual and corporate – we beg your forgiveness, Lord Jesus." - Hate group leader Matt Barber, writing for Townhall.

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Bush II Has Heart Surgery

George W. Bush is reported in "high spirits" after undergoing heart surgery early this morning.
During a physical examination Monday, doctors found a blockage in the artery of the former president's heart, said Bush spokesman Freddy Ford. "At the recommendation of his doctors, President Bush agreed to have a stent placed to open the blockage," Ford said. The procedure at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas went off "without complication" early Tuesday, Ford said. The news caught the political world by surprise. Bush was among the most physically active of presidents, with frequent exercise that ranged from early morning workouts to bike rides.
Bush is scheduled to leave the hospital tomorrow.

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New Lady Gaga Single Leaks Online

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Petition Of The Day

Details.

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Carlos! Carlos Danger!

Yesterday Anthony Weiner marched in New York City's annual Ecuador Day Parade where he exhorted the crowd to chant his sexting name.
Serial sexter and mayor wannabe Anthony Weiner appeared to be embracing his embarrassing online pseudonym and encouraged crowds that chanted, “Carlos!” and “Carlos Danger!” while marching in the Ecuadorian pride parade yesterday. Sporting bright blue pants, a bullhorn and an Ecuadorian flag, Weiner repeatedly shouted, “Que viva Ecuador!” to the crowd as he energetically ran down Northern Boulevard in Queens with his loyal interns following.

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TRAILER: Jesus 2015

Yet another End Times flick, only in this one Jesus is apparently a burglar.
A White Male Age 33 identified only as "Chris Doe" was arrested for 415,459 (Burglary in Progress) and taken into custody by L.A.P.D. on May,13th 2013 in Venice California. Chris Doe was booked and processed at The Pacific Station in Los Angeles, routine prints, DNA samples were collected from said individual. Chris Doe was released from Los Angeles County Jail due to overcrowding on May 15th 2013 at 1:42 p.m. An arraignment date for Chris Doe has been set for August,15th 2013 at The Los Angeles Criminal Court 210 West Temple Street room 119 L.A. 90012. A report from Aundergene Forensic DNA laboratories dated June,4 2013. The D.N.A. submitted from the arrest of Chris Doe Male Age 33 May 13th 2013 has specific and positive match 99999.9 to D.N.A. reserved in bank collected samples originating from The Shroud of Turin.

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ILLINOIS: Christian College Professor Pleads Guilty To Possessing Child Porn

Wheaton College professor Donald Ratcliff yesterday pleaded guilty to aggravated possession of child pornography.
Ratcliff, who had been a professor of Christian education at the college since 2006, was arrested at his Carol Stream residence in March 2012 after police executed a search warrant. They found 500 illegal images on a computer they took from his home office, Assistant State's Attorney Louisa Nuckolls said. Police said Ratcliff was making child pornography images available for download over the Internet. Police obtained the warrant after tracing the images to Ratcliff's computer address, Nuckolls said.
Nine other child porn charges were dropped in return for Ratcliff's plea arrangement.

RELATED:  In 2009 Wheaton College hosted the convention of Exodus International. Wheaton bans "homosexual behavior" by its students and in 2011 an alumni group formed to support LGBT students.

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AUSTRALIA: Christian Group Claims Economic Oppression Because GAYS

Australia's Christian Democratic Party has issued the above graphic. Gay Star News has the story:
Far-right Australian political group the Christian Democratic Party has claimed that ‘mum and dad tax payers’ are oppressed in Australia because they earn less on average than same-sex couples according to census data – even though this means same-sex couples pay higher taxes than they do. The group, lead by New South Wales (NSW) state Member of the Legislative Council the Rev. Fred Nile made the claim in a series of election graphics attacking LGBT rights posted to social media – with others complaining about a NSW Police campaign against violence against transgender people and another quoting Russian Orthodox patriarch Kirill I.
RELATED: Rev. Nile made international headlines in 2010 when it was revealed that his state parliament computer had been used to view a huge amount of porn. One of Australia's most vile anti-gay activists, Nile has called for abolishing Sydney Mardi Gras because it's a "public parade of immorality and blasphemy."

