The Bilerico Project

What You Need To Know This (5/12 - 5/18)

E. Winter Tashlin — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:00:00 -0500

Here's what you need to know from this past week:

For the third week in a row, the What You Need To Know includes a new state passing marriage equality. This time it's Minnesota that's come over to the right side of history.

The newest round of TV network cancelations will wipe out a lot of LGBT themed programing and LGBT characters.
Led by priests, a violent crowd of thousands in the nation of Georgia attacked around fifty gay-rights protesters.
Fearing that there could be a lesbian kiss in the international song contest, Turkey will not broadcast Eurovision this week.
In a landmark move, the Dept. of Defense has recognized trans* veteran Autumn Sandeen's gender as female.
An LGBT anti-discrimination bill passed Puerto Rico Senate. It now goes to the House for approval.
Arrests were made in connection to the brutal murder of a young man killed for being gay in Russia, in a story that had made international headlines.
Trans* teen Issak Wolfe is back in the news, this time fighting with his school to have "Issak" read at graduation instead of his birth name, as well as for greater anti-bullying protections for all students.
A judge in Texas is using a "morality clause" to force a divorced woman to choose between being allowed to keep custody of her children or continue living with her same-sex partner.
For the first time, Europe's oldest and largest matchmaking festival is marketing itself to gay people.
Finally, if you haven't seen George Takei's witty response to signs held by anti-marriage protestors, it should put a smile on your face.

A History Lesson, Christian Allies, & Writing a Book [Weekly Reader]

Bil Browning — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:00:00 -0500

You weren't able to read every post on Bilerico Project last week? Don't worry! Every weekend I round up the best Bilerico posts from the past seven days to help you stay up to date on the latest queer news and analysis.

Friday

Why Do We Defend Discrimination? Filed by John M. Becker
Help Me Write My Book Filed by Bil Browning

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Why Do We Defend Discrimination?

John M. Becker — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:00:00 -0500

Earlier this week, I wrote about a Pam Regentin, a baker in Oregon who blatantly violated state nondiscrimination law by refusing to serve two female customers on the basis of their sexual orientation. Ms. Regentin essentially claimed that her personal beliefs should trump the law, telling a reporter, "I believe I have the liberty to live by my principles."

My op-ed read, in part:

Actually, you don't... your religious beliefs do not entitle you to a special exemption from the law, nor do your "principles" give you the "liberty" to pick and choose which members of the public to serve or which laws you wish to obey.

As private individuals, you can believe whatever bigoted garbage you want in the privacy of your own heart and your own home. You can even pass that toxic hatred along to your children if you so choose. But if you choose to enter the public square, you have to play by the same rules as the rest of us.

Pretty simple, right? It seems so to me, anyway. But I was dismayed to see how many people -- even members of the LGBT community -- disagreed. (Stockholm syndrome, anyone?)

"Maybe my religion isn't a reason for me to deny service to someone," one commenter wrote, "but the fact that it's MY [expletive] BUSINESS does. I have the right to refuse service to anyone, for any reason. Maybe it'll drive business away, maybe it won't. But as a business owner, IT'S MY [expletive] DECISION."

Said another, "Actually, as a lesbian who was legally married in California... and as an armed forces veteran and an American who strongly believes in the First Amendment, I don't have a problem with this business owner denying service to same-sex couples. It's the business owner's right -- if not legal, then moral -- to exercise her religious beliefs. If she thinks LGBT money isn't as good as heterosexual money, fine. The answer to this is very simple: BOYCOTT her business."

Hearing fellow members of the LGBT community stick up for bigoted business owners and provide excuses for our oppressors -- even those who break the law -- absolutely sickens me, and it should sicken you too.

Continue reading "Why Do We Defend Discrimination?"...

One Million Moms vs. the Boy Scouts: Intolerance of Biblical Proportions

Guest Blogger — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:00 -0500

Editor's Note: Paul Joannides is a proud straight ally, a psychoanalyst, and the author of the Guide To Getting It On (Amazon, Apple Store), a popular book on sex that is used in college and medical-school sex-education courses. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Sexual Medicine and has been invited to speak about sex at Dartmouth, Yale, Rice and other colleges.

