ZESTY PRESS

6 MEN MURDERED IN IRAQ FOR BEING GAY

2009-04-08T09:19:00.003-05:00

CNN reports that 6 more men have been brutally murdered in Iraq simply for being gay...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Six gay men were shot dead by members of their tribe in two separate incidents in the past 10 days, an official with Iraq's Interior ministry said.

In the most recent attack, two men were killed Thursday in Sadr City area of Baghdad after they were disowned by relatives, the official said.

The shootings came after a tribal meeting was held and the members decided to go after the victims.

On March 26, four additional men were fatally shot in the same city, the official said, adding that the victims had also been disowned by their relatives.

The official declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Witnesses told CNN that a Sadr City cafe, which was a popular gathering spot for gays, was also set on fire.

VERMONT HOUSE AND SENATE OVERRIDE GOVENOR'S GAY MARRIAGE VETO!

2009-04-08T08:31:00.008-05:00

Wow, I really didn't think this would happen.

I thought, once again, we (the homos) were gonna lose out when Gov. Jim Douglas (above) vetoed Vermont's gay marriage bill.

Here's more on the good news...

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- A ten-year battle to grant same sex couples the legal right to marry culminated in a dramatic political showdown Tuesday at the Statehouse with the house voting to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of the gay marriage bill.The House voted 100-49 to override the veto Tuesday. The vote tally was greeted by rousing applause in the House chamber.The state House and Senate sent the bill to the Governor’s office Monday evening where, as expected, it met with rejection.The Senate began the override debate at about 10 a.m. as lobbying continued in the House chambers nearby. "This is our moment," Sen. Peter Shumlin told senate members as the Senate debate began.The debate was short as the Senate voted to override Douglas' veto 23-5.The secretary of the Senate delivered the bill to the governor's office Monday night, where his staff was ready, handing the bill back with a letter announcing the governor's formal veto and his reasons for it. The governor cited reasons he has shared before, saying he believes marriage is between a man and a woman. In his letter, Douglas said same-sex couples would be denied federal benefits even if the bill were to become law.

Douglas had yet to be overridden throughout his tenure."We've been talking with a lot of members. I feel it's a real possibility that we'll be able to put this bill into law tomorrow," House Speaker Shap Smith said.

IOWA SUPREME COURT OKAYS GAY MARRIAGE

2009-04-03T09:03:00.005-05:00

Buck up fellow homos! Don't let Vermont get ya down! Iowa, the (what is Iowa famous for? Not potatoes, that's Idaho, hmmm) 'something state', has just made itself hospitable to gays who wanna marry (like those two charming gay-Iowan fellows above who I'd be happy for if I wasn't seething with so much envy)...

"The Iowa Supreme Court this morning struck down a 1998 state law that limits marriage to one man and one woman. The ruling is viewed as a victory for the gay rights movement in Iowa and elsewhere, and a setback for social conservatives who wanted to protect traditional families. The decision makes Iowa the first Midwestern state, and the fourth nationwide, to allow same-sex marriages. Lawyers for Lambda Legal, a gay rights group that financed the court battle and represented the couples, had hoped to use a court victory to demonstrate acceptance of same-sex marriage in heartland America. Richard Socarides, a former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton on gay civil rights, said today’s decision could set the stage for other states. Socarides was was a senior political assistant for Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin in the early 1990s. 'I think it’s significant because Iowa is considered a Midwest sate in the mainstream of American thought,' Socarides said. 'Unlike states on the coasts, there’s nothing more American than Iowa. As they say during the presidential caucuses, 'As Iowa goes, so goes the nation.’'"

VERMONT HOUSE PASSES GAY MARRIAGE-GOVERNOR LIKELY TO VETO

2009-04-03T08:34:00.007-05:00

The good news is the Vermont House just approved a gay marriage bill, the bad news is it's probably not gonna make it past their governor (pictured top)...

Gov. Jim Douglas could still veto the bill, which he's promised to do, although that sentiment remains cloudy. Having already made it through the Vermont Senate, the state's House passed the measure 95-52 after four hours of intense debate on the floor, falling five Yays short of a 100-vote "veto proof" vote. Tomorrow there will be a "final approval" measure before it's sent to Douglas' desk.

If Douglas signs off on it, the U.S. will have eight percent of its states with legal gay marriage on the books. Tomorrow's decision in Iowa could bump that to 10 percent.

GAY MARRIAGE NOW LEGAL IN SWEDEN!

2009-04-03T08:22:00.007-05:00

Here is a bit of good news to start your day!

If your Swedish, gay, and wanna wed you can now do it in Sweden. Woohoo!!

