Mike Rogers Outs "Family Values" Senator John Barasso (R-WY)

Once again we are witnessing the hypocrisy of closeted Republicans who have virulently anti-gay voting records while having gay affairs themselves.   The latest hypocrite to be exposed is Wyoming Senator John Barasso (pictured above) who true to form markets himself as a "family values" politician and votes anti-gay.  Some argue against "outing" anti-gay politicians, but I support it 100%.  If these individuals don't want their private lives to be fair game for media exposes, then they need to stay out of the private lives of others.  Back2Stonewall looks at Mike Rogers' outing of Barasso.  Obviously, it will be delicious watching the details come out now that Barasso failed to come out himself.  Here are story highlights:

Washington, D.C.’s Mike Rogers who is best known for his activity in outing closeted gay republican  politicians who actively oppose equality for LGBT Americans and was lead subject of Kirby Dick’s documentary Outrage took to Twitter this morning to point out GOP traditional values Senator John Barasso who appeared on Fox News Sunday should have taken the opportunity to come out of the closet.

Barrasso was quoted as saying, “I believe in limited government, lower taxes, less spending, traditional family values, local control and a strong national defense,” and said he has “voted for prayer in schools, against gay marriage and [has] sponsored legislation to protect the “sanctity of life”

When reached for comment, Rogers who has had a 100% record on outing closeted GOP politicians replied: ”My tweets stand on their own”.

 I first collaborated with Mike Rogers in 2004 when we outed former Virginia 2nd District Congressman Ed Schrock who, like Barasso voted anti-gay all the time, but sought gay trysts on the sly.   Great job Mike!!

More Outings of Closeted Gay GOP Members of Congress Coming?

I hold closeted gay elected officials who cast anti-gay votes in Congress in almost as low esteem as I do "ex-gay" charlatans who work to keep the "ex-gay" myth alive and cause untold torment and suicides in the process.  Some argue against outing elected officials whining that coming out or not is the closeted individuals decision.  I'm sorry, but these people are casting votes that harm my personal life and discriminate against me and other gays.  If the closet case cause harm to others by their votes, then in my book they have placed a huge target on their backs.  My blogger friend Mike Rogers holds similar views to mine and we worked together (I first tipped off Rogers about Schrock) to expose the hypocrisy of former Virginia GOP Congressman Ed Schrock (pictured above) who had a virulently anti-gay voting record in Congress.  Now, Rogers says he has his sights on other closet cases.  Here are details from U.S. News:

Michael Rogers, a blogger who gained fame in the early 2000s by revealing the sexual orientation of prominent politicians, has largely been dormant since President Barack Obama took office. But Rogers tells U.S. News he's gathering evidence for what could be another big revelation.

Rogers sees himself as a reporter focused on political hypocrisy, and to establish his credibility he points to a track record of accuracy and the fact that he's never been sued.

"There's a big difference between outing and reporting. I'm a reporter, I report on hypocrisy," Rogers told U.S. News. "If I have one case that's off, I'm out of the business, [but] I will never be sued for what I do because I'm right."

The blogger said he currently knows of three "anti-gay" members of the U.S. House of Representatives who are themselves gay. Rogers refused to say when he might disclose information on these members or what might provoke such a revelation, maintaining that as a journalist he holds some cards close to the vest.

But Rogers said he's about to get his hands on concrete evidence that one "anti-gay" member of the House of Representatives engages in gay sex. "Oh, it's going to happen because it has been happening for a long time," he said.

The blogger's most high-profile triumphs include the 2004 revelation that then Rep. Ed Schrock, R-Va., was leaving voicemails on a gay hook-up service, prompting the two-term congressman to retire. In October 2006 he wrote that three men informed him they had sex with then Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, in bathrooms at Union Station. Before making his allegations against Craig public, two of his three sources signed affidavits saying they would come forward if Rogers was taken to court.

In August 2007 the political and comedic worlds went wild with news that Craig had quietly pleaded guilty to charges for allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover cop in a Minnesota airport's restroom. Rogers said he was "vindicated 500 percent" after Craig's arrest was made public.

Hypocrites need to be exposed.  I have no sympathy for them.  I was in the closet for many years, but I never actively worked to harm other gays.   Towleroad also has coverage and the comments are great - I love the speculation about Eric Cantor.  Ken Cuccinelli is another one that I'd like to see outed.

Is Lindsey Graham About To Be Outed?

While there are those who disagree with me, I am a strong believer in "outing" closeted anti-gay politicians who work to deprive other gays of legal rights and recognition as full citizens. A closeted politician who does no harm to other gays is safe with his or her secret. Those who work to make life hell for the rest of us while living in the closet themselves are a totally different matter. A case in point is Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a/k/a the Palmetto Queen on this blog. Wonkette reports that blogger friend Mike Rogers - with whom I worked to out former Congressman Ed Schrock - may have the goods on Graham. One can only hope that the Wonkette news is accurate and that if Graham gets outed some of the other closet cases in Congress (Mitch McConnell?) will reconsider their anti-gay agenda. Here are some story highlights:
*
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina’s favorite lifelong bachelor and former military prosecutor, is always reliably against homosexuals having any basic human rights in America because Lindsey’s a Republican, y’all. Anyway, famous outer-of-self-hating-queers Mike Rogers says he’s got pictures of one of Lindsey’s boy toys leaving Lindsey’s house. This would be SHOCKING because come on, everybody knows Republicans cannot be gay because Jesus did not make gays. Mike Rogers says on his Twitter:
*
I wonder if Lindsey Graham knows I have pictures of a man who spent the night at his house. pls RT
– 10:57 AM Dec 18th
*
Just reached lawyer at home. Meeting set for Tues. on releasing pix of man who spent night at Lindsey Graham’s.
– 11:05 AM Dec 18th
*
[W]e must also wonder if John McCain will call for the execution of his best boy pal in all of Washington, because everybody knows that America WILL NOT TOLERATE any gay “distractions” . . .