One Million Moms is a fundamentalist Christian organization whose goal is to eliminate the presence of gays and lesbians from the public eye. It also targets blasphemy in the media and double entendres about sex. I joined the organization because I wanted to see how a group like this carries out a campaign of intolerance.

Soon after I became a member of One Million Moms, I received a "call to action" email that implored me to threaten the management of JCPenney with a boycott unless they fired Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson. It seemed that Ms. DeGeneres has an agenda "that goes against Biblical values." So I sent an email to JCPenney telling them how impressed I was with their Ellen DeGeneres commercials.

Another "call to action" was over a single episode of the TV show Person of Interest. According to One Million Moms, the show "went way too far in an attempt to normalize homosexuality when creator and producer J.J. Abrams introduced a married lesbian couple"--a female heart surgeon and her female partner. They said, "The show treated this immoral relationship just like any other married couple. This is a way of promoting the homosexual agenda by making it appear absolutely normal."

So I sent an email to the producers of Person of Interest thanking them for portraying a lesbian couple just like any other married couple. I got their email address from One Million Moms.

In their call to action against Person of Interest, One Million Moms said that except for this one episode, they loved watching the show. They described it as being "fresh, intriguing, and extremely interesting." But as my wife pointed out, one of the main characters in Person of Interest is a bad cop named Fusco, who is part of a corrupt group of drug-running police officers. He attempted to execute the main character not once, but twice. By my count, Fusco has violated three of the Ten Commandments on many occasions, yet One Million Moms never asked us to boycott the show because of that. Thanks to One Million Moms, I now know that in God's eyes, being a lesbian is worse than lying, stealing and murder.

Continue reading "One Million Moms vs. the Boy Scouts: Intolerance of Biblical Proportions"...

Help Me Write My Book

Bil Browning — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:30:00 -0500

If you've seen less writing from me here on the blog, I can assure you I have a good reason. After years of saying I was rlly, rlly gonna do it (no, seriously, you guys!), I've started writing a book.

It's a collection of personal anecdotes told in a storyteller style and some of the pieces are based off of stories I've told here - like the one about my childhood pet chipmunk, or the story about getting fired for being gay and launching the web's first LGBT action in protest, or how one of my ex-boyfriends came back from the dead.

I've spent most of the week either working for PR clients or doing research and collecting my ideas for other stories I haven't told. It's been interesting taking a stroll down memory lane by myself and trying to gather my recollections so I can go back to some of the other folks involved and see how they remember the event.

So here's the rub. I've been writing Bilerico since 2004 with almost 10,000 posts under my belt. There's no way I can remember what stories I've already told on the site. Many of you, however, have proven without a shadow of a doubt that you know the anecdotes I've shared on the site - long after I've forgotten talking about it.

That's where you come in. If you have a favorite story I've told, news I've broken, or issues I've covered that made an impact on you, can you leave a reminder in the comments section? Tell me what your favorite story is that you'd want to see in the book. Give me a link if you can, but general subjects are fine too.

After all, I wrote them for you. What better way to get help getting it all together than crowdsourcing the audience? Help me out below if you can.

LGBT History and Hispanic Heritage Month: Two Puerto Rican AIDS Activists

Patricia Nell Warren — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:00:00 -0500

Author's Note: This A & U feature, published in 2009 at the Bilerico Project, is being re-published in memoriam for AIDS activist José Fernando Colón, who died of AIDS this week. It covers the history of his long battle to end the sickening political and administrative corruption around AIDS funding and treatment in Puerto Rico -- corruption that has impacted countless low-income people living with AIDS.

I interviewed José for this article when he visited L.A. with his partner and fellow activist Anselmo Fonseca -- co-founder with him of Pacientes de SIDA pro Politica Sana -- on the occasion of José's receiving a "Community Hero" award from Alianza and Bienestar.

This dear friend and personal hero of mine will be greatly missed, but the memory of his fiery spirit and courage will go on inspiring many.

As Americans argue over healthcare reform and whether poor people should receive government-funded health care, one of the first and bloodiest battles ever fought over this issue took place ten years ago in Puerto Rico -- and got little coverage in the mainland media.

