Monday, October 07, 2013

Paris To Host Gay Games 2018

The Federation of Gay Games tonight declared Paris to be the winner of the bidding to host Gay Games X, which will be held in 2018. Paris beat fellow finalists London and Limerick, Ireland. Eliminated earlier this year were Amsterdam and Orlando, the latter of which had earned the endorsement of President Obama. Via press release:
The international delegates and board of directors of the Federation of Gay Games voted at the end of a three-day meeting featuring site inspection reports, question-and-answer sessions, committee reviews and, a highlight of the event, the oral presentation by each bidding organization. This meeting was held in Cleveland, host with Akron, of the 2014 Gay Games, presented by the Cleveland Foundation next year from 9-16 August. David Killian, co-chair of the FGG Site Selection Committee, noted some factors that may have influenced voters in their choice: “The vote is the result of dozens of individual choices, but some points stood out for many voters. Paris proposed a wide range of sports in quality venues, many of which offer good visibility for the event. French LGBT sport organizations already have a great deal of experience hosting international multisport tournaments, and their LGBT community presents outstanding cultural events. They are already well advanced in planning, for example, with the designation of a dedicated sports manager. They arrived with demonstrable political support, including Minister for Sport Valerie Fourneyron and five-time Olympic fencing medalist Laura Flessel, who were part of the presentation team. And of course Paris is a great destination to visit or revisit.”
Today's vote was held in Cleveland, which will host Gay Games IX in August 2014.

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Guido Barilla Meets Gay Italian Orgs

The latest development:
Barilla met Arcigay, Arcilesbica, Famiglie Arcobaleno, Gaynet and Equality Italia associations at the Regione Emilia-Romagna headquarters, where former Arcigay president and now regional councillor Franco Grillini has his office. Grillini told Gay Star News: "We spoke about the company’s policies and about the impact on the LGBT community worldwide. Mr Barilla apologized once again and told us they are really worried for the boycotting in North America. The news had a big impact in the United States and they went to the US last week to reinforce their presence in that country." According to Grillini, "We could say Barilla is going to do a pro-gay campaign in the future, but it’s not sure at the moment. We have to meet again and to discuss their new ads. They’ll probably do something for our community, they have understood that LGBTs have a strong power."

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Wil Wheaton Thanks You

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Hidden Cameras - Gay Goth Scene

Chilling.

(Tipped by JMG reader Kevin)

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Ohio Dem To Intro "Ex-Gay" Therapy Ban

Ohio may be the next state to ban the "ex-gay" torture of children.
“If they are already questioning their sexuality, we don’t want them to think there is something wrong with them that needs to be fixed,” Sen. Charleta Tavares said. She said it is an issue that she and her Democratic colleagues thought they needed to be more proactive in addressing, noting the higher rates of suicide among gays. She said she does not know whether so-called conversion therapy is used much in Ohio, but she said that even if it’s rare, the bill still sends a message. “We don’t want to do any harm to a child,” she said.
Bans have already passed in California and New Jersey, but both bills are on hold pending appeals by the Liberty Counsel.

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World Net Daily: Obamacare = Hitlercare

Today on World Net Daily:
Nazi Germany is the true birthplace, and Hitler is the real father of universal health care. Like Lenincare, Stalincare, Maocare, Castrocare and Obamacare, all universal health-care systems are derivative of Marxism, socialism, communism, progressivism, postmodernism and thus are antithetical to America’s founding constitutional principles of God, the Bible, natural law, equality, liberty and truth. Like Hitlercare, Obamacare will inevitably lead to health-care rationing, death panels, millions of uninsured and, eventually, the systematic genocide of the weak, minorities, enfeebled, the elderly and political enemies of the God-state.

Obama is using his Gestapo and SS Stormtroppers or so-called “navigators” (e.g., the youth, the unions, Planned Parenthood, NAACP, ACORN, La Raza, etc.) to propagandize the poor, the miseducated and minorities who are being exploited to lead this final blitzkrieg toward forcing universal health care, but like in Hitler’s Germany once the reality of their treachery metastasizes, guess who will be the first ones forced to sacrifice their lives for the Fatherland in our march toward a “perfect” society without illness or suffering? History has repeatedly demonstrated that the weakest and most vulnerable have often been the first victims to be eliminated.
Mitt Romney: Goebbels or Goering?

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Creation Museum Posts Times Square Ad

Three similar billboards have gone up in the San Francisco area and "six or seven" are planned for Los Angeles. The Creation Museum's Ken Ham writes:
In a friendly way, we want to reach out to people in secularized parts of the country and share the hope we have in Christ. Atheists live in a world of ultimate meaninglessness and purposelessness. But the good news is that God sent His Son to offer the free gift of salvation. There is purpose and meaning in life. And we thank God for that.
(Via Friendly Atheist

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Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip recap: "Anti-gay politicians are pushing back against recent high-profile victories for equality, but they're just delaying the inevitable. Lawsuits progress in some more conservative states. Plus we have even more good news in state and national surveys."