Blogswarm of Love for Pam Spaulding!

A number of bloggers are creating a "blog swarm" of get well and best wishes to Pam Spaulding, the blog mistress of Pam's House Blend who had surgery today. Among the story lines being promoted are "how I met Pam" stories to which I would like to add my own. Here goes. I have been a fan of Pam's House Blend for several years but never had the privilege of meeting Pam until the LGBT Blogger Summit in Washington, D.C., orchestrated by Mike Rogers in early December, 2008. Pam is just as amazing and insightful in person as when she is analyzing and venting on the Blend. I often find myself wishing that I had her cutting flare with words and her ability to put out the facts and take down foes of equality for all citizens. Since our meeting nearly two years ago, I have been proud to count Pam as a friend and the boyfriend and I wish here a most speedy recover and a wonderful Thanksgiving.

*

Pam, please except hugs and kisses from Tidewater Virginia! You are truly an inspiration to many of us in the LGBT blogosphere.

Mike Rogers - Portrait of a Friend and Activist Mentor

Between starting to blog in 2007 and unanticipated involvement in situations involving the exposure of hypocrites harmful to the rights of of other gay citizens in 2003 and 2004 - i.e., ex-gay fraud Michael Johnston and former Congressman Ed Schrock - I unexpectedly was fortunate enough to get to know two activists who are never ceasing in their efforts to win full legal equality for LGBT Americans. One was Mike Rogers with whom I collaborated on the Ed Schrock story. While there are those who do not agree with Mike's campaign to "out" closeted politic ans who vote against their fellow LGBT citizens even as they solicit secret trysts for gay sex. I on the other hand applaud Mike's effort. If someone wants to remain in the closet, that's their decision - UNLESS they are actively seeking to impair my rights as a citizen and the rights of other gay Americans. Metro Weekly has a profile piece on Mike Rogers that looks at the many other things Mike does for the LGBT community in our struggle. The piece also looks at how Mike has mentored budding activists and helped create an amazing network for communications between activist, journalists and others via the invitation only list-serv that he maintains. Between putting together the 2008 LGBT Blogger Summit in Washington, D.C., which I was lucky enough to attend, and inviting me to the list-serv, Mike has helped me and my desire to make things better for our community to a huge extent. I hope everyone will read the full Metro Weekly piece. Here are some highlights:
*
He's not much of a grandstander. In person, he's unassuming. He can laugh heartily, but he's otherwise fairly soft-spoken. His roots are in suburban New York, where he was raised in a two-parent household with two older siblings. And this is the guy the Washington Post dubbed ''the most feared man on the Hill?''
*
Blow the whistle on a few closeted gay politicians and political operatives who are working to counter LGBT equality, and the title sticks. But while some corners of Washington may hate Rogers, he in turn loves the city.
*
METRO WEEKLY: What's your involvement with Netroots Nation, exactly?
*
MICHAEL ROGERS: I've been involved in Netroots Nation now going on my fourth year. The short of it is it's the national convention of new media, bloggers, activists – kind of the whole progressive left has been coming together at this convention that started out as more of an online blogger kind of thing. I do a number of things related to it. I run the LGBT caucus.
*
I'm the director of the [independent] National Blogger and Citizen Journalist Initiative. We raise money and send LGBT bloggers to these conferences. On this one, we're doing $16,000 in scholarships. I'm also running the first pre-convention day for the LGBT community. The 25 recipients of our scholarships will be there. Representatives of LGBT organizations are coming in – everyone from Get Equal to HRC, across the spectrum.
*
In 2008, with Netroots and bloggers, I brought together 60 bloggers here in D.C. for a long weekend of training, support, education, networking. We also did some joint events with the Victory Fund conference that coincided with it. We took that and said, ''We have this whole bunch of people who've been reading each other.'' But nobody knew each other. What's key here is taking ''online'' and bringing it ''offline,'' bringing that connection.
*
There's a great gain in that. Look at voices like Pam Spaulding. Where would Pam be without the blogosphere? Here's a woman in the Raleigh-Durham [N.C.] area, working at a university, and now she's a really important voice in the community.
*
MW: Although the outings can get pretty nasty – McKelway's interview, for example – there's another platform you're involved with that I've also seen get pretty nasty. You manage a listserv with hundreds of LGBT activists, journalists, movement leaders, etc. Sometimes that list gets pretty contentious.
*
ROGERS: The reason I created the list was because no one knew who I was. I was looked at as, ''Who the hell is this? Who is this guy, showing up and dragging people out of the closet?'' I realized that in the movement there were so many people that don't understand what they're doing, where they come from.
*
[The list] is a wonderful thing for the various parts of our community. . . . When I founded the list, my goal was to bring together all of these different viewpoints and perspectives. You have some viewpoints that are more liberal, some are relatively conservative. But I'm more interested in perspectives. What makes the list really unique is not only does it have activists and leaders of professional things, but it also reaches into every state. . . . It's really a response to a need to have a rapid-fire communication system.
*
MW: So you're an organizer at heart?
*
ROGERS: I'm a change agent at heart. Yes, organizing is a huge piece of that, but so is reporting and telling the truth. So is fundraising.

*

Mike, thanks for all you have done to help me do more to try to make things better. Keep up the great work that you do.

