July 3, 2009

We Don’t Know Much About Poker, But We Know What We Like: Annie Duke

Dear Annie: Please forgive us for stealing this image from your site without permission, but we think this pic is totally hot, we think you’re, like, totally cool, and we’re, like, totally plugging you. OK?

No, darlings, not Anna Duke, as in Patty Duke (who, by the way, is appearing live, along with Bruce Vilanch, at the Castro screening of Valley of the Dolls July 20th), but Annie Duke, a seriously-hot redhead who is, apparently, A Very Big Name Indeed in the world of live, sit-down poker (as opposed to the sit-down but not-so-live video poker yours truly enjoys, very, very much, even while plonked down just yards from the usually awful local country-western cover bands on the downstairs stage at the dearly-departed Fitz at 3:00 a.m., trying to decide whether or not to keep the high pair or go for the outside royal, while a very nice, but unbearably longwinded unemployed trucker on disability tells yours truly, a saintly-polite, empathetic smile and nod ever in place, his long, long life story).

Tweet This Post!

Earl Ofari Hutchinson to be Thrown Under the Obamabot Bus in 3… 2… 1…

We didn’t write it — he did — and for the L.A. Watts Times, no less. You got a problem with it, tell him:

Tweet This Post!

July 1, 2009

Louisiana Couple Files Federal Suit for Marriage License

IMNSHO, they probably would have done better to wait for the outcome of the Olson-Boies suit (to rely on precedent, assuming O-B wins) — but on the other hand, the now-fast-tracked Olson-Boies will probably be resolved by the time their case is heard:

Tweet This Post!

Olson-Boies Prop 8 Challenge Going to Trial

Big, big development today on the Proposition 8 front: In a nutshell, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker has ordered an evidentiary trial. What’s more, the evidence he wants covers a huge scope of information, ranging from the history of gay and lesbian discrimination, to whether or not California voters were motivated to vote for Prop 8 by anti-gay sentiment (which will entail examination of pro-Prop 8 ad media!).

I’ve skimmed today’s court order, and am very impressed (almost excited) by what I see; my initial reaction is that this is a very good development indeed, for a number of reasons.

I’ll get into the meat of it later; I want to read the order more thoroughly, pull the most pertinent excerpts, and get reactions from those far better versed in the law than I. So, for now, I’ll leave you with a link (courtesy of The Advocate) to the order itself. It’s only nine pages, and quite clear and straightforward: Perry v. Schwarzenegger Doc 76 (PDF)

Meanwhile, Judge Walker also granted various anti-gay groups, including the Alliance Defense Fund and ProtectMarriage.com, to act as intervenors (in other words, he’s allowing them to join the lawsuit and fight against Olson & Boies), which comes as no surprise to anyone.

Tweet This Post!

June 30, 2009

Condemn Martina Navratilova’s Duplicitous Divorce — But Relish the Potential Benefit to the Rest of Us

Before we get to the issue at hand:

There is no question tennis legend Martina Navratilova, in the midst of yet another ugly and expensive divorce, is (ab)using the legality (never mind the “sanctity”) of her own marriage just to cover her assets (literally).

On the surface, that’s despicable. However, if she succeeds, the result promises to be a very good thing indeed for the rest of us, and for The Cause.

Allow me to explain — without for one second excusing, defending, or even doubting that Martina’s shameful actions are motivated solely by money.

Tweet This Post!

Federal Government is Best Excuse for Anti-Gay Companies to Continue Discrimination, Even in Iowa

For your consideration: the case of Messrs. Jacob Holman and Michael Walker, Iowa newlyweds who can’t get spousal health insurance, as long as our glorious federal government continues to provide an excuse for gay-un-friendly companies (in this case, Methodist Health System) to blithely and unassailably continue their policies of anti-gay discrimination:

Tweet This Post!

June 29, 2009

Oh, Yeah, And That Whatshisname Made Pretty Talk Today

Here’s the transcript:

“Obama urges lesbian, gay patience overturning ‘unjust laws’.”

