3/31/14
I love this new Ford Hybrid ad that lampoons Cadillac's Superbowl spot. The female eco entrepreneur is my type of person...
Pashon Murray, founder of Detroit Dirt (http://www.detroitdirt.org), is innovative, confident, optimistic, and someone I look up to. This is a real-life person, not some actor, like the character in the Cadillac ad below, who could easily be a character out of the movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street." We don't need anymore American leaders who are willing to do anything -- like crash the economy selling junk mortgages -- to buy more things.
3/29/14
Quote of the day, by Prime Minister David Cameron
The introduction of same-sex civil marriage says something about the sort of country we are. It says we are a country that will continue to honour its proud traditions of respect, tolerance and equal worth. It also sends a powerful message to young people growing up who are uncertain about their sexuality. It clearly says ‘you are equal’ whether straight or gay. That is so important in trying to create an environment where people are no longer bullied because of their sexuality – and where they can realise their potential, whether as a great mathematician like Alan Turing, a star of stage and screen like Sir Ian McKellen or a wonderful journalist and presenter like Clare Balding.--British Prime Minister David Cameron
Amen! - Joe
Damn, how far we have come! Check out this Vine of the first same-sex marriage in the UK, from this AM
Thanks to the leadership of Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron and many others!
These gay men talk about being tortured in Kyrgyzstan
Fricking outrageous! This makes my blood boil with anger and sadness.
3/28/14
This makes my week: watch this deaf woman from England hear for the first time as her implants are turned on
I wish my 80-year-old deaf aunt had had this operation when she was younger. I am so grateful to be alive in this era.
Mozilla, maker of the Firefox browser, is rightfully being criticized for naming a CEO who gave $1,000 to support Prop. 8
Do you agree with everything your boss believes? Is this a requirement for working under them? The challenge issued this week to Mozilla – creators of the Firefox web browser and advocates of the "open web" – is whether their new CEO's alleged support for anti-gay marriage campaigns is at odds with their inclusive, community-driven stance.
The boss in question is programming guru Brendan Eich, creator of the hugely popular JavaScript language and general web evangelist. Mozilla have been operating under an acting CEO, Jay Sullivan, for over a year and announced on Monday their decision to appoint Eich to the role after his 15 years there, most recently as CTO. The controversy stems from a $1,000 donation Eich made in 2008 in his own name – albeit with Mozilla's name listed alongside it, as US law stipulates – to the Proposition 8 campaign, an amendment to California law which outlawed same-sex marriage.
Mozilla is well known for its commitment to open and inclusive technology, pitching itself as a grassroots competitor to commercial companies such as Google.Full article
3/27/14
While conservatives have a man-crush on Putin, my president criticizes him for his treatment of gays and Crimea
"We believe in human dignity - that every person is created equal, no matter who you are, or what you look like, or who you love, or where you come from," he said. Later, Obama reiterated criticism of Russian intolerance spawned by a law passed before the Sochi Olympics that outlawed promoting gay rights to children. Western ideals and values of openness and tolerance would endure long past repression, he argued. "Instead of targeting our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, we can use our laws to protect their rights," he said. "Instead of defining ourselves in opposition to others, we can affirm the aspirations that we hold in common. That's what will make America strong. That's what will make Europe strong. That's what makes us who we are."--President Barak Obama
His first sentence says it all: we believe in human dignity. That's something Putin and many American conservatives don't agree with.
3/26/14
Quote of the day, by Maggie Gallagher
“We are now in the ‘gay marriage in all 50 states’ phase whether we like it or not.”– Maggie Gallagher, NOM
The new documentary about Anita Hill should be seen by every woman and LGBT person under 40. It is a story about dignity, truth, and what happens when older white men set all the rules
This movie brought up a lot of difficult emotions for me, including memories of being sexually harassed in my first two jobs, after graduate school.
3/25/14
3/24/14
Quote of the day, by Vice President Joe Biden: the lack of a nationwide law on anti-LGBT workplace discrimination as “close to barbaric”
What a difference that equality-minded leaders make! While the GOP having been using homophobia to win elections in the Bible Belt, many Democratic leaders have become powerful advocates for 7% of all Americans.
