National Equality March: 10 days and counting

The latest message and video from Equality Across America:

"We are guaranteed equal protection by the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. Free and equal people do not bargain for or prioritize our rights, so we are coming to DC this October 10-11th to demand equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states. Now.


On October 11th our march will begin at 12:00 noon and end on the west lawn of the Capitol building. Our rally will begin approximately at 2:00 p.m. with three hours of inspirational speeches and music.


The march is not our final destination. It is our first step toward building a national grassroots network that will continue organizing until we have achieved full equality."

Sarah "I'm a Loser and a Quitter" Palin can't get a lecture booking

The New York Post is reporting that former Alaska Governor/ex-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is having a really hard time getting booked on the lecture circuit.

"Sarah Palin is said to have pocketed a $7 million advance for the 400-page memoir she turned in four months early, but she might not have such an easy time on the lecture circuit.

After quitting as governor of Alaska in July, Palin signed with the top-notch Washington Speakers Bureau, which also reps George W. Bush, Laura Bush, Condoleezza Rice, hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger, LA Dodgers manager Joe Torre and magician David Blaine.

Palin's bookers are said to be asking for $100,000 per speech, but an industry expert tells Page Six: "The big lecture buyers in the US are paralyzed with fear about booking her, basically because they think she is a blithering idiot."

"Palin is so uninteresting to so many groups -- unless they are interested in moose hunting," said our insider. "What does she have to say? She can't even describe what she reads."

Palin likely quit as governor just months after losing the election as John McCain's vice-presidential running mate because of money. "She knew that if she waited until her term ended in 2010, these opportunities would be gone," said a source. "She would have lost millions by staying in office."

Palin's "Going Rogue: An American Life" is described by Harper publisher John Burnham as "her words, her life, and it's all there in full and fascinating detail." Harper wouldn't discuss what Palin was paid."

Ouch! Looks like the wing-nuts' favorite baby-granny has gotten hit upside the head with a big, old, steaming pile of reality. I guess it's just cheaper to find a yowling ally cat and drag your fingernails across a chalk board to acheive the same effect as a Palin speech.

A 400-page autobiography, really? Five out of the seven Harry Potter books were longer than that. Apparently even Palin couldn't find anything interesting enough to write about herself.

Meanwhile, Levi Johnston, the boy who practically had to gnaw his foot off to escape the witch of the north, is turning down offers left and right.

I guess it's so long, filet mignon and hello, Mooseburger Helper, for Sarah: Plain and Boring.

HRC releases list of candidates it supports in race for Virginia House of Delegates

Image via Wikipedia

(From the Human Rights Campaign) 
Last week marked the beginning of fall and the campaign season in Virginia is in full swing! With only 35 days until the November 3rd election, here at HRC we’re kicking things into high gear with the goal of electing more fair-minded legislators in the Old Dominion.

Previously, we announced our support for six candidates running for the House of Delegates and today we are pleased to announce that we are backing three additional candidates.

Gwen Mason, running for an open seat in the 17th District, is an outstanding candidate and long-time champion for the residents of the Roanoke Valley. A moderate, commonsense voice for fairness and equality, Gwen is up against an opponent who is openly hostile to our community.

Gwen is running an aggressive, people-powered campaign but if she’s going to win she needs your help!

“It’s great to have the Human Rights Campaign on board with my campaign! Together we’ll continue to make the Roanoke Valley an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.”

A little less than an hour to the west, Peggy Frank is running full steam ahead with her effort to represent the 7th District in Richmond. With portions of Montgomery County and Pulaski County, and all of the city of Radford, the 7th District is unique as it’s the only district in the state to contain two public four year universities—Radford University and Virginia Tech.

HRC is working to engage students at both universities to pitch in and help push Peggy over the edge.

“I’ll work for justice and fairness for everyone in the New River Valley as a Delegate, just as I have throughout my career as a prosecutor. I look forward to working with the Human Rights Campaign!”

Even further west into Virginia’s beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, Carole Pratt is running in the 6th District. The sprawling, rural district runs adjacent to the West Virginia border and includes the towns of Pulaski and Wytheville. Carole, a district native and long-time dentist, would be a great improvement over the incumbent when it comes to fair-minded legislation.
 
"I look forward to working with you as we strive to send some common sense to the General Assembly and make sure that Southwest Virginia has a strong voice in Richmond!"

We’re working hard to bring real, progressive change to Richmond. With so much at stake in November, we need all of our members and supporters statewide to get involved to help keep Virginia moving forward. Whether you’re free to volunteer every day, twice a week, or just a couple of shifts between now and November 3rd now is the time to take action and make a difference!!

