Petition Of The Day

The petition was launched by LGBT activist and JMG participant Scott Wooledge.

One Million Views For Catholic Vote

Poster by Scott Wooledge. His review at Memeographs:

The auteurs at Catholic Vote have created an instant classic Christian cinematic masterpiece to rival Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas. Not since National Organization for Marriage’s “Gathering Storm” of 2008 have we seen delusional hyperbole, paranoia and self-pity lifted to such delirious heights. Like an episode of The Bachelor or a Lindsey Lohan court appearance, Not Alone is both terrifying and impossible to look away from. This important piece of filmmaking will surely inspire countless imitators, but Not Alone is so earnest in its own clueless, privileged insensitivity that parody may be superfluous (see Poe’s Law). Still, I look forward to seeing what influence this motion picture exerts on Stephen Colbert and the creative staff at The Daily Show, Funny or Die and Saturday Night Live.

Catholic Vote is very upset about the reactions.

#Pizza4Equality Raises $160K For Cyndi Lauper's Homeless LGBT Youth Fund

Clip description:

In the 26 days leading up to #40ToNoneDay, #Pizza4Equality has raised $160,000 from 4,224 donors! The campaign began with very high goals but low expectations. The support exceeded expectations and provided not only a lot of money but a statement of where our values lie. We're wrapping up soon but wanted to release this thank you video for everyone! (Enjoy the music from Cyndi Lauper's Tony-award winning musical, Kinky Boots!) In it you can get glimpses of the people and programs associated with True Colors Fund. We encourage you to stay in touch with them and help their educational and advocacy efforts to end youth homelessness.

This is the work of activist Scott Wooledge! Donations continue to be accepted at the link above.

LAUNCHED: Campaign Urges Indiana Gov To Veto License To Discriminate Bill

Via press release:

"As a seminary graduate, this bill is deeply offensive," said Heather Cronk, co-director of GetEQUAL. "The fact that religion is being used as a smokescreen for deeply hateful and vile sentiments by right-wing extremists, and then cemented into law, is not just un-Christian – it's un-American."

As activist Scott Wooledge puts it: "I've engaged in the battles against these bill in Arkansas, Arizona, and Tennessee in 2011. My message to those pushing these regressive, reactionary "religious freedom" laws is we will follow you to whatever state you try this and we will fight you aggressively. And my message to our allies and friends is we will pressure to defend your LGBT friends' and workers' right to live their lives free of discrimination."

Scott McCorkle, CEO of the Salesforce Marketing Cloud of Indianapolis, has also said SB 101 threatens future growth in Indiana. "Our success is fundamentally based on our ability to attract and retain the best and most diverse pool of highly skilled employees…" The Indiana Chamber of Commerce, engine maker Cummins, health-care provider Eskenazi Health and pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co. have also voiced concerns about SB 101’s impact on their businesses.

Governor Pence now has seven days to act on the bill. While time remains, the Veto SB 101 campaign will directly engage the Indiana business communities and leaders to take a clear position on this legislation. Direct inquiries have been made to Indiana’s ten largest employers by state size. The Veto SB 101 campaign will provide updates on the site as information becomes available.

This kind of pressure on local corporations worked in Arizona. See the veto website.

Brian Brown Vs Activist Scott Wooledge

NOM chairman Brian Brown rarely responds to anybody on Twitter, but this morning he couldn't resist the above image posted by activist Scott Wooledge, who was reacting to a screed posted yesterday by Brown on NOM's blog. An excerpt:

You may have read the completely misleading headline this week: "Children of Same Sex Couples are Happier and Healthier than Peers, Research Shows" (Washington Post, July 7). The sensationalized headline is yet another example of the mainstream media and their active agenda to push the redefinition of marriage across America. You'll remember the Pew Research study of media coverage of gay marriage where they found that stories sympathetic to redefining marriage outnumbered those sympathetic to preserving marriage by a five to one margin. The media's bias and intellectual dishonesty when it comes to the marriage debate allows them to trumpet a recent Australian study as if it is proven fact, while at the same time being highly critical of the New Family Structures Study and other research that challenges their political posture on the issue. The subject of the headline is a farce of a study based on bad methodology. The survey the Post reports on was done in Australia and purports to show that children of same-sex parents actually are better off than their peers being raised by a mother and father. We know of course that there is no basis for such an outrageous claim, and a closer look at this Australian survey itself confirms our skepticism about it.