“The single most basic of all human rights is the right to decide who you love,” he told the crowd of LGBT people and supporters. “It’s the single basic building block…it is. It is the single most important human right that exist… and hate, hate can never, never be defended because it’s a so called cultural norm. I’ve had it up here with cultural norms.”
--VP Joe Biden
Here is the video of his speech:
3/22/14
3/21/14
More change we can believe in: today, a Federal judge in MI ruled that state's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional!
Watch this lesbian-led family, who were the plaintiffs, learn of today's decision.
Also in his decision, the Reagan-appointed Federal judge also said the following about the testimony of UT-Austin Prof. Mark Regnerus, who was called by the state as a witness in the trial:
"The Court finds Regnerus's testimony entirely unbelievable and not worthy of serious consideration. The evidence adduced at trial demonstrated that his 2012 'study' was hastily concocted at the behest of a third-party funder, which found it 'essential that the necessary data be gathered to settle the question in the forum of public debate about what kinds of family arrangement are best for society' and which 'was confident that the traditional understanding of marriage will be vindicated by this study.' ... While Regnerus maintained that the funding source did not affect his impartiality as a researcher, the Court finds this testimony unbelievable. The funder clearly wanted a certain result, and Regnerus obliged."
More grace, from Jason Collins and Michael Sam
Michael Sam:
"When I came out last month, I did it with the confidence that my Mizzou 'family' would always be there for me. To put it mildly, the love and acceptance I felt was amazing. The day after the announcement, my name was spelled out in the stadium; fraternities hung #StandWithSam banners; then when I went to the basketball game to honor the football team's Cotton Bowl victory, I worked hard not to cry because of the amazing reception. I have a long journey ahead of me, a lot of hard work and many dreams I want to fulfill. But I do it with the confidence that my Mizzou family will be there for me every step of the way. I will continue to work my hardest; I will strive to make you all proud. And I will be a Tiger forever."
Jason Collins:
Jason claims to have received gay insults from just one opponent so far this season:
"One player, one knucklehead from another team," Collins said in an interview with the Daily News. "He's a knucklehead. So I just let it go. Again, that goes back to controlling what you can control. That's how I conduct myself - just being professional."
3/19/14
3/18/14
Grayson, a nine-year old boy is to blame for being bullied by his classmates, say school officials who have banned his My Little Pony backpack for being the source of the attacks
Grayson, a nine-year old boy is to blame for being bullied by his classmates, say elementary school officials who have now banned his My Little Pony backpack for being the source of the attacks.
Check out this video that supportive of Grayson:
3/14/14
One of the best commentaries on the HBO show "Looking" and the evolution in the portrayal of gay men on TV
When Andrew Haigh presented his film Weekend three years ago, it was clear he had a fresh perspective to share about the evolving world of gay life and relationships. Now that Season 1 of HBO’s Looking has completed (also largely written and directed by Haigh), we see an expanded picture of his perspective: one that integrates the influence of gay culture — past and present — with a lived experience that is largely free of discrimination and stigma. Gay men cannot escape the influence of gay culture, but they can play tourist to it instead of feeling they must let it define them. In other words, Looking‘s portrayal of gay men shows that television has has evolved in its complexity just as gay men’s identities do in real life.
In 1979, researcher Vivienne Cass presented one of the first models for understanding how individuals process the development of their sexual orientation identity. Though her linear model was a bit simplistic (and plenty of theories have since built upon it in more complex ways), it still provides an interesting framework for understanding not only sexuality, but media’s portrayal of it as well. There are six stages that describe how people may come to terms with a gay, lesbian, or bisexual identity: identity confusion, identity comparison, identity tolerance, identity acceptance, identity pride, and identity synthesis.
In media, Will & Grace demonstrated mainstream “acceptance,” while Queer As Folk may have exemplified the “pride” stage, an over-identification with the gay community. The former presented a limited portrayal of gay men that was palatable to a mainstream audience, and QAF presented a world where almost every primary conflict was related to the main characters’ sexual orientation: hate crimes, discrimination, family acceptance, family planning, gay drug culture, HIV, and stigma in general. More often than not, those stressors were mitigated with PFLAG-mom love, the go-go boys at Babylon, and lots of sex. It was a show defined entirely by gay culture and/or a hackneyed perception of gay culture.
