Via JMG: Sen Patrick Leahy: I Will Cosponsor Feinstein's Bill To Repeal DOMA

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) emailed his constituents today with a promise to cosponsor Sen. Dianne Feinstein's coming bill to repeal DOMA.

As a Vermonter who has been married for 48 years, I believe it is important to encourage and to sanction committed relationships; relationships that encourage us all to give back to our community; and relationships that complete our lives. Vermont led the way by being the first state to adopt a same-sex marriage law through a legislative process. Now that several states that have voted to give full marriage rights to same-sex couples, I believe that the Federal government should not interfere with those laws or discriminate between marriages sanctioned by State law. Vermont and other states have determined that committed same-sex couples and their families should be entitled to all the protection of that state-sanctioned union. The Defense of Marriage Act denies some Vermont families equal treatment, creating a system of second-class citizens. This goes against American values and it must end. In the coming days, I will join with Senator Dianne Feinstein to introduce legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. It is a core American value that all people should be treated equally by their government. Vermont has been leading the nation on this important civil rights issue and this week, President Obama and Attorney General Holder moved the Federal government in the right direction.

(Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)

Labels: Diane Feinstein, DOMA, Senate, Vermont

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Thrice-Married Serial Adulterer: Obama Could Be Impeached Over DOMA

Three times married serial adulterer and prospective 2012 GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich today suggested that President Obama could be impeached for his DOMA decision.

"I believe the House Republicans next week should pass a resolution instructing the president to enforce the law and to obey his own constitutional oath, and they should say if he fails to do so that they will zero out [defund] the office of attorney general and take other steps as necessary until the president agrees to do his job," said Gingrich. "His job is to enforce the rule of law and for us to start replacing the rule of law with the rule of Obama is a very dangerous precedent."

Gingrich would like to remind everybody that that marriage is between one man and one woman whom you abandon riddled with cancer on her hospital bed while you fuck the shit out of your mistress whom you later marry and cheat on with a third woman while screaming with Godly moral outrage about the infidelities of the president.

Labels: adultery, assholery, Barack Obama, DOMA, hypocrisy, Newt Gingrich, religion

Mike Huckabee On Gay Parenthood, DOMA, & DADT

Via JMG: HomoQuotable - Dan Savage

"You have to love how Santorum is out there mewling about being the victim here and about civility—this from the man who compared people in stable, loving same-sex relationships to dog fuckers and kiddie rapists, this from a man who would make gay and straight sodomy illegal, ban gay marriage and any other protections for same-sex couples, and prevent loving same-sex couples from adopting children who need homes. This from a man who would literally destroy my family if it were within in his power to do so.

"And the 'Savage Love' gang? All we did was make a dirty joke at his expense. There has been no effort to strip Rick Santorum of his civil rights, no moves to nullify his marriage, no one has suggested that his children be taken out of his home, no one is trying to prevent him from having more children. No one has compared Rick Santorum to a dog fucker or a pedophile. Compared to Rick Santorum, my readers and I have been models of decorum and restraint.

"And don't think you're fooling us, Rick. Now that you're running for president—eight years after we redefined 'santorum' — you're whining to attract a little attention to your campaign and because your advisors think that maybe you'll get a little traction playing the pansy-assed victim card, à la Sarah Palin, and rake in a few bucks. Oh, look at all that mean gay dude—one of the guys I want to oppress—he's picking on meeeeeeeeeee!"- Dan Savage.

Labels: Dan Savage, HomoQuotable, Rick Santorum, Santorum

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Hackers Group Warns Westboro Baptist: You Will Face Our Vicious Retaliation

The mysterious hackers group Anonymous, best known so far for their campaign against the Church of Scientology, has issued a stark warning to the Westboro Baptist Church.

