Cory Monteith RIP - A Lost Ally

I've held off commenting on the unfortunate death of actor Cory Monteith of "Glee" until the cause was known.   Sadly, like other talented LGBT allies, Monteith died far too early from an accidental drug/alcohol overdose.   Despite my trials and tribulations while in the closet and then during my coming out journey I never resorted to illegal drugs like heroin, but I did use my share of anti-depressants and Xanax.  In fact, one of my failed suicide attempt involved taking a whole bottle of Xanax, so I cannot stand in judgment of anyone.   My thoughts and prayers are with Monteith's family and girl friend Lea Michele.  Queerty looks at Monteith's transition to outspoken LGBT ally.  Here are highlights:

With the news of Cory Monteith’s cause of death, we have another reason to be sad for the young actor’s too brief life and career. We’ve also lost an ally for gay civil rights. 

Before joining the cast of Glee in 2009, the Calgary native knew nothing in particular about gay folks, or musical theater. But he would learn to sing and dance, and go on to become a vocal proponent for gay rights and marriage equality, appearing at the GLAAD Awards, the HRC National Dinner with girlfriend and castmates Lea Michelle, Chris Colfer and Amber Riley, and adding his voice to the Straight But Not Narrow campaign in 2011, an effort to encourage young straight guys to show support for young gay guys.

He spoke eloquently in 2012 about his own gay rights education: “Being aligned with Glee has absolutely made me more aware of it. It’s one of the defining challenges at this point in our human evolution. This is the equivalent human rights struggle for our generation. We’re going to look back 50 years from now and be shocked that this is what we’re having to deal with.”

The article also looks at the untimely deaths of  other LGBT allies: Amber Riley, Amy Winehouse, Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger, John Ritter, Judy Garland, Kurt Cobain, Natasha Richardson, River Phoenix, and Whitney Houston.

Heath Ledger's Death Ruled Accidental

As one who at one time was on various anti-depressants and two types of sleeping pills (to offset the insomnia side effects of the anti-depressants) at the same time, I unfortunately can see how an accidental overdose could happen. One anti-depressant in particular made it nearly impossible for me to sleep without both types of sleeping pills (and on occasion, alcohol too) and the lure of a self-prescribed stronger dose to get needed sleep was attractive. If drugs are taken together - especially if different doctors have prescribed some of the medications without knowledge of other drugs for which you have prescriptions - the combination can be fatal as in this unfortunate case. Often, people underestimate the importance of telling your doctor EVERY medication you are on or might likely take while taking the prescribed drugs. Heath Ledger's death is a tragic loss. Hopefully, people - including gays coming out of the closet and on strong anti-depressants like I was - will be more careful in combining drugs in the future. Here are some story highlights (http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8UKUHR00&show_article=1):

NEW YORK (AP) - Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of painkillers, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medication and other prescription drugs, the New York City medical examiner said Wednesday. The cause of death was "acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine," spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said in a statement.

The drugs are the generic names for the painkiller OxyContin, the anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Xanax, and the sleep aids Restoril and Unisom. Hydrocodone is a prescription painkiller. Borakove wouldn't say what concentrations of each drug were found in Ledger's blood, or whether one drug played a greater part than another in causing his death. "What you're looking at here is the cumulative effects of these medications together," she said.

In a statement released through Ledger's publicist, the actor's father, Kim, said Wednesday: "While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy. Heath's accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage."

Hate Merchant Fred Phelps Harrasses Ledger Family

Above is the latest garbage from Fred Phelps via Good As You (http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2008/01/you-shouldnt-sp.html). To say that Fred Phelps and his hate-filled clan are assh**es is an understatement. Now the bastards are harassing Heath Ledger's family and demanding to protest at Heath's funeral or grave site in Australia. The man truly needs to be committed - along with his more discrete brethren, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Tony Perkins, Don Wildmon, et al, who make a career out of disseminating Hate and marginalizing others to make themselves feel better about themselves.

John Gibson Issues Faux Apology

As noted over at at Pam's House Blend this morning (http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=32BAE2E4B385883DF2F1C8E33F8C6684?diaryId=4276), Fox News' John Gibson has issued a supposed apology for his crude, tasteless and boorish remarks about Heath Ledger. It is obvious that the man is only sorry that his remarks have apparently landed his wide ass in very hot water with higher ups at Fox News. I hope readers will continue to contact Fox News and make it clear that Gibson's crocodile tears are too little, too late, and that he needs to go. Calls and online complaints to Fox News advertisers will no doubt be the most effective tool in pushing Fox to take the needed action.

Homophobe Bigot John Gibson - Part Two

My first post of the day concerned the inexcusable comments by Fox's John Gibson concerning Heath Ledger's death. Gibson remained unapologetic and has made additional crude remarks. Think Progress (http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/24/gibson-defends-brokeback/) has the following links that will allow readers to voice their disgust and outrage:

Don’t let Gibson “get away” with his “callous and harsh” remarks. Contact Fox News and John Gibson. Or give his radio show a call at 1-866-868-6861.

