Palm Center Trashes Former Air Force Head

Personally, I am way beyond over the present and former military brass who justify DADT by whining about unit cohesion blah, blah, blah while reputable researchers basically say that these excuses for maintaining DADT are a crock of shit. The latest example of this simpering defense of DADT comes from former Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill McPeak (at left)

whose arguments in a New York Times op-ed sound in many ways like those of former Congressman Ed Schrock - a retired Navy captain - who even went so far as in public statement supporting DADT to worry about gays checking out straight sailors in the showers. Something Schrock likely knew all about himself - his cover was blown (forgive the pun) when a guy I had dated a once or twice responded to Schrock's Mega Phone ad, met him and told me about the episode - including what he called Schrock's outrageous false advertising about his age and physical shape. I relayed this information to Mike Rogers and the rest is history (as is Schrock's political career). But I digress. Frankly, McPeak is spouting the same old blather and his obsession with the issue - he left his position 16 years ago - makes me wonder what's behind his op-ed. Particularly in light of problems the Air Force has had with Christianists proselytizing within the ranks of the Air Force and at the Air Force Academy. Fortunately, The Palm Center has replied to McPeak's in a scathing response. Here are some highlights:
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The way to have an enlightened public conversation is to offer reasoned claims based on evidence and research, and to characterize and evaluate opposing arguments honestly. Gen. McPeak fails this test in his op-ed.
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Gen. McPeak says an enlightened discussion should begin by asking, “What are the armed forces for?” The military exists to defend the nation, specifically by preparing for, and fighting, our wars. The U.S., however, is not just a piece of turf but a way of life that prizes equal citizenship under the law. A truly enlightened debate involves broadly weighing the costs and benefits of depriving one group of citizens the opportunity to serve their country; it should not involve issuing vague assertions designed simply to preserve the status quo.
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There are at least twenty studies from the last fifty years, many written by the military’s own researchers, which find that gay and lesbian troops do not harm cohesion. As an article published by the office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff concludes, “there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that unit cohesion will be negatively affected if homosexuals serve openly.”
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[R]esearch shows that the ban itself undermines cohesion and readiness. A bipartisan study group of Flag and General Officers which took a year to assess all of the evidence on “don’t ask, don’t tell” found that commanders in Iraq are ignoring the policy and choosing to keep their teams together rather than firing loyal gay troops. A recent Military Times poll confirms that many commanders know of gays and lesbians serving in their units, but choose not to discharge them, suggesting that these leaders believe that known gays help rather than hurt the force.
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Under the guise of protecting unit cohesion, defenders of the gay exclusion rule would have us believe that they are simply looking out for the nation’s defense. What they are actually doing is using government policy to express moral animus. The reason to be disappointed by Gen. Merrill McPeak and others sharing his strategy is that their views have little to do with unit cohesion, and everything to do with an effort to encode prejudice into law and make the public believe that there is a national security rationale for doing so. That is a dangerous precedent.

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McPeak needs to set his religious based bigotry aside and let facts, not religious belief, dictate a speedy end to DADT.

Saturday Male Beauty

A UVA Law Grad's Reaction to Virginia's Regression

It will be interesting to see whether or not the leaders of Virginia's colleges and universities have the spine to tell Ken Cuccinelli to put his directive letter where the sun doesn't shine. For some, deleting the non-discrimination policy as demanded by religious lunatic Cuccinelli will have a potentially dire impact in terms of recruitment, not to mention potential alumni contributions. Indeed, if the University of Virginia knuckles under I will join a fellow UVA Law alumni and cease all contributions to the university. Let Cuccinelli sue the University and bring a fire storm down upon himself. The public colleges and universities need to make it clear that they will protect the U.S. Constitutional rights of gay citizens even if Cuccinelli will not. Cucinnelli clearly forgets that the U.S. Constitution trumps the Virginia General Assembly AND the Virginia Constitution - It also trumps Cuccinelli's religious based bigotry -as does the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Thomas Jefferson must be rolling over in his grave (pictured at right). Here's the comment left on the Daily Progress by a fellow UVA alumni:
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The pettiness and spitefulness of Virginia’s AG is astounding. And the spinelessness of UVa officials in their initial response to this letter unfortunately is all too predictable. I have already been discouraged from contributing more to my alma mater than I’d otherwise give, as a result of the antediluvian policies recently propounded by the leaders of my former Commonwealth, but the AG’s churlishness, on top of the governor’s recent announcement, takes the cake. The University and the Law School should expect no more contributions from me (so sue me, UVa, for reneging on my pledge) unless and until the University acquires the guts to challenge these bigots and their policies in Richmond and in the public eye.

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It is also noteworthy that Cuccinelli is utterly ignoring Virginia's Statute for Religious Freedom that was drafted by Thomas Jefferson. It's still the law and the preamble drafted by Jefferson well describes the evils of individuals like Cuccinelli. Here are highlights:
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Whereas, Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens, or by civil incapacitations tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, who being Lord, both of body and mind yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do, that the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavouring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world and through all time; . . .
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the proscribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence, by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to offices of trust and emolument, unless he profess or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages, to which, in common with his fellow citizens, he has a natural right, that it tends only to corrupt the principles of that very Religion it is meant to encourage, by bribing with a monopoly of worldly honours and emoluments those who will externally profess and conform to it; that though indeed, these are criminal who do not withstand such temptation,
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Be it enacted by General Assembly that no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of Religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge or affect their civil capacities.
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if any act shall be hereafter passed to repeal the present or to narrow its operation, such act will be an infringement of natural right.
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Can Cuccinelli be impeached for violating the state's statutes? U.S. Constitutional protections afforded citizens? It's an interesting question that, if we are lucky, Mr. Cuccinelli will need to face some time soon.

