8/19/10-by Paula Brooks
Gainesville, Florida fire officials have denied Terry Jones, the pastor of the Dove World Church in a burn permit for his planned International Burn A Quran Day.

On Sept. 11 Jones’ had said Dove World Outreach Center would hold the first “International Burn a Koran Day” ceremony on the steps of his church in Gainesville. According to the church’s website, the event was organized “in remembrance of the fallen victims of 9/11 and to stand against the evil of Islam. Islam is of the devil!”

However, under Gainesville’s fire protection ordinances, open burning of any kind, is not allowed without a permit from the city’s fire department. Interim Gainesville Fire Chief Gene Prince said the church isn’t going to be granted one and will be fined if it holds the book burning.

But a defiant Jones announced in an e-mail newsletter sent out Wednesday, “City of Gainesville denies burn permit — BUT WE WILL STILL BURN KORANS.”

The Gainesville Fire Department Officials told LGR today that under Section 10-63 of the Gainesville city ordinances, “Open burning and outdoor burning are prohibited in the City of Gainesville unless otherwise specifically permitted,” and any violation of the city’s burn ordinance is a class 2 misdemeanor criminal offense, punishable by a fine up to $500.00 and up to 6 months probation.

Dove World Outreach Center became famous after it targeted the Gainesville ’s first openly gay mayor, Craig Lowe, with a “No Homo Mayor” campaign. Earlier this month the church protested the mayor outside Gainesville’s City Hall.

Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe, who has called Dove World a “tiny fringe group and an embarrassment to our community,” say he backs the fire chiefs decision.

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Melanie Nathan – August 17, 2010

Last week, Glenn Beck made news when he said that he didn’t think issues like abortion or gay marriage were all that important and didn’t pose a threat to the nation.

Now, while Lezgetreal honors him with its annual Schmuck Generosa award,  Glenn Beck presents a threat to the social order.

The very thread that weaves the core of conservative existence these, the wedge – the social issues; the excuse to keep worlds apart- to maintain control via schism and fear. Now the very godfather of all fear and grime takes it all away in one tearful swoop- abra cadabera shim shala bim! Done!

Conservative groups scream foul foul -’ give it back give it back – the fear the fear we need the fear!’   Danger   godfather Beck “upsets God’s order”:

Joseph Farah, who  questioned Barack Obama’s status as a natural born citizen of the United States and consequently, his eligiblity to serve as U.S. President, stating, “It’ll plague Obama throughout his presidency, argues - “Beck doesn’t care about one of the most blatant and despicable examples of judicial tyranny in the history of our country. He doesn’t care about the institution of marriage and its 5,000-year history. He doesn’t care that the Bible says God created marriage way back in Genesis and that Jesus affirmed that. He doesn’t care that the family is the building block of a society and that smarter men have explained how you simply can’t have freedom and self-governance without it. He also doesn’t seem to care about what might become of children adopted into such unions. That, my friends, is the perfect illustration of what’s wrong with the materialist worldview – whether it is held by a raving Marxist or a conservative entertainer.”

So Now the fun begins  – Glen Beck has joined the immoral Order of  the Gay Agenda.  May the chips fall where they fall!

Mel Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com

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Authorities are still investigating just what took place last Monday when Steven Slater freaked out aboard a Jet Blue plane at Kennedy Airport in New York and allegedly used the plane’s intercom to cuss out a passenger, announce he was quitting, grabbed two beers and made his exit down the emergency slide of the parked aircraft.

However according to TMZ, a television production company, Stone Entertainment, is saying they would be interested in hiring former Jet Blue flight attendant Slater to host a show in which various disgruntled workers quit their jobs in extravagant ways.

Still, recent accounts from other passengers 0n the airliner now seem to contradict Slater’s version of events and TMZ also notes that if Slater’s story turns out to be hoax, all offers from reality TV producer Stone are void.

Steven Slater Gets Reality TV Show Offer | TMZ.com.

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Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Roseto, Pennsylvania and a local amusement company caught flak from the Secret Service after they created a plywood cut out of the president to use as a shooting target in a carnival game.

The target shows the likeness of a black man in a suit, holding a scroll labeled “Health Bill,” sporting a belt buckle fashioned after the presidential seal, antennae and a troll doll on his shoulder. The games shooter’s paid $1 per shot, or $5 for six shots, to fire foam darts at targets on his head and heart. Those who hit their mark won a stuffed animal.

However the Secret Service was not so amused by the amusment and the Philadelphia office of the Secret Service sent out agents to investigate the game and its creator. “We take these kinds of things very seriously,” said the special agent in charge of the Philadelphia office of the Secret Service, Cindy Wofford.

She also said her office will determine if there were any direct or indirect threats to the president and will share the findings with the U.S. attorney’s office.

Irvin Good Jr., president of Goodtime Amusements, said he did not intend to offend anyone by offering the game, called “Alien Attack.”

“I guess we made an error in judgment and we apologize for that,” said Good, who has had the game for about six weeks. “I voted for the man. It wasn’t meant to be him. If they took it that way, we apologize.”

Good also said he has pulled the game from his midway games line-up

Federal law also prohibits anyone from knowingly displaying any print or likeness of the presidential seal. Violators can face a fine and up to six months in prison.

The White House issued a statement Wednesday saying it disapproves of using the president’s name and likeness for commercial purposes, not to mention being used as a target.

(source)

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08/04/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

Screw…why does this sleezeball have to be on our side? Madam Kristin Davis, best known for supplying disgraced former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer with hookers, now is making her own bid for NY Governor. Her chances? Less than a snowball’s chance in hell but slightly higher than Governor Paterson getting reelected. Luckily, she only has a week to get herself officially on the ballot, something she hasn’t done yet.

Ms. Davis is running on important issues, such as marriage equality, legalization of pot and prostitution and highlighting and fixing the racial and class inequities in our criminal justice system. Doesn’t sound bad to me…but then you have to remember that she sells young women for a profit. Watch the video of her making her case for running below.

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07/29/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

Rosie O’Donnell, who used to spend her mornings arguing with intolerant Harpy Elizabeth Hasslebeck on The View, thinks that President Obama should have better things to do besides make an appearance on the show. Little things like, the oil spill in the gulf, our two unofficial wars, unemployment and that whole gay thing…the wassitsit? Don’t Ask Don’t something. I think. You might have heard of it.

Anywho, on her XM talk show yesterday, Rosie tore into the President, saying: “I don’t really think sitting presidents should do fluffy daytime TV shows.” [Source]

In the President’s defense (because who DOESN”T need me to defend them?) he can’t be all work and no play. He still needs people to think he is a totally cool dude or whatever in order to stay President and accomplish whatever it is he wants to accomplish in office.

Thanks to Jezebel.com for posting the video of Obama’s appearance, you too can now watch him talk about Snooki, Mel Gibson, Shirley Sherrod, Lindsay Lohan, the unemployed and why he doesn’t label as biracial.

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http://lezgetreal.com/?p=39401

Angels in Truth

July 27-10 Posted By Lil Lesbian Devil -

Really? Yes! Ten Days Ahead! The Power of…… the Lezzies!

My late mother  one of the most brilliant women I have ever met and consciously straight – who knows about the subconscious – if presented with an impossible situation, used to say : If my Aunt had balls she’d be my Uncle!  Moms been gone almost 20 years, having passed on at my age.  I still laugh at that remark and use it now, often,  perhaps ad nauseam.

Wikepedia describes Lesbianism in profound (mm) detail take a look and I took this piece:

“Men have historically shaped ideas about what is respectable for women in love, sex, and family, and due to the absence of males in a lesbian relationship, frequently rejected the possibility of lesbianism or disregarded it as a valid expression of sexuality. Early sexologists based their characterization of lesbians on their beliefs that women who challenged their strictly prescribed gender roles were mentally ill. Since then, many lesbians have often reacted to their designation as immoral outcasts by constructing a subculture based on gender role rebellion.”

My feeling is all said and done – every lesbian who has the courage to come out has balls, though not to be called UNCLE – please… because these kinda balls are possible… Step out and Stand up for Equality.  You are who you are and you love who you love… what else is important?

Have fun….

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Posted by Melanie Nathan 7/17/10
Truth be Known!

The quake was centered in the Rockville, Md. area said Randy Baldwin, a physicist with U.S. Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Center.

WRC-TV in DC reported that the quake was the largest recorded within 50 kilometers (31 miles) of Washington since a database was created in 1974 and said the quake was felt in the D.C.-area, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Here at the Brooks residences we thought it was perhaps a big truck going down the street… the floor shook, dishes rattled and our hearing helper dog, Sammy, did his little freak out panic dance, but we can report that we received no real damage other then some dust bunnies getting knocked of our ceiling fans and all are safe.

However, we were thinking… Since we know the National Organization for Marriage DC headquarters is someplace up by Rockville… and after yesterday’s news that Argentina passed a law permitting same-sex marriage and the DC Court of Appeals telling them to go take a hike over their efforts to overturn the DC marriage equality law… just maybe it was not an earthquake at all, but was simply was NOM’s Maggie Gallagher, bursting a gasket.

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Having been raised in South Africa I share the viewpoint that associating Israel with apartheid given the different nature and history of the struggles of each Country is tantamount to bashing those who indeed suffered apartheid. The association of that word with Israel is divisive at a time when we should all be seeking solutions and peace. Bringing it into any pride context is clearly contrary to the nature of Pride and its intent. There is nothing to be proud of when your organization banners the LGBT community together with divisiveness.

Noah Gurza is a Canadian Jewish gay male residing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Currently serving as a consultant with the Ontario Provincial Government working on engaging youth in volunteerism and community activities, particularly youth from newcomer and diverse backgrounds. Noah is a proud and out gay male who has been very vocal over the years about legalizing same-sex marriage in Canada and wrote numerous letters to national and local papers on the subject.

Noah has asked for your support in his complaint to Toronto Pride which speaks for itself through his letter:
Dear Tracey Sandilands and the Pride Executive Committee:

We are proud gay and gay-friendly Torontonians. Proud to be living in a city, a province and a country that is a bastion of tolerance. We are proud that our gay rights are upheld both in law and in practice. We are also proud to promote, watch and march in a parade year after year that is known across the world to be inclusive, respectful, fun and which above all showcases our diversity both sexually and ethnically.

It is with outrage that we learned about your decision to overturn the ban on Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) This cowardly reversal to now allow this group to March in this year’s Parade, is in direct violation of your own core philosophy, thereby allowing the participation of group rooted in hate and demonization. Their mere presence undermines Pride’s claim that it stands for equality, dignity and tolerance.

As Justine Apple, executive director of Kulanu Toronto and Bernie M. Farber, CEO of Canadian Jewish Congress, state in their editorial in this weekend’s Toronto Star, “discrimination, intimidation and hatred must not be given license to hijack the parade and turn it into a propaganda tool for inflammatory vitriol”.

Is this a victory for Free Speech? Not in the least. No one is stopping QuAIA from voicing their vitriol – but how does this group belong in a Gay Pride parade, whose very essence is to celebrate sexual preference, sexual diversity and inclusiveness, and fighting discrimination?