UPDATE: GLAAD has started a petition asking Fox News “why they continue to provide a platform for John Gibson’s cruel and tasteless comments.”

UPDATE II: Perez Hilton identifies a list of Fox News’ current advertisers. Here they are:

Current Fox News Sponsors :
• ADOBE
Adobe Adobe Systems Incorporated
345 Park Avenue San Jose, California 95110-2704 contact online

• AMERICAN EXPRESS
World Financial Center
200 Vesey Street New York, NY 10285 contact online

• ASTRA ZENECA
ASRA ZENECA LOS ANGELES BUSINESS CENTER
21700 Oxnard Street, Suite
300Woodland Hills, CA 91367 contact online

• AVAYA
Avaya Inc. Headquarters
211 Mt. Airy Road Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 email avaya

• AMERIQUEST MORTGAGE
1100 Town and Country Rd
Orange, CA 92868 contact online

• AT & TATT:
Bob Nersesian AT & T
32 Avenue of the Americans New York, NY 10013-2412 contact online

• BMW
THE BMW GROUP
Munich, GERMANYcontact online

• BAYER
THE BAYER GROUP
100 Bayer RoadPittsburgh, PA 15205-9741contact online

• BLACK & DECKER
CONSUMER SERVICE CENTER - BLACK & DECKER
626 Hanover Pike Hampstead, MD 21074 USA contact online

• BOEING
BOEING WORLD HEADQUARTERS
100 North RiversideChicago, IL 60606email boeing

• BRISTOL-MEYERS
BRISTOL MEYERS HEADQUARTERS
345 Park Ave.New York, NY 10154-0037email bristol-mayers

• Burlington Coat Factory
BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY
1830 Route 130 Burlington,NJ 08016contact online

• CDW [previously known as Mac Warehouse]
200 North Milwaukee AvenueVernon Hills, IL 60061contact online

• Celebrity Cruises
CELEBRITY-CRUISES
1080 Caribbean Way Miami, FL 33132contact online

• CheapTickets.com
CHEAP TICKETS7 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 contact online

• CINGULAR
CINGULAR WIRELESS
Glenridge Highlands Two
5565 Glenridge Connector
Atlanta, GA 30342email cingular

• Circuit City
CIRCUIT CITY STORES, INC.
9950 Maryland DriveRichmond, VA 23233contact online

• Dannon
DANNON CONSUMER RESPONSE CENTER
P.O. Box 90296 Allentown, PA 18109-0296 contact online

• Direct TV
DIRECT TV, INC.
P.O. Box 92600 Los Angeles, CA 90009contact online

• Ditech.com
DITECH.COM
3200 Park Center Drive, Suite 150 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 contact online

• Dodge
DODGE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER
P.O. Box 21-8004 Auburn Hills, MI 48321-8004 contact online

• Earthlink
EARTHLINK, INC.
1375 Peachtree St., Level AAtlanta, GA 30309email earthlink

• Edward Jones Investments
EDWARD JONESP.O. Box 66906St. Louis, MO 63166-6909contact online

• Eloan.com
6230 Steonehenge Mall Road
Pleasanton, CA 94588contact online

• Fidelity Investments
FIDELITY INVESTMENTS
82 Devonshire Street Boston, MA 02109-3614 contact online

• Hula Networks
HULA NETWORKS
340 East Middlefield Rd. Mountain View, CA 94043 contact online

• Hyatt Gold
HYATT CORPORATION
200 W Madison St, 30th Fl. Chicago, IL 60606-3413 contact online

• Infiniti
INFINITI CONSUMER AFFAIRS
P.O. Box 191Gardena, CA 90248contact online

• Jeep
JEEP DAIMLER CHRYSLER CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER
P.O. Box 21-8004 Auburn Hills, MI 48321-8004 contact online

• Lending Tree
LENDING TREE INC. PMB 008 15105-D
John J Delaney Drive Charlotte, NC 28277 contact online

• Lexus
LEXUSP.O. Box 2991 ‹ Mail Drop L202
Torrance, CA 90509-2991

• Lincoln-Mercury
[Ford]LINCOLN-MERCURY
P.O. Box 1304 Dearborn, MI 48121 contact online

• Mercedes-Benz
MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC
Customer Assistance Center 3 Paragon Drive Montvale, N.J. 07645

• Morgan Stanley
MORGAN STANLEY HQ
1585 Broadway, Floor 39 New York, NY 10036 contact online

• Napster.com
NAPSTER.COMc/o ROXIO, INC.
455 El Camino Real Santa Clara, CA 95050contact online

• Northwestern Mutual
NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
720 East Wisconsin Avenue N08WCMilwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 contact online

