Mitcham came out in 2008 just before he won a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, and has stated that he embraces his sexuality. “It’s a part of me that I love and enjoy and I like being known as gay. I see it as something positive, so it’s just another positive thing to be known as.”

Mitcham believes that the backlash against the column written by Akermanis proves that “The reaction [Akermanis] got from that has pretty much vindicated to everyone his comments were unfounded, his own, and really quite narrow-minded and probably wrong. Even his own football club said they don’t hold the same opinion as him. He has come out and said a couple of things and people are now saying, ‘What are you doing?’ People are deciding to ignore him.”

Mitcham ridiculed Akermanis’ “The world of AFL is not ready for it. To come out is unnecessary for a lot of reasons.” Nearly thirty AFL footballers and coaches have signed up to help the campaign to mark International Day Against Homophobia.

Source

So far, Sam’s mother has been mentioned on the show, but never seen in the previous two seasons. The guest shot is also something that appears to be special to Lynch’s family. Lynch’s stepdaughter is such a huge fan of the show that during her wedding ceremony with Dr. Lara Embry, her now wife, the show was mentioned in the vows.

Lynch is currently on the show Glee as the resident villain Sue Sylvester. Lynch has appeared in many films and shows, including a guest shot on Criminal Minds playing the mother of Dr. Spencer Reid, Diana Reid. Her character in that show is schizophrenic, which can be very hard to portray on the screen.

Lynch will be appearing on iCarly on 11 September at 8pm EDT, 7pm CDT.

Source

In a recent episode of Futurama, Apple was the target of the show’s often sarcastic humor when they went after both Twitter and Apple via Mom’s megacorporation which includes the building of robots, delivering packages, and creating apps for a phone installed inside the eye socket. The comparison between Mom and Steve Jobs was rather spot on.

The first picture is from the press conference given by Apple to announce the release of Ping, and the second is Lady Gaga’s original page

Source

Greene denies that he called anyone these things and stated “That’s not true. She is a troublemaker and she is not with my campaign.”

For his part, Bigger is not sure what to believe, but feels that it is rather disappointing. He stated “You try to do a public service for people. You try to respect the dignity of human beings and this is what you get. There’s no honesty, it seems like, in politics anymore.” He does not regret the York county forum where Greene came to speak and answer questions.

For her part, Maggart-Feldmen has apparently threatened to ruin Greene. That may be hard to do since he currently trails is opponent, Senator Jim DeMint by 44 points. Greene is also know for saying that he could turn the economy around by selling dolls of his likeness. Greene is also an unemployed veteran, and he is facing a felony charge for allegedly showing a University of South Carolina female college student pornography.

Source

http://www.wmbfnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=13087887

Where the Tea Party once split the Republicans between the Moderates and the Conservatives, now the social and civil issues are threatening to split the Tea Party with more and more people demanding that the ‘Jesus Freaks’ get the ‘hell’ out of the movement.

Blackwell and Klukowski are both appalled by the recent decision by Judge Vaughn Walker strike down “part of the California Constitution defining marriage as one man and one woman,” and by the recent decision by Ken Mehlman to come out of the closet and to start “pushing the Republican Party to support the homosexual-rights agenda.  Republican leaders are beginning to weigh in on where they stand, including on the agenda’s centerpiece: Redefining marriage.”

They went on to say :

“The Republican Party has an official position on same-sex marriage. It’s found in the 2008 GOP platform, which is the clear and uncontestable Republican position until the 2012 convention. When one of your authors (Ken Blackwell) was serving as vice chairman of the GOP Platform Committee, there was a singular focus on producing a party platform that fully reflects the vast majority of Republican Party members.

“The GOP platform could not be more explicit: Marriage is the union of one man and one woman. The fundamental institution of human civilization should be preserved as it has been known through the entirety of American history and Western civilization. Supporters of same-sex marriage had the full opportunity to make their case to the party. They made it, and they lost.”

Of course, as always, they mean the Judeo-Christian-Greco-Roman part of Western Civilization since many outside of those regions had very different definitions of marriage.  Of course, they also begin talking about how there is no right to marriage equality in the US Constitution, and that it is a state issue.  This would be true if it were not for the fact that the Federal Government recognizes marriages given by states and the Constitution requires all states to recognize the laws and contracts entered into in other states.  Of course, their big problem is the supposed rewriting of the Constitution from the bench by ‘activist judges’, which is a very old and tired ploy.

On this point, the two men are absolutely correct

“Republican leadership is working hard to prevent a party split. Millions of Tea Party supporters are justifiably fed up with the GOP, and threatening to abandon the GOP in favor of a third party if Republicans do not fully attack out-of-control federal spending and power with a commitment to constitutional government.

“That danger cuts both ways.

“Social conservatives cannot be played as fools by the Republican Party. They are not “useful idiots.” If Republican leaders abandon social conservatives and the party platform, then they will face the same kind of disaster they could be facing if Tea Partiers abandon the GOP. — Millions of social conservatives will either stay home, or will vote for a third-party candidate who takes up the mantle of marriage, life, faith and family.”

They point to 1912 without actually explaining the events of that year.  In 1912, former President Theodore Roosevelt and then President William Taft had a major falling out.  Roosevelt went on the war path, and when he was unable to take the Republican Party back from Taft, he formed a third party called the Progressive Party.  Roosevelt and Taft’s split ended up splitting the Republican party and President Woodrow Wilson was catapulted into the Presidency.

The GOP today is in a very dangerous spot.  In all likelihood, the split that their leadership is trying to avoid is coming, and it will not be pretty.  In fact, in the wake of Glenn Beck’s little revival on 28 August, that split is coming sooner than the leadership can cope with many Beck fans now wondering openly why they were at a Mormon revival.

Source

In the wake of the AG Jerry Brown and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger request for the same-sex  marriages to resume in California pending Ninth circuit appeal, a Conservative group has filed a Petition to compel the State of California to oppose the Prop 8 decision Appeal.

The new lawsuit is being filed by Pacific Justice Institute on behalf of Dr. Joshua Beckley, a minister in the Los Angeles area. The lawsuit is called an extraordinary writ of mandate and was filed with the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento. The writ asks the court to enforce Government Code Section 12512, which states that the Attorney General “shall defend” the state and its public officials against all legal challenges. At a minimum, the suit argues, this law requires Attorney General Brown to file a one-page Notice of Appeal of Judge Walker’s decision. Otherwise, the Attorney General can effectively veto ballot initiatives by simply refusing to defend them in court.

The lawsuit includes a sworn Declaration from former U.S. Attorney General and legal advisor to Governor Reagan, Edwin Meese III. Meese affirms that neither he nor Governor Reagan refused to defend duly-enacted laws based on personal disagreement with the laws. Former California Attorney General Dan Lungren has also publicly stated his belief that it is the attorney general’s duty to defend all state laws, regardless of his personal feelings or beliefs.

It is not often that I re-blog. But what follows is in effect a complete re-BLOG – this one was difficult to resist, being that I would not have had the knowledge or the license to phraseology and even the opinion expressed for that matter. But when my friend Derrick Mathis drew my attention to his piece I decided it would be interesting to re-Blog here on Lez Get Real to see what comments we could jointly receive.

By Derrick Mathis:

” I noticed that all of the numerous LGBT news related outlets and blogs who’ve covered the petitioning  by the Pacific Justice Institute on behalf of Pastor Joshua Beckley of San Bernardino’s Ecclesia Christian Fellowship—-to force the state’s Governor and the AG to defend Prop 8— have failed to mention the ethnicity of Pastor Joshua Beckley. How odd…

NO PROB.’ WE’LL DO IT.

AFRICAN AMERICAN church minister Joshua Beckley, head of a BIG ASS BLACK CHURCH in San Bernadino, is the man behind this latest lawsuit on behalf of Prop 8.  And as you may surmise from the photo below, he is VERY WELL connected in the state’s black political realm. Wait! Hold up! We originally noticed just the good Pastor Beckley and Assembly members Wilmer Amina Carter and Sandré Swanson in this picture. We didn’t see Karen Bass!

Well I may not have expressed this in this fashion, I decided to give voice to my fellow blogger Derrick Mathis on site RENWL.

Just how many black ministers of humongous black churches in Cali who are also front row and center leaders against LGBT equality is Bass tight with? Momma’s becoming a regular poster child for jive ass black politicians with an unquenchable fetish for holy homo hatin’ brothas.

We know she’s tight as hell with big baller Bishop Charles E. Blake of the West Angeles Christian Center—he’s the one NOM’s Maggie Gallagher waddled her fat ass to the hood to PERSONALLY HONOR for his outstanding work in the black community in helping to rob LGBTs of their rights. Yea, that’s just how fierce he is. And then there’s Rev. Fred Price of the Crenshaw Christian Center, another dear dear friend of Bass’s we understand and a staunch and vocal naysayer against gay marriage. Now apparently there’s this guy Beckley. With friends like Bass, dang who needs republicans or Mormons?

But politically sophisticated white gay folks like the local Stonewall Dem Clubs and Rick Jacobs of Courage Campaign, why they’ll drink Bass’s dirty bath water on command that’s how much they love her. So, ya know, we’ll turn our heads and look the other way too, just like all those really smart ‘n’ on the ball white gay folks in charge of white gayness do.

Getting back to Pastor Beckley—this isn’t the first time he has involved himself in a legal action against gay marriage in Cali. Back in 2004 in a case against the City and County of San Francisco for issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples (In Lockyer v. City and County of San Francisco) he was among a group of black church ministers calling themselves African American Pastors in California, who submitted a brief as amici curiae in support of the Defendant and Appellant (Attorney General Lockyer).  You can see the amicus brief at the end of this post….. which can all be found at ….. http://renwl.org/news/prop-8/black-church-minister-behind-effort-to-force-state-defense-of-prop-8   ”

————————————————————————————–

In solidarity
Mel Nathan.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Legal group seeks to compel Calif to defend Prop 8 (sfgate.com)
• Group Sues to Force AG Brown To Appeal Walker Ruling (lezgetreal.com)

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and Republican senatorial nominee Carly Fiorina delivered a spirited debate tonight at St, Mary’s, Moraga, Bay Area, California.  Fiorina clearly on the defensive unable to lift her leg high enough to the tree with big Boxer, who sparred like a heavy weight, while deflecting the occasional light weight banter from her opponent.

Topics ranged from this year’s hot-button issues of the economy and immigration to the always-debatable subjects of gay marriage and abortion.

Yet no incumbent bloodshed over the biggest issue – relief for California’s struggling economy. Rather a pointed dagger at the heart of Fiorina’s tenure at HP where Boxer noted that the 30,000 jobs shipped abroad by Fiorina reflected the size of an entire Foster City; and with a payoff to Fiorina of $100Million.

Irony of Irony – that very money now being used to fund this very campaign!

“Each did her best to portray her opponent as out of touch with Californians’ needs. Fiorina cast Boxer as a 28-year officeholder with an unabashedly liberal, failed record that has been “devastating for this state.” Boxer defended her record while casting Fiorina as a failed “Wall Street CEO” who got rich while laying off thousands of workers and shipping their jobs overseas before being fired by her board of directors.” (Mercury news tonight)

When asked whether the war in Iraq was worthwhile and what lessons should be applied to Afghanistan, Boxer noted she was among 23 senators who voted against the Iraq war, yet she later voted for funding to protect troops and veterans; she said she wants a clear exit strategy for Afghanistan. Fiorina disingenuously admonished Boxer’s votes as being against the interests of troops several times. Yet Fiorina forgets she continues to tout the rhetoric of the very administration that got us into the war as well as tacitly endorsed the war through her silent acceptance thereof.

Fiorina, who has aired a campaign ad likening Boxer’s concern over climate change as a national security issue to worrying about “the weather,” refused to say despite the moderator’s insistence for a ‘yes or no’ answer– either during the debate or at the spin news conference afterward — whether she will support Proposition 23, which would roll back California’s landmark greenhouse gas emissions law. When Fiorina said she had not yet taken a position. Boxer jumped at her saying that she could not understand how Fiorina failed to take a position at this time on so important an issue;  ”If you can’t take a stand on Proposition 23, I don’t know what you will take a stand on,”   noting that the measure would cripple California’s burgeoning clean-energy economy and give other nations the lead.

Boxer jabbed “My opponent is kind of used to creating jobs in China and other places,” noting Fiorina is supported by the same oil and coal interests backing Prop. 23, and “They are hoping that I don’t make it.”

Asked about the status of children of undocumented immigrants, Fiorina said she supports the DREAM Act — bipartisan legislation providing such youths a path to citizenship through college studies or military service — but opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants.

URGH no one ever asks about UAFA-The Uniting American Families Act – which could feasibly be introduced as a stand-alone bill together with the Dream Act.

Boxer insisted she has supported two bipartisan immigration bills in recent years, while Fiorina has called the battle for comprehensive reform “a distraction” from more important issues.

After the debate, Boxer said the two campaigns are working to schedule another faceoff.

Boxer wins on Knockout round 1.

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

Related articles by Zemanta

• Fiorina Against Walker Ruling v. Boxer Supports Prop 8 Judgment (lezgetreal.com)
• Senator Boxer Nurtures LGBT Support Through Prop 8 (lezgetreal.com)
• Boxer vs. Fiorina: A Dead Heat in California Senate Race (time.com)
• Boxer Leading Fiorina In Latest Polling, People Like Her Hair More Too (lezgetreal.com)

Posted by Melanie Nathan; September 01, 2010

On MONDAY, October 4th, the NOH8 Campaign will set up studio at Texas University in Rudder Theater in College Station, TX opening up the opportunity to join the campaign to Texas area supporters!

…The photo shoot is scheduled to begin at 4 PM and end at 7 PM.

Anyone that would like to join the NOH8 Campaign is asked to wear a plain white shirt to match the look of the signature NOH8 photos.

Solo NOH8 photos will require a minimum donation of $40 per person while any group or couple photos will require a $25 donation per person in the photo.

Adam Bouska will be working around the clock to photograph 5-10 frames for each person that comes through. The final selection he chooses will be retouched and made available to you through the www.NOH8Campaign.com website!

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

ARRIVE BETWEEN 4 PM AND 7 PM @

Texas A&M University
Rudder Theater
200 Discovery Drive
College Station, TX 77845-7546

~ COME CAMERA READY ~

~ WEAR WHITE ~

~ POSE & MAKE A STATEMENT! ~

**The NOH8 Campaign will apply the NOH8 temporary tattoo to your face upon arrival, and we will also supply you with the silver duct tape for the photo.**

***Due to the generosity of Texas A&M we will be able to offer a $10 Discount to ALL solo photos for anyone who presents a Student ID. (ANY student ID not just A&M) So anyone who presents a student ID at check out will only be charged $30 for their solo***

Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

Yes we were; nice Jewish lesbian feminist girls and we made a book. The first one of its kind – decades ago and it is still being used in Women’s Studies classes, to this day!  And now, the Union of Orthodox Rabbis is proclaiming acceptance of gay and lesbian Jews.

Ok, so it’s the “love the sinner hate the sin” line perhaps, but for Orthodoxy to come out with a proclamation such as this one, we have something to celebrate. Something IS changing.

Gloria Greenfield was the driving force behind and in front of “Nice Jewish Girls” and with pen and her press (Persephone Press), she made sure we were a force to be seen and heard. Amazing, beautiful and unstoppable, she got us onstage to read our contributions.

We filled an auditorium somewhere in Boston, eight of us, facing a room full of beaming ‘Nice Jewish Girls’ and their non-Jewish lovers and friends. Outside the hall a group of self –proclaimed Preservers of Judaism were yelling at the women going in, and claiming our “Excommunication!”

Growing up a rare Jew in Japan; sent to Catholic missionary school, for lack of choice, I fully understand the idea of excommunication.  We also knew Jews cannot be excommunicated!

So the taunts were laughable and we laughed!

The men in the black robes soon left with little impact on the magnificence of the evening and everything we believed it stood for. Our ‘Nice Jewish girl’ faces glowed, as we read our stories aloud – all about being Nice Jewish lesbians- to our non Jewish girlfriends and their friends.

We were so validated by what we had accomplished; the book, the stories, our lives, regardless of black gowned frowns. Unstoppable, our courage and energy took up all the space. There was no place left for the men to go but back to where they came from.  Change happens. They may be singing a different tune today. Who knows?

And now the Orthodox Rabbinate have  made an important – sensational- statement; Jews must accept all Jews, as a requirement of Torah, rather than rejection as professed by the men in black those decades ago – how nice for us ‘Nice Jewish Girls’   these 2.5 decades later.

Picture:- Left to right:  front row: Evelyn Torton Beck,Adrienne Rich, Gloria Greenfield, Melanie Kaye Kantrowitz, Standing, left t o right:  Savina Teubal, Josylyn Segal, Rachel Wahba, Irena Klepfisz.

The Book can be purchased at Amazon, in a new edition -( which excludes the original pictures.)

By Rachel Wahba

Other Articles by Rachel

• Lez Talk with Rachel – Brit Milah Penis Rage (lezgetreal.com)
• Outing My Father (lezgetreal.com)
• Generation to Generation – “you’re with girls now aren’t you?” (lezgetreal.com)
• Lesbian Separatist Alix Dobkin Changes Tune – BUT Outlandish Caveat (lezgetreal.com)

• U.S. Orthodox Rabbis Urge Community to Accept Gays, Lesbians BT (lezgetreal.com)

According to the press release “‘A-Z’s of Prejudice’ continues the ‘People Not Profiles’ campaign launched in late July with a march and street theatre action at 4th Street Live! by a coalition of more than a dozen social justice organizations opposing the immigration law. The conversation will be co-facilitated by community organizer Tiffany Gonzalez and Fairness Campaign Coordinating Committee member Meg Stern; ACLU-KY program associate Kate Miller will present and explain the current law.”

This is the second of their conversations about dismantling racism.  All prejudices have the same root causes whether they are based upon religion, race, sexuality, gender expression, sex, etc.

Here are the details:

WHAT: “A-Z’s of Prejudice”

WHEN: Wednesday, September 8, 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Louisville Main Free Public Library, Centennial Room, 301 York Street

WHO: Fairness Campaign’s Dismantling Racism Committee

www.Fairness.org

Twitter.com/FairnessCamp

Facebook.com/FairnessCampaign

Posted by Melanie Nathan; September 01, 2010

Senator Mark Leno has lent his support to LGBT issues in the State of California’s legislature; what many outside California may not realize is the importance and impact of  local leadership on the rest of the Country.

It is when one’s State Senator takes the time to fight for Resolutions pronouncing upon Federal legislation (e.g. Kevin de Leon CA State Assemblyman and Leno for Resolution AJR 15  that passed in California  calling for the enactment of the Federal legislation by Congress of the  Uniting American Families Act (UAFA)) – and now this Article sent out today by Senator Mark Leno, that  we realize – we may well underestimate the importance of the influence that local representatives can have on the National arena. After all when reading this all I could think about was the absurdity of the” Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA) and the fact of its continued impact during this Congress consisting of a Democratic  President and a Democratic majority in both houses.