The Ethics of "Outing" Anti-Gay Hypocrites

Last week I wrote about the closeted anti-gay Lutheran Pastor who urged his parish to leave the Evangelical Church in America ("ELCA") and used his pulpit to denigrate and pontificate against civil law equality for gay Americans. The story that exposed hypocrite pastor Tom Brock was released by Lavender Magazine, a biweekly for Minneapolis’s gay and lesbian community, and now the magazine has been criticized over its lack of ethics in exposing Brock for the lying bastard that he is in fact. Frankly, I do not understand the misplaced and delicate sensibilities of Lavender Magazine's critics. What about the damaged lives and possible suicides that self-loathing individuals like Brock help cause? These lives mean nothing compared to Brock's privacy? I simply do not comprehend the screwed up logic - if that's what you want to even call it. I am firmly in favor of outing any closeted public official or religious official who uses their position to harm other members of the LGBT community. If they want their "privacy," then stop meddling in the civil rights and privacy of others. I have no problem with closeted officials, clergy or celebrities that take no action against gay rights and/or the lives of others in the LGBT community. However, once they act to take away my rights or denigrate my "lifestyle" to use the disingenuous Christianist euphemism, I'm sorry, but all bets are off and I will do whatever I can to expose them as fraudulent hypocrites. Ask Ed Schrock - I put Mike Rogers onto him after he kept voting against gay rights even as he was looking for gay sex via Mega Phone ads. The Washington Post looks at the outing of Brock (which is a huge issue for me since I have lost people to suicide due to religious based homophobia). I am 100% on the side of Lavender Magazine. Here are some Post highlights:
*
The reaction was swift when Lavender Magazine, a biweekly for Minneapolis’s gay and lesbian community, reported in its current issue that an outspokenly anti-homosexual local pastor attended a support group for people who want to remain chaste despite same-sex attraction.
*
Many Lavender Web site commentators applauded the story. But among the critics was an unidentified advertiser who wrote she would pull her ads, because “12 step programs, regardless of what is at issue or who attends, are sacred.” National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association board member Michael R. Triplett blogged that the ethics of the reporting were “suspect.”
*
Stephen Rocheford, the president and chief executive of Lavender, said the story began with a tip that Mr. Brock attended Faith in Action, the local affiliate of Courage, an international program of the Catholic Church. “We thought that kind of curious given his pronouncements against the gay community for years and years and years,” he said.
*
In a particularly controversial YouTube video, since pulled, Mr. Brock, Hope Lutheran’s senior pastor and a cable and radio commentator, suggested that a 2009 Minneapolis tornado was a sign of God’s displeasure because it struck as a Lutheran Church body was voting to approve the ordination of practicing homosexuals in committed relationships.
*
Mr. Rocheford said the magazine, with about 130,000 readers, has a policy against “outing” homosexuals. “One exception to the rule is a public figure who makes public pronouncements against the gay community and is in fact a homosexual,” he said, noting that this was the only time he had invoked that exception.
*
Father Paul Check, the international director of Courage, said that the reporter “lied” to gain admittance, and that, “as far as I know this is the most grievous breach of our trust and confidentiality in our 27 years of existence.” He added: “I can only interpret this as an effort to intimidate current Courage members or others who might be considering coming to Courage meetings.”
*
Again, I'm sorry, but if anyone's ethics are suspect it those of Michael Triplett and similar critics. As for Fr. Check, given the Roman Catholic Church's criminal cover up of child rapists, as a Catholic priest, he has no moral credibility to comment on anyone else's ethics whatsoever.

Is Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk Another Ed Schrock?

It seems that outwardly closeted, self-loathing Republicans just do not grasp the fact that if they keep voting anti-gay that sooner or later someone in gay community is going to reach such a level of anger and disgust that they will turn to the media and/or activists and "out" the politician equivalent of George Rekers. I know this for a fact - I'm the one that call Mike Rogers about former Congressman Ed Schrock who consistently voted against the interests of LGBT Americans even as he was cruising for gsy sex trysts. It seems that Illinois Congressman Make Kirk learned NOTHING from the Schrock debacle. Kirk is now the newest target of Mike Rogers - all set in motion by those who were simply fed up with Kirk's hypocrisy and disingenuousness.

*

While some in the gay community argue that no one should out someone else, in cases like Schrock and Kirk I beg to differ. They have deliberately made the decision to vote in ways that harm others in the LGBT community and, therefore, deserve to be exposed for liars and hypocrites. Also, from working with Mike Rogers on the Ed Schrock story, I can personally vouch that he does NOT go off half cocked. If he says he has the goods on someone, believe me, he does. Check out the posts at BlogActive.com where Mike Rogers goes after Kirk. Even better, here are highlights from Huffington Post which will hopefully take the story national:
*
Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk has had a dramatic few days, and now a popular gay blogger known for outing politicians claims to have sources confirming that Kirk is a closeted gay man.
*
Before the February Illinois primary, Kirk, a Republican vying for President Obama's former senate seat, faced attacks from birther Andy Martin claiming that Kirk was gay. Kirk denied the claims, but now faces an attempted outing from the other side--the gay community.
*
Activist blogger Mike Rogers tends to target politicians with antigay voting records, and "outed" Sen. Larry Craig and Rep. Mark Foley. He was also featured in the film "Outrage" where he discussed closeted politicians who work against the gay community. In a Tuesday post on Rogers' BlogActive, he explained why he decided to bring up Kirk's sexuality now:
*
Until now, Mark Kirk elected not to play the typical Washington game. Instead of supporting his party's dismal record on gay rights, Kirk received Human Rights Campaign ratings of 67% in 2002, 88% in 2004, 76% in 2006 and 85% in 2008. That's more impressive than a lot of Democrats. I even let Kirk slide by when he didn't co-sponsor earlier legislation relating to the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. My thoughts then were that he wasn't THAT bad on gay stuff and that the bill was going nowhere anyway.
*
Though the HRC has supported Kirk in the past, the group pledged their support to Democrat Alexi Giannoulias last week after Kirk voted against the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal.
*
Rogers cited several sources who contacted him following Kirk's DADT vote. Two men, whose names were not given, claimed to have had sexual relations with Kirk while he was in college.
*
Frank Sennett, editor-in-chief of Time Out Chicago, interviewed Rogers about his Larry Craig outing in 2007, where the blogger explained who he chooses to out and when:

