Pride Guide 2007

More than just a listing of US pride festivals for 2007, it's an interactive, ajaxified version -- pretty cool. Find information about US gay pride parades easily and quickly. Very nicely done!

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"Heroes" writer explains why they cut the gay character

Yes, people still believe that playing a gay character harms your career... "The actor [Thomas Dekker]'s, manager threatened to pull him from the show because he was up for the John Carter role in The Sarah Connor Chronicles and she didn't want him playing a gay character because it might affect FOX's interest in hiring him. It got really ugly."

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Official Vatican Statement: "Gay Marriage Evil, Abortion Terrorism"

The Vatican's second-highest ranking doctrinal official Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on Monday forcefully branded homosexual marriage an evil and denounced abortion and euthanasia as forms of "terrorism with a human face."

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Seattle's gay-pride parade in jeopardy

Organizers are now facing at least $102,000 in debt after moving the festival to Seattle Center and the parade to Fourth Avenue last year.

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The Bears Documentary

You knew it had to happen eventually, right? The Bears Documentary! I sent them a message and asked them to submit to the 2007 Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. I'm looking forward to seeing it in the August/September time frame.

Why do Straight People Hate Gay People? A response.

Hate is a strong word, of course, but it's meant to grab your attention. It's an interesting op-ed piece.

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Gay Sheep Manifest High Rates of Teh Gay

From the Hartford Advocate:

It's a deeply serious world, and there is a lot to be concerned about at the moment, but having said that, apparently 10 percent of sheep are gay.

By the way... When did it become the Hartford Advocate instead of just Advocate? Whatever.

We do seem to be entering an epoch for which there is no precedent. We are going to be able to impose our moral and aesthetic ideas about how we ought to be onto our genetic makeup. We may be able to literally make ourselves in our own image for the first time, and the problem is that our own image is narcissistic and small-minded. Hitler and the Nazis tried to do this with their eugenics experiments, to see if they could create a blue-eyed blonde-haired master race.

Anyway, this is kind of an old story that is projected in a new light. Sort of. Not really. HAVE FUN WITH IT KIDS!

Gay Rights Bill Passes in Oregon

SALEM, Ore. — Same-sex couples would receive the same benefits as married couples, and gays and lesbians would be protected against discrimination under bills approved Tuesday by the Oregon House.

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Extremely controversial anti-gay billboard in Omaha [SHOCKING]

This is your typical Ex-Gay bullshit, but this time it's glorified in the best way America knows how to do it: as an advertisement on a public billboard.

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Hyatt in downtown Phoenix

Skin dress!

Arizona

snow patrol - chasing cars

Happy Chocolate Egg-Laying Bunny Day

Here's a little bit of Easter humor for you.

Proposed repeal of 1913 law could lure gay couples to Mass.

This would essentially open up gay marriage in the entire nation. Read more at the Boston Globe:

BOSTON --Gay couples from across the country could be getting the green light to marry in Massachusetts after three of the state's top political leaders said they support repealing a 94-year-old law that has blocked the practice.

While gay couples living in Massachusetts have been free to marry since 2004, following a ruling by the state Supreme Judicial Court, couples from other states have been barred from tying the knot here.

Disney opens Fairy Tale Wedding service to gay couples

Okay. Come on. Disney. This is the core of "American Family Values." Every child in America was raised by Disney. If Disney approves of the homos ... THEN SO SHOULD THE UNITED STATES FUCKING GOVENRNMENT. Sorry about the tone, but ... don'tchathink?

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Walt Disney Co. has changed its popular Fairy Tale Wedding program to allow for commitment ceremonies between same-sex couples.

Disney had previously limited access to the program to couples with a valid marriage license.

The company said it will now include ceremonies for gay couples at its parks and cruise line after being contacted by a gay couple that wanted to participate in the program.

