The Five Most Gay-Friendly Things About the 2010 Winter Olympics

Face it, there's no escaping the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Whether it's non-stop coverage of Johnny Weir's outfits, or the constant replay of those two South Koreans crashing on the speed-skating track, February is all about covering the glitz and glamour of winter sports.

And if you haven't noticed, there's also something a little LGBT-friendly about this year's games. Are they the Gay Games? No, not in the least. For really LGBT-inclusive sports, stay tuned for the 2010 Gay Games in Cologne, Germany later this year. But in its own way, the Vancouver Olympics are making little LGBT imprints. Here are five ways the Olympics are getting their gay on this time around.

jump here to read the article

From JMG: EU Warns Applicants: Support For LGBT Rights Is Mandatory For Membership

The European Parliament has reaffirmed its policy that EU member states must support LGBT rights. Turkey, Macedonia, and Croatia are moving closer to admission, but all three continue to violate the EU's requirements.

The three candidate countries were reminded that the protection of all minorities is a non-negotiable condition to access the European Union. “I am happy that our amendments in favour of LGBT rights in the progress reports for Macedonia and Croatia were adopted by the European Parliament,” Ulrike Lunacek MEP, co-president of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights, said this evening. “We have reaffirmed that anti-discrimination standards must apply in candidate countries, and Štefan Füle, Commissioner for Enlargement, has assured us of his support on this issue. We count on the Commission’s work in this area to make sure fundamental rights are respected in the European region.” The other co-president, Michael Cashman, said that accession critera are “crystal clear”. ”Minorities must be protected from discrimination as laid out in Article 19 of the Treaty—and that includes sexual orientation,” he said. “This is not an à la carte menu: it is at the core of the European Union, and we will be rigorous in its application.”

(Via - Lez Get Real)reposted from JMG

From Care2: Gay and Lesbian or Homosexual? What's in a Word?

Together with the New York Times, CBS has released the results of their latest poll in which they attempt to gauge support for repealing the military gay ban 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' Interestingly, they found that more people support letting gays and lesbians serve in the military than support homosexuals. What? It seems that, at least in the minds of some respondents, words, and the emotions evoked by those words, really can make a difference. Here's a brief summary of the CBS poll (click here for the full article):

Yes, why?

Valentine's Mouse

From JMG: Dick Cheney Endorses DADT Repeal

This morning on ABC News This Week, Dick Cheney said that the time to repeal DADT has come.

I think the society has moved on. I think it’s partly a generational question. I say I’m reluctant to second-guess the military in this regard because they’re the ones who have got to make the judgment about how these policies affect the military capability of our, of our units. And that first requirement that you have to look at all the time is whether they’re still capable of achieving their mission and does the policy change i.e. putting gays in the force, affect their ability to perform their mission. When the chiefs come forward and say we think we can do it, then it strikes me that it’s time to reconsider the policy. And I think Admiral Mullen’s said that.

(Via - Think Progress)

reposted from JMG

From JMG: Out Lesbian KD Lang Steals Show At Vancouver Olympics Opening Ceremonies

Despite the preceding three hours of high-tech spectacle, it was openly lesbian and native Canadian kd lang's simple, yet soaring take on Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah that stole the show during the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics. Watch video here. Overnight the top three searches on Google were for various punctuations of lang's name, as accolades poured out on the world's blogs and news sites. Twitter reactions here. Last night was the second time in two weeks that Cohen's classic was sung to a global audience by an openly gay performer, as Matt Morris had dueted on the track with Justin Timberlake during the Haiti telethon. It was lang's second Winter Olympics performance, 22 years ago (during her cowgirl schtick period) she performed Turn Me Around at the 1988 Calgary games.

RELATED: Openly gay Canadian fiddle player Ashley MacIsaac also took center stage during the opening ceremonies. Watch his 1995 hit single Sleepy Maggie.

Lifted from JMG

From Bilerico

Bil Browning February 13 at 8:32am Reply

Jeff Sheng's post about Dan Choi rejoining his National Guard unit for training - with exclusive photos - had made CNN, ABC, CBS, and MSNBC by the next morning (and that doesn't mention all the websites that picked up the story too!) After so many contributors attended NGLTF's Creating Change conference, you could feel a new excitement in the amount and quality of posts submitted this week. Check out this sampling of great posts:

Exclusive Pics: Lt. Dan Choi back in service?
Filed by: Jeff Sheng
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/lt_dan_choi_back_at_training.php

Sunday
Rep. Frank, Stop Blaming The Community
Filed by: Dr. Jillian T. Weiss
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/rep_frank_defensive_and_apoplectic_on_enda.php

All eyes on disordered taxes
Filed by: Austen Crowder
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/all_eyes_on_disordered_taxes.php

Monday
Sarah Palin wants YOU to point fingers and shut up
Filed by: Kip Williams
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/sarah_palin_wants_you_to_point_fingers_and_shut_up.php

Green penis veins, oral sex pregnancy, and other sex questions
Filed by: Gloria Brame Ph.D.
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/green_penis_veins_oral_sex_pregnancy_and_other_sex.php

Tuesday
Sore Toes and "Angry Trannies"
Filed by: Antonia D'orsay
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/sore_toes_and_angry_trannies.php

A Call for Inclusive Immigration Reform
Filed by: Steve Ralls
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/a_call_for_inclusive_immigration_reform.php

Wednesday
More Problems at Notre Dame: Ex-Gay Speaker Invited to Talk About "Authenticity"
Filed by: Waymon Hudson
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/more_problems_at_notre_dame_ex-gay_speaker_invited.php

Is "Gender Incongruence" the Cure for What Ails?
Filed by: Keri Renault
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/is_gender_incongruence_the_cure_for_what_ails.php

Thursday
John Mayer and sexual racism
Filed by: Alex Blaze
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/john_mayer_and_sexual_racism.php

Would the World be Better Off Without Any Trans People?
Filed by: Guest Blogger Alice Kalafarski
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/would_the_world_be_better_off_without_any_trans_pe.php

Friday
What's the holdup in getting ENDA through the House?
Filed by: Bil Browning
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/whats_the_holdup_in_getting_enda_through_the_house.php

"Valentine's Day" - A Day in the Life of (Hetero) Love
Filed by: Jason Tseng
http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/valentines_day_-_a_day_in_the_life_of_hetero_love.php

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We Are The World 25 For Haiti - Official Video

Quote of the Day

"Freedom is never given; it is won."

- A. Philip Randolph