Happy New Year!

Well, it was quite eventful year for this here website thingy. We saw over 15 million hits on just under 8000 posts where all you crazy kids left about one million comments. As a friend of mine likes to say, blogging is like a homework assignment that's never done but always due. But somehow after almost seven years of JMG, I'm having even more fun than ever, thanks largely to hugely participative nature of what we do here and all of your emails, tips, and hard work.

Here's just a few highlights from a very busy JMG year: We got some nice recognition from a major media personality for our part in bringing down a loathsome homophobe. We freeped polls, crashed the website of an anti-gay gubernatorial candidate, and sent uncountable minions demanding redress from corporations. We were thrust unexpectedly into the national media due to the hate speech of a Senate staffer whose equally homophobic boss was forced into a public apology. I made my network television debut and cohosted my first fundraiser for a U.S. Senator. For the cherries on 2010, I was humbled to be honored by the Ali Forney Center and to be named Best Political Blog by the Village Voice.

And I was lucky enough to meet hundreds of you great folks at JMG meet-ups in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, Philadelphia, and Montreal and New York! Whew! I'm grateful to all of you for continuing readership, for your unflagging commitment to equality, and for your, ahem, vociferous participation here in the JMG community. Tonight, I'll be raising my glass to each and every one of you. I'll be raising it a lot! Thank you all.

Thank You, Governor Paterson

As his final day in office winds to a close for Governor David Paterson, LGBT New Yorkers should offer him our thanks for being the most relentlessly and loudly pro-gay governor in state and arguably, national history. Our state movement's two most important pieces of legislation, GENDA and marriage equality, remain unattained, but that, of course, is due to our clown car of a state Senate and is no fault of the governor's.

Paterson, to his everlasting credit and over the loud protests of bigots, issued an executive order protecting state employees in New York from discrimination based on gender identity and expression. In May 2008, he directed state agencies to recognize out of state same-sex marriages, a move countered by numerous (and unsuccessful) lawsuits. And if there was a marriage equality rally or an angry protest, we usually showed up to find Governor Paterson at the podium or on a bullhorn. Probably my most memorable moment of Paterson's tenure was watching him stand in a pouring rain in Washington Square to deliver an impassioned speech against the bullying and abuse of LGBT youth.

And let's not forget Gov. Paterson's unexpected selection of an obscure upstate legislator with wobbly bona fides to fill the formidable shoes of then Sen. Hillary Clinton. Many questioned that move at the time (myself included), but Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has surprised us all and turned into a powerful and effective advocate for LGBT New Yorkers. Sen. Gillibrand may turn out to be Paterson's most enduring legacy for the good of our movement.

We've had the occasional disagreement with Gov. Paterson, in particular the continuing exclusion of indigent HIV patients from the state's rent relief program for the seriously ill. But even that bad decision grew out of the state's financial morass and not from animus. Today, let's thank Governor David Paterson for his support of the LGBT community and hope that one day soon, we'll again see thousands of New Yorkers happily marching in the NYC Pride Parade wearing stickers proclaiming "We Luv Our Guv!"

Doomsday Approaches

Tickets Now On Sale...

Get tickets here.

Jukebox The Ghost - Schizophrenia

I knew I'd leave something major out of yesterday's year-end top ten list. Argh! This definitely should have been in my top five. Play LOUD.

Quote Of The Day - Ezra Klein

"Successful governance is about getting 60 votes for things that move the ball forward. The people who tend to control the 55th through 60th votes on any given issue are not like you and me. They are driven by a baffling combination of raging egomania and crippling terror. They want to be treated like statesmen even as their decisions are based on a paralyzing fear of contested elections, primary challenges, Fox News and party pressure. They have few opinions on what good policy looks like, what opinions they do have on the subject change frequently, and they're not willing to risk very much on them anyway. Taking a pound of flesh from these people -- or even their allies -- would mean never getting their votes. Want to see what we mean? Look at Don't Ask, Don't Tell. In the end, it got done because Murkowski, Brown and Collins let it get done. Alienating them would've been satisfying, but unwise." - Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein, saying that Obama's bipartisan approach to DADT was the right one, even if liberals found it frustrating.

(Tipped by JMG reader Band)

Wyoming GOP Plans To Block Recognition Of Gay Marriages From Other States

GOP lawmakers in Wyoming plan to introduce legislation banning the recognition of same-sex marriages from other states. Such a move failed in 2009, but the plan is to put the issue to voters.

State law defines marriage as a legal union between a man and woman, but Wyoming also recognizes marriages performed in other states. Rep. Owen Petersen of Mountain View says that raises questions about what happens when gay couples from other states move to Wyoming. Petersen and Sen. Curt Meier of LaGrange say they plan to co-sponsor a resolution that would let voters decide whether to amend the state constitution to clarify.

GOP Wants To End All Future Lame Ducks

Under their proposed legislation, Congress would permanently adjourn on the day after election day.