Senator Mark Leno: “Nearly two years after the passage of Proposition 8 in California, a U.S. District Court judge has ruled that the divisive measure denying same-sex couples the freedom to marry is unconstitutional, violating both due process and equal protection rights. In a landmark decision, the first ever on this issue in federal court, Judge Vaughn Walker upheld justice and equality, concluding there is no rational basis for preventing marriage between same-sex couples.

In his 136-page decision, Judge Walker eloquently dispels the myths promoted by Prop 8, including that heterosexual couples are somehow better than same-sex couples and more deserving of the universal recognition of marriage and that families led by two parents of the same gender are inadequate. Walker’s decision echoes the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s 2004 findings when it ruled that there is no constitutional basis for denying same-sex couples marriage licenses and stated that by doing so we perpetuate a “destructive stereotype that same-sex relationships are inherently unstable and inferior to opposite-sex relationships and are not worthy of respect.” Do we really want our government determining that some people love better than others?

Based on overwhelming evidence presented at trial, Walker concluded that Prop 8 likely passed due to a “desire to advance the belief that opposite-sex couples are morally superior to same-sex couples” and that the proposition “enacts, without reason, a private moral view that same-sex couples are inferior to opposite-sex couples.”

While public opinion in California and across the nation continues to shift more in support of marriage equality, the moral opinions of the masses should not dictate such important issues, especially when it involves fundamental rights. In 1948, California became the first state in the nation to end the ban on interracial marriage, although about 90 percent of Americans at that time opposed these unions. As with marriage for same-sex couples, the California Supreme Court’s 1948 decision was controversial at that time, even though that ban clearly trampled on the rights of targeted minority groups and violated equal protection laws.

In 2004, I had the distinct honor of marrying Marvin Burrows and his lifelong partner Bill Swenor during the short time period when San Francisco granted marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Marvin and Bill had met as teenagers in the 1950s, fell in love, and spent 51 years together as a couple.

One year after Marvin and Bill were married, Bill unexpectedly died of a heart attack. While the men were domestic partners, their marriage license from San Francisco had been invalidated. Because they were not legally married, Marvin was denied Bill’s pension, veteran and social security benefits and his health insurance suddenly ended. As a result of Bill and Marvin’s inability to have their half century relationship honored and validated with a marriage license, in the midst of grieving Bill’s death Marvin was now homeless. Why would we want to kick senior citizens to the curb for the crime of loving someone of the same gender? While Marvin turned his despair into action and became an outspoken advocate for marriage equality, Marvin and Bill’s tragic story demonstrates the cruel and unfair consequences of inequality.

While it’s likely that the legal challenge to Prop 8 will continue to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the current stay preventing same-sex couples from marrying is justice delayed and denied, Judge Walker’s ruling is a giant leap forward for marriage equality. It deflates the prejudiced stereotypes that have long demonized gay men and lesbians and relationships between same-sex couples and their families. It attacks the blatant lies and fears that were fostered by the supporters of Prop 8 during the 2008 campaign. It upholds the U.S. Constitution’s promise of equal protection under law and restates that this fundamental right cannot be denied to any one group of people, regardless of the electorate’s majority opinion.

Finally, the August 4 U.S. District Court decision reiterates a fact that opponents of Prop 8 and supporters of marriage equality have long asserted. Denying loving same-sex couples the freedom to marry unfairly promotes inequality and the perception of inferiority. In the words of Judge Walker, “opposite sex-couples are not better than their same-sex counterparts; instead, as partners, parents and citizens, opposite-sex couples and same-sex couples are equal.”

By Senator Mark Leno who represents the Third Senate District of California, which includes portions of San Francisco and Sonoma Counties and all of Marin County. He can be reached via the web at www.sen.ca.gov/Leno Senator.Leno@senate.ca.gov.

by Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

The thing is, both men are not exactly the most supportive of same-sex marriage.  Instead, it is probably just a ploy by them to outflank President Barack Obama on the issue of LGBT rights, and they have no intentions of ever supporting the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act or Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, or support the enactment of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  Cornyn even once likened homosexuality to “man on box turtle.”  He also opposes same-sex marriage, though he has backed off the extreme rhetoric and claimed that he was not trying to degrade the dignity of lesbian and gay people.

The Log Cabin Republicans may be trying to build bridges with their support of the Conservative movement, but they seem far from choosy when it comes to who they associate with and they have done very little to bridge the gap between the Republicans and the LGBT Community.  Many lesbians, gays and transpeople have been hurt by the Republican Party and they are far from willing to open up and accept their support just yet.

C.D. Kirven, the co-founder of Get Equal Now, released this statement regarding the LCR fundraiser:

“Mr. Sessions and other members of the Texas GOP have a ‘zero’ score by
the Human Rights Campiagn on supporting LGBT issues for years. Get Equal Now has protested TX GOP events and will protest Log Cabin Republican events that include candidates willing to accept money from LGBT citizens but turn a blind eye to repealing DADT or championing ENDA. My message to the TX GOP and their supporters is simple put your vote where your LGBT donations are otherwise we will remember in November. The rich just keep getting richer and with threats of a double dip recession middle class Texans can no longer afford to support candidates willing to take our money and blatantly ignore our struggle. Governor Perry’s unreported million dollar donation from Bob Perry was recently reported by various media outlets so Texans are waking up to the fact that some Republicans continue to play corporate games with the lives of middle class diverse families.  My advice to Mr. Session’s is understand when you attend LGBT events know that we will vote, protest and follow closely candidates that do not serve the public interests of all voters. If you come to LGBT events and take LGBT money, then LGBT activists will hold you accountable!”

Background source data

The move by Wynn Resorts comes after Waits was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, specifically marijuana, and Hilton was arrested on felony cocaine possession charges. So far, formal charges have not been filed. Some allegations have surfaced that Hilton was trying to hide the baggy of cocaine powder inside her vagina or flush it on a trip to the bathroom, but that trip to the bathroom was delayed while a female officer was called to the scene. The baggy fell out of her purse when she went for some lip balm.

The two were pulled over because they were leaving a rather wide trail of marijuana smoke behind them as they drove along. A suspected butt of a marijuana cigarette was found in the Cadillac Escalade in which the couple was stopped in front of the Wynn Las Vegas.

Hilton will be arraigned on 27 October for possession of the baggy that contained 0.8 grams of cocaine. She faces probation if convicted.

Waits was driving the car when they were pulled over, and police report that he had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol. He failed a balance and walk-and-turn field sobriety test. His attorney, Richard Schonfeld, did say that Waits passed an eye test checking on dilation of his pupils, and that he was concerned that Waits was pulled over without any indication that he was driving impaired or that he had made a traffic infraction. Blood was drawn at the time of his arrest, but results will not be released until the case goes to court. Waits was held overnight before being freed on $2,000 bail.

Source

Lesbians everywhere hated the theme song to the original L Word, but when spinoff The Real L Word premiered, the theme song was cute, fun, pop candy. Leaving lesbians everywhere saying, “Wait…who sings that?”

The group behind the song is Love Darling. They are an indie rock trio out of Hollywood, fronted by queer hottie Shay Magro. Also there are two other guys in the band, if you are into that, Mike Wolpe handles the bass, guitar & keys and Christian Jovanny Trujillo is on drums & percussion. The group is on their second album, the first was Pawnshop Radio ON and their newest is Sunshine Dust.

Let me tell you, Sunshine Dustis hot. In a summer full of disappointing music, Love Darling is giving the music world a piping hot injection of awesome. The band has said that their influence includes Smashing Pumpkins and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and that is evident in their music. They are hard enough to be rock and soft enough to appeal to the mainstream. Sunshine Dust delivers music that is repetitive enough to be catchy without the mindless repetition that plagues most of today’s music. The band’s lyrics are original and relatable without becoming mushy or pretentious. Shay Magro has a sultry voice with an edge. She sounds a little like Kiyomi from Hunter Valentine, but smoother and softer. If you love Hunter Valentine, you can’t miss Love Darling.

The first single is This Time, it’s a solid offering from the album and represents the band’s trademark style. A lot of the time, a band will suck you in with one song and then once you hear the rest of the album, it’s a big let down. However, those who purchase the entire album won’t be disappointed, This Time is not the best song Sunshine Dust has to offer. Other strong titles are Cadence, Close to Me, On the Line and my personal favorite, Forget This Part.  

But don’t just take my word for it, you can listen to the single, This Time, below:

LoveDarling ThisTime by AkidaMusic

Learn more about the band at http://www.lovedarlingmusic.com/ or fan them on Facebook!

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Real L Word Recap: Episode 9 (lezgetreal.com)
• The Real L Word Girls are Friends (lezgetreal.com)
• The Real L Word’s Stamie Still Making People Laugh at Comedy 90210 (lezgetreal.com)

Roger Doughty, the Executive Director of Horizons, stated “Horizons is proud to announce these grants that will support issues and programs important to the LGBT community. The grants begin to address longstanding issues and challenges to greater support for marriage equality in communities of color. We have a great deal of work to do, and it’s exciting to help these extraordinary nonprofits do some extraordinary work.”

According to the press release “San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty, along with representatives from grantee organizations, attended the event to express the importance of the grant program and to tell their personal stories related to marriage equality. This included several mothers of Latino LGBT youth with Somos Familia, which is receiving a $25,000 grant to work with BAYCAT studio to produce video storytelling with LGBT youth and their families in the Latino community.”

Dufty stated “To hear these stories from the mothers about their sons and daughters is both heartbreaking and inspiring. Building support and understanding for marriage equality is so important and I applaud Horizons and all the organizations involved in these efforts for their dedication to the cause and helping change lives.”

