One of America's sharpest conservatives, Fred Barnes, editor of the Weekly Standard, on Fox News on how McCain needs to start gay-bashing:
Oh, where to begin.
With all of the birthday celebration planning over here, I've been neglecting my "real post" duties... Since I'm covered up lining stuff up for the rest of the week, here's a look at some of the stuff I was going to spotlight. Check them out.
- Concerned Women for America laundering funds for the GOP?
- Judge rejects summary judgment in DNC anti-gay lawsuit because of possible defamatory remarks by Howard Dean.
- Openly gay former Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe has withdrawn his endorsement and resigned as honorary chairman of Arizona State Senate President Tim Bee's campaign. Kolbe's not talking about his reasons, but most folks assume it's because Bee was the deciding vote in favor of another Arizona marriage amendment.
- Equality California asks: "What if the recent California same-sex marriages are nullified?"
- The Point is trying to set a world record for the most same-sex marriages at once.
- Michael Signorile points out that one of Jesse Helm's staffers was a gay Republican who helped Helms fight "gay marriage" while getting one of his own later in Massachusetts. He's still working with other right wingers too.
- Contributor Pam Spaulding was featured in a spectacular article in the Raleigh News & Observer. Her home blog, Pam's House Blend, is the #1 LGBT political blog and one of my favorite daily reads.
In a way it would be good if Crist was the VP nominee. With stuff like this out there, I can't believe McCain would be that stupid.
From 2006:
iPhone users: Click to watch
The released hostages from Columbia are a sight for sore eyes, I am sure. Their families, waiting 5 and a half years have been rewarded with their loved ones, in one piece.
And yet we continue to hold our hostages in Guantanamo. No trials, no contact with family, tortured regularly... so when we think of the terrorists in Columbia, we best go take a peek in the mirror.
We are no better.
If you're in the SF area:
Subject: Advisory: Independence from HRC
We Declare Independence from the Human Rights Campaign!
Next Saturday, July 12 @ noon, the San Francisco LGBT community will celebrate its Independence from the Human Rights Campaign by re-introducing the rainbow flag, created right here in San Francisco thirty years ago, as a symbol of LGBT liberation. Rainbow flag stickers will be provided to any and all who want them -- particularly former HRC members looking to cover up HRC bumper stickers.
Today's birthday prize package is a female comedian's bonanza! We're giving away:
- One autographed copy of Kate Clinton's CD The Marrying Kind
- One autographed copy of Kate Clinton's here! Comedy Presents Kate Clinton DVD
- One copy of Suzanne Westenhoefer's A Bottom on Top DVD
- One autographed copy of Suzanne Westenhoefer's Live From the Village DVD
- One autographed Margaret Cho Assassin poster
To win the prize, just sign up for our daily e-mail digest. If you're already subscribed, you're already entered! We'll choose the winner at random tomorrow morning at 9:30am EST.
You can find the e-mail sign up at the top of every page in the middle of the banner. You'll get an e-mail every midnight with a front page preview of every post from the day before. It's a great way to keep up with the site when you can't visit every day!
Good luck! UPDATED! We added two more prizes to the package!
The other day, I ran into a friend a block from my apartment and we had an interesting conversation about the book launch for That's Revolting!, which I thought was totally incredible because people were so engaged, and my friend said he was disturbed. Why disturbed? He said he wasn't sure about the strategy of shutting gay marriage down. Shutting gay marriage down? What on earth do you mean?
I think this happens a lot, where there's this reversal about who is doing the shutting down. There's no question in my mind that gay marriage proponents have systematically shut anti-marriage and anti-assimilationist queers out of the conversation. It's much easier for them to argue with Christian fundamentalists who think all gay people are gonna burn in hell. And it's a symbiotic relationship -- they fund each other's organizations. I mean the fear of the gays fills fundamentalist coffers and the fear of the Bible thumpers funnels money into marriage fundamentalist gay organizations.
Is there anyone left who still thinks "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is a good idea? According to a new report released yesterday, the answer is increasingly no.
A group of four senior retired military officials weighed into the debate on Monday, making them the latest group of officers to declare that the federal ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members should be repealed. They join respected military leaders like General John Shalikashvili, the retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and retired Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, the Army's former Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, in calling for an end to the exclusion of patriotic gay Americans from our armed forces.
"Evidence shows that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is unlikely to pose any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline or cohesion," the officers said, dealing a direct blow to the tried-and-disproved argument that has so often been deployed by proponents of the ban.
Continue reading "Four More Voices in the Chorus for Repeal" »
Happy Birthday to all my fellow Projectors! I made a video to honor the occasion.
iPhone users: Click to watch
Best Slogan to Defeat CA's Anti-Gay-Marriage Initiative?
Filed by: Guest Blogger
July 8, 2008 9:30 AM
Editors' note: Michael Petrelis is a long-time gay rights and AIDS advocate who works in San Francisco. He blogs at The Petrelis Files.
I went to the town hall meeting about gay marriage on July 3 at the gay community center in San Francisco, organized by several gay advocacy organizations and the room was packed full with gay newlyweds, gay activists, gay politicians, gay reporters, and the discussion on defeating California's ballot initiative that would amend the state's constitution and prohibit gay marriage was upbeat about maintaining gay marriage equality.
In my public comment remarks I expressed extreme displeasure with the official campaign signs for our side lining the walls, because the word gay is missing and asked the leaders if we would see gay specific signs before the election. Yes, they said. The signs, by the way, and the stickers and t-shirts with the same closeted message, are from Equality for All, which recently formed to oppose the initiative, and is a coalition of gay and social advocacy organizations.
Continue reading "Best Slogan to Defeat CA's Anti-Gay-Marriage Initiative?" »
One thing I noticed right away (I'm a geek like this) is that #51 is missing! So I got 54 out of 99. How many would you get?
And what should #51 be?
Full list after the jump.
(Thanks to Steph for pointing this list out and the information about The Big Read.)
One of the things that bothers me from time to time is the fact that I didn't get to experience growing up female.
Sometimes it's triggered when I see a little girl walking hand-in-hand with her mother. Other times it may be a group of teenage girls walking through the mall laughing, giggling and talking as they wear their tight jeans and discreetly ogle the boys walking by. Sometimes as prom season approaches it's seeing girls with their dates or getting made up for the first time at the department store makeup counter. Sometimes it's a reaction to the depressing news of another transwoman found dead or the madness of ignorant people who haven't picked up science textbooks or read the Constitution in a while.
To paraphrase Houston's legendary crusading consumer affairs reporter, the late Marvin Zindler, "It's hell to be transgender."
Well, sometimes it is, depending on what part of the planet you live in.