We, the collective super-consciousness known as ANONYMOUS - the Voice of Free Speech & the Advocate of the People - have long heard you issue your venomous statements of hatred, and we have witnessed your flagrant and absurd displays of inimitable bigotry and intolerant fanaticism. We have always regarded you and your ilk as an assembly of graceless sociopaths and maniacal chauvinists & religious zealots, however benign, who act out for the sake of attention & in the name of religion. [snip]

ANONYMOUS cannot abide this behavior any longer. The time for us to be idle spectators in your inhumane treatment of fellow Man has reached its apex, and we shall now be moved to action. Thus, we give you a warning: Cease & desist your protest campaign in the year 2011, return to your homes in Kansas, & close your public Web sites.

Should you ignore this warning, you will meet with the vicious retaliatory arm of ANONYMOUS: We will target your public Websites, and the propaganda & detestable doctrine that you promote will be eradicated; the damage incurred will be irreversible, and neither your institution nor your congregation will ever be able to fully recover. It is in your best interest to comply now, while the option to do so is still being offered, because we will not relent until you cease the conduction & promotion of all your bigoted operations & doctrines.

The warning has been given. What happens from here shall be determined by you.

WE ARE ANONYMOUS.
WE ARE LEGION.
WE DO NOT FORGIVE.
WE DO NOT FORGET.
EXPECT US.

This should be very interesting.

RELATED: Late last year Anonymous took credit for denial of service attacks that brought down the websites of Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal after the companies refused to process donations to Wikileaks.

(Via - Good As You)


Labels: Anonymous, hacking, hate groups, Westboro

reposted from Joe

Via 365Gay: Calif court to answer question on gay marriage ban

By The Associated Press 02.17.2011
 
California's highest court decided Wednesday to wade back into the legal morass surrounding the state's voter-approved gay marriage ban. Read more...

Via Belirico: State of Indiana v Gay Marriage

Shirtless Frat Boys Lip-Dub Katy Perry

White Nationalist Recruiter Rebuffed At CPAC 2011

Via JMG: CA Supes To Hear Standing Issue

And on we go. Some will say this is a good thing, as it could be the next step to getting Prop 8 before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Labels: CA Supreme Court, California, Proposition 8

reposted from Joe

SACBEE.COM BREAKING NEWS ALERT

State Supreme Court votes to decide Proposition 8 issue

The state Supreme Court voted unanimously today to decide the legal standing issue in the Proposition 8 same-sex marriage case now before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Read more.

Via JMG: Obama's Budget Maintains AIDS Money

The new proposed federal budget released yesterday by the Obama administration maintains funding levels for HIV research, treatment, and prevention. The AIDS Institute is surprised and grateful. Via press release:

The budget President Obama proposed yesterday for fiscal year 2012 maintains his Administration's commitment to domestic and global HIV/AIDS programs, and proposes increases for domestic AIDS medications and HIV prevention, along with research at the National Institutes of Health. "We realize the resources of the federal government are severely constrained, therefore, under today's fiscal environment, we are pleased the President has maintained his commitment to HIV/AIDS programs and even proposed some minimal increases," said Carl Schmid, Deputy Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. "While the proposed funding levels are far from what is needed to provide the necessary care and treatment for people with HIV/AIDS or to significantly reduce the number of new infections, The AIDS Institutes appreciates the budget requests and now urges the Congress to show a similar level of support."

Meanwhile many states continue to slash their own HIV prevention and treatment budgets, with ADAP waiting lists continuing to grow. Read POZ Magazine's sobering assessment.

Labels: feds, HIV, HIV/AIDS, Obama administration

reposted from Joe

Iowa grandmother speaks in favor of gay marriage

DJ Bill Bennett Feat Matt Zarley

As a benefit for the Trevor Project, openly gay singer Matt Zarley has recorded a cover of Pat Benatar's 1984 smash We Belong. Below is a snippet of DJ Bill Bennett's remix. Both the single and its remix are now available on iTunes and at Amazon.

Labels: LGBT youth, pop music, Trevor Project

reposted from Joe

Private Romeo - Official Trailer

The BEARatones perform "California Dreaming"

Make It Better!