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Tweet Of The Day - Anton Hysen

Hysen came out in 2011 and is one of only two openly gay professional soccer players in the world. (The other is American player Robbie Rogers.) Hysen has spent the last couple of hours dealing with angry fans. Last year he became the first openly gay winner of Sweden's version of Dancing With The Stars. (Via Gay Star News)

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God Hates Low-Carb Diets


RELATED: Robertson is still selling his Age-Defying Energy Shake, which he claims enabled him (in 2006 at the age of 76) to leg press 2000 pounds, which is at least 500 pounds more than the world record.

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Quote Of The Day - Antonin Scalia

"I don’t know either. And, frankly, I don’t care. Maybe the world is spinning toward a wider acceptance of homosexual rights, and here’s Scalia, standing athwart it. At least standing athwart it as a constitutional entitlement. But I have never been custodian of my legacy. When I’m dead and gone, I’ll either be sublimely happy or terribly unhappy." - Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, when asked by New York Magazine how the current gay rights battles will be regarded in fifty years.  In the interview Scalia also reveals that he no longer reads the "shrilly liberal" Washington Post and gets most of his news from "talk radio guys."

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Civil Rights Coalition To Congress: Don't "Legitimize Extremism" By Attending FRC's Values Voter Hate Summit

The above groups have signed on to a Southern Poverty Law Center letter which asks members of Congress not to attend the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit. Via press release:
"Public officials need to know the real ‘values’ they’re endorsing when they attend the Values Voter Summit,” said Heidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project. “Offensive and bigoted lies are not magically transformed into the truth just because a group with the word ‘family’ in its name keeps repeating them.” The letter describes how the FRC has repeatedly portrayed gay men and lesbians as sick, evil, incestuous, violent, perverted and a threat to the nation. It points out that FRC President Tony Perkins has gone so far as to describe the “It Gets Better” campaign – an effort to give LGBT students hope for a better tomorrow – as “disgusting” and part of a “concerted effort” to “recruit” children into the gay “lifestyle.” The letter also points out that Bryan Fischer, AFA spokesman and director of issue analysis, has blamed gay men for the Holocaust and the Nazi Party. “Homosexuality gave us Adolph Hitler, and homosexuals in the military gave us the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war machine and 6 million dead Jews,” Fischer has written.
Among the cavalcade of congressional crackpots scheduled to attend: Crazy Eyes, Gohmert Pyle, Frothy Mix, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Jim Jordan, Tim Scott, Paul Ryan, and Steve King. Read the full letter here.

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TODAY: SiriusXM At 3:30PM

Today at 3:30pm I'll be on Michelangelo Signorile's new SiriusXM show to talk about some of the latest LGBT news items. Mike's new channel is SiriusXM Progress 127 and you can listen live online if you sign up for a freebie account. What's on your mind?

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Kuwait To Conduct "Homosexuality Tests" To Stop Gay People From Entering Country

Kuwaiti officials revealed today that they will conduct "medical screening tests" to detect homosexuals who are attempting to enter the country. According to a quote from one official, LGBT people so identified would also be barred from all of the Gulf Cooperation Nations.
Yousouf Mindkar, director of public health at the Kuwaiti health ministry, said that the routine clinical screening of expatriates coming into the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) will include tests to identify LGBT people who will then be banned from entering the country. "Health centres conduct the routine medical check to assess the health of the expatriates when they come into the GCC countries," he told local daily Al Rai. "However, we will take stricter measures that will help us detect gays who will be then barred from entering Kuwait or any of the GCC member states." Homosexuals acts are banned in all the GCC member countries, which include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Officials have not yet revealed how the tests will work.

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SCOTUS Rejects Virginia Sodomy Case

The US Supreme Court today refused to hear the appeal of Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who lost an earlier suit to reinstate the ban on sodomy.
The high court on Monday refused to hear from Virginia state officials who wanted to get the state's ban on oral and anal sex reinstated. In March, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond declared Virginia's law unconstitutional. In 2005, a judge convicted William Scott MacDonald of criminal solicitation for allegedly demanding oral sex from a 17-year-old girl. His conviction occurred two years after the landmark Lawrence v. Texas decision effectively struck down anti-sodomy laws in that state and several others. Virginia officials said the Texas ruling did not apply to sex acts between adults and minors. The lower court rejected that interpretation and justices won't reconsider that decision.
Suck it, Cooch. No, really. It's legal.

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Religious Group Slams Rep. Randy Forbes For FRC Hate Summit Appearance

The gay-affirming Faithful America notes that Rep. Randy Forbes will appear at a Values Voter Summit luncheon sponsored by the American Family Association. Knowing Forbes' history, I don't expect this ad campaign to bother him in the slightest.

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Freep This Nashville Poll

The poll is on the lower right. (Tipped by JMG reader Joseph)

RELATED: When we freeped the American Family Association last week, they reset their poll to zero several times before deleting it entirely. Great work!

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TRAILER: God Loves Uganda

After being hailed at dozens of film festivals, God Loves Uganda opens in New York City on Friday.  It opens in Los Angeles next week and in San Francisco on November 1st.

Source.