My reaction is one big whatever. Talk without action is garbage. Get back to me when you actually do something, Barry. Make me eat my words, every last one of them.

And you can thank me later for not ripping your pretty speech apart, line by line.

Or asking you if Dan Choi is going to be discharged tomorrow.

For starters.

Tweet This Post!

Andrew Pugno Sends Fundraising Spam to the Wrong Guy: Justin McLachlan

Reminds me of the lady in Hawaii who was spammed by Prop 8 supporters; she was certain the only way the sender could have gotten her email was through access to a Mormon “stake clerk’s access to church stake records, which are not supposed to be used for political or commercial purposes”:

Did Protectmarriage.com and Andrew Pugno violate California’s laws?

… A little while back, Ron Prentice, the committee’s chairman, announced that their legal counsel and author of the the text of proposition 8 was set to run for a General Assembly seat in the 5th district of California.

Today, though, I got a mass email from Mr. Pugno updating me on fund raising efforts for his campaign “war chest.” I’d never signed up on Mr. Pugno’s site and based on his calling me “hostile” in an email last fall, I [didn’t] assume that he plucked my email address and added it to his list.

What actually happened is that Protectmarriage.com created a new list for Mr. Pugno — it’s called “Andy Pugno — Protecmarriage.com List 6″ in their system that has, at least, some, if not all of Protectmarriage.com’s email addresses. That appears to violate Protectmarriage.com’s stated privacy policy, which says that they only collect personal information and use it to “send … updates and the latest news from ProtectMarriage.com.”

Ultimately, it could all lead to a violation of California’s Online Privacy Protection Act…

More at the link.

Not surprising. If they’ll lie about everything else, why wouldn’t they lie about what they’re going to do with email addresses?

Tweet This Post!

Los Angeles Dodgers Breeding Bigots? First Jeff Kent, Now James Loney?

I can’t nail down this Proposition H8 donor — but there’s only one James Loney I know of in Southern California who would have a very good reason indeed for trying to hide his H8 donation from the general public:

PROTECTMARRIAGE.COM (ANTI-GAY)
MR. JAMES LONEY
Occupation: “DECLINED”
Employer: “DECLINED”
TUSTIN CA 92780-6731
10/20/08 - $500.00 - 1396394-INC120373 - Filed: 01/30/09

Anyone know for sure if this is the James Loney? Anyone know for sure it isn’t?

Tweet This Post!

June 28, 2009

Ruben Diaz Unhinged, Unglued, Unintelligible

“Juan Manuel Benitez, doesn’t shy away from challenging Diaz on his views simply because he calls himself a preacher and, as Benitez keeps pressing, you see Diaz begin to lose it. At one point, as his own arguments are used to refute his positions, Diaz stops answering, and simply keeps repeating ‘I am a Pastor. I am a preacher. I am a believer in Jesus Christ, our redeemer and savior’…”

I’d say “Un-freaking-believable,” except that nothing this frothing homophobe says or does surprises me.

Blabbeando (if you don’t read Blabbeando already, you should start; it’s the only blog out there tracking LGBT developments in the Spanish-speaking world, and provides tons of news, and translations, for those of us forced to take French [”the international language” — ha!] for eight years instead of something useful, i.e., Spanish) has the video, painstakingly translated and captioned, the full story, and the must-read-to-believe transcript:

Related:

New York Senate Democrats: Backstabbing Cowards, November 30, 2008

What’s Ruben Diaz’ Real Problem? His Gay Brothers?, June 26, 2009

Tweet This Post!

Headline Says All: “Irony alert: Obama to ignore law he doesn’t agree with”

“The Obama administration announced in the statement it would disregard provisions of the legislation…”

What’s this about?

DADT?

DOMA?

Tweet This Post!

June 27, 2009

Where’s Our Harvey? Or Do We Need One?

Jeremy W. Peters makes some good points re: Why the Gay Rights Movement Has No National Leader:

Gay people have no national standard-bearer, no go-to sound-byte machine for the media. …

One explanation is that gay and lesbian activists learned early on that they could get along just fine without one.

