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Showing posts from April, 2009

HAPPY HOUR 430 - MAINE MARRIAGE PASSES SENATE, Hate Crimes Bill co-sponsored by 34% of Senate, Alberta Canada now protects LGBTs

BIG NEWS FROM MAINE! The Senate passed the Marriage Equality bill in short order there , Now it heads back to the House--the Governor of MAINE has shown very positive signs he will sign the bill. In the U.S. SENATE, 34 Senators are co-sponsoring Ted Kennedy's Hate Crimes Bill , which means it may be up against VERY little resistance here. An ABC News/Washington Post Poll shows that ALMOST HALF of Americans are ready to see full Marriage Equality . TAKE THAT CALIFORNIA ! Meanwhile, far more than half want to see Don't Ask Don't Tell Repealed ! AMAZING ALLY, Keith Olbermann, has named Virginia Foxx the WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD ! Unfortunately, a very famous list detailing President Obama's LGBT agenda shrunk on the White House web-page , after several LGBT activists--including myself (on another blog)--called attention to it via the web. Where is it now? NEW HAMPSHIRE's Governor still won't say whether or not he'll veto Marriage Equality. NEW YORK...

COFFEE HOUR 430 - HATE CRIMES BILL PASSED! N.H. Marriage Heads back to the Senate, Howard Stern makes a plea for Marriage Equality.

The U.S. House went and passed the Trans-inclusive Hate Crimes Bill , and now it heads off to the Senate .  There is finally going to be justice for Matthew --as long as the Senate doesn't dilly dally too long.   PAY ATTENTION to these bigots who tried to stop it .  ALSO, the NEW HAMPSHIRE Senate voted to upgrade their Civil Unions to full Marriage Equality , however, last minute amendments to the bill (which emphasize Churches' freedom to refuse to perform a marriage, which of course they should have, and which allow couples to refuse to be "Party A" and "Party B" and still be "Husband" and "Wife" which I fully support) mean that it has to go BACK to the House again before the Governor signs it.  The Governor does not support the bill, but has not indicated whether or not he'll veto it.  Unfortunately, that same link will tell you they killed a transgender rights expansion bill.  We'll keep trying.   MAINE's Governor Baldacc...

HAPPY HOUR 429 - N.H. PASSES MARRIAGE! Obama, can you hear me? NOM & Carrie Prejean get hitched.

How equal are we after 100 days?  0% .  All he needs is to push ONE SINGLE FREAKING THING through to his signature and he'll get 12.5% .  Dear president Obama:  Don't forget that the gays played NO SMALL PART in getting you elected.  And we'll turn on you faster than we turned on skinny ties.   U .S. House debating HATE CRIMES NOW !  Arlen Specter left the Democrats the first time in 1965 because they turned a blind eye to gay witch hunts .  Will he support full LGBT inclusion under the law now that he's back? Is the Traditional Value Coalition dishonest or dumb ? In NEW HAMPSHIRE, watch the Senate debate.. .  WAIT A MINUTE, IT PASSED !  COLORADO P artners benefits bill expected to be signed by Governor Ritter .   Miss Cali-phobe and NOMNOMNOM are joining forces --who didn't see THAT one coming.  Straight homophobes just don't get the joke .  I thought that Manhunt and gay.com--not to mention craigslist-- made gay cruising in parks obsolete .  In Champaign al...

OK, so its not my normal fare, but I thought I'd share...

Candy Station :  Madonna's official internet Radio Station.   Yes, I know, its fluff... but its making me SO happy on my day off!

COFFEE HOUR 429 - Specter Fallout, Racism in the Community and HATE CRIMES BILL VOTE TODAY!

