Via JMG: Servicemembers United: Refund Taxpayers For Insulting DADT Survey

Servicemembers United wants the feds to get back the $4.4M they paid for the DADT survey.

The Department of Defense just paid the research firm Westat the outrageous sum of $4.4 million to design and administer an email-based survey about the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. While its development was shrouded in secrecy for weeks, leaked copies of the final version recently began circulating. To everyone’s surprise, the survey, which went out to 400,000 service members, turned out to be laced with bias, inaccuracies, and derogatory assumptions and insinuations about gay and lesbian Americans. Demand that Westat and the Pentagon repay the American Taxpayer for this outrageous waste of $4.4 million!

Their petition is here. reposted from Joe

July 15, 2010 (English-language subtitles)

Via JMG: GLAAD Places Full-Page Variety Ad Demanding Apology From ABC

Via GLAAD's press release:

"ABC now knows that it put out dangerous and false information about HIV/AIDS on its airwaves, yet the network still refuses to take responsibility," said Rashad Robinson, GLAAD’s Senior Director of Programs. "ABC and The View’s refusal to correct these inaccurate remarks comes at the expense of African American gay and bisexual men, straight African American women and millions of audience members who need facts about HIV/AIDS, not myths. It’s extremely disheartening to see a program that usually covers our community with respect, unwilling to correct this serious lapse in editorial judgment."

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: HomoQuotable - Jonathan Capehart

"Let me point out that the Gill case was not the only relevant one decided by Tauro. He also ruled that DOMA was unconstitutional because it trumped states’ rights to set their own marriage laws. It was a satisfying outcome. But his decision has gay legal eagles and federal court tea leaf readers a bit mystified and concerned. 'Perhaps more importantly, his Tenth Amendment arguments prove entirely too much,' Yale constitutional law professor Jack Balkin wrote last week about Judge Tauro’s ruling. 'As much as liberals might applaud the result, they should be aware that the logic of his arguments, taken seriously, would undermine the constitutionality of wide swaths of federal regulatory programs and seriously constrict federal regulatory power.' Balkin supports marriage equality, fyi.

"As nice as this decision is, it’s only the start of the long journey to the Supreme Court. All eyes are on the Justice Department and whether it will appeal the Tauro rulings to the Appellate division. I won’t be surprised or angered if it does. An administration traditionally defends the nation’s laws no matter its policy view of them. President Obama has made it clear many times that he wants DOMA repealed. (Got that, Congress?) And if the administration does appeal I hope it mounts the same limp defense it did in District Court. We can only hope that those same indefensible -- and unconstitutional -- rationales for unfairness will lead to the ultimate demise of DOMA." - Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart. reposted From Joe

Humor Vai JMG: The Ex-Gay Marching Song

Via JMG: The History Of Prop 8

JMG reader Matt Baume sends us his recap of the history of Proposition 8 over the last two years. Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling is due any day now.

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Origin of the Pink Triangle

Via JMG: PENTAGON: We Are Considering Separate Baracks For Gay Troops

Via John Aravosis at AmericaBlog:

The Pentagon confirmed on Friday that it is considering segregating gay troops, specifically with regards to creating separate showers and/or barracks for straight and gay troops. Advocate reporter Kerry Eleveld just transcribed the following quote from Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell at Friday's briefing about the new "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" survey: "We think it would be irresponsible to conduct a survey that didn’t try to address these types of things. Because when DADT is repealed, we will have to determine if there are any challenges in those particular areas, any adjustments that need to be made in terms of how we educate the force to handle those situations, or perhaps even facility adjustments that need to be made to deal with those scenarios."

What does our fierce advocate, whose own father suffered under segregation, have to say about this?

RELATED: Read JMG reader Rob Smith's biting and satirical HuffPo column about his inability to control himself in the showers in Iraq. reposted from Joe

Saw Spamlot last nite that ends with this number from Life of Brian: