Recently in LGBT Issues Category

You have to click the image or link below to find out what the Giant Gay Repellent Umbrella is all about. No. It has nothing to do with The Umbrella Academy, Umbrella Corporation, Resident Evil, or My Chemical Romance.

Related articles:

• Avon teams with Resident Evil’s Umbrella Corp. for face cream? (joystiq.com)
• Umbrella Academy to Get Feature Film Adaptation (themovieblog.com)

Here’s a funny video about the latest conservative movements, 2M4M and tea bagging.

 

Related articles:

• The Tea Parties Were Hijacked? (andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com)
• Down The Memory Hole (andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com)
• Conservative Movement Enjoys Snack While Staying Snuggily Warm [Nightmares] (gawker.com)
• Them & Their Silly Tea Party (oliverwillis.com)
• Paterson To Introduce Gay Marriage Bill In New York (mydd.com)

This is one of my favorite parodies of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) TV ad. In case you’ve been under a rock for the past few days, the interwebs are teaming with these videos making fun of a ridiculous anti-gay commercial.

Related articles:

• Gay Marriage Will Make It Rain! (oliverwillis.com)

The blogosphere is buzzing about American Idol contestant Adam Lambert. He is being called the show’s “first openly gay” contestant and people are wonder whether or not Americans will vote for him.

Photos alleged to be of Lambert tongue-kissing another guy have been posted all over the Internet for the past few days. So far, the authenticity of the photos has not been established. But, many are wondering whether or not the the guy being kissed in the photos will turn up in the American Idol audience as a boyfriend or maybe even a husband. The rumor is that the guy is named Brad and that he and Lambert have been a couple for years.

Of course, Lambert isn’t the first gay contestant on American Idol. Clay Aiken finally came out of the closet after years of denials. And, the show has had several non-winning contestants who set off everyone’s gaydar. Remember Danny Noriega?

I think Lambert should just be himself. If he’s in a serious relationship, he should bring the guy on the show and introduce him to America — just like the straight contestants do. 

Related articles:

• Are You Excited For the New American Idol? (popsugar.com)
• Clay Aiken: Birth of Son Most Important Event of 2008 (idiomag.com)

You have to love CNN for featuring a drag queen being dropped in a giant red pump on New Year’s Eve. Kathy Griffin, Anderson Cooper, and Key West made this a truly gay New Year:

Related articles:

• Kathy Griffin Abuses Heckler With Oral Sex Reference: CNN goes upmarket in 2009
• Key West’s ruby shoe is coming down!
• Kathy Griffin is More Detrimental to Anderson Cooper’s Heterosexual Facade Than a Hundred Julio Cesar Recios

The following is my first attempt at shooting and editing video. It was taken last night at the Light Up the Night for Equality candlelight vigil and march here in Monterey. Please forgive the camera work. I still haven’t figured out how to zoom and pan.

I just saw Milk last night and while it was an excellent motion picture, there were a couple of elements that bothered me.

First, it wasn’t as historically accurate as the reviews and news reports have led people to believe. The personal relationship between Milk and Dan White is trivialized and distorted. And, the film didn’t feature many key figures such as Dianne Feinstein. As president of the Board of Supervisors, Feinstein had a major role in the interactions between Milk and White and she wasn’t even in the movie — except in a brief archival news clip. (Feinstein was the person who actually discovered Milk’s body.)

Here’s an excerpt from a recent interview with Feinstein:

At the time, Feinstein was president of the Board of Supervisors and a confidante of Dan White, the ex-supervisor who quit his seat only to want it back. Moscone had plans to appoint someone else and told Feinstein the morning of the slayings. She tried to track down White to explain the decision. She never got the chance. She was sitting at her desk at City Hall and tried speaking to White as he walked by. She did not know that he had just shot and killed the mayor.

“I saw him come in. I said, ‘Dan, can I talk to you?’ And he went by, and I heard the door close, and I heard the shots and smelled the cordite, and I came out of my office. Dan went right by me. Nobody was around, every door was closed.

“I went down the hall. I opened the wrong door. I opened (Milk’s) door. I found Harvey on his stomach. I tried to get a pulse and put my finger through a bullet hole. He was clearly dead. I remember it, actually, as if it was yesterday. And it was one of the hardest moments, if not the hardest moment, of my life,” Feinstein said Tuesday. “It was a devastating moment. For San Francisco, it was a day of infamy.”