Well, yes, that’s been true, but only as long as “gay activists pursued a different approach, focusing on issues pertinent to their local communities”:

City councils and state legislatures are where domestic partnership laws and legislation extending anti-discrimination protections to gays and lesbians originated.

That’s the way it’s always been — until now. Now, we’re on the national stage.

Tweet This Post!

When They Call You A “One-Issue Voter”

It’s annoying enough to hear the “You’re just a one-issue voter!” line (what do they do, issue a list of talking points at Bigot Central?) from an openly hostile Anti-Gay, but when you’re on the receiving end of the same thing from someone who’s supposed to be LGBT, or an ally… it’s downright maddening.

That said, here’s an excellent response (particularly the first paragraph), by gayjaybird, overheard at Pam’s:

Tweet This Post!

June 26, 2009

Biden Tries to Run Damage Control at DNC’s Gay ATM Fundraiser

Joe Biden reaches out to gay community

Vice President Joe Biden told gay and lesbian Democrats that he doesn’t blame them for their impatience and promised that the Obama administration will begin to push more strongly on the issues they care about, including the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Speaking at a LGBT fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, Biden acknowledged the anger many gays and lesbians have toward the White House, and he pledged to “put some pace on the ball.”

“I don’t blame you for your impatience,” Biden said. “I hope you don’t doubt the president’s commitment.”

Tweet This Post!

Gotta Love Those Family Values: Kate Gosselin “Christian” Book Still on Track

We still haven’t watched the damned show — but we are tickled by the blatant hypocrisy of it all:

Christian publisher still plans Kate Gosselin book

Should a Christian publisher still release a $30 book from one of the namesake stars of Jon & Kate Plus 8 promising “an inside look at one of America’s most close-knit families” after the couple has filed for divorce amid allegations of adultery and neglectful parenting?

Publishing giant Zondervan is still advertising Love is in the Mix: Making Meals into Memories, by Kate Gosselin, for release in November. …

Maybe they could just change the title, and everything would be OK. Any suggestions?

Related:

The “Traditional Values” of “Jon and Kate Plus 8″… Plus the Hypocrisy of Evangelical Fandom
June 1, 2009

Rah! Rah! Rah! for Traditional Values! Jon and Kate Divorce! But the Show Must Go On!
June 23, 2009

Tweet This Post!

What’s Ruben Diaz’ Real Problem? His Gay Brothers?

What’s the matter, Mr. Diaz? Afraid you were going to turn out gay yourself?

Hey, it’s just a question, not an accusation — and a valid question, we think, since we don’t buy the baloney that recognizing full equality for the least of your brothers would “imperil your soul.”

Tweet This Post!

AAA South Proves, Again, Why “Marriage” Matters

Shades of UPS in New Jersey…

Leave it to the private sector to prove, once again, that marriage — not civil unions, not domestic partnerships, but marriage — does matter:

Tweet This Post!

ACLU, Lambda Legal, and NCLR Break With Pack, File Amici Curiae Supporting Olson/Boies

In a sudden reversal of strong opposition to the Olson/Boies filing, three heavy hitters — the American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights — filed an amici curiae brief in support of the challenge, late Thursday night:

…courtesy of Law Dork, who calls the brief “a big boost,” and writes:

This is very big news. The initial response, across the board, was that the Olson/Boies suit was a poorly planned, hastily arranged lawsuit by people outside of the “gay establishment” — including from those behind the smart and successful lawsuits brought repeatedly by the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)…

GLAD is notably absent [from the amici curiae brief], as is Freedom to Marry.

Is this a sign of a break in Gay, Inc., on the Olson/Boies suit?

Related:

Ted Olson on Our Side? We’re Suspicious.
May 28, 2009

ProtectMarriage.com: New Begging Letter Targets Prop 8 Challenge (Or: Why We Need to Starve This Beast)
May 29, 2009

Olson & Boies’ Filing to Overturn Prop 8
May 30, 2009

S.F. City Attorney Herrera Files Amicus Brief in Support of Federal Challenge to Proposition 8
June 19, 2009

Tweet This Post!

