Chris Kluwe calls out newspaper over 'deceptive' editorial on marriage equality

From The Huffington Post:

 Chris Kluwe, Minnesota Vikings punter and outspoken proponent of marriage equality, has resigned as a contributor to the St. Paul Pioneer Press in the wake of the paper's editorial on the upcoming vote on Amendment 1, which, if passed, will embed inequality into the Minnesota state constitution. The Pioneer Press' editorial likely rankled Kluwe in two ways. The editors go to great pains to criticize proponents of marriage equality. But this was the more forgivable problem. More important is the fact that they made their case in the most punk-ass, nonsensical way possible.

. . .  Kluwe, over Twitter, announced that he will no longer contribute his "Out Of Bounds" blog to the paper. And it's not because the paper's editors disagree with him on the issue of marriage equality. It's because they are opposing marriage equality while pretending to take no position at all. In his statement, Kluwe writes:

Sent my email to the @PioneerPress informing them I will no longer contribute to their blog network. It will be my last post on the site. I will not be associated with any organization that tries to pull some bullshit like that. Have the strength of your convictions. Will post my last piece after walk through, and then it's time for Seattle. I'll look for a new blog site Monday and let you all know."

He later underscored the point (over the course of four tweets): "My main issue with the Pioneer Press editorial is this: It's a lie. I have no problem with them taking a position I disagree with. What concerns me is them presenting a completely biased piece (word choice, examples used, conclusions) as a neutral position.

You can read about the entire controversy at The Huffington Post.

'The Queens endorse Obama' and other Friday midday news briefs

 I LOVE this endorsement! Sometimes it takes a real queen to say what no one says but everyone should be talking about.

In other news:  

National Organization for Marriage accuses 'white people's money' of buying black vote; so acting like NOM, basically - Where in the hell is that damn lightning!

Rush Limbaugh Suggests Chris Christie Is Going Gay For Obama - If this was the case, Limbaugh's probably jealous.

Anti-Equality Groups Roll Out More Exaggerated ‘Victim’ Stories - Junk, junk, and even more junk after that. 

Parshall: Satan the 'Great Deceiver' is behind Marriage Equality - The next time Maggie Gallagher and that bunch whine about being called "bigots" simply because they don't agree with marriage equality, point this lovely gem out to them. 

'Loony' Victoria Jackson gets schooled by gay rights activist

 If you are feeling like I am today, you are hit by the double shots of political burnout and Friday euphoria. That being the case, enjoy not a long post from me about equality or religious right deception,  but a video courtesy of "your friend and mine" (I'm being extremely sarcastic there) the former comedian and now right-wing commentator Victoria Jackson as she interviews and gets schooled by a young gay activist in September.

The young man is a nice spokesman who handles himself well even when bombarded with Jackson's ignorance and that of someone who felt the need to make himself known on camera. Of course had it been yours truly, I wouldn't have been so nice.

I defy anyone to tell me what's wrong with same-sex families

Yes I could rage like I usually do against the religious right. And there is a time for such things. And sometimes, there is a time to celebrate just being who we are and the following picture of actor Neil Patrick Harris, his spouse David Burtka, and their two children on Halloween is being posted as a sign of celebration and pride for the same-sex families who are raising children and doing it quite well:

 

While it is true that not all same-sex families have the means and the funds that this one does, the love and support I see coming from these families (and I know quite a few) are more than all of the riches in the world.

So I have a question for those supposedly moral people out there who are always whining about the alleged homosexual agenda:

Why do you dislike theses families so much that you pretend they don't exist?

'High school students disciplined for wearing pro-gay t-shirts' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Ohio High School Students Told To Remove Rainbow T-Shirts Supporting Gay Rights - Oh come on guys! The t-shirts were neither political nor obscene!

 ‘Ex-Gay’ Men Fight Back Against View That Homosexuality Can’t Be Changed - I'm not a fan of the title of this piece, but from what I see, it is a fair article. It's really a sad look at how societal ignorance warps a good gay mind. 

 Barber & Staver: California Law Banning 'Change Therapy' is a Form of Bullying and Abuse - And this is why the item above is even more poignant.

Today in self-centered, faith-based aggression: NOM's Peters denies my marriage's legitimacy - There comes a point when some folks repeat a ridiculous talking point so many times that you can no longer feel anger towards them. Only pity that they themselves probably don't believe anymore. You will know what I mean when you read the last sentence of NOM's Thomas Peters in this post.  

Uganda Parliament May Vote On Anti-Homosexuality Bill By Christmas - This ain't good, folks.

Anti-gay group reduces the murder of transgendered Americans into a flippant soundbite

Recently, Vice President Joe Biden took a stand on the rights of transgender Americans, calling discrimination against them the "civil rights issue of our time."

Naturally, some organizations aren't happy with what he did. The Family Research Council in its FRC Update sent out the following:

Vice President Joe Biden must really like Halloween, because now he's fighting for people to dress up all year long! During a stopover in Florida yesterday, Biden struck up a conversation with the mother of a former Miss Transgender New England. In the middle of their exchange, reporters overheard Biden calling transgender discrimination the "civil rights issue of our time." Even by "Biden" standards, it was a shocking statement. With the nation warring over marriage and liberals still making an issue of race, you can see why the press pool wondered if they'd heard Biden right. When the media followed up with the woman, Linda Carragher Bourne, she confirmed the exchange. "[I told him that] a lot of my friends are being killed, and they don't have the civil rights yet. These guys [the President and Vice President] are going to make it happen." How can she be so confident? Unlike a lot of voters, Linda is probably very familiar with this White House's record on sexual deviance.

There is no need to go into detail about what the FRC Update said next. In case you are interested, it went on about how to slur the transgender community as  "sexually confused" and whine about how the Obama Administration is going to supposedly force schools and daycare centers to hire transvestites, transsexuals, drag queens, and drag kings.

It's bothersome trash, which is usual for FRC. But what bothers me the most about this item is the fact except for that trifle mention, not once did FRC go into any more detail about how our transgender brothers and sisters are being murdered.

While the focus is on the Biden statement,  it should be on what Bourne said - that a lot of her friends are being killed.

Bourne wasn't speaking a euphemism. She was most likely telling the truth. Transgender Americans face a considerable amount of ignorance and violence and that needs to be pointed out.

But to the FRC, the fact that Bourne has seen a lot of her friends killed is irrelevant to calling her and those friends "sexually confused." To FRC, the sadness that this woman feels about the murder of her friends is considered as a mere point of flippancy which shouldn't even be given more than a brief mention.

To me, that's sad. And it's certainly not Christian.

And it says sad volumes about the Family Research Council.

Ten-year-old with two gay dads writes President Obama a poignant letter

The following letter, written to President Obama from 10-year-old Sophia Bailey Klugh highlights the simple fact that often times when we talk about allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry under law, we aren't talking solely about the couples protecting each other. We are also talking about protecting their children:

See this Huffington Post article by Jamie McGonnigal, founder of TalkAboutEquality.com, for the full story behind this poignant letter.