"Sweden has become the fifth European country to allow gay marriage. Parliament on Wednesday adopted a new law that gives same-sex couples the same marriage rights as heterosexuals. The Parliament's Web site says the new law will take effect on May 1. The Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and Spain also allow gay marriages. Sweden has recognized civil unions between homosexual couples since 1994. However, the old law stopped short of calling them marriages, which gay rights activists said was discriminatory. It will still be up to individual churches to decide if they want to wed gay couples. Swedish news agency TT says the 349-seat legislature passed the measure in 261-22 vote, with 66 lawmakers abstaining or absent."

HATE CRIME UPDATES!

2009-03-21T09:43:00.011-05:00

Hey gang-

I have to get my butt to work, so here is a round-up of the latest news concerning recent hate crimes, many of which I have covered here in the past, courtesy of our lovely and talented friends at Towleroad...

***Jurors found Omar Willock guilty of second-degree murder in the 2007 stabbing death of Roberto Duncanson in Brooklyn's Crown Heights: "As observers waited for a verdict on March 17, Omar's father approached Sterling-Palmer and the two held a quiet, 30-minute-long conversation about their shared religious views. They agreed that they would pray for each other's families. Omar had faced two counts of second-degree murder, one as a hate crime that charged he killed Duncanson because he was gay. Firetog dismissed the hate crime count. In his closing statement, Jackson cited Omar's repeated use of 'faggot' as the motivation for the killing. Omar will be sentenced on May 5 and faces a minimum sentence of 15-years-to-life and a maximum of 25-years-to-life. The hate crime count would have increased the minimum to 20-years-to-life. The average time served for second-degree murder in New York is just under 25 years."

***A man who was stabbed in an attack on a London doorstep in which his partner was killed is still critically ill: "Chris Bevan, 56, was stabbed several times on March 3 in Page Heath Villas during an attack which killed his partner, 59-year-old Gerry Edwards. More than two weeks after the incident, police have confirmed that Mr Bevan is still in a critical but stable condition in a south London hospital with injuries to his internal organs. Investigations into the late night assault suggest it may have been a homophobic attack. News Shopper revealed last week that the couple’s two bedroom flat was gutted by fire while police and forensic teams were still on the scene. Police have refused to say what caused the fire, although residents claim it may have started when chemicals used by officers at the crime scene caught light."

***Killer of gay man in Montrose, California in 2005 has sentenced reduced by 10 years: "Montrose County District Judge James Schum cut Fiske's original 22-year sentence to six years on each charge, to be served consecutively, leaving Fiske a total of 12 years in prison, minus more than three years for time served. Hale, 36, died after an altercation with Fiske and Adam Hernandez at a Montrose park. Hale had told police he'd been threatened because he was gay, and his death sparked fears that he was targeted because of his sexual orientation. Advocacy groups called for hate-crime charges, but prosecutors declined to file them."

***Joseph Storm, who you may remember beat a man who was wearing a "No on Prop 8" button with a "Yes on 8" yard sign in Torrance, California last year, has received his sentence for the anti-gay assault: "As part of a deal with prosecutors, Joseph Storm pleaded no contest on March 3 to one hate crime allegation. In exchange for his plea, Storm was ordered by Torrance Superior Court Judge Steven Van Sicklen to attend classes at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and six months of anger management counseling. Storm also received seven days in jail for the time he already served after the Oct. 26 attack around 2a.m. in the 2000 block of 230th Street. He will remain on probation for three years and perform more than 100 hours of community service. According to Deputy District Attorney Tim Hu, Storm must also write an essay by Sept. 16 explaining what he's learned from his classes and counseling. Failure to do so could result in a probation violation, Hu added."

***A judge in Colorado tossed part of the confession of Allen Andrade in the murder of transgender woman Angie Zapata in Greeley, Colorado: "It’s unclear what Andrade told police during the first 39 minutes of the interrogation, conducted over two hours after police arrested Andrade in Thornton driving a car belonging to Zapata’s sister almost two weeks after Zapata’s body was discovered. According to a police affidavit cited by the Tribune: "… Andrade told Tharp he met Zapata on the Internet and that they had arranged a date. The affidavit said he stayed at Zapata’s apartment alone while she went out, and he realized Zapata was a man. When Zapata returned later, Andrade confronted her about being a man, eventually hitting her with his fists and knocking her to the ground, the affidavit stated. Andrade, according to the affidavit, said he then hit Zapata with a fire extinguisher, and later, when she started to wake up, he hit her several more times until she died. The judge also ruled prosecutors can’t call experts to testify that Andrade was the member of a gang that routinely punished members — even killing them — when they engaged in homosexual acts" Meanwhile, both sides in the case are posturing as to whether or not Zapata be referred to as a woman or a man: "The public defenders who are representing the murder suspect, Andrade, did not return calls, but former Weld District Attorney Al Dominguez speculated why the defense needs to maintain Zapata was a man. 'It’s my guess that they will be using a heat-of-passion defense,' Dominguez said, 'in which they have to prove their client killed Zapata because he was angry when he discovered she was a man. The only way to do that is to show that the victim was a man who misrepresented himself.'”