New Year's Fireworks From Sydney

2000 Vs 2010: What Has Changed

Nearly a billion more people in just ten years and almost twice as many endangered species. Embiggen for a better look.

(Source)

The Bermuda Triangle

JMG should be in there for some of you, I bet. Also, do the kids today even know about the Bermuda Triangle?

(Source)

Liberty Counsel: Terrorists Are Laughing Themselves Silly Over Repeal Of DADT

NOM Interviews Michael Steele

Even though he holds a slim chance of reelection, NOM included current RNC chair Michael Steele in their vettings of all the candidates for the position he now occupies. Steele says that should the courts ultimately strike down Prop 8, he'd support a renewed push for the Federal Marriage Amendment. Transcript by Towleroad:

Without hesitation or doubt. In fact we would partner with our leadership in the House and our governors and leadership in the state legislatures to create a very very strong front line if you will, on that issue. I can't again stress how important that is for how we will lead as a people, and how we will see ourselves as a nation. And again, that is not to the exclusion of anyone, it's not anti- anyone, or any group. It's just so fundamental and foundational, I think it needs to be protected."

Tap Tap Tap

Is anybody working today? What are your plans for tonight?

Broadway Friday

- Spider-Man lead Natalie Mendoza is permanently leaving the accident-plagued show, citing continuing dizziness from a concussion suffered during the first preview. In other incidents, one actor broke both his wrists, another broke both his ankles. Mendoza's replacement has not been announced. The show continues in previews towards a February 7th official opening.

- Tony nominee John Leguizamo's new solo show, Ghetto Klown, begins previews at the Lyceum on February 21st for a 12-week limited run.

- Andrew Lloyd Weber will launch a U.S. reality show search for the lead in his stateside production of The Wizard Of Oz. His West End production opens in February with added numbers by Weber and his longtime collaborator Tim Rice.

- Women On The Verge will close three weeks early this Sunday.

-Well-known Manhattan cabaret singer David Gurland suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage on Wednesday. Gurland is a frequent performer at The Duplex and Don't Tell Mama.

- Billy Crudup and Raul Esparza will star in the revival of Tom Stoppard's stage comedy, Arcadia, which begins a limited run on February 25th.

- The creators of South Park come to Broadway on March 24th with their musical look at the founding of the Mormon Church, The Book Of Mormon.

- Sunday's blizzard did a number on Broadway attendance, with even tickets for the eternally sold out Wicked coming available at the last minute. Still, a number of houses did record-breaking business for the holiday week.

- Ann Harada (Avenue Q, Les Miz) will star with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus at their gala fundraiser on February 28th.

GOProud: Conservatives LOVE Gays! Cenk Uygur: On WHAT Planet?

Michael Medved: Lesbian Sex Is Better, Because It Hurts To Take It In The Ass

"The politically correct attitude not only insists that heterosexual and homosexual relationships are equivalent, but also erases differences between relationships between two women and relationships between two men. If men and women are profoundly different-and both science and common sense tell us they are- then an all-female couple is even more different from an all-male couple than either homosexual bond differs from a heterosexual union.

"This distinction helps explain the oft-noted quirk in public attitudes that sees stronger opposition and denunciation, in the Old Testament and elsewhere, to a physical relationship between two males and intimacy between two females. A physical connection between a female couple, like a physical connection between man and woman, is based primarily on acts of affection. The most common sexual practice between two men involves an act of aggression ---inflicting more pain than pleasure for at least one of the parties. Even decisions by Congress, equating homosexual and heterosexual relationships, or erasing distinctions between the interaction between lesbians on the one hand and gay males on the other, cannot repeal politically incorrect realities." - Wingnut mental case and failed movie critic Michael Medved, writing from beneath a dead squirrel for the website of Seattle's KTTH radio.

(Tipped by JMG reader Chris)

Ricky Gervais On Creationism

"God is NOT gay. Read the Bible. He hates them."

Porno Pete Wants Your Tax-Exempt Money

Porno Pete wants to remind you that you only have one day left to donate to his tax-exempt and therefore government-sponsored anti-gay hate organization.

Apple Rejects Anti-Gay Manhattan Declaration iPhone App For Second Time

The second attempt to get Apple to accept a retweaked version of the anti-gay Manhattan Declaration iPhone app has failed. And the Christianists are so not happy.

"Inasmuch as the Manhattan Declaration simply reaffirms the moral teachings of our Christian faith on the sanctity of human life, marriage and sexual morality, and religious freedom and the rights of conscience, Apple's statement amounts to the charge that our faith is 'potentially harmful to others,'" a statement at ManhattanDeclaration.org reads. "It is difficult to see how this is anything other than a statement of animus by a major American corporation against the beliefs of millions of Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox citizens. The statement adds, "It is our sincere hope that Apple will draw back from this divisive and deeply offensive position. The corporation's leaders must be made to understand that they do the country no good service in capitulating to efforts to stigmatize, marginalize or defame people on one side or the other in important moral debates."