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Breitbart Editor Ben Shaprio Launches Site To "Unmask And Destroy Leftists"

Today Breitbart editor Ben Shapiro launched TruthRevolt, a new site designed to "unmask leftists in the media for who they are, destroy their credibility with the American public, and devastate their funding bases." From Breitbart:
Shapiro said TruthRevolt will be billed as the "anti-Media Matters." He emphasized that Media Matters has tried to destroy the careers of conservatives who are truth-tellers and TruthRevolt will "turn that around and go after the liars of the left-wing" and the mainstream media. He went on to say, "we're not going to stop until we've made clear to these advertisers" that the American public is not happy with advertisers supporting and spending cash on people" who are propagandizing on behalf of the obama administration" and other left-wing causes. Shapiro said because "money talks," the media will not change, and the mainstream media will continue to peddle their lies and distortions while omitting facts that hurt their agenda "unless these folks start to feel it in their wallet." He said TruthRevolt's goal is going to be to "change the nature of media" by "actually making it clear that they are going to lose money if they" continue to mislead Americans.
The second-most lying site in America (after WND, natch) is going to unmask the liars!

NOTE: Their first "bombshell" today is that Ritz Crackers advertises on Al Sharpton's MSNBC chow. Earth shattering! There's a petition!  Call One Million Moms!

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KOD - Photographing Rain

From the new album by Kitchens Of Distinction (their first in 19 years), here's a dark song about homophobia. They recap the song on their YouTube page:
The weather is choking, rain everywhere, waves coming over the esplanade. Two men hide between the houses, breathless, on the run. There are lights flashing, there are men shouting. The pursuit is on. The men get separated. The chasers catch up with them. The lights sear. The men know what is coming next. Cut to a beautiful bright morning, a hot sun already by 10am. The courts are emptying; in this country justice is swift. The last the two men see of their short lives is the sun, the sun, the sun.
The album is available now.

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Mormon Church: We Oppose Gay Marriage Because Straights Are Having Fewer Kids

The Mormon Church has officially reaffirmed its opposition to same-sex marriage. Because the birth rate is dropping and straight people are shacking up.
On the second and final day of the LDS Church’s 183rd Semiannual General Conference, apostle Dallin H. Oaks bemoaned America’s dropping birthrates, later marriages and rising incidence of cohabitation as evidence of "political and social pressures for legal and policy changes to establish behaviors contrary to God’s decrees about sexual morality and the eternal nature and purposes of marriage and child-bearing." An LDS eternal perspective does not allow Mormons "to condone such behaviors or to find justification in the laws that permit them," said the apostle, a former Utah Supreme Court justice. "And, unlike other organizations that can change their policies and even their doctrines, our policies are determined by the truths God has declared to be unchangeable."

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Quote Of The Day - Anna Kooiman

"The Republican National Committee is offering to pay for it [the WWII Memorial] to keep it open so that the veterans from Honor Flight are going to be able to go and see this because who did it honor? It honored them. It really doesn’t seem fair, especially—and we’re going to talk a little bit later in the show too about some things that are continuing to be funded. And President Obama has offered to pay out of his own pocket for the Museum of Muslim Culture, out of his own pocket, yet it’s the Republican National Committee who’s paying for this." - Fox News host Anna Kooiman, repeating a story published by the National Report, a satire site. 

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Facebook Graphic Of The Day

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Sunday, October 06, 2013

Olympic Torch Blows Out At Kremlin

Talk about symbolism. Via the Washington Post:
Russia rolled out a red carpet, on Red Square, for the Olympic flame on Sunday and another red carpet for the man who made the big bet on Russia as host for the Winter Games next year in Sochi: President Vladimir Putin. The flame, which would later choose the wrong moment to show its fickle side, entered from stage left, held modestly in a brass lamp. Putin, striding through the Kremlin’s Savior Gate down a cloth-covered walkway lined with snapping-to-attention flag-bearers holding the standards of all of Russia’s 83 regions, came in from stage right. Two runners then lit a hand-held torch from the bigger flame and carried it toward the Kremlin. A handover took place just outside the red brick walls of Moscow’s fortress and seat of power, and then the new runner, Shavarsh Karapetyan, 60, a one-time champion swimmer, disappeared out of sight through the Savior Gate — but not before the flame had unceremoniously blown out. A cigarette lighter quickly got it started again.

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Freep This Hawaii Poll

This poll is related to an exemption in the marriage bill that will be voted on by the Hawaii legislature in the special session that Gov. Neil Abercrombie has called for October 28th.
The current draft exempts religious organizations and related facilities from hosting gay marriages if the facilities aren't used primarily as for-profit businesses. Gary Secor, vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, said the diocese doesn't want to make it easier on legislators who are undecided. "Our position is that we want the bill voted down," Secor said. "We're not supporting this language modification, especially if it would give any legislator an excuse to vote for the bill."
Here's the poll. (Tipped by JMG reader Scott)

RELATED: Anti-gay activists relentlessly cite the case of a New Jersey church which was ruled to have broken the law when it refused to rent their pavilion for a lesbian couple's commitment ceremony. They always conveniently always fail to mention that the venue had sought and received a special property tax abatement which came with the stipulation that the property was to be available for use by all of the public.

