Ameriqueer

One of the LGBT community's top bloggers, and a former guest on this show--Pam Spaulding-- faced surgery today and is currently, apparently, recovering nicely.  Here at SameSexSunday, we appreciate everything that Pam has done for the community and hope she's in tip-top shape again soon! Get well soon, Pam--we just know you'll be back on your feet in no time!

We are in the last days of disco here.  If Republican leadership in the Senate continues to put that party on the wrong side of the issue, they'll have a lot of explaining to do later on.  Better to back off and not risk military leaders saying, "Republicans put our national security at risk for political gain on this issue," in a few months. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/22/pentagon-warns-congress-dadt_n_786649.html Pentagon Warns Congress To Hurry Up On DADT Repeal SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia — The Pentagon's top leaders warned Sunday that if Congress fails to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military, the courts may order changes that military leaders consider too fast or poorly thought-out. The Pentagon is trying to make it easier for the Senate to consider lifting the ban in the current postelection session. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday he will release a study of the effects of repeal on Nov. 30, a day earlier than planned. That could ...

Admiral Mike Mullen was on This Week this week.  Forward to 4:40 for 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' portion. <img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src=" " /> Are these the last days of this discriminatory institution?

Posted at Bilerico.com : Several states are poised to move towards marriage equality for gays and lesbians in 2011 and 2012. On the 25th episode of Same Sex Sunday, hear from those closest to the ground. Joining us will be the Executive Director for Equality Maryland , Morgan Menesses-Sheets; the Executive Director of MassEqulaity Kara Suffredini; Founding Partner of 3PG Consulting Andy Szekeres, and the State Legislative Director for the Human Rights Campaign Sarah Warbelow. Click here to subscribe on iTunes or listen in your browser after the fold.    

Download now or watch on posterous SameSexSunday25 Preview.m4v (17621 KB) This week on your TWENTY-FIFTH EPISODE OF SAMESEXSUNDAY: Executive Director of Equality Maryland; Morgan Meneses-Sheets, Executive Director of MassEquality; Kara Suffredini, Founding Partner of 3PG Consulting; Andy Szekeres, State Legislative Director for the Human Rights Campaign; Sarah Warbelow all stopped by to talk about the political and legislative landscape for LGBT gains in on the state level.  Learn about potential wins in Maryland, Rhode Island, New York, Illinois, Washington, Hawaii for gender identity employment protections, civil unions and marriage; as well as trouble on the horizon for NOM. Plus, updates on the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' front.  Check it out and please help spread the word! Until next time, until we are equal, keep up the good fight!

This week on your TWENTY-FIFTH EPISODE OF SAMESEXSUNDAY: Executive Director of Equality Maryland; Morgan Meneses-Sheets, Executive Director of MassEquality; Kara Suffredini, Founding Partner of 3PG Consulting; Andy Szekeres, State Legislative Director for the Human Rights Campaign; Sarah Warbelow all stopped by to talk about the political and legislative landscape for LGBT gains in on the state level.  Learn about potential wins in Maryland, Rhode Island, New York, Illinois, Washington, Hawaii for gender identity employment protections, civil unions and marriage; as well as trouble on the horizon for NOM. Plus, updates on the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' front.  Check it out and please help spread the word! Until next time, until we are equal, keep up the good fight!

This is cross-posted at Ameriqueer and Philreese's posterous This is an HTML code test--does it show up as code-gibberish or links?  We shall find out!

Hello world!  This is the new Ameriqueer main page with an eye on the future of Ameriqueer.  I'm testing out some new ideas here, so bear with!

Download now or watch on posterous Movie on 2010-11-19 at 16.40.mov (8001 KB) Your SameSexSunday hasn't changed, but we're really glad you've been active in your discussions with Joe and myself; letting us know what you like about the show and what you'd like to see us do better.  We're listening!  The show is now running a very trip one hour (approximately) and we're giving you more of what you love!  Keep sending us your comments, concerns & questions!  SameSexSunday@bilerico.com

Nate Silver: FiveThirtyEight :

Nate Silver from FiveThirtyEight :

Via Chris Geidner's Poliglot blog at Metro Weekly : " In Iowa, which declared Iowa's marriage ban unconstitutional under the state's constitution in 2009, the National Organization for Marriage got one of its first electoral victories this year. The judicial retention elections appear to have resulted in the replacement of all three justices up for a vote this year. Here, as of 3:35 a.m. and with 1767 out of 1774 precincts reporting, are the Iowa Secretary of State's election results: Supreme Court Justice David L. Baker Yes 443437 45.75% No 525865 54.25% Supreme Court Justice Michael J. Streit Yes 442459 45.6% No 527921 54.4% Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus Yes 437118 44.99% No 534486 55.01% The court was unanimous in its 2009 ruling that Iowa's constitution required marriage equality."