[…]

Feinstein described Milk as larger than life, a breakthrough politician and a true leader of the burgeoning gay rights movement. She said White hunted Milk down not because he was homophobic but because he had considered Milk a friend who betrayed him for not helping persuade Moscone to reappoint him. Feinstein said Milk and White, both elected under a new system of district elections, met weekly for coffee in the Castro.

http://insidesocal.com/outinhollywood/2008/11/dianne-feinstein-recalls-the-d.html

That’s right. According to Feinstein, Milk and White had weekly meetings and were really more like friends than moral enemies. Perhaps this is why Feinstein isn’t in the film. Her accounts don’t jive with the mythology that the filmmakers wanted to use. That’s too bad. The truth would have been much more interesting. 

Second, I think the sex scenes featuring Milk were inappropriate and detracted from the plot. Imagine going to see a film about Martin Luther King and seeing King’s bare bottom as he made love to Coretta! Why is it okay to make Milk’s sex life a major part of the film? Is it simply because he’s gay and gay people are viewed as slaves to our sexuality?

I find the film’s focus on Milk’s sex life to be insulting. The screen time used for gratuitous male sex could have been used to explain some of the political issues that were glossed over in the film.

Milk could have been a great film. Unfortunately, in a few decades it will been seen as one of a series of films that uses same-sex relationships as an opportunity to create controversial and inappropriate sex scenes.

No one would make a film about a straight leader and include a scene showing him making love to his wife. I think gay leaders deserve the same level of respect. I look forward to the day when gay and lesbian leaders aren’t sexualized by those who make films and TV shows.

For those of you who think I may be too sensitive regarding this issue, let me end with a couple more examples of scenes you didn’t see in other important films about political leaders:

Gandhi (1982)
Ben Kingsley portrays Mahatma Gandhi. In the opening scene, Gandhi awakes in his first class train compartment in South Africa and begins to masturbate as he dreams of a beautiful Indian woman dancing in the nude. He is thrown off the train when the conductor catches him pleasuring himself.

Kennedy (1983)
Martin Sheen portrays John F. Kennedy. In the opening scene, Kennedy is sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, his eyes are closed and he begins moaning loudly. Then, a nude Marilyn Monroe crawls from underneath the desk and wipes her mouth. She puts on a white mink coat and whispers, “See you tomorrow, Jack!” 

The more I fume about Obama’s selection of an anti-gay bigot to give the invocation at his inaugural, the more I regret voting for him. Check out the latest on Warren’s outrageous and ignorant views on homosexuality in the clip from The Rachel Maddow Show.

In an article on The Blend today, Autumn Sandeen asked the question, “How diverse should a call be for a “gay contingent” in the Inaugural Parade?”

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised that the comments for this topic strayed into the issue of “appropriate” dress for the LGBT people who may attend the event. I guess I didn’t want to dwell on the fact that many gay and lesbian people are just as prejudiced against those who express their gender differently as the religious right.

Reading many of the comments reminded me of one of my favorite Star Trek episodes, The Return of the Archons. In this particular episode, Kirk and his crew beam down to a planet where the thoughts of the population are controlled by something named Landru. Those who aren’t under Landru’s control are confronted by men in hooded robes, zapped by a staff and taken away to be absorbed into “the Body.”

When someone with free will was discovered on the planet, the guys in the robes would come for him saying, “You will be absorbed.” Then, the person would be zapped and return a blissful conformist.

Unfortunately, the LGBT community seems to have our own version of Landru. Those of us who don’t conform to “normal” styles of dress are pressured to assimilate, rather than harm “the Cause.” It is most common for our version of the hooded goons to focus their displeasure on gay men who wear leather and those who they consider to be “too flamboyant.”

Something that I’ve read several times on the various blogs I visit since the passage of Prop. 8 is “Where are our gay and lesbian leaders?” It seems that people are looking for their “own Martin Luther King” or a “new Harvey Milk“ to step forward and inspire a movement.

However, is that really what we need? Perhaps it is better to have leaders who work hard within our local and state governments to bring about the small yet important legistative changes we need.

A few weeks ago, Cliff and I attended an ACLU awards luncheon given in honor of California State Assembly member John Laird for his service to the LGBT community. We had the pleasure of hearing Laird speak about what it has been like to be one of a few openly gay elected representatives in state government thoughout the United States. He also spoke about the impressive amount of work he has done in Sacramento over the last six years.

Laird has been credited for authoring 82 bills that have been signed into law. Many of those laws had to do with equal rights protections. Laird is responsible for updating all of the old state laws regarding discrimination to include sexual orientation. He also made it possible to update all of the laws at once when new groups are given protected status in the future.

Today’s Salinas Caifornian has an article about Laird and his accomplishments:

For Laird, a time to reflect
Santa Cruz lawmaker leaves Assembly after six years

By JAKE HENSHAW • The Salinas Californian Capitol Bureau • November 29, 2008

SACRAMENTO - It’s been a busy - and funny - six years for John Laird in Sacramento, even for a man who arrived after more than 20 years in the rough and tumble world of Central Coast politics.

Assemblyman Laird plunged quickly into the turbulent life of the Capitol, introducing bills on issues from water and the environment to Monterey County housing and a Fort Ord veteran’s cemetery before his seat was termed out this year.

It hardly stood out that he was one of the first two openly gay men elected to the Legislature. But Laird, a Democrat from Santa Cruz, did launch a successful campaign to enact a series of bills aimed at more broadly protecting gays and others from discrimination. 

Continue reading… 

Laird isn’t the type of leader that people are likely to worship and admire like a Martin Luther King or a Harvey Milk. He’s simply a man who works hard to get things done and can inspire others to do the same.

I suggest that instead of waiting for a leader with a magnetic personality and the power to motivate millions, we all look for those among us who are capable of creating change — however, slow and unglamorous that may appear.

Related articles:

• Gay icon yields lessons after 30 years
• Steven Petrow: Does the long arc of history bend toward justice? Just look at last week’s gay-bashing at the polls

One of the strongest arguments that I gave against Prop. 8 was that it opens the door to discrimination against other minority groups. Today, I read this Reuters article that seems to suggest that other minorities have just realized that they could be next.

All I have to say is, “No shit, Sherlock!”

Minorities fear trend from California gay marriage ban

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California’s gay marriage ban could open the door to legal discrimination against unpopular groups if the state Supreme Court allows the voter-approved measure to stand, blacks, Latinos, Asians and other minorities said.

The November 4 vote, supporting an end to legal same-sex marriage in the most populous U.S. state, has caused a nationwide furor as opponents of the measure decry what they consider a civil rights violation.

[…]

Legal scholars say the measure, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, breaks new ground by limiting the courts’ ability to protect minorities.

“They could take away any right from any group,” said University of Southern California Law Professor David Cruz, who filed a brief in favor of gay marriage in an earlier case.

More…

Welcome to the Prop. 8 era, when civil rights of a minority are put up to a vote. This is a sad and shameful time in history.

About 5,000 people participated in the Prop. 8 protest in Sacramento on Saturday. I wasn’t able to make the drive up there and missed this very funny — and NSFW — performance by the brilliant Margaret Cho.

http://whiteknot.org

This is clever. Like the red AIDS ribbon, the “white knot” is a symbol that the supporters of marriage equality can wear on their clothing.

How to make your white knot  

1. Start with a 6 inch piece of white ribbon. Widths between 3/4 inch and 1 inch work best.
2. Tie a double knot in the center of the ribbon. Pulling the first knot tight will line up the ends of the ribbon nicely.
3. Cut triangles into the ends of the ribbon. This will help prevent fraying.
4. Pin it on and you’re good to go.  

Last year, I was speaking to my ex-boyfriend, Sean, on the phone and he told me that he was going to be appearing as George Washington in a music video by singer/songwriter Jay Spears. He explained that the video was about the separation of church and state and titled Smak Dem Christians Down.

Well, Sean made an excellent Washington. Also appearing in the video are Brad Hall (actor and husband of Julia Louis-Dreyface) as Thomas Jefferson and actor Richard Riehle as a hypocritical Christian preacher.

The video has received over 48,000 views on YouTube and a 5-star rating. But, I don’t think that’s nearly enough views for a video with such a timely message — besides, it is HILARIOUS!

Check it out! Post it on your blogs!