Olympia Snowe gets it right --why the GOP should stop throwing Specter under the bus , and use this as a LEARNING EXPERIENCE ! President Obama has urged Congress to pass the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act --or the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Hate Crimes Prevention Act--Late Tuesday (after my last Happy Hour, of course).   CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AT 866.346.4611 IMMEDIATELY TO ENSURE THIS BILL'S PASSAGE !  It's toll free!  If we want to win Equality, we have to ELIMINATE RACISM FROM OUR COMMUNITY !   Its there, people, and let's face it, it reared its ugly head after the election.  Lets confront it and control it!  And back to some good news about Marriage Equality nationally ! MINNESOTA residents are gearing up for gay-marriage fight , as couple cross into Iowa to say "I Do."  NEW YORK's Governor Patterson is officially my favorite Governor, as he tells off the Religious Right .  Sorry Pat.  MAINE moved one step closer to Marriage Equality yesterda...

Coffee Hour 428 - Phelpses protest Walt Whitman School,rodeo season starts, what's up in New York?

The Phelpses made their disapproval known at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda , Maryland yesterday.  Apparently naming the school after America's greatest poet is endorsing the " gay lifestyle. "  Yeah, I'm sure the city council was thinking just that when the school was named like 1200 years ago .   IOWA couples that were able to finally be treated as American Citizens numbered over 350 near the end of the day yesterday, but there will certainly be even more as the week goes on.   NEW HAMPSHIRE's Senate is ready for a showdown this coming Wednesday on the Marriage Equality bill that the Judiciary Committee shot down.  We'll be giving you more on how to follow this in the Happy Hour today/Coffee Hour tomorrow.  CALIFORNIA Equality groups are preparing a big demonstration following the Supreme Judicial Court's decision on Prop 8 called "MEET IN THE MIDDLE 4 EQUALITY!"  In WASHINGTON, Gary Randall tried to prove that the Domestic Partnersh...

HAPPY HOUR ROUNDUP 427 - ICELAND FOR LESBIANS, MISS CALI-PHOBIA AND IOWA CONTINUES

Iceland's Emergency Interrum Prime Minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, has just become the first openly gay person elected to head a nation by popular election . Light up a "cigar-dar" for our lucky "daughter! " A Coalition of Human Rights groups is urging the passage of the Hate Crimes Bill in Congress. IOWA Marriage Equality began today with a bang ! Here's more about getting hitched in IOWA if you're thinking of doing it. NEW YORK Senate Majority Leader, Malcolm Smith is caught between a rock and a hard place : his Governor, and leader of his party in his state, and the anti-gay pastor he considers his mentor. Here is the state-by-state evolution . THIS looks like the natural projection of things... Viagra was always destined to become rub-able . Rex Wockner interviews Miss Cali-phobia , Prejean. Here is some great analysis of the interview . I'm very interested to read the new book, a Terrible Splendor , about one of the most famous tenn...

COFFE HOUR ROUNDUP 427 - IOWA EQUALITY STARTS TODAY, MAINE MARRIAGE HEARD IN COMMITTEE TOMORROW, BEA WILL BE MISSED.

First up, news from Senegal:  Nine gay men previously convicted of "the crime of homosexuality" have been freed !  Could linguists fired under Don't Ask Don't Tell have prevented 9/11 ?   Obama condemns intollerence and homopbobia at Holocaust memorial .   In IOWA, Marriage Equality begins TODAY !  Don't miss MAINE's big Senate Judicial Committee hearing tomorrow, where the fate of the Marriage Equality Bill is to be decided.  Here is the Speaker of the House SUPPORTING EQUALITY !  D.C. gets ready for anti-equality protests on Tuesday .   UTAH's Governor SUPPORTS EQUALITY (just not full marriage) .   NEW YORK has introduced their Marriage Equality bills ! Is Carrie Prejean, Miss Cali-Phobia from the future ?  Here are the top ineffective ways to "convert" a gay Christian !   TOAST TO BEA ARTHUR, 86.  R.I.P .

HAPPY HOUR ROUNDUP 424 -New York is back on, New Hampshire say back off, and we go way back for a history lesson.

