Tweet Of The Day - Lizz Winstead

CBS News' paid crowd estimation service actually put the attendance at around 87,000.

Anti-Gay Group Sues To Force Brown & Schwarzenegger To Defend Prop 8

Equality California issued an alert this afternoon that the anti-gay Pacific Justice Institute has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to force Gov. Schwarzenegger and AG Jerry Brown to defend Prop 8. And of course, the lawsuit is being brought on behalf of a Christian pastor.

The institute is arguing that as the state's chief law enforcement officer, Brown does not have discretion to defend only laws with which he personally agrees. And because the California Constitution gives the governor final say when he and the attorney general disagree on legal matters, Schwarzenegger must be compelled to file an appeal to preserve Proposition 8 as well, the group's lawsuit states. "To allow an elected official to trump the will of the people by mere inaction and the lack of fulfillment of their duty to do their job would be an egregious violation of public trust," Pacific Legal Institute Brad Dacus said Tuesday. The institute brought its motion on behalf of Joshua Beckley, pastor of Ecclesia Christian Fellowship church in San Bernardino, and included with it a declaration of support from former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III.

Equality California's Geoff Kos: "This is an outrageous attempt to try and force elected officials who have sworn to uphold the United States Constitution to defend a law that the Federal Court has found to be unconstitutional. It demonstrates their acknowledgement that the proponents of Proposition 8 lack standing to appeal, that the case should be dismissed and loving same-sex couples should be allowed to exercise their constitutional right to marry."

Sydney Vogue Flash Mob

In Sydney's historic Queen Victoria Building with drag star Joyce Maynge.

NYC's Tap Water Isn't Kosher

Gizmodo reports that NYC's famously delicious tap water is full of jillions of microscopic shellfish called copepods, rather alarming news for city's Orthodox, especially as the High Holy Days approach. As NYC's water supply is of such high quality that the EPA does not require mechanical filtering, the nation's "leading kosher certification organization" has issued the following instructions:

• Tap water in New York City (i.e., the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island) should be filtered before drinking;
• Products already manufactured may be used, even if made with unfiltered water;
• The water supply of dishwashers does not require filtering. Similarly, dishes may be washed by hand in unfiltered water if the dishes are subsequently towel dried, or left to drip-dry without “puddles” of water in them;
• Water should not be filtered on Shabbat or Yom Tov because of the prohibition of borer (selection). Rather, filtering should be done before Shabbat and the water should be stored for Shabbat use. One may, however, filter water for non-food purposes on Shabbat and Yom Tov.
• Bottled water is permitted for use.

Maybe it's these tiny shrimp that give the water its unique taste?

Former McCain Campaign Manager Steve Schmidt Endorses Marriage Equality

The avalanche of prominent Republicans endorsing marriage equality continues today as former McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt jumps on the bandwagon. Schmidt is now listed as a co-sponsor of Ken Mehlman's AFER fundraiser.

"There is a strong conservative case to be made in favor of gay marriage," former McCain campaign manager and fellow same-sex marriage fundraiser Steve Schmidt told the Huffington Post on Tuesday. "Marriage is an institution that strengthens and stabilizes society. It is an institution that has the capacity to bring profound joy and happiness to people and it is a matter of equality and keeping faith of one of the charters of the nation, the right to live your life. "More and more conservatives are saying that opposition to gay marriage would not be a litmus test for membership in the GOP," Schmidt added. "And more conservatives are making the case that no more do you want big government conservatives in the bedroom than big government liberals telling you how to live your life."

Towleroad notes that in 2005 Schmidt attacked Mike Rogers as a "bottom feeder" for claiming that Mehlman is gay.

VERY FUCKING RELATED: John McCain's current campaign manager, Mark Buse, is an openly gay man working to elect one of the most powerful enemies of his LGBT brothers and sisters. As reminder, McCain voted YES on DOMA, NO on hate crimes, NO on ENDA, supported Prop 8, and expressed opposition to gay adoption. And of course, war hero McCain opposes the DADT compromise repeal. When is Quisling Mark Buse going to join his predecessor Steve Schmidt and come out for LGBT rights?

Fidel Castro: I Take Responsibility For Cuba's Persecution Of Gays

Calling it a "great injustice," today Fidel Castro told a Mexican newspaper that he accepts responsibility for Cuba's persecution of its gay citizens, thousands of whom were rounded up and placed in internment camps during his regime.

Castro said that the revolutionary government's actions represented "a great injustice – a great injustice! – whoever committed it. If we committed it, we committed it. I am trying to limit my responsibility in all that because, of course, personally I don't have that type of prejudice." The interviewer paraphrases him as saying that "everything came about as a spontaneous reaction in the revolutionary ranks that came from the nation's traditions. In the old Cuba, blacks were not the only ones discriminated against; there was discrimination against women and, of course, homosexuals." Was the Communist Party to blame, the interviewer asks. "No," Castro responds. "If anyone is responsible, I am. True, at that time I couldn't concern myself with the subject. I was deeply and mainly involved in the October Crisis, the war, the political issues. But in the end, if responsibility must be assumed, I assume mine. I'm not going to blame others," Castro says.