Join the National Protest Against Prop. 8 on Saturday, November 15! 

Find an event near you: http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/

I’ve had to disable comments and trackbacks here at On the Fritz due to harrassment by fundamentalist Christians.

This harrassment was brought on by an inflammatory article posted on an extreme right wing fundamentalist Web site called World Net Daily:

“Gays” Call for Violence Against Christian Supporters of Prop 8

Lynchburg, VA - In a stunning reaction to the passage of state constitutional marriage protection amendments in California, Arizona and Florida, several self identified homosexuals on a number of homosexual blogs are advocating violence against Christians and other supporters of traditional marriage. Additionally, some homosexuals are calling for church burnings in response to yesterday’s three state referenda in defense of natural marriage…

The article lists a couple of blogs that I visit and comment on regularly. These blogs have been attacked by “Christian” trolls since the article appeared online. The primary target appears to be Joe.My.God.

Christianist Troll Avalanche

Yesterday’s story in WingNutDaily has brought us an avalanche of haters from God’s Gentle People. I’m letting most of their comments stand, as you folks tend to deal with them quite well…

A few days ago, I was shopping at Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH). I had to buy a couple of fluorescent lights for my kitchen.

As I approached the cash register, I observed that the middle age male cashier was having a conversation with the young guy at the customer service counter.

It went something like this:

Customer Service Guy: Hey, what do you think of my hair?

Cashier: I’m not going to look at your hair!

Customer Service Guy: What?

Cashier: I don’t look at other guys’ hair. I’m not from San Francisco.

Customer Service Guy: Huh?

Cashier: I said I’m not from San Francisco.

This is when I spoke up.

Me: Be careful now. Some of us are.

Cashier: Oh! I didn’t mean…

Me: I know what you meant. Just be careful about that kind of thing. Okay?

Cashier: Uh, I…I was just teasing…

Me: (Smiling) I get it.

Cashier: (Chuckles nervously) Man, don’t get mad. You’re a lot bigger than me.

Me: Yeah, I guess I am. 

He fumbled though the check out, trying hard not to look me in the eye.

Cashier: Thanks and have a good day.

Then, he handed me the receipt and held out a pumpkin-shaped candy bowl that was full of Hershey’s Kisses and offered me one.

Me: Thanks. I always enjoy getting kisses from strange men.

Cashier: (Laughs) I guess I deserved that.

Me: Yes. You did.

Blue and gold are the official colors of California. Blue represents the sky and gold the color of the precious metal found by 49’rs in the state’s hills the same year California’s first constitution was written.

Therefore, I think it is ironic that the colors of opposing political banners were printed in those same colors — No on Prop. 8 in blue and Yes on Prop. 8 in gold. Rather than symbolizing unity and the progressive spirit of California, our state colors clashed in a battle of equality versus oppression.

I’ve just returned from Salinas, California where several churches held a “Traditional Family Values” parade. I estimate that about 200 people showed up to show their support for No on Prop. 8. We gathered at the Cherry Bean coffee place on Main Street and met with No on Prop. 8 organizers, who handed out signs and instructed us on what to do.

Many of us divided into teams and lined the first block of the parade route. I was impressed that we lined both sides of the street for the entire block. I went with my camera and got some great photos. So,  think I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking in describing what went down.

Here’s me with my camera (just so you know who your narrator is).

When we arrived at the Cherry Bean coffee place, there was already a nice sized group gathering for the “Silent Witness” event organized by the No on 8 campaign.

In spite of my prayers for rain, it was a beautiful day for a parade.

I noticed that the parade was setting up just down the street. Here’s a photo of the rock band that played on a flatbed truck. (I thought rock and roll was the devil’s music.)

On Sunday, opponents of equal rights for LGBT people will be having a parade in downtown Salinas, California.

The parade was organized in protest to the 2nd annual Gay Pride parade that was held on August 10th. Several local churches attempted to prevent the parade from taking place by protesting at a city council meeting.

Opposition to Gay Pride Parade

SALINAS, Calif.- The Salinas Valley Gay Pride Parade is scheduled to march through Old Town Salinas August 10th. The 2nd annual celebration is drawing strong opposition from the religious community.

Several pastors and reverends on central coast spoke at Salinas City Hall Tuesday. They asked that council members think twice about the implication a gay pride parade can have.