Cuccinelli Receives Widespread Condemnation

In the wake of his letter to the public colleges and universities in Virginia directing them to strip gays and lesbians of employment protection policies, the reaction has been loud and one of universal condemnation - except of course for the Christo-fascists at The Family Foundation, Daddy Dobson's racist, anti-immigrant and anti-gay affiliate based in Richmond which applauded Cuccinelli's action. As I noted yesterday, one can only wonder what else Cuccinelli wants to eliminate in Virginia. Abortion is certainly one item on his hit list as is divorce and birth control in all likelihood. I have been chided by some for using the word "Taliban" in connection with Bob McDonnell and Cuccinelli, but I believe it is apt insofar as it underscores their desire to force all Virginians to live by their extremist personal religious dogmas. The vileness of Cuccinelli's action really struck me last night at dinner at a local club surrounded by an all gay and lesbian clientele - under Cuccunelli's view, every one of us is less than full human and a deserving target of discrimination. One can only believe that Cuccinelli's action will embolden some homophobes who see his letter as a green light to do harm to LGBT citizens. The following are highlights from a statement I received via e-mail from the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus late yesterday:

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“Virginia is the proud home to world class colleges and universities who can determine appropriate discrimination policies for themselves,” said Senator Mary Margaret Whipple (D-Arlington), chair of the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus. “Our schools and our state should welcome the best and brightest from all over the world without discriminating based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics.”
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“The Attorney General’s actions are unconscionable. It's this kind of misguided behavior that can cost Virginia high-paying jobs with companies that value diversity,” said Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw (D-Fairfax).
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“Many of us thought this was the course Ken Cuccinnelli would choose as Attorney General, and I am sad to say we were correct,” said Senator A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico). “Attorney General Cuccinelli and Governor McDonnell are putting McDonnell’s troubling graduate school thesis into practice.”
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“Attorney General Cuccinelli is turning the clock back on civil rights in Virginia,” said Senator John Edwards (D-Roanoke). “His advice to Virginia’s colleges and universities has no basis in the law.”
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According to Metro Weekly, one Virginia Tech dean is not cowed by Cuccinelli. Here are highlights:
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Dr. Karen DePauw, the vice president and dean for graduate education at Virginia Tech, said on Friday that regardless of the letter, ''We will continue to have an open and inclusive environment for the grad school, I am confident of that.
''I cannot speak for the whole university because I have not seen the letter and we haven't had a chance to talk about it,'' she said. ''As vice president and dean for graduate education, I anticipate and am hopeful that we will have a thorough discussion before we take any final action.''

*LGBT Virginians are citizens of the United States who deserve equal protection under the law and freedom from religious based discrimination because they do not live their lives in accordance with certain Christianist beliefs. A number of U.S. District Courts have held that discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal under the U.S. Constitution and it's time for the Virginia Supreme Court to put an end to such discrimination. It has that opportunity with a case now pending before it at this very moment.

Virginia AG Cuccinelli: Colleges Directed to Rescind Policies Protecting Gay State Employees

The speed with which Virginia is regressing backwards under the Christianist triumvirate of McDonnell, Cuccinelli and Bolling is down right frightening. In a move that will overnight make Virginia's top public universities and colleges - think the University of Virginia and William & Mary among others - uncompetitive in recruiting faculty and staff, Virginia's lunatic theocrat Attorney General has now directed colleges and universities rescind their policies protecting employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation. One can only assume that Cuccinelli's next move will be to try to reimpose sodomy laws and bans on interracial marriage. I hope to Hell the rest of the country is watching how false moderate Republicans govern. Some of us warned what was going to happen under these madmen but idiot voters fell for their lies. I hope the colleges and universities refuse to comply. I also hope that Northrup Grumman is watching closely. Here are highlights from the Washington Post:

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RICHMOND -- Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II has asked the state's public colleges and universities to rescind policies that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, arguing in a letter sent to each school Thursday that their boards of visitors have no legal authority to adopt such statements.

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"It is my advice that the law and public policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia prohibit a college or university from including 'sexual orientation,' 'gender identity,' 'gender expression,' or like classification as a protected class within its non-discrimination policy absent specific authorization from the General Assembly," he wrote.

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Colleges that have included such language in their policies -- which include all of Virginia's leading schools -- have done so "without proper authority" and should "take appropriate actions to bring their policies in conformance with the law and public policy of Virginia," Cuccinelli wrote.

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The opinion is likely to spark outrage with many students and faculty at Virginia schools. "What he's saying is reprehensible," said Vincent F. Callahan Jr., a former Republican member of the House of Delegates who serves on the Board of Visitors of George Mason University. "I don't know what he's doing, opening up this can of worms."

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Cuccinelli is a menace and needs to be removed from office as quickly as possible on whatever basis or means is required. Over the next four years, he will clearly try to turn Virginia into a theocracy based on his own fanatical religious views.

Friday Male Beauty

British House of Lords Votes for Church Civil Partnership Ceremonies

In yet another illustration of how rapidly the United Kingdom - the source of the USA's legal tradition - save for in Louisiana where the French Civil Code prevails - is diverging from the still religiously dominated laws of the USA. The new legislation will allow denominations that want to grant church ceremonies the right to do so - something that should always have been the case in my view. It is to me a sad commentary as to how far the USA has fallen from being a light of freedom to the world - particularly in states like Virginia where the Christian Taliban hold sway and true religious freedom is a joke. Here are some highlights from the Times of London:
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The House of Lords voted to lift the ban on civil partnership ceremonies in churches and other religious premises last night. Peers voted by 95 to 21 - a majority of 74 - to lift the ban which previously prevented gays and lesbians from getting “married” in such places.
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In a letter to The Times ten days ago, senior bishops including the Bishop of Salisbury and the Dean of Southwark expressed their support for the amendment, which was tabled by gay Labour peer Lord Alli.
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The move will result in an amendment to the Equalities Bill which would allow, though not compel, religious organisations to host civil partnerships. Religious language would also be permitted within the ceremonies.
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The law would allow ceremonies only among denominations who endorse gay marriage. The Quakers have already campaigned for the change in legislation, and Unitarians and liberal Jews have also already shown their support for the amendment.
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Ben Summerskill, Chief Executive of the gay rights campaigning group Stonewall, said that he was “absolutely delighted” with the result. He told The Times: “This was a very important issue of religious freedom because it was quite wrong in our view for the Church of England to be attempting to bully smaller denominations into not celebrating the lifelong relationships of gay people who have very strong religious faith.”
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I wish Barack Obama would take a note from this development and stop allowing his "personal religious beliefs" to hurt the equal rights of LGBT Americans.

