A Passionate Call of Why Health Care Reform is So Needed

I am a strong proponent of a major reform of the health care system in this country. It is nothing short of a travesty that the USA cannot provide some basic health care for all its citizens when most of the rest of the industrialized countries in the world already do so - and often far more economically than the system in this country which is run for the benefit of big pharmaceutical companies and big health insurance companies that frequently make obscene profits and literally condemn many to death by refusing life saving procedures. Tonight, Keith Olbermann made the case for why a major reform is needed - indeed, it is immoral not to do so. Here's a video of some of Keith's comments:

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Montana Justice: Discrimination Against Gays "A Prevalent Societal Cancer Grounded In Bigotry and Hate"

In a well reason, but nonetheless surprising ruling in some ways, the Montana Supreme Court in a 6-1 majority ruling upheld a lower court ruling giving parental rights to a Missoula woman who had been in a 10-year lesbian relationship that included two children legally adopted by the other woman in the partnership. The other woman had left the relationship and married a man, and did not want to grant parental rights to her former lesbian partner. The court ruled that the former partner has a "parental interest" in the children and a right to joint custody. This decision in a "red state" shows that at least some in the judiciary - sadly not in Virginia - are waking up to the fact that LGBT Americans are fully human and entitled to the SAME rights as all other citizens. What is even more amazing is that one justice, James Nelson (pictured above), used his concurring opinion to declare in most uncertain terms what a blight homophobia is on society. Here are highlights from the Missoulian:

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In his specially concurring decision, Nelson denounced discrimination against gays and lesbians as "bigotry" and called it "a prevalent societal cancer grounded in bigotry and hate." "I remain absolutely convinced ... that homosexuals are entitled to enjoy precisely the same civil and natural rights as heterosexuals, as a matter of constitutional law," he wrote.

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Nelson said the case shows that until the courts recognize homosexuals as "equal participants with heterosexuals in our society ... with exactly the same civil and natural rights, lesbian and gay citizens will continue to suffer homophobic discrimination." "Regrettably, this sort of discrimination is both socially acceptable and politically popular," he wrote.

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"Sadly, this case represents yet another instance in which fellow Montanans, who happen to be lesbian or gay, are forced to battle for their fundamental rights to love who they want, to form intimate associations, to form family relationships, and to have and raise children - all elemental, natural rights that are accorded, presumptively and without thought or hesitation, to heterosexuals," Nelson wrote.

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Nelson's comments brought a rebuke from Jeff Laszloffy, president of the Montana Family Foundation, a socially conservative organization that filed legal comments in the case on behalf of the adoptive parent of the two children.8

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Kudos to Justice Nelson. Would that there were more judges and justices on the bench who as clearly understood that equal protection under the law means EQUAL rights and protections. Leave it to the Christo-fascists at an affiliate of Daddy Dobson's foul Focus on the Family to attack Justice Nelson for calling the group and its members what they really are: bigots.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

FRC's Tony Perkins and White Supremacy

All too often the the lazy, mindless MSM provides a platform for anti-gay extremists without ever bothering to do a little homework on who exactly they are basically promoting on their shows/networks. Tony Perkins of Family Research Council is a case in point. The guy is a nasty piece of work if there ever was one. Moreover, his racism and white supremacist mind set is actually fairly typical of the latent white supremacist at work at many of the "family values" Christian Right organizations. These organizations hate gays, blacks, immigrants and non-Christians and have nothing but contempt for the Constitution and the right to freedom of religion of other citizens. Yet, the MSM time and time again allows Perkins and bigots like him speak as if he was a legitimate spokesman for main stream organizations. Frankly, other than perhaps Faux News, no legitimate news outlet ought to allow Perkins and those like him on the air. Here are some highlights from Pam's House Blend that show the real face of Perkins and similar false Christians:

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The MSM puts Family Research Council honcho Tony Perkins on the air to represent the "family values" agenda, but seem to ignore his outlandish racist affiliations documented in this diary, including ties to the Council of Conservative Citizens, declared a hate group by the SPLC, and the KKK. More background, via Media Matters:.

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Indeed, a Fall 2004 article in the SPLC's Intelligence Report asserted that Perkins "spoke to the Louisiana Council of Conservative Citizens on May 19, 2001," during his tenure as a Louisiana state legislator. The SPLC characterizes the CCC as a "white nationalist" organization, and has reported that the group is "the reincarnation of the racist White Citizens Councils of the 1950s and 1960s." The CCC declares in its statement of principles:

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We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people through so-called "affirmative action" and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races.

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In 1998, nearly three years before Perkins spoke to the CCC a second time, both Sen. Trent Lott and Rep. Bob Barr received widespread national media attention (and outrage) for speaking in front of the CCC—and both politicians used the “I-didn’t-know-their-politics” copout. The national tumult over Lott and Barr that year even prompted US Rep. Thomas Wexler to sponsor a House Resolution condemning the racism of the CCC.

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The next time readers see Perkins pontificating anti-gay bullshit, I hope each of you will take the time to call or e-mail the network providing this bigot a platform and confront them with Perkins' past and demand that they run an apology/correction to viewers explaining their error in broadcasting Perkins and his vile message of bigotry.

Who Said It? Bob McDonnell or Pat Robertson?

Blue Virginia has a great post that looks at the attitudes of Bob McDonnell in comparison with those of Pat Robertson. What one finds is that the reactionary, anti-freedom of religion attitude of Robertson is synonymous more or less with the views of McDonnell. Does Virginia really need a raging theocrat as governor? I do not think so. Here is the Blue Virginia post in its entirety as well as the answers:

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Can you tell who said the following? Was it Pat Robertson or Bob McDonnell?

