Beyond Creepy

(Via - Newsweek)

HIV Hysteria From The NY Post

The reliably yellow journalists at the New York Post have outraged AIDS activists with a front-page claim that the hotel maid at the center of an rape scandal lives in subsidized public housing for HIV patients. The Post darkly warns that alleged rapist and International Monetary Fund head Dominque Strauss-Kahn now "has more to worry about" than a lengthy prison sentence. Housing Works weighs in angrily:

“Once again the New York Post proves that they are happy to trample on human dignity to sell newspapers. There is no public interest in knowing this woman’s HIV status—yet the woman herself could suffer greatly from the revelation,” said Housing Works President and CEO Charles King. “The Post’s story is an attack on women and all people with HIV.” The Post story intensifies the stigma surrounding AIDS by implying that HIV is an inherently horrifying disease.

The woman's lawyer this morning denied the Post's claim, saying she "absolutely" does not live in housing for people with HIV. But the story has already been picked up in France, where a new poll revealed that almost half of the nation believes the entire case was a set-up meant to derail the political ambitions of Strauss-Kahn, who was widely pegged to become the next president.

CNN Anchor Don Lemon Comes Out

CNN anchor Don Lemon has come out. Lemon made the revelation in his coming book, Transparent.

Mr. Lemon has not made a secret of his sexual orientation in his work life; many of his CNN co-workers and managers have long been aware that he is gay. But he still acknowledged that going public in his book carries certain risks. “I’m scared,” he said in a telephone interview. “I’m talking about something that people might shun me for, ostracize me for.” Even beyond whatever effect his revelation might have on his television career, Mr. Lemon said he recognized this step carried special risk for him as a black man. “It’s quite different for an African-American male,” he said. “It’s about the worst thing you can be in black culture. You’re taught you have to be a man; you have to be masculine. In the black community they think you can pray the gay away.” He said he believed the negative reaction to male homosexuality had to do with the history of discrimination that still affects many black Americans, as well as the attitudes of some black women.

When the Bishop Eddie Long scandal first broke last fall, Lemon startled viewers by acknowledging that he had been molested as a child.

Minnesota Paper Comes Out For Marriage

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has published a strongly-worded editorial denouncing the campaign to place a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage to a public vote.

Opponents of marriage equity say a constitutional amendment is a necessary backstop that would prevent the courts from overturning existing law. In reality, enshrining this form of bigotry in the state's premier governing document would be a step backward. Rather than reinforce an already discriminatory law, core values of equity and fairness should compel Minnesotans to repeal DOMA and extend marriage equity to all. We understand that emotions on this issue run deep. The debate hits numerous religious and moral hot buttons, for secular and sacred reasons. Concurrent with their beliefs, religious organizations may indeed decide who they will marry with their blessings. However, government is not and should not be a church, synagogue or mosque. Marriage under the law is a next-of-kin, legal arrangement that includes important property, benefits, child custody and health care rights. Those legal rights should be available to all couples.

Read the full editorial.

Obama Roasts Donald Trump At White House Correspondents Dinner

Trump attended as the guest of the Washington Post.

Seth Myers Slams Donald Trump At White House Correspondents Dinner

Maddow: Gay Anchors Should Come Out

"I'm sure other people in the business have considered reasons why they're doing what they're doing, but I do think that if you're gay you have a responsibility to come out." - Rachel Maddow, in a profile by the UK's Guardian.

Whoever could she be talking about?

Naples News Boots Pamela Grothaus

The Naples Daily News has finally booted hate-blogger Pamela Grothaus after she posted a nasty attack on PFLAG over the group's inclusion at a "religious freedom day" at Collier County, Florida public high schools. Last month Grothaus proudly declared that she was hoping to be named "JMG Bigot Of The Year" for her attacks on LGBT rights. That prompted many of you to contact the Naples Daily News and probably contributed to their decision to shitcan her ass. On her personal blog, Grothaus is complaining that the newspaper "didn't even have the decency" to tell her she was fired. So sad, too bad.

GLAAD Announces 2011 Media Awards Noms, JMG Up For Outstanding Blog

GLAAD has announced the nominations for its 2011 Media Awards, which honor excellence in a broad range of LGBT-related media, including movies, television, theater, newspapers, magazines, and digital journalism. A first-time category this year is Outstanding Blog, for which this here website thingy is nominated! My co-nominees are Bilerico Project, Blabbeando, Pam's House Blend, and Rod 2.0. All pals of mine! Below is GLAAD's highlight reel for this year's nominees in television and film. Click over for the complete listing of nominees in all categories.

Media In The Crosshairs

Media critics are pointing out Saturday's unfortunate front page of the New York Post, which depicts quarterback Peyton Manning with rifle crosshairs over his face and the caption "STOP HIM!" According to some, Palin's usage of crosshairs is unimportant because it's such a common device.

Rick Sanchez TV?

MediaBistro has the low-down on what Sanchez has been doing since that whole "Jews run television" thing got him fired from CNN. Included in what's coming from Sanchez is a "public dialogue" with a NYC-based rabbi. That should be....interesting.

GLAAD To CNN: Stop Using Hate Groups To "Balance" Gay News Stories

GLAAD has issued a call to action, asking its supporters to write CNN to demand that representatives of hate groups no longer be used to "balance" the network's stories on LGBT rights.

As a recent example, GLAAD cites the appearance of the Family Research Council's Peter Sprigg, who was invited to counter the opinion of DADT repeal activist Alex Nicholson. Among Sprigg's many detestable remarks is his call for all homosexuals to be deported from the United States.