June 25, 2009

House Dorothys Dutifully Fork Over Cash, Presence at DNC Fundraiser

What shall we do about House Dororthys (and Dorothyettes) Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin, Joan Garry (who first struck me as utterly spineless when she was head of GLAAD in the early days of the “Stop Dr. Laura” campaign), and Jared Polis (who’s becoming quite the cojone-free party apologist; read the article, not merely the headline) — all of whom were slated to attend tonight’s Gay ATM Fundraiser for the backstabbing DNC?

(Andy Tobias has a plausible excuse; he’s the treasurer of the DNC. But — even though I’ve had casual contact with Andy over the years, and know him to be a good, earnest sort — he really needs to grow a set.)

Meanwhile, Queerty wants to know why the SLDN (Servicemembers Legal Defense Network) is attending, yet plans to march on the White House two days later. We’d like to know why, too.

There was indeed a protest, small but vocal, with a memorable warning-chant for the Democrats:

“We’ll remember in November…”

The Boston Herald has the story, and a very good photo gallery.

Related:

Obama’s Meaningless Memorandum = Desperate Attempt to Stop Johnstown Flood of Gay Dollars Flowing Away from DNC
June 16, 2009

More A-List Gays Boycott DNC Fundraiser, While Barney Frank Plays House Dorothy
June 18, 2009

Stampp Corbin: “I am boycotting the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council Democratic National Committee event honoring Vice President Biden to drive home my discontent.”
June 19, 2009

Howard Dean, All Is Forgiven (For Now)
June 24, 2009

Tweet This Post!

What Do You Do When An Employee’s Politics Hurt Your Business?

Very interesting article by Rieva Lesonsky at AllBusiness, which uses the specific example of Proposition 8 (and the transparency of political-donor information — which is as it should be) to illustrate “the consequences of speaking out versus alienating customers, vendors, suppliers, and the like”:

Now if you’re the owner of the business, you can weigh the possible outcomes and make your choice to speak up, contribute, or stay out of it, at least publicly. But what if it’s one of your employees who is involved? Or what if you’re a franchisor and one of you franchisees jumps in the fray? This is where it gets tricky. …

Tweet This Post!

Robin Tyler Takes on the Gay Establishment and the Dems

“We have no teeth, because we’ve never made the Democratic party pay for what they’ve done.”

Good, informative read: a thorough re-cap of the San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality’s (SAME) meeting June 23rd, at which Robin Tyler was the keynote speaker:

Tweet This Post!

Why Doesn’t the IRS Have Any Record of the National Organization for Marriage?

Fred Karger writes an open letter to Maggie Gallagher, announcing very interesting developments and findings:

Tweet This Post!

Place Your Bets: When Will Sapph Get Banned from Democratic Underground?

Don’t even ask me why I try. I think that the more good people are tombstoned, especially for the most idiotic reasons, the more compelled I feel to take up the gauntlet in their place.

In any case… Tonight, folks, may have been my flameout — and if it was, albeit unintended, I’ll wear it as a badge of honor.

Tweet This Post!

June 24, 2009

New York Senate Adjourns; No Marriage Vote

That’s all we know for now. Details to come.

Tweet This Post!

Howard Dean, All Is Forgiven (For Now)

Ben Smith says Howard Dean “is dropping out of tomorrow’s embattled LGBT fundraiser with Joe Biden in Washington, D.C.” — due to a “family commitment.”

Well, doesn’t everybody use the ol’ “family commitment” / “family matters” / “personal reasons” excuse?

Thank you, Dr. Dean.

Related:

Obama’s Meaningless Memorandum = Desperate Attempt to Stop Johnstown Flood of Gay Dollars Flowing Away from DNC
June 16, 2009

More A-List Gays Boycott DNC Fundraiser, While Barney Frank Plays House Dorothy
June 18, 2009

Stampp Corbin: “I am boycotting the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council Democratic National Committee event honoring Vice President Biden to drive home my discontent.”
June 19, 2009

Tweet This Post!