Victory for Angie is victory for ALL of us ! LGBT Rights groups in the U.S. are standing up for Iraqi gays. The HRC is reportedly putting pressure on the State Department to do something for these persecuted people.  The gay community isn't exactly squeaky clean all of the time--but we're good people and we want to talk about and help alleviate some of the darker issues facing our community.  These mothers are taking their tragedies and turning it into good to stop anti-gay bullying .   Flip-floppin B ishop's testimony in MAINE.   The ALABAMA House has passed a resolution honoring Miss Cali-phobe . If there was any doubt that this is the most backward state in the Union, here's your proof. NEW YORK's Congressional Delegation has one more Democrat . Also, Marriage Equality may be back on in NEW YORK .  FLORIDA's Broward County is upping the reward to bring to justice the attackers that recently beat two gay men. Bad news from the NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATE ...

COFFEE HOUR 424--Hunker down, Agreeing with NOM and Marrying Charlie.

The Life archives has a very different way of defining "hunk," or rather "hunkering" than, say, Queerty , but I bet you this was great exercise for the gluts! Speaking of good muscle tone ... HELP OUT LGBT HEALTHY POLICY--CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT NHIS ! Cybil's daughter is out again ! When NOMNOMNOM says SOMETHING correct? More f rom the MAINE Marriage Equality testimony .   Why Black Prides MUST exist , from Pam's Blend. Repeal Prop 8.  Do it for this straight D-List Actor/Comedian . Something Lori and Pastor John from Chi Alpha at CMU would have NEVER EVEN THOUGHT of doing .  Meanwhile pastors lobby Congress for LGBT Equality . FLORIDA Governor Charlie Crist is a married straight man , right?   Aaron Schock is taking notes . TOAST TO PASTOR JOHN AND LORI.  I MISS YOU!

HAPPY HOUR ROUNDUP 4/23--HATE CRIMES MOVES TO THE FULL HOUSE AND GAY CONVERSIONS ARE MADE UP!

Great news from the House Judiciary Committee: The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill moves forward to the Full House ! Why I sometimes love Diane Feinstein --NOW JUST PASS THE UNITING AMERICAN FAMILIES ACT! What did Shakespeare think of Marriage Equality? Happy Birthday, Bard. Masters and Johnson made up their evidence in the iconic study about gay conversion success, Scientific American now reports. More on them here . Somebody tell these closeted gay republicans ! NEW JERSEY voters are ready for FULL Marriage Equality ! Public Opinion polls released on four states that have upcoming Marriage Equality bills , votes or judgments. NEW YORK polls even HIGHER! I already posted this video by NEW YORK group Empire State Pride Agenda about Massachusetts and religious freedom. Watch it if you didn't get the chance before. IOWA's Clerks now have gender neutral Marriage Licenses , and the Attorney General is going to make sure no bigot tries any funny business on Monday. I ...

COFFEE HOUR ROUNDUP: JUSTICE FOR ANGIE!

I wonder how the Marriage Equality activists in ANCIENT EGYPT were so successful in "redefining" "traditional" marriage ?  I guess there was no NOMNOMNOM in Pharaoh's kingdom.   The trial for the murder of Angie Zapata--the first trial to test anti-trans hate crimes--has garnered verdicts of guilty on all charges .  JUSTICE IS SERVED! How did MAINE go yesterday? NEW YORK Governor Patterson is backing off a little--he previously called for an immediate vote on marriage, but now says that he'll defer to the Senate leadership's guidance.   The CONNECTICUT Legislature has officially codified Marriage Equality. CALIFORNIA Assembly Member Kevin De Leon is requesting that the U.S. Congress eliminate barriers to immigration for same-sex bi-national couples.   The way forward in VERMONT . SCOTLAND same-sex couples who are parenting are going to find it legally easier to be parents.   Miss California U.S.A. might get "opposite" married to my favo...

Happy Hour Roundup-Marriage Equality GALORE!