It simply, without question, DOES NOT.

The affairs of the State of Israel and the Israel/Palestinian conflict are so far removed from a parade on sexuality and gay rights, that one wonders if the parade will become a vehicle for all human rights issues to be voiced. Why are we not seeing Gays for a Free Tibet? Gays for a Free Pays Basque? Or Gays for a Free Corsica march alongside drag queens and hot cops?

Let us remind the executive as to where gays in the Middle East are tortured and murdered for daring to express their sexual preference. The reality is that in the Middle East, Israel is to be admired for its gay rights and equality, amidst being surrounded by countries which condone violent and murderous homophobia.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in Israel are considered the most developed in the Middle East. Israel also has one of the highest percentages of support for same-sex marriage in the world, with 61% of Israelis supporting civil marriage for same-sex couples. Israel, Jordan, Turkey and Cyprus are the only countries in the Middle East where homosexuality between consenting adults in private is not illegal and homosexuals are not persecuted under the law.

In most other Middle Eastern countries homosexuality is illegal, often punishable by flogging and even hanging. Homosexuality is one of the biggest taboos in the Arab world. The words “Luti,” or “Shaz,” are the most commonly words used to describe gays. Those terms essentially translate as “pervert” or “deviant” in Arabic.

Homosexuals in the Middle East are ostracized almost everywhere in the Muslim world. Gay rights organizations estimate that more than 100,000 gay men and women are being discriminated against and threatened in Muslim countries. Thousands of them commit suicide, end up in prison, or go into hiding.

As a result of this, oftentimes state-sanctioned homophobia, should we not be seeing a group or inviting a group to take the defense of gays in the Arab world entitled “Gays against Homophobia in the Middle East”?

As Justine Apple and Bernie Farber argue in their editorial, “apartheid” is not a term to be thrown about lightly. Apartheid is a crime against humanity, a despicable, discriminatory and disgusting regime supported only by irredeemable racists. Thus, Israelis and the vast majority of Diaspora Zionist Jews are tarred by the brush of horrific racism, systemic oppression of human rights and visceral hatred. QuAIA targets Israel with this dangerous and invidious libel, positioning the world’s only Jewish state as the racist successor to white supremacist South Africa. International pressure brought down apartheid’s racist oppression. Now, anti-Semites use these same tactics to soften up international public opinion and pave the way for Israel’s destruction.

The term “Israeli apartheid” utterly disrespects and disgraces the memory of those – including large numbers of Jews – who risked their lives to topple South African apartheid.

It is hard to fathom how you, the organizers of the Pride Toronto parade have come to this decision with this despicable and cowardly reversal on QuAIA’s place in the upcoming Pride Parade this Sunday.

We would have hoped that after all your courageous struggles to overcome intolerance and achieve the mainstreaming of LGBTQ equality rights in Toronto, Ontario and across the country, you would be able to recognize hatred when it is at your doorstep and stares you squarely in the face.

We are gay and gay-friendly Torontonians, cognizant that there is still a lot of work to be done for gay rights, not only in other countries, but at home, right here as well.

Just like the “Black Bloc” criminals who hijacked the protesters’ important cries out to the world’s leaders at this weekend’s G20 gathering in Toronto, so too does QuAIA, threatening to take over with messages that are contrary to Pride’s essence.

What are we marching for? To sell beer and mortgages? To listen to hate mongerers? Or rather to bask in the freedom that this city and, indeed, this country, enshrines for us.

QuAIA’s place in the Pride march sends a disturbing message. A message with which we do not want to be associated. A message which will result in us staying as far away from this year’s Parade as possible.

Shame on you,

Noah Gurza

Support Noah and the Toronto letter by clicking here :-http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=132845070069329&ref=mf

UPDATED POST FOUND AT:

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Portland Auditions for America’s Got Talent endured the hand whistling of 75 year old Sally; America the beautiful whistled in perfect pitch by the black pant suit clad somewhat “physically bent”  lady who upon entering the stage with her walker began her performance with a 3 inch wooden block placed under her right foot, to level her skewered body and hence ability to reach the mike.

Sharon Osborne was the first to beep her big red “X” but the old lady saw the tune through cupped hands to the very end.  Things looked like they were not going her way – when she pulled out a book from behind her walker citing “I wrote a book about hand whistling, You know.”  Howie Mandel keenly asked the price of the book, and pulled out the $12 and was handed the book.  There was Sally on the back of the cover, Whistling her hand cupped pose.

As it was time to vote her off – as that is what seemed her destiny- she announced “Oh by the way the Book is not ONLY about whistling. At which point everyone started yelling, presuming some naughty hand work perhaps, the thought driven by what may have been some phallic innuendos at the beginning of her entry on stage.

But low and behold Proud and loud she said “actually the book is also about my coming out story.” The crowd went crazy with their support. Chanting “Vegas Vegas Vegas”. It was as if the entire embrace was around her being so bold about being a lesbian and outing herself in a manner way beyond what the $12 book could accomplish.

So here at LGR we say Congratulations Sally – on your Vote to Vegas.  Whether it was your courage, your book, your whistling or your sense of humor we support you all the way.

Sally Cohn is the Wonderful Whistler…

MEET SALLY COHN, A HANDWHISTLER

I’ve been handwhistling with my cupped hands for nearly sixty years, starting when I was twelve. I discovered my unique whistling gift while attending a basketball game. This inspired me to try whistling tunes while playing Bing Crosby 78 rpm phonograph recordings on a Magnavox turntable (before LP’s, stereos, cassettes, CD’s or DVD’s). My first public performance was in 1950 at a huge athletic coliseum on a large college campus during a 4-H Club-sponsored talent show. That show was broadcast live by a local radio station, now an affiliate of NPR.

I didn’t really do much with my handwhistling gift until I was able to experiment and create three-part harmony layers on cassette tapes in the Sixties. That helped me to improve my whistling technique to the point where I felt it was suitable for public performance.

Over the last thirty years I’ve whistled in several Celtic bands, where I also play recorder, tin whistle, and washtub bass. I’ve also whistled in an all-women’s jug band, with Mitch Hider’s “Holiday For Lips” whistling festivals in Oregon, with several church choirs, and in more talent shows than I can remember. I competed in the Carson City, Nevada Whistleoffs and in the Eastbourne, U.K. whistling competition in 1992. My last competition whistling was done at the Edmonton, Alberta Millennium Whistling Championships. Since then, I have participated in three of Robert Stemmons’ Puckerama Festivals. At two of them, I conducted handwhistling workshops. I’ve also done those workshops for middle-school kids at a church camp.

I’m a retired state agency clerical specialist, but I did teach school in the Sixties and early Seventies and caught/discovered a number of middle-school-aged boys with ADHD tendencies who loved to use their whistling gift to disrupt class. I have never caught girls doing this, but I did turn several girls on to making music with their hands in my church camp workshops. I’m always very careful to caution these kids about where it’s okay to whistle and where it’s not okay, like in a classroom.

The quake’s epicenter was near White Deer which is north of Ontario. No damage has yet to be reported.

Despite speculation, the earthquake had nothing to do with the President’s speech or the replacement of General McChrystal with General David Petraeus.

San Francisco: Breaking – For the past 15 years openly gay, renowned DJ, radio host, and creator of San Francisco’s longest running global dance radio show “House Nation, who goes by the name St John, has been a feature, honing his iconic talent and superstar ACT at the annual San Francisco LGBT Pride.

But this year something smells a little off.  Sources inform us, that the event which would usually pride itself on tradition has succumbed to the demands of one of its  corporate sponsors, CLEAR CHANNEL.   Clear Chanel (yes the very clear channel, air-wave home to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck,) and a major SF Pride 2010 sponsor has demanded the banning of ST. John and two other well known GAY Morning DJ’s; all three axed, shunned and rejected despite their years of entrenched relationship with the event.

St. John, described as  Superstar in the growing world of  mix was extremely popular at Clear Channel’s Wild 94.9 for 14 years, and then moved to CBS’s. Movin’ 99.7, KMVQ-FM.

St. John’s energetic style has made him a staple internationally from Brazil to Canada, and nation-wide from New York’s Limelight to San Francisco’s Ruby Skye. With multiple CD releases on major labels such as Thrive and UBL Recordings, St. John has sold over a quarter-million albums and in 2010 continues to work on exciting new projects.

The exclusion may be attributed to corporate wrangling and competitive venom between CBS and Clear Channel. Yet on wonders just how San Francisco pride fits into this mix of loyalty gone awry?

Since it was not only St John who made the move, but also other DJ’s and Michael Martin, once Program Director for Clear Channel and now Vice President of Programming for CBS RADIO San Francisco. The retribution could also be attributed to Martin who did not hide his excitement when St John left  Clear Channel to join CBS: “I am beyond excited to have him join MOViN!  His skill, passion, precision and drive to win are an inspiration to all who work with him and the detriment to those who try to compete against him,” said Martin.

Should we as a marginalized and discriminated against community stand behind our heroes? Or should we accept demanding sponsors who are giving SF Pride the profits off the  millions made and paid to the likes of homophobic and anti American  Limbaugh and Beck.

For St. John the feelings were mutual when he joined CBS; – “I’m thrilled to be reunited with programming legend Michael Martin. Together we’ve dominated ratings in both the Bay Area and Los Angeles and when St John moved asserted: “I can’t wait to work with him to do it again at my new home CBS RADIO San Francisco.”

Each year, Pride works with the event media partners, such as Clear Channel home to the likes of right wing lunatics – Limbaugh and Beck, to bring a televised and  radio broadcasts of the SF Pride Parade. SF Pride producers assert that they have been able to expand the coverage of the Parade to include a full-length, unedited online broadcast in addition to televised coverage the evening following the Parade’s conclusion.

Since St. John left clear channel, it is became apparent that punitive motives would follow the star, and that attempts would  be made to relegate his well earned reverence in the world of cool music and especially his vested platform at PRIDE.

St. John, clearly hurt by San Francisco Pride’s rejection of his talent, and his years of service was loathe to make any derogatory remarks at all either toward SF Pride or Clear Channel.

From my interview it was clear that not only is St John a good man, he is modest and is not willing to speak of  the enormous contributions he has made to fighting HIV/AIDS and helping those in need.

In furthering his career he is now being punished by his own community.  Not only is he a talent but he is an open voice to tens and thousands of a younger generation who hold him in the highest esteem, reaching across the gay- straight lines amongst the youngsters, where it really counts.

When asked for his comments  he told me: “Its been a long  journey with San Francisco Pride; I am proud  to have  been  apart of a great service to the community and hope that maybe I can find a way to continue to be so.”

I will say one thing and that is if Clear Channel tried to impose a ban on any gay performer of any kind with a history and credentials such as ST, John, I for one would rather risk their sponsorship!

The Organizers of San Francisco Pride were contacted for comment but no response was received.

Clear Channel Communications,  Inc.. (OTCBB:CCMO) is a global media and entertainment company specializing in mobile and on-demand entertainment and information services for local communities and premiere opportunities for advertisers. Based in San Antonio, Texas, the company’s businesses include radio and outdoor displays. More information is available at www.clearchannel.com.