"Rogers acknowledged gay legislators don't have to support gay marriage. However, he added, 'You have to be honest with the American people that you're voting against a group you're a part of. If politicians want to say they're straight and then have sex in bathrooms [referring to Larry Craig] after voting against gay rights, that doesn't work.'
*
The Kirk campaign has yet to respond to Rogers' claims.

*

Kudos, Mike. Let's hope the closeted members of the GOP will get the message and stop voting against normal, out gays.

Top 10 Antigay Activists Who Like Gay Hookups

Former local Virginia Congressman Ed Schrock (pictured at left) - who I knew personally for a number of years before I set Mike Rogers on his trail - has made the 1o Ten list of homophobic hypocrites who, despite their anti-gay politics, like an hot hook up for gay sex. The website Ranker.com named the "Top 10 Anti-gay Activists Caught Being Gay." Besides Schrock, there are a number of other closeted Republicans who sought to make the lives of rank and file LGBT citizens Hell, even as they sought out hot gay trysts for their own sexual pleasure. Frankly, I do not care who wants to remain in the closet for their own personal reasons as long as they do nothing to harm other LGBT Americans. However, once they take actions or support legislation to harm other gays, their rank hypocrisy makes them legitimate targets for "outing." Schrock deserved to be outed and its not as if he and his GOP supporters - including Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell - were not warned of Schrock's "problem" before Mike Rogers broken the story in August of 2004. Here are some of highlights on Schrock as well as other hypocrites in Ranker's top 10 (click the link beside the name to see the details):

**

List of Top 10 Anti-Gay Activists Caught Being Gay on Ranker

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:
*
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.
*
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
*
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.
*
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.
*
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.

Sad News

Yesterday I learned that the father of BlogActive.com and PageOneQ editor, Mike Rogers died over the holidays. I first got to know Mike in 2004 during the effort to out closeted GOP Congressman, Ed Schrock, who had the second most anti-gay voting record in Congress while he hypocritically advertised for gay trysts in the Hampton Roads area. I got to know Mike even better over the subsequent years and at the LGBT Blogger Summit he put together in December, 2008. I hope readers will keep Mike and his family in their thoughts and prayers as they go through this difficult time. Having lost my father in 2006, it is a rough experience regardless of one's relationship with the lost parent.

*

In other sad news, yesterday I also learned from fellow LGBT bloggers that Stephen Heersink, who authored a blog called Gayspecies died on December 29, 2009. Stephen and I did not always agree on issues and our relationship could turn nasty at times (a month or so ago he let me have it on his blog, and I returned the favor). But in his final message to me shortly after that encounter, he was supportive and endorsed my efforts to talk about coming out later in life and perhas give hope to others. Moreover, during some of my darkest times a year or two back, he always offered a sympathetic ear. As Wayne Dynes notes on his blog, Stephen was an defender of gay rights. In his last posting, he looked at the first gay marriage to achieve legal status in Latin America--in southern Argentina. Stephen, may you rest in peace.

South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer Outed as Gay

My friend Mike Rogers (who I have known since I put him on the trail of Ed Schrock back in early 2004) has scored again - and this time it leaves the South Carolina GOP having to decide whether it wants to retain adulterer and philander Mark Sanford as Governor or settle for a closeted gay man as Governor. Yes, I know there will be whiners who say that Bauer's sexual orientation is a private matter, but given his aggressive Christian Right and anti-gay stances, Bauer's hypocrisy made him a target worthy of being outed. The rule for closet cases should be "Do No Harm to Other Gays." Adhere to that rule and your private life should remain private. However, once elected officials take official anti-gay stances, I am sorry, but they are open game. Here are some highlights from BlogActive.com:

*

I am now able to confirm a rumor that has circulated in South Carolina for years. South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer is a closeted anti-gay politician who stands to replace Mark Sanford should Sanford resign or be impeached (a real possibility as Sanford is caught in his own sex scandal.)So, what is the deal with Bauer? I have confirmed and spoken to four individuals who I have no doubt are telling me the truth. These men have been hit on by Bauer, with one of them telling me it happened at least five times since Bauer's election in 2003. To a varying degree I have met with and believe the sources. And, as you'll recall, I have that 100% record.

*

This was still not enough for me to report on him. Then another call came in and I met with the source while he was visiting DC recently. "He's gay," the source told me."How do you know?" I asked. "Because I've had sex with him on two separate occasions." That too, was not enough for me to report on without confirmation from others. I was led on a path to chatting with acquaintances of the source and two former employees of Bauer who served on his staff between 2004 and 2007.

*

They reported to me that on a total of three occasions Bauer spent hours alone with men in hotel rooms. Each of them explained that the visits were with younger men who were not on the staff of the Lt. Governor nor had any official reason to be with him. The two men each confirmed that they had not known each other and each described similar circumstances under which these interactions occurred. One of them confirmed that he was told by the Lt. Governor's visitor he had a sexual encounter with Bauer.

*

His [Bauer's]record? The bachelor is a right wing Christian conservative. He's done everything from defend the state issuing "I believe" license plates (complete with a cross on them) to defending the right of schools to use corporal punishment. In the presidential election he supported Mike Huckabee.