"Out" Ranks the Top 50 Gays

Why the hell wouldn't Anderson Cooper or Jodie Foster appear on the cover? And when did Jodie Foster come out? I knew there were rumors, but I must have missed the memo. More at New York Magazine:

When New York did a "Gay Life Now" issue in 2001, only seven of the forty prominent New York gays asked to pose for the cover were willing. Those big shots may have been gay, and they may have been out, but it just wouldn't do for them to be gay and out on the cover of a magazine. "There was a time when the closet was a necessary safe haven," our pal Maer Roshan, who edited the issue, wrote in an angry 2,000-word essay. "But now, it exists as an anachronistic monument to shame. It's time for our public figures to stop hiding in there — and for journalists to stop helping them." Six years and a month later, maybe at least that second part has come true. Here's a first glimpse at the cover of Out magazine's "50 Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America" issue. (Click here for a larger image.) Those are models holding Jodie Foster and Anderson Cooper masks on the cover. Neither, of course, would appear themselves.

Gay Marriage Ban Suffers Defeat in Indiana

In some states, the legislature is fighting to keep civil unions out. In other states, they're fighting to keep discriminatory marriage in.

From Towleroad:

A tied (5-5) vote in the House Rules and Legislative Procedure Committee effectively killed the proposed amendment banning gay marriage in Indiana for what could be a year. Five Democrats opposed the amendment, with four Republicans supporting it. They were joined by one Democrat.

No Domestic Partnerships in New Mexico, and Thankfully, no DOMA

I got this from EqualityNM's mailing list. Please consider joining this list, or check out Equality New Mexico's website.

Unfortunately, it's official. Both the House and Senate have adjourned sine die ending the Special Session without the Senate ever hearing the Domestic Partnership Bill. Because of the timing of the Special Session, too many of our allies were out of town, and moving forward in the Senate would have been counterproductive. There was briefly some talk of the Senate returning mid April to conduct the rest of the business on the Governor's agenda, but they instead determined that a final adjournment was in order.

So, the fight is over for now. However, we made tremendous strides forward this year. We passed full Domestic Partner legislation through the House THREE times, and lost by only ONE vote in the Senate. Two years ago, similar legislation only made it past one committee.

Additionally, we were once again able to keep New Mexico DOMA free. We defeated two DOMAs in committees in the House, killed one DOMA in committee in the Senate and defeated an amendment of a DOMA to our Domestic Partner Bill on the House Floor.

A Chubby Young Cub Shaking His Booty on YouTube

Here is a fun video of a Chubby Young Cub's Ass on YouTube. I didn't think they allowed such things? Oh well, I guess butts are safe. Most likely NSFW.

New Mexico Holocaust & Intolerance Museum Nazi Homosexual Persecution Exhibit Will Open

I assume this is a press release. We will be attending this, and you should too regardless whether you are gay or not.

Albuquerque, NM. - On April 29, the New Mexico Holocaust & Intolerance Museum opens the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's traveling exhibition, Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945. During World War II, thousands of homosexuals, primarily gay men, perished at the hands of the Nazis in concentration camps, along with six million Jews and five million other victims who included Roma (Gypsies), Poles, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the handicapped.

The exhibition will run through June 16 at the New Mexico Holocaust & Intolerance Museum's Albuquerque headquarters, 415 Central Avenue Northwest, next to the KiMo Theatre.

The exhibition contains 28 panels depicting the Nazi ideology of persecution of homosexuals, drawing on materials from more than 40 archives in eight countries. "The exhibition explores why homosexual behavior was identified as a danger to Nazi society and how the Nazi regime attempted to eliminate it," says curator Edward Phillips. "The Nazis believed it was possible to 'cure' homosexual behavior through labor and 're-education.' As their efforts to eradicate homosexuality grew more draconian, gay men were subjected to castration, institutionalization and deportation to concentration camps."

Between 1933 and 1945, an estimated 100,000 men were arrested for violating Germany's law against homosexuality and about 50,000 received sentences. Most spent time in regular prisons. An estimated 5, 000 to 15,000 were sent to concentration camps where an unknown number of them perished.