By Melanie Nathan
Nathan@privatecourts.com
@oblogdeeoblogda
Get me on – FACE BOOK .

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Los Angeles, CA –  After enjoying international fame with her Universal Record Top 10 worldwide radio hit “Kiss The Rain” from her certified gold album “Growing Pains,” produced by Desmond Child (Aerosmith, Ricky Martin, Cher), then hitting rock bottom & being diagnosed with depression, Myers is finally making an admirable comeback as an indie artist who with the help of the internet’s Social Media Networks  (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) is using her music & public image as a platform for spreading information and raising awareness about a  cause and pressingly urgent issue that is close to home for the singer: Depression.

Furthering her already vocal support for the LGBT community, Myers, the openly bi-sexual British prodigious singer/songwriter, will show her PRIDE with a live performance at this year’s NYC Pride weekend. Gracing the stage of  Central Park Summer Stage in Manhattan on June 19, Myers will take this opportunity to premiere (as an exclusive)  in front of  fans, activists and supporters her new single from her recently released album dubbed “Tea & Sympathy”.

A humanitarian at heart and LGBT Activist,  Myers will also launch this September, as part of “Back to school” month, her Pepsi Refresh Challenge project as a spokesperson for the JED Foundation - the leading nonprofit organization addressing issues related to mental health and suicide in the college population. Myers joins other celebrities such as Pete Wentz and Mary J. Blige in JED’s ongoing fight against depression and suicide prevention.  JED’s first program, ULifeline, launched in 2000 and has become a widely used online resource for college mental health with campus-specific information for over 1,250 schools. www.jedfoundation.org

As a woman diagnosed with depression,  (and saved from suicidal thoughts with the help of friends) Myers is localizing her efforts more specifically on the LGBT community, encouraging everyone — gay, straight, transgender, lesbian, bisexual — to get informed about and involved with the JED Foundation to fight depression. With the Pepsi Refresh challenger, Myers is determined to educate people about what depression is, how to recognize the warning signs, how to overcome it, shed light on how to help people suffering from depression – and overall, promote suicide prevention among young people.

SOME BASIC STATICS ABOUT DEPRESSION & SUICIDE:

Statics show that Suicide is the ninth leading cause of death in the US with 31,204 deaths recorded in 1995. This approximates to around one death every seventeen minutes. There are more suicides than homicides each year in the US. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimated that “as many as 30% of completed youth suicides each year” are performed by gays and lesbians. Suicide risk is higher among homosexual youths not because of their inability to accept their sexual orientation but because of the risks attached to it and the lack of support.

“Better off dead than gay” is the general sentiment directly connected to the fact that more often than not they are bullied, discriminated against, and because they are not accepted and don’t find a way of life for their homosexuality in society.

These past few months have seen the lost of some high-profile figures to suicide, and we believe that the way the media cover these stories can potentially have a positive or negative impact on young people.  When sensationalized, coverage of suicide can potentially have a negative impact on a young person already struggling emotionally and/or contemplating suicide.  But we can also use these tragedies as a moment to talk about suicide in a productive way – to help people understand it better, learn the warning signs and think about what they can do to protect themselves or a friend.

Not only does music have the power to captivate us, it has the ability to shape our beliefs and enact social change. Musicians are no strangers to playing concerts and galas on behalf of charities around the world in an effort to raise social awareness. In a world connected by technology like never before, music can have an even greater impact on social awareness. While major musicians have always had the ability to reach millions to help raise public awareness for their causes, the rise of the Internet enables anybody to voice their concerns on issues they support.  And that is exactly what Billie Myers is doing – as  Margaret Mead wrote: ”Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

ABOUT BILLIE MYERS:

After a seven-year hiatus, Myers is back! And by BACK we don’t just mean figuratively by cementing her musical genius with a new album “Tea & Sympathy, but as well literally by publicly, and for the first time, breaking her silence on depression – a silence that nearly cost her her life.

Myers’ life is nothing short of inspirational and puts a face to so many different social, ethnic and psychological issues that are still affecting millions of people nowadays. Her courage to now openly talk about her depression and determination to not give up her artistic passion and dream epitomizes the meaning of hope and the concept of believing in yourself; not to mention the success she is enjoying as an independent artist who is admiringly embracing the DIY approach.

Self-Funded and released on her own label, Fruit Loop, “Tea & Sympathy” in less than 24 hours of its online release, impressively scored a #15 spot on the iTunes Singer/songwriter chart. With “Tea & Sympathy”, Myers is breaking new ground musically. Fashioning a unique collage of sound that intertwines electronica, trip-hop beats, and bluesy guitars around her live acoustic/rock roots, the envelope pushing, lyrically driven, emotionally rich new CD features collaborations with such highly acclaimed songwriters as Kristen Hall (Sugarland), Peter Vale (Lemar, Beverly Knight) and Marcella Detroit (Shakespeare’s Sister, Eric Clapton).

Now, as an independent artist, Myers is becoming the perfect example of how modern technology can and should be utilized to not only secure online presence and public exposure but as well how the internet offers a new distribution platform allowing indie artists to bypass the support of the major record labels.  Her online fans have recently launched a Facebook PR Campaign lobbying to get Myers back on the stage of Lilith Fair!

MYERS’ VICTORY OVER DEPRESSION:

Beyond the success Myers is now enjoying on the road back up on the charts, it is really the behind the scene story that merits a closer look at – her numerous personal as well as professional victories have undeniably positioned her as a powerful creative voice to be reckoned with:

- She was abandoned by her mother at age four who dropped her off at an orphanage.

- Her father wanting her to have a better life requested that she lived in a Caucasian foster home. Unfortunately for Billie she suffered through seven years of emotional abuse until her stepmother took her back to live with her and Billie’s real father.

- Battled all her life against racism as well as reverse discrimination constantly being rejected for being the product of mixed race (coming from an English mother and Jamaican father).

- Shot to international fame then brutally fell into anonymity. Hit rock-bottom financially, professionally and personally – had it all and lost it all!

- Nearly on the brink of suicide, bravely survived the harrowing web of depression;

- And now comes back to the music scene successfully battling against the Goliath of corporate record label moguls.

A true success story, Myers is undeniably emerging as one of the most inspirational music heroines and humanitarian of our times!

Posted by Melanie Nathan
follow me @oblogdeeoblogda

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An Australian restaurant has been forced to apologize and pay compensation after refusing to let a man enter because they thought his dog was gay.

In May 2009, Ian Jolly, 57, was attempting to dine at the Thai Spice restaurant in Adelaide, when he was refused entry after staff  thought his friend said it was a “gay dog.”

Jolly is now set to receive $1,400 compensation and a written apology. The only problem is that the man is blind…

and the ‘Gay Dog’ was in fact  referred to as a “guide-dog“… not a “gay dog.”

Sheez they even hate our dogs!!!

So despite President Obama having called for an end to the ban on gays in the military and Defense officials studying ways to end that ban. And Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates setting new guidelines would be used to make enforcement of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law more humane…. A new variation of the catch 22 and a new twist on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has emerged that is sure to confuse the f**k out of all.

The Air Force said Monday it would reverse an earlier decision not to discharge a lesbian Air Force officer, who remained in the Air Force despite having openly declaring she was a lesbian in a civil union, after a general concluded that she should not be discharged, because she had declared was a lesbian and entered into the civil union for the purpose of getting out of the Air Force.

Confused? Yeah us too…

Lt. Robin R. Chaurasiya joined the military in 2006, left service in 2007, but was recalled in 2009. She was sent to Scott Air Force Base. While there, she wrote an email sent to a large number of people that told them that she was lesbian.

A male former service member she had dated forwarded the email to her commanding officer. An investigation was opened, and she formally submitted a memorandum to Lt. General Robert R. Allardice stating that she was lesbian and had entered into a civil union with her female partner in December.

In February, Allardice shut down the inquiry by invoking a portion of the DADT law which states that a person cannot be discharged from the military for being gay or lesbian because they have declared themselves as such in order to get out of military service.

Lieutenant Chaurasiya has maintained that she did not declare herself lesbian in order to get out of service. “I want to be respected for it, and if I am going to be disrespected I don’t want to be here. My intention is not to get out. But if I am going to be kept in and treated unfairly either from my peers or by the military itself . . . then I want to be loud about it to bring about the change, or I do not want to be here.”

Now it appears the Air Force talked to Lt. Chaurasiya’s partner, who finally convinced them that Chaurasiya is indeed a real lesbian and in today’s statement, the Air Force said that the commander of its Air Mobility Command, Gen. Raymond E. Johns Jr., has reversed the earlier decision and recommended Chaurasiya be honorably discharged under DADT.

The Air Force did not say how Chaurasiya’s partner convinced them, but one can only hope she did not have to show them the couples homemade bedroom videos as conclusive proof.

“I am kind of heartbroken,” said Chaurasiya, “I felt my situation was hinting at changes. I really thought I would be able to lead the way for a more equal military.”

However, Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley, will make a final decision on Chaurasiya’s fate in the military later, so stay tuned, because this could all change again.

Editors note: And also remember… we trust these same people with multi-billion dollar airplanes… that are sometime full of nuclear weapons… and if they handle those the way they have handled this case… I suggest we be afraid…  very afraid.

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In the swirly twirl of issues and more issues -Lesbianism – is subject to definition? – even for a child…. well not really but fun anyway….

Found on Daily Motion – a French Company -

What good is a video, if it’s stuck on your camera, hard-drive, or mobile phone?

Dailymotion is about finding new ways to see, share and engage your world through the power of online video. You can find – or upload – videos about your interests and hobbies, eyewitness accounts of recent news and distant places, and everything else from the strange to the spectacular.

Posted by Melanie Nathan.

Use Dailymotion to:

• – Share your videos publicly, or privately with family and friends
• – Discover new videos through channels or tags
• – Get feedback on your clips and creative work

Thanks Britt for tip!

by Melanie Nathan

Lesbian Spotting – BBC Outnumbered S03 E01
Uploaded by shelbythrasher1. – Watch feature films and entire TV shows.

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The Colonna Mediterranea does, indeed, resemble a giant phallus, and its display on the main road out of the airport has been called “vulgar” and “embarrassing” by the mayor of Luqa, the nearest town. In fact, Mayor John Schembri has called for its removal as a sign of respect for Pope Benedict. Of course, many might suggest adding one smaller obelisk to one side and two smaller ones on the other and a fourth obelisk lying on its side in front of them to greet the Pope as he arrives.

The statue has been on display there since 2006. The artist Paul Vella Critien has called his critics “uneducated” and “ignorant”. Of course, one could also say that they are barbaric.

Of course, Mayor Schembri has stated vehemently “The object… is not the most fitting way in which to greet the Pope, especially by what is considered to be the most Catholic country in the world.” The government of Malta has no intentions of removing the statue.

It should be noted that many people have commented upon the phallic nature of obelisks in the past. These Egyptian monuments have been the inspiration for many modern works of art, including the Washington Monument, the phallic nature of which was once observed on Futurama when the tip of the Clinton Monument (which stood next to the Washington Monument but was taller) was removed by a Decopodian ship.

