Protect Maine Equality makes it two for two, Bauer rumors claimed to be Sanford's fault, and the fate of my blog

The folks in Maine are learning the lessons from the Proposition 8 mess in California very well. The above ad makes it two for two when it comes to hitting the message on why marriage equality is important.

And while they are kicking ass in Maine, my home state of South Carolina is getting weirder. Supposedly the Lt. Governor Andre Bauer is gay rumors are the fault of Governor Mark Sanford's people trying to take attention away from the Governor's Argentinian scandal.

And on a personal note, thank you everyone who sent me kind words of encouragement during my fit of depression. And thank you if you didn't send me any emails and such because I know you were praying for me.

A friend of mine nailed down the basic reason for my bad mood:

omg, Alvin. From what I can see you need to stop reading the racist rhetoric on that ignorant website! It can't be good for the psyche.

She was talking about my post of the satirical site Christwire but girlfriend had a point. For three years, I have blogged nonstop about religious right distortions. This year as an effort to remain relevant, I started posting three times a day rather than one and at least once on Saturdays and Sundays.

My constant taking in of religious right dogma has been slowly killing my spirit and driving me nuts.

Apparently the mess involving Harry Jackson and his efforts to stop marriage equality in D.C. was the straw that broke this lovely camel's back.

If my depression kept up, I envisioned myself ending up like a character in one of Roman Polanski's early movies, laying catatonic in a messy room somewhere surrounded by corpses and rotting rabbits.

Don't get me wrong (finally I get to the good stuff), I am going to continue Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters but I've also decided to devote the upcoming Labor Day weekend to spending a considerable amount of time in bed with something with aloe vera and shea butter smeared across my face while I indulge in a huge quart of butter almond ice cream while watching some awful z-rated 80s horror movies involving nubile white women being chased by a weirdo wearing a paper bag.

I will rise from my throne on a few occassions to either corrupt the innocence of a young man or play Lolita with an older, desperate man (with me being Lolita).

Come Tuesday, I should have my fire and firm back.

One thing to remember, though. If listening to and reading religious right dogma can warp the mind of an proud, intelligent, self-confident (and very attractive) gay man to the point of depression, just imagine what it can do to the minds of young folks who have not come into their own as adults.

It's definitely something to think about.

Project Maine Equality runs excellent ad and other Thursday midday news briefs

Micheangelo vs. Brian Brown - Michelangelo Signorile talks NOM's exec director Brian Brown and destroys him in this clip of portions of the interview.

For the entire interview, go here.

First ad from Project Maine Equality. It smokes!!

Health Care Hostilities Result From Right's Declaration of War on Obama - This is a good read and a perfect look at what may be coming the lgbt community's way when the fight over ENDA gets cracking.

Which Communities are Still in High Sizzle Support Mode for Barack Obama? - This black gay man is if only simply for the purpose of strategic position.

Washington anti-gays enjoy a Pyrrhic victory

The online encyclopedia site Wikipedia defines a Pyrrhic victory as "a victory with devastating cost to the victor."

Those pushing for a referendum against in Washington state on expanded domestic partnership benefits should keep that in mind. Though they have won a major battle, the victory could lead them to lose the war.

A Washington judge yesterday rejected a challenge to the referendum, Referendum 71, based on a technicality - the challenge was not filed in the right county. He, however acknowledged that those challenging Referendum 71 has adequate evidence to prove their case:

Among the problems the judge cited: Tens of thousands of signatures may have been invalid because declarations on some petitions - attesting that voters signed knowingly, and were not paid or wrongly induced to provide their signatures - were left blank or simply rubber-stamped moments before being turned in.

Since 2006, Reed's office accepted such petitions under legal guidance from the state attorney general, noting that the state law merely requires the declarations to be printed on the back of signature petitions - it doesn't require the declarations to be signed.

(King County Superior Court Judge Julie)Spector questioned that analysis.

"This essentially renders the declaration requirement meaningless," she wrote.

. . . And finally, Spector noted, some people were apparently lied to by signature gatherers, who told them, for example, that the expanded domestic partnership benefits would force public schools to teach that same-sex marriage and homosexuality are normal, even over the objections of parents.

"It is unclear whether a signature-gatherer can swear that an individual signer has signed the petition 'knowingly' when the signature-gatherer has allegedly misrepresented the contents of the petition," the judge said.

So basically the anti-gay forces now have a victory but another one like it could sink them.

Now barring any decision by those against the referendum to re-file a challenge, Referendum 71 will go on the ballot, but with the stigma of lies and fraud.

And it could be a boon for those looking to defeat the referendum if they take advantage of it via commercials and the like.