In fairly stark contrast, Looking offers characters who rarely interact with homophobia and who don’t strongly identify with the gay community but who nonetheless have complex gay lives, exhibiting a greater “synthesis” with their identities. Despite taking place in the “gay mecca” of San Francisco, very few of the scenes even take place in that city’s gay hub, the historic Castro. The Folsom Street Festival and The Stud are places the characters don’t identify with, but have no problem visiting. This might be why many viewers reacted to the premiere by feeling that it was boring; indeed, there’s arguably not a single plot line from the first season that couldn’t translate to a heterosexual context. That is not a weakness, however — the fact that it is a nevertheless a gay show is to its credit....
...Looking is a show about integration. As Haigh told ThinkProgress before its premiere, his goal was to demonstrate how gay culture has become “more part of a larger community rather than just being in like a ghetto.” Indeed, in a 2014 world where stigma doesn’t force gay men into closets, the men of Looking don’t feel like they need to burst out of one either. They can be queeny when they want to, sex-driven when they want to, and relationship-oriented when they want to, but they don’t have to conform to either heterosexual or homosexual norms to find community. Instead, they can respond to expectations from both in ways that make the most sense for them as they pursue careers and relationships. It’s not post-political and they’re not “just like straight people”; if anything, they are more complex, synthesized characters who have shed the “Just Jack” stereotypes and Brian Kinney pigeonholes of the past.
For the full commentary
3/12/14
An inspiring story from the internet
(I don't know the source of this article but it is a great modern parable nonetheless. -- Joe)
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, “Why would anyone bring home all his books on Friday? He must really be a nerd.”
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up, and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So I jogged over to him, and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, “those guys are jerks. They really should get lives.” He looked at me and said, “Hey thanks!” There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before, but we talked all the way home, and I carried his books.
He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes.
We hung out all weekend, and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, “Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books every day!” He just laughed and handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn’t me having to get up there and speak.
On graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him! Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech, so I smacked him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, you’ll be great!” He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smile. “Thanks,” he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, you teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach—but most your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story.” I just looked at my friend in disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn’t have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. “Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable.”
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture, you can change a person’s life.
3/11/14
Why it is only a matter of time before the LGBT have full and equal rights in America. Young Republicans now support us...
From the Huffington Post:
The majority of Republicans ages 18 to 29 think gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry, according to a Pew Research poll.
Sixty-one percent of Republicans and those who lean Republican in that age group favor legalizing gay marriage.
While a majority of Democrats regardless of age support gay marriage, Republican views divide strikingly along generational lines, with support dropping precipitously among older members of the party. The youngest cohort is nearly three times more likely to support gay marriage than those 65 and over.
Just 18 percent of Republicans under 30 said that more gay and lesbian couples raising children is a bad thing, compared to about half of those ages 30-64, and 66 percent of those 65 and older.
3/10/14
Quote of the day
We buried my Grandpa Jim one month ago.
Baptist pastor, World War II veteran (218th Counter Intelligence Corps), preceded in death by Grandma Doris, his wife of sixty-five years.
Five months ago, Grandpa Jim told me he is gay.
Sitting over photos of my husband Bradford and I at our wedding, my ninety-year-old grandfather proudly celebrated “the balls it takes” to live openly. He told me about the love of his life, Warren Johnson, a boy he played music with at church. He told me God loves every part of us. He told me he would trade places with me if he could. He told me he loved me.
I put picture of Bradford and me in his suit coat pocket and a red rose on his coffin.
--Artist Grant Rehnberg's grandfather came out to him at age 90, five months before he died.