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Cookie Monster - Me Want It

Sesame Street takes on this year's most inescapable track.

(Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

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PENNSYLVANIA: Mayor Of Small Town Performs First Allegheny County Marriage

Last night the mayor of a small Pennsylvania suburb of Pittsburgh married two men in the first such ceremony in Allegheny County.
John Kandray and Bill Gray of Regent Square have been together for 11 years. They share a house, two dogs and what they say is a deep love for each other. “Showing our commitment to each other,” Gray said, “which we’ve been at that point for a long time, just now we can prove it.” When they heard that Montgomery County was issuing licenses to same-sex couples, they went across the state to get one. And then they heard Braddock Mayor John Fetterman was willing to marry them. So at the mayor’s home and in front of the couple’s family and friends, they exchanged rings and were married by the mayor.
RELATED: Last month the ACLU filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Pennsylvania's ban on same-sex marriage.

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HomoQuotable - Frank Bruni

"Imagine this: it’s the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. A huge television event, watched the world over. The American Olympians join the proud march of nations. They’re our emissaries, our exemplars. And as the television cameras zoom in on Team U.S.A., one of its members quietly pulls out a rainbow flag, no bigger than a handkerchief, and holds it up. Not ostentatiously high, but just high enough that it can’t be mistaken.

"Another American follows suit. Then another, and another. Within minutes the flags are everywhere in the American delegation, subtly recurring bursts of color and of honor, a gay-rights motif with a message: we’re here in Russia to compete, but we’re not here in Russia to assent. We have gay sisters. Gay brothers. Gay neighbors and friends and fans and probably teammates, and we reject the laws of a land that deems it O.K. to arrest them for speaking their truth or us for speaking up for them." - Frank Bruni, writing for the New York Times.

Read the full essay.

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Quote Of The Day - Spike Lee

"First of all, I'm not homophobic. Because I have a character say the word 'faggot' or 'homo' that does not mean that I'm homophobic. Martin Scorsese is not racist. The characters are people he grew up with, characters in the mean streets — that's those people talking, not him. In that world, those are the things people say. When I went to Morehouse College that's the way they spoke, thought and talked about homosexuals." - Spike Lee, speaking to BET. (Via Towleroad)

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WISCONSIN: Gov. Scott Walker Says Gay Marriage Won't Be Coming "Anytime Soon"


RELATED: In the past Walker has compared same-sex marriage to incest and pedophilia.  In 2011 he tried to end hospital visitation rights for gay couples.  But back March he acknowledged that the tide has turned among young conservatives. Walker's comments prompted Bryan Fischer to denounce him as "crossed off" the list of prospective 2016 presidential candidates.

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NYC Straight Bars Dump Russian Vodka

As I mentioned yesterday, a 200-member NYC restaurant and nightclub group has joined the boycott of Russian vodka.  Here's more on their protest in Manhattan.
Holding up a bottle of the popular Russian brand Stolichnaya, the United Restaurant and Tavern Owners Association President Paul Hurley shook his head and called for a city-wide boycott of Russian spirits and liquor. "All these vodkas here, we're going to throw them out," Hurley said. "We feel enough is enough." Hurley, who urged people to drink American-made alcohol instead, said the boycott was the first step toward pressuring Russia to change its policies toward gay people. Paddy MacCarty, who owns a Manhattan bar called Nevada Smiths, said he's planning to toss out every bottle of Russian vodka behind the bar. At least 200 New York bars and restaurants are participating in the boycott, which has spread to many gay bars across North America in the wake of a newly passed Russian law that bans the so-called "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations."