The Christianist Obsession with Gay Sex

As I have noted before, our enemies among the self-anointed Christianist ranks at first appearance have a bizarre obsession with gay sex. Gays are defined solely by how and with whom we have sex. Emotional bonds, common hopes and aspirations - indeed love - are all utterly removed from the equation. Why? Two reasons I suspect. First, by keeping gays a stereotyped one dimensional image, it is so much easier to demonize us and engage in demagoguery in front of unsophisticated and ignorant audiences. It's a very deliberate and calculated approach intended to dehumanize us and stamp out potential sympathy based on our common humanity. The second reason? Because closeted homophobes like Ed Schrock and now Roy Ashburn dwell - or so it seems - on quick sex with no emotional connect because of their own self-loathing. They project their own distorted emotional hang ups onto all of us who have come to terms with how God made us fir whatever reason. A column in the Washington Post looks at the phenomenon. While I do not agree with all of it, it sheds light on this sexual obsession of self-righteous and judgmental "church people." Here are some highlights:

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Whenever I read about the latest public controversy about gays in church, military, or courthouse, I realize that very personal and painful struggles are going on behind the scenes - not just for gay people, but for those who know and love them. I know, because I've been there.
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Since I come from an Evangelical background, most of my good friends sincerely and passionately hold the strict conservative view on homosexuality with which we all were raised. They can't understand why I don't stand side by side with them on this issue any more.
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As a pastor, I walked this path. Through the years, a steady stream of church members, their children, and their guests made appointments with me, each of which began with almost the same words: "I've never told anyone this before, but ...." All my life I had been told that homosexuality was simply a sinful choice, a yielding to an especially evil temptation. (Back in the 1980s, this was the standard explanation in my circles.) But not one of the people I met fit that explanation.
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As contrary evidence mounted, I began to wonder which was the anomaly and which was the norm - what I had been taught by authority figures I loved and respected, or what I was seeing in people I also loved and respected? About then, the authority figures in my tradition modified their position: yes, there was a homosexual orientation that was unchosen. Being gay was no longer simply an evil choice.
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Over time, I came to a resolution (which I explain in the book) through which I felt I could, in good faith, be true to God, the Bible, and to my gay neighbors, friends, relatives, and colleagues. . . . "the issue" [of gays] will continue to be used to win elections and create voting blocs and headlines. Meanwhile, I will continue to be remember that behind the clamor, private dramas are playing out in agonized prayers and secret tears behind more closed doors than most people imagine. Whatever your position on the issue, I think these personal struggles are worth keeping in mind.

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The reality is that we are just as fully human as our enemies and we have hopes, aspirations and yes, deep love. The very thought of this truth scares the Hell out of our enemies. We need to continue to show ourselves as we are and help kill the deceitful stereotype used to try to define us.

Another Closet Case Homophobe Politician Bites the Dust

Following in the footsteps of former Virginia Congressman Ed Schrock (who I knew personally and identified as a closet case hypocrite to Mike Rogers), a California State Senator has been picked up for drunk driving. And where did he get intoxicated? At a gay bar, of course, which he left with an apparent trick. Karma can truly be a bitch. Antigay California state senator Roy Ashburn is obviously getting the just deserves that his hypocrisy merits. Nonetheless, I cannot understand the mindset of quasi-closet cases like Schrock and Ashburn. Were they subconsciously hoping that they would get caught and be forced out of the closet or what? It is one thing to hide behind an anti-gay voting record while not out seeking gay sex. It is something completely different when votes against gays and then goes out seeking gay sex. I just do not get it. Here are highlights from CBS 13 in Sacramento:
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Sources tell CBS13 a state senator from Southern California was arrested for allegedly driving drunk after leaving Faces, a gay nightclub in midtown Sacramento, early Wednesday morning.
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The California Highway Patrol pulled over Senator Roy Ashburn, a father of four, is a Republican Senator representing parts of Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino Counties with a history of opposing gay rights
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When the officer stopped the state-issued vehicle, the driver identified himself as Senator Ashburn. He was arrested without incident and charged with two misdemeanors: driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol level higher than .08% or higher. A male passenger, who was not identified as a lawmaker, was also in the car but was not detained.
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According to Project Vote Smart, Ashburn's voting record shows he has voted against every gay rights measure in the State Senate since taking office including Recognizing Out-Of-State Same-Sex Marriages", Harvey Milk Day and Expanding Anti-Discrimination Laws.
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For the record, I bear no ill will towards closeted gay politicians provided they do no harm to the rest of the gay community. With Ashburn. as is always the case, it is his incredible hypocrisy that makes me applaud his unmasking as an apparent self-hating closet case.

More Thursday Male Beauty

Is God Trying to Send the Vatican a Message?