Many will likely credit Castro's niece Mariela for today's statement as she has led Cuba's burgeoning LGBT rights movement in recent years. Havana has staged gay pride parades for the last two years.

Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait

An interesting gimmick.

Arcade Fire’s “We Used To Wait” video uses Google maps and satellite images to personalize the HTML5 video’s imagery, adding an extra tinge to the song’s bittersweet nostalgia. But there are plenty of other surprises (and other browser windows), that makes it less of a video and more of a interaction between you and your childhood. Grab your old childhood address and visit http://www.thewildernessdowntown.net/ to play it (and play with it). Google Chrome works best. The video was directed by Chris Milk.

Margaret Cho On Prop 8 & Religion

Dancing With The Stars contestant Margaret Cho sat down with P-Town dragster Sassy and Marriage Equality New York's Cathy Marino-Thomas to talk about the religious right and Proposition 8. Margaret: "I just want to kick them in the cunt."

Focus On The Family Cites George "Rentboy" Rekers In Anti-Bullying Attack

This morning I noted Focus On The Family's repulsive attempt to prevent schools from teaching that it's wrong to beat up gay kids. Over at Alternet blogger Alvin McEwen has discovered that Focus is actually citing Dr. George "Lift My Luggage" Rekers in their anti-gay materials.

You read that right. Our “beloved” solicitor of “luggage lifters,” George Rekers. Even after the scandal involving the rentboy and the knowledge that his very presence at anti-gay judicial cases almost ensures victories of the lgbt community (due to the fact that judges don’t find him credible), Cushman and Focus on the Family still think of him as a credible source when it comes to LGBT issues. The big irony is that Cushman contends that Focus on the Family wants to establish an anti-bullying program to help all students. I find that hard to believe on so many levels. The citation of Rekers as a reliable source is one reason. The entire campaign in general is another.

Shortly after the Rekers scandal broke, he resigned from the "ex-gay" group NARTH. And the Family Research Council tried to pretend they'd never heard of him, even though he was listed on their site's "about" page as one of FRC's co-founders.

DNC Warns About Teabaggers

The DNC warns us that unless the Democrats close ranks behind their candidates, many extreme teabaggers stand a good shot of election in November.

GEORGIA: No Hates Crime Charges For Marines That Beat Gay Man

In June two U.S. Marines were arrested in Savannah, Georgia after viciously beating a gay man they claimed had winked at them. The victim was hospitalized after suffering two seizures at the site of the attack. The case prompted national outrage and a local protest vigil after the men were only charged with misdemeanor assault. On Friday a joint investigation by the FBI and local police concluded that the case did not merit any hate crimes charges.

Johnson said after the FBI, the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department and the DA’s office reviewed Daly's medical records and conducted further investigation, they determined this case had “no merit” to be considered a hate crime. “I can’t speak on the specifics because this is pending litigation, but for a crime to be considered a felony [which a hate crime is considered to be] there has to be proof of a sustained injury,” Johnson said. “It’s my understanding Daly suffered only a punch. Based on his medical records we could not upgrade the charge from a misdemeanor to a felony.” If convicted of a misdemeanor, the Marines could face less than a year in jail and a fine of no more than $1,200, she added.

Unbelievable.

China Hears First HIV Discrimination Case

For the first time in the nation's history a Chinese court will hear the case of a man who says he was denied a job because of his HIV status.

The man said he had passed written tests and interviews for the teaching post in Anhui province. But he warned down after medical screening revealed his HIV status, China Daily said. The newspaper reported that the case will be heard by a court in Anqing city, in Anhui province. The plaintiff, a recent graduate, was not asking for compensation but wanted to be given the job, it said. A lawyer for the plaintiff told the BBC that he would defend his client under existing Chinese laws. "The state already has laws and regulations forbidding discrimination against HIV carriers when they apply for jobs," Zheng Jineng said. "But the actual practise by some government departments and employers are in direct conflict with the laws. "The fact that the People's Court has accepted the case indicates that the rule of law in China is progressing."

A Little Good News About Bedbugs

The New York Times reports that while the city remains at DefCon 1 over the bedbug panic, at least we can rest assured that the blood suckers don't carry any diseases.

Bats are sources of rabies, Ebola, SARS and Nipah virus. And other biting bugs are disease carriers — mosquitoes for malaria and West Nile, ticks for Lyme and babesiosis, lice for typhus, fleas for plague, tsetse flies for sleeping sickness, kissing bugs for Chagas. Even nonbiting bugs like houseflies and cockroaches transmit disease by carrying bacteria on their feet or in their feces or vomit. But bedbugs, despite the ick factor, are clean. Actually it is safer to say that no one has proved they aren’t, said Jerome Goddard, a Mississippi State entomologist. But not for lack of trying. South African researchers have fed them blood with the AIDS virus, but the virus died. They have shown that bugs can retain hepatitis B virus for weeks, but when they bite chimpanzees, the infection does not take.

Check out the NYC Bedbug Registry for the addresses of apartment and office buildings currently reported to be infested.

Improv Everywhere - Black Tie Beach

Bean Bear Chair

Judging by the model, the makers of the Bean Bear Chair don't yet realize their target demo.