For many who have come to view Pope Benedict with derision and contempt over his handling of the priest sex abuse scandal and his attempts to scapegoat this problem on gay men, somehow his having to go passed a giant sculpture which looks like a dick probably seems appropriate.

Personally, I really do think that the statue looks phallic.

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Melanie Nathan, 4-5-10.

“Excuse me do I have the right Prom?  Oops its the Dinah!  Isn’t that a lesbian Prom? -’ Nah silly,  its a lesbian PROM-ise,”

“Ah I get it – ”

Excuse me?  That is a woman in the Tux and yes her moo-stache is real.

Check out this interview -like no other, exclusive to Lezgetreal, compliments, The Dinah, Mariah Hanson and of course JD and  thesmokingcocktail.com

………. and the ever delightful day at The Dinah came to an end – to a hip shaking  ’song and dance’ by Mother Earth herself.

Here is a delightful description of the event by a Dinah Go Go Dancer, compelled to jump off her box, mid motion…

Extra Extra – When you go to thesmockingcocktail.com be sure to check out JD’s interview with Jane Lynch.  Its a lot of fun.  In the meantime enjoy this Tidbit……

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Melanie Nathan 4-4-10.  Celesbians galore,  a 7.2 magnitude  Earthquake,  a grand welcome to Salt-n-Pepa,  after a ten (yes) year hiatus (I call that coming back from the dead baby!) Hey lesbian sisters, what more could you want of California?

The Dinah gave it its all this 20th Anniversary and Meredith was there too – OMG !   We at Lezgetreal heard that you are all having an amazing time at the Dinah. In fact when the earthquake hot (I mean hit…sheez mel! ) we here at LGR were so concerned that we sent a dove to check up on you, her name is Blackberry;  you saw her flying overhead?

Guess what Mariah’s spokesperson told us?  We asked “Is anyone injured; are they scared?

Answer

no injuries,

everyone was WAY TOO DRUNK to be scared!”

Your interview on this Video certainly toils-the-tude™ (I get to trademark that one) of a classic 20th that only Dinah Dudes get!  Here goes some succinct comments out of the mouths of the Salty Peppery Two:-

“One big estrogen party;”

“After our ten year hiatus our following comes out….”  (kewl, thats purrfect for this performance); and they show us a

“Lot-a-love ” (Duh)

So in case you were not expecting it the World has changed and has not changed….  but undoubtedly if you attend a Mariah Dinah  now or 20 ago, you will have a blast and will never come OUT the same again!   Lotsa Love and Happy Anniversary MARIAH et al.

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Melanie Nathan, Palm Springs   – 4/4/10  – Reports are coming here in California of an Earthquake. A string of earthquakes and aftershocks rattled the Pacific Coast of the United States and Mexico on Sunday, including a magnitude 7.2 quake that could be felt across Baja California, Arizona and southern California, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

There were no immediate reports of injuries and only limited reports of damages from that quake, which struck at 3:40 p.m. PT about 175 kilometers (110 miles) east-southeast of Tijuana.

“We felt it for about 30 seconds. It was rolling,” San Diego County sheriff’s Lt. Scott Ybarrondo told CNN. “Nothing fell off the walls here, but we have reports of pictures falling off walls elsewhere in the county.”

Lauren Hines,  Fashion designer in Los Angeles was working in her factory in downtown LA and felt the building roll, and all fled the building into the street.  The Dinah’s spokesperson just informed  Lezgetreal  that ” it was pretty intense to see a thousand women swaying by the pool.  The go go’s were up on high podiums and they had to hold on for dear life!”   No injuries reported.

The next-largest, a magnitude 4.1 quake, rattled windows nine minutes later in Santa Rosa, California, north of San Francisco. No damage was reported there, and Susan Potter, a USGS geophysicist, told CNN that was a separate quake from the one that struck in the Baja California desert.

Chandeliers swung and water sloshed around in swimming pools in the Los Angeles suburbs, witnesses reported, while posters to Twitter reported feeling the quake in Phoenix, Arizona.

Capt. Steve Ruda, a spokesman for the Los Angeles city fire department, said there were “isolated” power outages and a few people reported trapped in elevators, but no injuries or structural damage were reported. The Baja California quake spawned at least five aftershocks, the largest of which was a magnitude 5.1, Potter said.

The USGS initially reported that the Baja California quake had a 6.9 magnitude. The USGS upgraded the quake about an hour later.

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BY – Melanie Nathan

If The Dinah 2009 was EPIC not only securing the performances of a Grammy nominee and a Top Ten Billboard artist with the then # 1 Song in the country, but as well making it the most attended Dinah ever despite the economic crisis, The Dinah 2010 IS HISTORIC!

This Year what better than million dollar gal Ke$ha ……

Don’t you wish you were at the Dinah for all these great events?  The event of the Year when each and every year ten thousand or more lesbians take over the hotels in Palm Springs, spear headed by social and party entrepreneurs such as Girl Bar and Club Skirts. (The Dinah, Mariah Hanson)

Thousands of women only bodies crowd the pool areas of Hyatts and Hiltons and Mariotts too.  The nights are fun filled drink/dance/find love fests and the gals are unabashed in their OUT-NESS!   A great place to spend a weekend and an even greater place to spend the Dinah Shore Golf Classic weekend.

http://lezgetreal.com/?s=mariah

I wonder does anyone play in the golf classic anymore?

See you at The Dinah!

By Melanie Nathan 4-02-10/.  I went to the Dinah Shore gold classic weekend, 20 years ago. It was (of course in those almost youthful years) the party highlight  of my life, and so I made the pilgrimage for some years thereafter.   Recently I interviewed  Mariah Hanson an old friend from those days and was delighted to acknowledge her 20th anniversary in Palm Springs with The Dinah’s exciting events for this year – It Starts today.   HELLO GALS!

For the next few days we will be sharing highlights and fun from Palm Springs – if you have never been – go – next year – never before have you seen or will you ever see so many lesbians in one place. Its an amazing experience especially for those who are coming out and wonder of this is a worthy world.

PALM SPRINGS THE DINAH :

By Melanie Nathan  nathan@privatecourts.com

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“By Tom Brandt / Opinions Editor Republicans are not sparing the rod when it comes to beating up on President Obama’s economic stimulus package, but it’s clear they are unable to raise their membership to withstand the newly found vigor of his congressional muscle.”

http://funmeme.com/post/2010/03/24/Republicans-Turned-off-by-Size-of-Obamae28099s-Package-e28093-Funny-Caption-Pic.aspx

Need we say more – nothing like a little visit to the past ….2009!

By Mel Nathan

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03/25/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

The National Enquirer is reporting that OJ Simpson has a prison fan group of gay and trans prisoners who are making his time at the aptly named “Lovelock Correctional Center” more bearable. The report says that the GT community at the jail enjoys giving him massages and treat him like royalty in general.

Simpson, jailed in 2008 for multiple charges including armed robbery, is said to be known as “the king of the queens”.

The National Enquirer, the bastion of responsible reporting that it is, quotes a source as saying: “With the help of adoring prisoners and guards, OJ is able to gamble on sporting events, get special privileges – and even receive massages from a group of gay inmates known as ‘The Girls’. He’s really tight with The Girls.”

The report goes further and intimates that OJ is having tons of hot gay sex by quoting the source as saying:  ”OJ knows how to take care of The Girls.” The National Enquirer was right about John Edwards and Rielle Hunter, maybe they have scored another journalistic coup with this story. Do you think it’s true?

Simpson is expected to serve at least another eight years in prison. In 1995, he was acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goodman. Ms Brown Simpson’s family successfully sued him in a civil court for $33.5 million for her and Mr Goodman’s deaths.

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Nerves rattled but no damage from magnitude-4.4 earthquake that awakened Southern California Posted on 16 March 2010 by  Melanie Nathan,  LOS ANGELES – Southern Californians were jolted from their sleep before dawn Tuesday as a small but strongly felt earthquake struck beneath Los Angeles’ eastern suburbs.

I have had the experience a good few times.   The fright is always there – it feels so profoundly out of control – when will it stop? what if this is a before shock?

Albeit meager damage – clearly the result, huge fear as residents fear rooted in the likelihood of having a massive quake like one was suffered by Haitian and Chilean recently.

The 4.4- magnitude California earthquake had its epicenter at Pico Rivera-California according to United Sates Geological Survey Department. The epicenter is said being situated around 11 miles from Los Angeles Civic Center.

Jessica Sigala, the USGS geophysicist suggested that commercial and residential buildings along with other infrastructure should be strong enough to hold such type of earthquakes, and for that reason we do not find substantial damage but shaking although it was strong enough to pop out books from your shelves and breaking your windows.

by Melanie Nathan

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Hayworth, who is challenging Sen. John McCain in Arizona’s GOP Senate primary, said during an interview with an Orlando, Fla., radio station, “You see, the Massachusetts Supreme Court, when it started this move toward same-sex marriage, actually defined marriage – now get this – it defined marriage as simply, ‘the establishment of intimacy.’”

The 2003 Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling that ended the ban on same-sex marriage in that state defined marriage as, “the voluntary union of two persons as spouses, to the exclusion of all others,” but that also really did not prevent Hayward from going on, “I mean, I don’t mean to be absurd about it, but I guess I can make the point of absurdity with an absurd point,” said Hayward, “I guess that would mean if you really had affection for your horse, I guess you could marry your horse.”

Hayward then absurdly added, “only way” to prevent people from marrying horses is to create a federal marriage amendment, which of course he supports.

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SHMIRSHKY: THINK INSIDE THE BOX- A SMALL BOOK WITH A BIG STORY Reaching out is IN. Suffering in silence is Out.

Got a vagina? Know someone who does? Chances are you have a wife, girlfriend, mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, sister, daughter, friend, mentor, coworker, or boss who has one. Whether you’re a forty-five-year-old woman in perimenopause or an eighteen-year-old guy who thinks his mom is in need of an exorcism, Shmirshky is for you.

Shmirshky is the first menopause book of its kind. Unlike other books that are dry and mired in confusing medical terms, Shmirshky is an intimate, humorous read—smart, fact-filled, and full of love. With the knowledge and compassion of a trusted girlfriend, author E serves up a soulful account of persevering through the difficult stages of perimenopause and menopause. Publication date: March 1, 2010. Hardcover, $25. For books and further information, visit shmirshky.com.

“Shmirshky” is a term you won’t find in any other menopause book. It comes from E’s unique, often hilarious vernacular: she calls the vagina (and anyone who has one) a shmirshky (pronounced shmersh-key). “Vagina is such an awkward medical term,” she says. “All the women I know have a pet name for it. My BFF Marcia called it shmirshky. I am a shmirshky, a shmirshky who has struggled with PM&M [perimenopause and menopause].”

Shmirshky is not your mother’s menopause book. “In fact, chances are she never had one. If you think menopause is a shitty experience, then Shmirshky is your pooper-scooper.”

Shmirshky is open and honest at a time when many women want to keep their feelings hidden. For some, the PM&M experience can be overwhelming and frightening. “You may feel like an alien swooped down, took over your body, and jumbled up your mind and personality—not to mention your hips, your boobs, and your waist,” E says.