I swear that I try not to write about the Roman Catholic Church on a near daily basis, but it seems that there's always some new juicy scandal or situation that underscores the cluelessness and/or hypocrisy of the Church hierarchy. Today's scandal of the day is one such jewel that makes me wonder if God isn't doing his/her/its best to trash the Catholic Church and send the Vatican a message that it needs to change its ways. As the Church continues to be one of the leading persecutors of LGBT individuals and seeks to involve itself in the deprivation of civil legal rights to gays, the clergy sex abuse scandal keeps expanding and seems to know no geographical limits. Now, sexual related scandal has seeped into the very heart of the Vatican with the news that a member of an exclusive "usher" organization and member of an exclusive Vatican choir has been arrested for involvement in a gay prostitution ring. As seems to be the norm, the most extreme homophobes are always the closet cases and/or those who persecute normal, out gays. The Washington Post has the details on this latest bombshell and here are some highlights:

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VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - One of Pope Benedict's ceremonial ushers and a member of an elite choir in St Peter's Basilica have been implicated in a gay prostitution ring, in the latest sexual scandal to taint the Vatican.
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Among four people arrested last month in the corruption probe was Angelo Balducci, a engineer who is a board member of Italy's public works department and a construction consultant to the Vatican. Balducci was arrested on corruption charges and the allegations of prostitution emerged only later.
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Balducci is also a member of an elite group called "Gentlemen of His Holiness," ushers who are called to serve in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on major occasions such as when the pope receives heads of state or presides at big events. "Gentlemen of His Holiness" carried the coffin of the late Pope John Paul at his funeral in 2005
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Excerpts of the wiretaps and police documents published in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica showed that Ehiem, 40, had been in regular contact with Balducci before Balducci's arrest last month and the subject of their conversation was gay sex.
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Wiretap transcripts published by La Repubblica showed that among the men Ehiem allegedly procured for Balducci were seminarians. In one, Balducci is quoted as asking Ehiem: "At what time does he have to return to the seminary?"
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Apart from being a "Gentleman of His Holiness," Balducci is listed in the Vatican's directory as a consultant to a Vatican department that deals with missions and had close contacts with the Vatican during planning for events for the year 2000, when millions of pilgrims came to Rome for a special Holy Year.

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Let's hope God continues to humiliate Benedict XVI as long as he continues to persecute and denigrate LGBT children of God.

HRBOR March Third Thursday

On March 18, 2010, Hampton Roads BusinessOutReach (HRBOR) ill hold its March Third Thursday networking event at the studios of Ellenburg & Shaffer Glass Art Gallery in Norfolk, Virginia. This is a new gallery - expanded from a gallery and manufacturing center in Greensboro, North Carolina, and their work looks absolutely gorgeous. I never miss a Third Thursday event and have found them a terrific way to market my law firm and and meet new friends as well, but this event should be amazing from the perspective of the glass work. For those who do not have a business, ask about HRBOR's associate memberships for non-business owners. Here are the details on the event on the 18th.

Ellenburg & ShafferGlass Art Studio

2501 Fawn Street Studio 11

Norfolk, Virginia

23504(757) 337-2235

Food Sponsor& Beverage : Avery Shaffer

Time: 6:00 to 8:00 PM

Date: March 18, 2010

Parking: There is a lot behind the Five Points Community Market and plenty of on-street parking which should be available at that time of the evening.

RSVP via HRBOR's website: http://www.hrbor.org

I sincerely encourage people to attend. See you there.

South African Wine Tastings in DC, Philly, New York & Chicago

My good friend Jeff Ward who operates Savvy Navigator, a gay travel tour company that specializes in trips to South Africa, Argentina and Costa Ric, is planning upcoming wine tastings events in DC, Philly, New York & Chicago. Jeff only does things first class so I encourage readers in the cities involved to experience a taste of South Africa with Julian Melck, Jeff's South African farmer host from Kersefontein Farm. Jeff assures me that Julian will titillate your taste buds with some of the best vintages from the vineyards we visit on our South African Tours. Here are the details:

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DC Wine Tasting
Monday, March 15th, 7:00 pm
At Savvy Nav HQ, 1329 T Street NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20009
Please click here to RSVP for the DC Wine Tasting

Philadelphia Wine Tasting
Tuesday, March 16th, 7:00 pm

At the home of Joe DiStanislao

622 Kater Street,Philadelphia PA 19147
Please click here to RSVP for the Philly Wine Tasting

New York Wine Tasting
Wednesday, March 17th, 7:00 pm

At the home of Hugh Duthie

70 Washington Street #8b

Brooklyn, New York, NY 11201
Please click here to RSVP for the New York Wine Tasting

Chicago Wine Tasting
Saturday, March 20th, 6:00 pm

Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Club

220 South Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60604
Please click here to RSVP for the Chicago Wine Tasting