The central figures were two pioneering AIDS activists, José Fernando Colón and his partner Anselmo Fonseca. They fought -- and continue to fight -- the corruption and outright inhumanity so entrenched in our healthcare system, that have the United States in such a clamor today. The two men's activism, though largely unrecognized in the mainland LGBT community, has had a major effect on mainland AIDS policy.

"We went against the whole system and threw them down," José told me in a recent interview for A & U Magazine.

Continue reading "LGBT History and Hispanic Heritage Month: Two Puerto Rican AIDS Activists"...

Failed Florida Mayoral Candidate: Voters Chose Lucifer Over Jesus

John M. Becker — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:00 -0500

Anna Pierre, the failed candidate for mayor of North Miami, Florida who accused her opponents of casting voodoo spells on her and said her campaign was endorsed by Jesus Christ -- but couldn't muster even one percent of the vote in the actual election -- isn't taking her shellacking lying down.

The Miami Herald reports that in a "rambling mass email" and Facebook post yesterday morning, the candidate, who styles herself Princess Anna Pierre, disputed the number of votes she received, claimed to be "swimming" in the blood of Jesus, said the election was rigged, and warned that the voters of North Miami "chose 'Luciefer' [sic] over Jesus."

She then congratulated "the winner, Ms. Lucie Tondreau," despite the fact that the winner is not yet known and will be determined by a runoff election on June 4. Tondreau, who finished second with 28 percent of the vote and is endorsed by the current mayor, will face off against former North Miami mayor Kevin Burns, an openly gay candidate who won 33 percent.

For her part, Ms. Tondreau told the Herald that Ms. Pierre was just looking for a way to justify her loss in a race "she had no chance of winning in the first place." Tondreau continued:

I can understand Ms. Pierre's frustration. She used voodoo, that didn't work. And then, Jesus endorsed her. If she got Jesus' endorsement, that's the biggest endorsement you can get. Why is she worried about who endorsed me?

Despite Mr. Christ's apparently having backed a different horse in the mayoral race, Ms. Pierre is undeterred. "Jesus did not forsake me. God has something bigger for me; His will has been done," she reportedly said.

At the conclusion of her incoherent Facebook missive, Ms. Pierre cited a passage from the (non-existent) biblical book of Marc, advised supporters to save her campaign fliers as souvenirs because they "might be worth a lot one day," and closed with the entire text of Psalm 75, with a cryptic numerological reference thrown in for good measure.

Sheesh. I don't know whether to hope that Anna Pierre rides quietly off into the sunset or sticks around to entertain us some more.

Is This Okay?

Bil Browning — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:00 -0500

Of course, I realize that this is not really okay, but it could be justified: National Review columnist Kevin Williamson was ejected from a theater this week after snatching a phone out of the hands of a rude audience member and tossing it across the room.

Williamson and his date both asked the woman to stop the continuous texting and talking, but she refused. They spoke to the management, but nothing happened. He literally took matters into his own hands in frustration.

The lady seated to my immediate right (very close quarters on bench seating) was fairly insistent about using her phone. I asked her to turn it off. She answered: "So don't look." I asked her whether I had missed something during the very pointed announcements to please turn off your phones, perhaps a special exemption granted for her. She suggested that I should mind my own business.

So I minded my own business by utilizing my famously feline agility to deftly snatch the phone out of her hand and toss it across the room, where it would do no more damage. She slapped me and stormed away to seek managerial succor. Eventually, I was visited by a black-suited agent of order, who asked whether he might have a word.

One of my regular complaints about living in DC are the idiots who are continuously on their phones while walking down the sidewalk, riding a bike, or shopping. As these folks walk and text, they wobble from side to side, bump into other people, and change speed continuously. As I follow one of the jerks down the sidewalk, I'll often mutter a "c'mon..." as I finally scoot around them. They annoy the hell out of me.

Then there are the offenders are those who simply can't escape their Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail long enough to go do something in public they, presumably, want to do - like go to a theater, concert, or movie. Worst of all are the folks who presume no one will mind if they just have a quick yack at the top of their lungs about Aunt Betty's varicose veins on a crowded bus or how to properly file a Form SB82734-E(9) for consideration by the Department of Nobody Gives A Shit while seated in a crowded theater.

Is it okay to grab someone else's property and heave it against a wall? No. But it's also not okay to annoy the piss out of every member of the general public you encounter. Only one petty crime is illegal unfortunately, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say nothing happens to Williamson.