Via JMG: Donald Trump Opposes Gay Marriage

"No, I'm just not in favor of gay marriage. I live in New York. New York is a place with lots of gays, and I think it is great. But I'm not in favor of gay marriage." - Three times married Donald Trump, whose potential 2012 presidential run is being backed by GOProud. Before you dismiss his opinion as inconsequential, consider that Donald Trump is arguably the most famous New Yorker in the world and somebody whose support on this could have been quite useful.

Labels: 2012 elections, bigotry, Donald Trump, GOP, GOProud, homocons, marriage equality

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Unmarried Until Gay Marriage

About a dozen married straight couples were "umarried until gay marriage" yesterday in a Central Park protest staged by performance artist Reverend Billy. More photos here.

Labels: activism, Central Park, NYC, performance art

reposted from Joe

Lady Gaga - CBS - 60 Minutes - Interview with Anderson Cooper(2/13/11)

Today's "Why I could never ever be a Republican Post" Wingnuts Turn On Ann Coulter (who to me is pure evil) via JMG:

After her CPAC declaration that "gays are natural conservatives" and should be actively recruited by the GOP, Ann Coulter has been the subject of blistering attacks across the right-o-sphere. Here's just a sampling of the reactions on Free Republic:

-"Big tent fag hag and muslim bodily fluids swapper."
-"I have no tolerance for homo-tolerants. Boo & shame on you Ann. You are a Catholic."
-"There are still fools and idiots who think this woman is a conservative. I bet within a year she will become a Democrat. Maybe then, she will grab a brain, a hamburger, and Obama’s Birth Certificate."
-"I guess it’s OK to destroy the traditional family as long as you call yourself a conservative republican.
-"Fame is a terrible drug, Ann. Shame. You were once brilliant."

Labels: Ann Coulter, CPAC, GOProud, infighting is funny

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Inspired By The Hefty Cinch-Sak

No, seriously, that was the inspiration. For the quickly-wilting man, one presumes.

Labels: condoms, inventions, safer sex

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Editorial Of The Day

From the New York Times editorial board.

The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act is indefensible — officially sanctioned discrimination against one group of Americans imposed during an election year. President Obama seems to know that, or at least he has called on Congress to repeal it. So why do his government’s lawyers continue to defend the act in court? [snip] There are two crucial questions here. The overarching one, of course, is whether it is constitutional for the federal government to deny benefits to some people who are legally married under their state’s laws. Much also depends on the standard of review. How should courts evaluate claims that a law discriminates against gay people?

On the merits, this should be an easy call. A law focusing on a group that has been subjected to unfair discrimination, as gay people have been, is supposed to get a hard test. It is presumed invalid unless the government proves that the officials’ purpose in adopting the law advances a real and compelling interest. That sort of heightened scrutiny would challenge the administration’s weak argument for upholding the act. It would also make it more difficult to sustain other forms of anti-gay discrimination, including state laws that deny same-sex couples the right to marry. By now, such blatant discrimination should be presumed to be unconstitutional, and the Justice Department should finally say so.

Read the entire editorial.

Labels: DOJ, DOMA, LGBT rights, marriage equality, New York Times, Obama administration

reposted from Joe

Via HimalayaCrafts:

Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten. ~ Buddha
♥ Namaste ♥ ~ HimalayaCrafts

Via JMG: KENTUCKY: Gay Couple Denied Admission To Creation Museum's "Date Night"

On Friday a couple gay was turned away from a special "Date Night" event at Kentucky's Creation Museum after being told that their presence would add an "un-Christian element" to the venue. Blogger Joe Sonka describes his evening:

I rushed back from DC to my old Kentucky home last night to attend the spectacular "Date Night at the Creation Museum", where my date and I were to take in a nice dinner and listen to Ken Ham explain what makes a good relationship work. Unfortunately, we were told at the door that we would not be allowed entry. They explained to us that the Creation Museum Date Night was a "Christian environment", therefore the presence of two men eating dinner together would not be allowed. The very sight of this would "add an un-Christian element to the event" and "disrupt the evening for everyone". The Creation Museum rep further informed us that you cannot be a Christian if you are gay, asking "can you tell me what exactly is Christian about being gay?"

