Insane rhetoric that led to George Tiller's death needs to stop

This is not an lgbt issue per se, but it can be seen as related to us in a way:

Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas doctor whose clinic received national attention for performing late-term abortions, was shot to death as he entered his Wichita church on Sunday.

"Members of the congregation who were inside the sanctuary at the time of the shooting were being kept inside the church by police," the Wichita Eagle reported, "and those arriving were being ushered into the parking lot."

Media reports said the suspected killer fled the scene in a blue Taurus. Police described him as a white male in his 50s or 60s.

Tiller was not necessarily a favorite person of the religious right, especially the folks at One News Now. The news site ran a plethora of articles about Tiller; none of which were exactly unbiased:

George Tiller, a man many pro-lifers call "Tiller the baby killer," received a standing ovation at the Feminist Majority Foundation's annual Women's Leadership Conference held recently at the NEA's headquarters in Washington, DC. During his talk, Tiller attempted to justify his work by showing the approving audience pictures of babies he had aborted who had fetal abnormalities. The Feminist Majority Foundation then announced it was launching a new campaign designed to keep Tiller's Wichita, Kansas, abortion mill open. - Tiller's appearance at NEA-hosted event draws pro-lifers' attention, March 26, 2008

Calling it a tragic injustice for all law-abiding Kansans, a pro-life activist is dismayed that a grand jury in Wichita has failed to indict infamous abortionist George Tiller on criminal charges related to performing illegal late-term abortions. - Abortionist Tiller off the hook, May 7, 2008

A Kansas jury has found notorious abortionist, George Tiller, not guilty on all counts. - Tiller found not guilty: Pro-life forces vow to continue fight, March 28, 2009

And the comments by its readers, no doubt instigated by these articles, were equally horrendous:

Tiller should should be executed for these deaths. If the babies had been live births and full-term babies, he would have the death penalty. God knows how many he actually murdered in his career

Kansas people: you are not powerless to elect better government leaders and judges!! Do your job! I know there are Christians in Kansas-speak up! If you don't, God will continue to bring His wrath upon you. Do you think it is by shear coincidence that your state is going bankrupt?

Considering the abortion industry is all about the almighty dollar! I am really suprised the funeral directors & owners are not having a fit about all the revenue they are losing buy these abortionists, just throwing these bodies away with out a proper buriel(spel?). Can you believe all the revenue being wasted? Why doesn't Obama tax the heck out of abortions to balance the budget?

Would someone please explain to me how this man was acquitted and still has a license to practice medicine??? I am absolutely mortified!! I cannot believe that anyone/any judge, would/could let this man get away with these crimes. I know this man will pay for his crimes in eternity, but I will be praying for him to pay for his crimes here on earth as well.

Tiller needs to face the death penalty.

I live in Kansas. Thank God that someone is finally able to stick it to Tiller. Kline tried his best. Now that Gov. Sebelius will be off to Washington, she won't be able to protect Tiller to get his donations. Still, I don't understand how mass murder can be deemed a misdemeanor?

You see, this is the reason why I get spooked when One News Now publishes misleading articles and columns accusing President Obama of being a socialist or helps to sponsor those awful "tea parties" designed to demonize him.

This is why the hair on the back of my neck stands up when One News Now publishes article after article falsely saying that hate crimes legislation will lead to pastors getting arrested, or scaring their readers with the lies about gays "trying to indoctrinate" children.

This rhetoric will always sooner or later lead to something. It's like a car speeding towards a cliff.

I am not suggesting that One News Now actually told readers to murder Tiller, but in all honesty, the rhetoric emanating from the site contributed to a climate that made someone think that it was perfectly acceptable to gun down a man at his church.

When you create monsters, you also create those who want to kill the perceived monsters.

The site's rhetoric needs to be toned down. And there needs to be less of a bias from its articles. One News Now no doubt sees itself as representing the Christian point of view in America but how it is Christian to get people so worked up that they advocate violence as an ethical solution?

It's definitely something to think about.

Last, but certainly not least, my prayers go out to the Tiller family. And I hope that the authorities find whomever committed this awful crime.

UPDATE - It's just as bad on Free Republic.

Know your lgbt history - I Got Da Hook Up

Sometimes one doesn't have to look far in the past to find hideous images of lgbts in movies and television. This monstrosity (which I won't even dignify with a back story) came out in 1998

The scene in question (beginning at 2:37) just defies description. And the sad thing about it is that BET (Black Entertainment Television) was showing this movie Wednesday with the scene included. Of course the network blocked out the profanity and racial slurs.

Too bad it didn't do the same thing with the disrespetful lgbt images.

Friday midday news briefs

Gay Teen Receives Prom Queen Crown - It's the story everyone is talking about (it's driving the folks at Free Republic nuts), so I figure what the heck.

Black Leaders Step Up for Equality - I love this story, particularly what Maya Angelou did. Her actions should send a message on how we should fight for not only marriage equality but lgbt rights in general in the black community.

Widespread Acceptance of Gay Marriage Just a Matter of Time - And I hope it comes in time for me to buy my outfit and pick my groom.

Plane silly: Kick and screaming for bias - This is a damn shame. I usually emulate crazy sistas. I don't think I will emulating this one (okay except for the part about being carried by two hunky men).

Palin's Hometown Newspaper Declares the Antichrist Will Be Homosexual - Okay who told them my secret? Well if something should happen to anyone involved with that newspaper (such as hanging themselves at a birthday party, getting staked in front of a church, getting thrown out of a hospital window, getting decapitated, having a crow pecking out their eyes right before getting hit by a truck on a lonely highway, getting caught between two freights of a train, getting cut in half in an elevator) I didn't do it. Editor's note - if you saw The Omen and Damien Omen II then you should get this joke

LaBarbera, Americans for Truth having money problems

One of our favorite anti-gay activists, Peter LaBarbera and his group Americans for Truth seem to be having money problems.

Now before you continue to read this, stop your laughing and get that smile off of your face. It's not that I feel sorry for LaBarbera. I just don't want anyone to take what's happening lightly. If LaBarbera's group is truly having money problems, then I'm glad because it's one less liar the lgbt community has to worry about.

For years, LaBarbera via various groups (Americans for Truth is only the latest) has unfairly attacked and maligned the lgbt community under the guise of Christian values. This situation is truly a case of karma biting him in the ass.

However, I am reluctant to talk about it. I don't our reaction to elicit sympathy for LaBarbera and thereby generate a way for him to get out of his alleged financial hole.