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Seen At The California GOP Convention

Exhibit #797 in the GOP's war on women. Source. (Via Towleroad)

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Ted Cruz: We're Winning

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SAUDI ARABIA: Lashes & Prison For Four Men Convicted Of Naked Dancing

CNN reports:
Four Saudi men accused of dancing naked on the roof of a car and posting a video of the incident online have been sentenced to as many as 2,000 lashes and up to 10 years in prison, and fined thousands of dollars, a newspaper reported this week. A criminal court in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia, handed down the verdict on Wednesday, according to the newspaper al-Sharq. Three of the men were sentenced to three to seven years in prison and 500 to 1,200 lashes, and one man received the harshest sentence -- 10 years and 2,000 lashes.
(Tipped by JMG reader Win)

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PA State Tea Party Rep Intro's Bill To Put "In God We Trust" In All Classrooms

Pennsylvania state Rep. Rick Saccone, who was elected in the 2010 Tea Party wave, has introduced a bill that mandates placing "In God We Trust" signs in all public school classrooms. Last year Siccone introduced a resolution that declared 2012 to be "The Year Of The Bible" and earlier this year he tried to have April 30th declared to be "National Fast Day." Below is his clip explaining his latest attempt to inflict Christianity on public schools.

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SNL: Miley Cyrus As Michele Bachmann

Mediaite has one of the kinder reviews:
Saturday Night Live took full advantage of host Miley Cyrus‘ cultural footprint this week with a hilarious sendup of her aggressively surreal We Can’t Stop video, instead featuring Republicans like John Boehner and Michele Bachmann vamping dirtily to We Did Stop (The Government), an ode to the current federal government shutdown. The piece featured We Can’t Stop’s weird, scuzzy imagery, stuffed elephants in place of teddy bears, and a voyeuristic President Obama peeking through the curtains.

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CALIFORNIA: Governor Signs Bill Allowing Children More Than Two Legal Parents

After vetoing a similar measure last year, California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill which allows children to have more than two legal parents.
Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) said he authored the measure to address the changes in family structure in California, including situations in which same-sex couples have a child with an opposite-sex biological parent. The law will allow the courts to recognize three or more legal parents so that custody and financial responsibility can be shared by all those involved in raising a child, Leno said. "Courts need the ability to recognize these changes so children are supported by the adults that play a central role in loving and caring for them," Leno said. "It is critical that judges have the ability to recognize the roles of all parents so that no child has to endure separation from one of the adults he or she has always known as a parent."
Anti-gay groups, of course, are furious about the bill.

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Saturday, October 05, 2013

Ben Cohen's Second Week On SCD

From a live blog about tonight's show: "6-6-7-6 from the judges. A total of 24 for Ben, which is higher than the judges comments suggested that it would be. Kristina and Ben will definitely take that score and run."

(Tipped by JMG reader Darryl)

RELATED: You might want to also view tonight's dance by Robin Windsor, the openly gay professional with whom Cohen had hoped to be paired for the competition.

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Please Pay Us

From Reddit. Original. (Tipped by JMG reader Ray)

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Organizing For Action: John Boehner is Caving to Tea Party Republicans

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Headline Of The Day

Details. (Tipped by JMG reader MWG)

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Brian Sims Meets Dan Savage

Details.

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Russia Suspends Adoptions To Sweden

"The perverts? No, it is unacceptable. Homosexuals are 'perverts' and should absolutely not be allowed to adopt children. Children who grow up in that kind of environment are destroyed psychologically." - Russian MP Vitaly Milonov, speaking to Swedish television after Russia suspended adoptions to Sweden because of the legality of same-sex marriage there.

The Local has more:
"It's terrible. We have 13 children in Russian orphanages today who have been offered to parents in Sweden who they have actually met," said Jonas Friberg at the Adoptioncentrum agency in Sweden to Sveriges Television (SVT). Representatives of the Russian authorities and the Swedish embassy met yesterday to discuss the legal situation with regard to adoptions of Russian children. Russia is seeking to sign agreements with individual countries to ensure that Russian children do not come to LGBT parents, according to the SVT report.

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Married

The gay Marine whose homecoming kiss went globally viral last year got married to his boyfriend yesterday in a small town the Finger Lakes area of western New York. Hit the link for more.

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Crazy Eyes: I Never Said I Wanted The Shutdown When I Said I Wanted It

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Friday, October 04, 2013

Man Sets Himself On Fire On National Mall

Capitol Hill was rocked by another bizarre incident late this afternoon when a man set himself on fire on the National Mall. The Associated Press reports:
The reason for the self-immolation was not immediately clear and the man's identity was not disclosed. But it occurred in public view, on a central national gathering place, in a city still rattled by a mass shooting last month and a high-speed car chase outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday that ended with a woman being shot dead by police. The man on the Mall suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to the hospital, said District of Columbia fire department spokesman Tim Wilson. He was standing by himself in the center portion of the Mall when he emptied the contents of a red gasoline can on himself and set himself on fire moments later, said Katy Scheflen, who witnessed it as she walked across the area. Police say they responded around 4:20 p.m. Friday. Scheflen said passing joggers took off their shirts in an effort to help douse the flames, and the man was clearly alive as the fire spread. A police department spokesman said he was conscious and breathing at the scene. MedStar Washington Hospital Center tweeted that the man was taken there and he was in critical condition.
The man apparently had no sign and said nothing intelligible before setting himself on fire. Despite that, commenters on right wing sites are buzzing that this was some kind of anti-Obama protest and some are pointing out it was a 2011 self-immolation in Tunisia that helped spawn the Arab Spring uprisings.