The Center for Lesbian/Gay Studies in Religious Ministry will receive $25,000 to help create a curriculum designed for use to help in the dialogue with the African-American faith community in order to debate the theological rationales for marriage equality and the inclusion of LGBT members in their congregations.

According to Roland Stringfellow, of that group, “It is our belief that when a path is created for understanding and hope, people will generally take it. To this end, we hope to provide a powerful resource for these churches to build bridges to their children, other relatives and significant loved ones.”

According to Doughty, “Our Community Issues grants are an important cornerstone of support for organizations that really do so much work throughout the year in the LGBT community. As Horizons celebrates 30 years of service, these grant programs help us continue our mission of supporting LGBT issues, causes and people who rely on the programs and services provided by the organizations we help fund.”

For a full list of the grants please visit Horizons’ website.

09/1/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

Singer/Songwriter Jewel has a new album to shill, so she went on Chelsea Lately to try and let someone who cares know. No, I don’t care about her music and chances are you haven’t cared since “Foolish Games” came out. “Why are you being so hard on, Jewel?” You are probably asking yourself. I know, I know, I never thought I would be lambasting Jewel either. I mean Jewel? Who cares!

Well, so she was blabbering about her album and about how she and her husband are backpacking around the country when she decided to tell the world that while she travels with her husband, she wears “lesbian shoes.” You know, like “ugly comfortable lesbian shoes.” Because lesbians wear ugly shoes.  Girl, don’t insult my shoes. You don’t know me. I’m assuming that Jewel isn’t referring to lesbian shoes such as these pink, peeptoe, hidden platform Christian Louboutins that I have been wearing all summer. Because those would be a bitch to travel in.

 Now THOSE are some hot lesbian shoes. Watch the clip below:

Related articles by Zemanta

• Pop Quiz: What Type of Lesbians Cause Cancer? (lezgetreal.com)
• Jennifer Aniston on Cougar Town; Might Play Lesbian Pussycat (lezgetreal.com)
• Margaret Cho Thinks Lesbians are Funny (lezgetreal.com)

The lawsuit, known as an extraordinary writ of mandate, was filed with the Third District Court of Appeals in Sacramento and seeks to have the court enforce Goverment Code Section 12512. That code stated that the Attorney General ‘shall defend’ the state and all public officials against legal challenges. The suit argues that AG Brown must at least appeal the ruling from Walker. Of course, maybe they are right and AG Brown should not only appeal the decision, but defend it in the manner he believes to be proper by arguing that the constitutional amendment is wrong.

PJI president Brad Dacus stated “While we strongly believe that ProtectMarriage.com has standing to defend and appeal the Prop. 8 lawsuit, there is at least a possibility the Ninth Circuit will hold otherwise. This suit is therefore necessary to enforce state law and to prevent the Governor and Attorney General from seizing unprecedented powers to veto ballot initiatives by simply refusing to defend them in court.”

In truth, the group is probably looking to force Brown to file the appeal so that the Ninth Circuit is force to then allow ProtectMarriage.com to defend the constitutional amendment. This may not end up working. Additionally, even on appeal, they have a slender chance of winning in the appeals court and there stands a strong possibility that the Supreme Court could chose not to hear the case.

So far, former US Attorney General to Ronald Reagan, Edwin Meese, and former California Attorney General Dan Lungren have both voice their belief that Brown should be defending this suit.

The PJI bills itself as a defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. Mainly, they appear to target those on the social conservative end of the spectrum.

Source

Mrs Gumpertz passed away last year of a heart attack. She is survived by her husband Donald, who has donated to the GOP repeatedly, including donating over $7000 to Vitter’s campaign this year, which may be a violation of the law.

Mrs. Gumpertz’ ghost appears to have also donated to the Republicans for Choice PAC and to Representative Paul Broun of Georgia. Since it appears that donations to candidates by ghosts are not allowed, it is unclear what will happen next.

Source

Melanie Nathan,  September 01, 2010

Martina Navratilova was introduced at the opening ceremony at the U.S. Open in New York  Monday evening and received a rousing welcome inside Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens;

Stating  “In 1981, I came out as a gay woman,”  to strong applause. “That was not a good thing to do back then. There were a lot of doors that were shut in my face because of that, but you know what, I could still play tennis, no matter what.”

She was amongst other honorees who were being honored for their ability to dream and inspire people.

“In a brief speech, the Czech-born Navratilova credited tennis and a positive attitude with helping her field some of life’s “nasty curve balls,” including her upbringing in a Communist country and her health battle. The 53-year-old was diagnosed with noninvasive breast cancer this year and underwent surgery and six weeks of radiation, returning to the court in June to win the Wimbledon ladies’ invitation doubles.,” Reports The Advocate’s Julie Bolcer.

Her famous on-court rivalry with friend Chris Evert is the subject of a new ESPN documentary, Unmatched, which will premiere September 14.



Luis Lopez, the President of HONOR Fund, stated “Now is the time to begin the work necessary to win Latino hearts and minds in the question of LGBT rights and marriage equality. It is important to have an organization of the Latino community to work collaboratively with other groups – both LGBT and Latino organizations – to build culturally and linguistically relevant programs. HONOR Fund is well poised to meet that challenge.”

HONOR Fund is affiliated with HONOR PAC, which is a Latino LGBT political action committee. HONOR PAC helped fund the ‘No on 8′ campaign. Specifically, they funded the East Los Angeles Office. The Fund’s launch happened because of the awarding of some $160,000 in grats from The Arcus Foundation, Horizons Foundation, Liberty Hill Foundation and private donors. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund is acting as fiscal sponsor for HONOR Fund.

The impetus for the formation of the HONOR Fund came out of Prop 8. A majority of 53% of the Latino voters supported Prop 8 in 2008. HONOR Fund is hoping to change those opinions.

Victor Viramontes, National Senior Counsel for MALDEF, said “LGBT rights are civil rights. Our two communities –Latinos and LGBT – understand the struggle to seek equality and constitutional protections and, therefore, we join HONOR Fund in their efforts to create one movement for both communities.”

Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Nury Martinez said “We need organizations like HONOR Fund to stand up for LGBT students and their families. LGBT youth struggle to find validation and acceptance at school and home, and that is why HONOR Fund’s work will be so important for the future success of our gay and straight community.”

Source

What appears to be odd in this case is that none of the three changed their votes on the legislation. Republicans John Campbell of California and Tom Price of Georgia both voted against the bill while Democrat Joseph Crowley of New York voted for it. What is more baffling is that the OCE appears to have provided no evidence that these men broke ethics rules or any laws. The ethics office also refused to ask for further investigations on five others, namely Democrats Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota and Mel Watt of North Carolina, and Republicans Jeb Hensarling of Texas, Chris Lee of New York, and Frank Lucas of Oklahoma.

All three Democrats voted for the bill, and all five Republicans voted against the bill that President Barack Obama signed into law on 21 July. While the law was suppose to rectify the failures that lead to the 2008 meltdown of the financial system, it only managed to rectify some of them.

Campbell felt “perplexed by OCE’s decision, as they have presented no evidence that would suggest wrongdoing.” He also maintains that he “always complied with the letter and the spirit of the law. To suggest otherwise is unfounded and untrue. In addition, my voting record and my opposition to a culture of taxpayer-funded bailouts has been and always will be unshakeable.”

The California Republican was joined in his bafflement by his colleague Price from Georgia. Price stated “There being no evidence of any wrongdoing or any inconsistency in my policy position, one can only guess as to the motive behind their decision or even why they chose to initiate a review in the first place. My constant allegiance to a transparent and conscious divide between my official duties as a member of Congress and my actions as a candidate is without question.”

Crowley, the Democrat from New York, also asserted that he complied to the “letter and spirit of the rules regarding fundraising and standards of conduct.”

The three did attend fundraisers in and around the time that their votes were cast, but this is normal for any politician given that they are often attending fundraisers right through the year.

Crowley may be the only one with any potential for a problem since he did attend a fundraiser and then turn around and vote against a Democratic sponsored amendment to the bill which could have toughened some financial regulations, but that seems more like a coincidence than a violation of the rules since a hundred Democrats also voted against it.

Source

The Appeals Court sided with the state and decided that the language of Texas’ law was clear in that it never intended to have the state of Texas acknowledge the existence of same-sex marriages. In so doing, the court ignored the principle of comity which is where one state acknowledges and gives effect to the laws of another state. The court, in violating the Constitution, stated it would not acknowledge the Massachusetts law because doing so would violate Texas public policy. The court also ignored all the rulings from other states regarding this issue. The court also ruled that there was no fundamental right for same-sex couples to get married.

This will likely effect the case from Austin which granted a divorce to a lesbian couple with the state likely to appeal that one as well. One or both cases will likely end up before the Texas Supreme Court, and may even get appealed into the Federal system.

Source

“And now, Radio Four will explode.”

Enjoy.

The twenty year old did run into some negativity, largely in the form of her hometown newspaper.  The 2008 graduate from Findlay High School found that there were people who were not happy about her coming out as lesbian, a fact she hid through much of her time in High School.  Miller stated “I was shocked that I didn’t receive more support than that from my hometown.  I think the Findlay area has been especially harsh on me – just really wary of what my intentions were.  These are the people I spent most of my childhood growing up with … so I was hoping that Findlay would be able to accept me as one of their own and to support me in this. But I ended up getting some of my toughest critics from my hometown, and that personally disturbed me.”

Katie Miller’s secret was known to her mother Lisa, a few close friends, and her girlfriend.  Her brother did not know until around forty minutes before her interview with Dr. Maddow.  Thomas, her twin, stated “I got a phone call about 40 minutes before she was on Rachel Maddow. That’s how I found out.”  He got the call from their mother.