Thursday Male Beauty

D.C. Begins Issuing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

Even though I live in gay-hating Virginia, one cannot help but feel the excitement in the air from Washington, D.C., on Virginia's northeast border where marriage equality has won the day. Yesterday, the District began issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples and on Tuesday, the first weddings will begin taking place. Already there is talk among Virginia GLBT residents about getting married in Washington, D.C., even though the marriages will not be legal recognized in the backwater swamp known as Virginia. The result will likely be that (1) more Virginians will end up knowing "married" same sex couples who travel to the District to marry - the boyfriend and I may be among them, (2) the sky will not fall in the District as predicted by the homophobes, (3) D.C. and Maryland - which will recognize legal marriages performed in other states - will enjoy an even greater competitive edge over Virginia in terms of attracting top talent and progressive companies, and (4) Virginia will have aligned itself with backwards states like Mississippi and Alabama. The next question will be if and when gays begin leaving Virginia and moving to the District or Maryland. Here are highlights from the Washington Post on yesterday's events:
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Just sitting down at a desk at the marriage bureau at D.C. Superior Court on Wednesday was too much for Angelisa Young. She cried so hard that she eventually had to bury her face in her fiancee's chest.
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About a half-hour later, Young and her partner, Sinjoyla Townsend, who met 13 years ago in a Constitutional Law class at the University of the District of Columbia, became the first same-sex couple to apply to be married in the District as the city officially joined five states in allowing gay marriage.
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For Young, Townsend and the cheering masses, being there, in the tiny and usually sleepy marriage bureau, on the very first day meant everything. There was the history of it all, but mostly it was about having the nation's capital validate their relationships and their families.
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For the couples in line Wednesday and those who follow, it was the culmination of a three-decade struggle for equality. Advocates had long known that the D.C. Council would approve same-sex marriage. But the timing had to be right. Congress and the White House could have killed the bill, which had to clear a congressional review period, so advocates waited for a president and legislature sympathetic to gay rights and home rule. In the meantime, the gay community picked up important rights in the District, including a domestic partnership law, before the council passed the same-sex marriage bill in December.
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The line to get into the marriage bureau was composed of racially diverse couples of all generations and appeared to include more women than men. By the end of the day, 151 couples had filed to be married, far surpassing the dozen or so applications the bureau typically collects on a single day. Some brought their children or spoke of the importance of their change in status to their sons and daughters.
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Court officials had called in extra security officers to monitor the halls for protesters -- but the officers far outnumbered the protesters. And the celebration largely overshadowed the presence of four people from a church in Kansas who gathered outside the courthouse, chanting and carrying protest signs, one of which read: "Mourn for your sins."
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The crowd included local religious leaders who showed their support for same-sex marriage, and dozens of college students cheered as couples emerged hand in hand from the courthouse. Representatives of the Hyatt Regency handed out roses and offered discounts on catering and accommodations for same-sex weddings held before the end of the year.
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Lots of Virginia money will be flowing into the District for weddings and celebrations. Meanwhile, Virginia tourism and destinations will be the big losers. All thanks to the reactionaries in the General Assembly and the Governor's mansion. D.C. will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Richmond Times Dispatch Column Blasts Bob McDonnell

For those outside of Virginia, the Richmond Times Dispatch is among the most conservative newspapers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Hence I was surprised to see an op-ed column in that generally reactionary newspaper that directly takes Governor Bob McDonnell - and the GOP members of the House of Delegates - to task for their failure to afford employment protections to gay and lesbians state employees. The appearances of the Westboro Baptist Church hate merchants both in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area and in Richmond provide a great backdrop displaying McDonnell's and the Virginia GOP's true mindset. And for McDonnell, the conclusion is pretty clear that he's the same "Taliban Bob" who wrote his infamous thesis at Pat Robertson's law school. His campaign as a moderate was clearly a lie and one can only hope voters in other parts of the country are being educated so as to not fall for the campaigns of GOP bigots and theocrats who pretend on the campaign trail to have "evolved" from past fanaticism. The reality is that in today's GOP, there is no such thing as a moderate. Here are some column highlights:

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On the same day that the Westboro folks were visiting local sites spewing their peculiar anti-gay, anti-Semitic, anti-whatever message, a House of Delegates subcommittee rejected legislation that would have barred discrimination in the state work force based on sexual orientation.
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Sen. Donald McEachin's bill had won approval in the Democrat-majority Senate. But approval in the GOP-controlled House of Delegates looked bleak -- a forecast confirmed by Tuesday's 5-3 subcommittee vote tabling the bill. Gov. Bob McDonnell took no position on Senate Bill 66.
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You would think McDonnell would want to leave no question that he is a different man from the Regent University Law School student whose 1989 thesis read: "Every level of government should statutorily and procedurally prefer married couples over cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators. The cost of sin should fall on the sinner not the taxpayer."
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Here was his [McDonnell's] chance to push the legislature to do the right thing. It's funny: During his campaign for governor, while wading through the fallout from his thesis, McDonnell sent a different message to Jon Blair, CEO of Equality Virginia. "It is my firm belief that government should not discriminate based on race, sex, creed, religion, national origin or sexual orientation," McDonnell wrote in a Sept. 15 letter. That was then, when McDonnell was burnishing a façade of genial moderation.
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On Feb. 5, McDonnell replaced Kaine's executive order against discrimination with one that removed sexual orientation. And on Tuesday, he sat on his hands. "This was the governor's opportunity to show he was not going to be the Robert McDonnell of the thesis 20 years ago, but he was going to be the Governor McDonnell who governed from the center," Blair said yesterday at Equality Virginia's Fan District headquarters.
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"The failure of the bill in the House rests at the feet of the governor," Blair said. Area residents were right in taking to the streets to counter the nasty message of Westboro Baptist. Silence in the face of hatred and bigotry is always dangerous. But the counterprotests will ring hollow if we're silent in the face of state-sanctioned bigotry.
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Virginians who sit quietly and allow this type of bigotry are little better than the "good Germans" who turned a blind eye to Hitler's rise because at the time it did not threaten them. Bad things often happen because people sit back and allow them to occur. Hundreds turned out at the Richmond Holocaust Museum to silently protest the hate of the WBC - obviously McDonnell and the Virginia GOP failed to get the message.

Screwed Up Priorities and Hubris

The degree to which the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy are out of touch with reality and the hubris that seems to be the hallmark of the morally bankrupt Church leadership are truly mind numbing. First, we have all Hell breaking lose in Ireland in reaction to the proposal by the delusional Church leaders that the laity - i.e., the rank and file church parishioners - contribute money to pay off the damage awards owed to the numerous victims of sexual abuse by priests, Even though the laity had nothing to do with enabling and covering up of sexual abuse for decades on end. Not surprisingly, the Irish parishioners are outraged at the proposal. Meanwhile, in Germany a Catholic monastery which was the location of alleged sexual abuse crimes against minors is raided by German police looking for evidence against the Church. Despite all of these crimes against children and youths, the Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., is in apoplexy over the newly effective law allowing same sex marriage and - rather than pay any benefits to same sex spouses - is dropping all partner benefits for married staff regardless of the gender and sexual orientation. Better to give no benefits to any married couples rather than give some benefits - gasps - to gay couples. Here are highlights from the Independent on the Church's stone deafness in Ireland:
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AFTER all that has been said and done, it is utterly incomprehensible that a Catholic bishop in charge of an Irish diocese, which has been plagued by sex abuse scandals and cover-ups, should be so blissfully unaware of the resonances his request to parishioners to help fund compensation would have.
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Considering all the dreadful revelations and all the expressions of concern for victims, it is quite extraordinary that a bishop could fail to recognise that his request for donations to effectively help pay the church's legal costs would be regarded with contempt by those who suffered abuse and that the clumsy language he used would sound condescending.
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The Vatican had been aware of complaints but chose to do nothing, the report found. In view of this, the suggestion made more than once yesterday, that the Vatican should be asked to pay, rather than the ordinary parishioners of Wexford, is logical.
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As for the raid on the monastery in Germany, CNN has a story that for once shows Church officials and institutions belatedly being treated like the criminals that they are in fact. Here are some highlights:
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Authorities have raided a monastery in southern Germany as part of a probe into allegations that priests sexually abused children there, prosecutors said. Investigators with the Munich State Prosecutors Office visited the Benedictine Abbey of Ettal on Tuesday afternoon as part of their ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of underage children by priests there. Authorities are now assessing evidence collected at the abbey, the prosecutors said.
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Nearly every day since the end of January, people have come forward to report cases of sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Germany.
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Given these humiliating and serious issues and clear moral failings by the Church hierarchy which flow all the way up to the highest levels of the Vatican, one would thing the Church would have more pressing issues than continuing its jihad against gay Americans. But not so. As the Washington Post reports, the Archdiocese of Washington is going to punish all coupled employees by cutting benefits for ALL married staff not previously employed by the Archdiocese's affiliates. Better to harm families rather than recognize same sex relationships. Here are some highlights:
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Employees at Catholic Charities were told Monday that the social services organization is changing its health coverage to avoid offering benefits to same-sex partners of its workers -- the latest fallout from a bitter debate between District officials trying to legalize same-sex marriage and the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
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Starting Tuesday, Catholic Charities will not offer benefits to spouses of new employees or to spouses of current employees who are not already enrolled in the plan. A letter describing the change in health benefits was e-mailed to employees Monday, two days before same-sex marriage will become legal in the District.
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Looking back with the benefit of seeing now how utterly criminal and morally bankrupt the Church is in reality, I am saddened that I allowed this corrupt institution to ruin so many years of my life. Fortunately, those days are now behind me.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Porno Pete: HUD Housing Discrimination Study - A 'Classic Attempt' to Create a Crisis

Perennial homophobe and psycho Peter LaBarbera - a/k/a Porno Pete due to his love of "undercover research" at gay leather events - is at it again as reported by the wingnut news source OneNewsNow. Porno Pete is incensed that the Department of Housing and Urban Development is on a course to study housing discrimination against LGBT citizens - something that is currently perfectly legal in Virginia. Porno Pete has his panties in a major knot and is whining about "straight flight" in areas where gays move in. From my observation, the situation is generally the exact reverse: gays go into run down semi ghetto areas, turn them around and help gentrify them, and then all the straights want to move in. Locally, the Ghent area of Norfolk is a case in point as is the Dupont Circle area in Washington, D.C. But then, LaBarbera is never one to let facts get in the way of his gay bashing. Here is some of the verbal diarrhea LaBarbera is spouting at OneNewsNow:
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Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is preparing a first-ever study of alleged housing discrimination against homosexuals. Federal officials are brainstorming with residents of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco on how to conduct the study that is to begin next year. Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, believes the purpose is to gather data to advance the cause of homosexual activists. "But beyond that," he adds, "this is the classic attempt to equate homosexuality so-called 'discrimination' with other traditional civil rights discrimination."
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"I've heard of cases where people who are sort of driven to sell their homes because all the homes are being sold to homosexuals," he accounts. "So is the Obama administration going to investigate discrimination against people who are not homosexuals?"
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LaBarbera is convinced the study is going to be used to develop and promote homosexual laws in housing, so it is another incremental approach in manufacturing the crisis and then addressing the crisis, which is not a real one. Assistant HUD Secretary Raphael Bostic is quoted by Associated Press as saying, "The president has this as a priority."
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There are days when I wonder what kind of head trauma LaBarbera has suffered. The fact that I receive calls from LGBT individuals who have suffered housing discrimination in renting places to live must be a figment of my imagination.

Virginia House of Delegates Again Kills Gay Employment Protections

The backwardness and homophobia of the knuckle dragging GOP members of the House of Delegates knows no limits. Yesterday a committee once again killed a bill that was passed by the Virginia Senate that would have protected state workers from employment discrimination based upon sexual orientation. Leading the charge was uber-bigot Delegate Bob Marshall pictured at left. The man is truly a Neanderthal who wants all citizens to be forced to live according to his personal religious beliefs. He'd fit right in with the mullahs in Iran. Unless things change markedly in Virginia, I suspect that once our parents are gone, the boyfriend and I will consider leaving the state. First, these highlights from WJZ-TV 13:
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A Republican-ruled House subcommittee has killed legislation that would have banned job discrimination against gay state employees. The bill died on an unrecorded show-of-hands vote Tuesday evening. Democratic Sen. Donald McEachin sponsored the bill after new Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell's executive order against job discrimination omitted protections for people based on sexual orientation.
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Orders by two previous Democratic governors, Tim Kaine and his predecessor Mark Warner, had shielded gays from bias in the state workforce. McDonnell objected to including sexual preference as a criteria in his executive order saying it was a legislative priority.
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It is noteworthy that the cowards in the GOP utilize an unrecorded vote to keep the bill from going to the House floor where they would have to go on record as either opposing or supporting equality under the law. I am beginning to believe that a formal LGBT tourism boycott of Virginia is in order since the legislature wants tourism to same the state's financial ass. Meanwhile, Blue Virginia has some great commentary on Bob Marshall's bigotry:

