From aatombomb:

That “nothing” was on full display this afternoon, when I got to ask Maggie Gallagher the question I’ve always wanted to ask her: What do you think that am I supposed to do with my life?

Suppose I found myself in agreement with her. Suppose I concluded that same-sex marriage was corrosive to society. Do I leave my husband? Do I send my adopted daughter back to the state? Enter ex-gay therapy, which isn’t likely to work? Tell my whole family that I’m single now, and that Scott shouldn’t be welcome at family events? Live my whole life alone, and loveless? Hide? Where is the life I’m supposed to live?

I probably wasn’t so articulate at the Cato event, but I do recall Gallagher’s very simple answer: “I don’t know.”

— Riveting stuff. Maggie Gallagher is the clearest and most dangerous representation of what we as gay people face as a politically active community in this country. She is smart, charming, and clearly has the courage of her convictions. She is, in a word, the Enemy. And she must be defeated.

Pee-Wee rulez.

thanks to aatombomb for the heads up

A Family's Story: The Case for LGBT Immigration Reform

Homosexuality and Pedophilia: The False Link

Does homosexuality lead to pedophilia?

Published on September 15, 2008

Q: I've heard therapists say that a male adult who sexually abuses a boy isn't necessarily ‘homosexual.' This seems confusing: If he isn't homosexual, then why would he sexually molest boys, instead of girls?

This is a very good question, and there are several ways to respond to it. First, we need to clarify our definitions. When discussing sexual abuse and molestation of children, there's often conflict over terminology. One frequently quoted researchers on the topic of homosexuality and child molestation, Gregory Herek, a research psychologist at the University of California, defines pedophilia as "a psychosexual disorder characterized by a preference for prepubescent children as sexual partners, which may or may not be acted upon." He defines child sexual abuse as "actual sexual contact between an adult and someone who has not reached the legal age of consent." Not all pedophiles actually molest children, he points out. A pedophile may be attracted to children, but never actually engage in sexual contact with them. Quite often, pedophiles never develop a sexual orientation toward other adults.

jump here to read the full article

Quote of the day

Lost Causes Are the Only Causes Worth Fighting For

- freshman US Sen. Jeff Smith (played by Jimmy Stewart)

From JMG: HomoQuotable - Elton John

"I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East -- you're as good as dead." - Elton John, speaking to Parade Magazine.

reclaimed from JMG

From JMG: The Superions (Feat. Fred Schneider) Who Threw That Ham At Me?

Labels: B-52's, dance music, Fred Schneider, gay artists, Superions

Re-hammed from JMG

From JMG: HRC Issues Plan For DADT Repeal

Probably in response to Tuesday's blog swarm, the Human Rights Campaign today issued a five point plan regarding the repeal of DADT.

Guiding our work over the next months will be a number of key principles:

* Continued Presidential Leadership
We have - and will continue to — call on the White House to include DADT repeal language in the 2011 Department of Defense authorization bill. HRC Legislative Director Allison Herwitt made that clear in this story by the DC Agenda on Jan. 11.

* Congressional Action in 2010
We believe that legislative action must run on a parallel track with the work of the DOD implementation review. We have — and will continue to — press the Senate to include repeal language in the final mark up of this year’s DOD authorization bill.

* Gates/Mullen review
While the testimony of Gates and Mullen marked a historic and extraordinary move towards final repeal of DADT, HRC is advocating that the announced review is comprehensive and expeditious, and includes input from lesbian and gay service members and veterans. We will work to ensure the Working Group established by Secretary Gates will have all the data and information necessary to address any and all implementation issues.

* Strategic Partnerships
HRC will continue to partner with key groups and Congressional allies working toward repeal including the Center for American Progress, Servicemembers United and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. By continuing to pool our resources, contacts and intelligence, we can meet the opposition head on and build even greater momentum for repeal.

* Voices of Veterans
HRC’s “Voices of Honor” campaign is organizing veterans across the country to generate media, grassroots and grass tops pressure in key states that will be critical to the final votes in the House and Senate. The campaign builds on the work of the national “Voices of Honor Tour” last summer which led to 30 new Congressional co-sponsors and garnered national media attention to this discriminatory law.

Labels: Congress, DADT, HRC, military

Reposted from JMG

From JMG: Utah State Sen. Chris Buttars: Still Crazy!

Buttars wants to save Utah's crippled budget by doing away with the 12th grade. Students immediately formed their own Buttars PAC.

Reposted from JMG

Congrats to the NEw New Hampshire!

NH Rejects Gay Marriage Ballot Push

Moments ago, the New Hampshire House resoundingly rejected an attempt to place a vote to repeal same-sex marriage on the November ballot.

CACR 28 defined marriage in this state by saying it can only be between a man and a woman. It was rejected by a wide margin, 201-135, short of a simple majority and far below the three-fifths majority -- 238 votes -- it needed to advance to the Senate. Sponsors tried to delay a vote on the bill until March 17, so local voters could weigh in on petitions at town meeting that ask for a popular vote on the amendment. "All we're trying to do here is put this on the ballot," Rep. David Bates, R-Windham, arguing voters should have their say.

Cheers to New Hampshire! We are wriggling with pleasure.

Reposted from JMG

VALENTINE'S DAY
PETITION AGAINST STALLING MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Sign this petition to repeal Prop 8 NOW. Show your support in allowing people to choose to marry the person they love. Right now, our brothers, our sisters, our co-workers, and our friends are being discriminated against just because they love someone of the same gender. Love isn’t something that should be regulated by the government. It’s more powerful than that and it’s something that everyone should be able to experience. Love makes us stronger as a community, and it’s worth fighting for.

You can help reverse marriage discrimination by signing this petition. There are organizations out there that say they support marriage equality, but they're hesitant to take a stand and fight for it now. We're going to collect all the signed petitions and deliver them to these organizations, and ask that they step up to support marriage equality now.

When Olson and Boise decided to take marriage equality to the federal courts, some big LGBT organizations argued against it, saying that it was “too soon” to fight for marriage equality on the Federal level. These same organizations are also saying that it’s “too soon” to fight for marriage equality at the State level in California.

Tell them that it’s unacceptable to delay LGBT equality on the federal AND state level.

Make your voice heard. Fill out the petition,
and tell them to support marriage equality now!

It's not right for these organizations to tell Obama that there are no excuses in delaying the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and that there are no excuses in delaying the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, while at the same time they argue that LGBT residents in California should wait more than 2 years to be equal. Demanding equality in the army while putting off equality in marriage is a compromise. Full equality is not something to be earned over time or given through concessions.

Let's stand together and tell these organizations that there is no such thing as partial equality! The time is now and we are the ones we've been waiting for. No one should be told to wait in line for their turn to be equal.

Tell these organizations to stop delaying LGBT equality, and unite in the fight to restore marriage equality now. Tell them to support Restore Equality 2010's efforts in repealing Proposition 8!

An clear exampel as to why JMG is such a delight: Manly Cupcakes For Manly Men

Manhattan's decade of fascination with the "upscale" cupcake emporium has been well-documented. And years after Sex And The City went off the air, the lines at the pointedly downscale Magnolia Cupcakes mysteriously remain. Therefore, it seems, we were long overdue for a gay take on the phenomenon. Enter the Butch Bakery.

Butch Bakery was born when David Arrick felt it was time to combine a masculine aesthetic to a traditionally cute product -the cupcake. When a magazine article mentioned that cupcakes were a combination of everything "pink, sweet, cute, and magical", he felt it was time to take action, and butch it up. He decided to create a company where "Butch meets Buttercream". David is delighted to bring this exciting culinary product to market.

A one-dozen booze-infused "Butch Box" of cupcakes will set you back $48. I love that they've trademarked "Butch it up." I'm totally going to copyright "You go, girl!"

refrosted from JMG

Remembering a Gay Son

The Olympics are all about stories that tug at our heart strings and renew our faith in both a little redemption and a little humanity. And there might be nothing more heart-warming than to see Brian Burke, the General Manager of the U.S. Hockey Team, in attendance at the games. Burke lost his son, openly gay Miami University of Ohio student Brendan Burke, in a car accident last week. When Brendan told his father he was gay, his father not only stood by him, but marched next to him in Pride parades. A few months ago, Burke used his son as an example of courage when talking about homophobia in sports. It was clear that this father loved his son more than anything, sexual orientation be damned. That's the way it should be. Of being at the Olympics, Burke simply said, "My son would have wanted me to be here." Sure, it'll be hard for Team USA's hockey team to surpass the miracle win of 1980. But it sure would be great to see them win this year for Brendan.

from Change.org

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