While she does have her supporters, many anonymous commenters on the website of the local newspaper were biting.  This is, alas, one of the big problems in that people who are supportive tend not to comment as often as those who either want to put people down or with to criticize.  Most of the criticism attacked Miller for joining the military despite the fact that she knew that she would have to hide her sexuality.  One person known only as ‘J’ wrote “She knew what the rules were when she accepted the appointment, and now to stick the government with the tab for the first two years of college is just wrong.”

Miller is not alone in leaving West Point before she finishes her education.  She quit before she signed the commitment to finish her last two years and to serve five years in the Army.  If she had signed that and then quit, she would have had to repay the costs of her education.  In other words, it is because of the slow pace of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell that she quit, not because of the law itself.  About twenty percent of all cadets brought into West Point each year drop out before they graduate.

Sidewalk interviews with the residents of Findlay, OH regarding her were far more kind than the anonymous online comments.

Melissa Gertz stated “I know the Bible does speak against homosexuality, but it doesn’t speak against the person,.  I don’t believe you throw people out when something happens. You embrace them.”

Seventy-five year old Army veteran Bill Frack stated “She apparently is very bright. I feel bad [she is leaving West Point] because she is obviously a good cadet. I’m sure she will do well at Yale.”

Her brother, who still lives in Findlay, said “No matter what her sexual orientation is, she’s still my sister and I still love her.”

Source

Police at Scotland Yard have denied speculation that there was gay paraphernalia found in the flat nor that there has been any link to a male escort. Williams was found dead last Monday at his £400,000 flat in Pimlico, Central London, about half a mile from MI6 headquarters. He was discovered in the bath stuffed into a sports duffle bag.

There are no signs of violence on Williams’ remains, and toxicology has yet to return. It may be another week before it is known if there were poisons, drugs, or alcohol in his system, and those results might show that he was asphyxiated. What is known is that Williams was stuffed into the bag after he died. There is one line of inquiry that he died in a strange accident and then was put into the bag.

His death is still being described as ‘suspicious and unexplained’ by Metropolitan police. Police are also looking into the movement of some £18,000 which disappeared from William’s bank account two months ago by what they are describing as ‘complex means’. Williams was known to work on interception of messages and code-breaking.

The police are trying to determine whether or not the money was moved as part of something innocent, such as to another account or that he may have been paying blackmail. The movement of the money is being scrutinized to find out if it may be linked to his death. Williams had recently made trips to Afghanistan to help decode Taliban messages at MI6’s station in Kabul. He also apparently played an important role in the development of the electronic intelligence gathering system called Echelon.

No arrests have been made, and so far no one has come forward to say that they had seen him in the eight days before his body was discovered.

Source

“They were moments of great injustice, great injustice! If someone is responsible, it’s me,” Castro told journalist Lira Saade from La Jornada, a Mexican daily. “We had so many and such terrible problems, problems of life or death, that we didn’t pay it enough attention,” Castro stated about how lesbians and gays were treated. Currently, the island nation off of Florida is grappling with the possibility of legalizing same-sex unions.

Fidel Castro was recently forced to hand power over to his brother Raul Castro due to ill health. He had ruled the nation since he rose to power in 1959 and stepped down in 2008. He is currently 84 years old.

His remarks were made in the second part of a two part interview. They also bring up the question of why is it that an old and vicious dictator can change his mind about injustice, but it seems so many in the United States, including President Barack Obama, cannot?

Source

The fundraiser is not a totally Republican-driven effort. Former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt and former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta will be there as well. The people attending just shows a growing divide between the fiscally conservative/socially liberal groups and the socially conservative/fiscally liberal groups. As one Republican put it

“I think there is a growing mass of people in Republican politics who are fundamentally sick and tired about being lectured to about morality and how to live your life by a bunch of people who have been married three or four times and are more likely to be seen outside a brothel on a Thursday night than being at home with their kids… There is a fundamental indecency to the vitriol and the hatred directed against decent people because of their sexuality. People have reached a critical mass with this.”

Lesbian and gay Republicans have long had problems within the wider LGBT Community which has tended to side with Liberalism and Democrats for a long time due to the support on the Left for LGBT Rights. Between President Barack Obama’s reticence over LGBT issues and a growing sense of distaste for social conservativism, the Republican Party is splitting on the issues that effect the LGBT Community.

Steve Schmidt, the former campaign manager for Senator John McCain stated “There is a strong conservative case to be made in favor of gay marriage. Marriage is an institution that strengthens and stabilizes society. It is an institution that has the capacity to bring profound joy and happiness to people and it is a matter of equality and keeping faith of one of the charters of the nation, the right to live your life. More and more conservatives are saying that opposition to gay marriage would not be a litmus test for membership in the GOP. And more conservatives are making the case that no more do you want big government conservatives in the bedroom than big government liberals telling you how to live your life.”

This split in the GOP is something that is causing more and more problems for the Party in the long run since many people who are advocates for LGBT rights are not well received by many supporters of the GOP. Conservative lesbians and gays also often face problems inside the LGBT Community as there is a long standing feeling of them being willing to work with those who would oppose the very rights that they deserve and hurting their fellow lesbians, gays and transpeople. It may be a long time before anyone forgives Ken Mehlman for his hand in orchestrating the restriction of marriage rights for America’s lesbians and gays.

Source

Posted by Melanie Nathan; 08-31-10-

- A Personal Memory

Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, 93, has reportedly been rushed to a hospital after being found unresponsive by her husband.

Gabor’s husband, Prince Frederic Von Anhalt, called 911 Tuesday morning, and the actress was taken from her Bel Air home to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The television and film star had just finished one of several hospital stays in recent weeks after falling at her home and breaking her hip. She said she wanted to spend her final days at home after she returned from the hospital August 17, having received her last rites from a priest.

Gabor was born in Budapest in 1917 and followed her sister Eva to Los Angeles. After her debut in the 1952 film Lovely to Look At, she appeared in We’re Not Married! with Ginger Rogers, Moulin Rouge, and Death of a Scoundrel.

She was as well known for her off-screen persona as her film and television appearances. Gabor’s husband is her ninth, and she has been married to such notables as hotel magnate Conrad Hilton. Also of note was her three days spent behind bars when she slapped a Beverly Hills police officer in 1989 and was found to be driving with an expired license. Gabor was fined $13,000 in court costs.

I personally recall an encounter with GABOR when I was seconding my Cousin as a stylist back in the 80’s in Los Angeles.  Zsa Zsa Gabor may be best remembered by most for her refusal to admit her age.  That received a lot of press – as I recall her driver’s license may not have been correct.

Well she did the same when it came to the size of her clothing – we were trying to style her for a Vogue Magazine cover. However when she could not fit into the dress that my Cousin had provided, based on the information Zsa Zsa provided herself, – she threw her bra at my cousin and fired us from the job; yelling ,  “AND my name is not ZSA ZSA – it is MS. GABOR to yooooo DAHLING!”

I wish her well and a speedy recovery.

Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

Related articles by Zemanta

• ‘Unresponsive’ Zsa Zsa Gabor Rushed to Hospital (foxnews.com)
• Zsa Zsa Gabor rushed back to hospital (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
• Last Rites for Zsa Zsa Gabor (towleroad.com)

According to her, “I don’t care what anyone says. I know that I’m a damn good actress.… And I know that in my past I was young and irresponsible — but that’s what growing up is. You learn from your mistakes.” She also denies abusing alcohol and drugs “If I were the alcoholic everyone says I am, then putting a [SCRAM] bracelet on would have ended me up in detox, in the emergency room.”

Lohan may have talked to Vanity Fair about her relationship with Samantha Ronson, who visited Lohan regularly in jail and rehab. Rumors have swirled that Lohan’s problems with alcohol, drugs and rebellious behavior may be linked to her incomplete identity as a lesbian.

Lohan also talked about her associations with the wrong people “So many people around me would say they cared for the wrong reasons. A lot of people were pulling from me, taking from me and not giving. I had a lot of people that were there for me for, you know, the party.”

Like many girls growing up, she looked up to many of the women in the tabloids. She says “I would look up to those girls. . .the Britneys and whatever, and I would be like, I want to be like that.”

Regarding her father, Lohan stated “I think my biggest focus for myself is learning how to continue to get through the trauma that my father has caused in my life.” She also talks about feeling heartbroken because of her sister’s attendance in court and seeing her sister crying.

Lohan has a lot on her plate including five twelve-step program meetings, two psychotherapy sessions and two behavioral therapy sessions a week. She will also be working on rebuilding her career. Her next film, Machete, comes out on Friday. So far, reviews on that have been lackluster, but not because of her acting.

“I want my career back. I want the respect that I had when I was doing great movies. And if that takes not going out to a club at night, then so be it. It’s not fun anyway.” October’s Vanity Fair goes on sale the end of this week.

Source 1
Source 2

Yes, an earthquake is beginning- an earthquake of common sense. The Charities Commission in New Zealand has rejected the Exodus Ministries Trust Board’s attempt to keep its status as a charitable organization. In fact, the Commission flat out booted them out of the list of tax-exempt charities because they are not performing any public benefit because being lesbian or gay is not a mental illness. In other words, the Charities Commission sided with the scientific and realistic evidence against the mythology and psudoscience of Exodus.

The US based Exodus Global Alliance promises “freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ”, but has yet to actually back up any of its claims. The group even claimed to have a legitimate point of view and to be providing support to homosexuality during “very difficult times”. Of course, what they do not say is that they try to force people to stop being gay using techniques which have been proven ineffective at best and damaging at worst.

