Anne Hathway Quits Catholicism for Gay Brother

I obviously chose to leave the Roman Catholic Church because I am gay and I do not believe in remaining involved in an institution that does nothing but denigrate you and others like you even as it demonstrates complete moral bankruptcy (e.g., the sex abuse scandal). None of my children continue to attend Catholic Church and from the comments they have made, the Church's anti-gay stance is one of the motivating factors. Similarly, of my siblings, only one continues to attend Catholic Church. Therefore, I am not surprised to read in the Advocate that actress Anne Hathaway has broken her ties to the Catholic Church. I wish more individuals with gay family members would follow Hathaway's example or, if they cannot break from attending Catholic services, at least stop giving money that indirectly funds the Church's anti-gay jihad. Here are highlights from the Advocate:

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Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway tells GQ Magazine she and her parents have left the Catholic church because of the religion's views on gay issues. Hathaway, whose brother is gay, says she and her parents became Episcopalians shortly after he came out.
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"The whole family converted to Episcopalianism after my elder brother came out,” she said. “Why should I support an organization that has a limited view of my beloved brother?"
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Hathaway, who has been a vocal champion of gay rights since starring in Brokeback Mountain, says she isn’t quite at home with the Episcopalian Church either . . . I'm a work in progress.”

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Based on my own experience, Hathaway may want to try the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which - after a breif stint as an Episcopalian - I found more a kin to the Catholic Church than the Episcopal Church yet without the anti-gay mentality of the Catholic Church.

Wintry Day Thoughts

I have found myself thinking a lot about the past today - maybe it's the weather and thoughts of growing up in Central New York. Winters were long and snowy, but summers in the Adirondacks were wonderful, though short. The photo above/right was taken at the summer house and was taken about 40 years ago - pictured are two of my sisters and one of their girlfriends friend (my sister that I lost in 2001 is at right and my other sister is at left). We spent countless hours water skiing, sailing, canoeing, and hanging out with our gang of lake friends (two such guy friends and major crushes are pictured in today's male beauty shots). They were magical days and I felt so much more comfortable at the lake than at home during the school year except when on the ski slopes where I gained status among school friends due to my skiing abilities. I still feel a sense of loss when I think of those times and that I wasted so much of my time worrying about hiding "my secret.
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But a sense of loss is something that anyone who has come out in mid-life likely knows well. At times in the years after I first came out, that sense of loss was overwhelming. All that I knew as my life was for the most part lost. And all too often it felt that I'd never find something to replace it. You do, however, rebuild a new life, even though at the time it doesn't seem possible and/or to occur quickly enough. At times the melancholy can be intense and it sometimes comes through in my writings here on the blog. But overall, I am making progress and I do have a new life that I once thought impossible. One reader commented as follows earlier in the weeks: "Going through your coming out journey IS associated with profound loss and now I appreciate the candid expressions of your pain, suffering and depression. As I have stayed with you, I have noted an increasing sense of healing on your part and less overall negativity with your current status, so kudos to you on that front. I thank him for sticking with me and being able to see the journey.
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I guess my advice for the day to those in a place I once found myself is that you need to stay the course. There ARE better days ahead. That doesn't mean that the experience will not have its emotional roller coaster moments. I am fortunate to have found "the one" who loves me unlike anyone in the past. He brightens my world and is my safe harbor. In turn, he feels that I understand him and understand his heart. Perhaps we are both lucky.
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On a different note, I have talked to family members in Charlottesville and all are well and currently with power, although it sounds like my sister's back yard has lost numerous trees that have broken off under the weight of snow, then freezing rain and then more snow. Here in Tidewater, there is a dusting of snow on the ground and pragmatically, we are watching the water level in the creek more than the snow accumulation since we have had 50+ mph winds blowing from the northeast and piling water into Hampton Roads' harbor.

Is Don'T Ask, Don't Give Working?

An opinion piece by a gay conservative on AOLNews suggests that those in the LGBT blogosphere and the "don't Ask, Don't Give" campaign endorsed by an number of big time blogs - as well as this blog - may well be doing more to get things moving on LGBT issues than all of the "make-nice: efforts of our self-anointed leaders at HRC. The sad reality is that most politicians will not do something merely because it is the right thing to do. Instead they act either to secure continued support/votes or to stop efforts that will be potentially harmful to their political careers. And since money is the mother's milk of politics, threats to stop the flow of money is often taken far more seriously than HRC statements condemning various policies. Here are some column highlights:
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While President Barack Obama's decision to move forward with the elimination of the military's much hated "don't ask, Don't tell" policy has attracted widespread coverage, the reason behind the sudden push hasn't. So, what exactly got the White House wheels in motion on DADT?
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It certainly wasn't the Human Rights Campaign, which has been playing a game of make-nice with Democrats in Congress and the Obama administration. Its leader, Joe Solmonese, ever quick to criticize Republicans when they fall short on gay issues, has been tepid in his criticism of the president when Obama failed to keep campaign promises to the gay community.
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It may instead have been an effort by a coterie of liberal bloggers and activists calling "for a temporary moratorium on DNC donations" who made the administration realize there was a price for its inaction.
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The fledgling movement, which adopted the motto "Don't Ask, Don't Give" and has attracted the likes of legendary gay rights activist David Mixner, aimed at discouraging donations to the party until the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the repeal of both "don't ask, don't tell" and the Defense of Marriage Act. Mostly left-of-center bloggers at such sites as Pam's House Blend, Queerty and AmericaBlogGay pressed their readers to boycott the Democratic Party.
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Their actions generated a lot of heat in the community, culminating in a cover story in the Advocate, a monthly gay newsmagazine. And threatened with this loss of revenue from some of their most reliable (and affluent) supporters, the Obama administration surely realized it needed to act quickly on one of those issues, lest it lose a significant chunk of its financial support and alienate some of the party's most enthusiastic backers.
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So, this gay conservative blogger's hat is off to his fellows on the other side of the political aisle. Unlike the heads of the establishment gay organizations, they didn't kowtow to the leaders of the political party they prefer and refused to accept their promises of action on some undefined date in the future. They told the administration there would be consequences for its failure to act. And it acted.