Sonka and his date were also denied refunds on their $71 tickets.

RELATED: In December the museum announced the construction of $25M "full-scale replica" of Noah's Ark.

Labels: creationism, dumbassery, Kentucky, religion

reposted from Joe

Wendy Ho - Oprah Winfrey - HOfficial Video

Madonna - Express Yourself - MTV Video Music Awards

Via JMG: Rumsfeld Endorses DADT Repeal

Shortly after his CPAC appearance, former defense secretary Donald "War Criminal" Rumsfeld endorsed the repeal of DADT.

“First of all, we know that gays and lesbians have been serving in the military for decades with honorable service,” Rumsfeld said. “We know that [repeal of a ban on gays serving openly] is an idea whose time has come.” Rumsfeld says he has “enormous respect” for the ground commanders and service chiefs who have expressed concerns about the impact of gays serving openly on unit cohesion, and he urged the top brass to implement the new law “with care.” But Rumsfeld says that congress, which passed the repeal bill in the waning days of the last session, has expressed the will of the American people.

The Freepers are very unhappy with this.

Labels: DADT, Donald Rumsfeld, Dubya, war crimes

reposted from Joe

Via HimalayaCrafts:

In seperateness lies the world's great misery, in compassion lies the world's true strength ~ Buddha
♥ Namaste ♥ ~ HimalayaCrafts

Via JMG: ReasonTV Tours CPAC

ReasonTV took a spin around the CPAC exhibitor booths with stops to chat with the Young Libertarians, the John Birch Society, and GOProud.

Labels: CPAC, libertarians, wingnuts

reposted from Joe

Today's "Why is it Republicans Hate us so?" Post:

Via JMG: Canada's Parliament Approves Transgender And Gender Identity Protections

By a vote of 143-135, the Canadian Parliament has narrowly approved a bill granting transgender and gender identity anti-discrimination protections nationwide. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it faces a tough battle. Via Dented Blue Mercedes:

Bill C-389 now goes to the Senate, where it must go through three readings. Readings in the Senate don’t take months-to-years as they do for Private Members Bills in Parliament. However, as far as I know, a Senator still needs to be found who is willing to bring the bill to the floor. There could be some perils in the Senate. In the past, the Senate has mostly just ratified and tweaked legislation passed by Parliament, but as Harper has packed more conservatives into the Senate (rather than reforming it to create an elected Senate, which he once campaigned on), it has been sometimes used more undemocratically. In one recent such move, he used a lack of attendance of Liberal senators to kill a climate change bill. It is also still entirely possible that an election call could kill the bill before it is enacted into law. What would happen then is that as a community, we would need to press candidates and parties to pledge to finish what was started, and also to address other glaring omissions such as the absence of sex / gender from the hate crimes provisions from the Criminal Code of Canada.

(Tipped by Rex Wockner)

Labels: Canada, LGBT rights, transgender issues

reposted from Joe

Why Marriage Matters: Freedom To Marry Launches National TV Ad Campaign

Via JMG: UPDATE: Rep. Christopher Lee (R) Resigns After Craigslist Adultery Scandal

UPDATE: GOP Rep. Chistopher Lee (NY) resigned tonight "effectively immediately" in the light of the scandal detailed below. Lee sent Fox News a short statement announcing his resignation and expressing regret "for the embarrassment caused to my wife and family."

Gawker has posted the Craigslist ad of married GOP Rep. Christopher Lee (R-NY), who has allegedly been using the site's "Women Seeking Men" section to seek out adulterous hook-ups in the Washington DC area. The gossip site has posted screen shots of numerous emails purportedly exchanged between Lee and a woman he angered by lying about his marital status.

