May 17, 2008
Is this the same Kevin James?
Posted by: Chris
You may have already seen this priceless video clip showing conservative radio talk show host Kevin James making a complete ass of himself Thursday on MSNBC's "Hardball." From the get-go he is hyperventilating -- literally yelling -- about how President Bush was completely justified in comparing Barack Obama, at least by insinuation, with Neville Chamberlain, the infamous British prime minister and other "Nazi appeasers" from the late 1930s.
Chris Matthews tries 28 times -- I didn't count, but others have -- to ask James to explain what it is exactly that Chamberlain did so it could be compared with Obama's willingness to sit down for talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. James tries desperately to avoid answering, except to insist that Obama is "exactly the same" as Chamberlain. Eventually he admits he doesn't know what exactly Chamberlain did and Matthews pretty much lays him to waste.
I'd almost feel sorry for James, if he weren't so clearly deserving of the humiliation. The video clip is all over the Net -- just one version of it on YouTube has been viewed more than 250,000 times -- but the reaction in gay Washington circles has been more one of jaws dropping.
Could this really be the same Kevin James, who with his then-boyfriend raised huge sums of money in Los Angeles to support a number of gay political groups, including the Campaign for Military Service -- which later became the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network -- to support President Clinton's effort to end the ban on gays in the military?
I'm not familiar with James on-air schtick, but I'm mighty curious whether he feigns opposition to gay rights or if his Ditto Heads even know he's a big ole homo. Or maybe he's Tammy Bruce in drag?
April 15, 2008
The return of Barney Fag?
Posted by: Chris
Remember back in 1995 when then-House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Tex.), a renowned opponent of gay rights, referred to Barney Frank as "Barney Fag" in a press interview? He claimed it was only "a slip of the tongue" but as Barney noted at the time, "I turned to my own expert, my mother, who reports that in 59 years of marriage, no one ever introduced her as Elsie Fag."
Now we're seeing the emergence of "Obama Bin Laden," and I would file it away as things that make you go hmm…
First there was John Ashcroft, who flubbed it up while questioning Obama's patriotism:
Then Joy Behar of "The View":
Now there's the chairman of the Associated Press, of all people:
You can cut them all some slack, but you have to wonder if this sort of things catches on, whether the Barney Fag phenom has returned.
March 20, 2008
Mildly offensive can be funny, too
Posted by: Chris
If you'd like a good laugh, take a minute and fill out the form on this website promotion for Antarctica beer from Brazil and watch the humorous, gay-themed video that follows, incorporating your name and that of a friend. Here's all you have to do:
- Go to this site: http://www.tatuagemdaboa.com.br/
- Type your first name on the first line.
- Type the name of a "crazy friend" you want to punk on the second line.
- If you want to go whole hog, type your email on Line 3 and your friend's email addy on Line 4 (but that's optional).
- Click "Visualizar" and watch the video that follows OR if you typed in email addresses, click "Enviar por email" and you and your pal will be sent emails with a link to the video.
You can get the gist of the joke even in Portuguese, but I've translated it for you on the jump. Be forewarned that my translation spoils the joke if you read it before you see the video.
All in all it's harmless fun, and I'll admit to laughing out loud.
(Hat tip: Rob Bob)
March 16, 2008
Christina sings about gay sex
Posted by: Chris
That's what Ms. Aguilera gets for singing runs on each and every word in her songs.
This is the funniest YouTube vid I've seen, well, since the last time I swiped one from Andrew. I wonder how Catherine Tate would have translated Christina.
February 27, 2008
Kimmel and Affleck fag it up
Posted by: Chris
A celebrity-drenched video released by Jimmy Kimmel is getting lots of laughs on YouTube, but I have to confess it went too far for me.
First, a bit of background. Apparently as a running gag, Kimmel ends his late-night talk show by apologizing to Matt Damon that he's been bumped as a guest for lack of time. Eventually Damon, in response, showed he's put his (imaginary) interminable wait backstage to good use, and teamed up with Kimmel's girlfriend Sarah Silverman to produce a hilarious video, in which she sings, "I'm F**king Matt Damon."