More Saturday Male Beauty

Houston Chronicle: Time to Repeal DADT

Having lived in Houston, I know that it's hardly the most liberal of cities, but with a gay mayor and a large dynamic LGBT population, it increasingly does not reflect the anti-gay attitude that predominates in much of the state of Texas outside of the large cities. Thus, it is encouraging to see the Houston Chronicle come out strongly and support the demise of Don't Ask Don't Tell. In its main editorial earlier this week, the Chronicle laid out all the sound reasons for the repeal of DADT which - as I have said many times before - is ultimately based on religious discrimination and the far right's desire to keep LGBT citizens inferior under the law so that they can immediately cite such legal inferiority as justification for their bigotry. I am baffled at times that more people don't see through the far right's smoke screen as to what's really going on. In any event, here are highlights from the Chronicle's reasoning on the issue:
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The clock is running out on the U.S. military's congressionally mandated “don't ask, don't tell” policy that has denied gay Americans the right to serve openly in the armed forces. It's about time. . . . “Don't ask, don't tell” deserves to be relegated to the history of outdated biases. Enacted in 1993 as a stopgap measure after President Bill Clinton's initiative to allow gays to serve their country without restrictions foundered, the policy had been corrosive to individual rights while costing the nation valuable human resources it desperately needs in a time of two wars.
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The policy didn't stop gays from entering the armed forces. Indeed, an estimated 65,000 gay men and lesbians currently wear American uniforms. What it did do was force honorable men and women to dissemble in order to serve their country. It has resulted in the expulsion of more than 13,500 service people for simply having their sexuality identified, sometimes by vindictive third parties. More than 700 of those soldiers served in mission-critical positions.
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Secretary Gates has announced that the Pentagon will conduct a yearlong study to formulate the best way to reverse the policy. That seems like a long time, but it's imperative to implement this change with the proper cultural sensitivity training to get it done right. In the meantime, military leaders should delay the discharges of good soldiers whose only violation is being gay while Congress moves to end the ban.
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We used to have a segregated military. That's no longer an issue. Discriminatory provisions against gay service members — like those that once applied to African-Americans and women — need to be consigned to the past.

Albania Moves Ahead of Most of the USA

It ought to be increasingly embarrassing for the USA and states like Virginia that eastern European nations like Albania are moving ahead of most of the USA in terms of protections afforded to LGBT citizens. In much of the USA gays have no legal protections against discrimination - such is certainly the case in Virginia - yet Albania has just enacted legislation that, while not allowing same sex marriage - affords broad non-discrimination protects of that nation's LGBT citizens. Increasingly, the USA self-advertised "land of the free" is becoming an out right farce. Not, of course, that Christianists and spineless politicians seem to care that the nation is falling behind the modern world - or even the not so modern world. Here are some highlights from the Straits Times:
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TIRANA - ALBANIA'S new anti-discrimination law defends gays and minorities and meets European standards, its sponsors said on Friday, but warned that homophobia is rife and winning over the public will be slow. Albanian rights groups and the Alliance against the Discrimination of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) welcomed the law as a powerful legal tool to protect against any kind of discrimination.
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'This law is not simply a fulfilment of requirements that Albania has undertaken for European Union integration and visa liberalisation. Above all, it is a victory for democracy and for human rights for all Albanians,' the LGBT community said. The group hoped that Berisha would eventually keep his promise to legalise same-sex marriage.
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Altin Azizaj, who runs the Children Rights Centre and had fought with parliamentarians over the role of a commissioner to monitor the law, said public and, most importantly, private institutions were now bound to respect human rights.
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The bill guarantees citizens against discrimination on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation, but has widely come to be known in Albania as the gay law because of the publicity Berisha gave their cause.
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For clarification, I applaud Albania's move and condemn the USA for its failure to live up to the ideals it supposedly stands for.

Saturday Male Beauty

Military Times Surveys Troops on DADT

Living in an area with a huge military presence, one gets to see first hand the lunacy and religious based discrimination behind Don't Ask, Don't Tell ("DADT") on literally a daily basis. Gay and lesbian members of the military are everywhere and it's hard to go to a gay club without running into members of the military. Just last night we attended "steak night" at The Wave and a friend of my was there with a date of sorts - a cute, totally straight looking young Navy guy. While the military continues to recruit heavily from the South and rural areas - and thus recruits its share of homophobes - among the younger military personnel, the level of anti-gay mentality is fading. A new survey done by the Military Times to be published on Monday looks like it will confirm this observation. Unfortunately, it only takes one homophobe to ruin some one's career as happened to a formerly submarine based sailor where - even most of the ship knew he was gay and could have cred less about - one new bigot joined the ship and forced my friend out of the Navy. Here are some highlights from the Army Times:
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Opposition to gays serving openly in the military has declined sharply among those wearing the uniform today, the Military Times newspapers will report Monday. An exclusive survey of some 3,000 active-duty troops shows such opposition has fallen sharply from nearly two-thirds (65 percent) in 2004 to about half (51 percent) today. The survey results appear Monday in Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times.
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The Military Times exclusive is based on survey results and in-depth interviews with military leaders, both gay and straight. These career-oriented officers and enlisted troops are among those who would largely be responsible for implementing changes to the Clinton-era law and policy.
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And in a first since the Army Times Publishing Co. began polling readers in 2003, the survey includes data on the prevalence of homosexuality within the ranks — information the Defense Department is unable to collect under the legal requirements of DADT.