3/9/14
Anti-Semitism, homophobia, racism, and sexism are all linked together: it is the fear of differences, making people into the "other"
From Joe.My.God. about those folks from the Orwellian-named Family Research Council:
Family Research Council’s executive vice president, Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin (retired), was caught on a “hot mic” following a panel yesterday at the National Security Action Summit, which was held just down the street from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Boykin could be heard, in an awkward attempt at humor, telling a reporter from Israel that “Jews are the problem” and the “cause of all the problems in the world.” Boykin told another reporter that President Obama identifies with and supports Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood and uses subliminal messages to express this support. Boykin appeared on a panel yesterday – “Benghazigate: The Ugly Truth and the Cover-up” – as part of the summit held near Washington, DC, which was organized by Frank Gaffney to highlight speakers, like himself, who were not invited to speak at CPAC. Gaffney has alienated himself by repeatedly claiming that the American Conservative Union, which organizes CPAC, has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
3/8/14
3/7/14
Photo of the day
Track coach Micah Porter from D'Evelyn High School, near Denver, Colorado, with his team. (Via Outsports.com)
3/6/14
3/5/14
Quote of the day, on Putin and Benghazi
Today, I kept being gobsmacked – smack, smack, smack, smack, smacked in the gob. By which I mean Rumsfeld – yes Rumsfeld! – and Cheney and Butters – yes, Butters! – are actually out there in public condemning president Obama for “weakness”. In an inspired moment of total lunacy, Butters even blamed Putin’s Crimea bullying on Benghazi! I know we all have to pretend that they have every right to speak their minds (and, of course, they do) – but really. The men responsible for the collapse of America’s military deterrent by losing two strategically catastrophic wars of choice actually have the gall to get up there and accuse Obama of weakness! The men who let Osama bin Laden get away; the men whose Putinesque derangement led to the total disintegration of Iraq; the men who presided over Iran’s achievement of nuclear infrastructure; the men who made a laughing stock out of US intelligence; the men who lost Afghanistan; the men who bankrupted the country by war and spending … these men now claim strategic prescience, manly foresight and a record of a “strong” America? There are times when the gob smacks itself.-- Andrew Sullivan
3/4/14
"Putin-envy": America's right-wing has a crush on Putin, for 'decisive', shoot from the hip leadership style. Just like they did with George W.
From The Daily Dish:
You and I were watching McCain at the same time and thinking essentially the same thing. McCain,like Graham, Bolton and others of that ilk, watch the events in Ukraine and are filled with Putin-envy. Vladimir Putin is a master of the game, they seem to think. Look at his almost effortless projection of force, his willingness to dispatch troops and threaten war with so little hesitation or circumspection. They love it! If only we had our own Putin at the helm!
But how pathetic and short-sighted is this vision? In fact, Putin is stirred to move because he feels humiliated. His puppet was ousted from power by a popular uprising. His plans to seal Ukraine to Russia for another generation are evaporating. His hold on a plausible plurality of the Ukrainian people was shattered. The fuel deals are clearly seen as a crude power-play by most Ukrainians. Even the Russian-speaking Ukrainians of the eastern and southern provinces are slipping out of Moscow’s grasp. There, when we look more deeply into the demographics, we see that even if the 50+ers feel nostalgia for Moscow and support for the Kremlin, the generation of 35-down increasingly sees more promise from an alignment with Europe. The pro-Russian regions of Ukraine will predictably cease to be pro-Russian within a generation.
Putin, the crass intelligence officer, turns quickly to brute force. But what is the cost to him of this step? Not only in Ukraine, but in all the other states of the “near abroad,” the fear of Russia is moved up several notches, the image of Russia as a reptilian predator rises. Even within Russia, most citizens understand the shrill propaganda of ORT (the Russian state TV) for what it is and consider war with Ukraine to be irresponsible nonsense. Putin’s credibility as a leader fades. Increasingly he appears to be someone motivated by fear of loss and failure, not by greatness.
The Putin who shows his face to the world today is not some dynamic new Napoleon delivering a new master stroke. He is a tired, failed leader, who is steadily losing the confidence of his own people, who is seen as hopelessly corrupt, and who is being deserted by Russian elites and detested by the youth in particular. Putin is a spent force. He may hang on for another year or another decade, but in Russia the demand for a new leader will grow steadily from this point.
The McCains, Grahams and Boltons don’t understand this dynamic, and that’s frankly because they are too much like Putin. The worst imaginable thing would be for the leaders of the West to think and behave like Putin.