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Obama: Nobody Is "Winning"

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FRC Prays Against ENDA

From the Family Research Council prayer team:
May God’s people pray and fast for God to excise the root of our nation’s sexual immorality, extreme as it has become. May believers repent and show zeal for God’s honor that overshadows the activists who seek special legal status and benefits for what the Bible calls abomination. May ENDA be stopped in its tracks! (Lev 18:22; 19:15; Ex 20:14; Ps 26:8-11; Mt 12:28-29; 15:8; 16:19; 18:18; 17:21)
Note that the FRC starts right off by citing one of the "abomination" parts of Leviticus, but leaves off the "they shall be put to death" part that comes a few verses later.  (Via Good As You)

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Shutdown Shirts

The shirt on the left reads: "Starring Ted 'Green Eggs' Cruz, Harry 'Ping Pong" Reid, and John 'Mr. Orange' Boehner." $20 from Raygun. The shirt on the right is being sold by the Moonie Times. (Tipped by JMG reader Alan)

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NOM: Gay Marriage Is A Vote Loser

Posted today to NOM's blog:
In England, a recent report showed that nearly two-thirds of MP's believe that supporting gay 'marriage' is a 'vote loser.' And reports from local Conservative associations show a rapid decline in membership, with gay marriage seen as one of the reasons. Now even the Prime Minister, David Cameron, is saying that he regrets "forcing" marriage redefinition through the Parliament. The same can be said in America. Despite the droning drumbeat of the mainstream media, nearly two-thirds – 65 percent – of Americans disapprove of redefining marriage. During the November 2012 elections, true marriage out-polled the Romney campaign in all four states marriage was on the ballot – by double digit margins! It seems English politicians have already learned what the GOP in America – and all its candidates – need to grasp. Defending marriage as one man and one woman is a winning issue at the polls.
FACT CHECK: Aside from the inconvenient truth that equal marriage WON in all four of those states, Cameron has denied making those claims of "regret."

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HomoQuotable - PA Rep. Brian Sims

Source.

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State Department Updates Russia LGBT Travel Warning, Cites "Propanganda" Ban

Source.

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Pat Robertson To The Poor: Don't Stop Tithing Or God Won't Cure Your Diseases

In today's "Bring It Online" segment on the 700 Club, Pat Robertson fielded an email from an elderly woman who is living on Social Security and wonders if it would be a sin to stop tithing in order to help pay her sick husband's medical bills. Robertson responded: "Read carefully what the bible has to say in Malachi. He says, 'Prove me with your tithes and offerings and I will rebuke the devourer for your sake.' Your husband has all these medical problems because the devourer has not been rebuked! You need to rebuke him, you give your tithes faithfully and God, he says, 'I will rebuke the devourer, the person who is eating up your money and eating up your health.' So, you want to be healthy, that's a promise in the word!" Start at the 3:20 mark in the clip below.

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PA Gov. Tom Corbett Fauxpologizes

"I explained that current Pennsylvania statute delineates categories of individuals unable to obtain a marriage license. As an example, I cited siblings as one such category, which is clearly defined in state law. My intent was to provide an example of these categories. My words were not intended to offend anyone. If they did, I apologize." - Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, fauxpologizing for comparing gay marriage to incest during a interview aired this morning on Harrisburg television.

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REPORT: Discredited Study By Mark Regnerus Cited In Russian Bill That Authorizes Seizing Children Of Gay Parents

In the third of their four part series on the influence of American hate groups on Russia's anti-gay movement, today Right Wing Watch reports that the infamous study by discredited Texas researcher Mark Regnerus was cited in the pending Russian bill that authorizes the government to seize children from the custody of their gay parents.
When Russian lawmaker Alexei Zhuravlyov introduced a bill that would allow the state to remove children from openly gay parents – classifying homosexuality along with drug abuse and child abuse as offenses that merit the loss of custody – gay rights activists noticed something interesting in the text of the bill. Zhuravlyov, who insisted, “In the case when a parent has sexual contact with people of their own gender, the damage that can be inflicted on the psyche of a child is enormous,” had in the text of his bill quoted extensively from a 2012 study conducted by University of Texas researcher Mark Regnerus that purports to show that having LGBT parents harms kids. New evidence shows that the Regnerus study also influenced the architects of Russia’s ban on gay “propaganda” and its ban on the adoption of Russian orphans by gay couples and single people living in countries that allow marriage equality.
More from the report:
When word began to spread that Regnerus’ study was playing a key role in the Russian anti-gay movement, Regnerus backtracked, saying that the Russian effort to remove children from biological parents who are gay or lesbian was a “misuse” of his research. While actively snatching children from gay parents might have been a step too far for Regnerus, he hasn’t stopped pushing his flawed findings around the globe. In fact, the same day that Regnerus claimed that Russian lawmakers had gone too far with his study, the anti-gay Alliance Defending Freedom announced that Regnerus would join it at a panel at the United Nations seeking to inject anti-gay politics into discussions of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.
Hit the above links and read the full and extensive report from Right Wing Watch.