AFA Targets Armani for "Promoting Homosexuality"

The American Family Association ("AFA") always needs a boycott target it seems to help whip its Christianist followers into a rage and, more importantly, rouse them to send in monetary contributions to support the Wildmon family lifestyle. The latest target is Armani Exchange because of its racy ads which the ever crazy loons at AFA claim are promoting homosexuality. AFA can see a homosexual plot behind almost anything regardless of how far fetched it may seem. Ford Motor Company has been previously targeted for simply advertising in gay publication - something that is perfectly rational if a business is trying to sell products to a market segment that has disposable income. What is often merely common business sense is seen as a sinister pro-gay plot. I suspect Armani's sole goal is to run provocative ads to get buyer attention. Here are highlights from the Edge on AFA's latest hissy fit:
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A group affiliated with the American Family Association targeted Armani Exchange for its Valentine’s Day ads. [The] group has targeted Armani clothing outlet Armani Exchange, claiming that the fashion company’s advertising is "appalling" due to what the group says are depictions of "threesomes" and "same s*x couples [sic]" in Armani’s romantically themed Valentine’s Day advertising.
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Text at the [AFA] site, using strategically placed asterisks to enable key words to get through spam filters, warns, "Malls, where teens hang out, have retailers whose window displays poison our children with 10-foot posters that are nothing but soft p*rn. In particular, Armani Exchange has recently displayed Valentine’s posters with partially dressed ’couples’ holding one another. These couples consist of two men, a man and woman, and two women."
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The text continues, "The women are scantily dressed while it is questionable if the men have any clothes on at all. Two of these models are used a couple of times to represent bis*xuals. If it could get any worse the text written is ’SHARE THE LOVE.’ "
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The Valentine’s Day promotion drawing a suggestion of boycott is reminiscent of a similar campaign against retailers last Christmas, when a group called American Decency sent out a call for shoppers to shun Abercrombie & Fitch, telling adherents that the company exploits teen consumers with eroticized advertisements that present sexuality in a context that could imply a "lifestyle agenda" to which the group objects.
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Such a "lifestyle agenda," as well as a "hidden agenda" that the group claimed A&F promoted, steers clear of overt marketing to gays, noted media watchdog Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAAD): "With nonstop pictures of beefcake, clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has not only taken the gay community by storm but straight young men in college as well," a posting at the GLAAD Web site read.
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American Decency saw unholy motivations behind such imagery. Text at the group’s Web site declared, "Any corporate entity, TV program, magazine, video game, movie, catalog that attempts to undermine the sexual purity of any child or God’s clarion call ’to be holy as He is holy’ must be exposed and their evil opposed.
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Meanwhile, thanks to AFA Armani is getting additional publicity from AFA and, since the forbidden fruit is always more attractive, the children of the wingnuts are probably eager to buy some of the merchandise under attack.

The GOP's "Southern Problem"

The recent GOP victories have all had one thing in common: the successful candidates have campaigned claiming to be moderates and tried to avoid social issues dear to the GOP base which is increasingly focused in the Deep South. Whether or not these winning candidates will act as moderates now that they are in office is another issue and a danger for the GOP if they do not govern with moderate position since if they do not, hopefully the electorate will learn that lying during campaigns is the GOP norm. Virginia governor Bob McDonnell is a case in point. Every position he has taken since being sworn in tends to confirm that he is no moderate regardless of a well run campaign that stayed on a false message of moderation. The Financial Times looks at the problem the national GOP will likely face as it tries to win independent voters yet not alienate the bat shit crazy base, especially in the South. Here are some highlights:

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The south is the spiritual and – along with the mountain states of the west – electoral base of the Republican party. And yet, as the party ­struggles back into national relevance with recent gubernatorial triumphs in both New Jersey and Virginia and a genuinely shocking upset last month with the victory by Scott Brown in the race for Ted Kennedy’s former seat in ­Massachusetts, the south has become as much a curse as a blessing. If the “Grand Ol’ Party” wants to win nationally in 2010, it must attract ­voters who do not identify with southern values. And if it wants to harness, as it did in Massachusetts, the power of the anti-Washington “tea party” ­protests – the grassroots movement that emerged in 2009 in opposition to Obama’s tax and spending plans – it may have to distance itself from the southern establishment. The great paradox of recovery, then, is that it now seems that the fastest way for the Republican party to return to its broader base of the late 1990s and early 2000s is at the expense of its most loyal and ardent followers.
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The south is still defined by the spaces in between its cities, the rural expanses separating Charlotte, Atlanta and Birmingham. While this world is changing – a drive through the south today offers few glimpses of the grime-faced, dungareed cotton pickers of old – some ­elements of life here remain intractably linked to the impoverished Reconstruction years following the civil war. Southerners are still poorer, more conservative, more religious and less educated than their northern peers.
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Everyone to whom we spoke placed great stock in the unique intersection of religion, tradition and grassroots politics that plays out in their ­communities every day. Such fierce local engagement has a corollary: fear of change and interference. These fears manifest themselves in an underlying anxiety about life and livelihood in the south.
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This is the constituency who lack “the resources and social capital to rebound from illegitimacy, broken homes, and failed marriages” – and many of them are southern. For these voters, issues such as abortion and gay marriage are not simply political questions but moral ones – ­indicators of their insecurity about changing social and economic structures.
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[F]rom South Carolina to Louisiana, we encountered a general distaste for such politicking. Asked about gay marriage, abortion or gun control – all strategy-shaping issues key to Republican victories in the past 20 years – southerners sighed and explained that their views on these didn’t define them and never would. We met many southerners who cared deeply about these topics and whose vote depended upon them; what they resented was the suggestion that their worldview could be boiled down to a singular cause, their political power caricatured away.
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Even more troubling than these polling numbers were the ­demographics of the group that identified as Republican. A base that was once ­geographically and economically diverse had largely been whittled down to a single constituency. The question for the Republican party, then, is how to address southern anxiety about a changing world – and an endangered heritage – while also managing to appeal to voters in ­Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and across the nation.
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All across the south we hear similar views. One man in tiny Oneonta, Alabama, told us “there are more Mexicans than white people”, even though, across the region, evidence suggests otherwise.
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The Republicans can’t win in ­Massachusetts, or in New Jersey for that matter, with a southern-themed party, but now they have proven that they can win on a pragmatically themed, economically conservative platform. Ultimately, Brown ­triumphed because he rejected Obama’s big spending, on healthcare and beyond. But, tellingly, he ran less as a Republican than as the alternative to ­Obamanomics; just try to find the word “Republican” on his website.
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By the end of our journey it was clear to us that the south is up for grabs; the southerners we spoke to are as disenchanted with Republicans as they are with Democrats. If Republicans walk away from the southern voter, the Democrats may have a chance to regain ground in a land they once dominated.
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The irony is that in many parts of the South - outside the large cities of Atlanta, Charlotte, Birmingham and New Orleans - it is exactly the conservative social beliefs and "anti-other" mindset that keeps the area more impoverished and less likely to see modern businesses and industries relocate there. Many companies and employees simply do not want to move to a bigoted and intolerant region. Thus, many Southerners are ultimately their own worse enemy. Having lived in Alabama myself, I have seen the phenomenon first hand. Thus the challenge for the GOP is how to retain this voting block without alienating everyone else