...Because he needs your tears to brew his morning coffee. From JoeMyGod .

Take that, Target, 3M and Best Buy. Despite giving it the ole 'Citizens United' try, virulently anti-gay Emmer is a 30,000 votes behind with 75% counted. If Minnesota can hold their Democratic Governor, LGBT citizens can breathe a sigh of relief.

According to the Des Moines Register , not only was pro-equality Governor Chet Culver ousted, but the Republicans will take control of the Iowa House, and the three pro-equality Justices on the ballot who all chose not to campaign were rejected for retention, opening them all up for replacement by re-elected anti-equality Governor Branstad. Democrats will maintan a very SLIM majority in the Senate, but the likelihood of a voter referendum reversing marriage equality in that state now seems closer to reality.

From JoeMyGod: "Lincoln Chafee, who was the only GOP Senator to ever express support for marriage equality, has won the gubernatorial race in Rhode Island as an Independent. Democrat Frank Caprio had been leading up until two weeks ago, but lost ground after telling President Obama to "shove it" when he didn't get Obama's endorsement. Both Chafee and Caprio had promised to sign a marriage equality bill should one get to their desks."

JoeMyGod: " PENNSYLVANIA: Anti-Gay Former Rep. Pat Toomey Wins Senate Race Over Joe Sestak "

California will not legalize marijuana. Nevada will send Democratic Majority Leader Reid back to the Senate (but will he still LEAD the Dems there?). Reid, who has been outstandingly mealymouthed and milquetoast on LGBT issues, at least gets to hold the gavel for a few more weeks. However, as the tides change, there will be some strong challenges to his leadership. Too bad Russ Feingold can't run for Majority Leader. THAT strong LGBT ally who took a moral stand against DOMA in 1996 and has always been a strong ally to the community, is now out of the job. If its someone like Durbin that replaces Reid, I swear I'm going to waterboard MYSELF. Vom.

... Kirk pretty much swept every district .

..." Rep. Murphy, Sen. Feingold Lose Seats " Any LGBT people who stayed home because of anger at the Dems in general, listen up. I'm angry at the Dems too, but there were Dems working for us. Several are now OUT. Yet a lot of the ones crappy on our issues are still there. What good did it do you to be lazy and throw your hands up in the air and say "I'm taking my ball and going home!" ? I hope you enjoy the: Statewide ballot initiatives banning gay adoption. Redistricting that will allow even more Conservatives elected in your state in 2012. Roll-back of small gains in many places like Michigan. You never sit it out. You never take the easy road and be lazy. You stay in, and you fight, and you REWARD your friends and PUNISH your enemies! Tonight, those of you who stayed home, those of you who blew off this election in frustration PUNISHED your friends and REWARDED your enemies. Get your head on straight. Seriously. Don't be stupid.

Almost all of the votes are in, and it looks like Kirk is 3 percentage points ahead of Giannoulias--a few more thousand votes going Kirk's way and it will be the point of no return. However, Brady and Quinn are so close, I'm not going to be surprised if there is a recount. If Alexi Giannoulias does win the President's former Senate seat, he would have been an outspoken full-equality, pro-marriage ally on the hill. We're now getting half and half with Kirk, who supports ENDA, but not a DADT repeal. Sad thing is, whoever wins will be replacing Sen. Burris immediately, and--though we're not going to see ENDA come up in the Senate in the Lame Duck session, we WILL see DADT repeal come up. With the Pentagon's working group sure to report to the Senate favorable conditions in the armed-forces for a DADT repeal, might we see Kirk switch positions? I'd hope so. It would be the honorable thing to do. However, a brand new Senator is unlikely to flip-flop like th...

With over 83% of the vote in, and both races within 1%, don't look for a result in the Illinois Senate and Governor races in the morning. Kirk is 1% of Giannoulias and Quinn is 1% ahead of Brady.