They compared themselves to Rainbow Youth Inc., a group aimed at raising the self-esteem of LGBT youth and their families. They decried Rainbow Youth’s continued charitable states because clearly an education provided by Rainbow Youth Inc. would be from a preconceived point of view, ie that homosexuality and other forms of sexuality are perfectly normal for some people.”

Of course, if the United States would just follow behind New Zealand and start yanking these fraudulent groups’ tax exempt status, then, perhaps, the country would be better off. Of course, NOM manages to really screw it up when the decried the decision in New Zealand. It is suppose to be “Gay is the new Black”, even though most people disagree with that statement. Oh yes, and not all Christians are homophobic. Just the people at NOM and the people just like them.

Source 1
Source 2

Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family and C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy, went to Uganda and spoke to the author of the much discussed Anti-Homosexuality Bill, David Bahati.

Sharlet has written an article about his visit for Harper’s Magazine (you’ll have to be a subscriber or find a hard copy to read it) and has done an interview with NPR. In the interview, he talks about the opportunity he had to meet with David Bahati, and even visit him in his home.

He warns that — while the bill is currently on the back-burner as a result of international pressure — it is still there and is still an actual threat, as is the violence and rhetoric that has been inspired by the bill and the discourse around it.

And essentially what it is right now is sort of a tiger on the leash. It’s something that the dictator can – if he feels he’s threatened and he needs to rally public support and distract them – he can get this thing passed in probably about four weeks. So it remains incredibly dangerous.
NPR

And while the likes of Martin Ssempa have been saying that the bill is about HIV prevention, Bahati made his motivations clear when he invited Professor Sharlet to his home.

[Bahati] spoke more bluntly than he had before, about what he wanted to do.

And what he wanted to do was kill every last gay person. And this came up because he said, well, the death penalty may come out of it but, you know, democracy will bring it back…

Towards the end of this genial visit, Bahati threatened to arrest Professor Sharlet if he came back to Uganda, on the grounds of promoting homosexuality.

And he said, yeah, of course I’ll have you arrested. And, you know, he sort of made that clear to the Ugandan journalist I was with, too.

The only thing holding [the Anti-Homosexuality Bill] back, right now, is Museveni, who is afraid of losing support from Western donors. If there was a vote on it tomorrow, it would pass almost unanimously. To vote against it would be political suicide in Uganda.

But that said, Museveni is holding it back. He’s trying to kind of play both sides. On the one hand, says we got to go slow on this; may be this isn’t the right way. And then he’ll go and give a public talk about the gay menace. His wife, who is also very powerful, the first lady, has also talked about sort of purging Uganda.

According to one source quoted by Showbiz Spy, “That’s why the first thing she asked the cops in Vegas was to use the bathroom. . .She knew it would be her only chance to hide the cocaine and avoid arrest. Paris is not as dumb as she seems. She’s one of the most clever and manipulative people one can ever meet. And she thinks quick, just like she did in Vegas. She has cat like reflexes. . .That’s what I’ve heard from a very good source, she’s a pro at it. Paris travels all over the world and parties like a rockstar. I love her but she definitely needs professional help. It’s time she looks at herself in the mirror and realizes she’s not 21 anymore.”

The source, who claims to be a friend of Hilton’s, also detailed that the socialite often stashed drugs inside her vagina using lubricated condoms in order to elude airport security. It is an old smuggler’s trick, as is coating the drugs with a particular substance and swallowing them.

Source

Related articles by Zemanta

• Paris Hilton Facing Felony For Cocaine Possession, Claims Purse Not Hers (lezgetreal.com)
• Paris Hilton Arrested For Cocaine Possession, Riding In Car Streaming Marijuana Smoke (lezgetreal.com)

She stated “We feel more and more that activists are being deceptive in using anti-bullying rhetoric to introduce their viewpoints, while the viewpoint of Christian students and parents are increasingly belittled.” She explained her comment to Talking Points Memo thusly “Listing certain categories creates a system ripe for reverse discrimination, sending the messge that certain characteristics are more worth of protection than others.”

Of course, the fact that anti-bullying laws and regulations already cover religion seems to be lost on Cushman. She believes that the arguments are wrong on two levels in that they put the focus on the characteristics of the victim and not on the wrongful actions of the perpetrator. She also believes that LGBT rights activists are using the whole issue to push their agenda into the schools. She went on to denounce the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

On the first argument, she does have something of a point, but the problem with trying to list behaviors that qualify as bullying is that they can often shift and change without notice and the law might be overturned if it is too vaguely designed in order to cover all behaviors. As for the rest. . .that is the usual line of attack out of FotF, which should be renamed Focus on the White, Fundamentalist Christian, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Bigoted Family.

She went on to cite GLSEN’s publications which are being used to help alleviate some of the LGBT biased bullying that is going on. She said “In many cases, these politicized bullying policies are being used as tools to undermine parental rights, and censor or marginalize students and parents with differing viewpoints.”

In schools, there is one group of students who are always worse off than the lesbian and gay students- and that is the ‘Holy Rollers’ or ‘Christ Freaks’ or a dozen other put down names. These Christians are often seen with their Bible in hand and are often teased, mocked, bullied and beaten up.

But, that is alright because we do not want to be teaching diversity and tolerance in our schools according to Cushman.

Source

Tonight, at 7pm, the wake for Durand Robinson will be held at the Donald Trimble Mortuary.  Tomorrow, the memorial service will be held at Beulah Baptist Church before the repass is held for a gathering of friends and loved ones at the nightclub that Robinson was co-manager of, Traxx. In addition to the nightclub, Robinson was also the organizer of Atlanta Black Gay Pride

On 28 August, more than a hundred people gathered there to have a candlelight vigil for Robinson.  For the man known to many as “Uncle Durand”, it was an opportunity to share memories.  Jermaine Heslin remembered being allowed to hang out outside the nightclub when he was fifteen.  Heslin said “He never let us in the club but would let us hang out outside and dance around.”  He went on to tell how, when he was old enough to get into the club, Robinson encouraged him to be honest with himself.  He said “He [Robinson] really brought me out of my shell.”  Robinson encouraged Heslin to become a J-setter, which is a popular dance style.  Helsin also stated “[His death] was a shock, because it was so sudden. I don’t think it’s hit me yet. But when I start dancing, and getting in the moment, I think that’s when I’ll know.”

Times and locations for the services can be found at The GA Voice.

Robinson’s sexuality remains something of a mystery as he appears to have lead a very quiet life.  Friend, ally, member- in the end it does not matter to the LGBT Community.  Robinson stood beside us.

Currently, the police have made no arrests and appear to have no leads in the case.

Source

The rationale for why they rejected the case is that they did not find sufficient evidence with regards to the allegations. However, the why they did not find sufficient evidence is a bit baffling. According to their press release on this issue “The jurisdiction of the Duke Student Government Judiciary does not include criminal offenses such as death threats or allegations of criminal behavior by individual students that are unrelated to their capacities as leaders of student organizations.”

In April, the Judiciary ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict the DCR of discrimination; however, Robinette maintains that he did not have enough time to prepare his argument. In this case, he offered some thirty pages of emails, comments and other evidence indicating that club members discriminated against him and others.

Travis Rapp, senior representative for the DCR, stated that the club looks forward to moving on. He stated “I support that decision because I guess the US Constitution wouldn’t try the case twice. As far as I know, right now we’re planning to go forward with business as usual.” Given that this is not a court of law, it seems impossible to say that this is an accurate analogy. If this was a court of law, the case could be brought back since it was dismissed for lack of evidence.

Robinette will continue to press his case. This time, he will go before the Duke Student Government meeting on Wednesday. He stated regarding this situation “There is no easy path to resolution unless [DCR members] reach out to us on a personal level.”

Mediation has been at a standstill. While Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta has tried to have both informal and formal mediation between the two groups, neither former DCR member Cliff Satell nor Robinette have been overly willing to engage in mediation without certain demands met before hand. These include a formal apology.

Satell wrote in a 4 August email to the Office of Student Conduct “I trusted that [the Office of Student Conduct] would not succumb to the institutional deafness that permeates every corner of the Administration. Maybe if I were a Durham prostitute at some frat party you might take me more seriously.” Robinette received a meeting requrest from a dean of the Undergraduate Conduct Board that he will be attending.

Depending on the actions of the administration, though, both men are willing to sue the University. Satell stated “All of the options are on the table. We’ll find out over the ensuing days how hard we have to look at that option based on the administration.”

Source

Related articles by Zemanta

• Robinette Refiles Discrimination Suit Against Duke College Republicans (lezgetreal.com)

Hilton apparently asked to be allowed to go into the Wynn Las Vegas resort after her boyfriend Cy Waits, a Las Vegas nightclub mogul, failed a field sobriety test. According to Lt. Flynn, Hilton denied owning a small plastic “bindle” which contained just under a gram of cocaine powder. The “bindle” fell out of Hilton’s purse when she went to get a tube of lip balm.

Flynn wrote in his report “Hilton said she needed to put some lip balm on, and I handed her the purse from the table. She began to open it, I saw a small bindle of what I believed to be cocaine in clear plastic baggy begin to fall from the purse and into my hand.”

According to Flynn’s report “Hilton admitted the Albuterol … was hers and is prescribed to her, but the suspected cocaine was not. I asked Hilton whose cocaine it was, and she said she had not seen it but now thought it was gum.”

Hilton’s laywer, David Chesnoff, said “as previously stated, the facts of the situation will be tested in a courtroom.” The felony charge that she faces would get her only probation if convicted, but one to four years in a Nevada prison if she broke that probation. She spent less than three hours in jail before being released without bail. Waits faces only a misdemeanor for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He spent the night in jail before being released on $2,000 bail.