***Authorities have not yet decided whether the beating two men received from a group of 15 to 20 youths after a Britney Spears concert in Newark, New Jersey is a hate crime: "Kehoe said the attackers deliberately targeted him and his partner because they are gay, saying that they repeatedly used words like 'faggot' during the attack. Caldwell was taken to University Hospital with his jaw broken in two spots."

***Two men charged for killing of gay man in Jamaica: "It is alleged that Harris made sexual advances towards Gordon, who told Williams about it. The two reportedly devised a plan where Gordon would agree to meet with Harris, so they both could 'beat' him. The court was told, however, that on February 23, when all three met up, Williams reportedly began stabbing Harris. Gordon reportedly told the police that he took the knife from Williams and also inflicted injuries."

And finally, this one's not specifically hate crime related, but I've posted about it quite a bit.

***Sandra Arena, who drove her car through a group of people outside a gay bar following an altercation last August in Rochester, was convicted of a lesser homicide charge. Arena ran down 23-year-old Chad Coleman, pinning him under the car: "Monroe County Court Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr. acquitted Arena of second-degree murder but found her guilty of second-degree manslaughter in the death of Chad Coleman, 23, on Aug. 13, 2008. Both charges are felonies with different levels of culpability. The murder charge alleged that Arena caused Coleman’s death while acting with a depraved state of mind. The manslaughter charge alleged she caused his death while acting recklessly...Coleman and the four women, two of whom were friends of Arena, were run down in a parking lot at Alexander Street and Broadway after an altercation inside Nasty D’s Bar & Grill, 140 Alexander St. The incident occurred after Arena had a confrontation with Dominique Sablowski, 19, who was upset that Arena was having a relationship with Bowers, her ex-girlfriend. The two had a previous confrontation at another bar two weeks earlier. Arena said she left with Gifford and Dalesandro but was followed by Sablowski and some of her friends. Sablowksi and a man punched Arena in the face outside her car before the man grabbed Dalesandro by the hair and began pulling her away. Arena said she drove toward the group in an effort to break up the fight. She insisted she wasn’t trying to hit the group and didn’t intend to hurt anyone."

MINNESOTA FAMILY COUNCIL SEEKS TO BAN GAY MARRIAGE

2009-03-19T13:53:00.004-05:00

Blimey! What a roller coaster!

At first Minnesota homos were up when Democratic law makers introduced a same-sex civil union bill.

Well, now they are crashing back down again as the Minnesota Family Council has lashed back in an effort to ban gay marriage/civil unions...

The Minnesota Family Council says it will introduce an amendment banning same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships in Minnesota in the next few days. The group announced the new amendment push at a press conference with fundamentalist religious leaders on Tuesday.

Those leaders put forward a multifaith diatribe against gay and lesbian relationships stating that should gays get the right to marry, the world would end.

“If everyone is a gay, this world will cease to exist in 10 years,” said Ikram ul-Huq, the imam and religious director of the Muslim Community Center of Bloomington.

“Homosexual unions are forbidden and cannot be licensed with the term marriage,” said Rabbi Moshe Feller, Shliach of the Rebbe to the Upper Midwest, a Chabad-Lubavitch sect of Hasidic Judaism.

“We see this as a pivotal issue to life, not just for our nation but the life we have known for 3,000 years,” said Tom Parrish, administrative pastor of Hope Lutheran Church. Parrish represents Hope Lutheran Church, whose senior pastor, Tom Brock, raised some eyebrows in 2003 when he insisted the 9/11 attacks were God’s wake-up call.

“That’s a lifestyle that God says is sinful,” Brock said of homosexuality in 2003.

“Something happened to this nation in the ’60s,” he continued. “It’s just become more and more godless. I think God is going to judge us. I think 9/11 might be a wake-up call from God, saying America needs to repent.”

Another Christian pastor said life itself is at stake if same-sex marriage isn’t banned permanently.

“This is not a political issue, or an issue of choice or rights. It is an issue of life,” said Andre Dukes, pastor of Shiloh Temple Ministries in Minneapolis. Shiloh is a nondenominational church in the Pentecostal vein.

*photo courtesy Andy Birkey

POPE SAYS CONDOM USE ACCELRATES HIV TRANSMITION

2009-03-19T10:37:00.003-05:00

Whaaaa???

Well, our favorite Papal Pundit is at it again.

This time he has opined that condoms actually increase the rates of HIV infection (again everyone: Whaaa??)

"Benedict said that the Roman Catholic Church is in the forefront of the battle against AIDS. 'You can't resolve it with the distribution of condoms,' the pope told reporters aboard the Alitalia plane headed to Yaounde. 'On the contrary, it increases the problem.' The pope said that a responsible and moral attitude toward sex would help fight the disease. About 22 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are infected with HIV, according to UNAIDS. In 2007, three-quarters of all AIDS deaths worldwide were there, as well as two-thirds of all people living with HIV."

