Via JMG: This Weekend: Great Global Kiss-In

The Great Global Kiss-In takes place around the world this weekend as part of the International Day Against Homophobia. Hit the link for times and locations in your town.

reposted from Joe

Quote of the day (via JMG)

HomoQuotable - Alan Cumming

"It is my contention that Ramin Seetodeh is not happy with himself. He has particular shame about being gay. He sees gayness, particularly open and unabashed gayness, or effeminacy, as a reminder of what he does not like about himself. And so he attacks it. His own shame translates into his paralysis when thinking of others who might have his own curse and yet be able to function fully and happily within the rest of the world: a child chasing his friends around a playground in high heels; an actor who he knows is publicly gay but feels he needs to re-out to make himself feel better about his own self-loathing and lack of acceptance of his most basic needs and happiness. As someone who is a only a decade or so immigrant to these shores, I have noticed that shame is one of America's biggest exports, imbibed more domestically than overseas, and Mr Seetodeh could easily manage its Gay division." - Alan Cumming, responding to the continuing controversy over Newsweek's "gays can't play straight" article.reposted from JMG

Quote of the Day: the Treaty of Tripoli

President John Adams signed the Treaty of Tripoli. Article 11 states: 'The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.' This was ratified by the United States Senate without debate unanimously in 1797.

- Wiki (via Burl Barer on Facebook)

Via NPR: Why Is It OK To Say "That's So Gay?"

Via JMG: PORTUGAL: Pope Warns Against "Insidious Threat" Of Gay Marriage

Today Emperor Palpatine urged the Portuguese people to oppose the marriage equality bill recently approved by the nation's legislature, calling it an "insidious" threat to society.

The pope, wrapping up his trip to this country where more than 90 percent of the population is officially Catholic, made his appeal in the shrine city of Fatima on a day that started with a Mass attended by up to half a million people. In his afternoon address to Catholic charity and social workers, the 83-year-old German pope said he "deeply appreciated" initiatives aimed at defending what he said were "essential and primary values of life." Among these values, he said, was "the family, founded on indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman," which is Vatican-speak for its opposition to gay marriage. The audience applauded when the pope said abortion -- which has been legal in Portugal since 2007 -- and threats to heterosexual marriage were "among some of the most insidious and dangerous challenges facing the common good today."

Portugal's president is being pressured by the Vatican to veto the marriage equality bill, although it's widely expected that his veto will be overridden by the parliament.

reposted from JMG

Via JMG: Stars Reenact Prop 8 Trial Testimony

The Courage Campaign has launched Equality On Trial, in which stars reenact the testimony given by the plaintiffs in California's Prop 8 trial. Below are reenactments from Marisa Tomei, Cheyenne Jackson, Michael Urie, Patricia Clarkson, Alan Cumming, and Ellen Greene. The Courage Campaign invites you to download trial scripts and upload your own reenactments to the Equality On Trial site.

reposted from JMG

Via SacBee:

Assembly urges repeal of military's 'don't ask, don't tell'

The Assembly approved a resolution today 51-17 urging President Barack Obama and Congress to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays and lesbians in the Armed Forces.

Read more.

Via JMG: HomoQuotable - LZ Granderson

"The gay and lesbian community has plenty of Uncle Toms trying to blow us up from inside, but what we don't have is our own word or phrase to identify them. Some call them 'closet cases,' but there is a difference between someone who is unwilling to live openly and honestly, and someone who takes that a step further and hurts those who do.

"People in the closet warrant a level of sympathy because we all know how difficult it can be to embrace one's truth. And I do not believe in outing people who are simply living in hiding. But I do believe in revealing the identities of these gay Uncle Toms. People like Rekers, a Baptist minister who was paid to testify against gay adoption and travel the globe preaching that therapy can 'cure' gay people, do not deserve the same sympathy given to those who are afraid of losing their jobs. Not when they consciously morph from being victims of homophobia to attack dogs eating their young." - LZ Granderson, writing for CNN.

Granderson doesn't want us using "warm and fuzzy" names like Uncle Roy (Cohn) to describe people like George Rekers and is looking for a new expression. Suggestions?reposted from JMG

Via JMG and Why I Buy Pepsi and Continue to Boycott Coke

PhoboQuotable - Greg Quinlan

"Ms. Nooyi, you lead PepsiCo’s Diversity and Inclusion Governance Council. I don’t want to hear any more words from you about diversity and inclusion -- I want you to actually practice it. As for Peggy Moore, who represents PepsiCo on the PFLAG Board Workplace Diversity Committee, she should be fired because she doesn’t know the first thing about diversity if she can’t respect people like me. And PepsiCo should resign immediately from PFLAG’s so-called Diversity Committee. Why would PepsiCo sit on a committee that defines diversity to only include those people whose religious ideology they agree with?

"Ms. Nooyi and PepsiCo Board of Directors, do you make these decisions because of replicated scientific studies supporting specific biological etiology for homosexuality? I can answer that for you. You can’t because there is zero evidence. ZERO that anyone is born homosexual. Once again, I urge the PepsiCo Board of Directors, yes; each and every one of you, to do your jobs and hold PepsiCo to the ideals and standards it claims to follow. I shouldn’t have to come here year after year asking PepsiCo to stop funding hate against people like me. " PFOX president Greg Quinlan, screaming to PepsiCo's board of directors at their annual shareholders meeting.

"Ex-gay" loser Quinlan has his delicate, finely-laced pink panties in a twist because PepsiCo has contributed to PFLAG and the Human Rights Campaign.

reposted from JMG

Via JMG: Roy Zimmerman: George Rekers Is Completely Heterosexual

Musical satirist Roy Zimmerman updates his classic.

a classic repost from JMG

VIA JMG: Military Bloggers Call For DADT Repeal

Ben Smith reports at Politico that a coalition of military bloggers have called for the repeal of DADT.

The community of "mil-bloggers" -- often hawkish, critical of White House and military leadership, devoted to both the First and Second Amendments -- isn't easy to define politically, but has proven an increasingly powerful voice from the ranks. The statement, which says that there have always been gay soldiers and that "very little will actually change" with the repeal of "Don't Ask," carries the signatures of the authors of some of the most prominent: Blackfive, Q&O, Outside the Wire, and the US Naval Institute Blog, among others.

Here's an except of their statement.

We consider the US military the greatest institution for good that has ever existed. No other organization has freed more people from oppression, done more humanitarian work or rescued more from natural disasters. We want that to continue. Today, it appears inevitable to us that the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy and law restricting those displaying open homosexual behavior from serving will be changed. And yet, very little will actually change. Homosexuals have always served in the US Military, and there have been no real problems caused by that.

The service chiefs are currently studying the impact and consequences of changing the DADT policy, and how to implement it without compromising the morale, order and discipline necessary for the military to function. The study is due to be completed on Dec. 1st. We ask Congress to withhold action until this is finished, but no longer. We urge Congress to listen to the service chiefs and act in accordance with the recommendations of that study.

reposted from JMG

VIA JMG: IRAQ: Soldiers Show Support For Gays In The Military With Sexy Dance Video

Via Towleroad, soldiers in Iraq show support for gays in the military with a silly and sexy routine set to Ke$ha. From the clip description: "Created by Codey Wilson and his elite step team of volunteers. Don't give us a hard time for this, please? We're just a few good men trying to enjoy ourselves and get this deployment over with. No one is gay... that we know of. Not that there is anything wrong with that!"

Andy Towle opines: "Popped collars, go-go dancing atop heavy equipment, nudity, lip-dubbing in the showers. These are all things to be extremely concerned about if gays are allowed to serve openly in the military! Though it appears the straight guys have beat them to it."

Thanks JMG!

Via JMG: Laura Bush Comes Out For Gay Marriage

You may recall that in her memoir released early this month, Laura Bush wrote that she had asked Dubya not to make gay marriage an issue in his campaign, considering how many gay friends they had. Last night on Larry King, Laura expanded on that, saying she supported gay marriage and that it would eventually be legalized as the issue is a "generational thing."
reposted from JMG

Via JMG: Harvey Fierstein On Nurse Jackie

Harvey Fierstein guest starred on last night's episode of Nurse Jackie, playing the husband of a man being kept alive by a machine. Click over to this excellent commentary by Fierstein about the state of patient rights for LGBT people in New York.

reposted from JMG

Biden: Kagan 'Was Right' To Ban Military Recruiters From Harvard Law School

VIA JMG: Florida's Gay Dem Caucus To McCollum: Give The Rekers Money Back!

The Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus is demanding that Attorney General Bill McCollum pay back taxpayers for the $120K paid for George Rekers' fraudulent testimony.

Yesterday, McCollum said that on hiring Rekers, “I wouldn’t do it again if I knew what I know today.” But Rekers has built his entire career on peddling discredited junk science and demeaning taxpaying GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) citizens. McCollum knew better but personally requested Rekers to be hired anyway. Because of this, the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus calls on McCollum to immediately refund the state of Florida $120,000 whether it’s from his campaign account or his own pocket. “Bill McCollum showed incredibly poor judgment when he hired Dr. George Rekers to spew hate-filled propaganda on the stand,” said Phillip Perry, spokesman for the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus. “The only way that McCollum can make this right is if he immediately apologizes and pays back taxpayers for this egregious mistake. Floridians expect their leaders to spend taxpayer dollars wisely during these tough times, not waste it on hiring quacks posing as scientists to pursue a narrow, hate-inspired political agenda.”

McCollum's toadies continue to scrub his Facebook page of your comments today. Go after him on Twitter!

reposted via JMG

Via JMG: Disgraced Rentboy Patron Dr. George Rekers Resigns From NARTH

Everybody's least favorite homosexual, the publicly shamed Dr. George Rekers, has resigned from the board of directors of NARTH, the nation's most repulsive "ex-gay" organization. Talking Points Memo has the story:

NARTH vice president of operations David Pruden tells TPMmuckraker that Rekers first offered his resignation last Thursday, and officially resigned today. NARTH is a group that promotes the idea that homosexuality can, and should, be cured. Pruden also denied a report in the Miami New Times that NARTH had been involved in helping Rekers respond to the media. "NARTH has never had any role in advising Dr. Rekers except to suggest that if he is innocent he needs to get a good lawyer," Pruden said in an email. "He has friends who are members of NARTH and they are free to talk with, advise, and needless to say, they are free to help him in any way they might select." "NARTH as an organization has taken no official role in this other than asking him to explain to us what has happened and in accepting his resignation," he said.

Rekers' name and photo still appears on NARTH's list of officers.

UPDATE: On his personal site, Rekers acknowledges his resignation and pledges to move forward with a defamation lawsuit.

"I am immediately resigning my membership in NARTH to allow myself the time necessary to fight the false media reports that have been made against me. With the assistance of a defamation attorney, I will fight these false reports because I have not engaged in any homosexual behavior whatsoever. I am not gay and never have been.” (May 11, 2010)

Yesterday a source told me that Rekers had decided against legal action. The above could just be blustering. Or my source could be wrong.

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reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Can We Forgive Our Enemies? Should We?

Outing Aftermath: Can We Forgive Our Enemies? Should We?

JMG reader Stephen wonders if the LGBT community shouldn't extend an olive branch and a rainbow flag to homophobes like Dr. George Rekers after they've been outed. He writes:

In light of this most recent outing of an anti-gay conservative, I've had some thought that I'd like to share with you. Last summer, I saw that great documentary, Outrage, that actively outed several politicians and, then, I agreed with its justification. The bigoted, but closeted gay, politicians harmed us, so we'll ruin them so they can't do it anymore. However, now, I think there's a big flaw in this: when we get one and ruin them, trash talk them, and alienate them from both us and their conservative friends, it speaks volumes to all the others. Every time we shame and express our outrage at these people, we could be inspiring fear and be pushing others further into the closet. In fact, when we assassinate the character of these people, we are doing just what they would do to us. I well understand the pain that people like Dr. Rekers have brought to our community, but vengeance only engenders more pain. Would we fuel such hatred with our own?

Ironically, I think we should take a leaf out of Jesus' (real) message: forgiveness. If we, as a community, welcomed these people and forgave their political trespasses against us, I think it will demonstrate a much better side of our community and actually help others follow in the path of coming out and repenting their old homophobic ways. Moreover, I think it would help our community demonstrate the irony that, in some ways, the "Christians" follow less of Jesus' teachings than us. I'm not saying we should excuse Dr. Rekers right now. From what I understand, he isn't as of yet knocking on our door asking for an accepting shoulder to cry on or for a rainbow flag to wave, but at the same time, I think we ought to make it clear that when he's ready, we'll have it for him.

One could make the case that an outed notorious homophobe could be a powerful ally. And certainly many survivors of the "ex-gay" movement are today advocating fiercely for LGBT causes. But could we forgive Dr. George Rekers (or someone like him) if he came to us tomorrow as a repentant homophobe and openly gay man? Should we?

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reposted from JMG

Via JMG: The Evil Of Dr. George Rekers

Head over to Rob Tisinai's blog and read some excerpts from the 2008 gay adoption trial in Florida where "expert witness" Dr. George Rekers testified against a gay couple attempting to adopt two young brothers. We've had a lot of fun at Rekers' expense here over the last week, but let's not lose sight of the evil he has perpetrated against gay families.

reposted from JMG