Not to be outdone, Kimmel put together his own revenge video, backed by an amazing array of celebrities, in which he proclaims, "I'm F**king Ben Affleck":
The concept is funny, the celebrity participation works perfectly. But it really put me off that Kimmel and Affleck felt the need to don such over-the-top girly stereotypes. The reason the Silverman-Damon skit worked so well was the in-your-face way they advertised their (sham) affair. But is Damon really supposed to be peeved at the sissy silliness of Affleck and Kimmel cavorting about?
The Kimmel response would have been so much effective, and funnier, if he and Affleck had gone the other direction, as manly men who in addition to their man-sex do all the buddy things Affleck and Damon are famous for doing together. But of course Kimmel couldn't go there, he of "The Man Show" had to exaggerate the fag factor for cheap (very cheap) laughs.
January 07, 2008
Huckabee gets the Borat treatment
Posted by: Chris
Only it was at the hands of a queer Canadian…
Making the rounds on the Net is a vintage video of Mike Huckabee when, as governor of Arkansas, he was duped by gay Canadian broadcaster Rick Mercer into congratulating our neighbors to the north on their "national igloo."
Via Towleroad.
Cosmo's Mr. July treats bod as temple
Posted by: Chris
Typically when adult film stars go for mainstream gigs, they skate in on the down low, dropping their nom-de-porn in favor of something a bit
more, well, mainstream. For instance, Colt model Elian Cortez got his
job dueling with tough guys on NBC's "American Gladiator" in part by
using the name Alex Castro.
Not so Milan Gamiani, right there on the cover of Lucas Entertainment's "Auditions Barcelona 7" -- no word on whether it's as good as Nos. 1-6 -- just one of more than a dozen gay adult films credited to the Italian-American resident of Barcelona. Gamiani used his nom-de-porn when he entered a contest to be in the 2008 calendar for the Spanish-language Cosmopolitan magazine. He even had the cojones to submit a photo from his adult film work -- albeit strategically cropped -- for his profile.
But Sentido G, one of the gay magazines here in Buenos Aires, made the connection, and we'll have to stay tuned to see if Cosmo is bothered by Mr. July's XXX-rated work. Gamiani does offer a revealing quote about why he doesn't drink, smoke or use drugs:
I believe that our body is our temple, and what we plant in the garden inside is what grows on the outside.
Now that's a priceless metaphor.
For related stories and breaking news, click or bookmark:
December 30, 2007
Speaking in tongues
Posted by: Chris
As someone who has dealt daily with the challenges of translating -- with strangers and even my own boyfriend -- for almost three years now, I found this Catherine Tate sketch absolutely hilarious. Enjoy!
H/t: Andrew Sullivan
December 07, 2007
'Boston Legal' defends Larry Craig
Posted by: Chris
The Larry Craig toilet tapping has just about run its course as a social phenomenon, working its way through mainstream culture in an episode of ABC's "Boston Legal." Conservative lawyer Denny Crane (William Shatner) is the Craig stand-in here, busted for tapping his foot in a bathroom stall at the courthouse as he tried to hum his way through mild constipation.
Alan Shore (James Spader) defends Crane on the solicitation charge and in his closing argument takes on not just the facts of the case but the bigger social and political issues -- even the David Vitter comparison -- pretty much hitting the nail on its proverbial head. The jury finds Crane not guilty, as they would have Craig.
In case you missed it, George Clooney and Brad Pitt pulled off their own Larry Craig send-up in a Julia Roberts film tribute, of all places. For that video, just follow the jump.
November 15, 2007
Being homo in a hetero world
Posted by: Chris
It's always amusing when societal rules built around the idea that everyone is heterosexual have unintended consequences to the benefit of us homos. In a post earlier today I mentioned one: same-sex locker rooms that assume the sexes should be kept separate to preserve sexual privacy.
