Gay Cousins

Ok, this might be taking equality too far: 'Cousins' provision complicates gay unions bill.

That said, I'm not sure if I'm entirely comfortable with gay cousins sleeping together.

A 'Savage' attack...

On last night's edition of MSNBC's Countdown, Michael Savage - the right-wing, nationally-syndicated talk show host - won a silver medal in Keith Olbermann's nightly "Worst Person in the World" contest. It seems that Savage blamed the 1999 Columbine shootings on the proximity of a Colorado gender-reassignment facility.

Silly Savage. Transgedered people are Fierce, not Murderous.

Update: Obama Shirtless

Though it compromises my two-day-old journalistic principles, here's the pictures of the "sleek, hairless pecs" to which President Bush was referring.

And here's a link (love the pun):

'Fit' to be President?

It's not the greatest body in the world, but the president is right about one thing: NO ONE would want to see Dennis Hastert in a similar pose.

....shudder....

"Sleek, hairless pecs glistening in the surf"

I've never thought President Bush himself was as homophobic as many of his supporters.

Here's a quote from his speech to the Radio and Television Correspondents dinner last night that supports my theory:

"By the way, I’m not sure whether or not Senator Obama is here — the last I heard he was not coming to the Radio and TV Correspondents dinner — not enough press. People Magazine recently had a photo of the Senator there on the beach in Hawaii, his sleek, hairless pecs glistening in the surf. It shows how biased the press is. Have you ever seen a shot like that of Denny Hastert?"

I would argue that anyone who is willing to joke like that does not have a huge problem with homosexuality. Either way: LOL.

Here is a link to an article that includes a full transcript of Bush's speech: Bush and Rove Let It Loose, For a Bit.

Post-mortem

Anyone remember the story of Andrew Anthos' death?

A 72-year old activist in Detroit who was beaten in what preliminarily appeared to be a homophobic attack, his subsequent death increased political support for including GLBT protections in federal hate crime legislation.

Well, the big story in gay news outlets today is that the relevant medical examiner has ruled that Anthos' death was unrelated to any alleged attack.

But, as the Detroit Free Press asks, "Does it matter how he died?" Does anyone really doubt that gay people sometimes endure harassment or physical violence because they are gay? There are plenty of potential poster children for LGBT hate crimes. Let's move on.

For those of you who aren't MySpace friends with John McCain

It was a slow day for news, so here's an amusing tidbit from yesterday:

John McCain MySpace Page Hacked: Now 'Supports' Lesbian Marriage

Polls

Mr. Silverfox

I wasn't going to post this article, because the legal question it involves is kind of a no-brainer. But when someone commented on my last post, they included a link to the story, and I read the story again.

Upon further reflection, I realize that anyone who changes their name to "Julio Roberto Silverwolf" is newsworthy - especially when the name change follows a FTM sex change!

It kinda reminds me of the time Homer Simpson changed his name to Max Powers (he got the name off a blow dryer) - only with a neat, gender-bending twist. I hope things go as well for Mr. Silverwolf as they did for Homer...

What's the difference between a lesbian and a Catholic?

I was shocked by the "statistics" in this article. Apparently lesbians are birthing and snapping up kids like they're going out of style. Apparently they didn't get the memo from their male counterparts (re: kids went out of style, like, last century).

As for the answer to my riddle? Any thoughts?

A Reason to Be Hopeful! (Re: Race and Sexuality)

If anything can reconcile African-Americans who are homophobic with gays who are racist, it's the hip-hop(?) stylings of Johnny McGovern. Not sure if everone is already familiar with him, but..."Hey Dude," I figured I'd post it anyways...

Hypocritical? Understandable? or just Sad? - On Race and Sexuality

The NYT ran a great article today about historically African-American churches whose leaders have come out in favor of gay rights. While it's hardly news that some of these leaders have come under fire for such views, the magnitude of the effect in terms of lost parishioners is - to say the least - dispiriting. Indeed, one such pastor lost almost his entire flock when he voted to support the blessing of same-sex unions.

Of course, it's no secret that racial and sexual minorities have had an uneasy relationship. I wonder though: does this reflect a specific aspect of how black people are inclined to think about gays (think hip-hop culture, sexism, etc.)? or is this a reflection of the religiosity and other characteristics of the African-American population as a whole (think income levels, geographic distribution, etc.)? Most theories focus on species of the former explanation, while I am inclined to believe the latter.

It is worth noting that many Caucasian gay people have some negative feelings towards black people that definitely can not be explained away by referring to the demographics of the gay community as a whole. Given all the recent attention that has surrounded homophobic statements by prominent black men (Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington and former NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway) , I think it's important to remember that this phenomenon - whatever the explanations behind it - is a two-way street. Furthermore, Caucasian gays may be even more culpable.

"Clarification," or "Why Gay People Can't Climb"

Upon further reflection, I realize I may have struck too serious a tone in my first post. I like gay-related news articles, but I watch the Daily Show almost every night. In other words, I'm not,like, totally serious....maaan. Let's see....how do I explain this?

Well...because a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth like a bajillion. Ergo, here's a video that should give you a flavor of what I'm talking about:

Think ENDA, not N'Sync

I'm gay. I love the news. And I devour news that is of substantial relevance to the GLBT community.

At present, no website completely satisfies me in this regard. Some sites put too much emphasis on the gay side of the equation (think stories about Elton John). Other sites put too much emphasis on news (think general stories about Hillary that are acutely irrelevant to any gay political issue).

I'm hoping to steer a middle course that will be more focused, and - at least to me - more interesting. Think ENDA; not N'Sync...

"Ok, sure, whatever," you may say. "But what is the origin and significance of the title of this blog?"

To that I would reply "If you don't already know, then you probably wouldn't care."

If I were in a slightly more charitable mood, however, I would tell you that the origin of the name is "an extremely funny segment from the Daily Show with John Stewart." And the Significance? "It makes me laugh."

Ok, Ok, here's the clip: http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Video_Daily_Show_reveals_Opus_Gay_1011.html