Waits is a managing partner of several nightclubs at Wynn’s Encore Resort and of Drai’s after hours club at Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon. Some hundred people were there snapping pictures of Hilton and the police officer.

Source

Melanie Nathan; 8-30-2010

Sen. Kirstin Gilibrand had pledged to fight for the LGBT community and has often spoken quite loudly for LGBT equality.

However the frustration of the LGBT community cannot abate for what remain mere words. At A Fire Island event this past weekend,  a few donors strongly urged the Democratic party to do more on LGBT issues. According to Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out “While largely supportive of the senator’s work, there was palpable frustration with the pace in Washington for repealing Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell and passing ENDA.”  http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/2010/08/10833/

Andrew Tobias, treasurer for the democratic party, made the case for supporting democrats in the upcoming elections, warning of the dire consequences for LGBT equality if Republicans win the House, Senate or both.

“Still,”  fellow blogger Besen asserts “think how much easier it would be to persuade LGBT voters to show up if ENDA had been passed or DADT repealed? The case AGAINST the more radical elements of the GOP is an easy one. However, the case FOR the Democrats is much more difficult and complicated to make. The Democrats have controlled Washington for two years and while there has certainly been progress on LGBT issues, the big prizes — other than hate crimes legislation — have so far been elusive.”

While this may be the case, it is my contention that very little pressure has been placed on our members in Congress even when President Obama has begged us to hold feet to fire.

The problem in my opinion is the self-marginalization that our community has succumbed to in response to the Bush ‘wedge issue’ political environment, preceded by the lets sneak in through the back door approach that followed Stonewall.

What we have done is carved a thinking that piecemeal legislation will serve us in the first place.  To date, it clearly has failed us and until we set our own standards a lot higher it probably will continue to fail us.

ENDA is a misdirected absorption of resources that we can no longer afford.  It has taken us off the path of a composite Civil Rights movement that should be seeking full equality for LGBT people under one Omnibus/ Civil Rights Amendment Bill.

Besen adds: “Fear will send many Democratic voters to the polls in November. However, scaring people into voting against the bad guys and Mama Grizzlies in the other party is not a long-term strategy. The Democrats, particualrly on LGBT rights, have to sharply define who they are, what they stand for and then fight like hell for their beliefs.”

I agree with Wayne on this, however find that our own community, save for a few voices, such as that of Todd Fernandez, Melanie Nathan, CD Kirven, and a handful more have yet to define what we truly stand for, in terms of a unified benchmark. See – http://lezgetreal.com/2010/07/the-launch-of-hope-finally-grassroots-find-feet-the-american-equality-bill/

Do we stand for equal employment rights – well of course we do; do we stand for equal marriage rights- well of course we do; do we stand for a repeal of DADT, well of course we do. But what the hell are we doing fighting for each such right separately – we should be a one goal stop minority, – and our quest – One Hundred Percent Equality on every issue in respect of which our Constitution purportedly stands at the helm.

Plain and simple – we are a CIVIL RIGHTS Movement and we demand our FULL Civil Rights.  The ONLY way this can happen is via our inclusion (sexual orientation, et al,) in the Cvil Rights Statute.

While Wayne says that “prominent conservatives are speaking out in favor of marriage equality, the Dems have no more excuse to be timid. Whatever cover they felt they needed to be bold, they now have, thanks to Ken Mehlman, Ted Olson and even Glenn Beck.” I find little relevance with such assertion save to say marriage equality per se has served as nothing more than a red herring to detract form Civil Rights in general.

Marriage equality is a natural flowing concomitant of Full Civil Rights. We as a community have made the mistake of focusing only on Marriage, albeit a tremendously important fight and one that must continue.  We can only continue in its fight for as long as we detract from its religious significance and focus our advocacy talking points on “We Demand our Equal Civil Rights Now!”

So to Fund raising and support for democrats I say we ought not hold back our dollars; we must continue to fund our friends,  our only friends. When we can come out as a community with fully competent leadership at the helm of a ‘one stop’ movement, powerful enough to demand full equality and to hold our electeds accountable , maybe we will then found our true champions in Congress who will see less of the career risks and more of standing up for what is right.

Note: Written by Melanie Nathan, with Love and Respect for our Brothers at TWO  (Truth Wins Out)- thanks for encouraging the conversation and for your amazing work.

Melanie Nathan
Private Courts Inc.
Mediation, Human Rights, & Advocacy
nathan@privatecourts.com

http://lezgetreal.com/2010/07/the-launch-of-hope-finally-grassroots-find-feet-the-american-equality-bill/

Related articles by Zemanta

• GLAA OF D.C. Candidate Ratings for 9/14 Primaries (lezgetreal.com)
• Senator Boxer Nurtures LGBT Support Through Prop 8 (lezgetreal.com)
• LGBT Equality: It’s the Economy, Stupid (gayrights.change.org)
• Call to Congress: No More Friends, Senator Gillibrand – Only Advocates! (lezgetreal.com)
• The Launch of Hope – Finally Grassroots Find Feet – THE American Equality Bill (lezgetreal.com)

The family of his victim moved more than three hundred miles to try and rebuild their lives. Prine stated during the sentencing “Shepherd is a monster, and the only way anybody will be safe from him is to keep him locked up in prison for life.”

Shepherd’s crimes were premeditated. Initially, police believed Shepherd to be an habitual sex offender preyed on children in multiple states and using multiple aliases on the Internet. No evidence of that was found, but that may be because none of his other victims have come forward or know that he is the man who molested them. According to Judge Ben Johnson “I think the business of Mr. Shepherd, advertising himself as a nanny and going around the country working with children, at a time when he obviously knew he was a pedophile, indicates premeditation.”

Shepherd showed some regret in court, but it is unlikely that swayed many people. He stated “I am sorry for how its affected him and his family and several others in the community.” Judge Johnson, however, pointed out that the crime was calculated. He said in court “I think that the 25 to life is appropriate, because of the great harm that’s been caused. Because there was pre-meditation, because this was done in a very deliberate fashion.”

In twenty-five years, Shepherd will be reassessed to see if he is still a threat to society as a pedophile. If he is, then he will remain in jail until he is either considered to be rehabilitated or he dies.

Source

Right now, Keller, who is of Florida, is preaching at the Marriott on 85 West Street. The weekly service is planned at the hotel until he raises some $8 million in order to build his 9/11 Christian Center. He has even stated that fundraising is going well.

Keller is anti-Islamic. He has stated things such as Islam is a religion of “hate and death” and stated “Islam is a wonderful religion …for PEDOPHILES!” He is also a birther- a person who believes that President Barack Obama was born somewhere other than the United States. He has used this cause to raise money. He has called Obama the new Hitler, and believes that homosexuality is a ‘perversion’. In 2008, he attacked former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for being a Mormon saying that people voting for him were “voting for Satan.”

Justin Elliott, of Salon.com, questioned the sincerity of those who have condemned the so-called Ground Zero mosque, stated “But the only logic by which Keller’s project would not be horrifying to those who oppose Park51 is if they believe all Muslims, including the progressive Muslim Americans behind Park51, should be treated as suspicious or even in the same category as the Sept. 11 terrorists. If mosque opponents’ concerns are truly about sensitivity to the neighborhood around ground zero — and not about Muslims — we’ll hear them denounce Keller loudly in the coming days.”

Marriage Equality can only mean full equality under the law! It is a legal contract between two people that ought to be available to all and any who choose it, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and race. Civil Marriage is NOT equal in the USA.

What do you think of the Wikepedia definition?

Wikepedia – Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found. Such a union, often formalized via a wedding ceremony, may also be called matrimony.

People marry for many reasons, including one or more of the following: legal, social, emotional, economical, spiritual, and religious. These might include arranged marriages, family obligations, the legal establishment of a nuclear family unit, the legal protection of children and public declaration of commitment.^[1][2]

Marriage practices are very diverse across cultures, yet almost every known society has had some form of marriage between a man and a woman. In some societies an individual is limited to being in one such couple at a time (monogamy), while other cultures allow a male to have more than one wife (polygyny) or, less commonly, a female to have more than one husband (polyandry). Some societies also allow marriage between two males or two females. Societies frequently have other restrictions on marriage based on the ages of the participants, pre-existing kinship, and membership in religious or other social groups.

The act of marriage usually creates normative or legal obligations between the individuals involved. In some societies these obligations also extend to certain family members of the married persons. Almost all cultures that recognize marriage also recognize adultery as a violation of the terms of marriage,^[3] and forbid incestuous marriages.^[4] In cultures that allow the dissolution of a marriage this is known as divorce.

Marriage is usually recognized by the state, a religious authority, or both. It is often viewed as a contract. Civil marriage is the legal concept of marriage as a governmental institution irrespective of religious affiliation, in accordance with marriage laws of the jurisdiction. If recognized by the state, by the religion(s) to which the parties belong or by society in general, the act of marriage changes the personal and social status of the individuals who enter into it.

Marriage Does Matter!
melanie nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

Related articles by Zemanta

• Breaking First Release -THE AMERICAN EQUALITY BILL (lezgetreal.com)

Melanie Nathan; 8-30-10-

Editors say Qadita.net will be the first Arabic website to include a section on gay and lesbian writing, including reviews of Arab gay-oriented cinema and literature.

Two prominent Israeli-Arab literary figures yesterday launched www.Qadita.net, an Arabic-language politics and culture website they say will tackle issues widely considered taboo in the Arabic press, according to Israeli news HAARETZ.

The site’s editors are author Ala Hlehel and Anton Shalhat, a journalist and culture critic.

Hlehel said quality will be the sole determining factor for featuring items on the site. “We’ll post controversial texts that touch on social and cultural sensitivities,” he said. “The margins of freedom of the press in Arabic are shrinking under political and social tension from the whole Arab-Islamic scene, with its suffocating effect on free creation.”