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Liberty Counsel: Teaching Kids That LGBT People Get Murdered Is Sexual Assault

"What are your kids studying in school today? Public schools from California to Florida are celebrating LGBT History Month, where they highlight a homosexual or lesbian each day. Today, America’s school children are learning about Edward-turned-Gwen Araujo, who was intimate with men who allegedly beat him when they discovered that he was not a woman. If parents think our school children should be focused on science and math, not sex and murder, they need to talk to teachers, principals, and school boards to ensure that this program is stopped. The sexual assault on our children is mind-boggling." - Liberty Counsel president Mat Staver, in a statement published to their website.

FACT CHECK: Staver is referring to California's FAIR Education Act, which was signed into law in 2011 and mandates that notable LGBT people be included in history lessons. The bill, which has faced repeal efforts from hate groups, does not, of course (and unfortunately), apply to other states.  Aside from California, only the school board of Florida's Broward County (home to Fort Lauderdale) has even recognized LGBT History Month.

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Anti-Boehner Ad To Run During NFL Game

An anti-Boehner ad is about to hit the air:
Many football fans tuning in for Sunday's game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots will see a new ad blaming House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) for the government shutdown. The spot by House Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC, features a close-up of a baby crying, with a narrator saying, "Speaker John Boehner didn't get his way on shutting down health care reform. So, he's shut down the government and hurt the economy." The ad will be airing in Boehner's district, which includes rural and suburban areas around Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the Revive America PAC, a conservative group, has been running an ad on cable news attempting to spark a grassroots campaign to "fire" Boehner. But more established conservative groups, such as the Senate Conservatives Fund, Club for Growth and Heritage Action Fund, are standing by Boehner and his strategy.

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Boehner: This Isn't Some Damn Game!

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Grover Norquist: Ted Cruz Pushed The House GOP Into Traffic And Walked Away

"Cruz stood on the side and confused people about the fact that every Republican agrees. He said if you don’t agree with my tactic and with the specific structure of my idea, you’re bad. He said if the House would simply pass the bill with defunding he would force the Senate to act. He would lead this grass-roots movement that would get Democrats to change their mind. So the House passed it, it went to the Senate, and Ted Cruz said, oh, we don’t have the votes over here. And I can’t find the e-mails or ads targeting Democrats to support it. Cruz said he would deliver the votes and he didn’t deliver any Democratic votes. He pushed House Republicans into traffic and wandered away." - Libertarian hero Grover Norquist, who is on the board of directors of GOProud.

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GOP "Elders" Turn On Ted Cruz

The New York Times reports that senior members of the GOP yesterday furiously argued with Sen. Ted Cruz in a closed-door GOP meeting.
Several Senate Republicans — Dan Coats of Indiana, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire — assailed Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who has led the movement to block funding for the health law. Ms. Ayotte was especially furious, according to two people present, and waved a printout from a conservative group friendly to Mr. Cruz attacking 25 of his fellow Republican senators for supporting a procedural vote that the group counted as support of the health law. Ms. Ayotte asked Mr. Cruz to disavow the group’s effort and demanded he explain his strategy. When he did not, several other senators — including Mr. Johnson, Mr. Coats and even Mitch McConnell, the minority leader — joined in the criticism of Mr. Cruz. “It just started a lynch mob,” said a senator who was present. Despite the uproar, Mr. Cruz did not offer a plan for how his party could prevail in the shutdown battle and suggested his colleagues were defeatists.
(Tipped by JMG reader Paul)

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The Voice Of Siri Comes Forward

CNN reports:
Her name is Susan Bennett and she lives in suburban Atlanta. Apple won't confirm it. But Bennett says she is Siri. Professionals who know her voice, have worked with her and represent her legally say she is Siri. And an audio-forensics expert with 30 years of experience has studied both voices and says he is "100%" certain the two are the same. Bennett, who won't divulge her age, fell into voice work by accident in the 1970s. Today, she can be heard worldwide. She speaks up in commercials and on countless phone systems. She spells out directions from GPS devices and addresses travelers in Delta airport terminals. Until now, it's been a career that's afforded her anonymity. But a new Apple mobile operating system, iOS 7, with new Siri voices means that Bennett's reign as the American Siri is slowly coming to an end.

RELATED:  In the 70s Bennett sang the earworm jingle, I'm Tillie, The All-Time Teller, for First National Bank's just-debuted ATM. Whenever my college roommate needed cash, he'd say, "I gotta go fuck Tillie."

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Tea Tweet Of The Day

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FEMA Recalls Workers For Karen

FEMA has recalled furloughed workers in advance of Tropical Storm Karen.
A hurricane watch is in effect from Grand Isle to Indian Pass in the Florida Panhandle. A tropical storm watch also was in effect for parts of the Louisiana coast west of Grand Isle, including the New Orleans area. "Based on applicable legal requirements, and consistent with its contingency plan, FEMA has begun to recall currently furloughed employees necessary to serve functions of the agency to protect life and property as they prepare for potential landfall of Tropical Storm Karen," White House press secretary Jay Carney. Carney, the president's press secretary, said FEMA has also reactivated the Hurricane Liaison Team, which is embedded with the National Hurricane Center in Miami. "The president directed his team to ensure that federal resources and personnel needed to support state and local preparation efforts are available and on the job," Carney said.
How much federal disaster aid will Bobby Jindal ask for next week? Socialism!

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This Week's TIME

The Tea People are furious. Good.