Sometimes a small rebellion is justified.

(Rude cell phone user graphic via Bigstock)

Running On Empty: GOP Obstruction & Government Vacancies

Terrance Heath — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:45:00 -0500

Republicans in Congress have a new tactic for shrinking government: making sure that nobody’s there to run it. Well into the president’s second term, an alarming and unprecedented number of vital positions in every branch of government remain vacant. As Republicans use and abuse processes that helped government run smoothly once upon a time not so very long ago, government grinds to a halt, and the consequences trickle down to Main Street America. And apparently that’s just fine with Republicans.

Continue reading "Running On Empty: GOP Obstruction & Government Vacancies"...

Republicans Suddenly Care About Discrimination

John M. Becker — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:30:00 -0500

"The IRS's conduct in this matter has been unacceptable, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to find out what the IRS knew, when it knew it, and the officials responsible for such discrimination. The IRS must be held accountable for its actions."

-- Selective outrage from Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA), who's upset about a draft report from a Treasury Department inspector general which found that the I.R.S. targeted Tea Party groups for special scrutiny. Reichert conveniently overlooks the fact that under Bush, the I.R.S. targeted liberal groups like the NAACP and Greenpeace. The agency also harassed gay rights groups for years.

UN Leaders: LGBT Rights Are Human Rights

John M. Becker — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:00:00 -0500

The UN Human Rights Office made this important video highlighting human rights violations suffered by LGBT people around the world. It features cameo appearances by the UN Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Wedding Cake Wars: Oregon Edition

John M. Becker — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:00:00 -0500

Yet another small business owner is going to the barricades and claiming that her private religious beliefs grant her the "liberty" to illegally discriminate against same-sex couples in the public marketplace.

Perhaps taking a cute from Sweet Cakes Bakery in Gresham, Oregon or Arlene's Flowers in Richmond, Washington, Pam Regentin -- owner of Fleur Cakes in Mount Hood, Oregon (Facebook page here) -- refused to do business with Erin Hanson and Katie Pugh, a same-sex couple, on the basis of their sexual orientation.

From KOMO News:

"I found a gal who was making gorgeous cakes," said Pugh. "I contacted her and we set up a time to do a tasting."

It was the perfect baker in the perfect spot - Fleur Cakes owned by Pam Regentin - just down the road from the wedding.

The ladies scheduled a tasting.

"I mentioned Erin in passing, and said a 'she' in passing too, in the email. A few days later she called back and that was today. And called and verified it was a same-sex wedding," Pugh said.

And that's when Fleur Cakes said it wouldn't bake the cake.

Continue reading "Wedding Cake Wars: Oregon Edition"...

Marriage Equality Coming to Brazil?

John M. Becker — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:30:00 -0500

Brazil's National Council of Justice, a 15-member panel which oversees the country's judicial system and is headed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, ruled yesterday that notaries must register the marriages of same-sex couples and had no standing to deny marriage licenses on the basis of sexual orientation.

Agence France-Presse reports that the decision could be appealed to the Brazilian Supreme Court.

In the panel's decision, Chief Justice Joaquim Barbosa said that the Supreme Court "affirmed that the expression of homosexuality and homosexual affection cannot serve as a basis for discriminatory treatment, which has no support in the Constitution."

The ruling to which Barbosa is referring is a 2011 decision that allowed same-sex couples to enter into civil unions.

Continue reading "Marriage Equality Coming to Brazil?"...

Fitch the Homeless: A Helpful Protest

Bil Browning — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:00:00 -0500

An interview Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries did with Salon back in 2006 has found new life on the intertubes mememobile over the past couple of weeks. The founder of the popular clothing line told the outlet that the company doesn't make XL or XXL sizes for female customers because they don't want "ugly" people wearing their clothes.

Unfortunately for Jeffries, honesty is not a virtue when it comes to brand marketing. Outrage over his statements shook the web to its core (albeit a few years after the fact) and now there are change.org petition, indignant tweets, and disapproving Facebook postings galore.

I'll admit, mostly I shook my head and wondered how people could be so dumb they'd give the chain free publicity that's about as positive as it is negative. After all, what message was sent to teens other than "Even if I'm the ugliest person in the world, if I'm skinny Abercrombie clothes will make me cool!" or "Obviously the cool kids are wearing A&F!"? Feel bad about denigrating plus size women all you want, but teenagers still want to look cool.