According to CNN: No African-Americans in next U.S. Senate "New York (CNN) – Despite record election achievements by African-Americans in the House, the United States Senate will not have an African-American in its ranks. All three black Senate candidates, Kendrick Meek (D-FL), Alvin Greene (D-SC) and Mike Thurmond (D-GA) are projected to lose tonight. The only incumbent black senator, Roland Burris (D-IL), is retiring. Only six black senators have served: three Republicans and three Democrats, including the future President Barack Obama (D-IL). There have been 118 voting members of Congress who are African-American. This year the GOP has 14 African-Americans on the ballot, any one of which could become the first black Republican in the house since 2003. There are 41 African-American Democrats in Congress of which most are running in majority black districts. CNN projects Alabama sent its first African-American woman to Congress tonight with the election of Terri Sewell in the sta...

Some scary news from Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight :

So sad... too sad to even talk about. Go read Joe Jervis .

Its a sad day for equality activists. Feingold was the first US Senator to come out in favor of full marriage equality. Read here .

According to FiveThirtyEight :

According to the Fund, we've increased our gay power in the House : "Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, issued the following statement tonight about the election of Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline to the U.S. House of Representatives (RI-1)..."

...only one county so far, but its a rural county, and they're supporting EQUALITY!

... so far so good !

... Here is the prediction . Sigh.

According to MSNBC :

According to the Victory Fund's Denis Dison : "Marcus Brandon has been elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives. He will represent the cities of Greensboro and High Point in the state legislature. Brandon will be the only openly LGBT state legislator in North Carolina, and one of just five openly LGBT African-Americans serving in state legislatures across the country (including Maryland House of Delegates candidate Mary Washington, who will also win tonight). Openly lesbian N.C. State Sen. Julia Boseman is stepping down at the end of this term."

Two new pieces of news from TPM :

http://www.gaypolitics.com/2010/11/02/breaking-barney-frank-reelected/ Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., has been reelected despite a strong challenge from Republican challenger Sean Bielat, who was backed by tea party groups and consequently amassed a huge campaign warchest in recent weeks. “Barney Frank is nothing if not a fighter, and we’re very happy he will return to the House and continue to fight for the people of Massachusetts and for all LGBT Americans. Nobody has worked harder or longer in the U.S. Congress for fairness and equality for the LGBT community,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. Frank, perhaps the world’s most famous openly gay elected official, has served in the House since 1981. He came out as gay in 1987.

CNN projects :

Alexi Giannoulias, the Democrat seeking President Obama's former Illinois Senate seat, may have this one... HOWEVER, many votes still needed to be counted.

Freedom to Marry tweets:

Politics' mega-stats-guru has the projections :

According to TPM :

This from TPM : "Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (D) has won the race for New York Governor over Carl Paladino (R). With 0% of precincts reporting, CNN projects that Cuomo is the winner. Though the Tea Party-backed Paladino had some early momentum that helped him beat Rick Lazio in the September 14 Republican primary, his campaign has since been plagued by controversy and concerns about his temperament. Paladino, a Buffalo businessman, first made a name for himself when he forwarded several racist and obscene emails. He has since suggested that New York should house welfare recipients in prison, and was one of the louder voices against the Cordoba House Islamic Center near Ground Zero."

According to FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver :

According to TPM: Dem Sources Hold Out Hope For Feingold : Two Democratic sources tell TPM that their exit poll data shows Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) either tied with or down by the thinnest of margins against his Republican challenger Ron Johnson. A senior Dem source says one exit poll has them down by a point. The other has it dead even. Customary notes of caution about exit polls apply, and, of course, these are Democratic sources pulling for their candidate. But the early data is clearly closer than they expected they would be. Russ Feingold was the first sitting Senator to come out in favor of full Marriage Equality. He's a true friend of our community. Cross your fingers.

In Senate: Republicans take: North Dakota, Kentucky, Florida, Indiana, Arkansas Democrats take: West Virginia, Delaware, Connecticut, Some states still pending... obviously.

According to TPM: SADNESS!

According to Joe : "West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin's win means the slim chance of the GOP winning a Senate majority is essentially gone."

...From the Victory Fund's GayPolitics blog by frequent SameSexSunday guest, Denis Dison: http://www.gaypolitics.com/2010/11/02/breaking-lexington-kentucky-elects-openly-gay-mayor/ Kentucky’s second-largest city has elected an openly gay man as its next mayor. Vice-Mayor Jim Gray was victorious tonight in his second campaign for the city’s top job, beating incumbent Mayor Jim Newberry. “This is a tremendous victory for Lexington, for Kentucky’s LGBT community and for fairness. We are proud of Jim Gray and his fantastic campaign staff who fought hard for this win,” said Chuck Wolfe, Victory Fund’s president and CEO. Keep posted for more equality news, right here...

...polls closing in 1 minute

Perriello will lose the 5th district of Virginia. Fasten your seatbelts its going to be a bumpy night.

Check out my piece for The New Civil Rights Movement! Out October: ‘Truth Is, I Was Contemplating Suicide.’ | The New Civil Rights Movement : "Today’s Out October Project story comes from Phil Reese, writer and contributor for The Bilerico Project and writer for Ameriqueer, who explains that sometimes it isn’t an actual physical bully pushing you over the edge. Sometimes it is you and your own thoughts that torture and torment. Missed our other coming out stories? Catch up here! I was never, exactly, an angst-ridden teen growing up. It might be more dramatic to claim I was some brooding introvert before I made good with myself and turned into this sloshing bucket of sunshine that ‘stands’ before you today. However, truth-be-told, I’ve always been the picture next to “Happy-Go-Lucky” in Webster’s New American. Nature over nurture..." Click the link above to read the rest, and find out who my worst enemy was, growing up.

Read Chris Geidner. BREAKING: Ninth Circuit Stays DADT Injunction - Poliglot : "A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has issued a temporary stay of U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips's Oct. 12 order in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States halting all enforcement of the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy. After DADT had been halted from enforcement for nearly 200 hours, the Ninth Circuit order legally makes DADT enforceable again for the time being. In a brief order, Judges O'Scannlain, Trott and W. Fletcher wrote..."

You gotta see my latest at Feast Of Fun, including some awesome video of the debate. This is the most concentrated, succinct evidence yet of the clear difference between the two candidates. Watch and decide for yourself. Also, leave some comments over at Feast of Fun about what you think! Kirk and Giannoulias: a clear contrast � Feast of Fun : "Last night in their ABC 7 Chicago WLS-TV televised debate, Mark Kirk and Alexi Giannoulias were asked about both “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and marriage equality. Though Kirk has a point about Federal interference with marriage (which is exactly what the Federal Government did when it passed the Defense of Marriage Act) Giannoulias is spot on with both his answers..."

Reese’s Pieces � Blog Archive � Will you be in purple Wednesday? : "After the tragic deaths of nearly a dozen teens in the past month following relentless anti-LGBT bullying, a few kids on Facebook have banded together to send a message to the world that the bullycides must stop, and that there is indeed hope. They asked that folks who support their effort to end the bullycides wear purple on Wednesday. They got quite a response. Their facebook event, “R.I.P. ;; In memory of the recent suicides due to gay abuse, wear purple,” has nearly 1.5 million attendees, 300,000 maybes, and 3 million waiting for reply. Imagine the power of 5 million Americans wearing purple tomorrow in solidarity with kids that feel isolated, alone, tormented and abused."

This is SETTLED SCIENCE--we need to stop wasting our time arguing this SETTLED question. The MAINSTREAM MEDIA has to stop giving this lie airtime as if its a valid opinion. Journalists who don't shut this lie down as soon as it comes up are in flagrant violation of the ethics of their own profession. This goes for anti-science lies by Global Warming deniers, as well. Read my take: The mainstream media, yet again, treats wild anti-science as valid “opinion.” � Feast of Fun : "This post is initially about Ken Buck, the GOP’s Senate Candidate in Colorado who has made a clear choice to become a Professional “Dumbass;” however, this post is really about the laziness and stupidity in the mainstream media when it comes to allowing anti-science screeds to perpetuate as valid “opinions.”"

More... Its like gay news avalanche: DOJ appeals DOMA case � Feast of Fun : "From the “Not Shocked” Desk in the Feast of Fun Newsroom comes this one fresh over from Chris Geidner at MetroWeekly: “In a move expected by most legal observers, the U.S. Department of Justice this afternoon filed notices of appeal in two cases striking down the federal definition of marriage, contained in the Defense of Marriage Act, as unconstitutional."