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Separation of Church and State

(1) "There is no such thing as separation of church and state in the Constitution. It is a lie of the Left and we are not going to take it anymore."

(2) "Leaders must correct the conventional folklore about the separation of church and state."

BONUS: "I don't know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God." ~ George Bush

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Women

(3) "Further expenditures would be used to subsidize a dynamic new trend of working women and feminists that is ultimately detrimental to the family"

(4) "The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians."

(5) "I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period."

(6) "It is not a surprising attack by liberals who measure equality [between men and women] on a factual economic basis"

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Feminists

(7) "(feminists are the) real enemies of the traditional family."

(8) "The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians."

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Education

(9) "We're going to bring back God and the Bible and drive the gods of secular humanism right out of the public schools of America."

(10) “The state government has a legitimate role to ensure that family members are educated and socialized in order to operate at a minimum level of self-sufficiency”

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As for who made the above statements, the answers are as follows:

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(1) Pat Robertson(2) Bob McDonnell(3) Bob McDonnell(4) Pat Robertson(5) Pat Robertson(6) Bob McDonnell(7)Bob McDonnell(8)Pat Robertson(9)Pat Robertson(10)Bob McDonnell

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This is NOT what Virginia needs to move it forward. Taliban Bob's claims that he's a moderate are merely well orchestrated lies.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Wrongdoer in Bahrain Hazing Case Yet to be Disciplined

The Virginian Pilot has a story today on the ongoing saga of the Navy's mishandling of the hazing and abuse that occurred in a dog-handling unit in Bahrain which led to a suicide and the dismissal of a gay sailor traumatized by the experience. Such bungling and/or cover up is frankly not a surprise for those of us living close to the military. Making the entire matter worse is that the ring leader of the abuse has been promoted and has so far escaped any consequences for his grotesque conduct. Instead, a subordinate, Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Valdivia (pictured at left), was initially set up to take the fall and she finally committed suicide. It's ironic that the Navy brass has time to initiate witch hunts for gays service members but no time to investigate and discharge the real bad apples who do far more to destroy unit morale and cohesiveness. In my opinion, Chief Petty Officer Michael Toussaint, who served as head of the unit, should have been court martialed and sent to prison rather than promoted. Here are some story highlights:

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As the Navy takes a fresh look at allegations of widespread hazing in a dog-handling unit in Bahrain, evidence is emerging that some lower-ranking sailors felt scapegoated for abusive behavior that allegedly was masterminded by the man in charge of the unit. One of those sailors, Petty Officer 1st Class Jennifer Valdivia, committed suicide shortly after an initial investigation of the abuses was completed in 2007. She had been the unit's second in command.

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Another member of the unit, Petty Officer 3rd Class Jake Wilburn, was ultimately booted out of the Navy with a dishonorable discharge after a fellow sailor, Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Rocha, complained of systematic harassment. Rocha later left the Navy and gave up an appointment to the Naval Academy after telling a commanding officer in 2007 that he was gay and suffering from post-traumatic stress brought on by the abuse.

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A Navy investigation eventually turned up more than 90 instances of abuse in the unit, including sailors being force-fed dog treats, locked into a kennel and ordered to simulate oral sex. . . . . Wilburn, Rocha and another sailor, Petty Officer 1st Class Shaun Hogan, all say the ringleader of the abuse was Chief Petty Officer Michael Toussaint, who served as head of the unit. Toussaint has since been promoted to senior chief and is now assigned to Oceana Naval Air Station's Dam Neck annex. Navy spokesmen said he is deployed and unavailable for interviews.

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Welcome to the Navy way: good ole boy sadists get promoted and honorable gay and lesbian sailors get discharged. It is a truly f*cked up system that needs to change NOW.

‘Pro-LGBT Picket’ at Obama-HRC Dinner

If President Obama believes that his appearance at the HRC dinner this Saturday evening will magically mollify all within the LGBT community, he is sadly mistaken. Indeed, he should expect protesters outside the venue who are tired of nice words and no action - the hallmarks of Obama's approach to LGBT Americans. Longtime activist Andy Thayer is angry and he’s taking his anger from Chicago to Washington. Thayer, you may remember, co-founded the effective online StopDrLaura campaign with fellow activist Robin Tyler, issued a press release yesterday in connection with the protest Saturday evening. Without real action, Obama's words are absolutely meaningless - a fact that seems lost on HRC. Here are some highlights from the press release with which I very much agree:
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While the picket organizers will be participating in the Sunday, Oct. 11th Equality March, they charge that the march organizers have been going easy on the Obama administration and the Democratic Party in general. Barack Obama was long on pro-gay promises during the campaign, they say, yet short on delivering on them once he took power in late January.

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“The time for talking is over,” said Andy Thayer of the Chicago-based Gay Liberation Network (www.GayLiberation.net), one of the two organizations sponsoring the picket. “This President promised to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), he promised to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, he promised to pass the pro-LGBT Employment Non-Discrimination Act and a whole host of other things. Instead, he’s delivered on nothing while embracing anti-gay bigots Rick Warren and Donnie McClurkin. The last thing we need is more flowery rhetoric in front of rich, self-effacing gays and lesbians dressed up like penguins.”

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”The Obama administration has likened LGBT relationships to incest and bestiality,” said Queer Liberaction co-founder Blake Wilkenson. “He cited his ‘Christian beliefs’ for the reason why he now opposes equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. He refuses issue a stop-loss order to prevent purges of lesbian and gay soldiers. If we are going to get real change out of this White House, we need to make demands of this President. As the great anti-slavery activist Frederick Douglass put it, ‘Power concedes nothing without a demand.’”