The Manhattan Declaration asks its signees to vow to civilly disobey any law that grants LGBT rights. Its authors say they will make a third run at Apple in the new year. Oh, and they'll need you to send them LOTS OF MONEY for that.

Is This An Abandoned Anti-Gay Campaign From Exodus International?

Yesterday the below Russian-language clip appeared on YouTube directing Christian youth to send off for anti-gay stickers to be plastered anywhere it may be legal to do so. The linked site was registered in Ukraine in 2009 and doesn't appear to have been recently updated, but includes numerous testimonials that reference Exodus International's "ex-gay" conventions. Since we haven't heard about this sticker campaign before, it seems that Exodus may have abandoned this effort in the United States. Anybody have more information?

Chicago TV's In-Depth Interview With Dan Savage On Religion, Sex, & Bullying

It's a long interview, but worth your time.

Everybody's Out To Get The Witch!

BBC On Elton John Flap: We Had That "Kill Gays" Guy On For Balanced Coverage

Yesterday the BBC ended a story about the birth of Elton John's son with an "opposing view" from the head of a Christianist hate group that has endorsed Uganda's plan to execute homosexuals. Today Pink News reports that even in face of widespread condemnation, the BBC sees nothing wrong with their action. Here's their terse statement.

The practice of surrogacy is a sensitive subject and remains controversial in some quarters. Our short news bulletin featured Elton John talking about wanting to have a child and an opposing viewpoint. All sides of the debate on surrogacy have been widely reported in the news media and our coverage has reflected this.

Pink News isn't having it.

The decision to include an interview with Stephen Green was hurtful not just to the millions of LGBT license fee payers but also to millions of Christians who do not hold or subscribe to the extremist views of Christian Voice. Most Christians would not support the abhorrent views of Mr Green and his small band of supporters who simply smear the name of the Christian faith. As many on Twitter, Facebook and PinkNews.co.uk comment pages have pointed out, the BBC’s logic would suggest that a racist be asked to comment on a mixed race couple having a surrogate child in order to reflect ‘debate’ in the country. Indeed the membership of Christian Voice is considerably smaller than that of many ‘racist’ organisations.

Here's how to complain to the BBC.

How To Design A Video Game

(Source)

Primaries For Palin

A website has sprung up with instructions for Democrats on how to vote for Sarah Palin in states that will hold open primaries in 2012. From the site's FAQ page:

Our purpose is to have Democrats and Independents help to nominate Sarah Palin as the Republican candidate for president in state primaries. In numerous head-to-head polls, Palin is the only likely Republican candidate who would soundly lose to Obama in the general election. All other likely Republican candidates either beat Obama or are statistically tied with Obama. If Palin is nominated, Obama’s chances for reelection are greatly improved.

I gotta say, I love it.

(Tipped by JMG reader Andrew)

Boney M's Bobby Farrell Dies At 61

Bobby Farrell, the male member of Germany's legendary 70's disco act Boney M, has died in Russia at the age of 61. While most of Boney M's many hits were led by its female chorus, it was Farrell's flamboyant dancing and stage antics that drew the most attention. Years after the band's peak, it was revealed that Farrell had contributed little vocally to the group's recordings and was lip-syncing producer Frank Farian's vocals in the act's videos, although he did sing live in concert. (You may recall Farian as the creator of Milli Vanilli, which suffered a similar scandal.) Boney M remains one of the greatest selling acts in the history of the world, with their 140 million albums topping even Fleetwood Mac, the Bee Gees, and the Eagles. Not even the Beatles have two singles in Britain's all-time top ten, as does Boney M.

Quote Of The Day - Michael Weinstein

"Recent headlines that heralded taking medication as a means of preventing transmission of HIV among gay men were applauded by many AIDS experts. The news came in a study of nearly 2,500 men in six countries that found that an average man taking the medication was 44 percent less likely to become infected than a control group taking a placebo.

"How very sad that we have come to this point. The applause for this approach shows just how disposable we consider the lives of gay men. If we were talking about protecting the general population with a treatment that was only 44 percent effective, would we be celebrating? Yet that is how the media and most of the public interpreted this study. [snip]

"I applaud efforts to find new ways to prevent HIV transmission. However, far too often baby steps forward are interpreted as huge leaps in scientific knowledge. We must consider this if we are going to offer up hundreds of thousands of gay men for this misguided experiment." - AIDS Healthcare Foundation head Michael Weinstein, writing for the San Jose Mercury-News.