Yesterday, we reached out to Rep. Lee, whose support for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and vote to reject federal abortion funding suggests a certain comfort with publicly scrutinizing others' sex lives. A spokesman for the Congressman confirmed that the email address belonged to Lee, and that he had deleted his Facebook account because our initial inquiry had him fretting about "privacy." (A screenshot of his account before it vanished is at right.)

So did the married Republican prowl Craiglist looking for hook ups? After first telling us that he couldn't comment until we forwarded every single email in question, a request we refused—shouldn't Lee know if he's corresponded with women on Craigslist?—Lee's spokesman eventually announced that the Congressman believed he'd been hacked, and provided an email he claims Lee sent to his staff about the security breach on January 21.

As noted above, Lee was among the U.S. House members who voted to retain DADT. His position on other LGBT rights such as same-sex marriage appears to be unknown at the moment.

Labels: adultery, Craigslist, Gawker, GOP, scandal

reposted from Joe

Via HRC: U.S. pastors are exporting bigotry to Uganda, with brutal results.

Dear Daniel,

Frank Mugisha

I've heard some Ugandans falsely cite a "study" that one in four homosexual men have sex with children. This view is no accident. It's pure propaganda straight from the most extreme parts of the American right wing.

Is it any wonder that we are beaten, and attacked, and raped? Is it shocking that our own government sanctions cruelty and murder? With such hate flooding in from overseas, is it any surprise that gay Ugandans who dare to speak up – like my friend David Kato – have lost their lives?

I have seen the ugly extremism of a few anti-gay Americans, but I have also witnessed kindness and courage from many more. Hundreds joined me this week in vigils for the Ugandan dead. And my friends at the Human Rights Campaign tell me that since they sent the message below more than 36,000 of you have signed a petition calling on radical American pastors to stop exporting hate abroad. I cannot tell you how much I thank you.

If you haven't signed the petition yet, I hope you will do so now. To all those who have raised their voice already, I hope you will continue to fight by passing on the message below to your friends and family. Thousands of Ugandans are counting on you.

We simply want our neighbors to understand that gay and lesbian Ugandans deserve dignity and respect. My organization, Sexual Minorities Uganda, has fought the "kill the gays" bill and will continue to advocate for the freedom to be who we are. But we need your help to stop American extremists who are making our struggle so much harder.

Thank you for speaking up.

- Frank Mugisha

Dear Daniel, Stop exporting hate. Stand with HRC's Religion and Faith program. Tell American right-wingers to stop hateful proselytizing in Africa. Sign our petition now. U.S. pastors are exporting bigotry to Uganda, with brutal results. This is an issue close to my heart, because I've spent over a decade working for equality as a lay leader in my own church, and now, as acting director of HRC's Religion and Faith program – which helps religious leaders of all stripes speak out for equality and fight back when hatred is promoted in the name of religion. On Thursday, that perversion of faith cost Ugandan gay rights advocate David Kato his life. He was bludgeoned to death in his home after his name was among those listed in an anti-gay magazine, under the headline "Hang them!" Since at least 2009, radical U.S. Christian missionaries have added anti-gay conferences and workshops in Uganda to their anti-gay efforts in the U.S. – and now they're beginning to ordain ministers and build churches across East Africa focused almost entirely on preaching against homosexuality. These American extremists didn't call for David's death. But they created a climate of hate that breeds violence – and they must stop and acknowledge they were wrong. "Stop Exporting Hate." Sign our petition to Carl Ellis Jenkins, Lou Engle, and Scott Lively. We'll deliver your signature to three men who have gone out of their way to promote hatred: Scott Lively of Massachusetts held an anti-gay conference in Uganda with two other U.S. pastors. A few months later, a bill was introduced in Uganda that would make homosexuality punishable by death. Lou Engle, a Missouri preacher whose rallies draw tens of thousands in the U.S., spoke at a rally in Uganda this year that focused on praying for the bill's passage. (Engle claims not to support some parts of the bill, but internal documents show he came to speak about "the threat of homosexuality," and defend the Ugandan government's efforts to "curb the growth of the vice using the law.") And Carl Ellis Jenkins of Georgia is presiding over a group that's opening 50 new churches in Uganda to "help clean up bad morals, including homosexuality" according to his staff. They have been stirring up hostility in a country where homosexuality is already illegal, violent attacks are common, rape is used to 'cure' people of their sexual orientation – and a shocking law has been proposed that would make homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment or even death. And they're in lockstep with some of the largest and wealthiest right-wing groups in the U.S. When the U.S. Congress considered a resolution denouncing the grotesque Ugandan death-penalty-for-gays bill, the extreme-right Family Research Council – now classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center – spent $25,000 lobbying to stop the resolution from passing. Religion should never be used to spread hate. These men do not speak for me or the millions of diverse religious people who support equality not in spite of our faith, but because of it. That's what our Religion and Faith program is all about: helping people of faith from all different traditions speak out so we can reclaim the core religious values we hold dear in America. At the heart of every religious tradition is love of humanity and love of creator – not hatred for our neighbors. Creating a climate of hate runs contrary to the very idea of faith – but that's exactly what the right wing in America is doing. Tell missionaries and radical hate groups: "Stop exporting hate." Whether or not we're people of faith, we cannot stay silent or stand idly by while a radical minority pushes a hateful agenda in God's name. Please stand with us and speak out today. Sincerely, Sharon Groves Religion and Faith Program  Share on Facebook  Share on Twitter This link is specific to you, so please take action before you forward to your friends. Having trouble clicking on the links above? Simply copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar to reach the action page: https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1013