My latest @FeastOfFun. Check it out at the site and share it with your friends! Worldwide injunction on #DADT discharges–what now? � Feast of Fun : "After feeling disappointed last month over the McCain-led Senate filibuster of the Defense BIll that would have repealed the military ban on openly gay servicemembers, the gay political blog world (talk about niche!) is abuzz right at the moment over the injunction of all ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ investigations and discharges. Federal Judge Virginia Phillips (two ‘L’s, the RIGHT way to spell it) issued a worldwide permanent injunction against enforcement of DADT. According to the Log Cabin Republicans who brought forward the case on behalf of discharged Marine, Alex Nicholson: “Barring a stay by a higher court, the injunction suspends all investigations and prevents all discharges under the policy. However, Log Cabin Republicans urges caution by servicemembers considering coming out at this time, as the Obama administration still ...

fed. judge orders the U.S. military today to immediately halt all discharges of personnel under Don't Ask, Don't Tell http://ow.ly/2Ss0P -- shared via Twidroyd http://twidroyd.com'>Shared message via Twidroyd Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Gonna be able to blog on the fly a bit more now. Stay tuned for more frequent updates! Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3

Check out my guest post at Generation Gossip! Generation Gossip: Phils Coming Out : "As we drove back from the gas station, Easter Sunday 2004, I knew I had to tell my dad. I'd come out in high school to my friends and teachers and even some neighbors, and was rising in the leadership levels in the Gay-Straight Alliance back at Central Michigan, we're I'd be heading later that day after family dinner at my grandparents'. But I'd yet to come out to anyone in my family, and I'd come home this Easter vacation with that specifically on my agenda. Thursday it hadn't happened. After planning for two weeks to go have coffee and Krispy Kreme with my dad on Thursday night when I drove into Detroit for the holiday, I had dreamed that we'd split a half-dozen, there would be tears and coffee and in the end we'd drive home after making peace. But when we arrived at Krispy Kreme, my father's motor mouth took over and I couldn't even get a word in e...

DADT isn’t dead–just sleeping! � Feast of Fun : "…It seems like we lost the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” fight yesterday when Senator John McCain successfully led a filibuster against the Defense Authorization bill that contained repeal provisions. However, its important to remember the bill isn’t dead. There was no vote on the bill itself, only a vote on whether or not to call the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. Yep, the Senate has to vote to vote. Yeah, and we wonder why nothing gets done. Anyhow, the bill can still be called. There’s still some danger, though. Republicans will again halt the bill if none of their concerns with how the vote went down aren’t addressed. This means that aspects of the bill are going to be up for negotiation–including the controversial amendments like the DREAM Act, the legalization of privately funded abortions in military hospitals and–of course–Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal. Its important to note that, although John McCain’s problem with the bill ...

From Rex Wockner: * SENATE VOTE ON DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL REPEAL IN A LITTLE OVER TWO HOURS * VOTE IS TOO CLOSE TO CALL * 9 SENATORS STILL NEED PRODDING TO DO THE RIGHT THING * FULL INFO http://www.sldn.org/pages/only-one-day-remains * THE NUMBER TO CALL: (202) 224-3121 * KEY SENATORS STILL UNCOMMITTED ON BREAKING JOHN MCCAIN'S FILIBUSTER --George Lemieux (R-FL); --Susan Collins (R-ME); --Olympia Snowe (R-ME); --Mark Pryor (D-Ark.); --Richard Lugar (R-IN); --Judd Gregg (R-NH); --Jim Webb (D-VA); --George Voinovich (R-OH); --Kit Bond (R-MO); TAKE ACTION NOW: http://bit.ly/bdYE3Z Well... what are you waiting for?

570-327-1902 NOW! Here's my post: Start calling! Phone swarm Chris Carney D-PA! | The Bilerico Project : "Get on the horn, people, and help GetEQUAL put pressure on an anti-gay Democrat carneyEQUALenda.jpgfrom Pennsylvania. (Script after the jump.) Williamsport: 570-327-1902 Shamokin: 570-644-1682 Clarks Summit: 570-585-9988 Washington, DC: 202-225-3731 At 10:00 Eastern time this morning, GetEQUAL PA brought advocates together from around the state to tell Congressman Carney that our community will no longer stand silently and watch him vote against our rights. The non-violent, civil disobedient action was carried out at Rep. Carney's congressional district office in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, asking him to sign a pledge to vote in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Carney is a died-in-the-wool blue dog, and we're paying for him on our side. This is from the GetEQUAL PA press release..." Get the rest of the 411 and the SCRIPT FOR THE CALL at...