*

Over the next week or so, I'll be providing a variety of take action activities to make sure the right people in SC know the truth (and not the rumors) about Bauer. After all, what good is an outing if the right people don't know about it? Ask Mark Foley… Ask Larry Craig… Ask Ed Schrock. Ask them all.

*

There is a common thread to everyone Mike has outed - they depicted themselves as Christian and/or hard core conservatives, had extremely anti-gay voting records/track records, and all were secretly having gay sex on the side. I'm sorry, but such hypocrisy needs to be made public.

Michael Rogers and Kirby Dick on The View for OUTRAGE

While there are those who disagree with "outing" closeted politicians, I agree with Mike Rogers that when a closeted politician is actively voting for legislation that harms others in the gay community at they same time that they are themselves cruising for gay sex on the sly, they are a hypocrite and deserve to be outed. I have no use for those who would legislate aspects of my private life while wanting to keep their own "private." Former Congressman Ed Schrock is a case in point and his reprehensible hypocrisy combined with the GOP's anti-gay agenda is why I gave Mike Rogers information and put him on Schrock's trail. Hopefully, Mike will continue to expose more hypocrites like Schrock and Larry Craig.

Bob McDonnell and Ed Schrock's Double Life

The State Convention of the Republican Party of Virginia will be held on May 29-30, 2009 at the Richmond Convention Center, in Richmond, Virginia. Among its purposes is nominating a Republican candidate for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General . Seeking the nomination for Governor is Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell. Hopefully, delegates will ask themselves before voting whether or not McDonnell has the honest and integrity to receive the nomination and whether or not McDonnell has always been honest with his constituents. The reality is that he has not. Take the issue of closeted former GOP Congressman Ed Schrock. McDonnell had credible information that Schrock was leading a double life and chose to ignore it for the sake of expediency or indifference - I don't know which. The following is the text of an e-mail sent to McDonnell in January, 2004 (Schrock was outed in August 2004), as some Virginia Republicans were contemplating reviving Virginia's sodomy statute in the aftermath of Lawrence v. Texas:

*

rmcdonnell@hpmlaw.com; Del_Drake@house.state.va.us; Del_Purkey@house.state.va.us; Del_Tata@house.state.va.us; Del_Wardrup@house.state.va.us; Victoria@familyfoundation.org

Subject: Virginia Eyes New (and Unconstitutional) Sodomy Law

*
I find it amazing that according to members of the GOP such as Delegate David Albo (R-Fairfax) think they are above the rulings of the United States Supreme Court. I guess it is more important to kiss the butt of The Family Foundation and its spokeswoman, Victoria Cobb, and Pat Robertson and Jerry Fallwell, than cease in supporting unconstitutional legislation. Will the GOP seek to have this new law, if enacted, enforced against Congressman Ed Schrock?

*

In the Norfolk/Virginia Beach gay community it is an apparently very open secret that the Congressman likes to meet men for "unnatural acts" as defined by the Virginia statute. From what I am told, the Congressman's cell phone records fully corroborate his use of Mega Phone, a gay telephone "hook up" service, for his clandestine gay trysts. Given the GOP's homophobic agenda, I suspect it's only a matter of time until Schrock has witnesses willing to testify against him. Obviously, Congressman Schrock's signing on as a sponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment was most disingenuous.

http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/01/011404virginiaSodomy.htm

*

The first e-mail address is that of McDonnell at his former law firm. Virginia GOP continued it's anti-gay jihad and while the revival of the sodomy statute went nowhere, the Virginia Code was amended to bar same sex marriages, civil unions and any form of domestic partnerships and any contracts seeking to approximate a family relationship.

*

And Bob McDonnell? He and his compatriots did nothing about Schrock. The result? The information McDonnell ignored was forwarded to Mike Rogers and the rest is history. Do social conservatives in the RPV want someone like McDonnell as their standard bearer? We will find out on May 30, 2009.

Washington Post Looks at "Outrage"

I have already commented on the new documentary movie "Outrage" which looks at closeted politicians with anti-gay politicians. However, all too often what blogs bring to light doesn't equate to coverage in the main stream media - which has complicity in allowing closet cases like Ed Schrock (pictured at left), David Drier and according to Outrage, Charlie Crist, remain in the closet despite numerous leads to the truth of their double lives, not to mention homophobic voting records. Former local Congressman Ed Schrock had the second most conservative voting records and made statements about the unfitness of gays to serve in the military as he himself used "Mega Phone" to find partners for gay trysts. Fortunately, due to the efforts of some locals and Mike Rogers at BlogActive.com, Schrock's hypocritical double life was exposed and ultimately his seat has come to be held by a far more gay friendly Congressman. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post (which has complicity issues of its own):

*

The closet, he points out, forces those who engage in homosexual acts to lead lives of elaborate deception, to betray their spouses, to seek anonymous sex. Conservative public officials who are gay, the film argues, adopt protective camouflage by opposing any legislation -- HIV/AIDS funding, benefits for unmarried partners, same-sex marriage -- that might identify them as pro-gay: It's a tactic that sets up an interior war against their essential selves.

*

"The psychology of these people who would, in exchange for a political career, lead a double life, that's almost a Shakespearean character," Dick says. This dissonance is part of what attracted him to the topic. It supplies a depth to the screen proceedings beyond mere prurience. It also adds to the director's more direct message: He wants to "advance the cause of gay rights," including same-sex marriage, he says. And, "I hope that this film contributes in some ways to the lessening and perhaps eventual demise of the closet."