© 2011 The Human Rights Campaign. All rights reserved. Human Rights Campaign | http://www.hrc.org/ 1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-3278 Phone: 202/628-4160 TTY: 202/216-1572 Fax: 202/347-5323

IT GETS BETTER: "Modern Family" Stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson & Eric Stonestreet

2011 WGA Awards: Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson & Eric Stonestreet sing "Write it Gay"

Valentines Day Kissing Video

7-Year-old Marriage Equality Advocate

By Advocate.com Editors

In an effort to teach a 7-year-old boy named Malcolm the importance of improving the world around him, he was given $140 to donate to the charity of his choice.


After hearing a story on the radio about the mistreatment of gays and lesbians, he selected two charities — the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

In a letter to the center, Malcolm wrote, “I am sending you this money because I don’t think it’s fair that Gay people are not treated equally.”

The donation also included a note from Malcolm’s mother, who challenged the center to raise $27,000 in her son’s name. Center officials have launched a campaign to do just that, and they plan to send confirmation that the goal has been reached along with a “big thank you note.”

Click here for more information on donating.

Via HimalayaCrafts:

When you say something really unkind, when you do something in retaliation your anger increases. You make the other person suffer, and he will try hard to say or to do something back to get relief from his suffering. That is how conflict escalates. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

♥ Namaste ♥ ~ HimalayaCrafts

Via JMG: Iowa House Gets Bill Allowing Broad Discrimination Against Married Gays

Folks, this one takes the cake.

It would be legal for an Iowa business owner who cites religious beliefs to refuse to provide jobs, housing, goods or services to people involved in a marriage that violates his or her religious convictions, according to a bill an Iowa House subcommittee will consider on Wednesday. House Study Bill 50, called the Religious Conscience Protection Act, would allow a person, business or organization such as a charity or fraternal group to deny services without fear of facing a civil claim or lawsuit if they think doing so would validate or recognize same-sex relationships. The same-sex exclusion is by itself constitutionally troubling, several legal scholars and civil rights activists said. However, the bill is so broad that it would legalize a wide spectrum of other discriminatory acts, they said. They raised questions about whether services could be denied if, say, a Christian were married to a Jew or if a woman who is 60 married a man who is half her age and the couple could not procreate.

Iowa's GOP House Speaker says the bill "has a shot" of passing. Our hero in the state Senate, Mike Gronstal, will likely block the bill from consideration there.