The #Queer take on Mayor Daley's retirement--what this will mean. Queering the Mayor Daley announcement | The Bilerico Project : "Yesterday, Mayor Richard M. Daley--the son of infamous Chicago Machine mayor Richard J Daley--announced he would not seek a second term, allowing his dad to keep the title of longest-serving Chicago mayor (by a smidge). I can't tell you how quickly my cell phone's battery died after yesterday's announcement. Not exactly what I was expecting. Democrats around the State see this as a seismic shift in state politics. The effects will be felt not only around Chicago, not even just around the state--but across the nation as we will surely see high profile officials in the Obama Administration weigh in on the race. Maybe someone will even return to Chicago from DC to run. We'll see. Mayor Daley's announcement is significant for many queer reasons as well, however. In fact, this is possibly one of the most significant queer moments in t...

Love it or hate it--just make sure you comment on it! My latest at the Bilerico Project! The good side of Gay Inc : "Say what you will about Gay Inc, I still send my dollars down to DC every year without fail. Should I be happy with the return on investment that I get out of my pet causes? Certainly not. logos.jpg With the exception of Lambda Legal which has made some tremendous gains in the court system, the organizations I give most often to--HRC, The Task Force and Victory Fund--have struggled to bring about solid gains on the Federal Level. Besides the passage and signing of the Federal Hate Crimes bill, we've yet to see a sweeping piece of legislation that will improve the lives of LGBTQ folks around the nation--not just in the cosmopolitan super-leftie coastal states, but in the middle of Bumblehopsburgh Alabama. Let me be clear that we should be vocal in demanding more action from our national organizations. Even if it is the way of things, never be content and complace...

Uh oh! Guess Who’s in Charge of Bilerico Today? : "Bil Browning is moving to Washington DC. That means that for the next seven days, I’m runnin’ things over at Bilerico.com! Well, by running things, I mean writing a bunch of stuff and making the other contributors feel good about themselves. Check out my first post, “Philerico World Commences,” and make sure you check out my post later today!" Read it at Uh oh! Guess Who’s in Charge of Bilerico Today? on Feast of Fun

Champaign-Urbana Pride was a great time, wasn’t it? If you want to keep the fun going, you should check out Peoria Pride this week! ... Read more at: "Reese’s Pieces » Blog Archive » Peoria Pride–get there!"

@OutServe 's co-director JD Smith has appeared on @SameSexSunday a few times. I was really impressed by what I read this morning. My take is at Bilerico: "This morning, I received a breaking press release from JD Smith, the co-director of OutServeOutserve-Logo3.png, the network for LGBT active duty military service members. Last week, their new website went live, and JD has been really eager to get the word out. OutServe is one of several amazing organizations pushing hard against the forces that want to preserve employment discrimination in the military--most notably my heroes at Servicemembers United and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. OutServe's constituency is very specific, however--active duty service members and only active duty service members..." ...Read the rest of "Is OutServe creating a grassroots organizing model we can copy?" | The Bilerico Project

My latest @FeastOfFun: So gays are getting married in California tomorrow right? Not so fast, says the 9th Circuit Court. Judge Walker’s decision from his Northern California district Federal Court initially had no sort of limit blocking its immediate effect. Stories of savvy and well-prepared lesbian couples sliding a quick wedding in under the wire wafted over from California–though none were confirmed to my knowledge. However, Judge Walker quickly implemented a temporary stay on his August 4th decision within hours–a rule that prevents a Judge’s decision from going into effect right away. He asked for arguments from both sides about whether or not to lift the stay. Prop 8 supporters wanted a stay to preserve the status quo and prevent any more same-sex couples from marrying. The Plaintiffs argued against it, saying the ruling should take immediate effect and there would be no harm done to the defendants if it did go into immediate effect... Stay-whaaaaat? « Feast of Fun Blogged with...

Radiant! A youthful-looking Madonna shimmies in silver as she celebrates her 52nd birthday a day early with a party in LondonShe’s always been one who is keen to turn back the hands of time and try anything to cling on to her youth.And as these pictures prove, Madonna may be turning 52 tomorrow but she’d give a woman half her age a run for their money in the youthful stakes.On the eve of her birthday, the pop star arrived for an early celebration at London’s trendy Shoreditch House this evening looking youthful and sexy.The Material Girl showed off a smooth, wrinkle-free face as she stepped out of her car looking very glamorous in a tight-fitting silver dress.And while she may be dedicated to Kabbalah, the system of thought concerned with the mystical aspect of Rabbanic Judaism, she will always be a Catholic girl at heart.Madonna accessorised her outfit with a crucifix necklace and she carried a gold crucifix in her hand which she held against her black clutch bag. Absolute Madonna » A...