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IOC: We're Using Quiet Diplomacy

International Olympic Committee vice president Ng Ser Miang yesterday told the press that the IOC is using "quiet diplomacy" with Russia to ensure that attendees of the Sochi Olympics are not affected by the "homosexual propaganda" ban.
Ng, an IOC vice president from Singapore, said Vladimir Putin's government has much at stake in the 2014 Olympics and won't want to do anything that jeopardizes the success of Russia's first Winter Games. "The IOC has made a very strong point that they will be against any action that would discriminate against participants at the Sochi Games, whether it's officials, media, visitors or the athletes,'' Ng said. Russia recently introduced a law that bans so-called "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations'' and imposes hefty fines on those holding gay pride rallies. Ng said Jean-Claude Killy, chairman of the IOC's coordination commission for Sochi, has been in talks with the "highest authority in Russia'' to resolve the issue. "I believe there will be a good solution to that,'' Ng told reporters in London. "I believe that this issue will be resolved to the satisfaction of all.''

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TRAILER: Diana

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Monday, August 05, 2013

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Buys Washington Post For $250M In Cash

From the Washington Post itself:
The Washington Post Co. has agreed to sell its flagship newspaper to Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos, ending the Graham family’s stewardship of one of America’s leading news organizations after four generations. Bezos, whose entrepreneurship has made him one of the world’s richest men, will pay $250 million in cash for The Post and affiliated publications to the Washington Post Co., which owns the newspaper and other businesses. Seattle-based Amazon will have no role in the purchase; Bezos himself will buy the news organization and become its sole owner when the sale is completed, probably within 60 days. The Post Co. will change to a new, still-undecided name and continue as a publicly traded company without The Post thereafter.
Even the Post seems surprised by this news.

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BOSTON: Archdiocese Official Busted With Prostitute Behind Church Cemetery

Boston Archdiocese Monsignor Arthur Coyle has been arrested after offering to pay a female prostitute $40 for a blowjob behind the Holy Trinity Polish Cemetery in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Coyle, 62, of Lowell was arraigned this morning in Lowell District Court. Bail was set at $500 cash, and he was slated to return to court Sept. 16 for a pretrial conference, said Middlesex district attorney’s spokeswoman Stephanie Guyotte. In a statement released this afternoon, the archdiocese said Coyle had voluntarily taken a leave of absence from his post as episcopal vicar for the Merrimack Region, a post he has held since 2008. “While on administrative leave, Msgr. Coyle is prohibited from performing any public ministry,’’ the archdiocese said in the statement. “These restrictions will remain in place pending the outcome of the case. The steps taken today do not represent a determination of Msgr. Coyle’s guilt or innocence as it pertains to these charges.’’ The statement concluded with the sentence, “The Archdiocese asks for prayers for all impacted by this matter.’’
Police say that Coyle had been seen cruising a known prostitution area more than a dozen times in the past. During his arrest, Coyle reportedly told the police that he didn't even get the blowjob. Pity. A press release from the Archdiocese stresses that Coyle was arrested for sexual misconduct "involving an adult."

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Civil Unions Are Coming To Croatia

Croatian Public Administration Minister Arsen Bauk has announced that the government will draw up a law recognizing civil unions for same-sex couples.
Same-sex couples will enjoy all the rights and responsibilities of any other married couple, such as inheritance from a deceased partner, social security benefits and tax deductions, but their union will ''not be called 'marriage," but "life partnership," said the minister. He went on to say that the ceremonies would be held in town councils, as is the case with marriages. The centre-left government has repeatedly said that adoptions will not be allowed, although it is weighing whether to bring in the right 'of one member of the couple to adopt the biological child of the other, if the natural parent is unknown or no longer alive." Many lesbian couples live in Croatia, one of which has conceived through artificial insemination by an unknown donor, and ''it is now important that the State recognise this reality and gives guarantees even to the other mother."
According to the above-linked article, civil unions will go into effect by the end of this year.