Shmirshky had its beginnings as a simple journal. E’s initial writings were intended as a gift to her daughter. That journal morphed into a small book with a big story. Edited by her twenty-seven-year-old son (who now knows more about PM&M than he ever imagined!), Shmirshky affords readers an honest, personal connection that further squashes the stigma of PM&M.

Don’t hide your shmirshky under a bush! Shmirshky empowers women to take charge. E helps her readers learn how to interpret the symptoms of PM&M, research and interview doctors, understand the necessary tests, and reach out to loved ones for support. Treating the symptoms of PM&M is not a one-size-fits-all situation. As E says, “Too bad they can’t administer hormone therapy through a pair of heels.”

“Every woman needs to read this book,” says Dr. Joseph F. Kennedy. “With great humor, some of which had me howling with laughter, E concisely and intelligently illustrates some of the diverse experiences women may have during the perimenopausal and menopausal years.”

At Your Cervix! You can visit us at shmirshky.com for a sneak peek before the site goes live on March 1, 2010. Shmirshky.com readers can connect, comment, and share their own unique experiences as well as stay in touch with the shmirshky movement.

E is for everyone. E is not a doctor, scientist, or celebrity. “After all the women I’ve talked to and all the research I’ve done, I realized that this isn’t just my story, we all share pieces of the same story.” She says, “I hope this book brings women a little bit of the three L’s: love, laughter, and learning.”

Publication date: March 1, 2010, Hardcover with book jacket; 150 pages, Published by Shmirshky Universal / www.shmirshkyuniversal.com  Library of Congress Control Number: 2009908410 ISBN: 978-0-615-29455-1

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ELLEN SARVER DOLGEN

Ellen Sarver Dolgen is active in promoting health and wellness in America. She currently serves on the Community Advisory Board of Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla. She was a founding member of Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, on the founding board of Angel Charity for Children, and on the board for San Diego Hospice. Ellen has served on boards, committees, and chaired numerous events for Brandeis University, the Heart Ball, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Weizmann Institute of Science, Brewster Auxiliary, and the Handmaker Home for the Aging. Ellen’s lifelong commitment to philanthropy through board representation, fundraising, and event organization continues with her founding of Shmirshky Universal and her goal to help women all over the world.

Ellen’s background includes public relations, fundraising for national political campaigns, legislative lobbying, investment advising, hotel operations, not-for-profit fundraising, and cultural and community leadership. In her prior professional life she was the National Deputy Treasurer of the 1980 Carter-Mondale reelection campaign; was a member of Berman and Associates, a Washington, D.C., consulting firm; served as National Finance Coordinator for U.S. Senator Henry M. Jackson’s 1976 bid for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination; and worked for the national United Jewish Appeal in New York City. Ellen served on the National Finance Committee of Obama for America (2008 presidential campaign) and currently serves on the National Finance Committee for the Democratic National Committee. During her college years she worked as director of public relations for Interstate Motel Corporation in Tucson, Arizona, while attending the University of Arizona. She was subsequently a founding chairperson of the University of Arizona’s Office of Cultural Affairs Advisory Board and served on the Arizona State Workmen’s Compensation Fund Investment Committee.

Ellen is currently founder and president of Shmirshky Universal and is a principal of Dolgen Ventures along with her husband, David. Ellen lives in Coronado, California, and has two children, Sarah and Jack.

Shmirshky Competition: 

See You Tube:  Meet the author http://www.youtube.com/shmirshky

Write a no holds barred  250-500 word review of the Book “ Shmirshky” by E.

Submissions by 4/1/10  Results by 4/10/10 (Subject to extension depending on amount of entries.

PRIZES:
First: Amazon Kindle, Value $250.00
Second:Table Book Prize, Value $80.00

The first 4 to enter competition and commit to a review, receive a free Book.

Books can be purchased at http://www.shmirshky.com/

and use of code word  LEZGETREAL  will generate a 20% discount,

Judges shall be Announced at Time of competition result -announcement

Competition closed to Editors of LGR, Employees, friends and family of Published by Shmirshky Universal / www.shmirshkyuniversal.com and PR Professionals and Agents associated therewith.

Cut and Paste the following and then e-mail to Nathan@privatecourts.com:

“I the undersigned hereby commit to a 250-500 word review of the book “ Shmirshky”   If I am one of the first 4 entrants, I shall receive a free Book , Shmirshky by E, to review.

If I am not one of first four, then I shall decide whether or not to purchase a copy of the book whereupon I may or may not review the book Shmirshky.

Books can be purchased for a discount at AMAZON and using code word “lezgetreal “ will prompt discounted price.

Winning entry will be published and on Lez-Get-Real web site and may be used for oromotional purposes by Author of S or Publisher.  Copyright of review shall be owned by Lezgetreal.  The Author and Publisher shall also have the right to the use of quotations therefrom, upon agreement of Lez-Get-Real.  Participant hereby grants exclusive copyright ownership and full and unconditional right to print and publish competition entry to Lez-Get-Real, its agents and assigns, on line at www.lezgetreal.com and at any venue in the sole discretion of Lez-Get-Real.

I declare I am over 21 years of age.

Name: ________________________________________________
Address : _____________________________________________
E-mail __________________________________________________
Telephone: ______________________________________________

I am over 18 years of age : ______________
I agree to rules of Competition:__________________

I hereby Agree that the copyright to the review a  submitted  shall belong exclusively to Lezgetreal, and its assignees.”

Competition ends and last entry shall be post marked or e-mails  dated by April, 01, 2010, midnight.    Competition results shall be announced and winner reviews published on April 10, 2010. On site Lezgetreal.

All results shall be final.
Lez-Get-Real reserves the right t extend competition date/s’

Questions – email nathan@privatecourts.com

Fabulis is the brainchild of Jason Goldberg. Previously, Goldberg founded Jobster and socialmedian. For his current project, he has raised more than $62 million in seed money from places like the Washington Post, and he aims to create the largest social networking site for gay men in the world.

Citibank apparently suffered from some of the same anti-LGBT problems that once plagued video game company Blizzard in their World of Warcraft mega-MMO. That is, a certain amount of confusion regarding the nature of what is and is not acceptable with regards to the LGBT Community. While Blizzard settled the lawsuit and made it quite clear to their employees that advertising for an LGBT friendly guilds, it is as yet unclear just how Citibank will respond in the long run. Every year, one guild on Proudmoore server still holds a Pride parade.

Citibank currently holds the contract for Federal employee’s official credit cards. Those cards, incidentally, are intended for official business such as out of town travel.

According to Goldberg, he was not notified regarding the closure of the account. He also stated “In a bit of strange and disturbing news, fabulis discovered today that someone(s) at Citibank had decided arbitrarily to block fabulis’ bank account due to what was described to us on the phone as “objectionable content” on our blog.” He also questioned when did Citibank start reviewing the content on websites with regards to their content.

Relaying what happened in trying to sort out this mess, Goldberg went on to write: “Do I think Citibank or Citigroup is a homophobic malicious company? No. Do I think some compliance officer is a moron who made a really stupid decision? Yes. Three hours of trying to sort this out provided even more comedic insanity than I even revealed on the blog post. Including a bank manager who didn’t want to talk about this because she was uncomfortable talking about the content of our blog over a recorded phone conversation. Oh, and we’ve learned that the account was marked to be a cancelled by said compliance officer for this ‘objectionable content.’”

Citibank did, eventually, apologize. Manhattan Branch Manager Bill Brown offered an apology and stated that the three people that Goldberg talked to were mistaken in their rationale for closing the account. Mr. Brown will do a full review of all the facts regarding this case and act appropriately.

Does Citibank Suffer From Homophobia Or Just A General Dislike For Startups?

John Carroll University is a Catholic College with a Jesuit core identity. According to the draft community standards “’they [gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender people and those questioning their sexual identity] must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Ed., 2358)” The university was founded in 1886.

The protesters were eventually escorted from the court without incident and none of them were arrested. Video of the incident follows:

Mike Bickle, Preacher, Hater, Cult Leader, Scammer

 By Melanie Nathan, San Francisco, February 6, 2010 – The video below is from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, MO. It shows a young man named Jacob sharing his story of being set free from addictions to cocaine and heroine, as well as same-sex attractions.

When my dear friend Evan Hurst of  TWO (Truth Wins Out) uncovered this perplexing tribute to “Hate Who G-d Made You” he suggested we post it on our site too and I am grateful to Ev for the exposure.  I encourage our readers to go to TWO site to read the comments. Hopefully you will comment here too. This people must be exposed for the harm. 

Evan Hurst of TWO: “ Behold the power of  Fundamentalist Christian  delusion: – Jacob, I don’t know who you are, but these people are predators. Your sexuality is part of you, and it has nothing to do with your drug addictions. And you don’t beat addiction to drugs by exchanging it for a dependency on profit-based faux-spiritual experiences proffered by people who use your life as a way to get rich.

I could not have said better myself. Once you read and comment here and on Ev’s site, please join the WAR and visit the criminal abuserers directly at:-http://voiceofrevolution.askdrbrown.org/2010/02/06/responding-to-the-critics-ihop-testimony-on-deliverance-from-same-sex-attraction/  We are not victims of these sick and depraved bigot who clothe themselves in hate and greed.

The gay website Ex-Gay Watch declared the following in their post on the video:

“As a former charismatic, the type of religious experience shown in this video is very familiar to me. In this kind of heady, charged atmosphere, it is very easy to suppress one’s “sin” issues and live on a “victorious” spiritual plane – that is until the trappings of revivalist, Pentecostal worship aren’t there or just don’t work any more, and the subject is brought down to earth with a bump.

In this video from IHOP (International House of Prayer, not to be confused with the restaurant chain International House of Pancakes), a young man claims to have been delivered from homosexual attractions he has experienced since childhood. The odd behaviour and spasmodic movements (as well as the wailing, sobbing, shouting and laughter from the congregation) have been especially common in Pentecostal and charismatic churches since the mid-1990s, and are usually attributed directly to the Holy Spirit.”

 As The Kingdom of God on February 6th, 2010  Marcus French  tries to defend the crazy guy with these remarks….

“ Does this sound like someone getting rich of this young man? The idea is laughable! And I have personal knowledge that Mr. Bickle lives the same kind of lifestyle today, even with the ministry growing exponentially since 2001 (I wonder if Wayne Besen, head of Truth Wins Out, draws this kind of salary?). This same example could be multiplied throughout the IHOP leadership team, and well into most of the charismatic movement today (again, with a few exceptions). Rather than IHOP using this young man, they’ve simply set up an environment where people like him can come and experience the power of the living God through the gospel of Jesus Christ 24 hours a day (they have facilities open to the public around the clock with people praying continuously for America and the world). I pray that this young man builds on this experience in prayer and devotion to Jesus, yielding a life that is full of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”               

 WE UNCOVER  ……  the truth…………. is simply not so Mr. French your words mean nought  -   report on the indiscretions of Mike Bickle of IHOP.  See Part 1 here. Joanne Panettieri Editor, Kingdom Iconoclast …………. amongst many more such exposures…..   Mr. Bickle you are a Phony and we know it – stop abusing our kids NOW.  You are causing pain to those who would rather be left to live who they are. Further yet it is because of people like you and your inability to accept that G-d has chosen us to be who we are, that cause 100% of the suffering that youn gays and lesbians ought not to be going through.    