Jerry Small, chair of the local organizing committee, says that the exhibition features a painting by Howard Cooper titled, IN HONOR OF THE ANCESTORS - IN PRAISE OF THE TRIBE, an artistic homage to the outstanding contribution homosexual, bisexual and transgender people have made to humanity throughout history, up to and including the present day. The painting, which will be shown to the public for the first time, measures 70" x 70", and the medium is spray enamel on canvas. "In honoring and praising these men and women and their contribution, we participate positively in the continuing quest for equal rights for all homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people," Small adds.

The exhibit's sponsors are Albuquerque Pride, KUNM-FM, albuquerqueARTS, New Mexico Voice, The Alibi, PFLAG New Mexico and Equality New Mexico.

Details:

The exhibition will run through June 16 at 415 Central NW, next to the KiMo Theatre. The Museum will be open from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.The New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum is a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico. The Museum will pay for bus transportation from public schools in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. A teacher's guide will be provided to anyone bringing a school group. Middle or high school teachers can call 247-0606 to schedule a visit.

California Supreme Court Receives Same-Sex Marriage Briefs

In my home state (New Mexico), our homophobic Senate refused to pass a civil-union bill. Yet, over in California where the leaders have more balls than to stall a bill to death, the law is going to say who gets to royally fuck whom over in divorce court.

From Towleroad:

On Monday, legal briefs challenging California's ban on same-sex marriage were presented by the city and county of San Francisco, 15 same-sex couples, Equality California, and Our Family Coalition (represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU) to the state's Supreme Court.

Massachusetts Gov. Patrick Orders 26 Gay Marriages Recorded

I recently learned about "anti-miscegenation" (from Latin miscere - "to mix" - not "misogynation") laws and got some new and interesting perspectives on why gay marriage is not yet nationalized. This may help it along.

From Towleroad:

Reversing an order by former Governor Mitt Romney that blocked the state from officially recording 26 gay marriages by out-of-state couples, Governor Deval Patrick has told the Department of Public Health to put them on the books.

...

Patrick's decision was criticized by Romney's spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom: "It was Governor Romney's enforcement of this law that stopped gay marriage from being visited on every other state in the country. Now that Governor Romney is out of office, we are seeing an erosion of the previously strong defense of traditional marriage coming out of the executive branch."

A 1913 law prohibits out of state couples from marrying in Massachusetts if the couple's home state does not recognize the union as legal. In February, Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch issued a directive indicating that same-sex marriages made in Massachusetts would be recognized in that state.

Study: Gay teens at triple the bullying risk

There is someone I know who is interested in bullying of gay kids. Ergo, this interests me.

From Gay.com:

Gay and lesbian teens are three to four times more likely to be bullied than straight teens, according to a new study from Children's Hospital Boston.

Rome Alone

I don't normally syndicate smut (for my dear readers's protection, both of you), but this is great Italian "reality" smut. NSFW. From the WoW Report:

...Rudy Valente, a fierce young Italian with a well-deserved fan club, who is one of the houseguests on Vita Spiate, a Big Brother-style reality show in Italy. If the US version of BB had uncensored scenes of male bonding in the showers, it would blow American Idol off the charts. Frank at OMG blog, bless him, is not shy about posting totally nude, totally NSFW moments between Rudy and housemate Andrea and between Rudy and his, er, best friend, so we'll send you there.

Ex-Gays are not alone: Now we have Ex-Lesbians -- Please excuse me while I barf in this basin over here

Charlene E. Cothran, 48, runs a quarterly magazine named after her homosexual friend, Venus. For 13 years, the periodical has targeted black gays and lesbians and grew to a circulation of over 38,000 across the nation.The announcement was made on the cover story of Venus entitled "Redeemed! 10 Ways to Get Out of the
Gay Life If You Want Out."

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