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Will it never end? Apparently not, unfortunately. That's right, the crazy clown who says that "sometimes incest is voluntary" and that disabled children are God's "special punishment" to women who have aborted their first pregnancy, is out with yet another gem. Opponents of [Sen. Donald] McEachin's bill ["that would add discrimination based on sexual orientation to a list of banned biases in state employment"] say it's unnecessary.
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"I think there first should be some finding that homosexuals, as a class, are being discriminated against," said Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William, an ardent social conservative. "In all of my experience and reading, gay individuals seem to have more income, to attend more cultural events, to take more vacations than the rest of us. Show me where this discrimination is going on."
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Think about that for a minute. Yep, you got it, Matthew Shepard wasn't a victim of anti-gay hatred because "gay individuals...attend more cultural events. And, of course, the fact that 39% of GLBT respondents to a 2005 survey "reported experiencing some form of discrimination or harassment in the workplace during the past five years because of their sexual orientation" is irrelevant because gays "take more vacations than the rest of us."
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It is truly embarrassing at times to be from Virginia - not to mention dangerous from an employment perspective if one is gay.

More Tuesday Male Beauty

City of Hampton, Virginia to Host Pride/Diversity Event

As I have stated before, I have been pleasantly surprised by the tolerance that I have found in the City of Hampton, Virginia, since moving in with the boyfriend. Yes, the City has its share of red necks and homophobes to be sure, but the educated and upper classes seem much more tolerant than is the case say in Virginia Beach, a GOP bastion which is home to Pat Robertson's Regent University and the Christian Broadcasting Network. With the Hampton about to celebrate its 400th anniversary - it is the oldest continuous English speaking municipality in the USA - it seems some within the city want to launch the city's fifth century on the cutting edge. As the flyer above (click the image to enlarge) indicates the city will host a Diversity/Pride event on June 19, 2010 at a park in downtown Hampton. Following the Pride event will be a block party/restaurant event in old downtown Hampton which has a number of great restaurants located in historic buildings.

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I met with staff from the Department of Parks and Recreation this morning as a representative of Hampton Roads Pride to learn what the City is proposing. To my knowledge, it is the first time EVER that a local city has recognized the existence of the LGBT community and sought to put on an event for our community. Obviously, I will be disseminating information to all of the LGBT organizations in the area and seeking to garner widespread support for the Hampton event. Indeed, since Hampton Roads Pride's Out in the Park event is scheduled for the following weekend, the area can truly have a "pride week."

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I will post additional information as it becomes and anyone interested in getting involved in either the Hampton or Out in the Park event in Chesapeake, please drop me an e-mail. Also, feel free to call the information number on the flyer.

Law School Recruitment Protections a Sham

Back in December, 2009, I did made inquiry to four of Virginia's top law schools in respect to how they square their recruitment non-discrimination policies which include sexual orientation allegedly imposed against law firms and corporations with the fact that most law firms in Virginia have no policies that protect attorneys and staff from being fired based upon their sexual orientation. My post concerning my inquiry can be found here. The law schools I consulted were the University of Virginia School of Law, the University of Richmond School of Law, the Washington and Lee School of Law, and the Marshall Wythe Scool of Law at William & Mary.

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Two and a half months latter, only one law school dean felt my inquiry merited a response. The responding law school? Not my Alma Mater, the University of Virginia School of Law that touts its policy in words but apparently not in action. No, the sole response came from the dean of the law school at William & Mary, a copy of which is set out above (click the image to enlarge it). As you can see, the William & Mary response is less than comforting for past graduates of the law school since only current students will apparently receive protection.

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The lesson to gays in the legal community? You are basically on your own and cannot expect any employment protections. The state laws afford gay attorneys no protections from being fired and the leading law schools turn a blind eye to homophobic law firms as long as the law firms - with a wink and a nod to the placement offices - pretend that they do not discriminate against LGBT individuals. The fact that most firms lack any non-discrimination policies that exclude discrimination based on sexual orientation means nothing. Indeed, law firms with histories of firing gay attorneys lare likewise apparently fully welcome at these law schools.

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It is a pathetic state of affairs, but it's telling as to what it is like to be LGBT in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Supreme Court Rejects D.C. Marriage Foes' Last Ditch Effort

Yesterday I posted about the last ditch effort of opponents to marriage equality to derail the new Washington, D.C., marriage law that takes effect tomorrow and pursuant to which marriages can begin occurring the following week. Fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the petition seeking to force a referendum on the law. While from a legal perspective, I did not see merit in the petition, the fact that it was delivered to Chief Justice Roberts, I nonetheless could not suppress my nervousness. I applaud the Chief Justice's decision to do the right thing and reject the petition. No doubt the Christianists will be whining as if it's the end of the world. I suspect that as has been the case in Massachusetts, most residents of the District will big a collective yawn at the idea that gay marriage is controversial a year or two from now. Here are some highlights from The Advocate:

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The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to stop same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia, clearing the way for couples to register to wed beginning Wednesday. Equal-rights opponents in the capital had asked Chief Justice John Roberts to prevent the issuing of licenses until residents had voted on the issue. Lower courts had denied requests to place a moratorium on issuing of licenses.
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"It has been the practice of the court to defer to the decisions of the courts of the District of Columbia on matters of exclusively local concern," wrote Roberts, who made the decision without bringing in the full court.
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Roberts also cited the fact that although D.C. is autonomous, Congress could have passed a bill to disallow the city government from enacting the law, and it did not do so.
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Marriages may be performed beginning March 9, as there is a waiting period of three business days after the issuance of licenses.