Another example is highlighted by an article in the University of Miami's student newspaper, which reports that hetero students are up in arms that the school's gender-based dormitory policy means gay couples can live together but opposite-sex couples cannot:
"We assign housing based on sex, not sexual preference," said Gilbert Arias, assistant vice president of Student Affairs. "There is no way we would know that a gay couple has moved in together."
Though the University of Miami does not ask about sexual preference on the roommate selection form, some heterosexual students feel discriminated against.
Corey Hipps, a sophomore, said he is moving off campus with his girlfriend next year because of the university's policy. Hipps said it's not fair that some couples can live on campus and some can't -- especially because living on campus is more convenient.
Cue the violins. Still, the obvious solution is to provide some single-sex dorms for those who prefer that environment and some mixed-gender dorms. Of course that would require the university stop trying to play parent to its adult students. Dr. Franklin Foote, who teaches human sexual behavior at U of M, told the paper that couples who co-habit prior to marriage are more likely to get a divorce. Never mind whether that statistical relationship is causal, or whether the university tries to enforce any other housing rules based on divorce statistics.
The whole thing reminds me of the time a friend was hospitalized in Atlanta after a car accident. His homophobic sister showed up, ready to shoo his gay friends out of sight, only to be informed that hospital policy only allowed a guest of the same-sex to spend the night in his hospital room. That meant his boyfriend could stay, but she had to go.
Given how often society's rules are stacked against us, it's hard to get too upset about a few regs that backfire.
Hat tip: Gay South Florida
October 30, 2007
Talk about your biased sample…
Posted by: Chris
The headline from Science Daily was a real eye-grabber: "Over One-third Of Former American Football Players Had Sexual Relations With Men, Study Claims." The magazine reports:
In his study of homosexuality among sportsmen in the US, sociologist Dr Eric Anderson found that 19 in a sample of 47 had taken part in acts intended to sexually arouse other men, ranging from kissing to mutual masturbation and oral sex.
But then, the fine print reads straight out of The Onion:
The 47 men, aged 18-23, were all American Football players who previously played at the high school (secondary school) level but had failed to be picked for their university’s team and were now cheerleaders instead.
Either the good Dr. Anderson, who hails from the University of Bath, is completely unaware of male cheerleader culture in the U.S. — George W. Bush excepted — or he was aiming to bias things from the get-go. Nonetheless, the study's conclusions are intriguing:
“The evidence supports my assertion that homophobia is on the rapid decline among male teamsport athletes in North America at all levels of play,” he writes in his study, entitled ‘Being masculine is not about whom you sleep with…Heterosexual athletes contesting masculinity and the one-time rule of homosexuality’ …
“I find informants actually engage in sexual activity with other men. But this does not mean that they are gay. My informants do not feel that their same-sex sex jeopardizes their socially perceived heterosexual identities, at least within the cheerleading culture. In other words, having gay sex does not automatically make them gay in masculine peer culture.”
Dr. Anderson may be right about declining homophobia in American sports, mirroring general cultural trends. But it's hardly justified to conclude these guys who have had sex with other men aren't gay because they are comfortably heterosexual "within the cheerleading culture." Talk about a workplace that embraces gender non-conformity, at least among men…
More likely, these cheerleaders in their 20s are figuring out who they are and whether they can accept being gay. Having acted on it before graduating college, they're already ahead of me at that age.
Next up for Dr. Anderson? I'd suggest an in-depth study on the extent of homosex among college fraternity presidents, or student body presidents, or those recent-grad fraternity employees for that matter. Three more completely unbiased peer groups. Right up there with drama majors.
August 19, 2007
It's all about Melissa…
Posted by: Chris
Don't miss this hilarious "Daily Show" spoof on the HRC-Logo presidential forum and Melissa Etheridge's ability to make the selection of our next president all about her. It also features the show's "Most Immature Montage Ever," excerpting sexually suggestive clips from throughout the "debate."