Los Angeles Times: President Obama, Enough Agonizing Over Gay Marriage

From an editorial in today's Los Angeles Times:

We can't peer into President Obama's soul, but his statement last week that he is "struggling" with whether to endorse same-sex marriage is open to an unedifying interpretation. Given the president's support of gay rights in other contexts, his opposition to marriage equality raises the question of whether the struggle Obama referred to is between politics and principle. If so, we hope principle will prevail. [snip] When he ran for the presidency in 2008, it was the conventional wisdom that supporting gay marriage would be politically fatal. With shifts in public attitudes, that probably will not be the case in 2012. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 42% of adults now favor same-sex marriage, compared to 37% in 2009. The trend seems clear. We'd prefer to think that such considerations wouldn't be uppermost in Obama's mind. What should determine his position is logic and the fact that same-sex couples across America, not just those in his circle, yearn for recognition of their relationships. Enough agonizing, Mr. President. Support marriage equality.

HomoQuotable - Andrew Pierce

"I can’t help feeling that his decision to become a father is another grotesque act of selfishness from Sir Elton, and that the child is a little Christmas bauble he and his partner have awarded themselves. How telling it is that he was born on Christmas Day. [snip] He [Sir Elton] is also an aging, pampered, self-indulgent millionaire — look at the absurd names he and Furnish have given the poor child, for heaven’s sake! And it is the nagging suspicion that Elton — a man who is by nature an obsessive — has simply acquired a son to satisfy his latest fixation that I find repellent." - Andrew Pierce, editor of the UK's Daily Mail, who was adopted from a Catholic orphanage at the age of two.

Pierce adds in today's editorial: "Let me make my position clear. I am a gay man and I believe same sex couples should be allowed to adopt or have their own children — although I think that in ideal ­circumstances a child should be brought up by a mother and father."

Fox News Guest Father Jon Morris: It's Not Healthy To Have An Imaginary Friend

Helloooo, irony.

Geico Pitchman Calls On USMC To "Rise Up" Against Obama's "Socialism"

Character actor R. Lee Ermey, currently starring in that loathsome "Namby-Pamby Land" commercial from Geico, appeared before thousands of Marines at a Toys For Tots event to call on them to "rise up" against the president's plan to "impose socialism" on the country. Ermey's one-note career first came to notice in 1987's Full Metal Jacket when his abusive drill sergeant character pushed a Marine recruit into suicide.

Incoming House GOP Head Of Climate Change Committee Paid By Big Oil Not To Do Anything About Climage Change

Open Thread Thursday

What were your favorite pop singles for 2010? I think it was actually a pretty good year for pop music as the charts returned to being dominated by catchy pop/dance numbers, the scourge of auto-tune notwithstanding.

My top ten:

1. Tightrope - Janelle Monae
2. I Feel Better - Hot Chip
3. Credit Card Babies (Stereogamous Remix) - Men
4. Wonderful Life (Freemasons Remix) - Hurts
5. Amazing Grace - Boy George feat. Ana Lains
6. Rolling In The Deep - Adele
7. Rocket - Goldfrapp
8. Any Which Way - Scissor Sisters
9. All The Lovers - Kylie Minogue
10. Je Ne Sais Quoi - Hera Björk

Dr. Jeff previewed this list and screamed at me for not including any Robyn, but I couldn't even name one of her records. Minus gay points for that, I was told. And I'm sure I'll facepalm later today for forgetting something else that I found major at some point during the year. Anyway, now you.

Dan Savage Slams GOProud

"GOProud describes marriage equality as a 'states rights issue' which is what interracial marriage once was. GOProud isn't a pro-gay rights organization, they are an organization of gay Quislings and useful idiots that help to window-dress the Republican Party, which is really still rabidly anti-gay to its core." - Dan Savage, speaking on Countdown tonight. Savage goes on to slam Peter LaBarbera, who was instantly on Twitter to respond.

FLORIDA: Cops Capture Suspect In Murders Of Wilton Manors Gay Couple

Florida police have captured a man driving the stolen vehicle of the Wilton Manors gay couple they suspect he murdered on Christmas weekend.

Peter Serge Avsenew, 26, was captured near Dundee, Fl., miles away from where police said he murdered Kevin Mark Powell and Stephen Adams on Sunday. The couple was found dead in their home by police. Avsenew, who is from Hollywood, was spotted by cops in Powell's black 2003 Saturn Vue.

Police have not yet revealed how the victims died and have not speculated publicly on what relationship the suspect may have had with them. The victims had been together for 29 years.

UPDATE: Avsenew has an extensive criminal history. At the time of his capture, he was already wanted on a probation violation in the Keys.

Across the state, Avsenew has been taken into custody more than a dozen times since 2003, state records show. He has been convicted of vehicle theft, robbery, grand theft and engaging in fraud through bounced checks. He also has pleaded no contest to marijuana possession, loitering, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal mischief and resisting an officer without violence. Avsenew also relies on about eight different aliases, including the name Peter Avsenen, according to the state Department of Corrections.

According to Avsenew's Facebook page, he has a newborn son. Below a recent posting of the boy's photo, a woman with the same last name (probably the suspect's mother) warns: "Peter, Look at these pictures does this baby deserve anything but the best? then think before you do anything stupid."