Nicholson's qualifications were clear. As an openly gay, former Army intelligence officer, he gave firsthand accounts of how the policy played out in the day-to-day lives of gay and lesbian service members.Sprigg's qualifications, however, came exclusively from his job at the Family Research Council. There, Sprigg has worked to advance some of the most hurtful, dangerous, and demonstrably false notions about the lives of LGBT people that our country has seen in recent years. And yet, by pairing him with Nicholson in this segment, CNN told its millions of viewers that both of these men should be seen as equally valuable to this discussion.

Is it important for the media to take these groups on? Of course it is. But that's not what CNN and other media organizations are doing when it invites these groups to take part in otherwise reasonable discussions. The media is elevating their hurtful messages and attitudes to the level of rational discourse. The media is saying that people like Alexander Nicholson, who can speak to real-life experience and firsthand facts, need to be "balanced" by people like Peter Sprigg, whose claim to fame is arguing that being gay should be outlawed. If CNN wants to interview a gay person who believes being straight should be outlawed, THEN Peter Sprigg would be an acceptable "balance."

CNN and the rest of the media are doing nothing but exposing their viewers to dangerous anti-gay rhetoric when they invite members of these anti-gay groups onto their programming. Starting in 2011, this needs to stop.

Sign GLAAD's petition to CNN here.

Boston Herald Sportswriter Comes Out

Longtime Boston Herald sportswriter Steve Buckley came out in a column published today. An excerpt:

I’ve put this off long enough. I haven’t been fair to my family, my friends or my co-workers. And I certainly haven’t been fair to myself: For too many years I’ve been on the sidelines of Boston’s gay community but not in the game — figuratively and literally, as I feel I would have had a pretty good career in the (gay) Beantown Softball League.Over the past couple of months I have discussed the coming-out process with my family and a few friends, and have had sit-downs with Herald editor-in-chief Joe Sciacca and sports editor Hank Hryniewicz, as well as with WEEI’s Glenn Ordway. They’ve been great, as have my friends and family. But during this same period, I have read sobering stories about people who came undone, killing themselves after being outed. These tragic events helped guide me to the belief that if more people are able to be honest about who they are, ultimately fewer people will feel such devastating pressure.

UGANDA: Court Bans Media From Outings

A Ugandan court has ruled that local media may not name "suspected homosexuals" and has awarded damages to those named by Rolling Stone, a newspaper unrelated to the U.S.-based music title.

The request for the ban was filed by three people from gay rights group, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), whose pictures and towns of residence were published in a previous issue of Rolling Stone. High court judge, Vincent Musoke-Kibuuke also ruled that the petitioners' lives were threatened since the story exposed them to potential attacks from vigilantes, Onyango said. The petitioners were awarded 1.5 million Uganda shillings (about 650 dollars or 500 euros) and Rolling Stone was ordered to pay all legal fees incurred by SMUG. "We think that the compensation is on the low side, but the principles here are very important," Onyango said.

In a previous hearing, the judge suggested that Uganda's law against homosexuality, defined as "carnal knowledge against the order of nature," should be re-examined. In a series of issues last year, Rolling Stone outed more than 20 people whom its editor believed were gay. The editor, undergraduate student Giles Muhame, said he found some of the photos that were published on a gay dating website. The high court case centred on one story headlined "Hang Them", in which an unidentified Evangelical pastor called for the execution of gay rights campaigners.

Finally, some good news from Uganda!

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.

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.

Fox News Viewers "Most Misinformed"

A University of Maryland study of the viewers of network and cable news outlets has found that Fox News watchers are by far the "most misinformed." That's as surprising as finding out that Republicans are the biggest liars! Here's some of what Fox News has convinced their audience:

• Most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely)
  
• Most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)
  
• The economy is getting worse (26 points)
  
• Most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points)
  
• The stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points)
  
• Their own income taxes have gone up (14 points)
  
• The auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points)
  
• When TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points)
  
• And that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points)

Larry King Signs Off After 25 Years

Tom Brokaw: Networks Should Continue Giving Airtime To Anti-Gay Hate Groups

Speaking to the Advocate's Julie Bolcer, former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw said that networks should continue to give airtime to vicious anti-gay hate groups because that may spark outrage and create a national discussion.

"I don’t think you can shut down free speech,” he said. “We’re a free speech society. They’re entitled to their positions however wrong they may be. How do you begin to censor things?” Last month, Dan Savage of the It Gets Better campaign criticized CNN on air for interviewing antigay leaders such as Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled a hate group. He said the attention legitimized the idea that there are “two sides” to gay and lesbian issues.

Brokaw argued that coverage of antigay viewpoints serves a purpose in that it can generate the kind of outrage that prompts nationwide conversations. He said the issue reminded him of his earlier years reporting on the civil rights movement, although he declined to draw a direct comparison. “I was called a Communist, but there were people who used the n word and said, ‘It’ll never happen in my lifetime,’ and in some ways, that was useful, because the rest of the country saw how outrageous it was and how intolerant it was,” he said. Asked how antigay views should be presented, he said, “You just say that they’ve got strong opinions. You treat like them like anyone else. You cross-examine and ask them the right questions.”

This Friday, Brokaw will host a documentary on the USA network titled Bridging The Divide, which will cover various civil rights issues including LGBT rights. The Advocate notes that Brokaw does not interview anti-gay groups in the documentary.