Quote Of The Day - NOM

"An earthquake is beginning: If 'gay is like black,' then 'Christian is like racist.' The early warning signs are now taking place all over the globe. In New Zealand, Exodus Ministries was just stripped of its tax-exempt status, on the grounds that helping gay people lead Christian lives is not a charity." - NOM reacts to yesterday's news that New Zealand doesn't consider "ex-gay" ministries to have a public value. Despite NOM's lies about this, the government did not comment about racism or discrimination in its ruling.

Mexico City Invites Gay Honeymooners

Mexico City has launched a new tourism office to lure gay honeymooners from around the world.

"We hope that many same-sex couples who get married around the world spend their honeymoons here," says Alejandro Rojas, the city's tourism secretary. In July, the city opened an office aimed at catering to gay tourists that officials describe as the first of its kind in Latin America. "We are a very tolerant, liberal, avant-garde city," Rojas says. Officials inaugurated the new office by cutting a rainbow-colored ribbon. Rojas said the office's goal is to make Mexico City the No. 1 gay-friendly destination in Latin America. "Mexico has a tradition of being a rather macho culture... This is a sign of a very important social change," says Argentinean architect Jose Luis David Navarro, who will be spending part of his honeymoon in Mexico City this week.

The first gay couple to wed in Argentina is honeymooning in Mexico City this week on an all-expenses paid trip courtesy of the new tourism office.

AUSTRALIA: State Of Tasmania Recognizes Gay Marriages From Other Countries

The legislature of the Australian island state of Tasmania has voted to recognize same-sex marriages and civil unions from other jurisdictions.

Only three of the 25 Lower House MPs voted against the amendment to the Relationships Act - Liberal members Rene Hidding, Michael Ferguson and Jacqui Petrusma. Attorney-General Lara Giddings says the changes will remove discrimination for same-sex couples in registered relationships. "This is really a small step, but a significant and important step for those people who have registered or been through a civil union process elsewhere around the world and want us to recognise that relationship as indeed being in existence," she said.

(Tipped by JMG reader Jonny)

Hurrican Earl Via Twitternaut

Astronaut Doug Wheelock tweeted this photo of Hurricane Earl from the International Space Station this morning. Follow the NASA astronauts on Twitter here.

Robyn Covers Bjork

With Bjork looking on from the front row.

Parliament House In Foreclosure

Orlando's Parliament House, my first ever gay bar (back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth) is facing foreclosure and heading into receivership.

Houston-based Southwest Guaranty Ltd. and Compass Bank of Alabama initiated foreclosure actions against the property on North Orange Blossom Trail in July over a $7.5 million mortgage that matured at the end of 2009. Attorneys for the creditors said Monday they expect it will taken over this week by a court-appointed receiver, which would continue the club's operations under court orders. Entrepreneur Donald Granastein and his wife purchased it in 1999 and have operated it since then. The couple have been credited with renovating and reinvigorating the somewhat-faded landmark on the western edge of downtown. Granastein said Monday he didn't have the money to repay the note when it came due. He added that he holds the liquor license and expects to continue operating it, even under a receiver. "Am I happy with this? That's a big no," he said. "But I'm stuck with whatever happens, and we will be open 100 percent."

The Parliament House is inarguably the most famous gay business in the entire south and has been for three decades. I really cannot imagine an Orlando without it. I hope it survives somehow.

Hurricane Earl Now Category Four

New From Crazy Eyes

Jim the Bow-legged Election Guy is back.

Star Trek: TNG Production Memo

Reggie Jackson or Wesley Snipes as Geordi? Denise Crosby as Troi, not Tasha? Madness, all of it!

Focus On The Family Launches Site To Stop Anti-Bullying Programs

The bigots at Focus On The Family are worried that their "God-given, constitutionally protected" right to have their kids beat up queers is being thwarted by the rising number of anti-bullying programs around the nation. Therefore they have launched the misnamed hate site True Tolerance, where parents can get tips on how to stop any anti-bullying education that includes the message that it's wrong to attack gay kids. "The emphasis should be on the wrong actions of the bully — not on the bully’s perceived thoughts or motivations." They should ask Carl Walker-Hoover's mother what she thinks about that.

Morning View - Water Tanks

Every New York City building over 80 feet tall must have its own water tank to meet fire codes, a regulation that goes back to the 1880s. Most tanks are made of cedar, which resists freezing better than metal tanks. While some find the tanks unsightly and most newer buildings hide them, count me among those who consider the tanks an iconic part the city skyline.

Whitestock Attendees Speak Out

That's Gay Salutes Focus On The Family

American Family Association: That Mormon Glenn Beck Is The Anti-Christ

OK, not the "anti-Christ" per se, but definitely working for the Dark Lord. Writing for the American Family Association's OneNewsNow, Russell Moore says that America's acceptance of Glenn Beck is emblematic of the nation's embrace of Satan. Or something.

A Mormon television star stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial and calls American Christians to revival. He assembles some evangelical celebrities to give testimonies, and then preaches a God and country revivalism that leaves the evangelicals cheering that they've heard the gospel, right there in the nation's capital. The news media pronounces him the new leader of America's Christian conservative movement, and a flock of America's Christian conservatives have no problem with that. If you'd told me that ten years ago, I would have assumed it was from the pages of an evangelical apocalyptic novel about the end-times. But it's not. It's from this week's headlines. And it is a scandal. [snip]

We used to sing that old gospel song, "I will cling to an old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown." The scandalous scene at the Lincoln Memorial indicates that many of us want to exchange it in too soon. To Jesus, Satan offered power and glory. To us, all he needs offer is celebrity and attention.

