The Bilerico Project

The Questions About Michael Jackson and Lupus

patricia@bilerico.com (Patricia Nell Warren) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:30:00 -0500

The news media are mentioning lupus in an update on Jackson's medical investigation. It came in connection with information from an unnamed source, that Jackson's body was found to be in poor condition -- emaciated, no hair on his scalp, needle tracks on his arms. That same day, Larry King discussed Jackson's lupus with Dr. Arnold Klein, the star's dermatologist for over 20 years. Klein first saw Jackson as a patient around 1986. He said he immediately diagnosed the lupus from a telltale butterfly rash on the face, plus crusts developing on the scalp. These latter were getting in the way of plastic surgeons' efforts to heal scalp injuries that Jackson suffered after his hair was set on fire by stage pyrotechnics in 1984.

Indeed, over the years, media from Vanity Fair to Wikipedia have mentioned Jackson's lupus. The diagnosis was not exactly a secret. But it was usually mentioned in passing, as if it was no big deal. And the public has paid little attention to it -- to what was really the entertainer's desperate and courageous battle with a disfiguring disease complex that had a massive impact on his image and his career. Indeed, MJ himself didn't want it talked about, and managed to hide it in plain sight of the whole world.

Now that Jackson is dead, I'm amazed that reporters aren't delving into this part of the story more deeply yet. There was a brief story about it on Huffington Post. But nothing yet that follows what may be the painful thread through his whole career. Especially since the disease's most common symptom is said to be pain -- so it may be linked to Jackson's addiction to painkillers. There's even a possibility that it contributed to the heart failure that killed him.

My one personal connection with lupus has got me wondering about the questions.

Continue reading "The Questions About Michael Jackson and Lupus"...

Kevin Jonas is Engaged To ME!!! "This is Me"

buck@bilerico.com (Michael Buckley) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Comment Question of the Day- for Kevin:
Why her and not me?
Everyone else just tell Danielle Deleasa - DD - to suck it! SHA!

States' Rights Hurt, Not Helped, by DOMA

dana@bilerico.com (Dana Rudolph) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:30:00 -0500

"It is unconstitutional for the federal government to discriminate, as it does because of DOMA's restrictive definition of marriage. It is also unconstitutional for the federal government to decide who is married and to create a system of first- and second-class marriages.The federal government cannot require states, such as Massachusetts, to further the discrimination through federal programs, either. The time has come for this injustice to end."

--Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court challenging the constitutionality of Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act

Now I want some messy meat too

bil@bilerico.com (Bil Browning) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:00:00 -0500

I'm telling you what, apparently instead of hooking up online or going to the bars or baths, we just need to eat at Carl Jr's (or Hardees as it's called here!). Maybe it's just the one guy's way of showing that gay men and straight men can be friends... The "Messy Meat Meaty Burger" has to be a gay burger - I'd make a joke about the two meats and being a greasy ~~pig~~ cow bottom, but it just devolves too quickly so I'll let Projectors make the jokes instead.

A Surprise and Getaway Plan

sara@bilerico.com (Sara Whitman) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:30:00 -0500

Editors' Note: Sara's story started with "Manfriend, Mania and the Dead Puppy." You'll want to read it first to catch up before this episode begins.

I'm sorry if this story is upsetting. As I said, it was beyond anything I, in my adult life, have ever experienced.

The manfriend, after my sister told him to leave, yelled and screamed and ranted and raved all day. My sister would not let me call the police. She, instead, called his mother who came right over.

Not before Manfriend got within two inches of my face, called me a college educated rich bitch and that don't worry, he don't get mad, he gets even.

He sure sounded mad.

Continue reading "A Surprise and Getaway Plan"...

Unbuckling Straps: An undoing of the NYC Leather Community

eric@bilerico.com (Eric Leven) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:30:00 -0500

A week ago the decades-old organization of Gay Male S/M Activists (GMSMA) of New York put the kibosh on their twice a month meetings and community. Over the years numbers of attendees dwindled from hundreds to just a handful and as the letter below states, "there are simply not enough men who are willing and able to step forward to lead the organization."