What can you do?

Request your absentee ballot
If you're going to be out of town on November 3rd, make sure to obtain an absentee ballot. Click here to download your application today.

Register to vote
To register to vote or to check the status of your registration, click here. The deadline to register to vote in the November 3 general election is October 5th. All applications must be postmarked or, if delivered in person, received by that date.

Support fair-minded candidates
HRC staff and volunteers will be knocking on doors and supporting candidates statewide. Wherever you live in Virginia, there's an opportunity near you to get involved and make a difference this campaign season. With so much at stake for our community, we must act to keep progress in Virginia moving forward. Plan to volunteer at least one time between now and November 3rd. Contact Terry to get plugged in at (202) 294-0784 or http://www.blogger.com/mc/compose?to=Terry.McGuire@hrc.org. Also, check out the list of Coordinated Campaign offices below and stop by to help out in your town.

HRC Supported Candidates
In Addition to Those Mentioned Above

Major John Bell | 13th District | Parts of Loudoun and Prince William Counties
John is running to unseat a longtime foe of LGBT civil rights, Delegate Bob Marshall—coauthor of Virginia’s discriminatory Marshall-Newman anti-gay “marriage” amendment. Help us elect a pro-equality leader for Loudoun and Prince William Counties.

Robin Abbott | 93rd District | Newport News
Robin is running against an entrenched anti-equality incumbent. She needs all the help she can get in bringing progressive change to the peninsula.

Luke Torian | 52nd District | Part of Southeastern Prince William County
This open seat presents an excellent opportunity to elect a new, more fair-minded voice to represent the voters of this Manassas and Dumfries area district.

Delegate Bobby Mathieson | 21st District | Virginia Beach
Delegate Mathieson was first elected in 2007 and he’s been a friend to our community. He’s earned our support and we hope you’ll pitch in to send him back to Richmond.

Delegate Joe Bouchard | 83rd District | Virginia Beach
Delegate Bouchard was also first elected in 2007. Like Delegate Mathieson he’s been a supporter of equality and fair-minded legislation. He too deserves another term.

Delegate Margi Vanderhye | 34th District | Northwestern Fairfax County
Delegate Vanderhye, another freshman legislator elected in 2007, has proven herself a strong ally. She’s facing a very conservative opponent and holding on to her seat is a top priority for supporters of equality.

Virginia Coordinated Campaign Offices

Albemarle 1700 Seminole Trail Charlottesville, VA 22901	Alexandria 1307 King Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: (703) 773-6275	Ashburn 42882 Truro Parish Dr. #103 Ashburn, VA 22902 (703) 962-8576
Charlottesville 416-418 E Main Street Charlottesville, VA 22902 (434) 202-8931	Chesapeake 2040 Battlefield Blvd,  Ste 104 Chesapeake, VA 23322 (757) 543-1740	Chesterfield 11633 Busy Street Midlothian, VA 23236 (804) 897-0256
Danville 123 N. Union Street Danville, VA 24541 (434) 326-0844	Falls Church 350 S. Washington St. Falls Church, VA 22046 (703) 534-4695	Henrico 1504 Santa Rosa Road Henrico, VA 23229 (804) 767-1456
Herndon/Reston 464 Herndon Parkway Herndon, VA 20170 Phone: (703) 962-8565	Kingstowne 6460 Landsdowne Center Alexandria, VA 22215 Phone: (571) 384-6245	Loudoun 10 S. King Street Leesburg, VA 20175 Phone: (703) 773-6280
Manassas 7835 Sudley Road Suite 102 Manassas, VA 20109 (703) 673-7000	Martinsville 708 Fayette Street Martinsville, VA 24112 (276) 226-4448	McLean 7600 Colshire Drive McLean, VA 22102 (703) 462-1422
Newport News 11838 Canon Boulevard, Suite 100 Newport News, VA 23606 Phone: (757) 656-3096	Norfolk 801 Boush Street Norfolk, VA 23510 (757) 263-4911	Oakton 2946 Chain Bridge Road Oakton, VA 22124 Phone: (703) 962-8550
Petersburg 23 West Old Street Petersburg, VA 23803 Phone: (804) 212-1120	Portsmouth 1214 County St Portsmouth, VA 23704 Phone: (757) 558-1940	Prince William 4341 Ridgewood Center Drive Woodbridge, VA 22192
Prince William 4326 Dale Blvd. Woodbridge, VA 22193 Phone: (703) 462-1415	Radford 1160 E. Main St. Radford, VA 24141 Phone: (540) 322-1234	Richmond Area 734 West Broad St. Richmond, VA 23220 (804) 212-1140
Roanoke 302 First St. SW Roanoke, VA 24011 (540) 320-4200	Salem 15 South College Street Salem, VA 24153	Stafford 2063 Jefferson Davis Hwy Stafford, VA 22554
Virginia Beach 5101 Cleveland St, Suite 302 Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Phone: (757) 320-4200	Virginia Beach 1333 Laskin Road Virginia Beach, VA 23451	Williamsburg 1220 Richmond Rd. Williamsburg, VA 23185 (757) 263-4950