But since this blog is mostly geared on the lies of the religious right, I will steer towards this story, albeit slightly cautiously.

LaBarbera's piece was supposed to be about civil unions. But apparently he included a rambling plea for money by saying the following:

Dear Readers,

I am writing to ask your help to lift Americans For Truth about Homosexuality (AFTAH) out of a financial crisis, but also to you to do your part to lift America out of her moral crisis. If you support Americans For Truth, it’s probably because you appreciate our direct approach to the problem of homosexual activism. We at AFTAH don’t play politically correct games by trying so hard not to offend anyone that we water down Truth. No, we just tell it like it is, and the homosexual activists hate us for it.

Every day, I receive vicious letters like this from an e-mail containing the name Seth Yatovitz (who gave his e-mail name as “Jesus”) [WARNING: VULGAR]:

Thank You ….For letting me know who you are so I can ream you in your ass even though I am straight. Burn in Hell Father [F–ker]! God loves everyone, even gay people like Jesus! I will be saying prayers for your enlightenment even though you disgust me more than any deviant sexual act ever could. Gays are NOT child molesters, they are the children of God.

Day in, day out, Americans For Truth gets bashed by hate-filled bloggers who strangely see themselves as “tolerant.” Of course, there is the childish name-calling (”Porno Pete”) and the lies (I’m a self-loathing, secret homosexual, you know). One godless “leatherman” was so angered by AFTAH’s role in exposing and closing down a homosexual “pig sex” orgy in a Washington, D.C. hotel that he posted a piece titled, “Peter LaBarbera Wants to Have Sweaty Mansex with Every One of You”

Someone should tell LaBarbera that Maggie Gallagher has already cornered the market on the "gays are unfairly calling me names" talking point.

LaBarbera then continues to play the victim and accuses the lgbt community of "destroying" people who speak out against us:

. . . it’s hard to stay committed to truth and principle knowing that a tiny but powerful army of homosexual militants will target you as a “homophobe” and a “bigot” — and try to destroy your career — if you publicly disagree with them. This is precisely what they did to Rick Warren (who appears to be caving), Dr. Laura Schlessinger, and – back in the 1970’s – a brave Christian woman named Anita Bryant.

Maybe that statement reveals why Americans for Truth is having monetary problems. Anita Bryant was a homophobe and a bigot.

For the benefit of the young folks who may not know, Bryant led a successful repeal of a pro-gay ordinance in Florida during the 1970s. Calling the campaign, Save our Children, Bryant used fear and ignorance to unfairly link gays to pedophiles. She consistently said statements like the following:

"As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children"

Bryant villified thousands of lgbts through her ignorance and hatred. Some of us are still angry over what happened as we should be. For LaBarbera to call her a brave Christian doesn't get me angry. It makes me sad that he considers the standard for being a Christian to be so low.

I guess LaBarbera thinks the commandment about not bearing false witness is irrelevant when fighting the alleged gay agenda.

LaBarbera even promises a gift to those who send money:

If you will help Americans For Truth with a tax-deductible gift of $25 or more, we will send you a free copy of the hard-cover book Homosexuality: A Freedom Too Far, by the late Charles Socarides, a man who dedicated his life to understanding homosexuality and helping people overcome it.

He would have done better to offer a free album like Jim Bakker used to do at PTL. At least that would have been more credible.

For the record here are a few facts about Socarides that LaBarbera will never tell you:

- he helped to found NARTH (National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality) which is mostly ignored by the scientific community because of its advocacy of reparative therapy (i.e. ex-gay therapy) and its members' tendency to distort credible information.

- he had suggested that serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was an extreme example of a gay man, writing "Every homosexual who wants to incorporate the body of his male lover is utilizing the same mental mechanism: incorporation. Most homosexuals are content to do this symbolically. Dahmer was psychotic; he took his homosexual disorder beyond the limits."

- for all of his talking about "curing lgbts," Socarides's son was not only openly gay but also special assistant to President Bill Clinton and White House liaison to the gay community.

In short, no one took Socarides seriously.

Something LaBarbera can no doubt empathize with.

Thursday musings

This is a slow, lazy day so I'm going to make a few quick comments regarding lgbt issues and world issues in general

- First, a word to President Obama:

Dear President Obama, please address the situation regarding Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Proposition 8, or any of the promises you made regarding lgbt rights. I mean really -I'm starting to feel like Bart Simpson in that episode of about Camp Krusty.

And stop cracking side jokes. You screw up every time you attempt it.

- I'm convinced that Maggie Gallagher and NOM is a sleeper organization for lgbt rights. I haven't gotten the latest memo from national headquarters but I will stake all of my Bette Davis and Joan Crawford movies on it.

- Matt Barber of Liberty University - since I suspect that you google your name from time to time to see how many webpages have mentioned you (don't be ashamed because I do it too), this is for your benefit. Despite the fact that you are absolutely morally wrong on the issue of lgbts and have told many lies, you are a cutie . . . SIKE!!!!! I may be gay but I will never be desperate . . . in daylight hours that is.

- I suspect that pretty soon, Republicans will be blaming hopefully soon-to-be Supreme Court justie Sonia Sotomayor for the American Idol/AT&T scandal. I happen to know for a fact that she didn't do it. She was busy plotting against Carrie Prejean.

- Food for thought: This is one of the comments from the One News Now phony story, TX 'hate crimes' bill targets children:

Do we not remember the story of Saddam and Gomorrah?

And here I thought we were just blaming him for weapons of mass destruction

Finally, the following is too funny for words. Just watch it:

NOM blows it again and other news briefs

National Organization for Marriage blows it again!



This is funny. Not only did the National Organization for Marriage distort the facts in this commercial (i.e. the situation in California where students went to the same-sex wedding of their teacher got permission from their parents to be there - the commercial conveniently omitted that fact), but at the end of the commercial, there are several typos:



Hat tip to Goodasyou.org - Sorry Jeremy but I had to borrow it. It's just too funny to keep on one site.

Okay stop laughing and pay attention to the other news briefs:

Footage From May 26, 2009 California Marches And Rallies - This footage is awesome. There is nothing like a galvanized community working to change things the right way.

RI poll: 60% support marriage - They support it in Rhode Island. The elected officials need to get with it.

TX 'hate crimes' bill targets children - A new lie about hate crimes protections courtesy of One News Now.