Hlehel said yesterday that the site is aimed at “restoring the written word as the center of content in Arabic discourse and returning cultural texts as the focus of the Arab literary, cultural, political and societal experience.”

This will be the first Arabic website to include a section on gay and lesbian writing, he said.

“That section will be featured prominently on the home page,” he said. “It will include texts written by Arab gays and lesbians who, naturally, will publish anonymously.” He said the section would include reviews of gay-oriented cinema and literature in the Arab world and beyond.

The Full article here…

Reblogged by Melanie Nathan
Article by Maya Sela at
HAARETZ.

The Education Committee of the Tel Aviv municipality is the first in Israel to require city schools to integrate learning content to change stereotypes about gays, lesbians and gender identity. The program will start next January.

The Education Committee o yesterday approved unanimously the proposal to integrate the Hoshen curriculum into every school.

Hoshen is a professional organization working on education to change existing stereotypes about sexual orientation and gender identity through information and activities within schools.

The upcoming school year will begin a pilot of 10 schools, which will include working with consultants, teachers, administrators and with students.

Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

Related articles by Zemanta

• One Year After Gay Center Attack, Tel Aviv Studies Berlin Model of Tolerance (lezgetreal.com)
• Tel Aviv Remembers LGBT Center’s Bloody Day (lezgetreal.com)

This is not surprising because one of the few areas where they could come into Rutland is the Diamond Run Mall, which is ailing badly right now.  According to Belliveau, “Finding a good site for their purposes could be challenging.”  Unfortunately for Target, right now, many people in Williston would prefer something less box-storey.  They currently have a Walmart and a Home Depot.  Residents of the town near Burlington want a more multi-use shopping center.  Belliveau stated “We’re pulling for really high-quality development and something that’s going to yield a much better pedestrian orientation.”

Target told WCAX this about their possible move into Vermont, “We’re always looking for opportunities to grow when and where it will make sense, at this point, we have not identified a site that will suit both the needs of our guests, and Target.”

Target has one major problem, though.  Vermont’s LGBT population accounts for the largest minority in the state.  A total of five percent of Vermont’s population is open and self-identified as lesbian, gay or transgender.  Given the recent flack that Target has gotten from the LGBT Community nation wide regarding its contribution to a PAC supporting anti-LGBT Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, Target may want to wait a little bit before doing any kind of movement into the state.

Additionally, Vermonters take a great deal of pride in the state’s politics.  A contribution such as the one that they made to MN Forward in support of Tom Emmer would probably not be a good move in Vermont at all.  In fact, it would probably play out in a far worse manner than it has in the state of Minnesota.

Source

Not including the hate crimes designation is another problem with this. According to all accounts except for the two Marines, Cronauer and Stanzel both called Daly several epithets and harassed him even as he was walking away. As he turned to leave the two, they struck him. According to both Cronauer and Stanzel, Daly winked at them, though that is in dispute. Both men ran from the scene and eventually told police that they were being harassed by a gay man.

According to news reports at the time, “Daly said after his friends performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the scene, he was taken to Memorial University Medical Center and diagnosed with bruises to his brain. He had two seizures immediately after the attack and was expected to remain at Memorial for several days.” Injuries to the brain can linger, and even appear to not effect a person for a long time before they are effected by it in some manner.

It now falls upon the Department of Justice and Attorney General Eric Holder to determine if there will be any Federal hate crimes prosecution under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr Hate Crimes Law. According to 2009 testimony of AG Holder “The Federal government has a strong interest in protecting people from violent crimes motivated by such bias and bigotry. . .I am particularly pleased that Section 249(a)(2) would for the first time allow for Federal prosecution of violence undertaken because of the actual or perceived gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity of any person. The Department therefore welcomes the expanded coverage of section 249, which would allow us to prosecute and deter violent acts of this sort more effectively.”

Now, the question is, will Holder and President Barack Obama do what is right or will they continue to worry about the Midterm Elections?

Source

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – August 30,2010 — OutServe, an organization of gay and lesbian military personnel, announced Monday the creation of several base and regional chapters around the globe. At least ten will be organized by OutServe this week on military bases and regions where the organization has significant presence, including Afghanistan and Iraq. For safety reasons the exact location of the chapters will not be known, except for inside the exclusive network, but 5 chapters will be located overseas and 5 chapters will be located stateside. Although the demand to establish additional chapters is high, OutServe will start with ten this week and expand in the near future. For information on the group go to www.outserve.org

The goal of each base and regional chapter will be to provide information, resources and social support to actively serving military personnel. “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” places an immense burden upon individuals who think they are alone at their base and these networks will seek to fix that. Each chapter will be charged with growing and expanding their networks and offering support in their specific areas. OutServe Headquarters will be tasked with supporting those networks and serving as the voice of the national organization.

“We need to start to empower local military networks to expand and unite them under one banner,” said JD Smith, OutServe’s co-director and active duty officer in the U.S. Armed Forces. He continued, “Informal networks of gay and lesbian military members have existed well before World War I and it’s time to take those networks and start connecting them and giving them more resources.”

Under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” it can be difficult for LGBT military personnel to network with one another. “Our goal is to create an OutServe-based information superhighway where we can help LGBT military personnel connect with one another both locally and globally more efficiently,” stated Ty Walrod, OutServe’s co-director. “We want military personnel to know commands that are friendly, commanders which should be addressed with caution, and where to turn for both friendship and support.”

“Our Commander-in-Chief directed us that this law is changing soon and we need to prepare ourselves to offer one other support in this time of transition,” stated JD Smith. “Regardless when DADT is repealed, our goal is to continue to lay the foundation for a strong network of support.” As the policy changes to allow open service in the future, these chapters will serve as hubs of social and professional support for OutServe’s members in the future.

And the final two Emmys went to Modern Family and Mad Men.  The show Modern Family has been noted for the fact that it has a gay couple with a child.  Modern Family will even have a gay kiss sometime next seasons.  The show beat out Curb Your Enthusiasm, Glee, Nurse Jackie, The Office and 30 Rock for the Emmy.  The comedy has won rave reviews, and was expected to win instead of Glee because it is a more traditional sitcom.  So far, despite the fact that they will have a gay kiss, it does not appear that they will have any picketing from Westboro Baptist Church.

Mad Men won yet again for Best Drama beating out Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Good Wife, Lost and True Blood.  Lost was in its final season in which nothing really got answered.  True Blood, which is about vampires, has had some notice as having parallels to the LGBT community and the controversy surrounding people being out of the coffin. . .er closet.  It also stars Anna Paquin, who recently revealed that she is, indeed, bisexual.

That wraps up the coverage of the Emmys.  Our apologies for not being able to get everything up.  One disappointing note is that Sir Ian McKellen lost for his role in The Prisoner.

Archie Panjabi won for her role on The Good Wife. She was nominated against Sharon Gless of Burn Notice, Rose Byrne of Damages, Christine Baranski of The Good Wife, Christina Hendricks of Mad Men, and Elisabeth Moss also of Mad Men. For many, the loss by Hendricks was probably something of a disappointment as they would probably have loved to see the busty actress get up on stage. Panjabi is a native of London and her parents are Sikhs. This was her first nomination and win.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama

Aaron Paul won for his role in Breaking Bad. He won against Martin Short from Damages, Terry O’Quinn of Lost, Michael Emerson of Lost, John Slattery of Mad Men, and Andre Braugher of Men of a Certain Age. It was the second nomination and first win for Paul. Aaron Paul does not appear to be related to either Ron Paul nor Rand Paul.

Outsanding Lead Actress in a Drama

Kyra Sedgwick won for the Closer, a show that recently had an episode with a transwoman character played by Beau Bridges, who lost for Outstanding Guest for that role. She beat Connie Britton of Friday Night Lights, Glenn Close of Damages, Julianna Margulies of The Good Wife, Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: SVU, and January Jones of Mad Men.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama

Bryan Cranston won for Breaking Bad. He beat out Michael C. Hall of Dexter, Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights, Hugh Laurie of House, Matthew Fox of Lost, and Jon Hamm of Mad Men.

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series

The Daily Show won once again. The show helmed by Jon Stewart has had a strong season, including several parodies of Glenn Beck, including one where he went after Bert of Sesame Street. It beat out The Colbert Report, Real Time With Bill Maher, Saturday Night Live, and The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien. The victory came despite the drama that marked Conan O’Brien’s departure from The Tonight Show and Stephen Colbert’s trip to Iraq.

Making nerds look good and sexy, Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory. He was nominated against Larry David of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Matthew Morrison of Glee, Tony Shalhoub of Monk, Steve Carell of The Office, Alec Baldwin of 30 Rock. Tony Shalhoub was nominated for his role in Monk, which came to a conclusion this past year. Monk won three Emmys in the past for his role in Monk. Alec Baldwin has one two for his role on the show that often tapes just a few floors up from Keith Olbermann.

For Best Directing in a Comedy, Ryan Murphy continued the winning streak for Glee by beating out Paris Barclay, also nominated for Glee, as well as Jason Winer of Modern Family, allen Coulter of Nurse Jackie and Don Scardino of 30 Rock.

The winner for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy went to Eric Stonestreet of Modern Family. The actor, who wanted to be a clown when he grew up, is one half of the gay couple in the series. He nominated opposite Ty Burrell, also of Modern Family, Jon Cryer of Two and a Half Men, Chris Colfer, of Glee, and Neil Patrick Harris, of How I Met Your Mother. He was also nominated against the man who plays his boyfriend on Modern Family Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd won for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. The two wrote the pilot for Modern Family.