@ActualNPH sits on the board of The Trevor Project --the organization of this week's @SameSexSunday guest Charles Robbins.  Congrats, Neil! UPDATE: Harris has confirmed his babies-to-be via Twitter: "So, get this: David and I are expecting twins this fall. We're super excited/nervous/thrilled. Hoping the press can respect our privacy..." Neil Patrick Harris is going to have his hands full come fall.E! News has exclusively learned that the ubiquitous actor and his longtime partner, David Burtka, are going to become the parents of twins, via a beautiful surrogate, this October.At least the dads are allowed to celebrate with a champagne toast!A source tells E! that the happy couple have put baby shower plans in motion, as if Harris' chance of winning three Emmys this month wasn't already enough to celebrate!Burtka, a chef and actor who has guest-starred on How I Met Your Mother, was just seen with his multitalented beau last weekend after Harris directed a prod...

...or not: "With a deadline just two days away, about one-quarter of all service members who were sent "don't ask, don't tell" surveys have returned them to the Department of Defense, a spokeswoman said Friday." View Original Article on CNN.com Blogged with the Flock Browser

Here's something to do to make a difference if you're in Chicago Saturday! PROTEST Target! 11 AM Tomorrow (Saturday) 4466 N. Broadway, Chicago GLN After his widely publicized $150K gift to an anti-gay Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, Target Corp. CEO Gregg Steinhafel came under such fire from the LGBT community and our allies that he emailed an apology to all Target employees. We say, not good enough. For all Steinhafel's words, he offered no actions to make amends for the anti-gay gift, aside from a general promise to do better in the future. Moreover, he did nothing to directly address the nasty social agenda of Target's favorite candidate, Tom Emmer. In addition to targeting LGBTs for discrimination, Emmer supports a toxic social agenda that targets immigrants, and low-income workers for discrimination and marginalization. Steinhafel's "apology" to his gay employees is far from what's required to repair the damage to Ta...

We bloggers got our tushies kicked yesterday. Sure, Judge Walker decided his stay on the Perry vs. Schwarzenegger decision would expire August 18th (good news, although I'm pretty sure that the 9th District or Justice Kennedy is going to be jumping in and putting their own stay in place before then). However, despite the somewhat good news, every gay blogger, journalist and organization was pissed at one another around 4:00 Eastern Thursday... READ MY LATEST: How soon is too soon to blog the breaking story | The Bilerico Project Blogged with the Flock Browser

Reported by Chris Geidner and just confirmed by CBS News: at 12:45 Pacific time, Judge Walker announced effective August 18th at 5pm, the stay of his Proposition 8 decision in Perry V Schwarzenegger will expire. That means marriage equality will be--at least on August 18th at 5pm--law in California. What now? Read the rest of my latest Bilerico.com post on the Prop 8 updates: Prop 8 stay to be lifted in 6 days--now what? | The Bilerico Project Blogged with the Flock Browser

Hey folks, its #WhitneyWednesday and I haven't really read any gay news yet today.  What's the haps? Blogged with the Flock Browser

OK, GOProud, now you got my attention... | The Bilerico Project " I 'm not the most radical guy on this blog (by a long shot) but I sure as heck am not a conservative. However, GOProud did catch my attention when they went to CPAC and ended up making some inroads and impact - evident when an anti-gay speaker got booed off stage for condemning their presence there... "

You flippin kidding me? GOProud books Ann Coulter for party | The Bilerico Project "Ann Coulter probably isn't as anti-gay as she pretends. After all, we all know that sensationalism makes lots of money. Look at Madonna. Look at Gaga. Look at Liberace. Regardless, however, the woman who throws around "fag" like I throw around "um" and "like" on SameSexSunday is not exactly someone who I would consider as an honored guest for an LGBT fundraiser. Enter constant contrarians, GOProud, stage right. GOProud is throwing their coming out party, HOMOCON (as in homosexual conservatives, so, you know, transgender and bisexual not included) on September 25--apparently somewhere in New York City, but the location is unspecified (witness protection?). And their keynote? None other than the tallest blondest jack ass in the world, Ann Coulter! It only costs $250 a plate to get into this three-ringed circus. Joe and I are expecting to discuss this and more with Br...