Matt Barber - no hate crimes protections for ANYBODY

The question that always seems to be ignored by the religious right is if hate crimes legislation is not a good idea for the lgbt community, then what about in cases of religion and race - two categories that do have hate crimes protection.

Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber has finally answered that question via a column in Town Hall.

Apparently he believes in a scorched earth policy, i.e. if sexual orientation and gender identity have to be protected under hate crimes legislation, then there should be no hate crimes legislation at all:

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle - in Washington and around the country - should not only reject S. 909, but should also begin working toward repeal of all state and federal hate-crimes laws.

. . . When the 1968 federal hate-crimes bill passed, there were multiple and verifiable cases of local prosecutors refusing to indict whites for violent crimes committed against blacks. This was the justification for the law at the time.

We've moved well beyond those days, and FBI statistics bear out that reality. In today's America, every citizen, without fail, is both guaranteed and granted equal protection of the law regardless of race, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, dominant hand, favorite color or "American Idol" pick. This renders all extraneous hate-crimes laws woefully obsolete and fatally discriminatory.

And he, of course, continues to repeat that lie that Matthew Shepard was not targeted and murdered because of his sexual orientation.

It's not a challenge anymore to refute Barber on this point. His constant inaccurate statements about Shepard's death is like someone saying that the sky is not blue during a sunny day.

In layman's terms - NO ONE BELIEVES YOUR LIES, MATT! Every time you tell that lie about Shepard's death, you lose the little bit of credibility that you do have.

Heck, even the commentators aren't interested in Barber's bleatings. Usually Town Hall columns elicit a plethora of responses. Barber's column at last count has only 12.

I wonder if the rest of the religious right will echo Barber's scorched earth policy.

Hat tip to People for the American Way's Religious Right Watch. Also, check out how the site refutes Barber's lie about the number of hate crimes perpetrated against lgbts.

My column on black prides to run in The State newspaper

This is the good news I hinted about last night:

Last week, I received word that a column I wrote regarding black prides will run in the State newspaper. Most likely the column will appear next month just in time for SC Black Pride (June 18-21). The column will run as either a daily Online Extra or part of the State's online Saturday Opinion Extra package.

I have told only a few friends and was going to announce it on this blog last week. But then the Proposition 8 thing happened and I held back.

The last thing I needed was someone to spoil my good news by saying that my column running in the State is not as important as the Proposition 8 case.

But it is important. As far as I know this will be the first time that the State newspaper will address lgbt issues from an African-American gay man's perspective on its editorial pages.

They also wanted a picture of me to appear with the column. And I should tell you that it's not one of my best but I like it for that reason. I don't look like the usual gay activist one sees in the magazines and on television. My glasses are huge, my hair is wild and I don't look "All-American," so to speak.

Another thing that's important about this column is that it totally avoids the distractive issue of comparing the black civil rights movement to the gay rights movement. It focuses solely on how lgbts of color are ignored in the mainstream African-American community and how this endangers us. I made it a point to address this issue several times, including calling out hypocrisies and expressing the "Native Son" theory of community self esteem made by black author Richard Wright.

So despite the Proposition 8 decision, I continue to be in a good mood. I personally think a step forward has been made.

I will let you all know when the column is published.

Wednesday afternoon news briefs

This is what happens when I miss a day of work. I get waaaay behind and have to catch up. Oh well, I apologize for the lateness of these news briefs

Prop 8 crazy in the Blend mailbag - Now I'm never one to pay attention to the opposition gloating in my face but in light of how the religious right exploited the Proposition 8 anger in November, take a look at what some folks had to say to us. Gloating is so un-Christian.

Ted Olson, better known as the devil, is now better than our president on gay marriage - And suddenly the world gets crazy.

Back on the ballot in CA in 2010? - This is the way to go!

Calif. high court dug its own hole, jumped in - Courtesy of One News Now, these folks are never happy. Reminds me of an ex.

How the Prop 8 Ruling Will Help Gay Marriage - I know folks will probably resent this piece because they are swept up in self pity and tears. WELL GET OVER IT FOLKS!! Did you think it was going to be easy? The race never belongs to the swift but the one who can stay on course. Keep pushing.

Day after storm yields good discussion on race and sexual orientation

First about President Obama picking Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court - may I never get picked for anything by any sitting president. Folks go through all of your business. I'm not sure I can destroy all of those pictures and videos before they fall into the wrong hands.

Seriously, we are one day removed from the Prop 8 decision and other than a little circular firing, the community seems to be more geared to action. We are galvanized and that ain't a bad thing.

One thing I noticed is how quickly some of us want to get into the intense discussions on the things that hinder our struggle. While I believe that these discussions should take place before something seemingly negative happens, it's still good to have them.

I'm following one on Pam's House Blend that speaks to a problem I know so well:

As someone who is black and lesbian, it's tiring and absurd to encounter the argument that the black civil rights movement somehow exclusively owns the ability to use "civil rights." And the result of that is any challenge to this thinking amounts to stepping on the third rail.

There is no Oppression Olympics that requires a certain level of historic suffering by a group of people to be able to use those words. I refuse to cede them to anyone.

In the Bay State Banner, there is an article by Talia Whyte, "Black gay couples in Mass. mark marriage anniversary," that shows just how black gays, even prominent ones, have had to deal with the issue of being rendered invisible -- but how marriage equality in the state has begun to crack through the wall of homophobia within the black community there.

I've come to the conclusion that any discussions comparing the black civil rights movement and the gay civil rights movement is a distractive argument, i.e. an argument that solves nothing and exists only to make the participants mad at each other.

The problem is that no one is personalizing the lgbt equality struggle in the black community. African-Americans should not support gay civil rights because Dr. King would or Coretta Scott Kng would. And they shouldn't support gay civil rights because Julian Bond and John Lewis would.

African-Americans should support gay civil rights because they have friends and family who would benefit from gay civil rights. Gay rights are a black issue but one would never know that due to the images put out in the media and by our spokespeople.

The gay rights movement is homogenized (i.e. too damn white). Our public image does not speak to the true diversity or the needs of the lgbt community and until someone steps up to change this, we are going to continue to have problems with race in the lgbt community.

Prop 8 ruling is no surprise but no total loss either

My original headline was misleading because I forgot to add one word (total). It's been corrected

The California court has ruled:

The state Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, but also decided that the estimated 18,000 gay couples who tied the knot before the law took effect will stay wed.

The justices rejected an argument from gay-rights activists that the ban revised the California constitution's equal protection clause to such a dramatic degree that it first needed the Legislature's approval.