On Wednesday, Regnerus himself denounced the Australian study in a lengthy rant published by the Witherspoon Institute. Here's how he begins:

Imagine if evangelical sociologists set out to document how the children of evangelical Christian parents fare in life. Imagine that they begin their effort by recruiting parents of children who attend Sunday School classes at places like Wheaton Bible Church outside Chicago and Saddleback Community Church in Orange County, California—both located in prosperous communities with above-average social capital and support for families, children, and faith. They choose this approach because churchgoing, self-identified evangelicals with children under age eighteen comprise less than 3 percent of the population of American adults (this is true), and the researchers figure it will be easier to recruit participants than to evaluate those who might show up randomly in a population-based sample. They know a random sample is best, but they cite “cost constraints” and “difficult research constraints” in justifying their decision to use a convenience sample. Would the social scientific community consider this study a solid one, employing high-quality sample selection methods and useful both for understanding the experience of Christian households in America and for comparing this group of children with other children? To put it mildly, it’s unlikely. And I would agree with them.

Amy Kushnir: Daddy's Girl

By Scott Wooledge at Memeographs.

Gay Marriage Sadz Bingo!

Scott Wooledge (the guy behind #CheersToSochi) and I had a giggle cooking this up last night. This week I think we've got what the old ladies call a "bingo blackout!" Tweet it to your (least) favorite hater!

TRAILER: Olympic Hunger Games

New from Queer Nation.

Activists To Launch Sochi "War Room"

Via the #CheersToSochi Facebook page:

LGBT activists, allies, social media experts, and journalists are invited to participate in the #CheersToSochi War Room in New York City at Boxers Bar HK during the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games this Friday. The purpose of the #CheersToSochi War Room is for participants to monitor the Opening Ceremony and other Olympic-related broadcasts and to: provide alternative commentary using Twitter, Facebook and social media networks; expose Russia’s continuing human rights violations and the oppression faced by LGBT Russians, political dissidents and artists in Russia; and, challenge the pro-Russia, pro-International Olympic Committee (IOC) and sponsor-driven messages broadcast by NBC. The #CheersToSochi War Room will use social media to tell the truth about the Russian government's oppression of LGBT Russians, artists, political dissidents, and others.

More from the New York Times:

Activists angry about a law in Russia against “homosexual propaganda” are intensifying efforts to mock and minimize the Winter Games. Some intend to operate what they call a #CheersToSochi War Room on Friday, during the NBC coverage of the opening ceremony, in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. The name refers to a hashtag in social media promoted by McDonald’s that was co-opted by protesters to the point where McDonald’s stopped using it. The war room initiative will give participants a chance to “provide alternative commentary, using Twitter, Facebook and social media networks,” an invitation on Facebook reads, and “challenge the pro-Russia, pro-International Olympic Committee and sponsor-driven messages broadcast by NBC.” Scott Wooledge, a leader in the appropriation of the #CheersToSochi hashtag and member of Queer Nation NY, introduced a parody site, cheerstosochi.org, attacking the major sponsors because, its home page declares, “they’ve all betrayed the ideals in Olympic charter.”

I'll be there in Hell's Kitchen tonight.

Coke Pulls Web Promo

Towleroad reports that Coca-Cola has apologized for the social media campaign created by its South African division. When users attempted to add the word "gay" to their image of a Coke can, the response was "Oops, let's pretend you didn't just type that." Here is Coke's statement:

"We are aware that the Share a Coke promotion we are running in South Africa has generated an unintended outcome. We apologise for any offence caused. The Share a Coke programme was created to allow consumers to take the iconic “Coca-Cola” script and replace it with their name on the can. In South Africa, the digital version of the Share a Coke promotion did not properly limit the customisation to individuals’ names. We’ve taken down the site and are in the process of revising the digital tool immediately...As one of the world’s most inclusive brands, we value and celebrate diversity. We have long been a strong supporter of the LGBT community and have advocated for inclusion, equality and diversity through both our policies and practices. Again we apologise for any offense this has caused."

Thanks to activist and #CheersToSochi campaign hijacker Scott Wooledge, Queer Nation and many LGBT bloggers, mockeries of the "Share A Coke" campaign have dominated Twitter and Facebook in recent days.

NOTE: Coca-Cola has a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign and (largely through their Diet Coke brand) the company has sponsored Pride events and advertised in gay media since 2004. LGBT employees of Coca-Cola and their spouses/partners enjoy every protection and benefit that they should. It must, therefore, be very frustrating for a company that had so far done all the right things to be faced with an avalanche of criticism over the Sochi Olympics. Case in point, yesterday's headline from Britain's Daily Mail tabloid.

UPDATE: Queer Nation has reacted to today's apology.

NEW YORK CITY: Queer Nation Protests Russian Investment Event

Photos by Scott Wooledge. That's activist Ken Kidd in the bottom photo. Queer Nation is posting more photos and Vine clips on their Twitter account, where you'll see other noted activists such as Gilbert Baker, Bill Dobbs, and Ann Northrop.