*

Their names were bandied about among journalists, and you could easily find them in blogs or political-circuit chatter. But the mainstream media refused to out them even though "the gay press has been writing about this for many, many years," Dick says. Informed that this newspaper's policy is to identify only self-declared homosexuals, he's perplexed and perceives a double standard. . . . The allegedly gay politicians and others he names in his film (at least five by our count) "are public officials; this is reporting on hypocrisy, and there is an obligation on the press to write about it."

*

Some gay-rights supporters consider Rogers's tactics odious and invasive. Dan Gurley, who was national field director for the Republican National Committee in 2004, once called the blogger "despicable." It's easy to see why: A couple of months before the election, Rogers outed Gurley on Blogactive.com and later posted the RNC official's Gay.com dating profile. Gurley never hid being gay, but to avoid further controversy, he says, the GOP kicked him to the curb when he sought a position in the second Bush administration.

*

As I have said before, I totally support outing closeted politicians who embrace anti-gay legislation and make life worse for the rest of us. They can stay in the closet if the want, but once they support anti-gay legislation, they put a bull's eye on their own backs.

Closeted Gay Republicans Hung Out to Dry

While some disagree with me, I strongly support outing closeted Republican elected officials who take anti-gay positions through legislation and public pronouncements even as they secretly troll for gay trysts. I have even passed information along to Mike Rogers and others who share my views when I hear of this type of hypocrisy. To me, it's very simple: if one wants to remain in the closet, that's fine unless and until you start taking actions that actively harm members of the LGBT community through anti-gay laws, etc. Former local Congressman Ed Schrock is a prime example of this situation. While I knew Ed Schrock from my days in the GOP, his conduct was reprehensible and he brought his downfall upon himself. He and his compatriots in the Virginia Beach delegation to the Virginia General Assembly could easily have avoided supporting a Christianist generated anti-gay jihad in Virginia, but chose not to do so. Outing anti-gay elected officials is completely proper in such situations. Now a new film, Outrage, is being released that takes an in depth look at the many closeted Republicans and describes itself as follows:

*

A searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who actively campaign against the LGBT community, OUTRAGE boldly reveals the hidden lives of some of our nation’s most powerful policymakers, detailing the harm they've inflicted on millions of Americans, and the media’s complicity in keeping their secrets.

*

I sincerely hope the spotlights the lies and hypocrisy of these elected officials and helps to bring home to opponents of "outing" just how much harm these individuals inflict upon the LGBT community. Here are some details from Towleroad:
*

Last night I had the opportunity to see the first final cut of Outrage shown to the public, before its opening at the Tribeca Film Festival. For those who have not yet heard of Outrage, it's a documentary by Kirby Dick (This Film is Not Yet Rated) about closeted Republican hypocrites and the way their hypocrisy damages lives — not only their personal lives but the millions of gays and lesbians their homophobic policymaking affects.

*

It's a well-packaged effort covering the Reagan years and the birth of the religious right to the present, wrapping up the stories of Idaho Senator Larry Craig, Virginia Rep. Ed Schrock, former NJ Governor Jim McGreevey, Mark Foley, former NYC Mayor Ed Koch, 2004 Bush/Cheney campaign manager Ed Mehlman, former GOP National Field Director Dan Gurley, former Arizona congressman Jim Kolbe, former Louisiana congressman Jim McCrery, and current congressman David Dreier, into a tightly wound exposé of closeted D.C. It's the first major piece of media which has painted such a comprehensive, unflinching look at the GOP's closet.

*

The early efforts of Michelangelo Signorile in outing politicians, and the crusades of blogger Mike Rogers (blogactive) are also highlighted. . . . Dick's deft layering of audio tapes, interviews, and sexual confessions against the anti-gay votes these politicians have made reveals how journalists and the mainstream media, which the film ultimately damns for its refusal to expose hypocrisy, have been complicit in keeping public figures in the closet. . . . The film opens May 8.

Influence of Gay Bloggers Highlighted in Washington Post

The Washington Post has an article up today entitled "Gay Bloggers' Voices Rise in Chorus of Growing Political Influence" that among other things profiles Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend. Having met Pam at the LGBT Blogger Summit last December, I can vouch for her intelligence, quick wit and great sense of humor. Ditto for Mike Rogers also mentioned in the article. The article also notes several other "must read" blogs that include the Bilerico Project for which I am now a contributor through Bilerico-DC (that blog's formal launch will be on March 2, 2009). The article likewise notes how the gay political presence online is helping to re-energize and strengthen the gay rights movement in a bottom-up manner, with bloggers from off the beaten track having the ability to be involved. I congratulate Pam, Mike and other gay bloggers - a number of whom I met at the Summit - for their efforts to make a difference. Here are some story highlights:

*

Only the blogosphere, perhaps, has room for Pam Spaulding -- a black lesbian who lives in North Carolina, the only state in the South that has not banned same-sex marriage. "California, Arizona and Florida all passed marriage amendments in November," says Spaulding, 44, an IT manager by day and a round-the-clock blogger. "All eyes are on North Carolina now." . . . What she doesn't write is that, so long as she's blogging, what happens in North Carolina won't stay in the Tar Heel State.

*
Pam's House Blend is an influential voice in the gay political blogosphere, must-reads that include the Bilerico Project, Towleroad and AMERICAblog, each attracting a few hundred to a few thousand hits a day. Just as the liberal Net-roots and the conservative "rightroots" movements have affected traditional party structures, the still relatively small gay political presence online is rebooting the gay rights movement in a decentralized, spontaneous, bottom-up way. It's spreading news via blogs, Facebook and Twitter. Online, a story about two 16-year-old girls in a Lutheran private school in California being expelled for "conducting themselves in a manner consistent with being lesbians" -- as the school's lawyer describes it -- goes viral. And hits nerves.