No surprise there. Those angry at this ruling are calling for protests:

Activists in the San Francisco Bay area, including several clergy members, said they planned to block the street outside the courthouse and to be arrested in a mass show of civil disobedience if the justices did not invalidate Prop 8.

"Words are not enough right now. We believe it's time to put our bodies on the line to show that separate is not equal," said Kip Williams, an activist with One Struggle, One Fight, a group that was launched in response to Proposition 8's passage.

Again not a surprise. I'm all for acts of civil disobedience but only up until the point where they benefit our opposition instead of us. And I continue to cringe to think that people like Matt Barber and Maggie Gallagher are lurking around the blogs to find and exploit comments from righteously indignant lgbts.

But then I'm not totally upset over the ruling. The door of marriage equality has been opened due to the fact that 18,000 lgbt couples remain legally wed. And that door isn't going to close. And I know the religious right isn't happy over that.

Despite the ruling, the momentum is on the side of the lgbt community in this fight. We got good news in several states and several more will follow. This minor setback in California can be alleviated if folks there use their anger to push another referendum that would invalidate Prop 8.

And I think they will.

Meanwhile, the rest of us should continue to fight for our rights to self determination. Remember that marriage equality is only one of many fights that the lgbt community must engage. Down here in South Carolina, we are slowly but surely striving forward.

Most likely next month, the lgbt community here will reach a milestone in communication. It took a long time to reach this point and while I'm not at liberty to say what it is right now (although I may soon), trust when I say that it's a positive step.

The Prop 8 should be seen as a minor negative eruption a huge landscape that can and will be alleviated.

Never forget that regardless of what things look like now, we are going to win in the end.

Tuesday midday news briefs

Mercy this day sucks. I'm home ill and presently having a discussion with one of those Che Guevara types in the community. You know the type - the ones who itching to tell you what they have done for gay rights in the past; all of the marches complete with name dropping of some famous lgbts they feel that you should know.

This day should get really interesting come 1 p.m.

Obama picks Sotomayor for Supreme Court - Gentlemen, hold your noses and start your engines. The conservative bash machine is about to go into overdrive.

Nigel Lythgoe Spews Homophobia on So You Think You Can Dance - On one hand, this could mean something vital. But on the other, it's a diversionary piece of nonsense.

Gov. Schwarzenegger Apparently To Recommend Effectively Closing California State Office Of AIDS - This will be the dumbest thing he has done since The Last Action Hero.

Nevada governor vetoes domestic partnership bill - Nevada governor screws up my Memorial Day holiday.

Nuts to all of this, I'm grabbing a big hunk of chocolate cake and watching a horror movie!

Today is the day so let us pray

This is it. In just a few hours we will know the California court's decision on Prop 8.

I'm hoping for the best but I am prepared for the worst. I've been in prayer about what may happen for several reasons. Regardless of the size of California, I'm not exactly happy that everyone's eyes are on this decision despite the fact that either way it goes down, it won't change anything going on in my state, South Carolina.

I am resentful to a degree of how folks are going to declare the battle for marriage equality either won or loss due to this decision while totally forgetting the fight for lgbt equality in general, especially in the so-called insignificant states such as South Carolina where we recently fought hard to beat back an ugly anti-gay teen dating violence bill.

And I am worried about which way my community will act. If it's a total victory, people are going to spend unnecessary time celebrating while the religious right will be planning their next move.

And if it's not a complete victory, you just know folks are going to act stupid. Anger is good but counterproductive anger is stupid. And I cringe to think of more Phyllis Burgess incidents (i.e. the elderly woman who was pushed at an anti-Prop 8 rally after she began pushing people in order to get in camera. One guess which element of the story folks like Mike Huckabee and Michelle Malkin focused on).

So I await today's news with a degree of indifference and some fear. But my fingers are crossed that good will and intelligence will rule the day.

Not necessarily an lgbt issue but it's funny

As some of us await the Proposition 8 ruling tomorrow, I thought it would be educational and humorous to shine a light on some of our opposition.

This is a forum by that lovely online publication World Net Daily. The forum is devoted to allowing WND readers to ask President Obama questions.

Based on some of these "questions," they seem to like him as much as they like us:

Where is it? Your Live Birth Certificate? I know you do not have one! So how did you get into office? Just because you can read a teleprompter does not qualify you a president! Your arrogance is astounding you say President Bush did not keep us safe and made the terrorists situation worse but were we hit again? Easy yes or no? Answer is NO all you do is apologize for America why? We have done nothing wrong! If you feel the need to apologize so much why are you here in America? You are Muslim so you should go home! As my Grandmother always said your lies will show your true face the one you hide from others.

When I speak on topics at seminars, I know my topic well, if my notes are misplaced or water spills on them, I can keep going, because the topics I speak on are close to my heart; they are friends I want to share with my audience. When your speeches are not properly prompted, you lose your focus and ability to continue intelligently. You should be so well versed in your speeches that you could continue in a typhoon. Do you not know your topics? Or are you speaking someone else's words for them? Who really has your heart?

I would like to know how you turned from Muslim to Christian and now to WHAT??? You have turned your back on Christianity since you took oath. You can lie with that arrogant self righeous attitude with the best of the evil people.
I have not believed one word you said from day one and I am not a Republican!!!

As a "constitutional lawyer", how do you justify holding the office of President of the United States when you have not proven conclusively that you are constitutionally eligible to hold that office?

Mr. Soetoro - my question is by what authority did you assume the office of President? There is no proof that you are a citizen of the United States and certainly not a natural-born citizen as the Constitution requires. What gives you the right to sit in the White House every day NOT upholding your oath of office to support and defend the Constitution? You do remember the Constitution right? The suprewme law of our once-great Republic?

Yo Barry: Since you are the bastard son of a communist whore, and you see yourself as savior of the world, are you going to use your god-like powers to feed the masses after there are no more jobs in which to work to earn money. Or are you going to expect the us stupid Americans to get our food from the foreign aid Saudi Arabia provides? Do we have to cook our rice over open cow dung fires like your ancestors in Kenya? Will your little woman be cooking over cow dung fires?

Hey Hussein,
How is being a usurpin puppet for the Bilderbergs workin for ya??? And how do you sleep at night knowing your days are numbered? Which prison will you pick to live the rest of your joke of a life in?

So Barry, now that you are destroying the nation, murdering babies all over the world, spreading communism to the idiots that voted for you and all in all making yourself the new god, do you have to take a double dose of your anti-psychotic medication in order to reach your happy place? Enjoy it now, Barry. What goes around comes around, the piper always demands payment (and he ain't Allah).