(Tipped by JMG reader Greg)

Tweet Of The Day - Chris Brown

Convicted domestic abuser and pop star Chris Brown took to Twitter today for some gay-baiting of a rival rapper, who is responding in kind. Brown follows up with: "I'm not homophobic! He's just disrespectful!!!" Ho hum, nothing to see her, really, although you can bet this exchange makes TMZ etc. We sure didn't expect to see #homothug as a trending topic.

Not This Year's Nobel Peace Prize Winner

In the midst of a campaign to see him nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, Belgium's revered Father Francois Houtart has confessed to child molestation.

The confession was published in a Belgian newspaper Wednesday and confirmed by the organization the priest founded, deepening a sex-abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church in the country. After a spate of accusations this year, the church in September published the harrowing accounts of more than 100 victims of clerical sex abuse, some as young as 2 when they were assaulted. In October, after supporters of 85-year-old Francois Houtart began working to nominate him for the Nobel, a woman contacted the nonprofit organization he founded and said the priest had abused her brother 40 years ago, according to its director, Bernard Duterme.

The committee to nominate Houtart for his anti-globalization work has disbanded.

Nate Berkus Gives A Damn

E-Z JMG Tips

It's time for our year-end E-Z JMG reminder for your lazy-ass convenience. You can subscribe to JMG via any RSS reader (my feed link is also in the left sidebar) and all posts will appear in full in your reader. (I recommend Google Reader for its simplicity.) New posts are also automatically pinged to my Twitter feed (click "follow") and I'll often post breaking stories to my Facebook fan page. And if you're one of them there iPhone people, you can create a JMG icon for one-touch access to the blog. You can probably do the same for the Android, I assume. Sit down, stay a spell. Nice folks are to the left and right of you. OK, maybe not to the right.

The $50,000 Cock Shot

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has been fined $50,000 by the NFL for sending his cock shot to a female employee of the New York Jets, for whom Favre played at the time. Favre had faced a suspension by the league, a slight punishment considering he is expected to retire after this weekend. The fine is less than 1% of Favre's 2010 salary, but on a per-inch basis (NSFW), the fine, at least, is a whopper.

Feds Open Criminal Campaign Finance Investigation Into Christine O'Donnell

Jennifer Hudson Pays Tribute To Oprah

At the Kennedy Center Honors, the newly-slim Jennifer Hudson paid tribute to honoree Oprah Winfrey with I'm Here from the Oprah-produced The Color Purple. Hudson was joined by the choir from Oprah's alma mater, Tennessee State.

Behind The Scenes At The DADT Signing

HomoQuotable - Steve Weinstein

"[T]he majority of gay men and lesbians want nothing more than to raise families behind picket fences. There are other signs of increasing conformity in the gay world. Leather is seen by most younger men as more silly than hot. While they may exercise, younger men mostly don’t strive for Adonis physiques. It goes on. (Lesbians are way ahead of the curve on this. They’ve been mating and nesting for years.)

"Is this bad? Probably not. We’ve been fighting for acceptance. Now that we’re getting it, it’s up to us to do what we want with it. If younger gay men and lesbians want the same things as their straight counterparts, so be it. Have we lost something? Probably. Just as blacks lose their jive and soul when they become middle-class suburbanites, and Jews lose their Yiddishkeite, so we shed the camp, the bitchy humor, the diva worship, and the other facets that defined “gay” for so long. Most people, however, would consider it a fair tradeoff." - Steve Weinstein, writing for Edge On The Net in response to yesterday's JMG post about Jonah Goldberg's column on the "homosexual bourgeoisie."

The English Dialects Map Of North America

Gothamist calls the above "the world's most confusing map." (Massive version here.) According to the authors, sub-dialects of the eight major regional dialects exist in many places like Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, the Outer Banks, and perhaps most curiously, the Hamptons.

Headline Homophobia From The NY Post

Gawker's Brian Moylan weighs in on the latest headline from the New York Post, which is rightfully famed for its witty headlines. Usually.

It is just a cheap, dull, and unoriginal joke, that it's below the NY Post, which prides itself on having some of the cleverest headlines in the business. Oh, and it's doubly offensive to gay men, not only because it says that anyone who would want to enter into a relationship with another man is womanly, but also because it also pokes fun at the fact that we can't even get married if we want to. Then it reappropriates the word "proud," which gay men associate with Gay Pride and celebrating our liberation. Sorry, Post, but only gays get to make fun of Pride—and god knows we do.

And as we pointed out to Us Magazine only yesterday, Elton and his partner are not married, so the "wife" slam doesn't work on any level at all.

Another Anti-Gay Gaffe By The BBC

Pink News reports that as part of the BBC's story on the birth of Elton John's son, the network took an "opposing view" from a Christianist who has publicly endorsed Uganda's plan to execute homosexuals.