Mormonism and Mammonism are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They offer another Lord Jesus than the One offered in the Scriptures and Christian tradition, and another way to approach him. An embrace of these tragic new vehicles for the old Gnostic heresy is unloving to our Mormon friends and secularist neighbors, and to the rest of the watching world. Any "revival" that is possible without the Lord Jesus Christ is a "revival" of a different kind of spirit than the Spirit of Christ (1 Jn. 4:1-3).

We love wingnut infighting!

Michele Bachmann Speaks After Whitestock 2010

Note to Tom Jones: Puh-leeze stop Crazy Eyes from using She's A Lady. Stop that right now, Mr. Jones, we're begging you.

Call The Waambulance Because Nobody Wants To Date Homocon Kevin Dujan

Homocon Kevin Dujan, author of Hillbuzz, says that his last boyfriend broke up with him after a Google search revealed "what the Left had put out there" about him. And now Dujan claims that someone he was interested in threw a drink in his face when learning about his love for Sarah Palin. Why, radical gay leftists are probably planning his murder right this minute!

Well, I’ll take a beer to the face, or even a punch, for Governor Palin and little Trig any day. I’ll accept whatever nasty thing the Left wants to do today, willingly, because I am tired of seeing people run in terror from these lunatics. I am sick to death of watching Republicans buckle when threatened by the Daily Kos crowd, and I’m so very tired of conservatives allowing the Left to run roughshod over this country because they are scared of the Left targeting them for resisting. Just as Jacobi broke things off with me because he Googled me after the Left’s attacks in January, and Keifer threw his drink at me and told me he hoped I got AIDS and died because he realized I’m a conservative political writer he’d heard of (and hated), I know that in the future there’s going to be some crazy Leftist zealot, most likely in the gay community, who’s going to take things even further…and possibly physically harm me because I won’t shut up, sit down, and allow the Left to tank this country.

Oh, the bravery! The martyrdom! Read the entire self-pitying piece, it's hilair.

The Truth About NY Sen. Ruben Diaz

Fight Back New York writes us today to announce the launch of their new website, The Truth About Ruben Diaz, which exposes the New York Senate homophobe on many issues. The current top ten:

1. Ruben Diaz was investigated by the FBI
2. He was arrested for possession of heroin and marijuana
3. Ruben Diaz was only member of the New York Senate to vote against the ethics reform bill
4. He was the only Democrat in the New York Senate to vote to shut down the state government
5. Ruben Diaz refused to meet with his own constituents
6. He compared the use of stem cells for medical research to the Nazis using “the ashes of the Jews to make bars of soap.”
7. Ruben Diaz appropriated monies totaling $250,000 to an organization he founded, the Christian Community Benevolent Association
8. He also appropriated monies totaling $1,120,000 to the Hispanic Federation, of which the Christian Community Benevolent Association is a part (see #7)
9. Ruben Diaz defended former Sen. Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the Senate due to a conviction for misdemeanor assault against his girlfriend
10. Ruben Diaz and three other Democrats refused to support the Majority Leader, only to change their minds after he "offered them perks and committee chairmanships."

IMPORTANT: You can donate to the campaign of Diaz' opponent Charlie Ramos here.

Pat Buchanan: Gay Marriage Is Like Incest, Polygamy And Prostitution

"Federal Judge Vaughn Walker is truly a visionary. Peering at the 14th Amendment, Walker found something there the authors of the amendment never knew they put there, and even the Warren Court never found there: The states of the Union must recognize same-sex marriages as equal to traditional marriage. With his discovery, Walker declared Proposition 8, by which 5.5 million Californians voted to prohibit state recognition of gay marriage, null and void. What the people of California voted for is irrelevant, said Walker; you cannot vote to take away constitutional rights. This is not just judicial activism. This is judicial tyranny.

"Walker says the only motivations behind Proposition 8 had been "biases" and "moral disapproval," and "moral disapproval ... has never been a rational basis for legislation." But what else is the basis for laws against polygamy and incest? What else was the basis for the Mann Act, which prevented a man from taking his girlfriend across the state line to a motel? What is the basis for prohibiting prostitution, a free exchange of money for sexual favors, if not "moral disapproval"? What the judge is saying with this opinion is that the majority cannot define morality, and, even if it does, it cannot impose it. We are defenseless against what we believe to be moral decadence." - Pat Buchanan, writing for Townhall.

Kylie Minogue & Rufus Wainwright

The disco pixie teamed up with gay popster Rufus Wainwright this weekend at the Watermill Center in New York, covering some of Kylie's biggest hits and the below 1976 hit from Elton John and Kiki Dee. Tons of photos here.

Glenn Beck Recants On "Racist" Obama

Here's My MSNBC Clip

Thanks to everybody who sent the clip this weekend. Obviously I had a LOT more to say, but thanks to Paris Hilton and the Titanic, they cut our segment very short. But do check out how the LCR idiot tries to spin Ken Mehlman as a some kind of superhero gay mole working within the GOP. What a fuckload of lying crap.