Hey USURPER,
I want you to know you are not my president and wouldn't have been even if you could show proof of citizenship, which we all know now you haven't a snowballs chance..My question to you is, where in the U.S. do you think you'll be able to live after you're escorted out of the White House in cuffs,,you may get your pick of prisons, your a fraud and major law breaking USURPER!!!!!

I think Marge Simpson sent that last one.

And those comments are just from first three pages. There are a lot of people with too much time on their hands.

Paul Cameron goes to Poland and gets smacked down

I can't believe that I nearly missed this highly interesting news item about our favorite discredited researcher Paul Cameron. It took place earlier this month.

Luckily for me, the anti-gay phony news site Lifesite news covered the situation. If you ignore the pro-Cameron bias the article pushes, it makes for good reading:

An American psychologist and researcher who specializes in the medical and psychological harms of homosexual activity, has been turned away from speaking venues in Poland after attacks by a left-leaning newspaper.

Dr. Paul Cameron, the founder of the Family Research Institute (FRI), has said he is “deeply disappointed” that Warsaw’s Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University had bowed to political censorship and cancelled not only his lecture but an entire conference on homosexuality this week.

After the liberal newspaper, Gazeta Wyborcza published an article calling it “homophobic” for hosting Cameron, the university cancelled the conference titled “Homosexuality from scientific and religious points of view”. Gazeta Wyborcza is the paper that last year was instrumental in a prominent case in which a 14-year old girl was pressured by a feminist activist to abort her baby.

Shortly after Dr. Cameron arrived in Poland this week, Gazeta Wyborcza published a second page article accusing him of misrepresentation of science, and portraying him as a bigot and unreliable lecturer. The paper called Dr. Cameron “a fierce homophobe” and openly called for the cancellation of the conference, suggesting that whoever might attend would be guilty of offending homosexuals. The paper suggested that “international human rights conventions which Poland signed surely forbid these kinds of speaking events from taking place”.

On the day Cameron was to appear, the university announced that the conference had been cancelled. Professor Marek Kowalski, Vice-Rector for Teaching Policy and Student Affairs, announced the cancellation, saying he did not want to damage the image of the university by having it labelled “homophobic”. At the same time, he said he regretted that the media had deprived students of their academic freedom.

How convenient that the article does not go into detail regarding Cameron's many censures and rebukes for his bad research techniques. Rather, the article tries to make it seem that gays are stifling free speech.

I'm for free speech but I'm also for pushing correct information. No university which values its integrity should play host to anyone with a reputation as bad as that of Cameron:

1982 - During an attempt to repeat a pro-gay rights ordinance in Nebraska, he told a story of a child being castrated by a gay man during a sexual attack. When police investigated the story, they found it to be false.

And let's look at the condemnations rained down on him by the medical profession:

“(Cameron) misrepresents my findings and distorts them to advance his homophobic views. I make a very clear distinction in my writing between pedophilia and homosexuality, noting that adult males who sexually victimize young boys are either pedophilic or heterosexual, and that in my research I have not found homosexual men turning away from adult partners to children . . . I consider this totally unprofessional behavior on the part of Dr. Cameron and I want to bring this to your attention. He disgraces his profession.” - Dr. A. Nicholas Groth in 1984 after discovering that Cameron distorted his work.

"Paul Cameron (Nebraska) was dropped from membership for a violation of the Preamble to the Ethical Principles of Psychologists - American Psychological Association, 1983

The science and profession of psychology in Nebraska as represented by the Nebraska Psychological Association, formally dissociates itself from the representations and interpretations of scientific literature offered by Dr. Paul Cameron in his writings and public statements on sexuality. Further, the Nebraska Psychological Association would like it known that Dr. Cameron is not a member of the Association. Dr. Cameron was recently dropped from membership in the American Psychological Association for a violation of the Preamble to the Ethical Principles of Psychologists - Nebraska Psychological Association, 1984

Dr. Paul Cameron has consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented sociological research on sexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism" - American Sociological Association, 1985

The Canadian Psychological Association takes the position that Dr. Paul Cameron has consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented research on sexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism and thus, it formally disassociates itself from the representation and interpretations of scientific literature in his writings and public statements on sexuality. - Canadian Psychological Association, 1996

Cameron has lost all credibility in America. Other than a few idiotically anti-gay bloggers and ignorant bodies (such as Miss California Carrie Prejean's church and the Illinois Family Institute), no one sees him as a legitimate researcher. Major religious right groups from time to time cite Cameron but at their own peril.

It's nice to see that some in other countries are catching on to Cameron's lies.

For a complete look at Cameron's lies, go here.

Know your lgbt history - Fright Night

What the heck just happened today. It's supposed to be the start of a quiet holiday weekend and suddenly news items are coming in like gangbusters:

California Supreme Court to rule on Proposition 8 Tuesday

Let's keep our fingers crossed that whatever the outcome may be, it will work out for our community in the long run.

But onto the post:

For my money, the best vampire movies are the ones which embrace the homoerotic aspect of the vampire legend.

There have been several which have done this (The Hunger, Dracula's Daughter) but my favorite was the 1985 flick Fright Night.

In Fright Night, high school student Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) discovers that his next door neighbor, Jerry Dandridge, (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire. Brewster enlists the help of a B-list actor, Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) to stop Dandridge before he and his friends (Amanda Bearse and Stephen Geoffreys) become the vampire's next victims.

It wasn't a bad movie, but one particular scene  led to one of my biggest childhood crushes.

Dandridge corners one of Charley's friends in a dark alley but rather than attack him Christopher Lee style, Dandridge practically seduces the boy into allowing him to bite his neck.

I wonder how Sigmund Freud would decipher the scene:



Many of Fright Night's cast members have places in lgbt cinema history.

Chris Sarandon (the vampire) received an Oscar nomination for his motion picture debut as Al Pacino's pre-op transgender boyfriend in Dog Day Afternoon.

Amanda Bearse (Charley's girlfriend and the damsel in distress) became an lgbt icon when she came out while starring in the long running television show Married With Children.

Jonathan Stark (who played the vampire's attendant) later became a television writer and shared an Emmy award for co-writing the landmark episode of Ellen in which Ellen DeGeneres's character came out.

Roddy McDowall (Peter Vincent) - had been dogged for years about rumors of his sexual orientation.