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For more information about the Saturday, October 10th pro-LGBT picket of President Obama, contact the Gay Liberation Network at LGBTliberation@aol.com or 773.209.1187, or Queer Liberaction at LGBTliberaction@gmail.com or 214.679.6321

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As my friend Wayne Besen has said, "If I were advising President Barack Obama, I would tell him to pay as much attention to the ornery jeers from protesters outside the Human Rights Campaign's Oct. 10th Washington dinner as the cheers coming from inside the ornate ballroom." Wayne went on to correctly note as follows:

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Let it be known that the GLBT community is no longer interested in being pals with the powerful or having the famous tell us we are fabulous - unless it leads to action. If the goal of this evening were simply to provide an interesting dinner guest, Meryl Streep or Michael Moore would have sufficed. What we want from Obama, however, is a fighter working to set us free. We need signed paper in the form of laws, not paper-thin promises and illusive signs of hope. Unless a concrete vision is offered at this event, Obama's speech will sink like concrete in the Potomac River.

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We are way past the time for more talk - regardless of the ass kissing that will no doubt take place at the HRC event. Only real legislative action will suffice. And until that happens, LGBT Americans need to keep their checkbooks and credit cards in the wallets and turn of the LGBT ATM machine completely.

Does Obama Get It? Or Is He In A Bubble Like Bush?

Bob Herbert has a great column in today's New York Times that looks at Obama's apparent inability to get what is in the minds and emotions of every day Americans in terms of the current economy. The same question, however, could apply to Obama and the issue of gay rights or the unwinable war in Afghanistan. At some point, he needs to stop listening to his advisers who - much like the Chimperator's insider crowd - appear to never want to level about what is REALLY going on. On the economic front, the economy for rank and file Americans still stinks tremendously regardless of whatever economic "indicators" pundits and others like to look at. Reality on the streets is what counts because eventually in politics, perception does become reality. Right now, the feeling on the part of many is that Obama and the Congressional Democrats are in over their head and cannot deliver. Here in Virginia, that is translating into Democrat indifference and the likelihood that the GOP may prevail in electing the most reactionary and anti-religious freedom slate to office in many decades. Obama and his gutless cohorts in Congress need to wake up NOW! Here are some column highlights:
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The big question on the domestic front right now is whether President Obama understands the gravity of the employment crisis facing the country. Does he get it? The signals coming out of the White House have not been encouraging.

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The view of most American families is somewhat less blasé. Faced with the relentless monthly costs of housing, transportation, food, clothing, education and so forth, they have precious little time to wait for this lagging indicator to come creeping across the finish line. Americans need jobs now, and if the economy on its own is incapable of putting people back to work — which appears to be the case — then the government needs to step in with aggressive job-creation efforts.

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Nearly one in four American families has suffered a job loss over the past year, according to a survey released by the Economic Policy Institute. Nearly 1 in 10 Americans is officially unemployed, and the real-world jobless rate is worse.

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A massive long-term campaign to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure — which would put large numbers of people to work establishing the essential industrial platform for a truly 21st-century American economy — has not seriously been considered. Large-scale public-works programs that would reach deep into the inner cities and out to hard-pressed suburban and rural areas have been dismissed as the residue of an ancient, unsophisticated era.

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We seem to be waiting for some mythical rebound to come rolling in, magically equipped with robust job creation, a long-term bull market and paradise regained for consumers. It ain’t happening. . . . . The number of people officially unemployed — 15.1 million — is, as The Wall Street Journal noted, greater than the population of 46 of the 50 states.

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The Obama administration seems hamstrung by the unemployment crisis. No big ideas have emerged. No dramatically creative initiatives. While devoting enormous amounts of energy to health care, and trying now to decide what to do about Afghanistan, the president has not even conveyed the sense of urgency that the crisis in employment warrants.

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Whether anything dramatic emerges remains to be seen. The master in this area, of course, was Franklin Roosevelt. His first Inaugural Address was famous for the phrase: “The only thing we have to fear. ...” But he also said in that speech: “Our greatest primary task is to put people to work.” And he said the country should treat that task “as we would treat the emergency of a war.” Now that’s the sense of urgency we need.

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Will Obama wake up? I certainly hope so, but as with the issue of gay rights, I am anything but confident that he will do so. Waiting for Congress to act is a losing plan. We need bold leadership and Obama has been missing in action.

More Tuesday Male Beauty

Image via gay body blog

Similar Pragmatic Thoughts on HRC

I have had several occasions to call upon HRC for support and every time, the organization has proven itself worthless and/or more concerned about ass kissing mealy mouthed politicians than helping LGBT individuals in need. While it would be nice if HRC held Obama's feet to the fire this coming Saturday night when Obama gives the keynote speech at yet another HRC dinner where yes men/women and ass kissers will predominate, I am not holding my breath for that to occur. Access to power means nothing if that access never delivers real concrete results. Sadly, that's HRC's track record and the main reason why I never give money to HRC when there are much more worthy recipients of financial assistance. By coincidence, Andrew Sullivan had a post from a reader that echoed my feelings. Here are some highlights:

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The whole town [Washington, D.C.] is a well rigged deathtrap for gay rights or, frankly, pretty much any civil rights. It will only change when the climate outside of Washington has changed to the degree that resistance to change is more dangerous than the reverse. That day is coming faster than people realize.

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What is repulsive really is that the HRC keeps playing important and getting black tie dinners when they simply have no really useful function other than, perhaps, treading water until they can have a function and trying to look like there is progress federally to make you happy. But obviously that's not working either. It time they simply said that there is nothing useful that can be done in Washington right now and asked people to put their money to better use.

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A cynical assessment? Yes, but one that is accurate. I see the upcoming National Equality March as not so much as an event that will change things in Washington, D.C., but rather as an event that will energize activists to go back home and demand that real change occur.