This even trumps the time John McCain wasn't sure if he believed the use of condoms prevented HIV.

MERRIAM WEBSTER REDEFINES MARRIAGE IN FAVOR OF GAYS

2009-03-19T10:27:00.003-05:00

Hey gang, a bit of good news!

At least as far as the Merriam Webster dictionary goes, gay marriage is valid.

Joe.My.God. has more....

Well kids, we have done it. We have literally redefined marriage. And I say "literally" in the literal sense of the word. Check out the new definition of marriage according to Merriam-Webster. (above) Of course, we'd rather see Section 1 of that definition as only one line saying: "Marriage: the state of being united to another adult in a consensual or contractual relationship recognized by law." But, you know, baby steps. Bonus fun: the wingnuts are already pulling their hair out. One of the nation's most prominent dictionary companies has resolved the argument over whether the term "marriage" should apply to same-sex duos or be reserved for the institution that has held families together for millennia: by simply writing a new definition. "I was shocked to see that Merriam-Webster changed their definition of the word 'marriage,' a word which has referred exclusively to a contract between a man and a woman for centuries. It has now added same sex," YouTube user Eric B. noted to WND. Next time they scream, "You're REDEFINING marriage!", just tell them that train has left the station, or that ship has sailed, or whatever transportation metaphor your prefer. Heh.

GLBT CIVIL UNION BILL INTRODUCED IN MINNESOTA

2009-03-06T08:50:00.004-06:00

Well, this one made my toes curl, it pertains to my own home state.

Democratic Law Makers have introduced a same-sex civil union bill (woohoo!) in the Senate...

The next round of the perennial battle over same-sex marriage in Minnesota was officially joined on Thursday. A bill that would define marriage as a civil contract between "two persons," rather than a man and a woman, was introduced in the state Senate, sponsored by five DFL members.

It has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, but no hearings have been scheduled.

The bill would strike language from state law that specifically prohibits marriage by persons of the same sex, along with language that refuses to recognize same-sex marriages from another state or country.

Debate over the bill is likely to be fierce if the recent track record in the Legislature is any guide. Between 2004 and 2006, gay marriage opponents proposed bills to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would have decreed marriage is a union of a man and a woman only. The bills didn't get out of the Legislature, but opponents said last year they would try again in 2009. So far, gay rights advocates are seizing the offensive this year, after trying and failing to pass a bill in 2008.

In an apparent attempt to soften some opposition, the new bill states that nothing in it "mean[s] the state of Minnesota condones homosexuality or bisexuality or any equivalent lifestyle," or allows it to be promoted as such in the state's public schools.

Currently, Massachusetts and Connecticut are the only states where same-sex marriage is legal.

State's share of transit funding is $94 million

The Obama administration announced Thursday that it will make $94 million available in federal stimulus money for public transportation projects in Minnesota.

The money was part of $8.4 billion that has been set for public transportation nationwide. The administration didn't announce a specific list of projects that the money would finance.

RUPAUL RELEASES NEW CD !!!

2009-03-05T09:04:00.000-06:00

The fantastic RuPaul has released a new cd (currently available for download) to accompany his smash-hit (logos biggest ratings winner to date) show Rupaul's Drag Race (Mondays on the aforementioned Logo).

I've already downloaded it myself, it's a real booty-shaker!

Head to Ru's website to purchase the music as well as check out tons of cool stuff..

MINNEAPOLIS LESBIAN VICTIM OF BRUTAL GAY-BASHING

2009-02-04T09:39:00.002-06:00

Yikes, this happened at my Rainbow Foods, right outside my door...

Minneapolis police are seeking two suspects who allegedly beat a woman in her Uptown neighborhood after verbally attacking her for being a lesbian.

According to police, Kristen Boyne, 32, was walking to the Rainbow Foods grocery store at 11 p.m. Thursday when she was accosted by two men at Lake Street and Dupont Avenue. Sgt. William Palmer said the men beat her until she lost consciousness.

Boyne, who told police she is a lesbian, suffered head injuries and was taken by ambulance to Hennepin County Medical Center, where she was treated and later released.

Palmer said the case appears to be the first such bias crime in the Uptown area in recent memory, and police have no suspects or witnesses. Anyone with information regarding the assault is asked to contact Sgt. Bruce Kohn at 612-673-2941.

WHITE HOUSE UNVEILS IT'S QUEER AGENDA

2009-01-22T08:40:00.003-06:00

The White House website has unveiled it's gay-rights objectives...

Support for the LGBT Community

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."
-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.
Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.
Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

BOY GEORGE SENTENCED TO 15 MONTHS JAIL

2009-01-20T08:02:00.003-06:00

Yikes, amongst all of the political hub-bub, I almost forgot to post this one: 80's pop legend Boy George was sentenced to 15 months in jail for tying a male escort to a bed and beating him with a chain...

In sentencing Boy George, whose real name is George O'Dowd, Snaresbrook Judge David Radford called the April 2007 attack on Audun Carlsen "shocking and degrading" and "so serious that only an immediate sentence of imprisonment can be justified."

The judge also said that while he was thankful Carlsen's injuries weren't "serious or permanent," he told O'Dowd, "In my view there can be no doubt that your premeditated, callous and humiliating handcuffing and detention of Mr. Carlsen shocked, degraded and traumatized him."

"He was deprived of his liberty and his human dignity without warning or proper explanation to him of its purpose, length or purported justification."

It came out in court last year that the 47-year-old '80s icon launched the attack on the Norwegian escort after he suspecting that Carlsen had attempted to hack into his computer to steal photographs.

The incident itself transpired after the Culture Club frontman hired the 29-year-old, whom he met over the Internet three months prior, for a naked photo shoot, during which both men took cocaine. An unnamed man was also present and allegedly helped Boy George carry out the beating.

The singer, who opted not to take the stand to defend himself during the trial and who pleaded not guilty to the charges, was convicted last month but allowed free on bail until today's sentencing.

TOM HANKS CALLS SUPPORTS OF PROPOSITION 8 "UN-AMERICAN"-

2009-01-19T10:34:00.003-06:00

Man, this one made me warm and fuzzy. I love it when breeders come to the gays defense.

Tom Hanks told Fox News that the Mormon supporters of Proposition 8 were 'un-American' ...

“The truth is this takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen,” he told Tarts. “There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here's what happens now. A little bit of light can be shed and people can see who's responsible and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting constitution and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So lets have faith in not only the American, but Californian constitutional process.”

GAY MEN'S CHORUS SINGS AT INAUGURATION CONCERT

2009-01-19T09:02:00.003-06:00

Hey, some more good news for us gays to start the week right...

In a historic first, yesterday the Washington DC Gay Men's Chorus performed to a national audience in the live broadcast of Barack Obama's inauguration concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Backing pop stars Josh Groban and Heather Headley, the chorus performed My Country, 'Tis Of Thee wearing suits adorned with the red AIDS ribbon. The ribbon was the only indication that the chorus was gay, because like several other choruses that performed yesterday, their name was not announced or listed on screen.

REV. AL SHARPTON CHASTISES PROPOSITION 8 SUPPORTING CHURCHES

2009-01-16T08:33:00.001-06:00

At last, someone in the political world (aside from the LGBT'ers) has the courage to speak out against proposition 8.

The reverend Al Sharpton told listeners at the Tabernacle Baptist Church that he had no tolerance for churches that supported proposition 8...

It amazes me when I looked at California and saw churches that had nothing to say about police brutality, nothing to say when a young black boy was shot while he was wearing police handcuffs, nothing to say when the they overturned affirmative action, nothing to say when people were being delegated into poverty, yet they were organizing and mobilizing to stop consenting adults from choosing their life partners. There is something immoral and sick about using all of that power to not end brutality and poverty, but to break into people’s bedrooms and claim that God sent you."

"I am tired of seeing ministers who will preach homophobia by day, and then after they’re preaching, when the lights are off they go cruising for trade...We know you’re not preaching the Bible, because if you were preaching the Bible we would have heard from you. We would have heard from you when people were starving in California, when they deregulated the economy and crashed Wall Street you had nothing to say. When [alleged Ponzi schemer Bernie] Madoff made off with the money, you had nothing to say. When Bush took us to war chasing weapons of mass destruction that weren’t there you had nothing to say. … But all of a sudden when Proposition 8 came out you had so much to say, but since you stepped in the rain, we gonna step in the rain with you."

OBAMA USED TO FULLY SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE

2009-01-14T09:02:00.001-06:00

This might be very good news for the marriage-minded homos.

The Windy City Times dug up an article from 1996 that reveals President Elect Barack Obama at one time fully supported gay marriage (and not just civil unions as is his current stand)...

"During his run for Illinois state Senate in 1996, Barack Obama stated his unequivocal support for gay marriage, according to an exclusive story in the Jan. 14, 2009 Windy City Times newspaper.

President-elect Obama's answer to a 1996 Outlines newspaper question on marriage was: 'I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.'

There was no use of the phrase 'civil unions'. [Outlines purchased Windy City Times in 2000 and merged companies.]

This answer is among those included in this week's Windy City Times feature on Obama's evolving position on gay marriage. Windy City Times also includes his answers to the candidate questionnaire of IMPACT, at one time a gay political action committee in Illinois.

In that survey he also stated his support of same-sex marriage."

See the full interview/survey HERE.

OBAMA APPOINTS GAY BISHOP TO LEAD INAUGURAL INVOCATION

2009-01-13T09:52:00.001-06:00

President Elect Barack Obama has asked out-gay Bishop Gene Robinson to give the opening speech at the aforementioned invocation...

