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Prop 8 Trial closes–now the waiting begins « Feast of Fun : "Yesterday the trial known as Perry V. Schwarzenegger closed in the San Francisco Federal Court after closing arguments were heard by Judge Vaughn Walker. The trial, which began in January, was something of a circus in the queer community who were watching it. When the American Foundation For Equal Rights–the ad hoc foundation formed in the wake of Prop 8 to challenge the discriminatory law in court–hired George W. Bush’s former Solicitor General, Theodore Olson and David Boies, Al Gore’s former lawyer during the Bush V. Gore Supreme Court case, the collective eyebrow raised across gay America. Olson and Boies, adversaries in 2000, put together one of the most rock-solid cases never to be broadcast on YouTube (because the Supreme Court said no!). Not only did Olson and Boies set up a strong case for the recognition of marriage equality in California and a striking down of the misguided voter referendum, Prop 8; Olson and ...

Locker rooms are going to be crude, but do they have to be bigoted too? Blackhawks caught flaunting their homophobia « Feast of Fun : "Like I’ve said before, politics is my sports. But if I was going to pick a sport to be my sport I’d choose hockey. I grew up in Hockeytown, USA (Detroit, Michigan) and when you grow up in Detroit, you’re steeped in hockey every step of the way. You can’t help but love it. However, hockey players do get hit in the head a lot, and some might say that that starts to affect their judgement. Take, for example, the World Champion Blackhawks. Just last week they were hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup up in celebration, but when snapped doing so, one camera caught something on a marker board that should not have been there. “Pronger is gay” was added by one of the team members to a locker-room white board that appears to have the Philly line-up parsed out..." Read the rest at Feast of Fun.com

Tijuana is about to get PROUD! « Feast of Fun : "Tijuana, Mexico–a stone’s throw from San Diego California where the Republican mayor fights hard for his lesbian daughter’s right to marry–is marching this coming Saturday to launch their first ever Pride festival. According to San Diego resident, and renowned gay journalist, Rex Wockner; the fifteen year old march in Mexico’s hottest party town is about to make history with a two-day festival downtown." Read more at my latest at FeastOfFun.com!

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Where’s my Jesus: LGBT hero worship syndrome « Feast of Fun : "Are you waiting for that great gay savior? Well look no more he’s here! Here in the LGBT community we have a political hero-worship/demonization problem. Rather than look at humans as humans, we expect all of our leaders to be perfect. When a new one comes along, we gush over them like they’re Neo in the Matrix. The old ones, on the other hand get called “evil,” and “coward,” and all sorts of other words that your mother used to wash your mouth out with soap if she heard you using them. In fact, its actually somewhere in between–which makes Robin McGehee more like Joe Solmonese than many younginz would like to admit. Its all in my newest Bilerico.com post “On agendas, loyalties, cult of personality and an end of the old dichotomy in the LGBT community...”" Read the rest over at Feast of Fun!

One of my best posts in a long time, I put a lot of time, thought and energy into this post, and I really hope you check it out. On agendas, loyalties, cult of personality and an end of the old dichotomy in the LGBT community | The Bilerico Project : "In the LGBT community we have an addiction. An addiction to boxes. Who am I? I'm a spiritual progressive HIV- white middle-class educated bisexual non-poly cis-gender queer male blogger and LGBT rights organizer & activist. What does that mean? That means you have some ideas about what I'm like before you even meet me. And I have a few ideas about you before I even meet you. If you are radical, you'd think we won't have much in common. Same with either the fiscally or socially conservative. However, folks who put themselves into the same political box that I am in also may think I likely agree (or at least ought to agree) with them on almost everything. If you fervently belong or had belonged to any particular Chr...

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-jacobs/equality-on-trial_b_605176.html (sent via Shareaholic) "But there was already big news today in California about "the trial of the century." Judge Vaughn Walker today issued a series of questions (see document below) for the parties to the federal Prop. 8 trial that began in January and was put on by Ted Olson and David Boies and colleagues and defended by the oxymoronic "Protect Marriage" proponents of Prop. 8." Follow the link and check them out, this is good stuff. 

AFER who brought Prop 8 to Federal Court in an attempt to tear it down, made a huge new board announcement this week, which was a 180 from another bit of celebrity news this week. A dynamic duo and an odd couple « Feast of Fun : "By now, you’ve probably heard all of the hub-ub about Elton John and Rush Limbaugh. No, they didn’t same-sex-smooch, like these gentlemen: (By the way, if any of you know the gentleman directly behind them, tell him to give me a call) Anyway, Sir Elton got $1 million to play Rush Limbaugh’s 4th wedding, even though Rush Limbaugh is against Elton from getting even one. I am pretty sure that this constitutes throwing our community under the bus. However, another very unlikely pair teamed up this week..." Did you hear about the big AFER announcement this week? If not, check out my Feast of Fun Post

Same Sex Sunday : "Same Sex Sunday is a weekly round table discussion hosted by Bilerico Project Contributors, Phil Reese and Joe Mirabella. In the first episode, Joe and Phil discuss Pride Month, the history, the politics, and how we can restore pride to its original purpose." Take a listen to the new SameSexSunday teaser. Every week we will be bringing you the latest in LGBT politics and discussions. Get the insider scoop on what's happening in DC and what is coming soon in the fight for LGBT equality. Please take a look at our facebook page too: http://bit.ly/SSSunday where we will keep the discussion going with our listeners. Follow the page and check back for updates on new episodes, new discussions and everything SameSexSunday!