Highly unusual: University of Texas - Austin renounces the biased, flawed anti-gay research of its professor, Mark Regnerus
From University of Texas - Austin:
Like all faculty, Dr. Regnerus has the right to pursue his areas of research and express his point of view. However, Dr. Regnerus’ opinions are his own. They do not reflect the views of the Sociology Department of The University of Texas at Austin. Nor do they reflect the views of the American Sociological Association, which takes the position that the conclusions he draws from his study of gay parenting are fundamentally flawed on conceptual and methodological grounds and that findings from Dr. Regnerus’ work have been cited inappropriately in efforts to diminish the civil rights and legitimacy of LBGTQ partners and their families. We encourage society as a whole to evaluate his claims.Professor Regnerus' 'research' is being cited in Russia, Africa and other places to justify anti-gay legislation and violence. It was funded by virulently anti-gay organizations. And he has stated that he is personally against same-sex marriage and feels that same-sex couples are less than ideal parents.
Researchers show that gay marriage opponents think that most Americans agree with them. But they don't
According to a new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, only 41 percent of Americans oppose allowing same-sex couples to marry. But that same 41 percent has a highly skewed perception of where the rest of the country stands: nearly two-thirds of same-sex marriage opponents erroneously think most Americans agree with them. And only two in 10 same-sex marriage opponents realize that the majority of Americans support marriage equality.
Same-sex marriage opponents are unique in the depth of their misunderstanding of the issue. Because they skew strongly conservative and deeply religious, this may be a manifestation of what Andrew Sullivan has termed "epistemic closure." Think of this as an extreme case of confirmation bias -- that tendency of people to filter out information that challenges their beliefs and preconceived notions.
Epistemic closure was most publicly and hilariously on display during Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential bid, when conservatives "unskewed" the polls to tilt the data in their favor, and the GOP establishment appeared to be blindsided by an electoral result that many independent observers saw coming months earlier.That's the danger of living in silos of like-minded people, whether you are a progressive or conservative: you can become disconnected from reality. This research also explains the rise of the Tea Party movement: mostly angry older white people who are not tracking the changes in the society and, when some big event happens, like Barack Obama being elected, they are surprised and scared.
3/3/14
In praise of male beauty...
The handsome and charming Julian Ovenden, who plays Charles Blake in the TV series Downton Abbey, is quite a looker. And accomplished, too: (from Wikipedia) "Julian Ovenden is an English stage, television and film actor and singer. He is one of three children of Rev Canon John Ovenden, a former chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II. Ovenden sang in the St Paul's Cathedral Choir as a child. He later won a music scholarship to Eton College. He subsequently read music at New College, Oxford on a choral scholarship. While he has received training as an opera singer, he has professionally used his music training in musical theatre. Ovenden is married to the soprano Kate Royal and they have two kids."
He's blessed with intelligence, good looks, and talent.
Jared Leto shows the world (and his co-star) how to make an acceptance speech with grace, acknowledging oppressed people, including the LGBT and HIV +, around the world
Jared Leto's Acceptance Speech - Oscars 2014 by IdolxMuzic
From Towleroad.com
Said Leto:
“To all the dreamers out there all around the world watching this tonight, in places like the Ukraine and Venezuela, I want to say, we are here, and as you struggle to make your dreams happen, to live the impossible, we’re thinking of you tonight.”
"And this is for the 36 million people who have lost the battle to AIDS and to those of you out there who have ever felt injustice because of who you are or who you love. I stand here in front of the world with you and for you."
3/2/14
In praise of male beauty...
Up until recently, American culture has been centered around the privileges and preference of straight white men, who celebrated the female body but often felt uncomfortable looking at naked males because of institutionalized homophobia. So my "inner" sixteen-year-old self is glad that, in 2014, I can look freely at and appreciate the male form. And celebrate it!
For me, HBO's "Looking" is a hit, mirroring some of my joys and struggles as a gay man living in San Francisco for two decades
"Looking" lacks the humor of "Sex in The City," HBO's previous look at single life in city, but makes up for it in warmth, intimacy, and, most importantly, humanity. These characters are fleshy, believable, and interesting. Thank you, HBO!
Quote of the day, on the LGBT movement
About 70 percent of millennials, a generation larger than baby boomers in some calculations, support marriage equality. Institutionalized homophobia is headed for history’s dustbin — something that is obvious to all but the stragglers in one political party.-- Timothy Egan, NYTimes Op-ed Columnist, writing in today's paper about the victory for equality in Arizona this week.
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