Congratulations, Rev. Warren critics: You did it. Yesterday's announcement that Episcopal New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson would lead the opening invocation of the Inauguration is great news for the gay community, but more importantly, it's proof that vocal opposition to Rev. Warren had an effect.

An unnamed transition official claimed the appearance was planned all along, but of course, that's a lie.

If it were true, why would it not have been announced in tandem with or shortly after the announcement that Rev. Warren would lead the day-of invocation? Are we to believe that Mr. Political Strategy decided to hold off on the announcement for three weeks while he suffered blistering criticism (from us, among many others) for being completely tone deaf to the needs of the LGBT community? Are we to believe that Bishop Robinson's criticism of Warren's inclusion in the event was done while all along, he knew he was going to be invited.

That unnamed official is a moron. But does the inclusion of Bishop Gene Robinson make things all better?

The answer is a qualified "Yes."

The problem with Obama's decision to include Rick Warren was that he claimed it was a sign of his inclusiveness. He maintained that we could "disagree without being disagreeable," but he chose to make the medium of his message an insanely popular evangelical preacher who used his power to help Proposition 8, one of the most stinging pieces of legislative fag-bashing to pass in this country. It took away enshrined civil rights, and Obama's argument that LGBT people should sit by and abide a man who made it his personal mission to deprive them of those rights in the name of "inclusiveness" was too ludicrous to stomach.

In expanding this idea of inclusion to include Bishop Robinson, Obama has managed to unite his rhetoric with his politics. Did he do it because of the loud, vocal and persistent opposition to Warren? You bet. Does that make the act any less significant? Not really.

Consider this the LGBT community's first dance with the new President. He got it wrong, badly wrong and stepped on our toes. Well, actually, if we're going to use a dancing analogy, it was more like he stepped up to us and slapped us across the face and then asked us for a waltz, but I digress.

The point is, we did not stand by and put up with it.

We were outraged and rightly so, and lo and behold, the President-Elect did something about it and is now asking our nation's most prominent gay religious figure to kick off the Inauguration on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, at an event that's open to the public, loaded with celebrity singers (see related article) and will be carried for free on HBO to any home that has basic cable on the second biggest home-viewing night of the week.

That's change we can believe in. It shows the president-elect is different than his predecessor in that, when he is confronted with opposition, he doesn't dig down into his bunker, but instead actually listens to what his opponents are saying.

More saliently, it shows we must speak up often and loudly about our issues. Make no doubt about it, had gay and lesbian activists not made a stink about Warren, Robinson would not be leading Sunday's invocation.

BUSH SIGNS GAY-PARTNER RETIREMENT BENEFITS BILL

2009-01-02T08:44:00.000-06:00

Here is your first 'pinch me, I must be dreaming' story of 2009...

Just before Christmas, George W. Bush signed a bill called the The Worker, Retiree and Employer Recovery Act of 2008 (WRERA) which, among other things, "makes it mandatory for businesses to roll over retirement benefits to a same-sex partner in the event of the employee’s death."

According to the Minnesota Independent, "Previously, employers could decline and surviving same-sex partners would have to pay tax on the inheritance of the deceased partner’s retirement savings. Legally married heterosexual couples automatically avoid that tax penalty."

HRC's Joe Solmonese applauded the act's passage: "This legislation secures much-needed protection for lesbian and gay couples. Our community faces unique challenges in preparing for retirement because we are denied Social Security spousal and survivor benefits. Protecting our hard-earned retirement savings is even more crucial to us, and until now, the tax code made it that much harder.”

CAROLINE KENNEDY FULLY SUPPORTS GAY MARRIAGE

2008-12-23T09:28:00.001-06:00

At last! Some positive political news for us homos.

Caroline Kennedy, heir to the Kennedy political dynasty, has gone on record as being in full support of gay marriage. A very brave move considering many are predicting she will soon he vying for Hilary Clinton's old Senate seat...

Caroline Kennedy is finally sharing some of her political opinions with the people she's campaigning to represent — casting herself in the liberal tradition of uncle Ted Kennedy, bucking Barack Obama by supporting same-sex marriage and disavowing Hillary Clinton's 2002 vote for the Iraq invasion.

A Kennedy spokesman drafted seven written answers to the eight questions submitted by Politico to the 51-year-old attorney, author and electoral novice.

QUESTION 2: Same-sex marriage. Do you support the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry? Do you think it's appropriate that Rick Warren, who campaigned to ban gay marriage, is delivering the invocation at Obama's inauguration? If not, have you expressed that to the president-elect?

ANSWER: "Caroline supports full equality and marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples."

NO GAYS APPOINTED TO OBAMA'S "RAINBOW CABINET"

2008-12-20T08:49:00.003-06:00

Bad news from Queerty:

President Elect Barak Obama has choses not to staff his ironically named 'Rainbow Cabinet' with any homos...

UPDATE II: Unless you count incoming Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, (which we don't), there will be no gay members of the Obama cabinet. Politico reports that President-elect Obama has chosen California Rep. Hilda Solis as Labor secretary.