PhoboQuotable - Bryan Fischer

"Glenn, Glenn, Glenn: if special rights are given to people just because they want to use the alimentary canal for sexual purposes, no social conservative will be able to criticize homosexual behavior on biblical or moral grounds without running the risk of legal punishment. Goodbye freedom of speech and goodbye freedom of religion. You, Glenn, will have aided and abetted those who are out to destroy two of the inalienable rights God has given to men, and you don’t think that’s a threat to this country? Wake up and smell the toxins, my friend.

"We must choose between the homosexual agenda and religious liberty, because it is impossible to have both. Every advance of the homosexual agenda comes at the expense of our first liberty, the very first right enshrined in the Bill of Rights, the right to freedom of religious expression. You have chosen the side of suppression and tyranny over the light of liberty. You have done a noble thing on your radio and television programs by repeatedly calling us back to our founding history and to our foundational values as a country. But Glenn, our 'Divine Destiny' as a nation does not include societal approval for people who want to use the anus for sex. The 'Laws of Nature and Nature’s God' don’t endorse such behavior. And neither should you." - American Family Association radio host Bryan Fischer on Glenn Beck's recent shrug about gay marriage.

(Via - Right Wing Watch)

NOM's Latest Anti-Gay Salvo In DC

JMG reader Tom sends us the latest NOM flier in support of DC City Council candidate Delano Hunter, who "supports the Biblical definition of marriage." Embiggen the image to see the photo of "radical gay marriage activists."

What's Up With AFER Donor Paul Singer?

This weekend the New York Times reported that Wall Street financier Paul Singer, who calls himself a "Barry Goldwater conservative," has secretly donated millions to LGBT causes. Singer will be hosting the upcoming Ken Mehlman fundraiser for AFER in his Manhattan home.

But Duncan Osborne reports on his blog Herd & Scene that Singer has also been a heavy backer of anti-gay GOP candidates around the nation.

When Mehlman came out in an August 25 story in The Atlantic it was clearly timed to coincide with the fundraiser so as an organizer of the 2004 campaigns it would seem that he was doing penance for those earlier anti-gay efforts. Singer and Thiel bring plenty of their own right wing baggage to this fundraiser. Call me cynical, but the same people who helped Mehlman spin his coming out may be helping Singer. For years, Singer has been a reliable and generous donor to many state and federal Republican political organizations, candidates, and office holders including some of the most anti-gay members of that party, such as Rick Santorum and Bill McCollum, who lost a bid to become the Republican nominee for Florida’s governor’s office on August 24. Singer has also supported moderate Republicans and has donated to Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat. In New York, he has donated to Democrats and Republicans, but his largest donations have gone to the state Republican and Conservative parties. In 2008, the Paul Singer Family Foundation gave $275,000 to the Manhattan Institute, a right wing group that has Singer as the chair of its board. Plenty of the experts at the institute have opposed gay marriage and other gay causes. The foundation gave the institute $30,000 in 2007. Also in 2008, the foundation gave $50,000 to the Witherspoon Institute.

Duncan Osbourne: "This fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights looks increasingly bizarre. When donors to a gay group must hire publicists to plant stories about the alleged secret philanthropy of one to gay causes or another’s struggle with his gay feelings as he attacked the gay and lesbian community it seems to me that the message is that they have doubts about their commitment. Or they think the rest of us will question their motives. The solution would have been to approach Mehlman’s coming out with some humility, but I doubt he knows what that is."

In a follow-up post today, Osborne examines Singer's donations to anti-gay candidates in Virginia such as Gov. Bob McDonnell and AG Ken Cuchinelli.

Chuck Colson Is Pissed At Christians Who Won't Sign The Manhattan Declaration

Chuck Colson is ever so pissed at Christians who refuse the sign his Manhattan Declaration, which promises civil disobedience to all LGBT rights laws. Nearly half a million bigots have signed on as of today.

Hurricane Earl Aims For East Coast

Hurricane Earl was upgraded to a "major category three" storm this morning by the National Hurricane Center. It looks like Labor Day Weekend could be rather wild for some of us. The last hurricane to hit the northeast was 1991's Hurricane Bob.

Gay Marriage & Drinking Fountains

New from JMG reader and prolific filmmaker Sean Chapin.

Morning View - South Street Seaport

CBS Creates Gay Employee Group

CBS has formed an affinity group for LGBT employees. Via JMG reader Court:

CBS this morning announced the creation of ANGLE: CBS Corporation's first affinity group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees. ANGLE will hold kick-off meetings in New York and Los Angeles for CBS, Showtime, Simon and Schuster and other CBS division employees. ANGLE plans personal and professional development events, speakers bureaus as well as social gatherings each month.

The group's first meetings take place next month in New York City and Los Angeles. Details at the link. Do any of the other networks have such a group?

True Blood Spoiler Spoiler

Stay out of the comments if you haven't seen last night's penultimate episode. Otherwise, dive in and dish.

Maggie Meets St. Peter

New from Rob Tisinai.