And even the object of my crush, Stephen Geoffreys (you really didn't think I liked the vampire, did you) cemented a dubious place in lgbt film history by starring in several pornographic movies.

He has since made a comeback to horror movies. I saw a recent interview with him and he can still get my motor running. As a matter of fact, if he ever popped up at my front door, I'm conking him over the head and dragging him to Massachusetts, Iowa, or Vermont; whichever state is closer.

Friday midday news briefs

ACLU blasts school officials over sixth-grader's Harvey Milk report - The school freaked out because of Harvey Milk's sexual orientation:

"Instead, the principal sent letters to parents giving them the option of not allowing their child to listen to the presentation by classmate Natalie Jones. Officials cited the district policy requiring that parents be notified before any classroom instruction about sex, AIDS or "family life."

It was a dumb and insulting thing for the school to do. But there are some out there who think that this is correct action when dealing with any mention of lgbts, including same sex families.

Remember the David Parker situation?

You know that part of 'The Boxer' that goes 'lie, lie, lie.'? Yea, well... - What's with the religious right? Every time they are caught in a lie, they continue to lie.

Transwoman wins Denny's case - The bathroom issue again.

Bill would give benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers - I'm down with that!

And don't forget that this afternoon, I will be posting another segment of Know Your LGBT History. This evening's post will be looking at the lgbt images presented in the motion picture Fright Night.

South Carolina lgbts gain victory as discriminatory bill is tabled

My lgbt brothers and sisters in South Carolina deserve a huge pat on the back for stopping a nasty bill from being passed.

The South Carolina lgbt community gained a huge victory yesterday when a teen dating violence bill that excluded same sex couples was tabled in the SC Legislature.

This means the bill is officially dead for this legislative session.

The bill, created by Representative Joan Brady, would have required school districts to distribute written materials to parents and students about the dangers of teen dating violence.

An amendment was added by another representative, Greg Delleny, said that the bill could only pertain to heterosexual couples.

Delleny said he did this because he was afraid that schools would be "forced" to teach students about same-sex relationships.

Lgbts in South Carolina protested Delleny's actions in a variety of ways, including holding a press conference on the second floor of the State House with two other state representatives, Ken Kennedy and Gilda Cobb-Hunter.

Past posts on teen dating violence bill:

Press conference justifies my faith in South Carolina

South Carolina lgbts, allies will speak against discriminatory bill

Bill with anti-gay amendment passes

SC legislator wants to exclude gays from teen dating violence bill

Huge plans for Memorial Day weekend

Is it just me or does my blog look screwy? For some reason, the side links are on the bottom of the posts.

I'm probably overworked. That's why (barring something really good courtesy of the religious right), I won't post anymore today.

I will start posting again tomorrow morning. And don't forget that I will also be posting another segment of "Know Your LGBT History" tomorrow afternoon.

Speaking of which, the Memorial Day holiday is this weekend and I have huge plans for my blogs including a massive amounts of updates on Antigay Lies and Liars and something I like to call "The Top Ten Most Anti-Gay Statements."

Also, I am chasing down a very interesting situation that ocurred a while back involving our favorite discredited researcher Paul Cameron and a foreign tour he tried to undertake.

Meanwhile, bear with me while I try to figure out this thing with my blog.

Thursday midday news briefs

Hey opposition: Stop. Dumbing. Everything. Down! - Like harpies, the religious right swoop down to New Hampshire to spread lies.

The White House "answers" The Advocate's question about DOMA - Get with it, President Obama. I'm a pragmatic person but even I have limits.

Heath's bar: Examining the verbal diarrhea of Maine's head anti-gay - Losing the so-called culture war is making the opposition crazy.

One gay discharge cost military $25 million - If folks can understand fairness, maybe they can understand the loss of money.

Question ready for foes of gay marriage - I don't like the question. It sounds loaded.

Sick leave act would aid gay families - Good news for a blah day.

No white flags: protect pastors, not pedophiles - Andrea Lafferty of the Traditional Values Coalition lies about hate crimes legislation again.

Crazy person is glad that Adam Lambert lost American Idol

I'm rarely speechless when talking about some people's behavior in this so-called culture war. This is one of those times.

When watching this video, keep repeating to yourself "it's not a parody . . . it's not a parody"



And this is not the first anti-gay video made by this person.

When my online buddy Jeremy from Goodasyou posted one of these videos yesterday, I told him that I was going to steal it for my post. The reason being that this video was just too crazy NOT to spread around

It make the "Gathering Storm" commercial look like Lawrence of Arabia.



My guess is that the next video will target Bugs Bunny for his cross dressing as well as criticize that special sadomaschistic relationship between Popeye and Bluto.

Another flawed piece of work courtesy of the Family Research Council

Via People for the American Way comes the news that the Family Research Council is selling its study Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples for a mere two dollars.

The "study" takes the semblance of credible research but its aim, like all things coming from FRC, is to stigmatize lgbts and our relationships.

For one thing, the study is irrelevant because lgbts can now marry in five states. This fact emphasizes the point that the study is comparing apples and oranges (i.e. unmarried lgbt couples and married heterosexual couples) .

Even if this fact was ignored, the study, authored by phony gay "expert" Timothy Dailey, is very flawed because it takes a lot of research out of context.

I've talked about the flaws of Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples a few times.

The most recent time was in a January post which showed that the study was using outdated work, including:

- A citation of the book Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women by Alan Bell and Martin Weinberg as a correct generalization of lgbt sexual habits despite the fact that it was written in 1978 and was not meant by the authors to be a correct assessment of the lgbt community in general.

A passage from Homosexualities clearly says:

“. . . given the variety of circumstances which discourage homosexuals from participating in research studies, it is unlikely that any investigator will ever be in a position to say that this or that is true of a given percentage of all homosexuals.”

- A citation of the book The Male Couple: How Relationships Develop by David P. McWhirter and Andrew M. Mattison despite the fact that the book was written 1984 and was not meant to be a correct assessment of the lgbt community in general.

A passage from The Male Couple says:

“We always have been very careful to explain that the very nature of our research sample, its size (156 couples), its narrow geographic location, and the natural selectiveness of the participants prevents the findings from being applicable and generalizable to the entire gay
male community.”

In addition to outdated work, the study also distorts the work of researchers Timothy Biblarz and Judith Stacey to make the case against children being raised in lgbt homes.