Call Your Senators Thursday to Repeal DADT !

As readers know, I am a strong supporter of DADT because I see the injustice it works on honorable and patriotic LGBT citizens who seek to serve their country. As I see it, the existence of DADT has nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with religious based anti-gay discrimination. If anyone needs to be discharged from the military, it is the homophobes who by their very prejudice fail to support the U.S. Constitution. On Thursday, February 11, 2010, the Senate Armed Services Committee will meet again to hear testimony on repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. It is vital that citizens flood the Senate with phone calls demanding the law be repealed NOW! Rest assured the enemies of equality will be doing their best to lobby senators to continue discrimination. Please call your senators or e-mail them via the link below.
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Capitol Hill Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Senate Contact List: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
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All of us need to act if we are to ensure that anti-gay policies are not made by the likes of James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Elaine Donnelly, and other haters like them. They care nothing about military readiness - they simply seek to keep LGBT Americans second class citizens because we do not subscribe to their narrow minded religious beliefs.

Friday Male Beauty

Virginia Braces for Yet Another Severe Storm

This past late fall and winter have been a bitch, starting back with November's "Nor'Ida" flood and torrential rain (the repairs to the house are still weeks away from completion). That storm has been followed by successive snow storms and now perhaps the worse storm yet is predicted to hit today. Charlottesville, which still has snow from last weekend's storm, is predicted to get 2 feet as is Washington, D.C. The photo above shows the chaos in one Charlottesville supermarket as people try to stock up - my sister said it took her 2 hours to pick up a few essentials. My mother has gone to my brother's house to stay. His house has a Vermont wood stove, so there will be heat even if the power goes out and he has a first floor bathroom. In addition, he and his wife have a Land Rover, so they can still get out if they need to do so. This area may get 3-4 inches of snow which is more than enough to create chaos. Here are highlight's from Charlottesville's Daily Progress:

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Call it snowmaggedon, the snowpocalypse, a snowtastrophe or just a gigantic pain in the neck, a huge snowstorm is expected to blanket the region today and set a new Charlottesville record for snowy winters.
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The storm has taken a track that brings it farther to the west than originally predicted, which should keep upper air temperatures low enough to make moisture fall as either sleet or snow rather than freezing rain. “That’s good. We don’t want freezing rain,” said Jerry Stenger, of the University of Virginia’s climatology office. “I’m leaning toward 16 to 20 inches for Charlottesville and I think we might get 20 to 28 inches in other areas.” With that amount of snow, authorities aren’t sure how long it will take to get roads passable again.
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“We stand a really good chance of breaking the record [today],” Stenger said. “Plus, we have another storm expected on Tuesday that could bring us another 2 to 4 inches. And we have six more weeks of winter to set the record.” Not everyone is as excited about setting the snow record, however. A series of storms has kept Virginia Department of Transportation snow removal teams at work on the weekends.
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UVa, Piedmont Virginia Community College and local schools have canceled classes today to help reduce traffic. “Consistent with the state declaration of emergency and the local declaration, the University of Virginia is canceling classes [today],” said Leonard W. Sandridge, executive vice president and chief operating officer of UVa.
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From my many years at UVA, I know that it is VERY rare for UVA to cancel classes, so they must truly expect to get hammered. It sounds like it will be a good weekend to be a couch potato!