Enjoy…
August 02, 2007
Methinks he doth protest…
Posted by: Chris
Victor Willis, the troubled ex-frontman for the Village People, is mounting a comeback with a tell-all book detailing his frustration with his flamboyant gay bandmates and why they ultimately caused him to leave the group in the early '80s.
Willis, best-known for portraying the cop and the naval admiral in the '70s disco group, also reveals "Y.M.C.A." was never meant to refer to gay cruising, says his publicist Alice Wolf. Wolf says the group was on tour when Willis wrote the lyrics at the behest of the band's French producer, Jacques Morali, who wrote the music. But Willis never intended the homosexual innuendo that many fans read into the song.
"Victor Willis wrote about the YMCA and having fun there, but the type of fun he was talking about was straight fun," insists Wolf, adding that Willis has nothing against homosexuality. "When he says, 'Hang out with all the boys'... he's talking about the boys, the fellas.... But it's one of those ambiguous songs that was taken that way because of the gay association with Village People."
Riiiight. So how does he explain writing the lyrics for "In the Navy," "Go West" and (ahem!) "Macho Man"? Someone's Freudian (pink) slip is showing.
June 19, 2007
From the mouths of penguins…
Posted by: Chris
My favorite comic strip in college was Berkeley Breathed's "Bloom County," so it's good to see him back stirring up trouble. The strip's second coming (actually, third comng) features roughly the same cast of characters, including the naive but lovable penguin Opus, who gets title billing this time around.
So last week, "Opus" featured two boys talking about a third grader named David Dinkle who has two moms and no dad.
"A dearth of dads for David Dinkle," quips one. "Multiple mommies," replies the other.
"No dad?" asks Opus. "Makes you wonder," said one of the boys. "Makes you wonder how he'll do without a male role model in the house."
On cue, legendary misogynist Steve Dallas, a longtime "Bloom County" character, hurls his television set through the front window of his house and emerges, festooned in a ballcap with bazoombas, a beer in hand, three days' growth of beard and a cigarette hanging from his mouth. "Now THAT was a pitch you @$%* moron!" he yells to the ballplayers on the telly.
The response to the strip from aggrieved heterosexual males (and their erstwhile admirers) was predictable, swift and predictably swift. Blogger Glenn Sacks claimed, for one, claimed Breathed's "message is clear: dads are useless as role models (when they're not outright destructive), and kids have little need or use for them."
In a disclaimer (encased in parenthesis) at the end of his post, Sacks (shown in this photo from his website with his own daughter) insisted his preference for opposite-sex parents "should NOT be construed as a criticism of lesbians, lesbian moms or gays." (One can imagine him arguing a preference for same-raced parents not being racist.)
Sacks promises his criticism is reserved for the idea, supposedly pushed by Breathed and "prominent feminist authors," that "kids don't need fathers, that moms are better than dads, and that having two moms is better than having a mom and a dad."
Within days, Sacks had reverted to social conservatives' favorite whine these days: deliberately misunderstood victim of political correctness. He took particular umbrage that "the gay press -- including prominent blogs Queerty and Pam's House Blend" had "mischaracterized" him as anti-gay. Where in the world did they get that idea?
Sacks again insists in this follow-up post that individually, gays are every bit as capable parents as heterosexuals. It's when they combine into a couple that gays are inferior. It's a new twist on "love the sinner, hate the sin." It's "respect the gay, don't respect the gay couple."
Since Sacks seemed forlorn that no one would take his argument seriously, I am more than happy to take the bait. First, as far as "Opus" goes, Sacks' beef (in his own words) is with Breathed's message that "dads are useless as role models (when they're not outright destructive)" and that "kids only need mothers."
Sacks' take on "Opus" only works, of course, if we can imagine Breathed's apparent support for gay parents is limited to lesbian moms. If "dads are useless" and "kids only need mothers" then gay fathers would be a total anathema, right? Can anyone imagine this is what Breathed was saying, much less what he actually thinks?