*

In the past, someone like Spaulding would have been relegated to the sidelines. She doesn't work for national gay rights organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign or the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. She lives with her partner, Kate, an audiologist, in Durham, far from San Francisco, New York or Washington, where gay activism has been historically based. But now she's helping shape the agenda, one voice in a chorus of sometimes dissonant, sometimes harmonious, often in-your-face voices that is pushing established gay groups and redefining the meaning of grass-roots action in this new media age.

*

"What happened after Proposition 8 caught the national gay groups completely off guard. I think it surprised them. I think it really showed them that when it comes to harnessing grass-roots energy, they need to get online," says Kevin Naff, editor of the Washington Blade, a gay newspaper. "What happened online came together overnight for little or no money, and the protests were covered by the mainstream press. If national groups wanted to coordinate the kind of mass protests we saw, they would spend $1 million and take six months to do it."

*

Though Andrew Sullivan, the openly gay Washington media veteran, has been blogging since 2000, for many, the gay political presence online began nearly five years ago. That's when blogger Mike Rogers, a longtime activist, began outing gay staffers on Capitol Hill who worked for Republicans supporting what he called "anti-gay" policies. It was controversial, it was provocative, it got everyone's attention. But the gay political blogosphere wasn't just about outing. From the outset, it highlighted issues that bloggers felt were misunderstood, back-burnered or not fully covered by the mainstream media.

*

For instance, when it was announced that the Rev. Rick Warren, whose megachurch in Orange County, Calif., endorsed Prop. 8, would deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration, gay bloggers pounced. . . . On inauguration weekend, when the opening prayer by Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay priest to be ordained as a bishop in a major Christian church, was excluded from the live HBO broadcast of the concert at Lincoln Memorial, bloggers pounced again. HBO ended up re-airing the broadcast with Robinson, and pressure from the gay blogosphere was one of the reasons why.

*

And the sheer diversity of blogs written by gays, lesbians and transgenders proves that, like all minority groups, the gay community is not monolithic. Though they may blog about the same topic -- say, Prop. 8 -- it doesn't mean they'll arrive at the same conclusion.

*

Spaulding started blogging in 2004, the year 11 states passed laws banning same-sex marriage. She blogged because she wanted to express her frustration, not because she thought people would actually read her postings. But slowly, through online word of mouth, people did. Her influence is not due to the total number of people who read her -- she averages about 8,000 unique visitors a day -- but the kind of people who do, many of whom are movers and shakers in the gay community.

*

"Obama has said over and over again that his will be an inclusive presidency," Spaulding says. "So we'll see. Words are just words. They must become actions. Everyone will be closely watching." Including this blogging black lesbian from the South.

LGBT Bloggers Learn the Ropes at Summit

The Bay Area Reporter has a story on the Blogger Summit that I attended last weekend (the photo at left shows a group of us walking to the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute luncheon where Barney Frank was the main speaker - I'm behind the guy in the blue jacket at right). As previous posts indicated, it was a wonderful experience and I hope it will allow all of the attendees to work more in concert and also take our respective blogs to a higher level so that we can be an stronger voice for progressive issues. As Eric Leven is quoted as saying, it was an empowering experience. Here are some highlights:

*

In a sterile conference room on the 10th floor of a non-descript office building in Washington, D.C., more than two dozen LGBT bloggers listened intently last weekend as their more veteran peers instructed them in the art of "blog swarms," "astro-turfing," and "cross-posting."

*
Bloggers, said one, can enable a minor event to "take on a whole new life" in the mainstream media by spreading news about it across 10 or 15 different blogs (a.k.a. the blog swarm). Lone bloggers can acquire the clout of large groups by assuming a moniker that makes them appear to be a "national" entity when, in fact, they are "a fake grassroots organization" (a.k.a. astro-turfing). And bloggers can increase readership for their views by posting them not just on their own sites but on other, more widely read, sites (a.k.a. cross-posting).

*

This first National LGBT Citizen Journalist Bloggers Summit attracted about 60 LGBT bloggers. The conference was separate from, but simultaneous to, the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute, and bloggers and the more conventional leaders met in a few joint sessions.

*
The conference included such topics as how bloggers can contribute to political campaigns, how to enhance their work with investigative reporting skills and practices, and what federal laws might have an impact on their blogging. Conference sponsors included political activist Jonathan Lewis and the Microsoft Corporation. Rogers said Lewis contributed $50,000 toward the meeting and Microsoft contributed a free copy of Microsoft Office Professional to eager attendees.

*

There were well-known political bloggers, such as Pam Spaulding of http://www.PamsHouseBlend.com, Bil Browning of http://www.Bilerico.com, Nan Hunter of http://www.HunterforJustice.com, and Ramon Johnson of About.com's "Gay Life."

*

One attendee, Eric Leven of New York (at http://www.Knucklecrack.blogspot.com), described the conference as empowering. "For me there was something in those rooms, something in those workshops," he blogged after the meeting, "maybe it was the sense of community or the downright simple feeling of being empowered by teachers, writers, techies and activists but something in that room made me feel as though we were all on our digital surfboards, in this new world of ours, riding the crest of the wave of this new movement."

LGBT Blogger Summit - Initial Reflections

This past weekend I attended the LGBT Blogger and Citizen Journalist Initiative in Washington, D.C., and the only way to describe the experience is that it was AMAZING!! We had approximately 83 attendees and/or presenters and in addition to being very informative and educational, the event provided an amazing opportunity to meet other bloggers in person, build connections and friendships and hopefully set the stage for increased collaboration to move forward the struggle for full LGBT equality under the law. A partial blog roll can be found here and Pam Spaulding has several posts on the event at Pam's House Blend which give an overview of the sessions, and posts can also be found at Gay Agenda, Joe My God (which includes a photo of yours truly with the boyfriend and Adele, a blogger from Richmond), Andres Duque, and Father Tony (of Billerico Project).