Q-TV: Kristin Chenoweth to appear on tonight's Glee

This is definitely one you don't want to miss. Emmy winner (Pushing Daisies)/Broadway star (Wicked) Kristin Chenoweth will be making an appearance on tonight's episode of Glee, my new favorite show. I've loved the pint-sized comic actress ever since I first saw her on Frasier as Bee Bee's incompetent assistant who was put in charge of handling Frasier's career.

Don't miss Glee tonight on Fox at 9pm eastern.

Cleveland wins bid to host the 2014 Gay Games

I've written before about how I'm not really a big sports fan, and don't really get the whole "gays in sports" fascination, but this one in worth mentioning.

The City of Cleveland, Ohio will play host to the 2014 Gay Games. My Mormon relatives there are very kind people, but their church is probably throwing a hissy fit  over this.

(From the official press release.)
Cologne, Germany [29 September 2009] -- The city of Cleveland, Ohio, USA, has been chosen by the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) to host the 2014 Gay Games.

The announcement by the FGG comes after a year-long site selection process that culminated in formal presentations by bidding cities to the FGG Membership Assembly meeting this week in Cologne, Germany, site of the 2010 Gay Games. Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and Washington, D.C., USA were the other two finalists.

"Cleveland demonstrated to the Federation of Gay Games that they understood the mission of the Gay Games and our principles of "Participation, Inclusion, and Personal Best," said Kurt Dahl (Chicago) and Emy Ritt (Paris), FGG Co-Presidents. "We were highly impressed by the facilities and infrastructure, the widespread community sport, their financial plan and the city's experience in hosting large scale sports and cultural events."

"The City of Cleveland is prepared to roll out the welcome mat to the LGBT athletes, their families and spectators from around the world," said Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson. "Fans of the Gay Games will find that Cleveland is a great place to celebrate sports and culture and that we have tremendous assets and amenities for them to enjoy. The sports and cultural environment here is truly a uniquely Cleveland experience, one they will cherish for years to come."

"We are extremely honoured and pleased that Cleveland has been selected to host the 2014 Gay Games," said W. Doug Anderson, spokesperson for Cleveland Synergy Foundation, the bidding organization. "It is truly a privilege to continue Dr. Tom Waddell's legacy and vision in our city -- an extremely enthusiastic sports town - where the guiding principles of personal best, inclusion and participation are held dear. We are also pleased to be considered and selected from among two of the greatest cities in the world -- Boston and Washington, D.C. -- and greatly appreciate the support of both cities as Cleveland hosts the Gay Games in 2014."

The Gay Games is a quadrennial sports and cultural festival founded in 1982 by Olympic decathlete Dr. Tom Waddell. Drawing as many as 12,000 participants, more than the Olympics, Gay Games have been held in San Francisco (1982, 1986), Vancouver (1990), New York (1994), Amsterdam (1998), Sydney (2002), and Chicago (2006). The 2010 Gay Games (www.games-cologne.com) will take place in Cologne, Germany, from 31 July to 7 August 2010.

Cleveland's 2014 Gay Games IX Sports & Cultural Festival is scheduled to take place 9 to 16 August 2014. The 8-day event will feature 30 sports, 4 cultural events, an Opening and Closing Ceremony and community and cultural events throughout the Cleveland metropolitan area. Gay Games generate $50 to $80 million in estimated local economic impact in additional to significant ongoing travel and tourism visibility benefits for the host city.

The announcement was carried live worldwide via webcast. A recording of the announcement can be viewed "on demand" at http://www.livestream.com/2014GayGames.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/29/gay-games-cleveland-to-ho_n_303407.html

New Wave Wednesday: "Pop Muzik" by M (video)

In 1979 British Pop group M topped the charts in the UK and the US with their New Wave/Synthpop hit "Pop Muzik". Founded by lead singer Robin Scott, the band scored the only hit of its career with this song.  "Pop Muzik" was Scott's attempt to explore where the fusion of rock and disco would take popular music.