If Breathed had a real political agenda, as Sacks believes, then the much more likely possibility is that he supports the idea of any loving couple raising children, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. So much for the daddy victimization; that would diminish the mommy role every bit as equally.
My own take on "Opus" isn't so serious (imagine that — comedy from a comic strip!). Breathed has never used the character of Steve Dallas to represent all men, much less all potential fathers. (Actually, lost on everyone is the fact that Dallas actually came out as gay at the end of Breathed's "Outland" strip, only to revert to chauvinism after reparative therapy.)
I believe Breathed was making a more subtle point, reminding us through humor that there are plenty of redneck sexist couch potato guys out there who aren't particularly good role models of any sort. So let's be careful about generalizing the idea that ticking both gender boxes is the best way to ensure a child's well-being, rather than ticking the boxes next to "loving, supportive and attentive."
Now, onto Sacks' more serious claim about gay parents, one shared by plenty of anti-gay conservatives (though Sacks protests he's not one). Again, Sacks' own words:
My belief is that while gays and lesbians as individuals are just as competent as parents as heterosexuals are, children need fathers and do benefit substantially from both the male and female parenting styles. When two gay men parent a child, I believe children lose something substantial from not having a mother, and when two women parent a child the child loses something substantial from not having a father.
I understand the point here, although it runs counter to every legitimate social science study comparing how well-adjusted the children of gay parents are compared with those raised by opposite-sex couples. What I don't understand is, assuming he's right, what we're supposed to do with the information.
I don't know Sacks' views generally on parental rights for gay couples, so let me imagine what conclusions he would reach from his view that a mom and a dad really is better than two moms or two dads:
Let's limit parental rights to opposite-sex couples. How cruel! If Sacks is right about the disadvantage of being a child with single or gay parents, then they need extra support and assistance from the government, not less. Surely he wouldn't punish the child for the sin of the parents.
Let's "encourage" the upbringing of children in opposite-sex households. If so, the target audience is single-parent heterosexuals, for whom partnering with someone of the opposite sex makes sense.
Let's "discourage" gay couples from parenting. If so, they still ought to focus their energies on single-parent heteros for two good reasons:
First, gay people want and will have kids for the same reason anyone else does, and Sacks and those who devalue our relationships are the last source we'd turn to for advice on whether to take the parental plunge. So all the "discouragement" will come to naught and, as pointed out, only hurt our kids. Second, if we're ranking parental scenarios according to "likelihood of success," then a same-sex couple still ranks higher than a single parent. Two moms are better than one, even if (according to Sacks) they're not as good as a mom and a dad.
All in all, it's disappointing to see how many "not anti-gay" pundits continue to view lesbian moms somehow as an indictment of fathers. Sacks wasn't the only one to respond that way to "Opus," although Washington Post syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker at least suggested you could both favor gay parents and not bash dads.
We saw the same phenomenon when pro-gay liberal columnist Leonard Pitts voiced disapproval of Mary Cheney's mommyhood. I view it as part and parcel of those opponents of gay marriage, like conservative Maggie Gallagher, who find it easier to attack the rights of gay people than deal with the messy, intractable social problems of couples and parenting generally.
It's as if these folks perform a fairly heartless cost-benefit analysis, sacrificing equal rights for gays and the well-being of our children for the supposed greater good of protecting "traditional families." I reject the entire idea that as a society we must choose between the two. And I'm just cynical enough to believe that for many anti-gay conservatives, there's a Karl Rovian private understanding that gay marriage and gay parents aren't really in the top 10 actual threats to the traditional family. But wedge issues play (and fund-raise) so much better in Peoria.
Well, not in Bloom County, at least.
Click here for a complete news summary on gay parenting, compiled on Gay News Watch.
May 29, 2007
Now THIS is daytime cattiness…
Posted by: Chris
Yesterday I (sort of) stood up for Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, whose supposed "catfight" was actually an interesting exchange about the Iraq War, not to mention a curious personality study. The same can't quite be said for Alicia Silverstone, who was the first "View" guest after the Rosie-Elisabeth faceoff.