AMAZING NEW VIDEO IN RESPONSE TO NOM ! I'm not disliking Perez Hilton's new role as Marriage Equality posterboy. He may not have been the most likely candidate , but he's certainly got the nation's ear , and he's not doing bad ! Meanwhile, the other judges are speaking out in his favor--all while Miss California U.S.A. considers legal action . On the Marriage Equality Front: The Log Cabin Republicans have gained assurances that NEW YORK GOP leadership in both the Senate and the Assembly will encourage Republican lawmakers there to vote their conscience , rather than by the party rule-book. I'm liking Log Cabin more and more every day--and so is Deb Price , one of my favorite Detroit News columnists! This will make life a lot easier for Bloomberg and Patterson . ONE IOWA has launched a state-wide Ad-Campaign on Marriage Equality to prevent a Prop 8 Situation there. The NEVADA Senate is sending a Domestic Partnership bill to the House that would allow m...

LUNCH SHOT-HATE CRIMES/MAINE BILL

I want to take a quick moment to just tell you to pay attention to the Maine Marriage Bill hearing-- which you can watch live --and the U.S. Congress hearing on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill--which is also going on live-- watch the markup via Twitter . New polls show 39% of Maine voters support FULL marriage. Not too bad. Thousands are gathered. WATCH IT NOW !

COFFEE HOUR QUICK SIP--MAINE MARRIAGE/HATECRIMES/FLORIDA ADOPTION TODAY!

Here's a quick sip for you--pay attention to Box Turtle Bulletin , Joe.My.God , Towleroad and Pam's House Blend today for updates on the Maine Marriage hearing , the Hate Crimes bill on Capitol Hill and the Florida Gay Adoption hearing today. These are also, consequently, the BEST gay blogs for your money (and since you don't have to pay to read them... you're all set)! Off to work!

Happy Hour Roundup-Michael Steele on bottoming, Maine Marriage hearing tomorrow and more NOMNOMNOM.

BIG HAPPY HOUR NEWS: MAINE MARRIAGE HEARING TOMORROW ! PAY ATTENTION! First, I'll go ahead and post another NOMNOMNOM parody video... I wonder if we'll ever get over how hilarious this commercial is? Maybe your gut will completely bust after you see FunnyOrDie's take on it. Maybe NOMNOMNOM's own videos will get better now that Orson Scott Card is on the board . While Miss California hates us (or at least she hates political correctness), plenty of heterosexual college students are boycotting the institution of marriage until it is available to everyone. Is Perez Hilton the new spokesperson for God? I sure hope not, but Miss California U.S.A. seems to think so ! Meanwhile, Miley Cyrus Tweets her support for Perez and Marriage Equality . In other Twitter/Political news, Gavin Newsom announces his candidacy for Governor over Twitter --check out the post here! I think its a first! Experts say that committed relationships NEED sex to stay healthy --I guess th...

Coffee Hour Roundup-Meghan hates Rove, Chambers' hand wringing, and more Log Cabins. Why is everyone so mad at Rick Warren?

Welcome to my new daily Coffee Hour Roundup Number 1! First, let me plug a Champaign - Urbana local U of Illinois event:  Come see Real World Brooklyn's gay celebrities,  Katelynn Cusanelli and JD Ordonez at 7pm tonight at the Union Illini rooms--$3 for students/$4 for non-students.  It'll be awesome! Next--More on My MegMac (Meghan McCain):   apparently MegMac doesn't like being "stalked" on Twitter by the likes of Karl Rove (I'm WITH HER!).   GLADD thinks Kathy Griffin looks good in a bikini --and thinks she's just plain awesome .  More NOMNOMNOM spoofs.  A broad coalition is forming to develop a coordinated strategy on the repeal of Proposition 8 --get in on that conference call!  One of my "favorite" blogs (I said that with SarcasticHands ) discusses the "decline and fall" of the Log Cabin Republicans (not if MegMac has anything to say about it!).  Alan Chambers says some kind of decent things about the Uganda Confer...