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Tweets Of The Day - Lady Gaga

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AT&T Staffers: It Gets Better

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RUSSIA: Madonna And Lady Gaga May Face Visa Charges Because GAY

The Guardian has the story
The office of Russia's prosecutor general has issued a statement confirming that neither singer obtained an appropriate visa prior to performing there last year. Madonna, who played in August 2012, and Gaga, who appeared in December, travelled under cultural-exchange visas. These documents "do not grant their bearers the right to engage in any commercial activity," authorities said. According to the Russian legal information agency, prosecutors are now considering asking Russia's foreign ministry or federal migration service to press charges.  As any foreigner who has visited Moscow will know, Russian immigration can be extremely complicated. But Gaga and Madonna's mistakes weren't just discovered by accident: prosecutors launched their investigation only after being contacted by one of the singers' most outspoken enemies. The man in question was Vitaly Milonov, who serves in St Petersburg's municipal legislature and authored St Petersburg's law banning gay "propaganda" – a model for recent legislation passed by the Duma.

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Time-Warner Cable: We Don't Want A War

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Amsterdam Pride Stands Up For Russia

LGBT people in the Netherlands stood up for their brothers and sisters in Russia at his weekend's Amsterdam Pride boat parade, where anti-Putin slogans and displays were in heavy evidence. Members of the local Labour Party wore "Gay Pride For Russia" t-shirts.
On Saturday, more than 500,000 people attended the 2013 Gay Pride Festival in Amsterdam to celebrate homosexual rights. The Amnesty International boat caught the attention of many as it featured a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin, following the recent anti-homosexual propaganda laws in Russia. In July, four Dutch were arrested in Murmansk, Russia for suspicion of gay propaganda. The detained group of Dutch documentarists, lead by Sharelly Emanuelson, were able to return to the Netherlands safely.

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GOP Warns Networks: Drop Hillary Clinton Documentaries Or We'll Pull Out Of 2016 Presidential Debates

Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus has sent letters to CNN and NBC, warning that unless plans for documentaries about Hillary Clinton are dropped, the GOP will not allow its 2016 presidential candidates to participate in televised debates. Here an excerpt from the letter Priebus sent to CNN:
I find CNN’s actions disturbing and disappointing. Your credibility as a supposedly unbiased news network will most certainly be jeopardized by the decision to show political favoritism and produce an extended commercial for Secretary Clinton’s nascent campaign.
And here's what he said to NBC:
I find this disturbing and disappointing. NBC cannot purport to be a neutral party in American politics, and the credibility of NBC News, already damaged by the partisanship of MSNBC, will be further undermined by the actions of NBC Universal executives who have taken it upon themselves to produce an extended commercial for Secretary Clinton’s nascent campaign.
They are terrified of Hillary Clinton. And they should be. But Preibus, as usual, is blowing smoke. There's no way they'd let a GOP contender miss a nationally televised debate.

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NEW YORK CITY: Gay Politicians Demand Obama Act On Russia's Anti-Gay Abuses

A coalition of gay New York state legislators and gay NYC politicians have issued a joint letter to President Obama which demands that he respond to Russia's crackdown on LGBT people by canceling a coming meeting with Vladimir Putin. Via press release, here's the letter in full:
Dear President Obama:

We write as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elected officials from New York City in anticipation of your deciding whether to continue or cancel plans for an upcoming diplomatic trip to Russia to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. While you are considering whether to cancel that trip in light of Russia's decision to give asylum to Edward Snowden, we also urge you to consider the country's horrendous treatment of members of the LGBT community and its clear human rights abuses aimed at our community. Russia has become a country that persecutes anyone who might be LGBT or supports gay rights.

As then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on behalf of your administration, “Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights. It should never be a crime to be gay.” Given that President Putin and Russia have enacted laws to criminalize gay people and supporters and deny human rights to their LGBT citizens, they should not be the beneficiary of any trip by your office until they fully restore all civil rights to LGBT people in their country. Recent actions taken by the Russian government have led LGBT citizens to face not only a society that is intolerant of their basic civil rights, but also a country that would imprison them for declaring support for their own fundamental rights as humans. This has promoted an atmosphere of hate where gay people fear for their own lives and safety. Police are allowed to arrest foreigners who are considered gay or pro-gay and detain them for up to 14 days. Under their new law, as a pro-gay supporter even you could be subject to arrest and imprisonment while in Russia.