Check out this video from a "View" fan with way too much time on his hands…
You just gotta love it…
At least Rosie and Elisabeth are plumbing the depths of "the power of forgiveness"…
May 25, 2007
Broken link…mil desculpas!
Posted by: Chris
I've just learned that I used a broken link in my earlier post about the hilariously vicious gay Brazilian congressman Clodovil. I've corrected it there, but I offer it again here because, I'm telling you, you don't want to miss this one.
Mil desculpas (a thousand apologies) to my friend Kevin for screwing that up.
May 24, 2007
Gays behaving madly
Posted by: Chris
UPDATE: At the end of the post.
From loony legislators to bitchy queen congessmen to just plain bitchy queens. A longtime reader passes along this juicy dish from today's Washington Post, on how a public relations event cum fund-raiser in Georgetown devolved into bitch slaps delivered by angry neighbors. And yes, dear reader, all involved were gay. From today's Reliable Source, "This Soiree Became a Real Hair-Puller":
Eyebrow groomer to the stars Erwin Gomez [on the right] and partner James Packard-Gomez invited 125 people to a lymphoma/leukemia benefit at their new salon on Wisconsin Avenue. The big draw was singer Julia Nixon, who agreed to perform three sets on a stage erected in the salon's back garden. The party had just gotten started when a neighbor, former [Advisory Neighborhood Commission] member Gunnar Halley, came in to complain about noise.
Eventually, according to Gomez, glass rocks and bricks were thrown over the fence from Halley's yard, landing on frantic partygoers.
"We were all freaking out," he said, and so he climbed over the fence into his neighbor's back yard -- and, he says, was beaten up by Halley and partner Dale O'Quinn. He scrambled back over the fence and called the police, but a second fistfight occurred when he went around the block to stand in front of his neighbor's house. Packard-Gomez was sent to the emergency room; Halley, O'Quinn and David Rahnemoon (a friend of Gomez's) were arrested for simple assault and spent the night in jail.
Halley made the best of things in his Post interview, denying throwing objects over the fence and claiming it was all one big misunderstanding.
Fortunately, this wasn't the lead item in Reliable Source, or even the lead gay item. That was reserved to news that Mary Cheney had her baby on Wednesday in Washington's Sibley Hospital.
The White House released a photo of little Samuel David Cheney swaddled in the arms of his grandma, social conservative Lynne Cheney, seated next to a beaming grandpa, the vice president. Perhaps he's hoping wistfully that his fiercely loyal daughter's burgeoning prodigy might help prop up his sagging popularity ratings.
UPDATE: I've received an email from James Packard-Gomez in response to the first half of this post. He writes:
Cute article/blog you wrote but a bit trashy wording. But i believe facts and 100+ witnesses and all (5) the video camera's rolling and 4 photographers shooting during the performance will speak volumes to a jury. Washingtonian's who graciously opened their wallets in an effort to raise funds for cancer and were put in grave danger that is not a laughing matter. You need to mention that the event raised over $25,000 for charity towards a cure for cancer. In 2 hours. 100% went to charity unlike most charity events. That is a very important fact. You missed!!!!! Thanks
Always happy to offer up space for "the rest of the story." Of course, only those present know the degree to which tempers (and attitudes) flared betwixt the parties before the punches flew.
We can all agree, I think, that violence is never justified except in self-defense, and even Halley's version of events wouldn't excuse sending James to the hospital with a black eye, cuts and bruises and (lawsuit anyone?) a ruined $4,000 D&G suit. (Too bad some of that $4,000 didn't go toward curing cancer, eh?)
Here's wishing James well in his recovery.
May 23, 2007
That's Rep. Bitchy Queen to you
Posted by: Chris
For anyone even under the delusion that the U.S. has cornered the market on loony politicians, consider Clodovil, the first openly gay member of Brazil's national Congress. In an outrageous burst of mysogynism and plain ole bitchiness, Clodovil managed to reduce a leading female member of Congress to tears, and to the point of requiring medical attention.