The letter below was dropped in my inbox a few days ago.

I recently attended the final Wednesday night meeting of Gay Male S/M Activists (GMSMA). That's right, I said "final." Finished. Done. It's over. The organization's annual meeting on Wednesday, June 17, 2009, was billed as a "celebration of GMSMA." What's happening is that after decades of being a vibrant, thriving organization of gay men interested in learning about safe, sane and consensual s/m, GMSMA is now "transitioning" into a non-profit foundation. There will be no more Wednesday night programs.

Letter continues after the jump.

Continue reading "Unbuckling Straps: An undoing of the NYC Leather Community"...

Canadian Minister Tries to Salvage a Little Pride

mercedes@bilerico.com (Mercedes Allen) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:30:00 -0500

Canada's Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism, Diane Ablonczy, recently saw the Marquee Tourism Events Program (an economic stimulus package designed to encourage major tourism events such as the Calgary Stampede and the Montreal International Jazz Festival) taken from her portfolio and turned over to Industry Minister, Tony Clement.

The spin from the reigning Conservative government, of course, says that this is because Ablonczy is just too busy, while Clement, who is looking at forecasts of a serious surge in unemployment in an economic crisis, has nothing better to do than administer the program.

This all happened silently, a few weeks ago, without fanfare... shortly after Ablonczy announced a nearly $400,000 grant to the Toronto Gay Pride festival.

Continue reading "Canadian Minister Tries to Salvage a Little Pride"...

Going to the Chapel: We Can Officiate, but Not Get Married

waymon@bilerico.com (Waymon Hudson) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:30:00 -0500

As you read this, I assume the hubby and I are smashed into an airplane with a crying child and some sassy flight attendants hurling towards Milwaukee, Wisconsin. What brings us to the land of cheese, you may ask?

A wedding.

We're not just attending. Anthony is performing the ceremony for our friends, a great straight couple who used to live in our city in Florida. Yet as we were packing and getting ready for some midwest marital fun, something rather odd hit me:

Anthony can legally officiate other people's weddings, but our marriage isn't legal in our own state (or the states he has married other couples in).

Continue reading "Going to the Chapel: We Can Officiate, but Not Get Married"...

The 14th Amendment and the Defense of Marriage Act

johnshields@bilerico.com (John Shields) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:30:00 -0500

Today is the 141st anniversary of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Under the Equal Protection Clause of the amendment, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws."

According to the United States Government, the 14th Amendment "greatly expanded the protection of civil rights to all Americans and is cited in more litigation than any other amendment."

And then along comes Congress, and in a fit of ignorance in 1994, enacts the Defense of Marriage Act. I'm no lawyer, but if I played one on television, it would seem to me that the 14th AMENDMENT trumps the Defense of Marriage ACT.

If I read the 14th Amendment correctly, the United States Congress is more than compelled to use its constitutional power to force states to recognize marriages performed in other states - same-sex or otherwise. But DOMA clearly states that no state has to recognize same-sex marriages performed legally in other states.

So, listen up Amendment 14~! Don't break out the champagne just yet. We have acts to consider. Or do we?

Continue reading "The 14th Amendment and the Defense of Marriage Act"...

We Win!! Rockstar Energy Drink to Donate $100K+ to LGBT Orgs & Bloggers

bil@bilerico.com (Bil Browning) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:00:00 -0500

I'm pleased to post a joint press release from Rockstar Energy Drink, change.org, and Bilerico Project today. The beverage company will not be suing Bilerico Project or change.org and they have expanded or started many new LGBT positive corporate policies - including non-discrimination clauses and domestic partner benefits. Rockstar will be donating $100k to three LGBT organizations and has agreed to make a significant donation to the LGBT Bloggers Initiative as well.

ROCKSTAR Energy Drink CEO Russell Weiner announced today that the beverage company will expand its LGBT corporate policies and make $100,000 in donations, shared among several prominent LGBT organizations. The donations represent a significant contribution given ROCKSTAR's relatively small staff of 120 employees.

The contribution will be shared among the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), and The Trevor Project, and ROCKSTAR Energy Drink will also financially sponsor the National LGBT Bloggers Initiative. The donations and affirmation of LGBT-friendly corporate policies mark steps by ROCKSTAR to demonstrate support for the LGBT community.

"It has recently come to ROCKSTAR's attention that there might be a misconception about our company's policy and my personal support for LGBT rights," said Weiner. "We apologize for that misunderstanding, and want to make clear today that our company fully supports our LGBT employees and our LGBT customers."

"Some have erroneously associated our company with offensive language directed at LGBT people, specifically statements coming from Michael Savage, who is not and has never been a shareholder or officer of ROCKSTAR Energy Drink. On behalf of our company and directors, including myself and CFO Janet Weiner, I would like to take this opportunity to disavow any offensive statements directed toward LGBT people, including statements from Michael Savage. ROCKSTAR assures our customers and the general public that our brand will never be associated with any language that does not affirm the essential dignity of every person in our diverse national community."

(Joint press release continues after the jump.)

Continue reading "We Win!! Rockstar Energy Drink to Donate $100K+ to LGBT Orgs & Bloggers"...

The Trans-Free BET 'Who's Who In Black GLBT America' List

monica@bilerico.com (Monica Roberts) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0500

I was shocked and surprised to discover BET.com puts out a list of what it considers as the 'Who's Who in Black GLBT America' and has done so for three years now.

Jasmyne Cannick, one of the people some Projectors love to hate, made the list for the third consecutive year. The other Black GL people that made this year's list were Wanda Sykes, Angela Davis, Kecia Cunningham, Palm Springs, CA mayor Ron Oden, poet Staceyann Chin and Anthony Woods (the Black GL community's version of Lt. Dan Choi) who is running to become the first openly gay African-American congressmember.

There are a total of 33 African-American GLBT people on this list. Care to guess how many African-American transpeople were on it?

The same number that were part of the transgender contingent at the White House GLBT event last week.

Zero.

Continue reading "The Trans-Free BET 'Who's Who In Black GLBT America' List"...

Why, hello stranger!

bil@bilerico.com (Bil Browning) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:30:00 -0500

Please join me in welcoming our newest contributor, David Badash. On the Internet since blogs were called journals and AOL charged by the hour, David Badash writes about politics in general and gay rights in particular. His writings focus on issues that are decisive and challenging to our lives and lifestyles, and to this country.

David is also an avid Twitter user (you'll want to follow him for great commentary and breaking news) and a good friend of several current contributors. I'm absolutely sure you'll love him as much as we do.

So scoot on down the couch and make room. Better set an extra place at the table too, he'll be here a while...

A Wild Night, Secret Photos and the Real Problem

fathertony@bilerico.com (Father Tony) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Dear Father Tony,

Here's my story. I was on a business trip a year ago. The day is done and I go down to the hotel bar for a drink before going to bed. Alone. I am in a LTR of five years and we don't sleep around. I want to emphasize that I am not in gay neighborhood and not at a gay bar and not cruising. I am having a couple by myself and looking at the TV news. This guy sits next to me and strikes up a conversation. He's funny and interesting and good looking and also on business (not related to mine). A few drinks later, I am not thinking straight and I end up in his room really drunk. I think he put something in my drink because I can take a lot of alcohol and still find my way home without a problem but that night was different. I did wake up in my own room alone the next morning, but I know we fucked. That was one year ago. I never got the guy's name or number and I never told my partner. An isolated incident. Three months ago I had a dream about that night.. I lived the whole night again in the dream and that included something I had forgotten. He took nude pictures of me and of us together. In my dream I saw this as clear as if I was right in the moment. So now I think that there are some really bad nude photos of me out there somewhere. I never told my partner about that night but maybe I should because it would be worse if those pictures should ever get to him in the future. Should I tell or not tell? That's my problem.