This anti-Abercrombie action intrigues me though. Not only does it allow the participant to feel good about themselves for sticking it to the clothing chain, it actually does something positive for the less fortunate.

What do you think? Gonna make a donation? I would, but I gave away the few A&F shirts I owned a few years ago before it was a protest statement. After all, you don't need outrage to prod you to help the homeless.

Historic Catch One Disco Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Karen Ocamb — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:30:00 -0500

I've known Jewel Thais-Williams since the late 1980s when I first started in the LGBT press. From day one, the respect for Jewel was palpable; people would part and make way for her when she and her wife, Rue, walked in a room. It was respect that she had earned over years of creating spaces for LGBT people of color to feel safe, welcome and loved. It is almost hard to fathom that it's been 40 years since Jewel opened her Catch One Disco in the mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles--and that The Catch continues today, despite harassment from the LAPD back in the day and the AIDS crisis that took so many open and closeted African American same-gender-loving men to whom Jewel became "mother." Jewel continues to be honored by such luminaries as L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at last year's launch of LGBT Heritage Month.

But she has always felt more at home in the community she loves and serves. And from May 24 to May 27, Jewel will celebrate the 40th anniversary of her historic Los Angeles gay nightclub and disco with four days of parties, awards and activities over the Memorial Day Weekend at the famous disco and LAX Hilton Hotel. Catch One Disco is one of the oldest and longest running LGBT discos in America and has served as a community center and cultural institution in much the same way as Harlem Renaissance nightclubs served New York's African Americans and progressives in the 1920s. It is for good reason that Jewel Thais-Williams is considered an icon and inspiration in the L.A. LGBT community.

The country was mired in a recession in 1972-73 when Thais-Williams decided to get out of the women's clothing business. "When economic times are bad, women stop buying things for themselves, so I started looking for a recession-proof business" Thais-Williams says, "My brother suggested I buy a liquor store - but that was too impersonal. But then as I was looking in the L.A. Times, I saw there was a neighborhood bar for sale. I knew about the bar because I worked across the street four years earlier and later kept passing by it looking for opportunities. I didn't think much about it because it didn't allow black folks in. And now it was for sale."

Thais-Williams borrowed and hocked possession to buy the bar. But other problems quickly became apparent: she had no bartending or bar business skills and, in 1973, California did not allow women to tend bar. "But business is business," Thais-Williams, a UCLA graduate, says. "So even though I walked in cold, I still took action based on core business principles."

What happened next surprised Thais-Williams and grounded her in what would become a core principle of her own: to serve humanity, no matter race or status.

Continue reading "Historic Catch One Disco Celebrates 40th Anniversary"...

Candidate Endorsed by Jesus Comes in Last

John M. Becker — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:45:00 -0500

Remember Anna Pierre, the mayoral candidate in North Miami, Florida (and former 90s Creole pop star) who made headlines after claiming she was endorsed by Jesus Christ?

The election was held yesterday, but because none of the seven candidates received a majority of the votes, the two top vote-getters will compete in a run-off election next month to decide the winner.

But Ms. Pierre won't be on the ballot. Out of 6,783 votes cast, she won just 56 -- 0.83% -- and came in dead last.

I guess an endorsement from Jesus Christ doesn't get you very far these days.

UPDATE: The two candidates advancing to the runoff election on June 4 are former North Miami mayor Kevin Burns, who received 33 percent of the vote, and Lucie Tondreau, who garnered 28 percent. Burns is openly gay, so if one believes (as Ms. Pierre apparently does) that Jesus himself had a vested interest in last night's outcome, it would appear that Mr. Christ ditched the crazy lady and backed the gay dude instead.

Awesome.

A History Lesson on Marriage Equality in Minnesota

Davina Kotulski — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:30:00 -0500

Minnesota has been a key state in the marriage equality movement since the beginning of the movement. The very first same-sex marriage court case in the United States, Baker v. Nelson, was filed in 1971 in Minnesota.

In the spring of 1970, two gay men, Richard Baker and James McConnell, applied for a marriage license. They were denied the request by the county clerk, Gerald Nelson, because they were two men.