Does Coming Out Equate With "Abandoning" One's Family

I saw a new psychiatrist late this afternoon at the office of my former doctor - my former doctor received a promotion and now heads up the entire behavior health care facility and stopped seeing patients - and I liked her alot. Moreover, she seemed to immediately grasp my situation and what has been happening to me over the last 10 months of constant court hearings, threats of contempt charges and finally the TDO last week when I went into total melt down. In fact, she said anyone who had been through what I have been through would likely be feeling depressed and overwhelmed. We are going to try some different meds - since the ones I have been on did not prevent the melt down - and I will see a therapist at the same facility beginning next week. One of the issues I want to address with the therapist is the issue of the pain I feel from my older two children who for all apparent purposes have written me off. It hurts like a knife plunged into me.

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Truth be told, besides the constant financial stress, the most difficult aspect of the last 10 months has been the fact that two of my children have apparently written me off as if I never existed. One even accused me of "abandoning my family" when I came out. Never mind that I was told by the former wife to "go back in the closet and pretend nothing had ever happened or get out of the house." I can still picture the conversation where the ultimatum was given to me as we were standing in the garage of the big home we used to own. And this from someone with a doctoral level education in psychology who certainly knew or should have known what that action would mean for someone gay. It's an emotional death sentence of sorts and an invitation to suicide. Given this reality, I had little choice but to move out, or so I believed at the time when I was still plagued with religious based guilt over who I was/am.

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Since that date, I have done what I could to stay in touch with ALL of my children and given them as much financial support as I could, although for the last 10 months any dollar I gave to them was used against me in court by their mother. Did I abandon them? I think not. At least such was never my intention. Fortunately, my wonderful youngest daughter (pictured above)seems to grasp this reality. She has been a life saver and I treasure her so much.

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Amazingly, the boyfriend has not flinched in the least at paying for everything when I have gotten together with my children or more recently my youngest daughter and her boyfriend (a very sweet guy who treats her well as she deserves). Hopefully, the new therapist (my former therapist, Michael Perkins, has retired) can help me with this issue. Combined with the constant financial stress and court hearing harassment, it is something that at times continues to cause me to have fleeting thoughts that death would be less painful.

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NOTE TO READERS: I am NOT feeling suicidal, so do NOT call the Norfolk police as one dedicated reader did last week causing chaos at the Legends committee meeting and at my house that I rent out to tenants when police officers showed up. I am here at home with the boyfriend, so all is well - but I do thank whoever made that call for caring so much about me.

Catholic Church Loses Fight Over Sealed Papers

The Roman Catholic Church was rebuffed by the U.S. Supreme Court in its effort to keep sex abuse scandal related documents sealed from public and journalist view. I feel no sympathy and suspect that the unsealed documents will likely show that members of the Church hierarchy knew more than they pretend and acted in unconscionable ways in closing their eyes to the abuse of minors. The more sunlight that is allowed to shine on the Church's institutional rot, the better. Only full exposure and open public disgusts have any chance of forcing the Church to undertake the housecleaning and restructuring that it so desperately needs. Here are some highlights from the Wall Street Journal:

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The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the release of thousands of pages of sealed documents concerning sexual abuse by priests in the Catholic diocese of Bridgeport, Conn. The court's decision Monday effectively lifts a stay that has delayed the release of the documents since 2006, when four newspapers persuaded a Connecticut court to unseal them.

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The materials were filed in 23 lawsuits against the Catholic diocese by parishioners during the 1990s, alleging that the church failed to supervise its priests and reassigned those suspected of abusing children. The cases were settled in 2001, as the Catholic abuse scandal grew in national prominence. The sealed documents are said to include transcripts of depositions of church officials, including Cardinal Edward Egan, and files from the investigation of priests accused of abuse during the 1960s and 1970s.

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A Connecticut judge scheduled a hearing for Nov. 9 on unsealing the documents. The case demonstrates the diocese's failure to "take appropriate action to protect innocent children from priests that it knew to be sexual predators," Dan Sullivan, the co-chairman of the Bridgeport affiliate of Voices of the Faithful, an advocate for victims of sex abuse by clergy, said in a statement.

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Bishop Lori said the diocese was concerned "about the impact that these court decisions will have on our First Amendment rights, to determine who is or is not fit to become a priest, and that applies to all religions.

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I'm sorry, but I suspect that the only thing that Bishop Lori is really worried about is how disgusted the Catholic laity may be when it discovers the hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy of the "princes" of the Church who cared nothing about the lives and safety of children and youths. As a parent, I continue to be repulsed by the unconscionable conduct of the bishops, cardinals and Popes involved in the protection and cover up for predator priests.

Tuesday Male Beauty

Obama to Address HRC Annual Dinner on Eve of National Equality March

As any casual reader of this blog knows, I have been hugely disappointed by President Obama's failure to deliver on a single one of his campaign promises to LGBT Americans. Indeed, my of the time I am of the opinion that team Obama cynically used gays to secure our money and votes wit no intention of actually delivering on promises. I continue to be willing to be proven wrong, but as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words and to date, Obama's inaction speaks volumes. I will not be holding my breath. Thus, it will be interesting to see whether Obama does anything more than make the usual nice sounding statements as he addresses the annual HRC dinner on the evening before the National Equality March this coming Sunday. No doubt the freepers and professional Christian set will be outraged that Obama is even darkening the door at an LGBT event. Here are some highlights from The Advocate's coverage of this development:
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It’s been several hours since news leaked that President Barack Obama would be addressing attendees of the Human Rights Campaign's annual fund-raising dinner Saturday night, and already the pressure is mounting. “I am most eager to hear what he has to say,” said David Mixner, a longtime LGBT activist and campaign supporter of Obama who has grown dissatisfied with the president’s lack of action. “If it's a lot of, ‘I'm with you guys, I love you guys, and you won't be disappointed,’ I think that message is going to be devastating.”