From yesterday's WSJ:

The post is one of the last to be filled by President-elect Barack Obama, and is proving to be particularly difficult. Early candidates, such as former Rep. David Bonior and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, have faded, either because they asked not to be considered or ran into other problems. Bonior has championed labor activist Mary Beth Maxwell, who would be the first openly gay cabinet member in history.

But Shaiken has emerged as a candidate with strong backing from unions and high praise from corporate officials, according to people familiar with the selection process.

Here in a nutshell is why gays and lesbians are so upset with Obama today. He's following the Clinton playbook for dealing with the gay community, a playbook that the Democratic Party has subscribed to ever since. When Barack Obama said that he only supports marriage as being defined as being between a man and a woman, the gay & lesbian community was told, "Don't worry, we've got your back" and LGBT activists let is slide, despite the fact that Obama's position was used by the Yes on 8 campaign in ads and mailers in their winning campaign. After the huge losses and nation-wide protest marches last month, we had hope Obama would speak up in defense of marriage equality, but he stayed silent. We were told, "Now is not the time." When The Victory Fund announced it was working with the Obama team to find qualified gays and lesbians for the new Cabinet, we waited. We waited while the list of open positions diminished and now it appears Mr. Hope & Inclusion's Dream Team won't have any gay members at all. The one bright spot is that Obama's Education Secretary nominee Arne Duncan is a champion of gay and lesbian youth.

Is it any wonder that gays and lesbians are upset that they're being told to welcome and include one of the loudest and most prominent supporters of Prop 8 at the inauguration? In the 80s, Ronald Reagan sat silently while gay men and then peole from every walk of life suffered horrible, painful death due to AIDS. In the 90s, Clinton "felt our pain", but only added to it by passing the Defense of Marriage Act and instituting Don't Ask-Don't Tell. George W. Bush supports a gay-baiting Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage that only exists as a way for conservatives to flas their bona fides come election time.

Let's face it: The gay community gets dicked around by the White House regardless of which party is in office. Are LGBT rights the only issue that matters? No. It's not even the most important one and LGBT Americans, like all Americans, will support our President in a difficult and trying time in our country's history. But that doesn't mean that we will roll over when our civil rights are used as political pawns to win over conservatives or to be shelved until some time in the distant future.

The flap over Rev. Warren will fade over time and a few months from now will seem unimportant, but it can and should be, as Mr. Obama himself might say, "a teachable moment." Not for us, but for the President-Elect.

At today's press conference, Obama said of the issue:

"It's part of what my campaign's been all about — that we're not going to agree on every single issue, but what we have to do is be able to create an atmosphere where we can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans," he said. "There are going to be a wide range of viewpoints that will be represented and that's how it should be, because that's what America is about."

That sounds well and good, but where in the "wide range of viewpoints that will be represented" are gays and lesbians? Are not civil and equal rights something that should be and must be "one of those things that we hold common as Americans"? On the list of group who need more visibility and inclusion in Washington, are we to believe that Obama thinks that the religious right is a more marginalized group than gays and lesbians?

If the gay community is being loud in its criticism of Obama, it's only because without a voice at the table, it seems he's unable to hear us.

UPDATE II: The Victory Fund responds to Solis' nomination:

With the rumored nomination of Rep. Hilda Solis to the post of Labor Secretary, it’s apparent Barack Obama’s cabinet will not include a member of the LGBT community. Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute, expressed the community’s disappointment.

“It’s now clear that President Obama’s top appointees will gather in a Cabinet Room that does not reflect the living rooms, board rooms or rooms of worship across this country. Openly LGBT people are accepted and involved in nearly all aspects of American life, but they still will not have a place at the table at the highest reaches of their government,” Wolfe said.

The LGBT community’s Presidential Appointments Project does not have an express goal of attaining a cabinet-level appointment, but the floating of several names of openly gay and lesbian contenders to head the Labor and Interior Departments stirred hope that Obama would make an historic nomination. Still, Obama will make thousands more appointments in the coming months, and the Project has so far collected some 1,400 applications from openly LGBT at all levels of experience.

“Floating names is not enough. We expect President-elect Obama to live up to his word to appoint a diverse administration,” Wolfe said. “Our community is ready to help lead this country.”

PROPOSITION 8 SUPPORTERS ATTEMPTING TO INVALIDATE PREEXISTING GLBT MARRIAGES

2008-12-20T08:11:00.001-06:00

More bad news for us homos...

CNN) -- Sponsors of the California ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage are seeking to nullify thousands of marriages between gay and lesbian couples performed after the state Supreme Court ruled them constitutional.

The sponsors Friday filed responses to three anti-Proposition 8 lawsuits with the state Supreme Court. The briefs also defend Proposition 8 against opponents' legal challenges, including an argument that the amendment needed a constitutional convention to be added to the state's constitution.