Bickle and IHOP – A CULT and look what they are doing to our kids….

 By Melanie Nathan, San Francisco, February 6, 2010
nathan@privatecourts.com
www.privatecourts.com
www.divorcemediators.us
www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com

First of all, take back Illinois from whom? By choosing this slogan Mark Kirk has made it sound like he is trying to take back Illinois from some oppressive dictator. Perhaps he thinks that he is trying to take Illinois back from the orcish forces of Sauron instead of trying to run for elected office in the state of Illinois. Perhaps he is intending on storming the castle and rescuing the princess from the vile dragon and to take back the kingdom from the forces of evil rather than running to be one person among a hundred voting on legislation in the Senate.

A slogan like this might work if Kirk were running for governor. After all, he could argue that he is trying to take back Illinois from the forces of corruption found throughout the Illinois executive; however, is he planning on taking Illinois back from the United States or something?

Take Back Vermont was intended to try and build support to put an end to civil unions in the state. It had a clear objective, and a clear “enemy”, even if the majority of Vermonters thought that the slogan was silly. In the end, Take Back Vermont did more harm to their cause than help as people from outside the state bought souvenirs, and the people inside the state simply stopped buying from businesses which had that slogan up on their shops. In the end, many businesses in the state that supported Take Back Vermont folded because Vermont has enough of an LGBT Community coupled with a strong number of allies that those businesses simply ran out of customers.

Some slogans work. “Yes We Can” worked, at least until after the election. Seriously, however, Mark Kirk sounds like he’s trying to pick up Illinois and take it back home with him.

According to Radio Netherlands Worldwide… Monsignor André-Joseph Léonard, the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, told a Belgian television station,”Homosexuality is not the same as normal sex in the same way that anorexia is not a normal appetite,” but Léonard did add that he would “never call anorexia patients abnormal.”

A few years ago, when Léonard was serving as Bishop of Namen, he caused a storm of controversy when he said that homosexuality was abnormal and nearly got himself prosecuted under Belgium’s Anti-Discrimination Act for slander.

That notwithstanding… or maybe because of it…Last week Pope Benedict XVI named Léonard as the successor to the the Roman Catholic Church’s top spot in Belgium.

Archbishop Léonard is also a well-known critic of abortion and stem cell research.

Hell I know this can’t be right…. because I am as lez as they come… and if Archbishop Léonard were right… my ass would not be nearly as big as it is…. Right?

via Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

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Last Friday, T.J. Burke broke into song in the New Brunswick’s provincial Legislative Assembly to make a point about a conservative opposition member being called out on a radio interview.

Born in California to Aboriginal (Tobique Nation) Canadians,  T.J. Burke has been a member of the Legislative Assembly since 2003 and a Cabinet Minister since 2006. He is married with 3 daughters and continues to practice law.

The song, “Pants on the Ground” was created and performed by civil rights activist Larry Platt, who performed it for the judges for American Idol, despite being a full 34 years too old to qualify for the competition.

The Reverend David Grisham of Amarillo, Texas has launched a drive to boycott the city of Houston, TX…

The reason?

Because apparently he is upset over the fact that the citizens of Houston voted a lesbian mayor into office and have allowed the largest Planned Parenthood facility to be built in the city.

Grisham says both these things are an abomination in the sight of God, and that those “seeking to preserve life and decency” in the state of Texas must confront Houston by imposing economic sanctions on the city….

Do you want a Texas version of San Francisco? Neither do we!

Do you want Texas to be the abortion capital of America? Neither do we!

Houston has elected an openly homosexual mayor and built the largest abortion clinic in the United States and you can do something about it!

While you may or may not be a resident of Houston and eligible to vote for mayor, you can vote with your dollar.

This is why we are calling on Christians everywhere to boycott the city of Houston.

We want to impose “economic sanctions” on Houston, Texas!

Please make your voice heard and join our cause. By signing the online petition you send Houston a message; That you are tired of babies being

murdered and the radical homosexual agenda being shoved down the throat of normal society.

Texas is a Christian state! Help keep it that way!

Don’t mess with Texas or Texas children.

Pastor,

David H. Grisham

Director, RepentAmarillo.com, RavenAmarillo.com

via About Us : Boycott Houston.

As part of his boycott, Grisham suggests that everyone stay away from Houston, the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest city in the state of Texas, completely.

Grisham also says you should not buy anything at all in Houston, not fly through Houston or buy anything in the airports if can’t get a flight that goes around the city.

Rev Koresh… er I mean… Rev Grisham also says not do business with any companies based in Houston, which I suppose by extension of this reasoning means, you can not buy any gas for your car, since Houston is the operational headquarters of most US energy companies.

I also suppose this means you should stop paying income taxes, or watching any television that comes via Satellite since NASA’s Johnson Space Flight Center is located in the city as well.

Oh…. And Grisham also thinks you should move away from Houston if you live here.

While Grisham’s initiative will likely garner a few followers, because nonsense like this always does, you can be pretty sure the city and citizens of Houston, along with its Big Lez mayor, will likely just move on with life and commerce without even noticing.

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Starting on January 1st, 2010, it will be illegal to offend religious folks in Ireland.

From blasphemy.ie

From [...] 1 January 2010, the new Irish blasphemy law becomes operational, and we begin our campaign to have it repealed. Blasphemy is now a crime punishable by a €25,000 fine. The new law defines blasphemy as publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion, with some defences permitted.

To make their point, the good people at Atheist Ireland have published 25 blasphemous quotes that could be punishable under this new law. The blasphemers quoted include Frank Zappa, Dermot Ahern, Bjork, Salman Rushdie, Ian Paisley, Mohammed and Jesus Christ.

While our ostensibly secular Republic of Ireland has been inundated with clerical sex abuse scandals, our government recenctly saw fit to introduce a law making it illegal to offend the church and its defenders.

“Home Rule is Rome Rule,” indeed.

The Advocate is reporting today that an Australian father has been accused of forcing his teenage son to have sex with a prostitute — out of fear that he was gay and now may face rape charges.

According to The Morning Bulletin, a newspaper in Rockhampton, as the rest of the family celebrated Christmas 2007, Dear Old Dad allegedly took his son to a motel in North Rockhampton, Australia where he paid a prostitute to have sex with his son. He then left the room, but waited waited on a balcony till the deed was done and then demanded that the boy show him a used condom as proof he did the deed.

Detective Sergeant Christine Knapp said police first became aware of the situation when the father tried to report his son to authorities six months later, in May 2008, saying the boy was abusing his younger brother, after the  father called police and said he “tried to sort it out himself by taking his son to a prostitute” to no avail.

A Rockhampton magistrate decided yesterday that there was enough evidence to charge the father with rape.

“First [he] didn’t want to say anything to me,” the boy’s mother testified. “Then he told me his father took him to a motel room and there was a prostitute there. He wouldn’t talk, he just started crying.”

Exodus International argues that conversion therapy, specifically reparative therapy, may be a useful tool for decreasing same-sex desires and you can be sure the official “ex-gay” therapy groups will deny any connection with this incident – and technically that might be correct…. But I am sure dad got the basic idea from them….

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Tila Tequila has made another shocking announcement. Taking to her Twitter page on Sunday, December 20, the MTV reality TV star confirmed that she is currently expecting her brother’s baby. “I am going to become a SURROGATE MOTHER for my brother and his Wife!!…That is my xmas present to them. I’m pregnant!!!” she wrote.

Before coming out with the pregnancy posting, Tila has gushed about giving a present for her brother that would “CHANGE HIS LIFE AND MINE FOREVER!!!! ITS HUGE!” through her Twitter page as well. Nonetheless, she didn’t provide any further details about the due date of the baby and the reason why she decided to become a surrogate mother….(via Tila Tequila Pregnant With Brother’s Child)

Earlier this month Tila announced that she had gotten engaged to her lesbian partner, Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson just about two month after she took to her Twitter page to announce that she has decided to commit a suicide…. That was right after she accused her then boyfriend, NFL player Shawne Merriman, of choking her in September.

Every family has a character like Tila you know… For mine it is my Uncle Rusty, who swears that the Kennedy Assassination and the Obama Birth Certificate are all part of the same conspiracy.

But like most families, we don’t really like to talk about it much… and we certainly wouldn’t trust him with the well being of an unborn child for nine months…

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Military officials say the order was issued because Army policy requires a pregnant soldier to be removed from the war zone in Iraq within 14 days of learning they are pregnant … and that removing the pregnant soldier leaves a hole in the unit that makes it more difficult to complete the mission.

The rule governs all those serving under Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo III, who commands Multi-National Division-North, including Balad, Kirkuk, Tikrit, Mosul and Samarra. According to the order, it is “applicable to all United States military personnel, and to all civilians, serving with, employed by, or accompanying” the military in northern Iraq, with few exceptions…. (via Stars and Stripes)

The new policy, outlined last month by Cucolo and released Friday by the Army, would apply to both female soldiers who become pregnant on the battlefield and the male soldiers who happen to impregnate them, even if married, with the general saying married soldiers in combat zones should either put their love lives on hold – or take precautions.

Married servicemembers are allowed to room together in Iraq.

“I’ve got a mission to do, I’m given a finite number of soldiers with which to do it and I need every one of them, ” said the general, “So I’m going to take every measure I can to keep them all strong, fit and with me for the twelve months we are in the combat zone.”

A well place Pentagon source told LGR yesterday, that for Cucolo it is a pretty “black and white” issue… but added the Pentagon is also “watching this one pretty carefully,” since this prohibition is “mine field” of legal, ethical and policy issues….

” Personally… Even though the JAG people have said this is legal… I think this one is probably going to come back to bite us in the ass at some point, if not legally, then in the form of some really terrible PR, ” said our source.

“Here you really have issues that go to the core of personal integrity: reproductive rights,” said Eugene Fidell, a professor of military law at Yale Law School in a Star and Stripes Article.

There are also issues of enforcement, Fidell said. The woman is immediately suspect once the pregnancy comes to light, but unless she identifies her partner, the male could go unpunished despite bearing the same culpability under the order.

It is the first time the US Army has made pregnancy a punishable offense and so far there are no reported cases where a pregnant woman or a baby’s father has been disciplined for disobeying the order that went into effect Nov. 4, 2009.

Now just saying here…. On a little note as to how this story just might have some relevance to the Military’s Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell policy… you could be pretty sure unintended pregnancies would not be a problem for openly serving gay and lesbian troops … That is if Gen. Cucolo had any under his command anyway …

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I saw a very sweet and much publicized interview with gay-ol-Ellen D. and Ms. Swift, just today.   Ellen perfect timing- kindly ask your celebrity friend if she aspires to Nazi ideals because if she does, that puts you Ms. DeGeneres in the  next available Gas chamber.    If its a joke – I am not sure its one any lesbian could appreciate, given so many were victims of Nazi genocide   …..