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Mixner, who initially called for a march following the release of a Justice Department brief defending the Defense of Marriage Act, echoed a notion common among LGBT advocates these days -- that the time for talk is over, they want action and specifics. And although legislation to extend hate-crimes protections to LGBT people could reach the president's desk sometime this month, few activists mentioned it as their main priority.

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[A]dvocates will be looking for the kind of particulars that the White House has been short on when it comes to equal rights. Obama already delivered a feel-good, I’m-on-your-side message this summer at a White House reception for the LGBT community. During that speech, he reiterated all of his campaign promises to support initiatives like federal hate-crimes protections and employment nondiscrimination legislation as well as the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
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But to date, activists say it’s difficult to find the White House footprint on much of anything specifically related to the advancement of LGBT rights. “It’s been 11 months since the election; he has expended very little political capital for our benefit,” said Richard Socarides, a former LGBT adviser and special assistant to President Bill Clinton.

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As I said, I have no expectations that Obama will do anything other than the same old BS we have been seeing for 11 months. I hope I am wrong, but I do not think that I will be.

Homophobia Allegations Continue to Cause Firestorm at UVA Law School

As a graduate of UVA Law, I am following the aftermath of former UVA Law professor, William Eskridge Jr., before Congress with interest. During the years I was a student at the law school, I cannot think of a single openly gay student or professor. Not a one out of over 1000+ students. Sadly, I tend to believe Eskridge's allegations since even now homophobia is alive and well in the Commonwelth of Virginia. One only need look at GOP statewide candidates Taliban Bob McDonnell and the gay-hating Ken Cuccinelli to imagine the atmosphere across the state some 24 years ago. Indeed, even today it is perfectly legal for LGBT employees to be fired because of their sexual orientation. Things have improved at UVA greatly (there is now even a gay fraternity), but the state of Virginia as a whole is an anti-gay backwater in terms of LGBT Virginians having any legal protections whatsoever. Here are highlights from a new story in the ABA Journal:

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An almost 25-year-old law school tenure decision is suddenly controversial, following testimony by a now-high-profile professor before a Congressional committee last month that he was denied fair consideration due to his sexual orientation. In response, the law school's dean says it does not discriminate and strives to maintain a welcoming environment to all members of the academic community.

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William Eskridge Jr., who is gay, cited his own experience in 1985 at the University of Virginia School of Law as an example of why the proposed Employment and Non-Discrimination Act of 2009 is needed to ban both states and private employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, according to the UVA Law Blog and Above the Law.

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Eskridge says he himself first found about an adverse appointments committee report that unfairly discounted his scholarship when the chairman "stormed into my office and screamed at me for 10 minutes or so," apparently under the mistaken belief that Eskridge already knew about the report and complained. "With clenched fists and a beet-red face, the chair of the committee threw a tantrum that included a string of accusations, such as 'stabbing me in the back' and behaving in the treacherous manner that he and his colleagues ought to have expected of a 'faggot,' " says Eskridge in his testimony to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

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Hunter of Justice provides a link to Eskridge's testimony. Eskridge's accusations have created a firestorm in law school circles and sparked a response from the current dean of Virginia's law school. His written statement is detailed in Brian Leiter's Law School Reports:

Dean Paul Mahoney, who came to the law school after Eskridge left, says those with whom he has spoken deny that Eskridge was targeted due to his sexual orientation. Eskridge, writes Mahoney, was deferred for a subsequent tenure decision, rather than being either granted or denied tenure, because "the faculty wished to see the fruits of his promising, but nascent, scholarly interest in legislation before granting tenure.

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As I have stated before, to interview at any of Virginia's top law schools - that, of course excludes Regent University and Liberty University's Christo-fascists law schools - law firms must agree to a non-discrimination policy that includes non-discrimination based on sexual orientation. Yet NONE of the major law firms in the Hampton Roads area has an openly gay partner. That's right NONE of them. And I was forced from a firm because I was gay. Virginia has a long, long way to go until it enters the 21st century and bans religious based discrimination against its LGBT citizens.

More Monday Male Beauty

Gays' for Good Deeds Not Enough for Cat church

The ever gay hating, hypocritical Roman Catholic Church has demonstrated its true colors yet again. This time the bigotry was exposed in connection with a function involving an anniversary luncheon for El Centro Humanitario, a Denver, Colorado, group that advocates for Hispanics and day laborers. One would think the Church would happily accept supporters for such a worthy cause, but not so if - God forbid - those supporters are gay and lesbian. I truly cannot comprehend the obsession the Church has with gays - and gay sex- when there are so many much more pressing and important issues facing humanity. Here ate some highlights from the Denver Post:

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Jesus hung out with a crowd of day laborers. That's why the Catholic Church long has fed them, helped find them jobs and homes, and fought for their rights. But solidarity met its limits last week when the Archdiocese of Denver broke trust with a group of day labor advocates for accepting funding from gays and lesbians. The church can't bring itself to contain its homophobia, even for an hour, to lease a banquet room to El Centro Humanitario.

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El Centro is the pre-eminent group fighting for the rights of thousands of poor and vulnerable migrant workers in Denver whom the church claims to care about — and who happen overwhelmingly to be Catholic. The nonprofit group left a deposit and signed a contract with the archdiocese to rent space in its Hispanic ministry building for El Centro's hour-long anniversary luncheon this Friday. But the Church wigged out when realizing that benefactors include the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado.

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The archdiocese singled out the Gay and Lesbian Fund among the luncheon's 10 sponsors, forbidding El Centro even from uttering the fund's name on church property. El Centro wouldn't be allowed to thank the fund for its $3,000 donation or hang a banner or pass out a program acknowledging its sponsorship, the church insisted.

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The more subtle implication seems to be that perfectly straight Catholics might become queer merely by eating burritos funded partially by lesbians, sitting in chairs gay men helped rent or wiping their mouths with napkins that God-knows-which-perverts pitched in for.
The fund's money is apparently too dirty, even if "the Catholic Church understands the need to reach out to and love homosexual persons," archdiocese spokeswoman Jeanette DeMelo argues. Whatever that means.

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The reality is that today's Church hierarchy is full of modern day Pharisees - and that includes the Nazi Pope, Benedict XVI - who obviously need to re-read the parable of the Good Samaritan. Once again, I feel so much morally clean now that I am no longer a Roman Catholic. The institutional Church becomes more reprehensible by the day.

Iowa Markets to California Gays at Disney Land

Who would have ever believed that Iowa would be marketing to California gays to relocate to Iowa where their relationships and marriages will be recognized in contrast to the legal reality in California where mob majority rule stripped same sex couples of their civil marriage rights last November. Yet that is exactly what has been happening. The Orange County Register has the details on this remarkable juxtaposition from what one would normally expect. Personally, I would love to see Iowa successfully recruit gays in the creative class to relocate to Iowa and help make Iowa a center for innovation and progressive thinking. I continue to believe that in the long term states and regions that are gay accepting and afford same sex couples full marriage equality will outstrip reactionary and anti-gay states in terms of economic development and in the ability to attract desirable workers and businesses. Ultimately, anti-gay bigotry will have a real tangible price. One need only look at states like Mississippi and Alabama to see that backward thinking and bigotry are not engines for first class economic development. Here are some story highlights:

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Figuring that plenty of gay couples in California are frustrated by the inability to get legally married here, representatives from Iowa have set up a booth at Gay Days at the Disneyland Resort encouraging them to consider moving to the Hawkeye State.

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Two representatives for three regional visitors bureaus flew out for the three-day Gay Days, when 30,000 partipants roll into town to attend Disneyland. Gay Days is not sponsored by nor discouraged by Disney.

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At the booth set up inside Disney’s Grand Californian hotel, gay and lesbian couples sampled wedding cake and posed for photos inside a frame that read, “Just Married … In Iowa City!” The Iowa representatives took the free photos and supplied the tuxedo jackets and bridal veils. They also handed out brochures touting Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Coralville, among other cities.

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“We want people to know that if the California Legislature is unwilling to take the step to give gay couples the right to marry, then please consider coming to Iowa where we will gladly welcome you with open arms,” said Joe Jennison, executive director of the Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance.

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The booth also was staffed by Eric Heinkel, who is not gay, and is convention sales manager for the Iowa City Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Heinkel, who recently graduated from the University of Iowa and is originally from Chicago, said many businesses, including hotels and wedding-photography firms, and some churches, are eager to cater to the gay community.

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Here in Virginia, the homophobes like to parrot that Virginia is a business friendly state. However there is more to being progressive and welcoming to progressive businesses than low taxes. A fact that Taliban Bob McDonnell and Ken "Kook" Cuccinelli have yet to figure out.

Today's Court Hearing Results

Since a number of readers wanted an immediate update of how things went in court this morning, I am glad to report that the hearing went well today and the ex-wife did not prevail in getting any set minimum required monthly payment on this part of the amounts owed under the Final Divorce Decree (which was open ended and had no payment schedule in recognition of my financial situation). I am sure she will be truly pissed off and the irony is that she rejected a chance to be paid off in full which my mother has now withdrawn. Needless to say, the boyfriend was there with me for moral support and as a potential witness.
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I have 30 days to appeal the earlier contempt finding - there is testimony from an April, 2009, hearing the shows that the judge in December, 2008, ruled against without even bothering to read the entire decree and property settlement agreement incorporated into the decree - and another order that obligates me to pay credit card interest that was not required in the final decree. I think I'd have a good chance of winning on both issues should I decide to appeal. The best news is that there are no further scheduled hearings and after 10 months of hell, I do not have additional hearings being held over my head. I will make regualr monthly payments and it should end the drive to keep taking me to court.

The Importance of Teaching Children About Homosexuality

The anti-gay forces of the Christian Right whine incessantly about the threat of children learning that - oh the horror - gays exist in society and for that matter always have throughout recorded history. Some, in fact, have accomplished great deeds in politics and warfare (e.g., Alexander the Great, Richard the Lion Hearted) and created some of the world's greatest art (e.g., Michelangelo, Cellini, da Vinci). The Christianists can deny our existence, but sooner or later their children will learn that we exist. Indeed, some of their precious children will prove to be gay themselves, thus the need for them to know that they are normal despite the religious poison they may be fed by their parents and preachers. A column in Psychology Today looks at why children need to be taught about homosexuality. Here are some highlights:

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When people think about children, rarely is their focus on how homophobia can hurt them. Usually it is raised when talking about a gay parent and how they may "impact" their offspring, or how the behavior of gay and lesbian adults will influence them. But even more rarely do people concentrate on how homophobia impacts children, gay and straight alike-which is far worse than anything a child might be exposed to in a gay pride parade or in observing gay relationships.

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Studies show, in fact, that developing gay or lesbian adolescents can handle their sexual orientation. What they can't cope with is the homophobic acts and verbal statements they encounter in the media or in their schools, homes or communities. A heterosexual adolescent can no more handle acts of homophobia upon him or her as well.

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Homophobia is the feeling(s) of fear, hatred, disgust about attraction or love for members of one's own sex. It is prejudice, based on the belief that lesbians, and gays are immoral, sick, sinful or somehow inferior to heterosexuals. It results in fear of associating with lesbians and gays in close proximity-physically, mentally and/or emotionally-lest one be perceived as lesbian or gay, and fear of venturing beyond "accepted" gender role behavior.

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Warren J. Blumenfeld edited an excellent book called, Homophobia: How We All Pay The Price, in which he writes about how not only gays and lesbians, but heterosexuals suffer from acts of homophobia. Specifically:

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1. First, homophobic conditioning compromises people's integrity by pressuring them to treat others badly-actions contrary to their basic humanity. This is where bullying begins, particularly against young boys who might be gay or effeminate ones who don't conform to male stereotypes. Calling other boys "faggot" and "queer" takes the focus off of the bullies.

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2. It inhibits the ability to form close, intimate relationships with members of one's own sex, generally restricts communication with a significant portion of the population and, more specifically, limits family relationships. Limited communication contributes to the alarmingly high 30% suicide rate among adolescents who are either gay or lesbian and/or worry they might be.

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3. Homophobia is used to stigmatize, silence and, on occasion, target people whom OTHERS perceive or define as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, but who are actually heterosexual. It locks all people into rigid gender-based roles, which inhibit creativity and self expression.

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4. Homophobia is one cause of premature sexual involvement, increasing the chances of teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (or STDs). Young people of ALL sexual identities are often pressured to become HETEROSEXUALLY active to prove-to themselves and others-that they are "normal."

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5. Societal homophobia keeps some LGBT people from developing an authentic self-identity, adding to the pressure to marry. This in turn places undue stress and often trauma on them, as well as on their children and heterosexual spouses. People never stop to think of the children who suffer as a result of mixed marriages between a heterosexual and a gay man or lesbian. Society tells us not to live an out and openly gay and then, when we finally can no longer live in the closet, questions them and asks, "Well, why did you get married in the first place?" This is crazy making!

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6. Homophobia, combined with fear and revulsion of sex, eliminates discussions about the lives and sexuality of LGBT people as part of school-based sex education, keeping vital information from all students. Such a lack of information can kill people in the age of AIDS.

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Obviously, reason number 5 particularly hits home with me. But for the societal and religious atmosphere of homophobia in which I was raised, perhaps I could have accepted myself as God made me and avoided a great deal of pain on both my part and others. I concede that I'd go through the misery all over again to have my children, but society truly needs to recognize the damage done by trying to force gays to marry and conform to an ideal they will never be able to achieve. So much pain, so much unhappiness - all because of closed minded religious bigotry and deliberate ignorance.

Monday Male Beauty

Is Conservatism Brain-Dead?

Yesterday's Washington Post carried a column that looked at the diminishing intellectual power of the GOP - a party that once had the likes of William F. Buckley, Jr., to logically and rationally espouse its message. Today, the GOP and conservatives have the misfortune - and in many ways deservedly so - of having Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh as their principal spokesmen. It is a long fall for a political party and movement that once had some intellectual credibility. The fact that anyone rational and not a slavish whore to the prejudices of the birthers and teabaggers has fled the party ought to be a wake call. But the warning seems to be failing on deaf ears. Here are some highlights:

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During the glory days of the conservative movement, from its ascent in the 1960s and '70s to its success in Ronald Reagan's era, there was a balance between the intellectuals, such as Buckley and Milton Friedman, and the activists, such as Phyllis Schlafly and Paul Weyrich, the leader of the New Right. The conservative political movement, for all its infighting, has always drawn deeply from the conservative intellectual movement, and this mix of populism and elitism troubled neither side.

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Today, however, the conservative movement has been thrown off balance, with the populists dominating and the intellectuals retreating and struggling to come up with new ideas. The leading conservative figures of our time are now drawn from mass media, from talk radio and cable news. We've traded in Buckley for Beck, Kristol for Coulter, and conservatism has been reduced to sound bites.

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President Obama has done conservatives a great favor, delivering CPR to the movement with his program of government gigantism, but this resuscitation should not be confused with a return to political or intellectual health. The brain waves of the American right continue to be erratic, when they are not flat-lining.

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Consider the "tea party" phenomenon. Though authentic and laudatory, it is unfocused, lacking the connection to a concrete ideology that characterized the tax revolt of the 1970s, which was joined at the hip with insurgent supply-side economics. Meanwhile, the "birthers" have become the "grassy knollers" of the right; their obsession with Obama's origins is reviving frivolous paranoia as the face of conservatism.

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Conspicuously missing, however, are the intellectual works. The bestseller list used to be crowded with the likes of Friedman's "Free to Choose," George Gilder's "Wealth and Poverty," Paul Johnson's "Modern Times," Allan Bloom's "The Closing of the American Mind," Charles Murray's "Losing Ground" and "The Bell Curve," and Francis Fukuyama's "The End of History and the Last Man." . . . Conservatism has prospered most when its attacks on liberalism have combined serious alternative ideas with populist enthusiasm. When the ideas are absent, the movement has nothing to offer -- except opposition. That doesn't work for long in American politics.

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[S]ome on the right think talk radio, especially, has dumbed down the movement, that there is plenty of sloganeering but not much thought, that the blend of entertainment and politics is too outre. John Derbyshire, author of a forthcoming book about conservatism's future, "We are Doomed," calls our present condition "Happy Meal Conservatism, cheap, childish and familiar."

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The single largest defect of modern conservatism, in my mind, is its insufficient ability to challenge liberalism at the intellectual level, in particular over the meaning and nature of progress. In response to the left's belief in political solutions for everything, the right must do better than merely invoking "markets" and "liberty."

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Can the GOP and the conservative movement regain intellectual credibility? That remains to be seen. But until the GOP can motivate former Republicans who have fled the party over its brain dead idiocy and fusion of Christianist religious views and public policy (such my entire extended family), I would not be counting on the Party garnering the votes and support of moderates and independence.