Obama and Clinton Condemn Uganda "Kill the Gays" Bill

While failing to condemn The Family - the force behind the so-called National Prayer Breakfast - and other Christianist organizations that have fostered the raging homophobia that is behind the odious legislation pending in Uganda, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both slammed the legislation during their appearances at the Christianist conclave. I would have preferred that neither attend at all, but as has been pointed out by other commentators, a failure to attend would have provided grist for the far right noise machine - can't you just hear prescription drug addict Rush Limbaugh and others of that ilk disingenuously foaming at the mouth? Think Progress has these highlights:
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Today at the National Prayer Breakfast, both Clinton and Obama condemned the Ugandan legislation:
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– CLINTON: And I recently called President Museveni, whom I have known through the Prayer Breakfast, and expressed the strongest concerns about a law being considered in the parliament of Uganda.
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– OBAMA: We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are, whether it’s here in the United States or as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.
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Making these pronouncements today was significant because the Prayer Breakfast is sponsored by the Fellowship Foundation, the controversial group also known as “The Family.” As author Jeff Sharlet has detailed, The Family has ties to the Ugandan anti-homosexuality legislation. The author of the bill is Ugandan Parliamentarian David Bahati, who organizes the Ugandan National Prayer Breakfast and has been embraced by the far right in the United States. Watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called on C-SPAN and government officials to turn their backs on today’s event.
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Meanwhile, some Christianists are defending the Uganda legislation and demonstrating the extent of their theocratic, hate driven agenda. A case in point is Cliff Kincaid, president of America's Survival, Inc., and editor of the laughably named Accuracy in Media. Here's how Kincaid describes the legislation in Uganda:

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Journalist and media critic Cliff Kincaid said today that coverage of the so-called "Kill the Gays" bill in Uganda has been completely one-sided, inaccurate, and distorted beyond belief. Kincaid, president of America's Survival, Inc., and editor of Accuracy in Media, says the legislation is designed to save lives by discouraging homosexual practices which spread disease and death.
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"The purpose is completely at variance with what the U.S. media have reported," he said. "It is not a 'Kill the Gays' bill. Rather, it is designed to kill the disease that some homosexuals spread through their reckless and irresponsible conduct and lifestyle."
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Gee, I did not realize that the boyfriend and I live a reckless and irresponsible lifestyle. That description seems to more aptly describe Mr. Kincaid himself as he condemns others through the prism of religious fanaticism.

More Thursday Male Beauty

Have the Republicans Lost the Military?

Andrew Sullivan has an interesting post in which one of his readers posits that the DADT hearings earlier this week may have marked a watershed where the GOP lost the gay card with the top military leadership and will hereafter find itself fighting a rearguard action trying to stop the inevitable. A portion of the post looks at the obnoxious questioning of Jeff Sessions of Alabama - a state that seems far more backward and reactionary than when I lived there going on 30 years ago - and the response of both Admiral Mullen and Defense Secretary Gates. The struggle to repeal DADT is far from over, but for the first time the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs seems to recognize where the military must go, willingly or not, while Sessions continues to parrot the same old anti-gay rant that is wearing thin in more and more parts of the USA. I have written before about the "creative class" and where they congregate to live and work- as well as Richard Florida's "gay index" - and it is no surprise that Alabama continues to rank at the near the bottom of the heap in state rankings. Bigotry and intolerance carry a price. Here are some highlights from Andrew's blog as well as a video of a portion of the hearings earlier this week:
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Did you notice Admiral Mullen's smackdown of Jeff Sessions, scion of the Old South, which has owned the military for a century? Sessions accused Mullen of "undue command influence", a serious charge--just one step away from "illegal command influence". (At 4:00 in the Youtibe above).
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The accusation was so ugly, and so serious, that Gates (rightly) leapt to Mullen's defense, and smacked Sessions hard (5:20), after which Mullen looked straight at Sessions and said:

"Senator Sessions, for me, this is not about 'command influence', this is about leadership, and I take that very seriously."
(5:50)
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Sessions, in other words, told Mullen that the Republican line of attack would be to question his competence and integrity, as well as the legality of his open support for the repeal of DADT; Mullen in turn told Sessions that if the Republicans insisted on war, he was happy to oblige them. Not only is that an extraordinary personal moment, and an extraordinary moment in the struggle for gay rights, it is an extraordinary moment in American history: we just watched the tide turn. Yes, there is much work left to do, and pain and loss still to come, but the tide has turned on gay rights
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While Sullivan beleives that his readers excitement is perhaps premature, things did change earlier this week and based on the military brass that I know, I do not see Mullen prostituting himself to Sessions in the future. Indeed, Sessions may have unwittingly increased Mullen's resolve to undo DADT. Time will tell. Here's the video.

Falwell's Liberty University Hosting Anti-Gay Conference

Living in Virginia it is difficult not to be amazed by the brilliance and enlightenment of the Founding Fathers from Virginia. Knowledge, education and religious freedom were highly valued ideals. Sadly, since the Founding Fathers - other than some of the Civil War generals such as Robert E. Lee who were outstanding even if the cause of slavery was wrong - Virginia has in general been a force for backwardness and bigotry. Virginia led the way in formulating Jim Crow laws to circumvent Reconstruction laws and, of course engaged in massive resistance - i.e., closing the public schools in some locales rather than allow blacks and whites to intermix in the same schools as ordered by the federal courts. More recently, Now, the loons over at Liberty University (founded by the late Jerry Falwell) is hosting a conference that follows the tradition of the worse parts of Virginia's history rather than the brilliance and enlightenment of Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, James Madison, George Washington, George Mason and others. Rather than embrace knowledge and enlightenment, Liberty University's law school is hosting an anti-gay conference that will resemble a coven of homophobes. Here are details from Liberty Counsel's website (a conference agenda can be found here):
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Lynchburg, VA – Liberty University School of Law will host a one-day conference followed by a one-day symposium addressing homosexuality and its consequences. The Friday, February 12, conference is entitled “Understanding Same-sex Attractions and Their Consequences.” On Saturday, February 13, the Liberty University Law Review will host a legal symposium entitled “Homosexual Rights and First Amendment Freedoms: Can They Truly Coexist?”
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This two-day long symposium begins at 10:00 a.m., Friday, February 12, in the Vines Center of Liberty University at Liberty’s convocation service during which Alan Chambers, President of Exodus International, will speak. The afternoon event, titled “Understanding Same-Sex Attractions and Their Consequences,” begins at 2:00 p.m. in the Supreme Courtroom of Liberty University School of Law. Speakers include Alan Chambers; Julie Harren-Hamilton, President of NARTH; Tim Clinton, President of the American Association of Christian Counselors; Rena Lindevaldsen, Associate Professor of Law at Liberty University School of Law, and Mathew Staver, Dean of Liberty University School of Law.