One  Blogger said:  http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2009/10/taylor-swift-poses-with-jew-hating-swastika-lover/  “But we really hope she doesn’t feel the same way about Nazis. The 19-year old singer was photographed at Katy Perry’s birthday party last week, with her arm some hateful loser wearing a Swastika-covered t-shirt. We’re gonna give Swift a pass here and assume she had no idea the guy to her left was donning the symbol of such hate, evil and genocide. But she might wanna be careful about who she poses alongside of in the future.” Say What?   A Pose too ….   

Blogged by MELANIE NATHAN, CEO of Private Courts, Inc. Consulting, mediation & private advocacy ; motivated by injustice, I blog about family law/mediation, politics, news and LGBT equality and anything that ‘tickles my fancy.’ Otherwise blogging as O-blog-dee-o-blog-da. Websites and blogs include: http://www.privatecourts.com; http://www.divorcemediators.us; www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com.

In celebration of the freedom to marry in Vermont officially beginning on September 1, 2009, Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s is symbolically renaming their iconic flavor ‘Chubby Hubby’ to: Hubby Hubby

In Vermont during the month of September go to your local scoop shop offering delicious Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and ask for the new special Hubby Hubby Sundae and spread the love.

With the launch of ‘Hubby Hubby’, Ben & Jerry’s is partnering with Freedom to Marry to raise awareness about why marriage equality matters and encourage nationwide support for the freedom to marry.

Join Ben & Jerry’s and Freedom to Marry in advancing awareness about marriage equality by taking any or all of these actions:
Show Your Love for Hubby Hubby
Talk (about marriage!) While Eating Ice Cream
Bring Hubby Hubby to Your State!
Check Out What’s Hot in Marriage
Learn More about Freedom to Marry

From Ben and Jerry’s website:

If you live in Vermont, or visiting, you’re invited to celebrate the pride-filled occasion with an all naturally fabulous union of Peanut Butter Cookie Dough ice cream, fudge and pretzels.

Enjoy our Hubby Hubby Sundae for the month of September in participating Vermont Scoop Shops!

To learn more about the issue in your state and take action, visit www.freedomtomarry.org

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The furor started when Pepsico donated money to groups such as PFLAG and the HRC. Furthermore, AFA is upset that Pepsico supports Pride Parades including the one that they do not sponsor in Atlanta, GA. For the record, Coca Cola sponsors the Pride Parade in Atlanta, GA. They do sponsor, via Frito Lay, Cleveland, Ohio’s pride parade.

Of course, the AFA and CIC are both furious with Pepsico over their diversity training, which is actually not quite as good as Coca Cola’s, and their work place support of LGBT individuals, which is not quite the same level of support as seen in Coca Cola Corp.

The CIC was formed to protect Judeo-Christian values, and to promote their beliefs in what those are, which typically relies more heavily upon the Christian and less on the Judeo side of that. According to their head, Terry Kempell who is a member of Bell Shoals Baptist, “This year, they [Pepsico] pumped millions of dollars into organizations that opposed California’s same-sex marriage ban, Proposition 8. There are a lot of corporations that have diversity programs, but Pepsi goes far beyond.” He also stated that they came to the United States for religious liberty and not sexual liberty. Also joining the boycott are Kings Avenue Baptist Church in Brandon and Plant City Church of God.

Kempell pointed to other boycotts such as the one against Kmart, Circle K, and Ford Motor Company as examples of how effective the boycott can be despite the fact that the only boycotts that actually worked were against 7-Eleven and Circle K. Even Ford only pulled back on their advertisements in LGBT magazines. The AFA stated that they were boycotting McDonalds they had a director on the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, but dropped the boycott after they received a memo ensuring their ‘neutrality’ in the culture wars. The director was not dropped, however.

In fact, the AFA has been boycotting Pepsico largely since the Madonna “Like a Prayer” tour in 1989 because they objected to the video. They never officially called off the boycott apparently.

It should be noted that, while Pepsi has made inroads into the Southern market, it is still dominated by Coca Cola, and that may be why the AFA, CIC and the three churches involved in this boycott are able to justify this. In Brunswick, GA, there is still the old Coca Cola distribution center. Coca Cola is available everywhere.

Including at Atlanta Pride.

Picture via Wikipedia
AFA Pepsi Boycott Pledge
Tampa Tribune Article Brandon Baptist Church Pulls Plug On Pepsi Products

Monique Stephens and her partner, Yas Meen, say they were attending the service at the central Memphis church because they wanted to meet the church pastor, Rev. Kenneth Whalum Jr., who they had planned to support in an election for the city’s mayor this fall.

Whalum, who is also currently a member of the Memphis City Schools board, entered that city’s mayoral race last month after former Memphis mayor, Willie Herenton, resigned and forced a special election.

However, about an hour into service, Rev. Whalum called on the congregation to participate in expressions of “sanctified dance,” and congregants began to fill the aisle, with some dancing in the aisle while other laid on the floor praying.

As visitors new to the church, the couple decided to remain seated and watch.

Then according to Meem, Whalum then said, “this is my house and everybody does what I say. But two people won’t do what I say.”

It was at this point the couple claims Whalum and other church members began calling the pair “devil worshippers” while others taunted them with calls of “bitch” and threw oil on them.

Security guards soon surrounded the couple, reports say, and pushed them out of the church, breaking Stephens glasses in the process and leaving both woman with bruises and scratches from the altercation.

While Whalum has confirmed the couple was put out of the church, he said it was not because they were lesbians, but because the couple was “being disruptive, boisterous and speaking loud.”

Also according to Whalum, it took nearly 10 minutes to remove the women from the church. “They had to have some kind of agenda to come in church like that,”, and added, “If I put every lesbian out of church, we’d be putting people out of church all day long,” he said.

The church website says that, “The New Olivet Baptist Church is a church of compassion and refuge, reaching out to a lost and hurting world that needs salvation and purpose. The Lord has given Pastor Whalum an exhaustive vision for the New Olivet Church Family. It is one that is designed to minister to the needs of the total man – spiritually, physically, educationally and socially.”

No arrests were made in the incident.

http://www.olivetbc.com/
http://grand-divisions.blogspot.com/2009/08/female-couple-expelled-from-mayoral.html
http://www.memphisflyer.com/MemphisGaydar/archives/2009/08/24/lesbian-couple-expelled-from-kenneth-whalums-church
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/aug/24/2-women-claim-assault-at-new-olivet-baptist/

According to Sweden’s English language newspaper, The Local, the problem stems in part from a 2005 change in laws governing fertility treatment at Swedish hospitals. That change granted lesbian couples the right to receive fertility treatments that previously were only offered only to married women or those who were in registered heterosexual partnerships.

Inger Bryman, head of gynecology and reproductive medicine at Gothenburg’s Sahlgrenska University Hospital said, “We had estimated an increase of around 25 couples per year after the law change. Now there are 90 couples in line.”

However, Swedish lesbians are not the only cause of the sperm shortages.

Swedish law allows children born from artificial insemination to learn their biological father’s identity once they turn 18. That fact has discouraged donors, thus adding to the crisis.

However, the major reason for the shortage say Swedish health officials is due to poor quality sperm, either related to deterioration while being frozen or to medical conditions.

Because all this, Bryman explained, the wait can be up to 18 months and her hospital is unable to comply with Sweden’s healthcare guarantee law, which says that patients must receive treatment within a reasonable amount of time and last spring, the hospital started an ad campaign to actively recruit new donors in an effort to reduce wait times.

With the sperm shortage, and wait times, many Swedish couples have now chosen to seek treatment in other countries, chiefly in Denmark or Finland.

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Evidently a woman who attended Frank’s town hall meeting yesterday has not been paying attention to the Massachusetts Congressman’s career… Because she would have known carrying a picture of President Barack Obama defaced with a Hitler moustache and yelling at Barney that President Obama healthcare plans are “Nazi policy,” would probably not get the desired results…

Because most people who have followed Barney… Know by doing stuff like this… you can be sure Barney is going to verbally cut you, turn the tables… and possibly make you this weeks “things stupid people did” viral video, if you are not on your A-Game.

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In my article I talked about how I went to a local FedEx Office to try to print out a contract for the Gay Ad Network and was blocked from viewing their website because it was filtered out as ‘pornography’.

At the time, knowing that I am a blogger and Executive Editor of this site, I knew how big of a problem this could be for the company; and so I wanted to give them an equal and fair opportunity to fix the problem before I posted any information on the incident.

I called FedEx as soon as I got home to register my complaint. During the call I received an apology and validation that what happened to me was wrong. My main concern was in having the filters fixed and making sure that this didn’t happen to anyone else. I was told that the company would contact me once they had reached a resolution.

I want to make it clear that I very well could have rained a media storm on FedEx Office over the incident that happened to me. Being the Executive Editor of this site gives me access to many media outlets and allies. I very well could have pursued the situation via various well known LGBT organizations who could have took this story way more public than I chose to.

My main reason for approaching the situation the way that I did in the end was to show the world exactly what happens to average, everyday LGBT individuals on a frequent basis. As any customer would, I gave the company 48 hours to respond to my customer complaint with a satisfactory resolution. When three days passed and there was no word from FedEx on the incident, I then posted an article on the situation, asking for other customers to register complaints as well.

However, time continued to pass, and one week later there had still been no word back from FedEx as to a resolution or any type of information relating to my complaint. I forced myself not to call and be a pesky customer and simply wait for a call back on my original complaint. I truly believe that if I had told the clerk right off the bat that I was the Executive Editor of a major LGBT news site, or told the woman on the phone that I was with the media, I would have gotten a much quicker fix to the problem.

Some readers did let me know that they were able to access their documents at other FedEx Office locations throughout the U.S. and so the outcome did look good. Yet, contacting the company with a customer complaint of discrimination was not enough to warrant a call back by them, so about one week after posting my article here I contacted FedEx via email to inquire about my original complaint.

Here is what I said to them in the email…

Re: Discrimination Complaint Made on July 31
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
To: fedexoffice.customerrelations@fedex.com

Dear FedEx Office,

My name is Julie Phineas. I made a complaint to your customer service phone number on July 31st and still have not heard back from your company with a resolution. I wrote a story on my blog about the situation which you can read here: http://lezgetreal.com/?p=20058. I have found since then that the problem I encountered was not an incident that was isolated to just one store. My main concern is in having your company implement a plan to update the filters on all self serve computers so that the word “gay” is not considered adult content. My experience was with just this word, but I suspect that words like “lesbian” and “transgender” might not pass your filters either which would be discriminatory, so that is something that needs to be evaluated as well.. I hope that there is a satisfactory resolution to this problem that I can report back to my readers and I truly thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

You can contact me with any questions at (### or ###)

Sincerely,

Julie Phineas

That prompted an auto response which let me know that my email had been received and would be responded to within 48 hours.

The next day I got this reply…

Response from FedEx Office Customer Relations
Thursday, August 13, 2009
From: “FedEx Office – Customer Relations”

August 13, 2009

Dear Ms. Phineas:

Thank you for your e-mail.