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Who knows - the boyfriend and I may take advantage of a jurisdiction so relative close by that allows same sex marriage even if Virginia will not recognize our marriage.

Ancient Gay Lovers - in Africa

As a history lover one of the things that drives me crazy with the Christianists is their total disregard for true historic facts and never ending endeavors to re-write history to match up with their theocratic agenda. A case in point is the efforts of homophobic Christianists in Uganda and other parts of East Africa to depict homosexuality as something "imported from the West." Unfortunately, too many of their countryman know apparently little or no history and are easily duped by such fabricated stories. I stumbled across something this morning via GayAgenda and Living on the Real that highlights the ridiculousness and disingenuousnress of this false story line. The truth is that homosexuality has a long history on the African continent going back at least 4,400 years. As Living on the Real notes:

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Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum are considered the to be the first same-sex couple in recorded history. Considering they were brothers; which was very common in ancient times, they signify the starting history of gay culture.
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Once again those pesky facts get in the way of the Christianists revisionist story line, suggesting yet again that if the lips of a professional Christian are moving, most likely they are lying. They seem to think they has a self-granted exemption from the Commandment against lying and bearing false witness. Wikipedia has this on the ancient gay couple:
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Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum were ancient Egyptian royal servants and are believed to be brothers and probably twins.[They shared the title of Overseer of the Manicurists in the Palace of King Niuserre during the Fifth Dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs, circa 2400 B.C., and are listed as "royal confidants" in their joint tomb. They are considered to be the first recorded same-sex couple in history.
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The tomb of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum was discovered by Egyptologist Ahmed Moussa in the necropolis at Saqqara, Egypt in 1964, during the excavation of the causeway for the pyramid of King Unas. It is the only tomb in the necropolis where men are displayed embracing and holding hands. In addition, the men's chosen names (both theophorics to the creator-god Khnum) form a linguistic reference to their closeness: Niankhkhnum means "joined to life" and Khnumhotep means "joined to the blessed state of the dead'" and together the names can be translated as "joined in life and joined in death"[5]
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In a banquet scene, Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep are entertained by dancers, clappers, musicians and singers; in another, they oversee their funeral preparations. In the most striking portrayal, the two embrace, noses touching, in the most intimate pose allowed by canonical Egyptian art, surrounded by what would appear to be their heirs.

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Of course, many other parts of the ancient world also had same sex couples and relationships including but by no means limited to Ancient Greece and Rome, Persia, and East Asia. To say that homosexuality is a western import to Africa is categorically untrue.

Tuesday Male Beauty

Germany Blacklists Reggae "Artists"

In a move that I fully support, Germany has been blacklisting Raggae performers whose music is thick with violence and homophobia. I believe that a country has every right to blacklist those who market hatred and senseless violence. Having been to Jamaica many years ago, at times I am baffled by the manner in which Reggae music - which I once greatly enjoyed - has descended into the depths of violence and gratuitous hatred against gays. For a country that has so many economic challenges and which ought to be endeavoring to put on a welcoming face to tourists, the whole trend seems to be generating nothing positive for the nation. Instead, it seems these performers are Hell bent to marginalize themselves and the image of Jamaica. Here are some highlights from the Jamaica Observer:
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GERMANY, Europe's largest economy, has blacklisted 11 dancehall albums between 2008 and January 2010 this year because of their homophobic and violent content. Albums by Sizzla, Elephant Man, Bounty Killer, Capleton, TOK and Baby Cham are on this list, or "index", compiled by the German Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (BPjM) Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien in German.
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The BPjM told the Sunday Observer that it is illegal to advertise these albums or to sell them to minors in Germany, with additional restrictions placed on their sale and distribution. "Breach of ...[the] indexing is punishable by a fine or imprisonment," stated Corinna Bochmann, BPjM spokesperson, in response to Sunday Observer queries.
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Ten of the 11 albums were not only considered "harmful to young people" but also contained violent lyrics, according to the BPjM, with lyrics that incite hatred and propagate to kill homosexuals. The BPjM indexed these albums following complaints by certain groups such as the German gay lobby. "The BPjM can only act on the request of other administrative institutions, not by itself. Once an official request has been filed, the BPjM is obliged to act," stated Bochmann.
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Riddim magazine has at times assumed the role of dancehall mediator, as the industry has no lobby in Germany: "We have been doing everything we can to restore the image of Jamaica, but we can do only so much. In the long run Jamaica needs to take action," Köhlings noted.
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Violent anti-gay lyrics have been a feature of dancehall music for over 15 years with the Buju Banton classic Boom Bye Bye credited as its progenitor. The international gay lobby, in response, has petitioned the German government to ban shows and the sale of records by these artistes. Last year, Banton and Beenie Man were yanked from shows due to the lobby in the US, Australia and New Zealand. Local gay organisation J-Flag told the Sunday Observer that Jamaican deejays are not being unfairly attacked by the international gay community.
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Riddim magazine has at times assumed the role of dancehall mediator, as the industry has no lobby in Germany: "We have been doing everything we can to restore the image of Jamaica, but we can do only so much. In the long run Jamaica needs to take action," Köhlings noted.
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Violent anti-gay lyrics have been a feature of dancehall music for over 15 years with the Buju Banton classic Boom Bye Bye credited as its progenitor. The international gay lobby, in response, has petitioned the German government to ban shows and the sale of records by these artistes. Last year, Banton and Beenie Man were yanked from shows due to the lobby in the US, Australia and New Zealand. Local gay organisation J-Flag told the Sunday Observer that Jamaican deejays are not being unfairly attacked by the international gay community.