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Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: “The clash between free speech, religious and homosexual rights is a like the grinding of two tectonic plates. It is imperative to understand the implications of same-sex attractions and the broader homosexual agenda. . . . The politicized radicalism of the homosexual agenda on the other hand is aggressive and intent on trampling upon the fundamental freedoms of anyone who may disapprove. That is why this conference at Liberty University is vitally important.”
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The contrast between Thomas Jefferson's University of Virginia In Charlottesville (consistently ranked among the top universities in the USA) and Liberty University - which are a mere 70 miles apart - could not be more striking. UVA offers knowledge, academic freedom and enlightenment while Lynchburg's Liberty University offers theocracy, religious bigotry, intolerance and, at essence, a contempt for religious freedom for all guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. It's not surprising that Lynchburg is a veritable backwater compared to Charlottesville.

Debunking Leviticus, Dr. Laura and Biblical Hypocrisy

While in Key West, we picked up a copy of a local news magazine, Conch Color. While flipping back through it this morning, I came across a letter to the editor/op-ed of sorts that was written by a retired professor from my Alma mater, the University of Virginia. The author was responding to comments in some of the other local papers where passages from Leviticus were once again being used to justify anti-gay bigotry. I've seen a variation of the letter before, but it is worth re-printing because it shows the shallow hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty of opponents of LGBT equality that claim to want a literal application of the Bible - except for most of the time when it is an inconvenience or demonstrates insanity. Here is Professor Kauffman's submission to Conch Color in full:

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Recently, some writers in local papers have evoked the archaic Leviticus passages (circa 1500 B.C.) in a lame effort to boost their readership by stirring up hate in our community. Perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at the antiquated passages.]

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On her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination, according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet. It’s funny, as well as informative:

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Dear Dr. Laura: Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination... End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God’s Laws and how to follow them.

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1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighbouring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?

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2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

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3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence.

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4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odour for the Lord - Lev.1:9.. The problem is, my neighbours. They claim the odour is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

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5. I have a neighbour who insists on working on the Sabbath.Exodus 35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

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6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? Are there ‘degrees’ of abomination?

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7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle- room here?

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8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

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9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

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10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made oftwo different kinds of thread (cotton/ polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

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I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging. Your adoring fan.

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James M. Kauffman, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus Dept. of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education University of Virginia

Thursday Male Beauty

Pope's Comments Bring British Backlash

Poor Pope Benedict XVI. Between his age (and increasing senility?) and having lived in the hermetically sealed bubble of the Vatican, he really has no clue that the world is changing and that religious based bigotry is increasingly unpopular in most advanced countries (the USA being an unfortunate exception, at least among GOP circles). Moreover, having headed the office once known as the Inquisition before becoming Pope, I suspect that there are few at the Vatican who dare tell him what he doesn't want to hear or accept. A case in point is Benedict's latest foot in mouth gaffe where he slammed the equality laws under consideration in the United Kingdom that would bar discrimination against gays and women. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post on this latest tempest:

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LONDON -- Pope Benedict XVI's condemnation this week of British equality legislation designed to protect gays and women in the workplace has deepened the battle lines between the Vatican and secularists, who demand that taxpayers not foot the security bill for his newly announced September visit.
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The Roman Catholic Church's steadfast opposition to allowing gays to become priests or having rights such as adoption puts it at odds with changing attitudes in Britain, where acceptance of homosexuality has increased dramatically in recent decades.
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The society [National Secular Society] said it would stage a film festival during Benedict's visit, featuring "The Magdalene Sisters," about Catholic nuns' harsh care of teenage mothers in Ireland, and "The Boys of St Vincent," about sexual abuse at a Catholic orphanage in Canada. Other protests are planned.
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It's not the only conflict between Britons and the pontiff. Benedict recently surprised the Church of England by inviting traditionalist Anglicans who oppose women priests and bishops into the Roman Catholic fold, and riled Muslims four years ago by quoting a medieval description of the Prophet Muhammad's teachings as "evil and inhuman."
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"What the pope, together with other religious leaders such as the (Church of England) bishops sitting in our own Parliament are actually seeking, is for religious people to be allowed to discriminate against others in employment, services, education and many other areas, unfettered by the laws that everyone else in society must abide by and respect," said Naomi Phillips of the British Humanist Association.
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[T]here was a protest from Stephen Hughes, a European Parliament member from Brown's governing Labour Party. "As a Catholic, I am appalled by the attitude of the pope. Religious leaders should be trying to eradicate inequality, not perpetuate it," said Hughes, who urged the pope to ensure "that existing EU legislation is properly applied in the Vatican." Increasing numbers of Britons disagree with the Catholic church's view on homosexuality.
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Someone needs to tell Benedict that we are no longer in the 13th century. If not, over time, I believe the Catholic Church will find itself losing members in modern nations and becoming a religion of the backward regions of the world where uneducated people still fall for Benedict's screeds. A letter to the editor in the Guardian seems to sum up what many British think:
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I am a "cradle Catholic" who was sent to a monastic boarding school between the ages of nine and 17, and indoctrinated with the depressing fantasies of Catholic dogma. It took 20 years to shake off this miasma of lies; and although I never suffered sexual abuse, there is an abuse of a child's rights inherent in Catholic teaching, which regards all sexual activity as sinful, except when in the cause of procreation. This (apart from being absurd in itself, and revealing of the Vatican's terror of sexually active women) is a ­terrible burden to inflict upon adolescent boys. We were constantly reminded that masturbation was a "mortal sin", punishable by hell.
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I agree with Richard Dawkins that the sexual crimes perpetrated by Irish priests upon some boys, although horrendous, were probably less damaging overall than the brainwashing of all such children with medieval superstitions. The abusive priests were themselves the hapless products of a system which hated sex and imposed an unnatural celibacy. We should think hard before encouraging any such "faith" schools: to indoctrinate children with narrow, non-rational ideas is itself an abuse of their right to have access to a balanced world-view and to evidence-based thought.
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And now the pope has attacked British equality legislation on the grounds that it threatens the freedom of religious crackpots to hate and persecute homosexuals and women (Your equality laws are unjust, pope tells UK before his visit, 2 February). I see no reason why we should let this bigoted despot come to Britain; but if we do, I hope there will be massive and noisy demonstrations against him and everything he represents.