Out UK actor John Barrowman says he was told by producers to stay in the closet

Image via Wikipedia

Openly gay UK actor John Barrowman reveals in his new book that he was once told by a TV producer that he should stay in the closet to protect the show and his career. The award winning star of "Dr. Who" and "Torchwood" has written a new autobiography "I am what I am", in which he discusses his anger over being told by bosses to keep his sexuality a secret.

The actor says he was approached by a producer who told him, “John, we wondered if you really wanted to reveal that you’re gay? We think it might change how people feel about you.”

Barrowman recalls telling the corporate toady, “I really hope you’re not saying this, because I’m not going in the closet for you or anyone. You’ve hired me to be a professional, not to have sex. Being a gay man has nothing to do with my abilities on this show.”

He goes on to say, “The incident was even more offensive because they sent a gay producer to discuss this with me, as if somehow this would ease the blow."

The 42-year-old actor has done numerous TV shows in his career and would not say which one he was working on when the conversation took place. Barrowman says he received an apology for the incident, but added, “One of my explicit missions as an entertainer is to work to create a world where no one will ever make a statement like this producer did to me to anyone who’s gay."

Viking Zombie Boyfriend, by Jeremy Rizza 9-29-09

We're all having to cut back during these tough economic times. This week Rorik surprises Dill with his free vacation plans. Click to embiggen.

Posted with the permission of the artist. Visit vikingzombieboyfriend.com for past strips, character back stories and bio of artist Jeremy Rizza. 

Video: Kiss-in Brings Shopping Mall to a Halt in Gay Paris

LGBT Parisians staged a five minute Kiss-in at the Forum des Halles on Saturday during a busy shopping day, bringing the packed shopping mall to a stand still. The Kiss-in was a protest against homophobia in the city's gay district, Le Marais.

Paul and I stayed at a hotel just across the plaza from the massive underground mall on our trip to Paris five years ago. The plaza has a beautiful and very large fountain and is frequent site of peaceful political demonstrations due to its high foot traffic. We witnessed one such protest on our vacation by an Indian group. We weren't sure what they were protesting against or demonstrating for, as neither of us speaks French.


You may not understand the interviews at the end of this video unless you retained anything you learned in high school French class, but you'll get the message from the first half.

East Cleveland Mayor Caught in Crosscressing Scandal

Politics is a dirty game no matter how you slice it. Given the way people use the Internet these days it's not surprising that East Cleveland, Ohio Mayor Eric Brewer has found himself in a re-election scandal involving pictures he posted of himself on the web wearing women's lingerie.


What's the big deal? It's not like he was naked, spread eagle and trolling for trolls. If a public figure can't get his freak on and post it to an Internet web site without it becoming a national scandal and ruining his career, than this isn't the America I've come to love.

Mayor Brewer has denied the photos are of him.

(video) SNL Newbie Drops the F Bomb

Everybody is doing this story and it's already getting a little stale, but here goes.

After 34 years on the air, Saturday Night Live has gone through it's ups and downs in popularity and relevance. Some of the best moments of the show over the years have been when someone screws up on stage. That's the beauty of live TV. You never know what's going to happen.

I was only half paying attention the other night, with the TV in the background as SNL newbie, Jenny Slate started her sketch "Biker Chick Chat". I figured it was just another lame attempt by SNL to create a character that might coin the latest catch phrase. It was "frickin'" this and "frickin'" that, until Slate slipped and dropped the F-Bomb.

Check out the look on Slate's face as she realizes what she did.

I looked for a better quality video, but most were done with cam-corders aimed at the TV screen. Are there really people who do that?

Video: No on 1 Fights Back in Maine

(From Advocate.com)
Protect Maine Equality released a No on 1 ad Friday in response to misleading claims made earlier this week by antigay group Stand for Marriage Maine's Yes on 1 campaign. No on 1 is the campaign to defeat Question 1, a November ballot measure that would repeal the state’s new marriage equality law.

The ad by Yes on 1 employed the same strategy used in California to pass Proposition 8 last year, arguing that marriage equality would lead to same-sex marriage promotion in school curriculum. Robb and Robin Wirthlin, a Massachusetts couple opposed to marriage equality, appear in both the Maine and California ads.

Now, No on 1 warns Maine residents to be aware of “outsiders” who make “false claims about what’s taught in Maine classrooms.”

