Saturday Male Beauty

No-on-8's White Bias?

Jasmyne A. Cannick has a wrong headed column in the Los Angeles Times giving a half-assed explanation as to why blacks betrayed the LGBT community and were perhaps THE reason Proposition 8 passed in California. Sadly, its the typical "all about me/us" whine that white gays have not done enough for the black community and implies that only blacks are real victims of discrimination. That mindset will guaranty in my view that many gays will never again lift a finger for the black community and I hate to say it, I might be one of them.

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Words do not begin to express my rage. I live in a majority black neighborhood, frequently raise Hell with the city and local police - every member of Council knows who I am and where I live as a result - which feel they can ignore this and some other neighborhoods that are mostly minority, have worked with the NAACP in the past, and worked to protect the rights of black voters on election day. I feel utterly betrayed. And from the many communications that I have received, I am only one of many. Believe me, I'm no racist, but those who harm me and my community should not expect to get my assistance. I apologize in advance to my black LGBT friends, but you have a LOT of work to do in your community. As for Jasmyne, sometimes you work to help your allies because if you don't, they may cease to be your allies. You allege many white gays are racists, well if they were not before, many now will be racist. Sadly, you are apparently too blind to figure this out. Here are some highlights from Cannick's short sighted column:

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I am a perfect example of why the fight against Proposition 8, which amends the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, failed to win black support. I am black. I am a political activist who cares deeply about social justice issues. I am a lesbian. This year, I canvassed the streets of South Los Angeles and Compton, knocking on doors, talking politics to passers-by and working as I never had before to ensure a large voter turnout among African Americans. But even I wasn't inspired to encourage black people to vote against the proposition.

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Why? Because I don't see why the right to marry should be a priority for me or other black people. Gay marriage? Please. . . . . The way I see it, the white gay community is banging its head against the glass ceiling of a room called equality, believing that a breakthrough on marriage will bestow on it parity with heterosexuals. But the right to marry does nothing to address the problems faced by both black gays and black straights. Does someone who is homeless or suffering from HIV but has no healthcare, or newly out of prison and unemployed, really benefit from the right to marry someone of the same sex?

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There's nothing a white gay person can tell me when it comes to how I as a black lesbian should talk to my community about this issue. If and when I choose to, I know how to say what needs to be said. Many black gays just haven't been convinced that this movement for marriage is about anything more than the white gays who fund it (and who, we often find, are just as racist and clueless when it comes to blacks as they claim blacks are homophobic).

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Maybe next time around -- because we all know this isn't over -- the gay community can demonstrate the capacity and willingness to change that America demonstrated when it went to the polls on Nov. 4. Black gays are depending on their white counterparts to finally "get it." Until then, don't expect to make any inroads any time soon in the black community on this issue -- including with this black lesbian.

Final Friday Male Beauty

Did Mormon Church and Catholic Diocese Break IRS Rules?

In the last post I referenced a new web site that seeks to pressure the IRS to consider a revocation of the Mormon Church's tax-exempt status - talk about hitting them where it hurts. The theory behind this effort is that Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that tax-exempt churches cannot cross the line and officially attempt to influence legislation. In this case, letters and messages from the LDS leadership in their official capacity did just this Here's the IRS limitation:

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In general, no organization, including a church, may qualify for IRC section 501(c)(3) status if a substantial part of its activities is attempting to influence legislation (commonly known as lobbying).

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Another institution - or at least certain dioceses - that needs to be examined is the Catholic Church. Certain bishops in their official capacity directed church members that they'd go to Hell if they voted for Obama. This is an express no-no under the rules of Sec. 501(c)(3). which provides that non-profits cannot:

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participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.

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Perhaps all of us need to contact our Congressmen/women and U.S. Senators and flood them with demands that the IRS move to act against the Mormon church and the offending Catholic dioceses.

MSM Picks Up Boycott Threat

UPDATED: John Aravosis is looking for help on the Mormon/Utah boycott. Here's a link to his request. We truly need to pull this off and make the Mormon Church pay for destroying the rights of same-sex couples in California.

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The Christianists and Mormons do not have a second thought about undermining LGBT families and denigrating our relationships. As a consequence, we need to take the fight into their homes and there's no better way than to hurt them financially - and I mean REALLY hurt them. A number of people locally were talking today about the concept and the need to start seriously using our buying power to punish non-gay friendly businesses or at least avoid giving them any of our hard earned dollars. This needs to be done nationally and locally. The first task is to take our pain to those who have harmed us.

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Perhaps the easiest targets are Mormon owned business (as I previously posted, very good records exist as to who gave money to the Yes on 8 campaign) and as a practical matter, the entire state of Utah, home of the Mormon hierarchy that sent out the anti-gay fatwah to the LDS sheeple who funnelled money into California and Arizona. I agree with John Aravosis of America Blog who advocates for a boycott - Utah has to be labeled a hate state and made to pay. True, some non-Mormons will suffer, but hopefully that will only add to the LDS's political problems.

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The second effort is to create a far more comprehensive data base of anti-gay companies (determined by their policies or who controls them) in localities all around the country in order that they and their products can be avoided like the plague. Perhaps some of the local HRC affiliates and other organizations could get to work on this effort. It would certainly be more productive than playing nice with those who hate us. Perhaps an organization could be set up where local groups and activists could upload data to identify unfriendly companies. Here are some highlights from the San Jose Mercury on the boycott issue:

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Utah's growing tourism industry and the star-studded Sundance Film Festival are being targeted for a boycott by bloggers, gay rights activists and others seeking to punish the Mormon church for its aggressive promotion of California's ban on gay marriage. It could be a heavy price to pay. Tourism brings in $6 billion a year to Utah, with world-class skiing, the spectacular red rock country and the film festival founded by Robert Redford among the state's popular tourist draws.

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"At a fundamental level, the Utah Mormons crossed the line on this one," said gay rights activist John Aravosis, an influential Washington, D.C-based blogger. "They just took marriage away from 20,000 couples and made their children bastards. You don't do that and get away with it." Salt Lake City is the world headquarters for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which counts about 62 percent of Utah residents as members.

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The backlash against the church — and by extension Utah — has been immediate. Protests erupted outside Mormon temples, Facebook groups formed telling people to boycott Utah and Web sites such as mormonsstoleourrights.com began popping up, calling for an end to the church's tax-exempt status.

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Aravosis is the editor of the popular political blog, americablog.com, which has about 900,000 unique monthly visitors. He's calling for skiers to choose any state but Utah and for Hollywood actors and directors to pull out of the Sundance Film Festival. Other bloggers and readers have responded to his call. "There's a movement afoot and large donors are involved who are very interested in organizing a campaign, because I do not believe in frivolous boycotts," said Aravosis, who has helped organize boycotts against Dr. Laura's television show, Microsoft and Ford over gay rights issues. "The main focus is going to be going after the Utah brand. At this point, honestly, we're going to destroy the Utah brand. It is a hate state."

More Friday Male Beauty

Wardrobe-gate War Continues

I find it hysterical that allegedly "sensible Jane," soccer mom, Sarah Palin likes to shop as if she is Edina Monsoon from Absolutely Fabulous. She certainly is as dizzy as the Edi character. Apparently, she did not stop at $150,000 and continued to shop wildly all during the campaign - even though she denies that such was the case (as a typical Christianist, Palin thinks herself exempt from the Commandment against lying). The Washington Post has more on spendthrift Sarah and it merely further confirms that she's a loose canon. Here are some highlights:

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The McCain-Palin campaign is over, but Wardrobe-gate lives on. More embarrassing details have emerged about Sarah Palin's infamous shopping sprees -- including even more designer duds, plus sprayed-on tans and fancy underwear.

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On top of the $150,000 first outlined in Federal Election Commission filings, Palin spent "tens of thousands of dollars" on additional clothing, makeup and jewelry for herself and her family, including $40,000 in luxury goods for her husband, Todd, our colleague Michael Shear reports. The campaign was charged for silk boxer shorts, spray tanners and 13 suitcases to carry all the designer clothes, according to two GOP insiders.

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Newsweek reports that top McCain aides were stunned by the huge tab, especially after adviser Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three outfits for the convention and three for the campaign trail, with a budget of $25,000; instead, the nominee racked up six-figure bills at high-end department stores. "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," a McCain aide sniffed to the magazine.

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Palin even raised eyebrows for what she didn't wear: In St. Paul during the convention, McCain senior staffers Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter arrived at her hotel room for a briefing and found her wearing nothing but a towel, with a second one wrapped around her wet hair, Newsweek reports.

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Why do the words "trailer park" and "white trash" spring to mind? The country dodged a real bullet when McCain/Palin went down to defeat.

Christianist Crocodile Tears

The dishonesty and disingenuousness of the Christianists and in this case their Mormon allies never ceases to amaze me. The freely lie about LGBT Americans, depict us as less than human, utilize deceptive ads against us, yet then want to portray themselves as victims when the targets of their machinations don’t roll over and play dead. These folks truly make me want to vomit. Now, in the wake of the passage of Proposition 8, the ever dishonest Family Research Council – headed by Tony “KKK” Perkins and the equally bigoted members of the Protect Marriage Coalition in Los Angeles are whining and crying because those mean homosexuals are being mean toward them.
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First, we have FRC in an e-mail accusing the anti- Prop 8 demonstrators of "anti-family rioting”. What may I ask are our families which the assholes at FRC seek to denigrate? Equally nauseating is a statement by the phonies at the Protect Marriage Coalition:
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The peaceful faiths, families, educators, activists, and community servants who make up the Protect Marriage Coalition are saddened to hear of the continued targeted attacks on the Mormon people during and after the conclusion of this fair and certified election. Like many churches, the family is the anchor of the LDS faith and it is no surprise that its members in California joined other faiths in giving everything they had to Proposition 8. Many California churches have also experienced harassment, drive-by attacks, obscenities and defacement of property. Such acts do not build trust with the voters of California.
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And who are some of these disingenuous bigots? Here’s a few named in the press release:
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Bishop Frank Stewart, 323-931-1477
Leader of the large African American Congregations of Zoe Christian Fellowship
Los Angeles
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Dr. LaVerne Tolbert, 323-216-2551
African American Minister and former head of instruction for Christian Crenshaw Center
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Minister Jim Ortiz, 562-201-4298
Latino Community Leader in Whittier
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I never cease to be amazed at how blacks and Hispanics allow themselves to be cynically manipulated and used by the same folks who despise them and, in the case of blacks, wanted to maintain segregation and maintain the laws against interracial marriage. Obviously, these church leaders are either cretins or need a good lesson in history.

Friday Male Beauty

Blacks Betrayed Gays

I'm sure some will not like the title of this post but it's the sad truth of what happened on Tuesday in California as detailed in a Washington Post story. Personally, I cannot understand the mindset of a minority that has suffered greatly throughout the history of this nation which feels free to turn around and discriminating against another long abused minority. I sometimes thing the black community thinks it has a monopoly on being victimized and that no one is supposed to discriminate against them, but they can screw over whoever they wish.

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The article also reveals the pernicious and sick mindset of those who don't give a rat's ass about the concept of freedom of religion and feel free to try to impose their religious beliefs on others by how they dole out CIVIL legal rights. Jasmine Jones who is quoted in the article shows herself to be a particularly ignorant ass. I hope the next time she is mistreated due to her race she stops to think she and other black voters have alienated those who otherwise would be their allies. As for the black business owners quoted, I hope their gay clients abandon them and make a point of telling them why they business is going elsewhere. Hit them where it hurts - their checkbooks. Bigoted and discriminatory actions need to have negative consequences. Am I bitter? Damn right I am. Here are some story highlights:

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The same voters who turned out strongest for Barack Obama also drove a stake through the heart of same-sex marriage. . . . Seven in 10 African Americans who went to the polls voted yes on Proposition 8, the ballot measure overruling a state Supreme Court judgment that legalized same-sex marriage and brought 18,000 gay and lesbian couples to Golden State courthouses in the past six months.

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The outcome that placed two pillars of the Democratic coalition -- minorities and gays -- at opposite ends of an emotional issue sparked street protests in Los Angeles and a candlelight vigil in San Francisco. To gay rights advocates, the issue was one of civil rights.

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"I think it's mainly because of the way we were brought up in the church; we don't agree with it," said Jasmine Jones, 25, who is black. "I'm not really the type that I wanted to stop people's rights. But I still have my beliefs, and if I can vote my beliefs that's what I'm going to do. "God doesn't approve it, so I don't approve it. And I approve of Him."

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The overwhelming rejection of same-sex marriage by black voters was surprising and disappointing to gay rights advocates who had hoped that African Americans would empathize with their struggle.

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But Kesha Young, 32, called religious arguments a cover for persistent prejudices rooted elsewhere. Taboos against homosexuality are exceptionally strong in Africa, McCoy acknowledged. "I'm going to tell you something about the black race: We love to pass judgment. I think that's just a smoke screen about the church thing," said Young, a licensed vocational nurse.

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I don't discriminate against people," he said, with a wave at the rows of lipstick and makeup. "I have a lot of customers who are homosexuals, transsexuals and bisexuals. I'm not against these people." He added: "But I'm a traditionalist. I come from a traditional family. People can do whatever they want in their own life, but I have to protect my family."

Thelma Drake Concedes to Glenn Nye

With all the last of the absentee ballots counted, GOP Congresswoman Thelma Drake has finally conceded to Democrat Glenn Nye. Thelma, who I have known for years, voted in lock step with the Chimperator more than 90% of the time and was less than gay friendly. I suspect, that with her district's heavy military population, she thought she's see no bad consequences from voting a far right agenda. In contrast, Glenn - who I have likewise met - will offer the 2nd District's residents a much more open minded and rational approach to the issues facing the country and region. Moreover, he is gay friendly and will be attending tomorrow night's gala event honoring a local pioneer in the LGBT community. Thelma in contrast would NEVER have set foot inside the door of a LGBT organization event. Here are highlights from the Virginian Pilot:

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Rep. Thelma Drake late Thursday night conceded the election for the 2nd Congressional District to political newcomer Glenn Nye after a bitterly fought race.

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The Nye victory delivers the district to Democrats for the first time since 2000, and he heads to Washington as part of the growing Democratic majority on Capitol Hill. The 34-year-old former foreign service officer ran a campaign stressing the need for bipartisan cooperation in Washington and an exit strategy for the war in Iraq.

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The absentee ballots were about double the normal total received by the registrar’s office. They included 10,115 mailed absentee ballots and 16,663 that were cast in person.

Final Thursday Male Beauty

More Gays Need to Get Off Their Asses

As reports are coming in of thousands protesting around the Mormon Temple in Westwood Hollywood today, maybe, just maybe, LGBT Americans are awakening to the fact that they need to get up off their asses, come out of the closet and stop accepting abuse and second class citizenship status. Being nice and hiding from sight will never get us full equality - or at least not for many, many years after several older generations have died off. Our enemies will never give us equality out of the goodness of their hearts - their hearts are too bigoted and hate-filled towards those who are different.

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A few folks are apparently waking up to the reality that the vast majority of gays cannot sit back and leave the work to a small cadre. A column in Huffington Post looks at this problem within the LGBT community. In this area where I live - which is never in the forefront of anything - historically, it is always the same activists who are out fighting in the trenches, often working in multiple organizations. The rest sit home and whine and complain or cower in the closet. This has got to change. Here are some column highlights:

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John Cloud wrote an interesting story in Time Magazine last week about the new gay mafia that is behind lots of the great changes that are going on in American politics. They are smart people who put up hundreds of millions of dollars to change politics and society from the bottom up, working county by county and state by state for equality for gay people.

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One of the gatekeepers for one of the rich donors is quoted as saying, "where is the outrage?" I think he means where is the outrage against being kept as second class citizens, wondering why the "movement" sits back and waits for billionaires to write checks. But can there be outrage when a movement becomes a corporation? When the largest LGBT organizations look like, are staffed by former executives of and are funded by huge corporations and huge donors, where is the movement? It's not at black tie dinners. It's not at VIP receptions. It's not on the red carpet. Movements are visceral and popular, often born of outrage and even anger, like that which eventually made Barack Obama president-elect.

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The Mormon Church and its subsidiary allies brilliantly pumped in money and lies into a cynical campaign to strip rights from people via constitutional amendment. They ran a much better campaign than the No side. And they used their base to win. I talked with two candidates for office here in California today who said they lost because they were on our side. They saw the Mormon Church at work. They saw organizing of Latino and African American households. They saw passion and organization. Where were we?

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Imagine the thousands and thousands of people who could have called, spoken to five friends, walked and persuaded for the past four months. Imgaine what might have happened had we truly engaged our wonderful friends in the labor movement, such as Sal Rosselli. And then, if we had lost, we'd have a real movement. Now we have to build one from Zach and Geoffrey up. Maybe it's all for the best. As Barack Obama has shown, real victories do not come easy, but they do come from movements.

Kool-Aid Drinkers Still Love Palin

It's entirely possible that Sarah "Bible Spice" Palin single handed sank the GOP ticket by driving rational conservatives not to mention moderates and independents away from the ticket. Yet the Kool-Aid drinkers of the delusional far right of the GOP continue to have orgasmic fits over her and see her as the future of the GOP. They must be drinking the Kool-Aid by the barrel full. As the New York Times reports today, Palin was definitely a rogue within the campaign and seems in many ways to have been out of control - i.e. I previously posted about the prank call she took from Quebec comediennes, not knowing that she had scheduled the call obviously without any confirmation of who was really calling. Here are some highlights from the Times story:

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As a top adviser in Senator John McCain’s now-imploded campaign tells the story, it was bad enough that Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska unwittingly scheduled, and then took, a prank telephone call from a Canadian comedian posing as the president of France. Far worse, the adviser said, she failed to inform her ticketmate about her rogue diplomacy.

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The disputes between the campaigns centered in large part on the Republican National Committee’s $150,000 wardrobe for Ms. Palin and her family, but also on what McCain advisers considered Ms. Palin’s lack of preparation for her disastrous interview with Katie Couric of CBS News and her refusal to take advice from Mr. McCain’s campaign.

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As late as Tuesday night, a McCain adviser said, Ms. Palin was pushing to deliver her own speech just before Mr. McCain’s concession speech, even though vice-presidential nominees do not traditionally speak on election night. But Ms. Palin met up with Mr. McCain with text in hand. She was told no by Mark Salter, one of Mr. McCain’s closest advisers, and Steve Schmidt, Mr. McCain’s top strategist.

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On Wednesday, two top McCain campaign advisers said that the clothing purchases for Ms. Palin and her family were a particular source of outrage for them. As they portrayed it, Ms. Palin had been advised by Nicolle Wallace, a senior McCain aide, that she should buy three new suits for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in September and three additional suits for the fall campaign. The budget for the clothes was anticipated to be from $20,000 to $25,000, the officials said. Instead, in a public relations debacle undermining Ms. Palin’s image as an everywoman “hockey mom,” bills came in to the Republican National Committee for about $150,000, including charges of $75,062 at Neiman Marcus and $49,425 at Saks Fifth Avenue. The bills included clothing for Ms. Palin’s family and purchases of shoes, luggage and jewelry, the advisers said.

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One of the last straws for the McCain advisers came just days before the election when news broke that Ms. Palin had taken a call made by Marc-Antoine Audette. Mr. Audette and his fellow comedian Sebastien Trudel are notorious for prank calls to celebrities and heads of state. Ms. Palin appeared to believe that she was talking to President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, even though the prankster had a flamboyant French accent and spoke to her in a more personal way than would be protocol in such a call.

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So how does the Christianist set explain away these debacles? It was all the fault of Palin's handlers. They are utterly unwilling to accept the fact that Palin was in WAY over her head and that she's basically a bimbo who doesn't recognize her own limitations (just like the Chimperator). Here's highlights from Family Reseach Council's delusional commentary:

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God bless Sarah Palin and her beautiful family. Only she brought life into the campaign run by the Republicans. She did it not only in her record on life, by her advocacy of life, but in the life circumstances she displayed on the night of her announced candidacy. She fought for her principles and she performed well under the circumstances. And what circumstances might I have in mind? Simply put, her handlers.

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Unfortunately, I saw it begin to happen when her handlers put her on tv with one of the most partisan women on the television screen, Katie Couric. Did these contractors/handlers think that could possibly go well?Why was she not introduced to the national media via Laura Ingraham. . . . I am encouraged about her future even more as a result of her shedding these contracting parasites.

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David Brooks, David Frum and others can gag all they want, but she is the future of the Republican party.

More Thursday Male Beauty

Renewed Determination

UPDATED: AmericaBlog has a piece on a boycott concept that ought to be utilized in my view. The details can be found here. Given the size of the LGBT community's purchasing power, its a $800 billion bat to hit them back with.

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After having a mini-pity party yesterday, I am resolved to get up and continue my small part in the battle for full gay equality under the law. This Saturday will be a first step as the fundraising dinner I am co-chairing takes place with a sold out crowd of over 250 people, new mainstream sponsors - including two major local law firms - and a Congressman and Congressman elect attending. The proceeds will go to fund the efforts for gaining more legal rights for LGBT Virginians.

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The other thing that all of us can do to the maximum extent possible is live our lives "out and proud" - be who you are and apologize to no one. The guy's shirt in the photo at left sums up my attitude (click on it for a larger view). The more of us who live openly as who we are, the sooner the stereotypes utilized by our enemies will fall apart. Would that more professionals and celebrities would come out and dispel the lies told about us.

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On other fronts, I would love to see an organized boycott of Utah and all Mormon owned businesses by gays and our allies (e.g., avoid ski resorts in Utah and let them know why they are being boycotted). There should be a severe cost levied against those who disproportionately funded the attacks against gay equality. Likewise, someone needs to have a real "come to Jesus" with black leaders about anti-gay discrimination within the black community being unacceptable. I worked election day in a majority black precinct to protect black voters and my pay back was that their counterparts in California put Proposition 8 over the top. Why would I ever want to volunteer my time again for that cause? Anti-gay actions must have negative consequences.

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The other good news for the long term is that the Christo-fascist GOP may be killing itself for a generation as 63% the under 29 voter demographic voted a straight Democrat ticket in most instances. This is the same demographic that voted overwhelming FOR gay marriage. Time IS on our side as older homophobic bigots die off and a new generation replaces them at the polls. Since this group also increasingly views Christianity negatively (thanks in large part to evangelicals), there will be a increasing cost to the GOP in embracing the haters of the far right.

CNN Exit Polls: 27% of Gays Voted for McCain

If the CNN exit polls are correct, it looks like James Dobson has a lot of potential attendees for his bogus "cure" program, "Love Won Out" which would be more appropriately "Lies Won Out" or "Self-Delusion Won Out." I truly do not understand the mentality of those LGBT individuals who would vote for someone who opposes every pro-gay piece of legislation in Congress and endorsed anti-gay marriage initiatives in Arizona and California. It takes the concept of "self-hating faggot" to a whole new level. And if this kind of voting reflects a case of wealthy queens worrying about their tax rate, it is beyond sick. I guess they would have worked as kapos for the Nazi regime too.

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My advice to these self-hating and likely closet cases is to self-flagellate all they want, but do NOT do things and/or vote in ways that hurt the rest of us. Some of us are not ashamed of who we are and do not feel the need to apologize to anyone. And, personally, if these voters are closet cases, I'd love to out them. Do things to hurt me or reduce my civil rights and I'll expose your hypocrisy.

Thursday Male Beauty

Truth About Palin's Idiocy Begins to Come Out

Many of us realized early on that Sarah "Bible Spice" Palin was utterly unfit to be vice president - or perhaps even a dog catcher in states other than Alaska - and now the real stories of her stupidity are all starting to spill out. Personally, I continue to believe someone (or multiple people) from the Christian Right picked her and foisted her on McCain in exchange for Christianist support. Obama needs to find out who that was so he can send them a personal thank you note for likely losing the election for McCain. Should the GOP keep Paklin as its standard bearer, I think we will see many years of Democrat rule. Crooks and Liars as a sampling of Palin's idiocy (which shows why the anti-knowledge and anti-intelligence Christianists love her):

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Carl Cameron does one of those Now-it-can-be-told stories Fox likes to do. In this episode we learn that:

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1. Palin did NOT know Africa was a continent.
2. She did NOT know who the parties to NAFTA were. [Hint: U.S., Canada, Mexico]
3. She threw dramatic temper tantrums over bad press.
4. She refused to prepare for the Gibson or Couric interviews.

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None of this really came out during the Presidential campaign because of course it was told "off the record". There are a few ways to look at this, the most interesting being is why they felt the need to spill the beans the day after the election. Are the knives really out on Sarah Palin? Sure seems so. Time will tell.

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Smith: Now that the election is over, Carl, tell us more about those reports of infighting between Palin and McCain staffers.

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Cameron: I wish I could have told you more at the time but all of it was put off the record until after the election. There was great concern in the McCain campaign that Sarah Palin lack the degree of knowledgeability necessary to be a running mate, a vice president, and a heartbeat away from the presidency. We’re told by folks that she didn’t know what countries that were in NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, that being the Canada, the US, and Mexico. We’re told she didn’t understand that Africa was a continent rather than a country just in itself ... a whole host of questions that caused serious problems about her knowledgeability. She got very angry at staff, thought that she was mishandled.....was particularly angry about the way the Katie Couric interview went. She didn’t accept preparation for that interview when the aides say that that was part of the problem. And that there were times that she was hard to control emotionally there's talk of temper tantrums at bad news clippings......

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Notwithstanding that there is to be an avalanche that will continue for many days now we’re told of story upon story of the foibles of Sarah Palin.

Final Wednesday Male Beauty

Openly Gay Jared Polis Wins Congressional Seat

Despite the depressing losses in Arkansas, Arizona, California and Florida, there were other gay victories, one of which was the election of Jared Polis (pictured at left with his partner) to Congress for the 2nd District of Colorado. Polis is the third openly gay member of the incoming Congress - the other two are Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank. Here are some highlights from the Denver Post:

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Democrat Jared Polis defeated Republican Scott Starin in the 2nd Congressional District race Tuesday, becoming the first openly gay person from Colorado elected to Congress. The voters of our district have spoken clearly that they want change brought to Washington," Polis said. "I look forward to taking my out-of-the- box approach and creative ideas to help shake up Washington."

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Polis will replace Rep. Mark Udall as congressman for the district that stretches from Adams, Broomfield and Boulder counties in the Denver metro area up the Interstate 70 corridor into Summit and Eagle counties. Democrat Udall won a Senate seat Tuesday. An Internet entrepreneur who turned to policy work and then politics, Polis will become the third openly gay member of Congress. The others are Democratic Reps. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.

Faces of Haters; Other Gay Views on the Marriage Defeat

Christo-fascists celebrating the apparent passage of Proposition 8

If you read my earlier post from today on the wins by the "Christian" and Mormon haters in four out of five states, you know that I am upset. I do take it personally because the Christianist maliciously INTEND to hurt us. "Protecting marriage" is only the ruse they use to try to mask their evil and hate. Gay marriage costs them nothing other than one less thing for which they can act/feel sanctimonious, self-satisfied and superior. In contrast, for us LGBT Americans, it strips away very real civil legal rights. Frankly, it will probably take me a good while to set foot back in a church since I increasingly believe the world might be far better off without Christianity - or at least the version that holds sway in the USA with far too many haters and far too few Christians who have enough guts to do what is right even if it chases away some of their parish donations. Here are the thoughts of some other gay commentators and bloggers:

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Andrew Sullivan: Yes, it is heart-breaking: it is always hard to be in a tiny minority whose rights and dignity are removed by a majority. It's a brutal rebuke to the state supreme court, and enshrinement in California's constitution that gay couples are now second-class citizens and second class human beings. Massively funded by the Mormon church, a religious majority finally managed to put gay people in the back of the bus in the biggest state of the union. The refusal of Schwarzenegger to really oppose the measure and Obama's luke-warm opposition didn't help. And cruelly, a very hefty black turnout, as feared, was one of the factors that defeated us, according to the exit poll. . . . It cannot be denied that this feels like a punch in the gut. It is. I'm not going to pretend that the wound isn't deep and personal, like an attack on my own family. It was meant to be.

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Michelangelo Signorile: It's devastating for us all and heart-breaking for those who worked so hard in the fight. But we've been down before and we have picked ourselves up. We will do that again. We must realize that our movement is young -- much younger certainly than the black civil rights movement -- and we are going to have losses, sometimes very big ones, and there is no easy way to full civil rights and equality. . . . . And yes, prominent politicians -- our Democratic allies among them, including the next president -- have a contradictory position on marriage for gays and lesbians and we must demand they change it if they want our support. It has hurt us. We can no longer put up with their conflicted positions. In truth, however, there is still a lot of hate and misunderstanding out there, and that is really at the bottom of what happened last night.

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John Aravosis: It's official. Nearly 20,000 marriages of gay couples were repealed last night. And their children made bastards. We lost. And it was the hateful leadership of the Mormon Church, along with, reportedly, hefty black turnout, that pushed it over the top. . . . And to be fair, the problems go far beyond the black vote and Mormon money. I'd like someone to explain to me why the leaders of our side of the campaign shouldn't be metaphorically beaten to within an inch of their lives. We should have hired political professionals, even - eeks! - straight ones, to do this. But we relied on the usual gay names and faces because, cumbaya my lord, a PC group hug is far more important than actually winning. I'm disgusted. And I want to see some heads rolling.

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Pam Spaulding: While we have crossed one threshold, marriage amendments in Arizona, Florida and California have passed. In Arkansas, voters decided to ban the ability of gay and lesbian couples to adopt a child. To put things in perspective, voters in California handily approved another measure to improve the health and well-being of livestock - "Standards for Confining Farm Animals," but were content to eliminate the existing right of gays and lesbians to marry. . . . It makes it quite clear that equality is in the eye of the beholder, and we must reconcile the fact that some of the same people who marked that ballot for Barack Obama did not see fit to vote to prevent discrimination against gay and lesbian couples. And now I feel that a giant snowball of blame game is about to roll over and crush me on this front. Who voted for Yes on 8 is clear now, as exit polls show 70% of blacks, (with black women at 74%) voted for the amendment. That's about 20 points higher than any other racial group.

Lawsuits to Challenge Proposition 8 Passage

It's hard to get up sometimes after being punched in the gut, but that's what is already happening in California in the form of three lawsuits being prepared to challenge the likely passage of Proposition 8. One suit will challenge the procedure used for the initiative under Article 18 of the California Constitution and at first blush seems to have a viable argument - i.e., that minor changes can be done via simple initiative while those impacting basic rights require a more complex process including action by the state legislature. The more involved process would obviously help protect against the abuse of minorities by a simple majority of voters. Other grounds for the challenge may also arise under the U. S. Constitution's ban on ex-post facto laws not to mention the equal protection clause. Here are some highlights from 365gay.com:

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San Francisco, California) At least three lawsuits are are in the works to challenge Proposition 8, a proposed amendment to the California constitution that would ban same-sex marriage. One of the suits is planned by City of San Francisco attorney Dennis Herrera’s office. A second is by the three LGBT groups that won the historic California Supreme Court ruling that allowed same-sex marriage in the state. The third is by one of the couples who were married after the court ruling went into effect in May.

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The American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a writ petition before the California Supreme Court on Wednesday, a preliminary move to a suit.

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The petition charges that Proposition 8 is invalid because the initiative process was improperly used in an attempt to undo the constitution’s core commitment to equality for everyone, by eliminating a fundamental right from just one group – lesbian and gay Californians.

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The petition also says that Proposition 8 improperly attempts to prevent the courts from exercising their essential constitutional role of protecting the equal protection rights of minorities. The groups in the petition say that under the California Constitution, such radical changes to the organizing principles of state government cannot be made by simple majority vote through the initiative process, but instead must, at a minimum, go through the state legislature first. The California Constitution itself sets out two ways to alter the document that sets the most basic rules about how state government works, the groups said in a statement.

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Through the initiative process, voters can make relatively small changes to the constitution. But any measure that would change the underlying principles of the constitution must first be approved by the legislature before being submitted to the voters. That didn’t happen with Proposition 8, and that’s why it’s invalid, the petition said.

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Generally, the pro-gay litigators have run circles around the Christianist attorneys who often are high on ideology and religious fanaticism, but low on legal skills. I haven't yet taken a look at the California case law that may further elaborate on the constitutional amendment process.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

The Resurrection of the American Dream

The caption to this post is the headline from an article in German publication Der Spiegel and it correctly captures some of what happened yesterday. Sadly, LGBT citizens are not included in the resurrected American Dream - or at least not yet. I truly hope that an Obama administration sets a new inclusive tone and in time may help change minds that still dwell on differences between people instead of our common humanity. In addition, an Obama presidency means that the likely coming vacancies on the U. S. Supreme Court will not be filled by those who would write some out of the constitution or seek the reverse the case law on the right to privacy - something which is crucial since I predict Proposition 8, if it passes, will be challenged under the U. S. Constitution. Lastly, Obama's win removes any near term likelihood of Bible Spice Palin becoming president (hopefully forever). Here are some highlights:

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Obama's tone embraces people, it doesn't exclude them. It's a tone of political romanticism. It doesn't solve problems, but it lessens the pain. Where Bush stoked fear, Obama spreads calm. The tone itself only accounts for half of his success, though. The surroundings determine whether it resonates. In the self-satisfied, successful America of the 1990s, Obama's tone would have been dismissed as too soft and too quiet. The victory over the Soviet Union had to be celebrated. America wanted to be loud.

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But in 2008 the economy is sputtering. To describe conditions in America today as "social inequality" is a blatant understatement. Almost 50 million people don't have health insurance. Around 30 million live off food stamps issued by the state.

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America has fallen silent, and Obama penetrated this silence with his message of hope and change. Conciliation, not confrontation is his message to an unsettled country. He doesn't use the word "compassion" with which German Chancellor Willy Brandt enchanted a generation. That word has lost its ring in America since George W. Bush described himself as a "compassionate conservative."

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Obama is America's offer of reconciliation after all those years of premeditated political provocation, of military action not backed by international law, of America's claim to be entitled to military pre-emptive strikes. The Bush doctrine was scrapped last night. The unilateralist stance of the Western superpower is likely to be over for now.

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As the new day dawns in Germany, America is once again dreaming the American dream. It will be a deep, soulful dream after all these restless, dreamless years of terror attacks, reports from the Baghdad front and the collapse of Wall Street. It's a dream about a world without poverty or fear, of a life full of opportunity and devoid of George W. Bush.

A New Political Generation

My youngest daughter has grown up around politics, but nonetheless it was inspiring to have her call me last night as she and many other Virginia Commonwealth Students joined in an impromptu celebration in the area around the VCU campus in Richmond, the one time capital of the Confederate States of America. The excitement and enthusiasm from the crowd could be heard in the background as she talked to me excitedly. Here's how a Richmond TV station described it:

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RICHMOND, VA (NBC12) - Thousands of students and supporters filled downtown Richmond, celebrating the win of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. Broad Street was shut down from Belvidere to Lombardy streets. Richmond police estimate around two thousand people particpated in a peaceful and excited walk up the streets of Richmond. VCU students made up most of the crowd.

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The crowd cheered for Obama, and cheered change for the nation.They waved flags and Obama signs and marched down Broad Street from the Siegel Center down to the State Capitol. It was at the site of the State Capitol where they sang the Star- Spangled Banner.

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Those that spoke to NBC12 said they felt their vote counted, that this was a time of change, some being first time, young voters, and that they were happy at the outcome of this election. The crowd was peaceful, of a mix of ages and race, and those that spoke to NBC12 just expressed their excitement in this election.

Anti-Gay Hate Triumphs

UPDATED: One generally gay affirming retired clergy's comment on this post was that I need to be more "positive' and look at what has improved and also be more patient. My resonse to him:

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Every day, gays – especially teens - kill themselves because of the poison put out by “Christians.” People ARE dying due to this stuff. Remember, I have lost two friends to suicide because of the “Christian” message and know many more that are emotionally scarred for life (perhaps me included). All the while too many church leaders are afraid of offending the sensibilities of bigots within their churches and congregations who apparently need to feel superior to others in order to feel good about themselves. Being patient and positive does not stop the ruined lives and suicides.

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I should be thrilled today, but the glow of the Obama victory is severely diminished by the triumph of the Christianist/Mormon haters in the anti-gay initiatives in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida and probably in California. For me, these results underscore that for LGBT Americans those who allege themselves to be Christian remain our number one enemy. I am left feeling physically ill and demoralized. True, many Christians worked for gay rights such as the churches I have highlighted in prior posts. Too many allegedly progressive denominations, however, sat by and did nothing and allowed the forces of hate to win. Personally, I remain with the feeling that anyone Christian is an enemy of gay equality until proven otherwise. And I am sorry, but just saying that a denomination or congregation is accepting doesn't cut it. As the saying goes, talk is cheap - I want to see affirmative actions.

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As for my country, to be honest, if I received an acceptable marriage proposal from someone living in a country with gay marriage - a marriage of convenience to give me citizenship would do - I'd be sorely tempted to leave the USA. I am tired of waiting to be a full citizen. Here are highlights from Autumn Sandeen at Pam's House Blend that looks at the wins by our enemies (note that in California farm animals rate higher than same sex couples - it doesn't get much more insulting):

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In Arizona, the same-sex marriage ban appears to be passing. With 99% of precincts reporting, the results were 56% to 44%. This initiative is currently projected to win; this is an initiative that needed 50% plus one vote pass -- the state itself was called for Obama.

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In Arkansas, the ban on gay and lesbian couples adopting children appears to be passing. With 96% of precincts reporting, the results were 57% to 43%. As of this moment, this initiative has been called; this was an initiative that needed 50% plus one vote pass -- the state itself was called for McCain.

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In Florida, the same-sex marriage ban appears to be passing. With 99% of precincts reporting, the results were 62% to 38%. As of this moment, this initiative has been called; this was a constitutional amendment that needed 60% of the votes to pass -- the state itself was called for Obama.

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And in California, we had Proposition 8. As of this moment, with 89% of precincts reporting, the constitutional amendment to the California State Constitution limiting marriage to one man and one woman is ahead 51.8% to 48.2%. The constitutional amendment hasn't yet been called -- but the amendment needs just 50% plus one vote pass -- the state itself has been called for Obama.
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Here in my odd world of California, there is a weird comparison of initiatives between California initiatives can be made between Propositions 2 and 8. Proposition 2 is an initiative that was described in the initiative as follows: The purpose of this Act is to prohibit the cruel confinement of farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.

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So in my mind, perhaps the saddest commentary on "liberal" Californians sense of equality and fairness is to say that in my home state where, to this point, 63.3% of its voters found the mistreatment of farm animals something worthy of being legislated against, and 52.8% of voters believed eliminating the fundamental right of gays and lesbians to marry worthy of a state constitutional amendment.

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It dampens my hopes in what a Democratic Congress and Democratic Congress will do with a fully inclusive ENDA, a Matthew Sheppard Act, and with Don't Ask, Don't Tell being repealed. The tide just doesn't seem to be flowing in the electoral direction of LGBT citizens.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Summing Up The Democrat Victory

The New York Times' editorial this morning has a good summary of where the USA finds itself this morning. The editorial is a severe indictment of the 8 years of misrule by the Chimperator, Emperor Palpatine Cheney, and the haters within the GOP. Obama faces huge problems that need to be addressed and will likely find it difficult to win over the wingnuts and hate merchants of the GOP base. Here are highlights from the editorial:

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His triumph was decisive and sweeping, because he saw what is wrong with this country: the utter failure of government to protect its citizens. He offered a government that does not try to solve every problem but will do those things beyond the power of individual citizens: to regulate the economy fairly, keep the air clean and the food safe, ensure that the sick have access to health care, and educate children to compete in a globalized world.

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Mr. Obama spoke candidly of the failure of Republican economic policies that promised to lift all Americans but left so many millions far behind. He committed himself to ending a bloody and pointless war. He promised to restore Americans’ civil liberties and their tattered reputation around the world.

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With a message of hope and competence, he drew in legions of voters who had been disengaged and voiceless. The scenes Tuesday night of young men and women, black and white, weeping and cheering in Chicago and New York and in Atlanta’s storied Ebenezer Baptist Church were powerful and deeply moving.

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Mr. Obama inherits a terrible legacy. The nation is embroiled in two wars — one of necessity in Afghanistan and one of folly in Iraq. Mr. Obama’s challenge will be to manage an orderly withdrawal from Iraq without igniting new conflicts so the Pentagon can focus its resources on the real front in the war on terror, Afghanistan.

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Mr. Obama will have to move quickly to impose control, coherence, transparency and fairness on the Bush administration’s jumbled bailout plan. His administration will also have to identify all of the ways that Americans’ basic rights and fundamental values have been violated and rein that dark work back in.

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There are many other urgent problems that must be addressed. Tens of millions of Americans lack health insurance, including some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens — children of the working poor. Other Americans can barely pay for their insurance or are in danger of losing it along with their jobs. They must be protected.