NEW YORK CITY: 84% Of Residents Say They Wouldn't Object To A Gay Mayor

The results of that Quinnipiac survey I took a few days ago are back and reveal that 84% of NYC residents don't care if the next mayor happens to be gay.

Voters don't care that mayoral hopeful and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is a gay woman — and they’d rather vote for a Muslim or a Mormon than a born-again Christian. A new poll from Quinnipiac University quizzed voters on their religious and other biases. While 10% of the New Yorkers polled reported they were less likely to vote for a gay or lesbian candidate, another 84% reported that it wouldn’t matter. Asked about obese candidates, 16% were less likely to vote for one, while 81% said it didn’t matter. “Good vibes for a couple of politicians — City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who’s female and gay, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie . . . who is stout,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

So the "obese" question was about Christie. That's odd, considering all of the other questions were specifically about New York City. Here's more from the poll:

Almost 3-1 opposition to stop and frisk by New York City black voters tips overall voter opinion to a narrow 50 - 45 percent disapproval of the police practice, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Black voters disapprove of stop and frisk 69 - 25 percent while approval is 57 - 37 percent among white voters and 53 - 45 percent among Hispanic voters, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Men are divided on the practice, with 47 percent in favor and 49 percent opposed. Women oppose the practice 51 - 43 percent. A decrease in police use of stop and frisk would not lead to an increase in gun violence, voters say 50 - 41 percent, again with significant racial division. Black voters say 63 - 28 percent the reductions would not lead to more crime. White voters believe it would 49 - 39 percent and Hispanic voters agree 52 - 46 percent.

Respondents were fairly evenly split on Mayor Bloomberg's anti-obesity campaigns, with 48% saying they don't consider the Big Soda flap to be an example of "nanny government."

RELATED: Another question in the poll regards a proposal to require city employers to grant between five and nine paid sick days per year. I supported that idea, as did 73% of those polled. However saying that the economy remains "too weak," Speaker Christine Quinn has blocked the issue from coming to a vote in the City Council, drawing the ire of labor groups. Paul Schindler covers the fallout in Gay City News:

“Labor plans to ‘sick’ gays on Christine.” So read the headline of an August 8 “exclusive” in the New York Post detailing a plan the newspaper said had been hatched at a meeting in Washington in July. According to the account, prominent LGBT leaders in New York were prepared to “publicly buck Quinn’s” run for mayor next year if the out lesbian City Council speaker failed to allow a vote on a measure guaranteeing workers at companies with five or more employees between five and nine paid sick days each year. The Post did not identify its sources nor did it name any of the prospective Quinn antagonists, and Gay City News has uncovered no evidence of anything quite so dramatic afoot on the paid sick leave front. That’s not to say that there are not important LGBT leaders pressing to make paid sick leave a reality in New York City nor that the arguments in favor of the bill are not based, in part, on issues of specific concern to the queer community.

Read Schindler's piece for an in-depth analysis of the various LGBT and HIV groups advocating for the sick days law. As I've mentioned here before, for years Quinn has been dogged at public appearances by a small but extremely vocal group of gay detractors. Judging by the above shrug to a potential gay mayor by the city's electorate, the strongest opposition to her 2013 mayoral campaign may come from inside the community. Ironic, yes? (Tipped by JMG readers Jared and Timmian)

Nanny Bloomberg Goes After Soda

Add soft drinks to the lengthening list of products on Bloomberg's hit list. The above poster is now plastered all over the subway system.

Mayor Bloomberg defended the graphic posters. “What do you want to do? Do you want to have people lose their legs?” Bloomberg said Tuesday. “Or do you want to show them what happens so that they won’t lose their legs? Take your poison. Which do you want?” Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said the ads are needed to warn consumers about the massive portions they are eating and drinking. “The portion sizes that are marketed are often much more than humans need,” said Farley. “We are warning people about the risks of super-size portions so they can make more informed choices about what they eat.

Other vivid campaigns from the NYC Department of Health have included graphic depictions of smoking-related cancers.

NYC Goes After Soda Drinkers

New York City's always controversial Department of Public Health has added soft drinks to their library of attack ads. Previous gruesome ads about the dangers of smoking and HIV have caused some activists to loudly object that "scare tactics" turn people off to the underlying necessary message. At least this one doesn't show amputated fingers or anal cancer.

Banned In San Francisco

San Francisco has banned the sale of Happy Meals, or more specifically, banned the giving away of toys in meals which get more than 35% of their calories from fat. McDonald's says they are "disappointed" with the city's decision. Today Buzzfeed list provides a top ten list of things banned in San Francisco, such as plastic bags, smoking, Happy Meals, and as of Tuesday, sitting.

New York Tries To Ban Salt

A bill sponsored by New York Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn) would prohibit "the use of salt by restaurants in the preparation of food by restaurants." The penalty for salting food would be $1000, but as the linked story wryly notes, the bill doesn't stipulate if that's $1000 per pinch or per grain. Read the complete dumbass legislation here.

Drinking Fat

Mayor Bloomberg's office is getting local heat and national press for the below television campaign to convince New Yorkers to drink less soda. It's really really disgusting. You have been warned.

Shocking Report Shows That Buttery Food And Soda Is Fattening

According to the Center for Science in the Nanny State, everybody should stop eating movie popcorn immediately.

CBS reports on a study by the Center for Science and Public Interest that analyzed nutritional makeup of movie popcorn; the results are eye-opening. Consuming a medium size popcorn and soda is the equivalent of eating three Quarter Pounders from McDonald's, along with 12 pats of butter. The concessions from Regal, the country's biggest movie chain, have 1,160 calories and three days worth - 60 grams - of fat. Regal said that the medium popcorn had 720 calories and the large had 960, but CSPI's tests found those numbers to be understated. A small popcorn at Regal had 670 calories - the same as a Pizza Hut Personal Pepperoni Pan Pizza. Even if you share a small popcorn - it's still about a day's worth of saturated fat per person, according to CSPI.

They'll get my buttered popcorn when they pry it from my cold dead artery-clogged hands.

France: Let's Put Health Warnings On Airbrushed Models

A coalition of 50 prominent French politicians wants to require that advertisers place "bold notices" on airbrushed images of models. The pols say that women need to know when the photos have been digitally altered and that trying to become one of those skinny bitches can be bad for your health.

Campaigning MP Valerie Boyer, of President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party, said the wording should read:"Retouched photograph aimed at changing a person's physical appearance". Mrs Boyer, who has also written a government report on anorexia and obesity, added: "We want to combat the stereotypical image that all women are young and slim. "These photos can lead people to believe in a reality that does not actually exist, and have a detrimental effect on adolescents. "Many young people, particularly girls, do not know the difference between the virtual and reality, and can develop complexes from a very young age. "In some cases this leads to anorexia or bulimia and very serious health problems. "It's not just a question of public health, but also a way of protecting the consumer." She said the law – which had its first reading in the French parliament last week – should also have a wider scope than simply photos used in newspaper and magazine advertising. Mrs Boyer added: "Billboard photos and those on product packaging, as well as photos used in political campaigns or artistic photos, should also be included."

The proposed fine for not publishing the warning is 50% of the cost of the ad campaign.

Today In Frivolous Lawsuits

A man has filed suit against Denny's because he shocked, SHOCKED, that the Meat Lover's Scramble (which features two eggs with chopped bacon, diced ham, crumbled sausage, Cheddar cheese, plus two bacon strips, two sausage links, hash browns, and two pancakes) has 5,690 milligrams of sodium. Nick Benedetto, 48, says he has eaten at Denny's for years and now has high blood pressure because they never warned him about the high levels of salt in highly-salted meats.

The City And County Of San Fran-Nanny

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wants to place a municipal tax on soda because it causes obesity and strains the public health system.

Newsom is asking his staff to draft a law that would tax large grocery stores for stocking Coke, Pepsi and other drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. A spokesman for the mayor says the details are still be worked out including the size of the fee. City officials say there's a direct link between sweet drinks and obesity, which puts a strain on the public health system. Any soda pop tax still must be approved by the Board of Supervisors.

What, no tax on Cheetos?
.

Trans Fat Ban Takes Toll (Cookies)

NYC bakers, forced to stop using butter due to the city's ban on trans fats, now use delicious palm oil and margarine in cookies and muffins. Mmm, mmm. Palm oil. Now that's how you make a cookie. Everybody happy now? CORRECTION: Only some of the bakers are avoiding butter, in order to satisfy commercial customers such as Starbucks who want to be able to use the label "trans fat free". Butter is still legal. Thanks to Toby and Gabriel for the correction. Natural trans fat is still legal. Now I'm off to enjoy a Starbucks palm oil muffin.