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PENNSYLVANIA: Governor Tom Corbett Compares Same-Sex Marriage To Incest

Zack Ford writes at Think Progress:
In an interview Friday morning with WHP-TV, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) demonstrated that his own impressions of marriage equality are just as offensive as those of his lawyers that he tried to distance himself in August. Arguing against a county clerk who’d begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, they suggested that those couples were just like 12-year-old children in being ineligible for marriage, but Corbett told anchor Sherry Christian that incest would be a better comparison.
And then he laughed. Note the shocked face of the host.

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KAZAKHSTAN: Lawmaker Proposes Bill To Recriminalize Homosexuality

Kazakhstan, which has already seen an attempt to copy Russia's ban on "homosexual propaganda," might be taking things a step further.
Kazakhstan’s Parliament deputy Bakhytbek Smagul has suggested drafting a law to ban same-sex relationships in Kazakhstan, Tengrinews reports from the plenary meeting of the Majilis (lower chamber of the Parliament). “I believe it necessary not only to enhance the article 11 of the Family Code (persons not allowed to marry), but also to develop a draft law eradicating same-sex relations, and close the nightclubs everywhere,” Smagul read out his address to Kazakhstan Prime-Minister Serik Akhmetov. According to the MP, several countries that “set traditional family relations a priority in their state policies” have already adopted laws banning same-sex relations because the latter are not part of their national mentalities. “These are Afghanistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Russia also intends to adopt such law,” he said.
While relatively sparsely populated, Kazakhstan is the largest of the former Soviet republics and is about twice the size of Alaska. (Via Gay Star News)

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Jon Stewart Vs Fox News On Shutdown

This thing has been a gold mine for him.

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Southern Baptists Attack George And Barbara Bush For Witnessing Gay Wedding

"President Bush did not merely attend the wedding. He also served as an official witness, signing the legal documents for the ceremony and the Maine wedding license. Under a photograph with the former president the couple added the words, 'Getting our marriage license witnessed!' The news coverage of the Bushes’ attendance at the same-sex wedding points to a reality that must be understood—and fast. Attendance at a wedding is not a neutral act. The history and context of the wedding ceremony identify all those present as agreeing to the rightness of the marriage and acting as witnesses to the exchange of vows. This is why the venerable language of The Book of Common Prayer, used in the overwhelming majority of Christian weddings, calls upon anyone with knowledge that the proposed union is invalid to speak, 'or forever hold his peace.'

"Anyone remaining silent at that point is affirming the rightness and validity of the marriage, and all who are present are counted as both witnesses and those who celebrate the union. But, this is not just about the Bushes. The same predicament remains, even if we are not the former leader of the free world. To be present at a wedding is to affirm that it is right, whether you sign a legal document or not. No one said this was going to be easy, and this is hardly the end of the predicaments and perplexities that will challenge Christians who stand on biblical teaching in the days ahead. This is one question, however, that Christians had better think through fast. A wedding invitation might soon be headed your way." - Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptists Theological Seminary.

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Tea Party Lie Of The Day

Talk about ridiculous lies. The Washington Post points out that the man hasn't had insurance in 14 years and therefore had no premium to increase 300%.  Check out the great take down of this entire fiction over at Mediaite.

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NOM Praises Chris Christie

"We are appreciative and grateful to the governor and the attorney general for waging a vigorous defense. Our position is that the good people of New Jersey be trusted with this decision. Let’s have a conversation, a dialogue, a debate. [However our coalition] is not unified in its position on the consequences of same sex marriage. I personally do not believe that polygamy and incest will necessarily result." - Donald Sico, New Jersey lobbyist for NOM, speaking at yesterday's press conference for the just-formed anti-gay coalition.

Sico's last sentence above refers to a statement made at the press conference by a representative of the Knights Of Columbus: "There will inevitably be demands for legalization of polygamy – we’ve already seen this in Canada – polyandry, group marriage, marriage even between siblings."

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Facebook Graphic Of The Day

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Men In The Alps

It's an AIDS fundraiser calendar out of Europe.

(Tipped by JMG reader Tom)

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Thursday, October 03, 2013

REPORT: NOM's Brian Brown Collaborated With Russia's DUMA On Bill That Bans Gay Couples From Adopting

Right Wing Watch reports that at the invitation of Russia's legislature, NOM president Brian Brown traveled there with a group of far-right French Catholic anti-gay activists to collaborate on the bill that bans gay couples from adopting.  The DUMA passed the bill five days after Brown's visit.
On June 13, 2013, just days after the Russian Duma passed laws banning on gay “propaganda” and actions that “offend religious feelings,” a delegation of five French Catholic anti-gay activists --at least one with ties to the far-right Front National party -- traveled to Moscow at the invitation of the Duma committee on family, women and children to discuss, among other issues, Russia’s plans to tighten its ban on adoption by same-sex couples abroad. Joining them was one of the most well-known figures in the American anti-gay movement, National Organization For Marriage president Brian Brown. Brown had worked closely with the French anti-gay movement in its protests of the country’s marriage equality law, traveling to Paris to demonstrate against the law and signing onto an email to members of the Collectif Famille Mariage, one of the most prominent groups working to oppose marriage equality in France.
More from the report:
Le Figaro notes that elected officials at the front of the French anti-marriage movement did not respond to the Duma’s invitation to attend the meeting for fear of being “associated with a campaign of homophobia directed by Moscow” but that the name of the far-right Le Pen family “was mentioned several times” at the event. According to Russian news reports, the French activists and Brown attended two events in Moscow. One was a joint meeting on changes in international adoption laws with the Duma’s committee on foreign affairs and its committee on family, women and children – whose chair, Yelena Mizulina, authored the ban on gay “propaganda” and the adoption bill.