I'm In A Pickle

Continue reading "A Wild Night, Secret Photos and the Real Problem"...

Poster child

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:30:00 -0500

This is a bit old, but I couldn't let it completely fall by the wayside.

But Perez tells me that, in the heat of the moment that night, he almost chose to use a different word. "I thought about calling him the n word," he says over the phone a week after the incident, "but I thought the f word was even worse. I was so filled with hate at that moment because I was hated on so much, and I reacted in the worst way possible. Then I went on to make a bunch of other mistakes. I shouldn't have made the video. I shouldn't have released so many statements. But what's come out of all of this is that I've learned so much about myself, and I'm in a much better place. I'm actually thankful that it happened.

You know, I just gotta say that the people who thought that the campaign Hilton led against Isaiah Washington last year to get him fired from Grey's Anatomy for calling someone a "faggot" was at least a little bit motivated by racism all turned out to be right. Hilton obviously doesn't care if people throw around "faggot" as an insult.

And while Hilton says that he's not intellectual enough to keep from calling people "faggot," he's most likely just a terrible human being.

Continue reading "Poster child"...

Get 4 RSS feeds for the price of none

bil@bilerico.com (Bil Browning) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:30:00 -0500

Looking for a way to keep up with all of our great posts when you can't visit the site every day? Do you spend all your time on the main site and forget to check in on the state-level sites? Do you have a favorite contributor who blogs on more than one Bilerico site? We have an easy solution to your blog reading needs!

Subscribe to our RSS feeds and you can have the latest posts from any of our Bilerico sites sent directly to your feed reader, cell phone or desktop! Here's the links you'll need:

Don't know what RSS feeds are? We've got that covered too.

All clear!

kateclinton@bilerico.com (Kate Clinton) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Don't worry, everything is fine now. But what do you do on a rainy day? Do you organize a film festival too or am I the only one?

Kicking Down Doors

dana@bilerico.com (Dana Rudolph) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:30:00 -0500

"When you wear the cloth of your country, you don't care what your battle buddy's race, creed, color, or orientation is, you worry if they can fire their M4 machine rifle, or whether they can kick down a door in Baghdad or Kabul."

--Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), the lead sponsor on the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell," in an interview with the Advocate

Women Born Women: A video response

bil@bilerico.com (Bil Browning) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:00:00 -0500

Projector Ashley made a video response to Mercedes Allen's post "The Prerequisites to 'Woman'." I thought it was very cool to stumble across the video and wanted to highlight it here on the site to continue the discussion.

Manfriend, Mania and the Dead Puppy

sara@bilerico.com (Sara Whitman) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:00:00 -0500

I'm not sure where to begin... this is a story you won't believe. I will tell it as plainly as I can but still... you won't believe it. I wouldn't if I hadn't lived it.

Wednesday, the 17th, my sister called me in tears. She was again in tremendous pain and needed help. The next day, I flew down and met her at her primary care doctor's office.

We waited four hours for the doctor to come in and say nothing, that he did not have the results from the other doctor, and he really wanted to get going because he had a date with his wife that evening.

Um... Ok.

He then tossed out, after I, the lay person, had explained what the other doctor had told me, that she would have 18 months to 10 years to live.

Have a nice day.

Continue reading "Manfriend, Mania and the Dead Puppy"...

This is 2009, this is the north, this is America, and this is what it looks like

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:30:00 -0500

A private pool in Philadelphia apparently didn't like the idea of black children swimming in their pool, even though these campers had already paid the enormous fee to use the pool.

More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.

"I heard this lady, she was like, 'Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?' She's like, 'I'm scared they might do something to my child,'" said camper Dymire Baylor.[...]

"When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool," Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. "The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately."

The next day the club told the camp director that the camp's membership was being suspended and their money would be refunded. [...]

The explanation they got was either dishearteningly honest or poorly worded.

"There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion ... and the atmosphere of the club," John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club said in a statement.

Video and more after the jump.

Continue reading "This is 2009, this is the north, this is America, and this is what it looks like"...