HomoQuotable - R. Clark Cooper

"Mr. Mehlman’s recent revelation that he is gay is actually good news for the party. He joins a growing chorus of elected Republican officials and well-known Republicans who support full civil rights, including former Vice President Cheney, former Solicitor General Ted Olson, former First Lady Laura Bush, as well as my former State Department colleagues Ambassador John Bolton and Ambassador Mark Wallace.

"Inclusion isn’t just the right thing to do – it is also smart politics. Today’s voters believe that people should be judged by the content of their character, not by their sexual orientation. This is entirely consistent with the traditional Republican respect for the individual. Promoting that value will help us win in at the ballot box. Also, openly gay Republicans running for office like L.C.R. member, Richard Tisei, candidate for Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor, and former L.C.R. Board Member, Steve May, candidate for the Arizona Legislature, help personify diversity in the party.

"Fortunately, the Republican National Committee and the campaign entities, the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee are making strong efforts to focus on common conservative themes. These entities have reached out to Log Cabin Republicans to help revitalize the party. Inclusion will help Republicans rebuild the party base and regain a majority in Congress that can benefit all Americans." - Log Cabin Republicans executive director R. Clark Cooper, writing for the New York Times.

Emmy Winner Jane Lynch

At Glenn Beck's Whitestock 2010

Photo Of The Day: Slaggie & Crazy Eyes

No Public Benefit: "Ex-Gay" Group Denied Charity Status In New Zealand

An "ex-gay" group related to Exodus International has been been judged to have "no public benefit" and therefore ineligible for charity status.

The Charities Commission says the Exodus Ministries Trust Board is not performing any public benefit, because being gay is not a mental disorder and does not need curing. The trust is affiliated with the United States-based Exodus Global Alliance, which promises "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ". It has had charitable status for more than a decade, but that status has now been removed by the Charities Commission under a regime introduced in 2007. The trust claimed it had a legitimate point of view and provided support to homosexuals during "very difficult times". It said a comparison could be made with Rainbow Youth having charitable status, "clearly an education provided by Rainbow Youth Inc. would be from a preconceived point of view, ie that homosexuality and other forms of sexuality are perfectly normal for some people."

It's a pity the same can't be done here.

(Tipped by JMG reader Arthur)

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #46

John Wayne in 1954's The High And The Mighty.

Ben Folds & Pomplamoose

A very unusual effort from Pomplamoose.

MEHLMAN REDUX: FL Gov. Charlie "Closet Case" Crist Supports A Federal Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

THIS POST IS UPDATED.
In a transparent ploy to appeal to the teabaggers backing his GOP Senate opponent Marco Rubio, Florida Gov. Charlie "Closet Case" Crist today told CNN that he supports amending the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

“When it comes to marriage, I think it is a sacred institution, I believe it is between a man and a woman,” Crist said, “but partners living together, you know, I don’t have a problem with it.” “It’s just how I feel,” Crist added. Anti-gay activists have repeatedly pushed Congress to consider a Federal Marriage Amendment, but it has never gathered enough support to pass. The amendment was a central issue in the 2004 presidential election.

Of course, Dubya's mouthpiece on the Federal Marriage Amendment was Quisling Ken Mehlman. Sometime around 2016 we'll see Closet Case Charlie come out a la Mehlman, telling us that he was secretly working from the inside to keep the anti-gay GOP at bay.

UPDATE: Now Closet Case Charlie takes it back.

"In an interview that aired today, I was not discussing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning same-sex marriage, which I do not support, but rather reaffirming my position regarding Florida's constitutional ban that I articulated while running for Governor. In fact, the interviewer's question reflected just that. I am fully supportive of civil unions and will continue to be as a United States Senator, but believe marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman."

Afternoon View - Circle Line

With the historic New Jersey Central Railroad Terminal in the background.

Fake Michele Bachmann Is Chillaxin'

Chris Wallace To Glenn Beck: Who Made YOU The God Squad?

NEBRASKA: Man Tries To Pepper-Spray Westboro Nuts, Hits Cop And Good Guys

A 61 year-old man tried to pepper-spray the members of the Westboro Baptist Church yesterday, but instead doused a nearby cop and counter-protesters. The Phelps clan was picketing the funeral of a soldier killed in Afghanistan.

George Vogel was arrested Saturday morning a few blocks away from the First United Methodist Church, the location of Staff Sergeant Michael Bock's funeral. Officers on duty for the funeral say Vogel drove up in his Ford F-150 pick-up truck and as he was passing by Westboro Baptist Church protestors he extended his arm out the truck's window and sprayed a large amount of mace into the air from an industrial-sized container. More than a dozen people were hit by the mace, including one police officer. Vogel was arrested and charged with sixteen counts of misdemeanor assault, one county of felony assault of a police officer, and one count of child neglect. The 62-year-old Vogel is currently in the Douglas County jail.

The Westboro nutters LIVE for these sorts of incidents, of course, and will surely attempt to sue all involved parties even though they were not injured.

AK GOP Senate Candidate Joe Miller: End Medicare And Social Security

Homosexuals Are Holding Him Back!

Sarah Palin At Whitestock 2010

Afternoon View - Midtown

Today we helped my loyal companion Aaron move into his new digs in Hell's Kitchen. The views in all directions are killer.