Claims regarding the numbers of children being raised in homosexual and lesbian households vary widely and are often unsubstantiated. According to a study on homosexual parenting in the American Sociological Review, researchers have given figures "of uncertain origin, depicting a range of...6 to 14 million children of gay or lesbian parents in the United States."

According to the study's authors, Judith Stacey and Timothy J. Biblarz, the higher estimates are based upon "classifying as a lesbigay [sic] parent anyone who reports that even the idea of homoerotic sex is appealing." Instead, the authors favor a figure of about one million, which "derives from the narrower...definition of a lesbigay parent as one who self-identifies as such."

However, FRC and Dailey conveniently fails to mention that Stacey and Biblarz's study found:

. . . that lesbian and gay parents were as competent as heterosexual parents. The article did note some differences between families with gay and lesbian parents and those with heterosexual parents, but was careful to emphasize that these were differences, not deficits. Many of those opposing parenting rights for lesbian and gay people seized on these differences, using them to assert that gay and lesbian parents were not as effective as heterosexual parents.

Furthermore, during an interview with the organization Soulforce, Stacey complained about the distortion of her work:

"Significant, reliable social scientific evidence indicates that lesbian and gay parents are as fit, effective, and successful as heterosexual parents. The research also shows that children of same-sex couples are as emotionally healthy and socially adjusted and at least as educationally and socially successful as children raised by heterosexual parents."

Later in the interview she commented: "There is not a single, respectable social scientist conducting and publishing research in this area today who claims that gay and lesbian parents harm children." She explained that the research does find some differences between families with gay and lesbian parents and those with heterosexual parents, but emphasized that they are differences, not deficits. For example, daughters of lesbian moms tend to be somewhat more career-oriented than other daughters. That antigay activists had cited these differences as evidence supporting their efforts to deny partnership and parenting rights to lesbians and gays was for Stacey "a serious misreading and abuse of our work."

To give an exact impression of badly Dailey manipulates credible research in the study, I am taking the examples he lists showing the so-called promiscuity of lgbt relationships as opposed to heterosexual marriages and comparing them side by side.

Wednesday midday news briefs

Word on the Street: Thursday May Be Prop 8 Decision Day! - I am dreading this day for a number of reasons and I've been in heavy prayer because of it. I am hoping that the ruling falls in our favor but if it doesn't, here's hoping the counterproductive actions by members of our community is kept to a minimum. When Proposition 8 was passed, the religious right had a field day because many of us vented with as much fury as we should have used to keep the law from passing.

What's with the component of our community who will not plan or strategize but will be first in line to act the fool when things don't go as they want it. Someone was remarking on another site about how should the ruling go against us, folks should act wild because history isn't made by well-behaved people. While this last saying may be true, he forgot to mention that history is determined by winners. Let's get in the winning mode here.

The idea of Maggie Gallagher and company salivating on how they spin our behavior should the ruling fall against us leaves me cold.

Gay Marriage Slow to Draw an Opposition in N.Y. - speaking of winning, let's remember that it's not all about California

Equality for All Now: The Dallas Principles... join us - Speaking of strategizing, this is what I am talking about

First Women's Media Center Awards taps Amanpour, Maddow...and your blogmistress - Congratulations to my online buddy Pam Spaulding for a much deserved honor.

ACLU Sues To Stop Censoring Of Gay Web Sites - Go ACLU!!

RNC’s Michael Steele makes “weird” reference to Barney Frank - Oh no he didn't!! Where's my razor!!! (Editor's note - THAT was a joke)

Vallejo schools to pay $25,000 to lesbian teen, modify policies - See what happens when you hurt our children. Gotta get up off of the money!

GLSEN basking in spotlight, a la Mrs. Biden - And because we all need fiber in our diets, a pitiful attack on GLSEN courtesy of One News Now and our friend Peter LaBarbera.

NOM makes it three failures in a row

Check out this new video from the National Organization for Marriage. Apparently after the Gathering Storm and Carrie Prejean debacle, the group is now punch drunk.

That's the only way I can describe the idiocy behind this commercial.



Maybe NOM is really a sleeper organization created to destroy the anti-marriage equality movement from the inside.

But since reality tells us that the most logical assumption is always the correct one - NOM is simply an organization full of folks who don't know their heads from their asses.

Press conference justifies my faith in South Carolina

While lgbts around the country are tussling over issues like marriage equality and Don't Ask, Don't Tell, South Carolina's lgbt community took a stand against a bill with an added amendment designed to exclude us.

Last week, a bill was pushed through the SC House of Representatives that required schools to create teen dating violence prevention policies.

The bill was a good idea, but it got tainted when a state representative, Greg Delleney, pushed an amendment through requiring the bill to pertain to only heterosexual relationships.

Delleney said he did this because he was afraid that without this requirement, schools would have to teach children about same-sex relationships.

That's why a group 0f us along with two other state representatives, Ken Kennedy and Gilda Cobb-Hunter, held a press conference today.

There were so many things I liked about the press conference: we had a good crowd, good media participation, and it is playing well on television.

Also, the comments section on our local news page's webpage is buzzing and it looks like folks understand our point of view.

So all in all, the press conference was a success in garnering positive attention.

But for me as a gay black South Carolinian, there were more successes today.

Both legislators who spoke at our press conference were African-American and they both personalized the issues.

Their acknowledgements weren't the usual "we stand with gays in the spirit of the civil rights movement" statement that the lgbt community sometimes receives from black allies.

Kennedy said that he has lgbt relatives in his family and the issue affects them.

Cobb-Hunter's speech was also excellent but she did something that I will never forget. Before the press conference started, she turned to us and said "thank you for standing up and showing everyone that this is your house too."

I'm ashamed to admit (it's my pride - sue me already) that when she said this, I was very close to tears.

It feels damn good to be respected for who you are instead of having to fight the petty stereotypes that people have of you.

So I guess I went away from the press conference feeling good about South Carolina. This state gets a lot of flack when it comes to gay rights.

While a lot is justified, I hate it when people say things like "South Carolina is so homophobic" and "Gays need to move away."

I've never had any use for people who say things like this; those folks who, when faced with a huge wall of ignorance or intolerance, will either throw up their hands in defeated resignation or wrap themselves up in the shroud of indifference and apathy.

I love this state and intend to fight for my place in it despite the fact that it may seem like a lost cause.

Sometimes lost causes are the best things to fight for because they aren't lost at all but only misplaced.

I learned that lesson today.

So what happens now?

My guess is that the bill will be taken up again tomorrow by the state Senate but won't pass. Apparently our beloved Governor Sanford vetoed the entire state budget so all attention will be focused on that.

Who would've thought that Governor No would be good for something?

It's just a day of miracles.

Editor's Note - The South Carolina Progressive Network, South Carolina Equality, SC Pride Movement, and the Columbia chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays deserve huge kudos for pulling the press conference together. Harriet Hancock of PFLAG also deserve big kudos for speaking at the press conference.

Tuesday midday news briefs

Boy spearheads gay-marriage rally - This is so awesome. I can't believe I almost missed posting this article. If you haven't heard of this, you NEED to.

Give 'em an inch or a mile -- they'll still demean ours lives and loves! - Geez, some folks are NEVER satisfied!

Are you kidding me? Pennsylvania "Marriage Protection" Amendment pokes its head out of the ground -This ought to be interesting.

Governor Gregoire Signs Domestic Partnership Law - A partial win. Well in the words of Elizabeth Taylor (as Cleopatra): "take a little bit and then a little bit more until you get it all."

LaBarbera vs. Folsom Street Fair . . . again

And it begins again.

Our friend LaBarbera has declared yet another war on Folsom Street Fair:

Folks, take a look at what the sadistic pervs over at Folsom Street Fair came up with for their promotional poster this year. And to think that in all their “leather pride” they think of themselves as “progressive.” (PETA might disagree.) The good news is that thanks to the efforts of Americans For Truth and others who have exposed the open-air perversions that have been allowed to take place year after year at Folsom and at another San Francisco “street fair,” police are finally promising to crack down on the nudity and public sex [see this report in California Catholic Daily]. Will House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) denounce this new attack on the natural family, or will she continue to pander to her homosexual base– as she did by refusing to condemn a version of the above that mocked the Last Supper? Few Americans have any clue about just how deviant America’s Queer Mecca is.

Now here’s another reality about Folsom, International Mr. Leather (coming up this Memorial Day weekend in Chicago), and the über-depraved poster above: such vileness could only emerge from a “GLBT” (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender”) movement that celebrates sexual deviance in the first place. Homosexual sodomies have more in common with the above picture than they do with natural family and marriage. In other words, domesticated homosexuality (Heather Has Two Mommies) is itself a revolutionary assault against God and Nature. And that is why sadomasochists, “genderqueers” and she-males (transsexuals half-way through their “transition”) are all welcome under the self-described “queer” umbrella. They’ll tolerate Folsom, but they won’t tolerate Californians voting in Prop 8 to defend marriage.

The WWE has Wrestlemania and Peter LaBarbera has Folsom Street Fair. But at least the WWE tries to do something different every year.

LaBarbera is boringly the same. Every year, he whines about those "nasty happenings" at Folsom Street Fair, making sure he is in thick of things "taking pictures" of gays while conveniently sidestepping heterosexuals.

This will allow him to get some play on One News Now and other anti-gay sites where he will be commended as a "stalwart defender of family values."

Meanwhile, the lgbt community will add another notch to the "Peter LaBarbera is crazy" stick while the rest of America will collectively yawn.

It's not even shocking enough to get me angry anymore.

I've never been to Folsom as I am sure the majority of lgbts haven't also. And whether LaBarbera and his defenders care to admit it or not, Americans are not stupid.

While this country has a long way to go with lgbt rights, it is safe to say that America is past the point where LaBarbera can successfully demonize the entire lgbt community by taking dirty pictures at a subcultural festival.

So I think it's time for the attendees of the street fair to add some spice to this nonsense.

I wonder how would LaBarbera feel if some attendees of the fair sought him out, took pictures, and posted them on webpages.

While I certainly am not encouraging anyone to attack LaBarbera or say ugly words to him, I think that it's time for the tables to be turned.

It's just a thought.

One more thought - what the hell are "homosexual sodomies" and how are they different from "heterosexual sodomies?"

Let me guess - with "homosexual sodomies," you get a critique on your clothing with the sex.

South Carolina lgbts, allies will speak against discriminatory bill

Legislators and social justice organizations will speak against the discriminatory amendment that was added to H-3543 at a press conference on Tuesday, May 19, at 11:45am in the upstairs lobby of the State House.

The original bill, which addressed violence between "dating partners" in grades 6-12, was amended on second reading to limit its application to "heterosexual dating relationship(s)".

"This well-intentioned bill has been subverted by legislators more concerned with scoring points in the culture war than in protecting the well being of this state's children," said Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter.

Rep. Cobb-Hunter and Rep. Ken Kennedy will be joined at the press conference by Harriet Hancock of Columbia's chapter of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, and representatives of other Midlands social justice organizations.

The event is being organized by the SC Progressive Network, a coalition of organizations promoting equal protection under the law. For more on the Network, see www.scpronet.com or call 803-808-3384.

John P Dawkins Midlands Coordinator
S.C. Progressive Network
803.467.1981
http://www.scpronet.com/
www.myspace.com/scpronet

I intend to be there tomorrow in the thick of everything and I will be covering it for this site and posting an entry on Pam's House Blend. It just amazes me that the SC legislators can't seem to get it together regarding the stimulus package but can't wait to leapfrog over each other in an attempt to score anti-gay points in this so-called culture war.

Monday midday news briefs

First an announcement: Due to a suprisingly degree of popularity with Friday evening's post, Know your lgbt history - Flowers of Evil, I will now be featuring a Know your lgbt history segment every Friday evening.

In these entries, I will be posting clips from past movies and television shows in order to gauge discussion on how the lgbt community was represented in the media.

With these clips will be a little bit of history behind said movies and television shows.

This Friday, I will be featuring a popular horror movie of the 1980s that had huge gay subtext in one of the scenes. It led to one of my biggest crushes as a teenager.

I hope you all enjoy my new venture.

Now onto news briefs:

Cynthia Nixon Engaged to Girlfriend - while I'm generally not one for celebrity driven news, this is something that should be shared. Congratulations to Nixon and her partner.

Lesbian Mom Nominated for U.S. Attorney - President Obama has been catching a lot of flack on lgbt issues such as Don't Ask, Don't Tell. While this won't negate the appropriate degree of anger over his backtracking, it's still an awesome development.

NC: openly gay candidate announces run for Charlotte City Council - I wonder if he has a partner. I'm still looking to date an elected official. I've got the fur coat and hat already picked out.

Studies: Gay marriage pays big - Hell, I could have told you that!

SCOTUS Round-Up - This issue will have serious positive repercussions for the lgbt community.