Tragedy upon tragedy: A dad who was walking across America for his teen gay son who committed suicide is killed by a car

From the Gay Star News: 

The father who was walking across America to raise awareness for his gay son who committed suicide has died. 

Joe Bell, 48, from La Grande, Oregon was killed on his walk last night (9 October) when he was hit by a semi truck in eastern Colorado. 

The walk across North America was in tribute to his gay 15-year-old son Jadin, who hanged himself in an elementary school playground in January. 

The grieving father was walking eastbound on the shoulder of Highway 40, 20 miles northwest of Kit Carson, when he was hit at 5.10pm. 

He was pronounced dead at the scene

American Catholics agree with the new pope that judging gay people is not a winning issue for the church

From Towleroad: 

A Quinnipiac University poll released this week found that over two-thirds of U.S. Catholics agreed with Pope Francis' recent statement that the Catholic Church should not focus so much on social issues like homosexuality, abortion and contraception. 
Reuters reports:

Sixty-eight percent of American Catholics agree with comments the Pope made to that effect in an interview published in the Jesuit magazine Civilta Cattolica, while 23 percent disagreed, according to the poll. There was little difference in opinion between observant and less-observant Catholics, women and men, and among age groups, the poll found. 

American Catholics also like their new pope, with 89 percent having a "favorable" or "very favorable" opinion, and only 4 percent voicing an unfavorable opinion, the poll found.

Best tweets in response to Gov. Christie's appeal of a NJ court decision in favor of marriage equality

Love is winning

Quote of the day on letting the majority decide on the minority's civil rights

Given society's prejudices against fatness, how would Christie feel if we let voters decide if obese people could marry and have legally recognized families?  

From Towleroad: 

NJ Governor Chris Christie, who last year vetoed a marriage equality bill passed in both houses of the NJ legislature, reiterated his position on same-sex marriage in an interview that aired on CBS' Sunday Morning this morning:

"You do not believe in same-sex marriage?" Smith asked.

"I do not," Christie said. "But what I will tell you is that I understand that good people of good will have a difference of opinion on this. And so my view on it is, put it on the ballot. Let the people decide."

Sign this petition from All Out: The Olympic Committee is letting Russia violate the Olympic Charter against discrimination. We need to speak out

From All Out:

Outrageous. The Olympic Committee just said they don't think Russia is violating the Olympic Charter – even though Russians are facing anti-gay arrests, violent attacks, and exclusion. 

Olympic host nations are supposed to obey seven principles and Principle 6 says discrimination of any kind is not allowed. But, the Olympic Committee is now acting like lesbian, gay, bi and trans people just don't count. 

Principle 6 – Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement" 

Equality doesn't work like that, so their position needs to be clear. Can you take two minutes to send a quick email to the new Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach and ask him if lesbian, gay, bi and trans people are protected by Principle 6?

The Olympic Committee is accountable to us – the spectators, athletes, and customers of their billion-dollar sponsors. If thousands of us email new Olympic president Thomas Bach now, we can put him on notice. If he won't answer our question, millions of us could even take the fight to the corporate sponsors, forcing them to step in.Send an email directly to the Olympic Committee through All Out's website:https://www.allout.org/email-olympics-pres

The legal dream team of Boies and Olson join in challenging Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage. More justice and change is on the way...

I support Mike Rogers outing closeted, anti-gay politicians, like he did yesterday with Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming. For the good of the LGBT

For me, if you legislate against us during the day and have a gay life at night, you are causing great harm to the gay people who you date/have sex as well as the LGBT community.  In essence, you are agreeing with the churches and other forces of gay oppression that we are second-class citizens, not good enough for society. That we are shameful and disordered.

I agree with Dan Savage and Mike Rogers on this subject: first and foremost, we should out anti-gay, closeted political leaders to protect our own rights.  And in the process, we are not hurting them -- we are simply telling the truth and setting everyone free.  (BTW, most of these outed politicians like their lives more once they admit who they are...but is not our business.)

Bertolli shows Barilla how to be a modern, inclusive brand. The CEO of Barilla promises to go on listening tour of LGBT groups. We will follow his progress...

Bertolli has been gay friendly for years...



...but Barilla CEO needs to learn to accept others.

Snuggling UK soldiers, after a night of partying. Priceless, mate

Dear Barilla CEO: An apology is no apology if it starts "I apologize if I offended...". You are not showing remorse for your words, just protecting your business

Guido Barilla told us how he really feels about gays and our human rights in the radio interview.

What follows is a lesson in how not to apologize to the LGBT community:

In reference to my statements yesterday to the press, I apologize if my words have offended some people.

For clarity I would like to point out that I have the deepest respect for all people, without distinction of any kind.

I have the utmost respect for homosexuals and freedom of expression. I also said, and repeat, that I have respect for marriages between people of the same sex.

Barilla in its advertising has always chosen to represent the family because this is the symbol of hospitality and love for everyone.

-- Guido Barilla

Love is finding its way

We did this! Two short years from the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, gay soldiers and their spouses are receiving benefits

Seeking "respect": openly gay box Orlando Cruz is weeks away from the title fight to be the featherweight boxing champion of the world. Wish him well

The surprisingly devout (and liberal) Catholic, Stephen Colbert has fun with Pope Francis

Andrew Sullivan sums up Colbert nicely:

I’m biased, because I have gotten to know the man a little over the years, and have barely missed a single show since he started, but I have to agree with Jessica Winter that, in an era in which Catholicism, until very recently, has seemed positively callous, distant and authoritarian,  Stephen Colbert is “the greatest thing to happen to American Catholics since Vatican II”: 

He provides day-to-day proof that devout Catholicism can coexist with critical thinking, irreverence, a guiding belief in equal rights, and a fundamentally anti-authoritarian worldview – by, for example, dishing on the papal doctrine of social justice for the poor with Colbert Report chaplain Jim Martin (editor of America magazine), or breaking character during a congressional panel on rights for migrant farm workers by paraphrasing Scripture: “Whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me.” Colbert is America’s Sunday school teacher and “Catholicism’s best pitch man,” as Patheos.com’s Matt Emerson put it in a beautifully argued 2011 piece. But until now, what he’s been pitching hasn’t necessarily been what the Vatican has been selling.

That’s all changed now. Catholics have a pope who loves the poor, embraces critical thinking, and has a delightful sense of humor – the same holy trinity of virtues that Stephen Colbert, the new America’s Catholic, exemplifies. 

And what Colbert does is talk to a generation that has largely turned off any public statements from the American Catholic hierarchy. The Millennials have been a lost generation to Christianity – because, in my view, the most prominent representatives of Christianity are simply from a different universe than those building lives and loves in the 21st Century. Colbert shows that Catholics can be hilarious and serious, ironic and yet deeply sincere.

And this is the real Stephen Colbert, out of character, testifying in front of Congress, on behalf of the poor. That's real Catholic values, not that mean Pope Benedict shit.

Another example of the LGBT winning the hearts & minds of America: former president George Bush, Sr. acts as the official witness at the wedding of a lesbian couple

More and more establishment GOPers are joining the marriage equality bandwagon!  Read about today's latest event in Maine.

Another LGBT milestone: yesterday, Todd Hughes, first openly gay Circuit Court judge In history, was confirmed by the Senate. We (including Barack Obama) made this happen

Another example of the GOP's anti-gay agenda, this time in the VA Lt. Gov. race. This is almost laughable

Watch this wonderful spoof of the "Braveheart" for the Lisbon LGBT film festival

Celebrating sparks!