Gillibrand Pushes For NY Marriage

Ben Cohen On Gay Times Cover

(Via - Towleroad)

CNN Speaks To Ben Cohen

Photo Of The Day - Ben Cohen

Last night I met Ben Cohen at a Chelsea gay bar, where he was raising funds for his anti-homophobia campaign. Also in the house was champion wrestler Hudson Taylor. I'll post a slideshow later today. PS: Ben is completely sweet.

Hero Collision: Rugby Star Ben Cohen Meets Champion Wrestler Hudson Taylor

Read this NYT profile on the two most well-known straight allies in the world of sports. The article begins:

Ben Cohen is a world-class English rugby star, and Hudson Taylor is a three-time college all-American wrestler. They live on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. They barely know each other. But they have something quite unusual in common. They may be the only two high-profile heterosexual athletes dedicating their lives to the issues of bullying and homophobia in sports.

Ben Cohen Wants To Meet You

Having never heard his decidedly non-posh accent before, I think I like Ben Cohen even more, if that's possible. This clip is posted to Cyndi Lauper's We Give A Damn channel.

Hudson Taylor: I Give A Damn

Why Frank Rich Supports Gay Marriage

Speaking to a group at Harvard, New York Times columnist Frank Rich explained that he first came to support gay rights when at the height of the AIDS crisis, an editor asked him to write a lengthy essay on how straight people view gays.

Quote Of The Day - Henry Rollins

"Of course same sex marriage is constitutional! The right to be yourself, to pursue life, liberty, and property, is protected several ways over several amendments. John Boehner should know this. If only he read the Constitution as often as some of us do, he wouldn’t have bothered to lower himself to this time-wasting, pathetic attempt to invigorate his base of supporters.

"Damn, congressman, we’re trying to get up the road here. Either lay out a plan for job creation for all of us to see or get out of the way. You are the Speaker of the House. Scratching around in the ancient dirt of repellent prejudice instead of tackling the real issues is amateur hour. You have a plan? Now’s the time." - Henry Rollins, writing for Vanity Fair.

Quote Of The Day - Rep. Jim Langevin

"As the debate about same-sex marriage continues in Rhode Island and in Washington, I have taken time to reflect carefully on my own position. Based on my own experiences and my firm belief that all Americans should be treated equally under the law, I am now convinced that affording full marriage equality rights to same-sex couples is the only fair and responsible approach for both Rhode Island and the nation. If our nation expects to provide equal protection to all, then our civic institutions must reflect that noble goal." - Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), announcing his change of heart in a Providence Journal essay titled, "Now IS the time to redefine marriage."

Straight Wrestler Hudson Taylor Launches Site Against Homophobia In Sports

Champion collegiate wrestler Hudson Taylor, who is straight, has launched Athlete Ally, a website where players, coaches, fans, and parents can take a pledge to end homophobia in sports. Taylor generated controversy at the University of Maryland when he competed with a Human Rights Campaign sticker on his wrestling headgear. Today he is a coach at Columbia University.

Flash Mob Wedding

In mid-December a couple staged a flash mob wedding at Boston's Prudential Center. Stick around for the vows at 4:00 when the pastor includes gay couples as those deserving of marriage and love.

Miss New York To Compete For Miss America On LGBT Rights Platform

Last July, Claire Buffie was named Miss New York after competing on the platform "Straight For Equality: Let's Talk." On January 15th, Buffie will be the first-ever Miss America contestant to compete in the name of LGBT rights. Buffie is a board member of NYC P-FLAG and works at the Genius Bar of the Fifth Avenue Apple store. Do I hear the sound of pageant-watching parties being planned all over Chelsea? Count me in!

PFLAG Co-Founder Dies At Age 90

Adele Starr, the co-founder and first president of PFLAG, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 90.

In 1976, Starr founded the Los Angeles chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a gay rights and acceptance organization known then as Parent FLAG, now as PFLAG. In 1979, she spoke on the steps of the U.S. Capitol at a march for gay rights — a seminal event often credited with uniting a then-nascent movement. Two years later, she became PFLAG's first national president; she served in that capacity until 1986 and remained a forceful advocate for civil rights and, in later years, for the legalization of same-sex marriage. Starr served at the helm of PFLAG during the onset of the AIDS crisis, said her longtime friend and collaborator Terry DeCrescenzo, founder of another advocacy group formed to reach out to gay and lesbian youth. "In that time, a lot of us lost hope," said DeCrescenzo, 66, of Studio City. "Not Adele. And PFLAG became enormously important because it was rock solid.... She was a good woman. She'll be missed.

Adele Starr: "We cannot understand those arrogant people who have decided that a heterosexual lifestyle must be imposed on everyone and that they have a monopoly on morality. The American way is respect for diversity with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

The Best Speech Of Today's Civil Unions Debate In The Illinois State Senate

Folks, give it up for our hero of the day, Illinois state Sen. Ricky Hendon! "It's just fairness, y'all. That's ALL."

JMG Reader Birdie Battles Christianists Over Indiana's Cupcake Controversy

Father Tony tips us that JMG reader Birdie (real name Betty Greene Salwak) took part in Indianapolis' Fox News "face-off" to battle the American Family Association over the refusal of a local bakery to fill the order of a campus LGBT rights group. Read our heroine's statement in full on the Fox 59 website. Note that Fox edits the below clip to give the AFA the final word.

No Gays? No Way! Ireland's President Turns Down NYC's St. Patrick's Day Parade

Irish President Mary McAleese has turned down an offer to be the grand marshal of NYC's 250th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade over the event's long-running ban on LGBT participation.

Efforts at a compromise where President McAleese could attend the gay-organized, all-inclusive St. Patrick’s parade in Queens on the weekend before March 17, and then march in the actual Fifth Avenue parade the Thursday following, also failed because the president could not remain in New York for such a long period of time. Marching in the Queens parade as well as the Fifth Avenue one also has been the way most major U.S. politicians, such as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, have handled the issue in recent years. McAleese’s refusal to accept the grand marshal invite will come as major blow to parade officials who were intent on making the day an historic showcase. New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York is now being considered a likely replacement. Despite a reputation as a conservative Catholic when she took office, McAleese has become a firm advocate for marginalized groups in Irish societies including gay groups.

Thank you, President McAleese!

Sen. Al Franken On DADT Fail

Quote Of The Day - Miss Universe

"Look, I believe that every person in this world has the right to profess the beliefs they have and I am in agreement. We have to respect what each human being decides to do with their lives, no? Clearly, there are limitations, of course, also, as there also are with heterosexual couples, no? Better said, there are limitations for any of the two - if they are heterosexual or homosexual - but I believe we have to learn to be respectful because they are people who are the same as us. There is no difference.

"And I don't believe it's just to discriminate somebody based on the gender they prefer, no? Based on the partner they choose to select, if it's a man or a woman. The truth is that I am absolutely against discrimination and, well, what can I say. I have many friends who are homosexual and I adore them. And they are equal folk: There is no reason we should want to set them aside, there is no reason why we shouldn't let them enjoy what they want to enjoy with their partner." - Mexico's Jimena Navarette, Miss Universe 2010, coming out for marriage equality in an interview translated by Andres Duque at Blabbeando.

Kathy Griffin On Prop 8 Stay