With the introduction “not everyone is pleased to see such a high profile same sex couple start to raise a surrogate child”, Mr Mzimba proceeded to interview Stephen Green, of right-wing group Christian Voice, without any warning that he is someone who has in the past supported the death penalty for gay men. In an interview that was visibly edited together, Mr Green told the BBC: “This isn’t just a designer baby for Sir Elton John, this is a designer accessory… [cut] Now it seems like money can buy him anything, and so he has entered into this peculiar arrangement…[cut] The baby is a product of it. A baby needs a mother and it seems an act of pure selfishness to deprive a baby of a mother.”

Amazingly, the BBC even managed to overlook Green's lawsuit against them for their airing of Jerry Springer: The Opera, which Green said was blasphemous for implying that Jesus was gay.

Pink News editorializes:

Given that little more than a year ago, the BBC Trust ruled that the BBC “reinforced homophobic stereotypes”, the broadcast yesterday is all the more shocking. The BBC needs to seriously reconsider not just who it interviews for stories relating to homosexuality but also reconsider its whole approach to how it covers the lives of millions of LGBT people, who themselves have no choice but to pay the television license fee.

RELATED: Last year the BBC earned international scorn for publishing a web survey that asked "Should Gays Be Executed?" The poll was yanked within hours and was followed with an "oopsie" apology from the network's ombudsman.

Claudia Brücken - Thank You

Pop In Stereo directs us to the new single from Claudia Brücken, which is "co-written with and produced by Stephen Hague (New Order, Blur, Pet Shop Boys)." The single is from the forthcoming career retrospective Combined, which is due on February 7th and includes three Propaganda tracks. (But not the classic version of P-Machinery, for some reason.)

Joseph Farah: Purge Gays And Gay Allies From The Conservative Movement

"Purge is not a bad word. It simply means, according to the dictionary definition, 'to rid of whatever is impure or undesirable; cleanse; purify.' Conservatives need to purge from their movement anything that is not conservative. They shouldn't be attempting to broaden the definition of 'conservative.' They shouldn't be trying to build a bigger tent in the failed model of the Republican Party. They shouldn't be revising or lowering their standards. And they absolutely shouldn't be embracing enemies of the moral values that have defined the movement from the beginning.

"That's why it's time for true conservatives to get their act together as America faces its greatest challenges ever in the next two years. God cut Gideon's army up, slicing and dicing it until it represented only a tiny fraction of its numbers. God didn't want a big army to win victory. He wanted a miracle performed by a tiny army listening carefully and being in obedience to His commands. God purged thousands from Gideon's army. Conservatives need God's help, not GOProud's." - World Net Daily founder and three-time Just For Men gold medalist Joseph Farah.

Do Not Want

The Brussel Sprouts Whopper, now on sale at Burger King in the UK. Surprisingly, it's not going over too well.

"Filthy Faggots" - A Song About The Redemptive Love Of Jesus Christ

Good As You tips us to the latest musical entry from one of God's Gentle People™ who uses images from Porno Pete's site to illustrate his tune about "Filthy Faggots" who are all going to die from bleeding rectums. Or something. (Hey, yours truly is Filthy Faggot #1! Whee!) Wanna bet Porno Pete doesn't disavow this usage of his material?

RELATED: The song's author is a regular poster on Free Republic (of course) and in typical chickenshit fashion has cloaked the ownership details of his URL: GodGunsGutsGlory.com. But here's his YouTube channel, if you wanna have some fun over there.

Update On The Burglarizing Pastor

On Sunday's edition of This Week In Holy Crimes, we learned about the Dallas pastor caught breaking into a congregant's home to steal her fur coats. The interwebs has been having a field day about it and that will only ramp up with Pastor Sandy McGriff's explanation that she was only taking the coats so that the other burglars she saw wouldn't get them.

Palm Springs Police Chief: I'm Sorry I Called Gay Men "Filthy Motherfuckers"

Palm Springs Police Chief David Dominquez has apologized for an anti-gay slur made during a sting in which gay men were arrested for public sex. Dominquez reportedly told cops on the scene: "What a bunch of filthy motherfuckers. You guys should get paid extra for this."

The comment “did not display the utmost professional conduct expected from the Chief of Police and I sincerely apologize to the community at large,” Dominguez said in a statement. It’s the first time Dominguez has admitted to making expletives during the lewd-conduct sting, which has sparked controversy across the valley over how it was carried out, the severe charges those arrested face, and the gay slurs police made during surveillance. The comment “did not display the utmost professional conduct expected from the Chief of Police and I sincerely apologize to the community at large,” Dominguez said in a statement.

It’s the first time Dominguez has admitted to making expletives during the lewd-conduct sting, which has sparked controversy across the valley over how it was carried out, the severe charges those arrested face, and the gay slurs police made during surveillance. Dominguez previously declined to comment on the complaint. His apology came about an hour after City Manager David Ready released a memo to the Palm Springs City Council, outlining Ready's conclusions – and regrets – about how the controversial sting to curb public gay sex in the area played out. “Portions of the operation were not conducted according to the professional standards that are expected of our Police Department,” Ready stated. “As a result, appropriate disciplinary and correction action has already been taken.”