Unwilling to take "no" for an answer, the couple filed a lawsuit on the grounds that Minnesota did not explicitly outlaw marriage between members of the same-sex. Baker and McConnell 's case made it all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court on the grounds that by being denied the right to marry they were also being denied the right to Due Process, as well as their 14th and 9th Amendment rights. However, the Supreme Court dismissed their case in 1972.

I honor these courageous love warriors who were willing to stand up to unjust laws and to put a face and a name on the marriage equality cause four decades ago. I have no idea if these unsung gay heroes are still alive today. If they are, I hope they are celebrating the fact that Minnesota is now the 12th state in the nation to recognize same-sex couples' fundamental right to marry.

Same-sex couples can exchange "you betchas" and "I dos" come August 1st.

Jesus Endorses Candidate in Florida Mayoral Race

John M. Becker — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

A candidate in today's mayoral election in North Miami, Florida wants voters to know that she's received the ultimate political endorsement: that of Jesus Christ himself.

Anna L. Pierre, a registered nurse and former 90s Creole pop star (see video below), touts the divine endorsement on campaign posters and on her website, which boldly proclaims that "Anna Pierre, RN is endorsed by Jesus Christ" alongside an illustration of Jesus holding a shepherd's staff.

The candidate, who also goes by the name Princess Anna Pierre, told Local 10 reporter Janine Stanwood that she learned of Mr. Christ's "spiritual endorsement" by praying before she registered her candidacy. Pierre also claimed to have received three signs confirming that Jesus is, in fact, on her side.

When Stanwood asked what those three signs were, Pierre replied, "Well, I'm going to keep them private."

You believe her, right?

Continue reading "Jesus Endorses Candidate in Florida Mayoral Race"...

Pride and Politics: Bradley Manning in San Francisco

Jesse Monteagudo — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:30:00 -0500

One of the hardest decisions that the board of an LGBT Pride organization has to make is choosing a Grand Marshal for their city's Pride Parade. It is very difficult to satisfy a diverse group of people who have nothing in common with one another but our status as sexual or gender minority members and our common enemies. Previous Pride events have been torn apart by the presence of drag queens; leather folk; socialists; NAMBLA; and former West Hollywood, California Mayor Valerie Terrigno. Most Pride boards wisely make noncontroversial choices; honoring long-time couples, celebrities who recently came out, or friendly local politicians.

Nowhere is our community's diversity more evident than in San Francisco, the great gay city by the bay. The epitome of leftist radicalism for much of conservative America, San Francisco wrestles with issues that the rest of us can hardly imagine. (Public nudity?) At a time when, to most Americans, "LGBT rights" means the right to get married, have children, and serve in the military, queer San Franciscans still debate the institutions of marriage, parenthood, and the military. Gay political leaders are attacked as tools of the establishment, while former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, a staunch liberal and now Lieutenant Governor of the State of California, is denounced by many radical San Franciscans for being in thrall to the City's corporate interests.

The latest issue to stir San Francisco's queer political pot is San Francisco Pride's choice of Bradley Manning to be this year's grand marshal. This choice, if any, was purely symbolic: The openly gay Manning is currently in military prison, charged with leaking classified material to the whistle blower website WikiLeaks, and cannot lead a Pride Parade even if he wanted to. But symbols can be controversial, though calling Manning a controversial figure would be a gross understatement. Many in the LGBT community believe that Manning is a traitor to his country while many others (myself included) think of him as a political prisoner and a victim of an Obama Administration which, in matters of warfare and civil liberties, is just as bad as the Bush Administration.

Continue reading "Pride and Politics: Bradley Manning in San Francisco"...

NOM vs. George Takei?

John M. Becker — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:00:00 -0500

The paradoxically named and increasingly irrelevant National Organization for Marriage is notorious for desperate attention-seeking behavior, picking fights it can't win, and stirring up phony outrage.

Their latest target is actor, author, and social media megastar George Takei. NOM is very angry about a recent satirical video narrated by Takei and featuring gay actors Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Brad Goreski that turns the infamous 1961 propaganda film Boys Beware on its head and warns viewers about the dangerous individuals who oppose marriage equality.

Continue reading "NOM vs. George Takei?"...