Labels: bigotry, GOP, Iowa, marriage equality, religion

reposted from Joe

JMG Quote Of The Day - Ted Haggard

"The word marriage is a big deal to people of faith. We’ve made it sacred. That’s why I believe that churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples should have total freedom to have whatever types of unions they believe as godly. But I think that we as a democratic society, as a constitutional republic — if we don’t respect individual civil liberties, then we’re making a horrific mistake. The church is in the early stages of another ‘the earth is flat’ crisis. I say to all religious people that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry on the subject. Or we’re going to be embarrassed in another 10 or 20 years." - Ted Haggard, in this week's Advocate cover story.

Labels: drugs, marriage equality, prostitution, religion, scandal, Ted Haggard

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Billie Ray Martin - Sweet Suburban Disco

The fantastic Billie Ray Martin is back with Sweet Suburban Disco, a lovely electro number reminiscent of her stone late 80s club classics with Electribe 101 (Talking With Myself, Tell Me When The Fever Ended) and her 1995 global solo smash, Your Loving Arms. The new track and its remixes drop on iTunes on February 28th. (The remix by Erasure's Vince Clark is especially tasty.) Courtesy of Billie's U.S. promoters, here's a JMG sneak of the radio edit.

Sweet Suburban Disco - radio edit by billie ray martin

Joe says,
RELATED: Back in '95, I somehow saw Billie perform Your Loving Arms three nights in a row at clubs in three different cities: South Beach's Club 1235/Paragon/Level, some forgotten place in West Palm Beach, and at Fort Lauderdale's The Stud, which was the best leather disco that ever used to be a Red Lobster. I wasn't stalking her, I just went out a really, really lot in those days.

Labels: Billie Ray Martin, dance music, UK

reposted from Joe

Gay Parenting In The Bible Belt

Via AmericaBlog: On Reagan's 'shameful abdication of leadership in the fight against AIDS'

Today would have been Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday. All of official DC (The Villagers), GOPers and right-wingers in general are rewriting the history of Reagan's presidency. Check out Mike Stark's conversation with Limbaugh.

There are many, many stains on that legacy. AIDS is one of them. When Reagan died in 2004, this op-ed appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle:

As America remembers the life of Ronald Reagan, it must never forget his shameful abdication of leadership in the fight against AIDS. History may ultimately judge his presidency by the thousands who have and will die of AIDS.

Following discovery of the first cases in 1981, it soon became clear a national health crisis was developing. But President Reagan's response was "halting and ineffective," according to his biographer Lou Cannon. Those infected initially with this mysterious disease -- all gay men -- found themselves targeted with an unprecedented level of mean-spirited hostility.

A significant source of Reagan's support came from the newly identified religious right and the Moral Majority, a political-action group founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell. AIDS became the tool, and gay men the target, for the politics of fear, hate and discrimination. Falwell said "AIDS is the wrath of God upon homosexuals." Reagan's communications director Pat Buchanan argued that AIDS is "nature's revenge on gay men."

With each passing month, death and suffering increased at a frightening rate. Scientists, researchers and health care professionals at every level expressed the need for funding. The response of the Reagan administration was indifference.

Indifference lead to death. Remember the slogan: Silence = Death. It did.

Michael Bedwell also reminds us of that major stain on Reagan's legacy. He pointed me to an article from the Washington Post on June 2, 1987 (also available at the Post's archives):

D.C. police wearing long yellow rubber gloves arrested 64 demonstrators after the group blocked traffic on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House to protest the Reagan administration's AIDS policies. The administration's policies were also the focus of protests at the Washington Hilton hotel, where more than 6,000 researchers have gathered for the Third International Conference on AIDS.

Among those arrested was Leonard P. Matlovich, a former Air Force sergeant who was expelled from the service in 1975 after admitting his homosexuality. Matlovich, who recently learned he has AIDS, wore his old Air Force jacket decorated with a Purple Heart and Bronze Star and clutched a small American flag as police handcuffed him.

Indifference and silence. Death. Quite a legacy.