Check out the full response from No on 1.

Billboard Featuring Gay Marine Vandalized in Memphis

(On Top Magazine)

Vandals destroyed a billboard featuring a gay marine in Memphis Friday night.

The billboard, one of five paid for by the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center (MGLCC), featured an out marine with the caption “I'm gay and I protected your freedom.”

Will Batts, executive director of MGLCC, said the crime surprised him because it occurred on a heavily trafficked street just blocks from downtown Memphis and a police station.

“Although it's in an iffy lot, it's a fairly well trafficked street and being so close to the main police station downtown – a block and a half – it doesn't seem that this could have happened quickly. To completely tear down the billboard – it wasn't defaced, it wasn't shredded, it's just gone. And for that to happen on such a busy street is actually shocking to me,” Batts told On Top Magazine on Sunday.

The five billboards are part of an awareness campaign for National Coming Out Day, the October 11 event where gay men and lesbians are asked to come out to a friend, family member or co-worker.

A rally to protest the vandalism is being organized for the weekend. Expected among the speakers is Tim Smith, the Memphis-area out marine featured on the billboard.

When asked if he suspected anyone, Batts said no: “There could be a lot of possibilities but we have no idea who did it.”

MGLCC is urging the police to conduct a full investigation.

Working on a Logo for the blog.

Have been working on a logo for the blog. Not set in stone yet. What do you think? Your comments are welcome.

Layout #2 with a smaller star with the colors reversed. I started thinking the bigger star looked like a big gay star monster from a bad Japanese sci-fi movie. Which to you prefer?

#3. Revision with lighter sky, cleaner text.

This Queer Little Planet: New UN General Assembly Pres. is a Homophobe

In the wake of the November elections, the world celebrated Barack Obama's victory more loudly and with more passion than we did at home. International leaders were so relieved to be rid of W, and the insanity of his reign, that Obama was universally greeted as a conquering hero.

Even Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez said yesterday in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, “It doesn’t smell of sulfur here anymore, it’s gone. It smells of something else — it’s hope.” In his UN address in 2006, Chavez had called George W. Bush "the Devil".

So WTF is up with the United Nations General Assembly? At a time when so many countries are light years ahead of the US in protecting the rights and dignity of all people, including LGBT people, why the hell did the UN elect a religious extremist, Ali Abdussalam Treki, as it leader?

Have they forgotten where fundamentalist extremism leads? It causes people to fly planes into buildings, attack the wrong country in retaliation, round up, torture and execute suspected homosexuals, show up at political rallies with weapons and lynch government census workers.  

Pink News reports:

The newly-installed president of the United Nations General Assembly, Ali Abdussalam Treki, has said that homosexuality is "not really acceptable". Treki, who is the Libyan secretary of African Union Affairs, opened the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly Friday with a press conference.

One question concerned the UN resolution which calls for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality. In reply, Treki said: "That matter is very sensitive, very touchy. As a Muslim, I am not in favour of it . . . it is not accepted by the majority of countries. My opinion is not in favour of this matter at all. I think it's not really acceptable by our religion, our tradition.

“It is not acceptable in the majority of the world. And there are some countries that allow that, thinking it is a kind of democracy . . . I think it is not,” he added.

The ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs committee, Florida's Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, told On Top Magazine: "The anti-gay bigotry spewed by this Qaddafi shill demonstrates once again that the UN has been hijacked by advocates of hate and intolerance."

Video: Who knew high school as so Gay?

It's the gayest show on TV and you won't find it on Logo, Bravo, Lifetime or even the Style Network.

TV shows about high school life are nothing new. In the 70's "Welcome Back Kotter" launched the career of JohnTravolta, In the 80's "Saved By the Bell" launched the careers of everyone but that Screech guy.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" kicked some vamp ass in the 90's at Sunnydale High and gave us Sarah Michelle Geller, David Boreanaz ("Bones") and "How I met Your Mom" star, Alison Hannigan.   .

The genre has been done to death, but the networks keep going back to it with a newer, hipper spin. You can have your "90210" and your "Gossip Girl". For me it's all about "Glee", where the stars are the nerdy kids just trying to survive the day without getting stuffed into a locker. It's kind of what I went through except for the over the top musical numbers.


Yes, the "High School Musical" franchise refuses to die and I will make it a point to miss the remake of "Fame" because the original was just too good (the movie, not the TV show turned touring stage show).

So why do I love, love, LOVE the new Fox show, "Glee"? You tell me: