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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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