*

Another unexpected surprise was that we were able to attend a special showing of the move "Milk" which was followed by remarks by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin and a panel question and answer discussion which included Milk contemporary Clive Jones, screen writer Dustin Lance Black, and producer Bruce Cohen. The movie is very moving and for those who are too young to remember the time period it will bring to life an era that has parallels to what is happening currently with the Christianist/Mormon jihad against equality for LGBT citizens.

*

I will be posting further reflections and why I believe the summit - and hopefully future summits - was important over the next few days . The energy and intellect assembled in the group was truly amazing. I am most grateful to Mike Rogers for organizing the event and Jonathan Lewis, Microsoft, Bolthouse Farms, and others who helped make the event possible.

Subway Chain Retracts Gift and Changes Policies

I have to hand it to him, Mike Rogers at BlogActive.com does know how to get things done. Yesterday he posted that he had discovered that a franchisee of an international company had supported Proposition 8. Here's what Mike said:

*

When I saw a franchisee of an international company gave $2,500 to opponents of equality, I immediately knew I would require someone at the company's world HQ to address this. Or, I would.So, after a few discussions, I informed the company's spokesperson that they had until today to take the following three actions:

*
1) Repudiate the franchisee's gift;

2) Make a gift in the same amount to an organization fighting for true equality; and

3) Immediately add sexual orientation and gender identity to the corporation's non-discrimination policy.

*

Today he is reporting he did not indicate the company in the post choosing instead to approach the company discreetly over the matter. In a conversation with Rogers on Monday, Subway Director of Corporate Communications Michele DiNello responded to the three demands. Having reviewed Subway franchise agreements fro clients, the franchisee was incredibly stupid to have made the contribution since it could reflect back on the chain and constitutes a violation of the franchise agreement. Here are highlights from PageOneQ on the steps taken by Subway which include sending a letter to all franchisees and amending the corporate policy on non-discrimination:

*

The company wrote in response to the gift made by a Merced, California location of the chain. The store is located inside the popular Merced Mall. . . . . "You should also be aware that your franchise agreement prohibits your use of the SUBWAY® trademark as part of your business or corporate name. Further, it states that you agree to '...not use the Trademark in a manner that degrades, diminishes, or detracts from the goodwill of the business associated with the Trademark' and 'to promptly change the manner of such use if requested to do so by us.'". . . "You should also be aware that your franchise agreement prohibits your use of the SUBWAY® trademark as part of your business or corporate name. Further, it states that you agree to '...not use the Trademark in a manner that degrades, diminishes, or detracts from the goodwill of the business associated with the Trademark' and 'to promptly change the manner of such use if requested to do so by us.'"

*

We are changing the discrimination policy language and that includes anything we add through headquarters human resources, not just in the field," said DiNello. "The company used the exact language you gave us," referring to BlogActive's request to add both 'sexual orientation and gender identity.'"

*

I suspect that there are many other franchise chains that have the same ability to influence the behavior of their franchisees. There are those who do not like Mike's tactics including the outing of anti-gay politicians - I am not one of them - but the reality is that if people and corporations will not grant rights to LGBT citizens because it is the right thing to do, then I'm all for having them do so to protect their asses. Here's how Mike explains it and I agree:

*

"This is a textbook example of how a company should react when they realize that one of its operating units has done something wrong. What was outrageous behavior by one franchisee has resulted in a letter to owners of 30,000 stores and a corporate policy change for the better," said Rogers, "I am particularly happy that the company added both sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected individuals under the corporate non-discrimination policies.

*

With over 30,000 outlets operating in more than 85 countries, Subway is the second largest food chain worldwide, raking second only to McDonald's.

*

I hope the LGBT community will ignore the whining of those who claim a boycott will be counter productive. The reality is that in these economic times, companies will be less and less inclined to drive away the gay dollar. We need to take advantage of that reality to foster positive change.

Bloggers Announce Write to Marry Day

My friend, Michael Rogers of PageOneQ and Dana Rudolph of Mombian have invited bloggers around the country will participate in "Write to Marry Day" on October 29, 2008, posting on their blogs in support of marriage equality for same-sex couples and against California's Proposition 8. The event will give bloggers a chance to voice their opposition to Prop 8 and highlight what they may have already done, online or off, to stop the measure. The campaign will also educate California voters of the need to "go all the way" down the ballot to vote on the proposition. Here are highlights from the press release announcing the effort:

*
"Bloggers have proven themselves an effective political force," said Mike Rogers, one of the event organizers, who runs the popular site PageOneQ and is Director of the National LGBT Blogger Initiative. "They have already helped raise awareness and money to stop Prop 8. In this last week before the election, they will play a crucial role in motivating others to take action."

*

To participate, bloggers should post on their own blogs against Prop 8 on or before October 29, 2008, then visit www.mombian.com to submit the links to their posts. Links to people's own videos on YouTube or other video sites are also accepted.

*
All bloggers who are against Prop 8 are welcome to contribute posts, regardless of where they live or whether they are LGBT or not. Mombian will showcase the full list of participants on October 29. All participants who leave a valid e-mail address will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com.

*
People can track this event by joining the Write to Marry event on Facebook or MySpace, or by following Mombian on Twitter (twitter.com/mombian). For more about the event, visit: www.mombian.com and click the "Write to Marry" banner.