"We are confident that the will of the voters and Proposition 8 will ultimately be upheld," said Andrew Pugno, General Counsel for ProtectMarriage.com and the Proposition 8 Legal Defense Fund.

California Attorney General Edmund "Jerry" Brown called on the court to reject the initiative.

"Proposition 8 must be invalidated because the amendment process cannot be used to extinguish fundamental constitutional rights without compelling justification," Brown said in a written statement.

Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the anti-Proposition 8 Courage Campaign, said he was "appalled" that the initiative's supporters wanted to nullify the same-sex marriages that are already on the books.

"The motivation behind this mean-spirited and heart-breaking action should not be allowed to be buried in legal brief," he said. "If Proposition 8's sponsors plan to destroy lives, they should at least have the courage to admit it publicly."

Opponents filed suit quickly after the November 4 election in which Proposition 8 passed 52 percent to 48 percent, effectively reversing a California Supreme Court decision that it was unconstitutional to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The vote also prompted a series of protests, some aimed at supporters of the proposition.

The proposition, which added an amendment to the state constitution, defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

Opponents argue that the amendment cannot be applied retroactively, but proponents say the amendment is clear on that issue.

"Proposition 8's brevity is matched by its clarity," one of the briefs read. "There are no conditional clauses, exceptions, exemptions, or exclusions: 'Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.'

BARACK OBAMA CHOSES ANTI-GAY PASTOR RICK WARREN FOR INAUGURAL INVOCATION

2008-12-18T08:55:00.004-06:00

Man, this is disappointing (and surprising).

Barack Obama is enlisting homophobic Pastor Rick Warren (above) to speak at his inauguration...

Today, Barack Obama's Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies announced that Pastor Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California has been chosen to give the invocation at January's inauguration. Warren was a vocal supporter of Proposition 8, saying during the election:

"There is no reason to change the universal, historical definition of marriage to appease 2% of our population. This is one issue that both Democrats and Republicans can agree on. Both Barack Obama and John McCain have publicly opposed the redefinition of marriage to include so-called 'gay marriage.' Even some gay leaders, like Al Rantel of KABC oppose watering down the definition of marriage."

Barack Obama's decision to allow a direct enemy of gays and lesbians to officiate at his inauguration isn't just alarming, it's outrageous and indefensible. We call on President-Elect Barack Obama to rescind his offer to Rev. Warren immediately.

We were early supporters of Barack Obama and your editor first endorsed the candidate in October of 2007, when his candidacy was considered quixotic and unwinnable. What appealed to us then, as it does now, is Obama's commitment to move past partisan divides and govern from a common center, to choose hope over hate, to practice a politics of inclusion instead of one of division. The selection of Rev. Warren runs counter to everything Obama's candidacy promised.

We understand the political appeal of Rev. Warren. He's been dubbed 'America's Preacher' and both Obama and McCain attended a debate sponsored by his Saddleback Church during the election. Perhaps, looking back at the last pastor Obama associated himself with, he sought to choose a comforting figure to reassure wary conservatives. Obama is a shrewd politician and Warren's selection is one transparently made for political considerations.

Some will argue that Warren's inclusion is a purely symbolic act and what matters is what Obama does for gays and lesbians while in office, but as Obama has said himself, "words matter." Obama's pick confers a legitimacy on Warren's homophobic statements and there's not a single reason why the LGBT community should consider this anything other than a slap in the face. Make no mistake, Rick Warren is an enemy of the gay community–and today, Obama has gone further than any other person could in legitimizing Warren's homophobic beliefs.

The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder says the decision to give Rev. Warren the nation's pulpit is:

Not so much pandering as it is Obama's deft manipulation of the politics of symbolism. Obviously, Obama disagrees with Rick Warren on important issues. He has said so, many times, and publicly. And he agrees with him on other important issues. And ignoring something like Warren, a mainstream figure who commands the respect of million of Americans, would be foolish. Obama's message is: Rick Warren is a part of Obama's America, too.

That's fine, but without a single LGBT person in the Cabinet, it seems that while Barack Obama's America includes Rick Warren, gays and lesbians are conspicuously absent.

UPDATE: Parag Mehta is Obama’s LGBT liaison on the transition team. His email is parag.mehta@ptt.gov

POLICE SUSPECT SERIAL KILLER RESPONSIBLE IN BRUTAL MURDERS OF 13 GAYS

2008-12-09T07:10:00.000-06:00

Brazilian police say they may have a serial killer of gays on the loose...

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — Brazilian police are investigating whether a possible serial killer is behind the murders of more than a dozen gay men in a park in suburban Sao Paulo.

Police chief Paulo Fernando Fortunato tells the O Globo newspaper that 13 gay men were killed there between February 2007 and August 2008.

He says police are not sure whether a single person is responsible. Undercover police are now patrolling the park at night.

Fortunato says he went public with the investigation to help warn people of the danger.

His comments were published Monday. Requests for police comment were not immediately answered.