It's less serious than it sounds, and Clodovil gets his just desserts in the end. Whether or not you're interested in Brazilian politics, take a few moments to read an absolutely hilarious recitation of Clodovil's misadventures by my friend Kevin Ivers, who blogs over at Club Whirled. (Many of you will remember Kevin as the No. 2 over at Log Cabin during the Rich Tafel years. This year he, like me, has moved to Brazil to be with his boyfriend, a handsome business school student by the name of Vinicius.)
As for Clodovil, what can you say? If only Barney Frank could tap into his true inner-bitch as effectively…
Your doctrinal slip is showing
Posted by: Chris
There are some valid and reasonable arguments against adding new categories of protection to existing workplace discrimination statutes — but they weren't on display this week in Nebraska. The state's unicameral legislature voted down a bill that would extend job bias laws, which already cover race, religion, national origin, physical disabilities and age, to also include sexual orientation.
But before the vote, these heartland legislators came up with some mighty interesting arguments to oppose the measure. Leading the way was the scholarly Sen. John Harms of Scottsbluff, Neb., who according to AP argued against sexual orientation protections because being gay is "a choice," unlike other protected groups.
"I don't believe they should be in the same class of race, color, creed, religion because I believe life is about a series of choices," said Harms, a Democrat.
Last time I checked, creeds and religious affiliations were a lot easier to choose than sexual orientations, but maybe Harms and his fellow Cornhuskers are bigger swingers than we are out east. I mean I'm sure the good Christian parents there must indoctrinate their children early and often, but do Nebraskans really have as little choice about their "creed" and "religion" as they do their "race" or "color"?
(Keep in mind, by the way, that this airtight logic comes from a distinguished politician who according to his online bio has also been the president of two colleges and a dean at three others.)
Not to be outdone, Republican Sen. Tony Fulton, from the big city of Lincoln, argued that gay employees don't really need the protection anyway since there are popular TV shows with gay characters.
"There's a certain amount of credibility, I guess, granted to the homosexual lifestyle," he said.
Not enough credibility, apparently, to convince Senator Fulton and his colleagues that in Nebraska, gays are misunderstood and mistreated enough to deserve basic workplace protections. Or enough credibility, for that matter, for public officials like these two good senators to respect the judgment of psychiatric and psychological associations in the U.S. and abroad, which have universally concluded that being gay isn't a "lifestyle" or a "choice" anymore than is being heterosexual.
May 16, 2007
Bye-bye to Jerry Falwell
Posted by: Chris
Two days of packing up my condo in Washington have left me with little time to post, which has been especially tough given the news yesterday that Jerry Falwell died.
The first thing that came to mind was something the first-ever female president of my college alumni association once told me. Talking about the notoriously slow pace of progress on our alma mater's board of trustees, she said, "What we need for some real change is a few good funerals." Indeed.
As for me, tonight brings a flight back to Rio, which actually feels like going "home" after living there since September with my partner. But this time is different; I'll finally be working "without a net" — no apartment back in Washington. Wish me luck...!
As I climb on board "the new Delta," take a few minutes to enjoy a fitting bye-bye to Jerry from Tinky Winky, who the televangelist infamously outed back in 1999.
May 08, 2007
Hating the haters
Posted by: Chris
While we wait for our friends at the Washington Post to finally answer the questions raised in their hate crime story last week, our even better friend Stephen Colbert reveals the true victims of hate crime laws:
Note that Colbert uses a Washington Post report in the report. Smell the irony.
At least Jonathan Weisman's report in Friday's WaPo remembers the law only covers violent acts, reporting, "Conservative religious groups said the bill would make criminals of clergymen who speak out against homosexuality, then inadvertently inspire violence from misguided followers." But like Hamil Harris' article last weekend, Weisman never allows the bill's backers, much less the language of the statute itself, answer that charge.