Mr. President, you will remember that in December 2011 the White House released a presidential memorandum directing executive officers and agencies that deal in foreign affairs to address human rights abuses against LGBT people abroad and to pressure foreign governments to decriminalize homosexuality. Now it is time for you and your administration to directly act on this memorandum. The LGBT community and its allies in Russia are under attack and the victims of clear human rights abuses. We urge you to stand in solidarity with us. Refuse any diplomatic mission to Russia until President Putin stops these abuses now and agrees to make Russia a country that proudly supports its LGBT community and its allies worldwide. We expect nothing less.
The letter was signed by NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, state Sen. Brad Hoylman, Assemblywoman Deborah J. Glick, Assemblyman Matthew Titone, Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, Assemblyman Micah Kellner, and NYC Council members Jimmy Van Bramer, Rosie Mendez, and Daniel Dromm.

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Marriages Begin In Uruguay

Same-sex marriage went into effect today in Uruguay.
Acting under legislation passed in April, Rodrigo Borda and Sergio Miranda, aged 39 and 45, flashed big smiles as they addressed a gaggle of reporters upon leaving a civil registry in Montevideo. "We are celebrating it and sharing it because this law establishes that we all have rights. There are no first and second class citizens," said Miranda. The men said they will pick a date for their actual wedding later this month.

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Petition Of The Day

Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims writes:
The time has come for our Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to include a basic level of protection for members of the LGBT community in Pennsylvania. That's why I’ve not only co-sponsored House Bill 300 this legislative session, but am also working hard with Prime Sponsors Rep. Dan Frankel and Rep. Chris Ross to build support for its passage. Currently, we protect our citizens from discrimination based on race, religion, gender, age, ability, yet there is no protection for hate-crimes victims that are based on sexual orientation. Reps. Frankel, Ross, and I need your help to pressure my fellow legislators in the Pennsylvania House and Senate to support this ground-breaking and historic legislation to protect the LGBT people of Pennsylvania.
Hit the link to read in full and sign.

RELATED: Five years ago the anti-gay hate group Repent America successfully forced the repeal of Pennsylvania's 2002 hate crimes law.

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Father Tony Is Doing The AIDS Ride

I don't know where he gets the energy, but in November our own Father Tony will participate in South Florida's version of an AIDS ride.  From the SMART Ride about page:
Like many things that change us and the world in some way, it starts with a dream, a vision, and an idea. The Southern Most AIDS/HIV RideTwenty-Thirteen is no different. It was born out of a dream to make a real and significant difference in the lives of those infected, affected and at risk for HIV/AIDS. The SMART Ride began as a dream to create a bicycle event where 100% of pledges raised could go back to the communities to be used for direct services. That was over eight years ago, and so far $4.2 million dollars have been raised. 100% has been given back to the communities we serve to assist with direct services for individuals infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.
From Tony's rider page where you can sponsor him:
In high school, my idea of exercise was lip-synching Diana Ross. Now, as a 62 year-old gay adventure tour guide and travel writer, I want you to "stop, in the name of love" for a moment and consider supporting the crazy thing I have decided to do. On Friday November 15th, and Saturday November 16th I will join hundreds who will ride their bicycles from Miami to Key West 165-miles. Our journey will be one filled with hope, pride, and the dream of a future free of HIV/AIDS. This year will mark the 10th year of The SMART Ride journey.
So far Tony has corporate sponsorship from South Florida Gay News, where he is their travel writer, and from Key West's Island House. And of course, he'll have a JMG sticker on his helmet.

NOTE: Regretfully, I've had to turn down many requests to promote JMG reader participation in AIDS rides and similar events, but since this one is sort of "in-house" for me, I'm making an exception for Father Tony.

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