Another Glowing Review of "A Single Man" - Life's Relevancy

I have yet to see Tom Ford's movie, A Single Man, but most definitely want to do so - right now it is only showing at one theater in Virginia Beach which is about 25 miles from the house. Given this area's social backwardness, it is likely to not be shown at many theaters due to its gay theme. Dan Siegel has a review at Huffington Post that makes the movie sound both wonderful and relevant. Indeed, it sounds like it has themes that many of us who have come out later in life go through, even if sometimes unknowingly as we endeavor to create new lies yet are haunted by the past as well. In addition to the freedom gained by coming out, there is nonetheless a mourning of what is gone. The past is gone, yet we have not yet to fully replace it and the future can look at times like a dark void full of loneliness. I for one admit that I often miss out on the beauty of life as I struggle with dealing with the daily crap that confronts me and I forget that tomorrow can/will be better. Living in and savoring the moment is not always easy, but it certainly can boost the quality of life. Especially since we do not know how many tomorrows there will be. Here are some review highlights:

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A Single Man has garnered Colin Firth his first Oscar nomination, and praise for fashion designer-turned movie director Tom Ford. Too bad the film was overlooked as a best picture contender. This movie deserves your viewing for Firth's magnificent (and indeed Oscar-worthy) performance in a wrenching yet life affirming story of love and loss.
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The film follows George on his final day as he meticulously plans to end his life. We are taken on a series of encounters with those who color his decision: his closest friend and gal pal Charley (Julianne Moore), a Spanish street hustler, and an infatuated young male student who senses his pain and loneliness. Writer-director Ford finely details the invisibility of gay life in post-War America, portraying a man who lives in a glass house but cannot be seen much less understood in a 1950s culture defined by conformity and gripped by fear.
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Firth provides a masterful performance of grief locked in the closet, most notably when informed by phone that he is not invited to the "family-only" funeral of his lover. . . . These stories, told through the magical powers of cinema, capture the twin truths of the human condition: loneliness and the search for meaning, and the often unseen beauty that surrounds us.
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In the case of A Single Man, we observe a gay man unable to publicly mourn loss, thus denied closure and renewal. Firth's restrained voice-over narrative of his inner thoughts adds great poignancy to his predicament.
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Some have criticized the film for being too art-directed and stylized by a fashion designer director. This frankly misses the point, as one's final day of remembering the past and seeing life before departing is well-suited to an idealized or hyper-real treatment. Or as one character declares in the film: "Sometimes, awful things have their own kind of beauty."

More Wednesday Male Beauty

Winter Olympics Start in 8 Days

Growing up through high school in the snow country of central New York State I had plenty of exposure to winter sports. Perhaps as a result, I have always enjoyed the Winter Olympics far more than the summer games. And this year, having been to both Vancouver and Whistler, Canada, the games will have even a stronger sense of connection. One of my favorite events is the ice skating. First because I skated myself before switching to snow skiing and, therefore, respect the skill, talent and artistry required to be a top skater. Second, having had a daughter who was a competitive skater some years back (see the photo below of my daughter), I have a true sense of the sacrifice and cost involved in reaching the upper levels of amateur figure skating (competitions sound exciting, but in reality involve a lot of waiting around and killing time). Representing the USA in the men's competition will be Jeremy Abbott (who took first place at the U.S. Nationals and is pictured above right), Evan Lysacek and the ever flamboyant Johnny Weir (pictured above left)

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One of the most amazing things I was fortunate enough witness during my daughter's competitive years was the Russian Ice Dancing gold medalists who used the University of Delaware ice facility as a training base. They were nothing short of amazing and watching on television fails to allow one to realize the speed with which they skate. Anyone who thinks make figure skaters are not top athletes doesn't know the true rigors of the sport - even if skaters like Johnny Weir like to push the envelop. Here are highlights about Weir's latest run in with animal rights supporters:

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This was only a matter of time. Johnny Weir has been forced to switch from real to fake fur. Weir wore a costume for his free program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships two weeks ago that included a small amount of -- gasp! -- white fox fur on his left shoulder. Not surprisingly, he received enough protests and hate mail from animal rights advocates that he has decided to replace the fox with faux fur.
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The death toll in Haiti is more than 150,000. Soldiers are dying in Afghanistan and Iraq. One in 10 Americans are unemployed and homeless shelters are swelling. But hey, Johnny Weir wore a piece of fur on his costume! We can't have that!
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"I would like to announce that due to pressures and threats from a certain animal rights group, I will be changing the genuine fox fur on my free program costume that I will use in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C., to white faux fur," Weir said in a statement first posted on icenetwork.com. "I made this decision after several threats were sent to me about disrupting my performance in the Olympic Games and my costume designer, Stephanie Handler, was repeatedly sent messages of hate and disgust.
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Here's the above referenced photo of my daughter a number of years back (she's still beautiful).