HAPPY HOUR ROUNDUP--PART II

This second part of the Happy Hour Roundup for today will focus mainly on Marriage Equality in general--lots of good news out there for us!   First:  I want to plug my friend Chris' great blog which recently wrote about another friends' Christian take on the National Day of Silence.  Kudos!  Also-- great work on the Hug In on the DOS , U of I!  In other local news, read up on the latest on the anti-gay Peoria Karaoke bar;  better than having their bachelorette parties at our bars, I guess.   Second:  We've got a lot of glowing endorsements this week!   Who said the Log Cabin Republicans didn't do enough good?  This week's LCR convention has garnered a lot of hot press--and not just the gay kind:   CNN and everything !  First, Steve Schmidt--McCain's 2008 campaign advisor--let on a few weeks ago that he supports Marriage Equality.   Now he's telling the LCR how they're going to do it -- and how to get the GOP to help them .  He even got the LCR co...

NEW Happy Hour REVIEW! PART ONE!

Today I'm starting a new semi-daily news rundown called the Happy Hour review.  I'm hoping I'm able to get it out by 5pm every day, but of course that won't always be possible.   We're going to hit all of the good gay news of the day in an easy to follow after work format.  Enjoy your major stories with your martini.  Today was a DOOZIE of a day in gay news, though, so I'm going to run this up in two parts. So, without further adieu: What is NOM?  Baby, don't hurt me... no more.  If you haven't caught it yet, NOM is the National Organization For Marriage, who spent over $1 Million on one of the corniest campiest commercials ever.  Last week, Steven Colbert took NOM to the cleaners with his parody of their spot, and now Frank Rich rips them apart in the New York Times.   Dozens upon dozens upon dozens of fantastically funny people have created their own parodies.   We're also learning more about NOM's spokesperson, Damon Owens , an Opus Dei fa...

And then there were four...

A week ago, Massachusetts and Connecticut stood alone as the solitary bastions of Marriage Equality in the nation (since California citizens saw fit in November to bring back second-class citizenship status to their LGBT residents). In the past five days we've had a flurry of news almost too fast to process. First on Friday April 3, 2009, Iowa's Supreme Court unanimously made that Midwestern state the newest and most protected Marriage Equality state . Monday, April 6, Senate Majority Leader, Michael Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, emphatically pledged to never allow a vote on a Equality-banning constitutional amendment to reach the Senate floor, even as square-jawed Governor Chet Culver vows to push one. Many experts believe that Iowa will be different than California because Iowa's Constitution is much harder to change , and will take at least 4 years to get an amendment on the ballot before the people, even if conservatives do rid themselves of Gronstal. The good n...

IT HAPPENED! 100-49 EQUALITY BEATS BIGOTRY!

Now that the Vermont Senate has easily overridden the veto , it is on the House to do what is right and just. Queerty has a list of seven possible game changers that may become one of the five people who change history. Follow the story here . UPDATE: IT HAPPENED! THE HOUSE OVERRODE THE VETO !!!!!!! Final Vote: 100-49!!!

FOLLOW THE VERMONT VETO OVERRIDE RIGHT NOW!

There is Live video RIGHT NOW at the Burlington Free Press of the vote to override Governor Douglas' VETO in Vermont. This text is completely stolen from Pam's House Blend , and you should REALLY go read and subscribe to her awesome blog so I never have to rip it again, but I really want all of you to see this right now WITH EMPHASES! Pam--please don't hate me for stealing from you, but this is SOOOO BIIIIIIGGGG! MONTPELIER - Gov. Jim Douglas vetoed same-sex marriage legislation Monday evening, sending the bill back to the Legislature today, where the votes to override the veto could teeter either way. The House and Senate are expected to vote today on whether to override. Whether supporters of the legislation can reach the two-thirds majority in the House is a looming question. "I'm still talking to members and we're working toward a number that's two-thirds," House Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morristown, said at 6 p.m. Monday. The vote to override the v...

SWEDEN GETS MARRIAGE EQUALITY

The news is just in--Sweden has approved Marriage Equality .  In an update to the current marriage laws , passed with overwhelming support, the Skandinavian nation has offered LGBT people in civil partnerships the option to keep their partnerships, convert them to marriage or to marry anew.  Go Sweden! In other news, I've discovered the radio station BoystownLive , which is simply the best music to surf the net to ever.  I wish I could play it at work!