Weekend Reflections

The event at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Expo was a lot of fun and my office manager and I made a lot of contacts and did a great deal of networking both with other exhibitors at the event and attendees. The venue at Regent University was beautiful and overall, it was a successful event. In fact, I signed up to host the February, 2010, after hours networking event for the Hispanic Chamber at our offices.

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On the drive back from Virginia Beach, I had a wonderful telephone conversation with a reader from the West Coast who had e-mailed me and asked that I call. We have spoken on a few other occasions on Prop 8 and other issues, but this call was all about encouraging me to keep the proper perspective and things to keep in mind in order to fend off future meltdowns and suicidal impulses. It is another example of how this blog and the kindness and concern of readers has done so much to keep me going in the darkest of hours. As a part of the follow up to last week's complete melt down and TDO, I will begin seeing a therapist on Tuesday (tomorrow) which will be followed up later in the month with an appointment with a psychiatrist who can hopefully review my meds and perhaps come up with a better program.

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By the time most readers read this post I will be in court for yet another hearing at the instigation of the ex-wife. I will hope for the best - even though I have no faith in the Virginia judicial system - and if I am not satisfied with the outcome an appeal will be filed that will seek to (1) reverse the lower court action and (2) revisit the issue of sanctions against the former wife's attorney. Hopefully, it will come out to the court that the ex-wife turned down an offer that would have resulted in her being fully paid in exchange for the waiver of an ability to harass me further in the future.

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To keep me distracted yesterday, the boyfriend and I went up to a large art show in Williamsburg, Virginia where we met a friend. The art show was set out on a portion of Colonial Williamsburg (pictured in the photo above) and down a street adjacent to the College of William and Mary. It was a truly gorgeous day - October is in many ways the nicest month in this area - and it was most enjoyable. Blueberry vodka martinis and xanax got me through the evening and the night. Obviously, I am taking more xanax to make it through the court hearing in which my office manager and the boyfriend will likely also be witnesses. I will let readers know the out come later today.

A Very Humbling and Beautiful Message

Since I began this blog in earnest back in April, 2007, it has become a significant part of my life and, yes, something very addictive. It helps me vent my frustrations - and at times rage - at the injustice faced by LGBT individuals around the world. In addition, it has opened up numerous friendships and activist opportunities that I value deeply. Fortunately, the boyfriend understands and accepts my daily ritual of posting a couple of things in the morning before breakfast and then an evening session online as we watch TV or he works on Salon paperwork while I satisfy my news junkie needs and work up three to four more posts. In the process of doing the blog, I rarely see myself as doing much of consequence for others. Then, out of the blue I get a message such as this one concerning "Monday Melt Down - Update" that blows me away:

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Michael: Please take care of yourself, and let others care for you who want to. how can the thousands of us who benefit from your blog help you? Let us know--we want to assist.

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As I continue to work, one day at a time, on my own coming out process, separation and pending divorce, and questioning whether there will ever be love and happiness in my life again, you and your wisdom, insights and experiences are what I have counted on almost everyday these past 14 months.

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Thank you for all you to for so many. You must "do" for yourself, too, my friend.

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Jon

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Jon, I want to thank you for the beautiful message. I am truly humbled by you kind words. Just be confident that you WILL find happiness and love. The journey may be difficult - I feel at times that my life is like an afternoon soap opera - but it can be done. That said, I DO want to make a difference and messages like yours help me see that there is meaning and perhaps a purpose for what I go through in my darkest hours.

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As for your question, what can readers do for me? Keep on reading the blog and tell others about it. In addition, share your own stories so that I can highlight them in a post or send me information on yourself and a photo so that I can get to know you - or even do a post profiling you under a "My Readers" posts. My view is that all of us gays are in this life adventure together and that the best thing we can do is support and provide understanding to one another. If we do not provide it to one another, no one else will. I can always be reached via e-mail at michaelinnorfolk@gmail.com.

More Sunday Male Beauty

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Maggie Gallagher’s Anti-Biblical Marriage

I have long thought that the diva of anti-gay marriage, Maggie Gallagher, is in reality a cynical hypocrite who enjoys living large off of the monies donated to her anti-gay organizations. Like so many of the anti-gay "family values" crowd, Miss Maggie quotes the Bible when it helps her message of bigotry (and thus her financial cause as well) and utterly ignores it when some of those pesky Bible passages are problematic if literally applied to her own life. In short, she's the typical one standard for gays and a different standard for the "family values crowd hypocrites. She pretends to worship the Bible as the "inerrant word of God" - but only when convenient. Timothy Kincaid at Box Turtle Bulletin has captured an example of Gallagher's hypocrisy. Here is a portion of his post:

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Maggie Gallagher, as the head of the National Organization for Marriage, is quite fond of extolling the virtues of “traditional marriage.” And, for those uncertain as to what “traditional” means, her protege Carrie Prejean, lets us know that it is marriage which is “biblically correct.” Well, when I was growing up in a “biblically correct” family, one of the scriptures often quoted to Christian kids of dating age was 2 Corinthians 6:14:

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?

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And lest any kids have any uncertainty about the application of that scripture or the meaning of “unequally yoked”, they were told in no uncertain terms that they were to only date other Christian kids. Marrying a non-Christian would be tragic.

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It turns out that for the last 17 years, Maggie has been married to Raman Srivastav, who just happens to be Hindu. Oh, my. Well I guess we now know why Maggie un-traditionally uses her maiden name and why her husband is kept invisible.

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I have nothing against Hindus - in fact I have many as clients and admire their spirituality. However, if Maggie Gallagher demands that my life must comply with the literal words of the Bible, then I believe it only fair that she apply the same standard to herself. Otherwise, I am sorry, but she is nothing more than a lying hypocrite.