Colin Powell and APA Announce Support for DADT Repeal

Today saw more positive news on the potential repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell ("DADT"), no doubt to the horror of DADT proponents. First, Colin Powell, who as Joint Chiefs chairman 17 years ago who persuaded the Clinton White House to adopt the DADT has done an about face and announced that he supports the statements of current Joint Chiefs chairman, Mike Mullen, and Defense Secretary Gates that DADT should be repealed. Powell made the statement in an interview with Adrea Mitchell. Here are some highlights vis MSNBC:
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Colin Powell has just issued a statement supporting Joint Chiefs Chairman Mullen's and Defense Secretary Gates' effort to review -- and likely repeal -- the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy toward gays in the military.
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Powell's statement:
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In the almost seventeen years since the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed. The principal issue has always been the effectiveness of the Armed Forces and order and discipline in the ranks. I strongly believe that this is a judgment to be made by the current military leadership and the Commander in Chief. It is also a judgment Congress must make. For the past two years, I have expressed the view that it was time for the law to be reviewed by Congress. I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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On the scientific/medical front, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) is calling for the U.S. military to abandon the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. With top military leadership and the medical/mental health community calling for repeal, it will become increasingly obvious that the sole underlying justification for DADT is religious based discrimination. If gays can openly serve in the U.S. Military, it will be a serious blow to the Christianist effort to keep LGBT citizens inferior and then cite that very inferiority to justify anti-gay discrimination. Here are some highlights from Medscape.com:

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“The US should repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and allow capable men and women to serve without regard to sexual orientation,” noted APA President Alan F. Schatzberg, MD. The APA Board of Trustees has voted to urge abandonment of the policy.
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“As I understand the political situation, this is the first time that a sitting member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is actually coming out in favor of reversal,” said Jack Drescher, MD, distinguished fellow of the APA and a past chair (2000-2006) of the APA’s Committee on Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues.
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“This is a good thing,” Dr. Drescher said. “This is consistent with policies that we believe in that we do not serve the mental health of our fighting forces by forcing those to hide the truth of who they are.” He noted that the APA has opposed discrimination in the US Armed Services since 1990, when the first position statement came out.

Is this Blog/Am I Negative?

It is hard to know what readers expect independent bloggers like myself to write about. Holding a full time job (actually having your own firm is more than "full time") limits one's ability to research and/or review countless stories in the manner a professional journalist might do. I generally write about whatever stories or issues that resonate with me. I received the following comment earlier in the day that left me wondering whether I am doing something wrong:
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I have been following your blog for the last two years. I find that most if not all your posts have to do with gay issues. I find that I will omit reading your blog because of it. It just comes across as very negative. I am not saying that you are negative but most of the stories are.
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As far as covering "gay issues," the name of this blog is "Michael-in-Norfolk -- Coming Out in Mid-Life." Thus, I am not sure why the author of the comment is surprised that I look at many gay issues and that the blog has a gay theme if you will o it. In terms of being "negative," I will concede that I have no sympathy for opponents of gay rights who in the final analysis seek to impose one set of religious views on all. Likewise, I have no use for pompous hypocrites that predominate the Catholic Church hierarchy. Beyond that, I seriously would like to know what readers want to see. I have some readers that indicate that they get their "gay news" from this blog. Others have complained when I stray from talking about my own coming out experiences.
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I'm open to suggestions, so please give me your input.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Family Research Council Wants To Throw Gays In Jail

As the younger generations continue to become more accepting of gays and same sex marriage, the hate and hysterical among the deceitful "family values" organizations seems to be ramping up to new levels. A case in point is Peter Sprigg (at left) and his cohorts at Family Research Council who give them selves loft titles - many calling themself "Dr." without telling the ignorant that they only hold religious degrees - yet truly have no legitimate credentials in the areas in which they claim expertise. In Sprigg's case, FRC's website describes his work career as follows:
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Mr. Sprigg is an ordained Baptist minister. Before coming to FRC, he served as pastor of Clifton Park Center Baptist Church in Clifton Park, N.Y. Mr. Sprigg previously served for ten years as a professional actor and unit leader in Covenant Players, an international Christian drama ministry.
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Spriggs doctorate, if you will, is a doctorate in divinity, yet he claims to be an expert on military affairs (like the utterly unhinged Elaine Donnelly) and any number of other subjects. On the Chris Matthew show, Sprigg at least did us all a favor and flatly described the true agenda of FRC and its fellow Christianist merchants of intolerance who despise the U.S. Constitution's promise of freedom of )and from) religion. Box Turtle Bulletin has some highlights from Sprigg's diarrhea of the mouth:
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MATTHEWS: Let me ask you Peter, do you think people choose to be gay?
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SPRIGG: Uh, people do not choose to have same-sex attractions, but they do choose to have homosexual conduct. And that’s conduct also , which incidentally is against the law within the military. It violates the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It doesn’t make any sense for us to be actively recruiting people who are going to be violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
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MATTHEWS: Do you think we should outlaw gay behavior?
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SPRIGG: Well, I think certainly it’s defensible.
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MATTHEWS: I’m just asking you, should we outlaw gay behavior?
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SPRIGG: I think that the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which overturned the sodomy laws in this country, was wrongly decided. I think there would be a place for criminal sanctions against homosexual behavior.
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MATTHEWS: So we should outlaw gay behavior.
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SPRIGG: Yes.
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Has it ever crossed Spriggs mind as to the damage he and his Christo-fascist allies do to gay youth - and gay adults - with such talk? Most likely not because, in my opinion, they simply do not give a damn. To them, gays are less than human, plain and simple.