The other event was a roundtable discussion on "Traditional Values: The Future of the European Peoples," hosted by the St. Basil the Great Foundation – a Catholic group run by Konstantin Malofeev, the head of a private equity group and spirited anti-gay activist – and also sponsored by the Duma’s family committee, the right-wing Center for Social-Conservative Policy, and a new multi-party group of Russian MPs formed, with approval of the Russian Orthodox Church, to “protect traditional Christian values” and fight “aggressive liberalism” inreaction to Pussy Riot’s protests. Among the measures pushed by the group was the new law imposing jail time for “insulting religious feelings.”
Right Wing Watch notes that NOM has never announced Brown's trip to Russia and has refused their request to comment publicly. As you may recall and as RWW notes in their report, earlier this year Brown appeared at one of the massive anti-gay rallies staged in Paris by Manif Pour Tous, which by then had been taken over by violent factions from France's far-right and neo-Nazi groups, as well as a group that demands a Catholic theocracy for France.

It seems obvious that Brown's humiliating defeat in France and the friends he made in their failed and often violent anti-gay movement spurred his invitation to take part in Russia's pogrom against its gay citizens. It's not yet known if Brown also collaborated on the pending bill that authorizes the Russian government to seize the children of gay parents. (And still, NOM is not listed as a hate group by the SPLC.) Please hit the top link in this post and read the full and extensive report by Right Wing Watch.

VIDEO: Below is a brief appearance by Brown from a Russia television station covering the meetings.

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Brian Sims Announces PA Marriage Bill

Towleroad has the transcript of Sims' speech. An excerpt:
“The majority of Pennsylvanians now support marriage equality, and that support continues to grow,” Sims said. “Neighboring states, including New York, Maryland and Delaware, have all decided to be on the right side of history and have granted equal rights to their LGBT citizens. The time has come for Pennsylvania’s legislature to stand up and let our citizens know we see them as truly equal members of society and they have the right to choose whom they marry. With the Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act, it became apparent that Pennsylvania cannot continue to be stuck in the past. This is a civil rights issue facing our LGBT community. Furthermore, this issue is holding back Pennsylvania’s economy. People and businesses are seeing states that have true marriage equality as more attractive to them, and they’re spending their money in those states. This lack of equality is holding us back. Where are we at in our government where you lose rights by crossing a border?”

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Singapore Upholds Sodomy Ban

Singapore's High Court has affirmed a ban on sodomy.
In a ruling issued Wednesday, Singapore High Court Judge Quentin Low dismissed a challenge to Singapore’s law criminalizing sex between men. In a ruling issued Wednesday, Singapore High Court Judge Quentin Low dismissed a challenge to Singapore’s law criminalizing sex between men. “The fact that there is plausible evidence in support of either side must mean that this issue is at least arguable and debatable,” Loh asserted in his ruling. And since the court is “unable to find for Mr Ravi on the factual assertion that homosexuality is a natural, immutable attribute,” Loh ruled this is a matter that must be deferred to the legislature.

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Tea Party Rep Blames Dems For Shooting

Griffin was elected to the House in the 2010 Tea Party wave. (Via Gawker)

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MISSISSIPPI: Football Players Disrupt Campus Production Of Laramie Project

According to the Daily Mississippian, members of the University of Mississippi football team disrupted a campus production of the Laramie Project and shouted "fag" during the show.
Cast members of the play, which is about an openly gay male who was murdered in Laramie County in Wyoming, said members of the audience became so disruptive at times that they struggled completing the play. According to the play’s director and theater faculty member Rory Ledbetter, some audience members used derogatory slurs like “fag” and heckled both cast members and the characters they were portraying for their body types and sexual orientations. Ledbetter said the audience’s reactions included “borderline hate speech.” “I am the only gay person on the cast,” junior theater major Garrison Gibbons said. “I played a gay character in the show, and to be ridiculed like that was something that really made me realize that some people at Ole Miss and in Mississippi still can’t accept me for who I am.”
The players are reportedly enrolled in a freshman-level theater course that requires attending a number of school plays during the term. The school's athletics department has acknowledged the incident and emailed an apology to the head of the theater department, but no disciplinary action has yet been announced.

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Capitol Hill On Lockdown After Gunshots

Members of Congress ordered to shelter in place...

UPDATE: It appears that the shooting was related to a car chase that ended near the Capitol Building. DC police have now lifted the lockdown. I'll update this post if this incident was more than a "routine" crime.

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Freep This Illinois Poll

Illinois already includes gay people in its public accommodation laws, but that hasn't stopped the local Catholic stormtroopers from lying about what the pending marriage equality bill will mean for busineses. (Which is nothing, of course, since that law is long established and has nothing to do with same-sex marriage.)  Freep the fuck out of this.

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