• Office Depot
OFFICE DEPOT, INC.
2200 Old Germantown Road Delray Beach, FL 33445contact online

• Progressive Insurance
THE PROGRESSIVE CORPORATION
6300 Wilson Mills Road Mayfield Village, Ohio 44143 contact online

• Splenda
SPLENDAc/o JOHNSON & JOHNSON
One Johnson & Johnson Plaza New Brunswick, NJ 08933 contact online

• Target
TARGET CORPORATION
1000 Nicollet MallMineapolis, MN 55403contact online

• Travelocity
TRAVELOCITY
3150 Sabre Dr. Southlake, TX 76092email travelocity

• Walmart
WAL-MART STORES, INC.
Bentonville, Arkansas 72716-8611contact online

A number of these companies have gay friendly policies and need to be put on notice that their dealings with nasty bigots like Fox/Gibson are not going unnoticed. A sample complaint letter can be found here: http://skinthefox.com/letter_001.htm

Moral Bankruptcy of Fox News and "Christian" Conservatives

Imagine the whining and bogus tears that would flow if a news anchor mocked and ridiculed a recently deceased prominent Christian. After all, the Christianists love to further the myth that they are abused and persecuted by society and the news media. Where is the out cry from these same people over what fat blowhard John Gibson’s [pictured at left] despicable statements about Heath Ledger? As Think Progress reports (http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/23/gibson-mocks-ledger/), Gibson of Fox News made disgusting and horrible remarks about Heath Ledger on his show. Sadly, Gibson is merely showing the true face and mindset of these alleged Christians. I wish more people would take a good look at who and what these folks truly are in reality. Gibson and those like him utterly sicken me. Here are highlights from Think Progress:

Opening his radio show with funeral music yesterday, Fox News host John Gibson callously mocked the death of actor Heath Ledger, calling him a “weirdo” with a “serious drug problem.” Playing an audio clip of the iconic quote, “I wish I knew how to quit you” from Ledger’s gay romance movie Brokeback Mountain, Gibson disdainfully quipped, “Well, he found out how to quit you.” Laughing, Gibson then played another clip from Brokeback Mountain in which Ledger said, “We’re dead,” followed by his own, mocking “We’re dead” before playing the clip again.

Throughout the course of the show, Gibson continued to bring up Ledger’s death while discussing current events, jokingly claiming that current events may have caused him to commit suicide:

GIBSON: He was depressed about yesterday’s downturn in the world stock markets.
GIBSON: Apparently Heath Ledger was suicidal and his friends saw it coming. I think he watched the Clinton-Obama debate last night. I think he was an Edwards guy, cause he saw his Edwards guy was just completely irrelevant.

UPDATE II: Newshounds is encouraging readers to complain to Fox News about Gibson’s comments. Readers should take the time to let Fox News - and its advertisers - know what they think of Gibson's foul conduct.

Heath Ledger Found Dead

OMG! Last week it was Brad Renfro, now Heath Ledger. He was only 28. I always liked Heath Ledger as an actor, not only in Broke Back Mountain, but as far back as during my closeted days when he was in a short lived Fox TV series called "Roar." What makes it even worse is that police are saying it may have been a suicide. It is hard to imagine what would make someone with his looks - yes I always found him very sexy - and talent and professional success take such a desperate step. What could have been so unbearable? It is likely that no one will ever know for certain. What a sad and tragic loss. I particulary identified with his torment as Ennis in Brokeback Mountain in the scenes where he is trying to deal with who he is and at the same time having a wife and children. It brought tears to my eyes. Here is what MSNBC is reporting so far:

MSNBC News Services (updated 21 minutes ago) NEW YORK - Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday in a Manhattan apartment in a possible drug-related death, police said. He was 28. According to the New York Times, Ledger was found naked and unconscious with pills strewn all around him in an apartment owned by actress Mary-Kate Olsen. Police sources told the Times that the death appeared to be a suicide.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the apartment. The housekeeper, who went to let Ledger know the masseuse was there, found him unconscious at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET, according to the New York Times. After receiving no response from the actor after shaking him, they called authorities.

“We are investigating the possibility of an overdose,” Browne said. “There were pills within the vicinity of the bed.” The Australian-born actor was nominated for an Oscar for “Brokeback Mountain,” where he met actress Michelle Williams, in 2005. Ledger and Williams had lived in Brooklyn with their 2-year-old daughter, Matilda, until they split up last year.

The New York Times adds the following:

The police said they did not suspect foul play. Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the office of the city’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Charles S. Hirsch, said that employees of the office were at the apartment and that an autopsy would be conducted on Wednesday.

Police officials have said that the apartment was owned by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen,Officials said they believed Ms. Olsen, 21, was in California and that Mr. Ledger had been living in her apartment. Ms. Olsen attended the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, for the premiere of “The Wackness,” a film in which she stars with the actor Ben Kingsley. It was not clear where she went after the film screening.