The Department of Religion at the University of Illinois decided not to have Kenneth Howell continue teaching courses on its behalf. Then, due to pressure from groups that did not understand or intentionally misrepresented what had happened, Howell was reinstated. The University was well rid of him, and, although the importance of avoiding any appearance of discrimination based on religion and any infringement of free speech and academic freedom is understandable, he should not have been rehired. He is committed to proselytizing discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people, using “morality” as a weapon to humiliate and degrade. Let me be clear: I have no personal grudge against this man. I do not know him. In fact, I am sure he is a perfectly harmless old man that may even do some good in this world. He has demonstrated an admirable ability to do what he thinks is right even when it causes himself significant inconvenience. I am, however, opposed to him as...

Same Sex Sunday: DOMA decision, the Today Show, Hawaii Veto, and more | The Bilerico Project : "Last week was a roller coaster ride for the LGBT community. We started off with more than disappointing news that Hawaii's Governor Lingle vetoed the civil union law. On Same Sex Sunday we interview Lambda Legal's Jenny Pizer who will discuss a pending lawsuit to challenge the veto. Good news ended the week with with the Federal court decisions striking down section 3 of DOMA. Pizer shares her incites on this decision. The community also celebrated the Today Show's change of heart when they opened up their wedding contest to gay and lesbian couples. We spoke to the Crate and Barrel wedding contest's second place winner Jonathan Howard about how he used social media to draw attention to the Today Show issue. He also discussed how GLAAD worked with NBC. This week's round table, Metro Weekly's Senior Political Correspondent Chris Geidner, National LGBT Advocate Megh...

Was it right to fire Dr. Howell, or did the University pull the trigger to early? Reese’s Pieces » Blog Archive » The firing of Dr. Howell: Its not what he said, its how he said it. : "Instruction is a fine art. When I was teaching, it was a delicate ballet between covering everything and meeting the students intellectually where they were, and where they needed me to be. There is always a problem when your beliefs and feelings are in conflict with the material. This one is a lot less of a problem when you’re a middle school literature teacher working with a non-controversial curriculum. There is an entirely different can of worms when one is a college professor–especially a professor in Religion at a public institution. Dr. Howell I am fascinated with the study of religion, and really love the work, but I don’t envy the Religion professors at the University of Illinois. No one goes into the study of Religion unless they have pretty strong feelings for some sort of creed. Whether ...

This just came into my mailbox from GLAAD. Hi:   This evening, GLAAD announced that NBC has agreed to change the rules of the Today Show's "Modern Wedding Contest" to allow same-sex couples to apply. Full release is below OR (link here: http://www.glaad.org/page.aspx?pid=1551 )   GLAAD released a Call to Action against NBC on Tuesday that garnered nearly 4,000 signatures (link here: http://glaadblog.org/2010/07/06/call-on-nbc-to-open-today-show-wedding-contest-to-same-sex-couples/http://glaadblog.org/2010/07/06/call-on-nbc-to-open-today-show-wedding-contest-to-same-sex-couples/)   NBC then agreed to meet with GLAAD to hear our concerns. Today, GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios met with "Today Show" Executive Producers and NBC agreed to allow same-sex couples in the contest. Additionally, NBC agreed to extend the contest deadline to Monday, July 12.   For coverage, please include a link to http://www.glaad.org/2010/calltoaction/todayshow -------------...

My @FeastOfFun latest! Will @TODAYSHOW show, place or win today? Ask @GLAAD! Today’s the day for TODAY « Feast of Fun : "With the singe of Hawaii’s Governor Linda Lingle’s burn still fresh on our skin, from her veto of the legislature’s Civil Unions bill on Thursday, we may yet have a victory to count. We may not be getting relationship recognition in Hawaii, but we could soon have it at the TODAY show! After recently launching their annual “Modern Wedding” Contest, the TODAY show seems, yet again, ignorant that same-sex couples are fully capable of getting legally wed in 10% of the country. For the second year in a row since the avalanche of additions to the list of marriage equality states, TODAY show producers refused to allow same-sex couples to join in the equality fun. Enter GLAAD, stage left..." Who is GLAAD meeting with today, and what do you think the outcome will be? Learn more at my latest at FeastOfFun!