About MSNBC

Well...THAT could have gone better. The host apologized to me twice, but they just spent too much time on that Titanic segment so we got what, two minutes? (She was very sweet to me, I should say.) But I had SO much more to say. Rats.

RELATED: That Log Cabin guy is quite the tool, eh?

If You Can't Find America Today, That's Because Glenn Beck Took It Back

Homocon Tweet Of The Day - GOProud

You'll find GOProud goose-stepping along with the teabaggers at Glenn Beck's Hate-O-Rama in DC today.

Weekend Mix - DJ Russ Rich

After a brief hiatus, the JMG podcast DJ mixes are back! Get your weekend on with this pumping vocal house mix from San Francisco's DJ Russ Rich. Setlist. Podcasts. Website. Facebook.

UPCOMING GIG
Play T-Dance @ DNA Lounge, Nov. 14th, San Francisco

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: DJ Jeb Edwards. DJ James Torres. DJ Bill Pfeiffer. DJ Mike Ponsades. DJ Steve Sherwood. DJ Pete Savas. DJ Jeff Jackson & DJ Disco Connie. DJ Phillip Kimball. DJ Paul Ferrer. DJ Shane Stiel. DJ Paul Goodyear. DJ Susan Morabito. DJ Seymour Butz. DJ RuBot. DJ Rotten Robbie. DJ Ted Eiel. DJ Herbie James. DJ David Knapp. DJ Dave Huge. DJ Corey Craig.

New York Times Compiles LGBT Bloggers' Responses To Ken Mehlman's Coming Out

New York Times op-ed editor Tobin Harshaw has compiled bloggers' reactions to Ken Mehlman's coming out, quoting Pam Spaulding, Melissa McEwan, and this here website thingy on the left, and the usual Quisling apologists on the right. Pam Spaulding nails it:

"While it’s nice that Ken has finally come out of the closet as an advocate, it’s really hard to forgive him for the damage he did to the community by working actively against it for pay for years. That he can coast on the gains for our community by supporting AFER’s stellar work on Prop 8 on the backs of many during his tenure at the RNC who bore the brunt of homophobia, those who died as a result of hate crimes, the activists who were assailed professionally is unbelievable. Yet here we are in 2010 watching it unfold. As a human being Mehlman owes the community a serious apology for fomenting homophobia for political gain.”

GOProud's Chris Barron On Ken Mehlman

IOWA: Haters Step Up Campaign To Oust Pro-Marriage Supreme Court Judges

With the assistance of NOM and Republican politicians, the campaign to oust Iowa's pro-equality Supreme Court justices is now in full swing.

"We need to vote them off the bench to send a message across Iowa that we, the people, still have the power," said Bob Vander Plaats, a Republican politician who is spearheading the campaign. "Not only will it send a message here in Iowa, but it will send a message in California, in Arizona and across the country that the courts have really taken on too much power." The Iowa campaign is a new front in the fight over same-sex marriage, a hot-button issue this year after a federal judge in California invalidated Proposition 8, that state's voter-approved ban on same-sex unions. This week, former Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman disclosed that he is gay and that he supports the federal court's action in California, a case that probably will go to the U.S. Supreme Court. His announcement further fueled the emotional debate over the topic, given his stature in the GOP and his earlier involvement in efforts to mobilize voters by exploiting opposition to same-sex marriage. The effort in Iowa worries not only gay rights advocates but some legal experts who say it is wrong to punish judges for an unpopular decision.

The three justices are restricted by the judicial code of conduct as to how far they can go to push for their retention. None of them has formed a campaign committee.

Sen. Ruben Diaz Joins Hundreds At ESB Protest About Mother Teresa

Arch homophobe Sen. Ruben Diaz and Catholic blowhard Bill Donohue joined hundreds demonstrating outside the Empire State Building yesterday in protest of the owner's refusal to light the building in honor of Mother Teresa tonight. Among those calling for the honor was openly lesbian NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who got her payback at the Empire State's owner earlier this week when she voted to allow the construction of a just-as-tall massive skyscraper a mere two blocks away.

Tomorrow On MSNBC: Me

Tomorrow morning at 9:30am I'll be on MSNBC Live with host Alex Witt to discuss the Ken Mehlman story. Also on the show via satellite will be Charles Moran of the Log Cabin Republicans. The segment should run about fifteen minutes. Guess I better go get my hair did.

Today In Completely Expected News

GOProud is talking to Ken Mehlman about bringing him on.

Jimmy LaSalvia, executive director of GOProud, said the organization recently talked with Mehlman, but declined to elaborate on the nature of their discussions. When asked if GOProud had offered Mehlman a position on its board, LaSalvia declined to comment. He also declined to say whether GOProud has offered Mehlman a speaking role at the upcoming HomoCon convention in New York. Mehlman came out as gay in an interview with the Atlantic on Wednesday. “We’ve talked to him,” LaSalvia said. “He’s certainly engaging with the community as evidenced from the fundraiser that he’s doing for the Ted Olson case.”

It's a perfect fit. Maybe Mehlman will turn up tomorrow when GOProud joins Glenn Beck's giant anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim teabagger rally in DC.