The 19 men arrested face charges that may require them to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives.

Log Cabin Republicans Announce Plan To Create More Log Cabin Republicans

The Log Cabin Republicans have announced a new campaign to create the "gay GOP leaders of tomorrow." Via press release:

Log Cabin Republicans of New York today announced the Starting at 1 initiative: beginning on January 1, 2011 (1/1/11) and continuing throughout the coming year, Log Cabin Republicans of New York members will regularly receive information designed to inspire a more involved, engaged and knowledgeable gay Republican electorate.

“Right now we have a politically savvy membership, and it’s time to take things to the next level,” Log Cabin Republicans of New York State Chairman Gregory T. Angelo stated. “Starting at 1 is designed to take the enthusiasm we’ve seen from our members for everything from joining their local Community Board to becoming more involved in the Republican County Committee and even running for office. With the momentum from the 2010 Midterm Elections driving us forward and the mounting excitement for the 2012 Presidential Election ahead, 2011 is the perfect time to begin building the gay GOP leaders of tomorrow, and Starting at 1 seeks to give individuals the tools to do just that.”

What Does Your State Do Best?

The rest are here.

Sarah Palin Lies About "Refudiate"

Lady Musto

Michael Musto's year in review.

DJ Earworm - United State Of Pop 2010

Here's DJ Earworm's hotly awaited annual mash-up of the year's biggest pop singles.

Celebrity Deaths Of 2010

Homocon Tweet Of The Day - GOProud

HomoQuotable - Reichen Lehmkuhl

"I don't appreciate your bullying words. You can save your 'vapid queens' comment for, well, no one. I can't even imagine speaking this way about other human beings. That you would reduce my existence to someone who is a 'vapid queen' says more about what you don't know about me, along with the kind of person you must be. Is this seriously how a 'senior editor' at a magazine talks about people?" - Reality show cast member Reichen Lehmkuhl, responding to the editor of Next Magazine, who says that each "cringe-worthy" episode of Logo's The A-List "probably canceled out 100 'It Gets Better' videos."

Scissor Sisters Year In Review With Chris Colfer, Katy Perry, & Adam Lambert

Tennessee Billboard Campaign

NOM reports on their blog:

Kerry Duke, who also serves as dean at Tennessee Bible College in Cookeville, said the group purposely avoided a reference to "traditional marriage" in the billboard. "The will of God -- not tradition -- is the basis for saying that marriage should be between people of the opposite sex," Duke said. "Marriage between a man and a woman is not right because it is traditional. It is traditional because it is right." He added, "There are two basic ways of looking at marriage. Either humans invented marriage or God created it. If marriage is a human arrangement, then a society may alter it at will or do away with it altogether. But if marriage is a divine institution, then only God has the right to say what it is and who has the moral right to be in it."

NORTH CAROLINA: Openly Gay Man Elected To Head Council Of Churches

An openly gay man has been elected to head North Carolina's Council of Churches. Stan Kimer, 55, is a retired businessman and a lay leader of the Metropolitan Community Church.

Only one other of the country's 33 similar church councils has elected an openly gay leader. Only one other of the country's 33 similar church councils has elected an openly gay leader. In California, a lesbian was elected president in the late 1990s. That makes Kimer's presidency of the N.C. Council - a coalition of 17 Christian denominations and eight individual churches that work on social issues - historic in the South. It also signals an acceptance among member denominations - Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Roman Catholics - that even if they have theological differences about homosexuality, they are OK with a gay man at the helm. Or at least, they don't see it as an issue worth fighting. "A lot of our member denominations have internal battles about this," said the Rev. George Reed, the council's executive director. "But the governing board felt the fact that he is a gay man was not a disqualifying factor."

A sample reader comment on the above-linked Charlotte Observer story: "Having him over the board of church's is like building a mosck on ground zero. Its obsurd!!!! If he is a true Christian and in fact reads the word of god then he should know how the lord feels about homosexuals. Sir you are an abomination and when you burn your smoke and ashes will ascend up to his nostrils like insence. Read it for yourself!!!"

NOM Wants To Pick New RNC Chairman

With Michael Steele unlikely to be reelected as chairman of the Republican National Committee, NOM has been interviewing all of the contenders, saying that they will attempt to block any candidate that doesn't toe their anti-gay line. Here they interview former Michigan GOP chair Saul Anuzis, who ran unsuccessfully for the national slot in 2009.

FLORIDA: Gay Couple Found Murdered In Their Wilton Manors Home

South Florida Gay News reports that a gay couple was found murdered in their Wilton Manors home this weekend.

