COFFEE 610 - New York/New News, The March a mess, Pride Proclamations, CA, PA, ME!

Its Pride Month, people!

Of course, I can't start without a NEW YORK update. First, a Cornell University/NY1 poll finds that 46% of New York State residents support full Marriage Equality--in fact, New Yorkers call it the single best thing their embattled Governor Paterson has been behind since taking office. The former top GOP official and old-time gay-foe in New York, controversial former Senate Republican Majority Leader Joe Bruno, has accepted the Governor's request to lobby state Senators on behalf of Marriage Equality. Said Bruno, "It’s time — now — for government to back off, let people make their own life decisions, and about who they care about and who they don’t care about." Meanwhile, every night until the Senate votes, Marriage Equality advocates are holding vigils outside the Astoria, Queens district office of State Senator George Onorato. GO GRRRLS! Blogger Anything But Straight makes contacting the NOs and YESs both by email or Facebook VERY easy.

ON.D.C.: Cleve Jones reveals more about his plans for the October 11 March on Washington--apparently he wants us all to trek out there for all of 2 hours--all while Congress and the President are out of town.

WHITEHOUSEWATCH: Obama slightly tweaks the grammar and syntax of his LGBT Pride Month Proclamation--bloggers, begin your nitpicking now! Not EVERYTHING that Obama does needs to be taken as a personal affront. While I personally wish he would follow through on his campaign promises to us, I think that his heart was in the right place when he made this proclamation. I just wish he hadn't sent White House representatives to argue FOR Don't Ask Don't Tell when it was being considered for Supreme Court Review earlier this month. That just stings.

STATE2STATE: Lawyer summarizes problematic patchwork of state laws on same-sex parenting. In CALIFORNIA, the candidate for the 10th district--parts of Sacramento and San Francisco's East Bay Area--is a black, gay Iraq-war vet Harvard grad. Meet Mike Gin, Redondo Beach's Chinese-American Rotarian gay mayor! A touching letter by a 10-year old about her special family. In PENNSYLVANIA, a Pittsburgh teacher stands up at a community meeting on improving schools and says "They send us the crazies and the fruits!" That's not a joke. Plus, more on those dueling Marriage bills--one for Equality, one for discrimination! Why Marriage Equality is likely to bring the "creative class" to New England. In MAINE, Marry me in ME!

AROUND/THE/GLOBE: Gay Pride from here to Shanghai! 50,000 cheer the finale parade of EuroPride in Zurich! Berlin "Respekt Gaymes" opens with controversy over hunky Turkish pro-footballer spokesman.

IN BLOGLAND: Congratulations to the monumental bloggers that Advocate named the top 15 Gay(ish) blogs. Missing from the list, however, Box Turtle Bulletin, Joe.My.God, Pam's House Blend and Queerty--all the REAL best blogs out there. However, on the subject of blogs, Front Porch Republic says that BLOGS are sucking the originality out of the internet, and just re-posting the same themes, and repeating the same memes. hmmmm. And LawDork reflects on his last 4 months of blogging... YOU ROCK! The first mobile-geared LGBT-centered Entertainment blog and site--m.moxieq.com! Its more than just gay junk, Moxieq offers links to call your Senators, Representatives or President Obama right from its main page. Log in on your phone, and in seconds you can be connected to the dude or dudette who is making decisions for you in D.C. Get up-to-date information on what's going on in the LGBT world while you're on the go! They've got a regular web desitation as well: moxieq.com. Tell 'em Ameriqueer sent ya!

OFF/THE/MAP: Mormon fringe argues in favor of chemical castration of gays on Mormon Apologetics Board. Kate Clinton thinks we should have a riot to celebrate Stonewall. The geniuses behind Sex With Ducks on CNN. Host of Finders Keepers (when I was a kid) and Land of the Lost hunk (when my mom was a kid) Wesley Eure comes out--just in time for the Will Ferrell movie version of his show!

Probably one of the funniest beer commercials ever. Even better than the first advertisement to ever run on LOGO in 2005!

OUR.HISTORY: Revisit 1969 and the beginning of it all--the Stonewall Riots! If you don't know the story, here's a great summary! If you can, find the movie and go watch it--it features In Plain Sight's Fred Weller and Guillermo Diaz! Learn more about Stonewall, the years that followed, and Gilbert Baker, the gay Betsy Ross--the man who invented the Rainbow Flag (and former roommate of my friend Harry K)!

TOAST TO TRANSGENDER PIONEER THOMAS BEATIE (THE PREGNANT MAN) WHO GAVE BIRTH TO HIS SECOND CHILD YESTERDAY--A BOY WHO WILL HAVE A NAME SOON!