April 13, 2007
A gay ol' time at the Magic Queendom
Posted by: Chris
You may have heard the news earlier this week that Walt Disney Co. decided to allow same-sex couples to buy "fairytale wedding" packages at the company's theme parks and on its cruise ships.
Previously, the ceremonies had been limited to couples with valid marriage licenses, but a company spokesperson said the change reflected "Disney's long-standing poicy of welcoming every guest in an inclusive environment." Query whether it might also reflect Disney's long-standing policy of welcoming greenbacks from every available source: The packages run from $8,000 to almost $50,000.
The change also prompted USA Today to publish an interview with Jeffrey Epstein and Eddie Shapiro, authors of the upcoming "Queens in the Kingdom: The Ultimate Gay & Lesbian Guide to the Disney Theme Parks." Among the highlights (and lowlights):
What are some of the pinker places in the Kingdom?
Epstein: There are the obvious things: "Ellen's Energy Adventure" hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. But there are more subtle things. "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" was directed by Randal Kleiser, who is openly gay.
Shapiro: The way you might look at something as a gay person is different than a straight person. In the Hall of Presidents (I call it Disney's tunnel of love — it's dark, air-conditioned and half-empty), at the finale is Abraham Lincoln, who says our (government) began by affirming rights.
At a time when we're talking about gay marriage and a government that is curtailing the rights of a large number of its populace … for gay or lesbians that's going to ring bells. …
Q: I enjoyed the Fairy Facts (gay trivia) sprinkled throughout the guide. Do you have a favorite fact?
Shapiro: (The employee) in a Mickey costume is usually a woman because of size issues. So when you see Mickey and Minnie hold hands or kissing, you know a secret.
Epstein: The Indiana Jones animatronic figure has nipples.
It's all fun and games, of course, but these two might learn to tailor their message a bit more for an interview such a broader audience. They touch some pretty hot buttons here, sexualizing a place meant primarily for kids. And then there was Shapiro's response when asked "if you were truly queens of the Kingdom, what would you change about the Disney parks?"
"We'd get rid of the other people," answered Shapiro.
March 07, 2007
Ann Coulter's fag fetish
Posted by: Chris
Pretty much everything I would say about the Anne Coulter's fetish with calling Democrats "fags" has already been said by The Nation's resident faggot, Richard Kim:
So Ann Coulter called John Edwards "a faggot." All this proves is that the woman's gaydar is seriously on the fritz. Last year she diagnosed Bill Clinton as a "latent homosexual" whose "promiscuity" is "reminiscent of a bathhouse." Then on Hardball she called Al Gore a "total fag." Meanwhile, Ted Haggard and Mark Foley stage 120 Days of Sodom right under her nose, and all she can say when confronted with the goods is "who knew Congressman Foley was a closeted Democrat?"
Ann Coulter couldn't find a homosexual at a Barbra Streisand concert, in San Francisco, on gay pride, if Elton John bitch slapped her in the face. I shudder to think what would become of her on "Gay Straight or Taken?"
What really has me peeved though is not Coulter's misfiring gaydar, but the histrionic response from Democrats and gay leaders alike. Here's HRC head honcho Joe Solmonese:
"To interject this word into American political discourse is a vile and disgusting way to sink the debate to a new, all-time low. Make no doubt about it, these remarks go directly against what our Founding Fathers intended and have no place on the schoolyard, much less our country's political arena."
Likewise, DNC chief Howard Dean called Coulter's remarks "hate-filled and bigoted." "This kind of vile rhetoric is out of bounds," said Dean while calling on Republican presidential candidates to denounce Coulter's remarks.
Howie, Joe, listen, don't get your panties all in knot over this Coulter-faggot business. What's so "vile," "disgusting," and "low" about being (called) a faggot in the first place? …
In Coulter's twisted little mind, "faggot" is an insult, not necessarily because it's true, but because "faggot" is so radioactive that even to be called one is damaging.
But this homophobic logic is exactly what Dean and Solmonese recapitulate in their over-zealous response. One can only believe that being called a faggot is "vile," "digusti