The two men whose bodies were found inside their rented home at 2513 NE 8th Avenue in Wilton Manors were domestic partners Kevin Mark Powell, 47, and Steve Adams, 52, former residents of Hollywood, Florida. Their bodies were discovered by the sister of one of the victims, who had called police when her brother had not arrived to her home for the holidays. Kevin Powell had been very ill with Diabetes and she was doing a wellness check. Powell, whose hobby was arts and crafts, had once been featured on the Home and Garden channel after creating a home for his dogs within his home, including pet sized lighting and furniture.

Wilton Manors police are seeking the couple's missing car. JMG readers who may have information about the couple should call detectives at 954-390-2150.

The Rise Of The HoBos

Conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg says that the repeal of DADT is yet another example of the rise of the homosexual bourgeoisie, a gay culture that rejects its uniqueness for an integrated heteronormative lifestyle.

Two decades ago, the gay left wanted to smash the bourgeois prisons of monogamy, capitalistic enterprise and patriotic values and bask in the warm sun of bohemian "free love." And avant-garde values. In this, they were simply picking up the torch from the straight left of the 1960s and 1970s, who had sought to throw off the sexual hang-ups of their parents' generation along with their gray flannel suits. [snip]

Of course, the lunacy of the bohemian free love shtick should have been obvious from the get-go. When Michael Lerner, a member of the anti- Vietnam War "Seattle Seven," did marry, in 1971, the couple exchanged rings made from the fuselage of a U.S. aircraft downed over Vietnam and cut into a cake inscribed in icing with a Weatherman catchphrase, "Smash Monogamy." The gay experiment with open bohemianism was arguably shorter. Of course, AIDS played an obvious and tragic role in focusing attention on the downside of promiscuity. But even so, the sweeping embrace of bourgeois lifestyles by the gay community has been stunning. [snip]

Many of my conservative friends often act as if there's some grand alternative to both the bohemian or the bourgeois lifestyles. But there isn't. And given that open homosexuality is simply a fact of life, the rise of the HoBos — the homosexual bourgeoisie — strikes me as good news.

It's always been said that the ultimate goal of the gay rights movement is its own extinction. But Goldberg is correct in predicting that with that extinction will come an inevitable fading of what we now know as gay culture. Some will say that's a good thing. I disagree.

TEXAS: Austin Cops Indifferent To Gay-Bashing Of Two Men

On Christmas night two gay men were attacked outside an Austin, Texas gay bar as dozens of onlookers did nothing. The victims say that responding police seemed indifferent to the attack.

Village Puppets

Terrifyingly amazing.

CPAC 2011 Boycott Grows Over Event Sponsorship By GOProud

The Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America have joined the growing list of anti-gay hate groups boycotting CPAC 2011 over the planned presence of GOProud, who are listed as a sponsor of next year's event. Right Wing Watch reports:

In November, the far-right American Principles Project instigated the CPAC boycott over GOProud’s involvement back in November, and groups such as American Values, Capital Research Center, the Center for Military Readiness, Liberty Counsel, Liberty University, and the National Organization for Marriage followed the APP’s lead in boycotting the conference. Today, WorldNetDaily, which has provided support for the boycott movement, reports that the Family Research Council and Concerned Women For America have decided to boycott CPAC. FRC and CWA are easily the largest groups to join the boycott movement, and FRC hosts a similar conference that is geared to Religious Right activists, the Values Voter Summit.

Porno Pete LaBarbara celebrates: "It is gratifying to see FRC and CWA respond appropriately to CPAC's moral sellout of allowing GOProud as a sponsor. By bringing in GOProud, CPAC was effectively saying moral opposition to homosexuality is no longer welcome in the conservative movement."

Rachel Maddow Recaps 2010

And mocks herself in the process.

Quote Of The Day - Anthony Verdugo

"It is a tragic day for our nation when legitimizing sodomy is preferred over the morale and combat-readiness of America's military. Sadly, those who voted to repeal DADT don’t know that although they won this battle, they have lost the war. The movement to support our Armed Forces is more powerful than ever and will continue to build strength until we win.

"This cowardly political betrayal of America's service men and women will not be forgotten on Election Day. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson's corrupt vote to repeal DADT attacked our troops and dishonored our nation's founders. Senator Nelson is now partying and laughing now with the extremist fringe group he pandered to, but the people of Florida will remind him of his unfitness to be their senator should he have the temerity to ask them for their vote in the 2012 elections." - Anthony Verdugo, founder of Florida's Christian Family Coalition.

(Tipped by JMG reader Campbell)

Elton John & Partner Become Parents

Elton John and his partner David Furnish have announced the birth of a son.

The baby boy, who was born Dec. 25 in California via a surrogate, weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces. "We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment," John and Furnish tell Us in a joint statement. "Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents." This is the first child for John, 62, and Furnish, 48. The couple married in 2005 after 12 years together.

Actually, Us Magazine, the couple is civilly partnered in the UK, not married. The baby's full name: Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John. Levon? I was hoping for Bennie.