Reverend Chauncey Killens is leading the opposition with compassion. While he plans to protest the parade, Killens says, “We don’t want them to think we hate them, nor have we ever.”

Lisa Schramm, Board President for Salinas Valley Pride says having a parade in Salinas represents progress in the area. She adds, “Maybe just one day out of the year, they can come out and not be afraid and enjoy themselves.”

The controversial topic was not up for a vote, and council members made no decision to pull the parade permit. The celebration kicks off Sunday, August 10th at 2:00pm.

Here’s what the Freepers had to say about this story:

“Maybe just one day out of the year, they can come out and not be afraid and enjoy themselves.”

Yeah, they’re scared to death alright. Gay men don’t act more feminine than any woman could ever pretend do and they’re not “enjoying themselves” in bath houses and gay bars all over the country and Europe. They live in fear I’ll tell ya.

—————————————

All ya gotta do is let ‘em march and go watch.

Every adult ought to see one in person.

It’ll educate you.

—————————————

Who’s got that picture of the guys out in front of SF City Hall all dressed as “bikers?”

—————————————

It still boggles my mind that people can use sexual orientation as a reason to be proud.

—————————————

Hey! That`s not fair!

What about us beastialists!? Huh? Eh?

Come one,we want to come outta the closet too

Do those comments represent “traditional family values”? Is this what these people teach their children?

Here’s video of a news story about the local churches trying to get the Gay Pride parade shut down at that city council meeting:

My online friend, elite blogger Pam Spaulding of Pam’s House Blend, is featured in this video about National Coming Out Day.

Coming out to family, friends, and coworkers is never easy. I was lucky. I never really had to come out. My biggest problem was accepting my own sexual orientation. My family and friends have always been supportive. My twin brother has been a blessing. My mom was always there for me, too.

Unfortunately, that’s often not the case. Many people live their entire lives in the closet. Some go to extreme measures to hide who they really are.

All I have to say is, “Thanks, brother, for loving me just the way God made me.” 

Check out this news story about four firefighters in San Diego who claim that they were traumatized when the city ordered them to work during a Gay Pride event.

I think that anyone who can’t handle dealing with gay people or any other minority group shouldn’t be working as a firefighter. How can they serve the public when they’re afraid of a group of LGBT citizens?

Testimony Ends in Firemen’s Trial Over Gay Pride Trauma

Last Update: 9/29 5:53 pm    

SAN DIEGO - Testimony ended Monday in a civil trial stemming from a lawsuit brought against the city by four San Diego firefighters, who claim they were ordered to participate in the 2007 gay pride parade and suffered emotional problems as a result.

Capt. John Ghiotto and firefighters Jason Hewitt, Alex Kane and Chad Allison claim they were called names and subjected to other harassment by scantily-clad parade attendees.

The firefighters, who manned a station in the Hillcrest neighborhood where the parade took place, were ordered to take part when another crew had to back out the night before the event.

More…

It is likely that these assholes simply saw this as an opportunity to get rich. I hope the lose the case and their jobs. What a bunch of wimps! 

The 25th annual Folsom Street Fair will be taking place in S.F. this weekend. It has always had a reputation for displays of public nudity, overt sexuality, and outrageous behavior. It has become a S.F. tradition that draws visitors from all over the world.

Unfortunately, it also draws a collection of religious fundamentalists who want the world to believe that all LGBT people participate in this kind of thing (I’ve never attended). Pam’s House Blend has the scoop on a group called Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality:

The Peter and his Folsom fundie crew head to San Francisco
by: Pam Spaulding
Wed Sep 24, 2008 at 12:00:00 PM EDT

It must be fundraising time for The Peter.

Calling all San Francisco Blenders — the man who specializes in advanced study of kink from the “Christian” perspective, Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality, will spend the weekend in your city to “expose” the Folsom Street Fair.

The Peter will have two of the leading lights of the far right homo-obsessive movement in tow, Linda Harvey of Mission[ary Position] America, and Diane Gramley of the Pennsylvania chapter of the quickly fossilizing American Family Association.

More…

You know, this practice of “exposing” what goes on at the Folsom Street Fair could backfire on these wackos. I’m thinking about a series of ads urging people to vote no on CA Prop. 8.