A third party automated monitoring system automatically blocks content
that could be potentially harmful to FedEx Office’s systems or
customers. Occasionally, content is incorrectly blocked by this
automated system. When this matter was brought to our attention, we
corrected the problem within hours. We also have adjusted some of the
settings to prevent similar content from being blocked in the future.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We regret any
inconvenience this may have caused our customers.

Alisa Nielsen
Customer Relations

I was very happy to receive this response, but disappointed that FedEx did not contact me to let me know a resolution had been made ‘within hours’ as they claim.

I am really glad that they took the initiative to fix the problem, but they weren’t really falling over themselves to make me happy. I am not saying that I expect that personally, I just know that in situations where you have disappointed a customer you should want to make that customer happy so they won’t take their negative opinion of your company around with them everywhere they go. FedEx kind of missed that lesson.

I did take a trip back to the same FedEx location where the incident occurred to reenact the situation and verify that the filters had in fact been fixed. I already knew that one reader (thanks Sue!) was able to verify that they had been in fixed in her location, but it was important to me to see if this location had been fixed as well.

I am happy to report that I was in fact able to access the very same forms I had been blocked from accessing before, and the Gay Ad Network is no longer considered pornography by the FedEx Office self-serve computer filters.

The clerk who initially told me that corporate wouldn’t have time for ’stuff like this’ was not on duty at the time. Although I would have loved to have had a conversation with her afterwards and get her thoughts on the matter at this point. I have to say I was very proud of myself for standing up and helping make a change in the world with this small victory.

I also feel very grateful to the people who wrote in, commented, and circulated this story. Thank you to Nerve, Back2Stonewall, and L.A. Metblogs for circulating the story to their readers, and thank you to FedEx office for updating their filters.

I hope that other corporations with similar services are able to take away a more sensitive attitude towards customer diversity and the needs of all communities of customers, not just those that are considered mainstream.

One very good resource for corporations and business owners is the International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. You can also find some goood information about how you can become more sensitive to diveristy at work and more from the Out and Equal organization.

Thanks again to those who supported me through this situation, and also a BIG thank you to YOU, the readers, for without you this site wouldn’t exist.

I also want to mention, if something like this happens to you (no matter your orientation!), don’t stand for it. Don’t be afraid to register a complaint, write a letter or make a phone call; and if that is not enough to warrant a resolution, let us know and we’ll post your story here.

In addition, to help say thank you to FedEx for fixing their filters, please send an email to fedexoffice.customerrelations@fedex.com.

According to an Op-Ed piece in the Maine Time Record, Michael S. Heath, the executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, now The Maine Family Policy Council, thinks the plagues of Moses have fallen on the State of Maine

Heath says, the states potato crop is blighted, corn and fruit fields are withering and in one historic building in the state capitol of Augusta, rain flooded the basement, as water from another source poured down through the ceiling and extinguished a century-old chandelier.

All because, according to Heath, the elected officials in Maine passed a Marriage Equality law this past spring, and  “paid honor to evil and unnatural practices. Our leaders allowed a cloud of error to hide the light of reason, and then the rain began.”

He also tells residents in the Pine Tree State to beware, because “attacks on houses of worship are increasing in number and intensity”, and Maine’s version of “Stalin’s show trials” are about to begin if the states same-sex marriage law is not repealed.

“Clearly, it is not the homosexuals who are being discriminated against. It is the average citizen, the school teacher, the businessman, the pastor or physician who is being hauled before courts, fined and, in some cases, imprisoned,” said Heath.

On his blog last fall, Heath also blamed gays and lesbians in part for the economic meltdown, saying the financial crisis was a symptom of America’s sinful ways, including its approval of same-sex unions. Heath’s plan to fix our financial woes included Maine needing to amend its constitution to define Marriage and to “eliminate domestic partnerships and ignore pleas to create civil unions.” He also suggested, “If we did that in 2009… God would crack a smile.

Last week opponents of gay marriage in Maine submitted enough signatures to force a November public vote on marriage equality in that state…. So dig out the sunscreen and put on those Ray-Bans, because sunny days are sure to the returning to the rocky shores of Maine soon.

http://www.timesrecord.com/articles/2009/08/07/opinion/commentaries/doc4a7c5f23ccbf5201259148.txt

http://mikeheath.blogspot.com/2008/09/nation-will-right-itself-if-it-fixes.htm

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There is a story coming off of Capitol Hill that is somewhat cryptic in its political context, but as surfer, I had to follow up on it…. Because you don’t get many surfing stories coming from Capitol Hill and as a long time surfer girl this really sounds likes a party in the making to me…

Seems Politico is reporting that arch conservative Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher has invited openly gay Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Barney Frank and his partner, Jim Ready, to Southern California to catch a few tasty waves…

According to Politco…

Rohrabacher said he broached the idea with Frank at a function not long ago, after Ready had told him of their shared interest in hanging ten…. “We have them set up at surfers hotel,” says Rohrabacher, joking that Frank “will probably have to lie on the beach like a whale while the rest of us are in the water.”

It is pretty well known amongst surfing Capitol Hill types that Rohrabacher is the Big Kahuna of the Congressional Surfing Caucus, which also includes fellow California Republicans Brian Bilbray and Duncan Hunter…

And Rohrabacher is every bit a surfer dude that Jeff Spicoli could be proud of… he is a supporter of the medicinal use of marijuana and once stated, in true Spicoli fashion, that global warming could have been caused by “dinosaur flatulence.”

Frank and Rohrabacher have very little in common politically, so initially I was dooby… us dubious of the Politico report, but a quick check with Frank’s office today confirmed the story is true and Congressman Frank has accepted the offer.

Now in the course of my day job here on Capitol Hill, I regularly see Congressman Frank and he is a Barney far from the picture perfect image of a surfer, so I was relieved as a surfer and humanitarian when his staffer told me that the Honorable Rep from Massachusetts will probably be staying out of the line up and will not be doing any surfing, but it should be noted that the one thing Frank and Rohrabacher have in common politically….. Frank also supports of the medicinal use of marijuana.

Frank is co-sponsoring, along Rohrabacher, the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009 …. so maybe they plan to spend some time makin’ some pot laws, and having some food.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/25852.html

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On these self-serve computers customers are able to access the internet for a variety of reasons along with other basic computer functions such as printing or creating documents. The fee for using the self-serve computers is calculated by the amount of time you are on the computer plus a charge for any printing that is done. On Friday July 31, 2009 I entered the FedEx Office on Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance, CA to use their self-serve computer service. I needed to print out a contract with The Gay Ad Network, an internet advertising network for the gay and lesbian community. Upon attempting to visit the website www.gayadnetwork.com, I was blocked from viewing their website when the computer filter categorized The Gay Ad Network as “pornography”. The computer asked for an administrator password to bypass the filter if the site I was trying to view was not adult content.

The clerk at the counter made degrading statements about what I was trying to view once I told her I was trying to print out a document from The Gay Ad Network.

She told me that I “would not be able to look at that stuff here”. I showed her the email I had from the network, clearly showing her that there was no adult content involved, yet she assured me that because the word “gay” was in the content it was considered adult. I explained to the clerk that I felt I was being discriminated against, that it was equally offensive to me as if they had filtered out the word “hispanic”. I felt I should have had equal access to the internet to retrieve my business documents as any other customer in that store. The clerk refused to enter the password, saying “I don’t have the password”, “there is no password”, and “only the tech guys have the password” then offered to issue me a refund. She issued me a refund for the time I was connected to their self service computer, and while she did she felt it necessary to mention that “other customers would be offended” if I were allowed to view “site’s like that”. I asked her who I could contact to change the filters. There was a sign on the wall with contact information and I asked her if I should contact the store directly or the number on the wall. She told me “Oh, they don’t have time for stuff like that” and waved off my question with her hand.

When I returned home, I contacted the FedEx Customer Relations line and spoke with a woman who took an incident report and apologized profusely for what had happened at their Torrance location.

I explained to the woman on the phone that I felt discriminated against, and she said that she felt that I was right. She mentioned that there was in fact a password, and that the clerk should have entered the password after I showed her that the website I was trying to view was not adult content. However, I mentioned to this woman that I felt that these filters should not filter the word “gay” as “pornography”. I explained that I felt I should be able to walk into any of their locations and print out my business documents like anybody else, and I wanted to know if it was their policy as a company to filter gay websites or if this was an incident that was isolated to their Torrance store. The woman on the phone could not answer that question for me. She assured me that someone would return my call and let me know what their resolution was after some research.

I contacted Mark Elderkin, the head of the Gay Ad Network, at which point he confirmed that this is not the first time one of his publshers has encountered this particular problem with FedEx Kinko’s/FedEx Office.

This fact alone tells me that this was not an isolated incident, and it seems to be a company wide policy to filter gay websites as “pornography” from self-service internet usage on their computers.

If you disagree with the choice FedEx Office has made to automatically filter gay websites as “pornography” you can call 1.800.Go.FedEx (1.800.463.3339) or send an email to fedexoffice.customerrelations@fedex.com.

UPDATE:
To address some of the comments below:

-The location was 23325 Hawthorne Blvd. not 17252 Hawthorne Blvd.

-The woman on the phone said that someone would get back to me right after they contacted their Torrance store. It had been close to 72 hours since the incident when I reported this story, which I did in hopes of having others contact them as well. I have still not received a phone call back, yet I know that the phone calls and emails from readers of this story have helped raise awareness of the situation with FedEx Kinko’s/Office.

-My main intentions on reporting this story were to prevent this situation from happening to others. Allan in San Diego and Mark Elderkin (plus more) have confirmed it has in fact happened to others. As one person alone I, or any others, didn’t have much luck with changing the situation. I think that with the others who have contacted FedEx such as Geron, Tom P, and TRC have helped me bring this matter to the top of their priority list.

- I do not blame FedEx Kinko’s for their employee refusing to enter the password to bypass the filter. The way she talked to me was not in their hands at the time, but I sincerely feel that filter should not be there in the first place. Savvy technicians can program their software to do what they need it to and not what they don’t. I refuse to believe that FedEx Kinko’s doesn’t have the resources to implement a change in their software, as some commenters are insinuating. Filtering the word “gay” or any other word that segregates a particular community of people from their services is wrong.

-When talking with the woman on the phone, I asked her if this filtering problem was company wide or location specific. She “couldn’t answer that” question for me, and had to simply take an incident report. I was very happy that she apologized for the employees behavior, but was very disappointed that she avoided the issue of changing the filters. I told her that I really enjoy using their services and want to be able to continue to use them in the future. I also said that I wanted to know that I could walk into one of their locations and use their computers to print out my business documents like anyone else.

- To those who think I am just being a “whiner” – when/if FedEx Kinko’s changes their policy on those filters I will make just as much noise about it singing their praise. I’m not trying to get into a lawsuit, sue for money, or get anyone fired – I just want to see the filters changed (and perhaps some employee education). What’s right is right.

UPDATED UPDATE:

Please see my post with the resolution to this article here…

FedEx Fixes Filters on Self-Serve Computers

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