One Very Gay Time by Deb Price on Creators.com - A Syndicate Of Talent : "'So tell me, America, how do I introduce Joyce?' I posed that question back in May 1992 in the first column I ever wrote. That debut was an earthshaking breakthrough — a nationally syndicated, weekly column in mainstream newspapers about life from a gay perspective. Over the next 18 years — and about 900 columns — I introduced my readers, mostly heterosexuals, to a gay couple — Joyce and me — and countless other wonderful people we met along our journalistic adventure." Deb, you will be missed. Gannett--you have my number right?

More vindication for Mike Rogers Senate Dems - and a gay GOP senator - vote for LBGT Pride Month Link: http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2010/06/senate-dems---a.html (sent via Shareaholic) Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, joined enough Democrats in the state Senate today to approve a resolution declaring June 2010 Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender Pride Month. The Bakersfield Republican acknowledged publicly in March that he is homosexual. He had been arrested on a DUI after leaving a Sacramento gay bar and decided subsequently to reveal that he is gay. Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, is the author of SR 44, and she said Thursday she was joined in support for the resolution by Ashburn and Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. All three legislators are gay. The measure passed on a 25-9 vote. June is the month when gay communities in many cities hold gay pride celebrations.

Hey everyone-- in case you didn't hear, I got a full scholarship to attend Netroots Nation in Las Vegas this July 22-25 . I'm PSYCHED to go, but there are a few things the scholarship does not cover: Flight: $350 Travel between hotel and airport: $40 Extra night in the hotel: $65 Food and incidentals: ~$100 I saved about $200 on my flight by staying an extra night, but that means I incur an additional $65. I have some of my meals covered, and a friend has made a very generous donation to my cause, but I will still need some back-up money--and you KNOW I need a lot more coffee than the average man! I am looking to raise around $550 through my paypal account to send me to Netroots Nation! I'm going even if I don't raise this money, and many of these bills are already paid for, but I'm asking you, my friends to help off-set the cost. Even if I don't raise the full amount, if I raise part of it, you will help me immensely! Why should I help you, Phil? You get to ...

Don't miss the details in my latest Feast of Fun post. Dan Choi’s fast ends fast–but will he « Feast of Fun : "Last night, Lt. Dan Choi–a man who has quickly become the spokesman for a movement, and a symbol of a discriminatory policy–tweeted the end of the Dignity Fast that he and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo had undertaken a week ago. The Dignity Fast, which was meant to speed the Executive Branch’s institution of non-discrimination for openly gay and lesbian servicemembers, was widely criticized in the community as being misguided for endangering the health of the two men who introduced the world to GetEQUAL when they handcuffed themselves to the front of the White House in March." But wait, there's more! Could the fast be returning sooner than we think? Read and find out!

Did Rogers really out Rep Kirk, or will the media need better evidence? My latest at the Bilerico project continues to follow this storyline as it develops in the gay blogosphere today. I'm staring to wonder if I'm going to be the go-to gay blogger on the Giannoulias/Kirk race soon enough, after a late-night podcast interview last night, and then the request this morning from Bilerico.com to do this piece. I better interview both men soon if I'm going to be the guy to call on. Don't want to make anymore errors, like the first story I did on Kirk at Bilerico.com! Will Mark Kirk's outing stick? | The Bilerico Project : "Tuesday morning, HBO's Outrage! subject Michael Rogers sent the gay/progressive blogosphere abuzz when he revealed that Rep. Mark Kirk had been sexually involved with two men in both his undergraduate and law school years. According to Rogers, these two men came forward after Kirk - who has enjoyed a long, unusually good relationship with ...

I talk politics--Illinois and otherwise--on the Feast of Fun podcast today. FOF #1200 – Work That Look – 06.02.10 « Feast of Fun : "...Meanwhile, here in Illinois, Republican State Representative Mark Kirk may be impersonating a straight man. Blogger Mike Rogers outed the man chasing after Sen. Obamas seat as a hypocrite that votes against gay rights while secretly being gay. Join us as we talk with political blogger Phil Reese about the impact the outing of Mark Kirk will have on gay rights, and why the wives of conservative politicians are falling all over themselves to woo gay support. And it’s working- gays in Dallas, Texas are clamoring for Laura Bush to be the Grand Marshall of this year’s gay pride parade..." JUICY STUFF in this convo. Enjoy me in the first half of today's Feast of Fun podcast!

Mike Rogers outs Mark Kirk… or does he? « Feast of Fun : "As promised earlier, professional GOP-hypocrite outer Mike Rogers has delivered a post that claims to tear the veil from Mark Kirk’s secret life. And Mark Kirk’s big giant secret is:" Want to know what Rogers' big reveal is? Check out the post!

Is Mike Rogers about to out Mark Kirk? « Feast of Fun : "Mike Rogers, the subject of HBO’s documentary Outrage! about the conspiracy of the political gay closet, seems to be hinting that, like Madonna, he has a tale to tell. Apparently, that tale is that Mike thinks Mark Kirk–the Republican running against Alexi Giannoulias for President Barack Obama’s former Senate Seat–has got too gay to hide it well. Madonna says “a man can tell a thousand lies.” In this situation, would she be referring to Mark or Mike?" But, Kim Vertolli, Kirk's ex-wife, has told me herself that Mark is definitely not gay. So what will Mike's smoking gun be? Watch updates to my post at FeastOfFun.com!