Peter, Paul & Mary To NOM: Stop Playing Our Song At Your Hate Rallies

The Courage Campaign reports that sixties folk music star Peter Yarrow is NOT happy that NOM has been playing Peter, Paul & Mary's cover of This Land Is Your Land at NOM's hate rallies. Yarrow has sent Brian Brown a cease and desist letter. I bet NOM doesn't even know that Woody Guthrie wrote This Land as an counterpoint to God Bless America.

Sadly, Mary Travers passed away last year.

New Ad From NOM Attacks "San Francisco Values" And Judge Walker

IDENTIFY YOURSELVES: An Open Call To The Boyfriends, Tricks, And Hook-Ups Of So-Called Newly Gay Ken Mehlman

Ken Mehlman is running around telling the world that he only JUST realized that he is gay, despite the fact that his homosexuality has been common knowledge around Washington DC since the days of the virulently anti-gay 2004 George W. Bush campaign. The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder: "People were suspicious of Mehlman's sexuality for years. Who knew? The people who 'knew' are the people who Ken had sex with. But Ken says he had sex with no one, and told no one, because he didn't want to tell anyone, because he was uncomfortable with that part of his life."

Nobody HERE, of course, is buying that load of crap. Therefore today we send out this call to any former boyfriends, tricks, or hook-ups of Ken Mehlman: PLEASE come forward and identify yourselves. Tell us where, when and how you met Mehlman and exactly what went down. And we're looking for substantiations of your claims: emails, text messages, voicemails, photographs, whatever. If you can provide no such backup of your dalliances with Mehlman, we'll probably need a second person (roommate, friend, co-worker) to support your story.

Email me directly at JoeMyGod@gmail.com.

Today In Frivolous Lawsuits

A man who was performing ritual proxy baptisms of the dead for the Mormon Church is now suing the LDS for repetitive motion injuries. Apparently you need a living human stand-in when Magic Underpantsing a dead person against the wishes of their descendants.

The civil suit filed Wednesday in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court claims Daniel Dastrup suffered severe back injuries, including a herniated disk, after performing about 200 baptisms at the LDS temple in Raleigh, N.C., on Aug. 25, 2007. The lawsuit contends the church was negligent in failing to warn Dastrup that the repetitive nature of the proxy baptisms - bending, lifting and twisting - could result in physical injury. "The church owed the plaintiffs a duty to exercise reasonable care to avoid injury to the plaintffs from the services they performed to the church," the lawsuit states. Dastrup, who now lives in Las Vegas, claims he has suffered "a significant permanent injury that substantially changes his lifestyle," including damaging his relationship with his wife. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages to compenstate Dastrup to cover medical costs and loss of earnings.

RELATED: During the 2008 presidential campaign, the LDS Church posthumously baptized Obama's mother as a Mormon. The president has never commented on this.

Rep. Eric Cantor: We'll Repeal Obamacare On Day One Of New GOP House Majority

Stay Puft

Made famous in Ghostbusters, Stay Puft marshmallows now actually exist and are available for $19.99 in a "keepsake marshmallow-feel box." Wait. Caffeinated marshmallows? Too bad there's no more J-J-Jolt Cola to wash them down.

BRITAIN: Anti-Gay Tory MP Crispin Blunt Leaves His Wife And Comes Out

Conservative Party MP Crispin Blunt has announced that he is leaving his wife and coming out.

The Reigate MP appealed for privacy and said he was "coming to terms with his homosexuality". In a statement, his office said: "Crispin Blunt wishes to make it known that he has separated from his wife Victoria. "He decided to come to terms with his homosexuality and explained the position to his family. The consequence is this separation. "There is no third party involvement, but this is difficult for his immediate and wider family and he hopes for understanding and support for them. "The family do not wish to make any further public comment and hope that their privacy will be respected as they deal with these difficult private issues."

Another Ken Mehlman? Blunt's voting record in Parliament is described on Wikipedia as having been "broadly unsympathetic" to LGBT rights. Going back to his election in 1997, Blunt either voted "no" or was absent on important votes on civil partnerships, anti-gay bullying, and age of consent parity. However in 2007 he voted with the majority to approve the Equality Act.

On Gay Sexual Jealousy

Over at Scientific American, Jesse Bering discusses a partner's infidelity and opines that sexual jealousy among gay couples is genetically hardwired, whether or not we intellectually dismiss monogamy as unnatural. Bering concludes:

[B]ecause fatal sexually transmitted infections for which gay men are unusually vulnerable, such as HIV, were not present in the ancestral past and could not have produced any special adaptive psychological defenses, sexual jealousy in gay men can only be explained by some sort of pseudo-heterosexuality mindset simulating straight men’s hypervigilance to being cuckolded by their female partners. All this is to say that I reacted the way I did because, at an unconscious level, I didn’t want my testiculared partner getting impregnated by another man. I don’t consciously think of him as a woman, mind you; in fact, if I did, I assure you I wouldn’t be with him. But tell that to my gonads and amygdalae. I would imagine the same is largely true for lesbian relationships; at an unconscious level, a lesbian’s bonding with another woman may trigger concerns in her partner about her “male” spouse’s disinvestment in real or prospective offspring.

Read Bering's entire essay.