Get Out of Jury Duty

Well, here's one way to make a statement and get out of jury duty. Follow the lead of gay New Yorker, Jonathan D. Lovitz.

"Just had an intense day at jury duty. During voir dire we were asked who would not be impartial. I raised my hand and said "since I can't get married or adopt a child in the state of New York, I can't possibly be an impartial judge of a citizen when I am considered a second class one in the eyes of this justice system." You wouldn't believe how people in the room reacted."

Barbara Bush the Younger & Marriage Equality

She strikes me as unappealing, but I'm glad to see that she supports marriage equality.

Naval Academy Treats Surviving Gay Spouse With Dignity

Maybe that headline shouldn't be that impressive, but it is. Here is a touching story of a man whose husband -- a graduate of the Naval Academy -- died of a heart attack. They had been legally married in Iowa two years prior. When he approached the Naval Academy with his husband's request to be buried at the Naval Academy's Columbarium, he was treated like any other surviving spouse, and was offered the flag at the funeral. It's worth a read. Here's a snippet referring to the obituary published in the US Naval Academy Alumni magazine:

It noted his two Purple Hearts for “having been shot down from the sky twice in military missions.” It noted “for the rest of his life he would joke about his ‘government issued ankle.’ ” It noted “his burly but warmly gentle manner.” It noted he was “survived by his husband, Mark Thomas Ketterson.”

Obama Responds to David Kato's Murder

Obama responded to the murder of David Kato, the Ugandan gay rights advocate who was outed in a Ugandan newspaper last year. (The newspaper released the photos of several people they claimed were gay with the headline "Hang Them")

I am deeply saddened to learn of the murder of David Kato. In Uganda, David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate. He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom. The United States mourns his murder, and we recommit ourselves to David’s work.

At home and around the world, LGBT persons continue to be subjected to unconscionable bullying, discrimination, and hate. In the weeks preceding David Kato’s murder in Uganda, five members of the LGBT community in Honduras were also murdered. It is essential that the Governments of Uganda and Honduras investigate these killings and hold the perpetrators accountable.

LGBT rights are not special rights; they are human rights. My Administration will continue to strongly support human rights and assistance work on behalf of LGBT persons abroad. We do this because we recognize the threat faced by leaders like David Kato, and we share their commitment to advancing freedom, fairness, and equality for all.

Dumb Shit or Satirist?

We Need a Christian Dictator
Uploaded by OnKneesforJesus. - News videos hot off the press.
I couldn't be bothered to look up whether this idiot is for reals or not. But, man, is he a hoot and a half, or what?

Arkansas Being Arkansas

Elton John is not for young Arkansas shoppers.

DADT by the numbers

I didn't know that enlisted men and women were more likely to be discriminated against compared to officers. (Enlisted make up 82% of the armed forces, and as you can see above, make up 98% of those discharged under DADT.) I'm fascinated by this fact, and I want to know more. Were people turning a blind eye when it came to officers? Did officers try harder to keep themselves closeted? Are there fewer officers who are gay?

I would also like to know -- by class, gender, etc. -- what percentage outed themselves (Dan Choi, for example) versus being outed by someone else.

Yay to the end of DADT!

Heather says "Yes Ma'am" to her two mommies

Census data suggest that gay parenting is more common in the South than in other geographical regions.

In addition, the data show, child rearing among same-sex couples is more common in the South than in any other region of the country, according to Gary Gates, a demographer at the University of California, Los Angeles. Gay couples in Southern states like Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are more likely to be raising children than their counterparts on the West Coast, in New York and in New England.

That information surprises me and makes sense at the same time. My first thought, which is also mentioned in the article, is that Southerners may be more likely to come out at a later age, more likely to get married, and more likely to have kids in heterosexual relationships before entering homosexual relationships. Maybe in other regions, people are more likely to have their first long-term, committed relationships be with someone of the same-sex. Having children then becomes a much more complicated, and often expensive, prospect.

This, however, was not surprising:

The pattern, identified by Mr. Gates, is also notable because the families in this region defy the stereotype of a mainstream gay America that is white, affluent, urban and living in the Northeast or on the West Coast.

And this makes this guy sound like an ass:

“We’re starting to see that the gay community is very diverse,” said Bob Witeck, chief executive of Witeck-Combs Communications, which helped market the census to gay people. “We’re not all rich white guys.”

Lots of people believe that homosexuality is biological and not a choice -- was this guy under the impression that it was a genetic difference unique to rich, white people? Dumb.

Maddow on DADT

Anti-DADT Ad

Prop 8

I generally have some compassion for far-right gay haters who turn out to be closeted homosexuals. However, when Tony Perkins has a big fat gay scandal, I'll really have to dig deep to find any compassion. Click here to see him being a lying liar and getting called on it. (I can't get the embed code to work...clearly my blog doesn't care for Tony Perkins either.)
Also, I really love that being gay makes the judge biased in a case that supposedly affects heterosexual marriage. I mean, that's the basis of their entire case. So wouldn't a heterosexual judge also be biased? Silly me, applying logic.

Here's a video of Ted Olson being smart and well-spoken on Fox News.

Gay Marriage

Bill O'Reilly

You know, sometimes I like a good enigma, and other times, I don't. When people like Bill O'Reilly say things lucid, logical things like this:

"President Obama has the power to stop this 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' business. Just sign an executive order. I don't know why it's taking so long—it's not fair. We should stop this nonsense."

it makes my head hurt. I hope someone posts a video of him doing something inane soon, so that my universe will right itself.

And They Shall Surely Be Put To Death

A poster from Maggie Gallagher's National Organization For Marriage's bus-tour campaign in Indiana. (Link from Sullivan.)

Here are some other relevant biblical quotations I'd like someone to put on a poster (KJV):

Matthew 5:31-32.

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I [that's Jesus, folks] say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

Leviticus 20:10.

And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

And here is an interview with one of the Traditional Marriage people. Some things to note: his physical revulsion in response to a man he thinks is gay (or just a gay supporter?) compared to his not as-hatey-as-it-could-be language. And hang around for the whole thing. It takes a FASCINATING turn around the 3 minute mark.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Repeal Of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Paves Way For Gay Sex Right On Battlefield, Opponents Fantasize

Support for Same-Sex Marriage

Is increasing. I find it particularly heartening that 1/4 of conservatives & almost 1/3 of Republicans are in favor of legalizing. I think that although those numbers are still far from over 50%, they are higher than you'd expect from the public discourse.

Gay marriage in Portugal

is legal.

Lutheran

The largest Lutheran group (Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) has reinstated two gay ministers.

Oklahoma Hates God

Whooooopsies! The Oklahoma State Legislature meant to enact a protest law, if you will, against the Shepard Act, which includes sexual orientation in the federal hate crimes statute. It looks like Oklahoma meant to prohibit Oklahoma law enforcement sharing information with the feds if state law did not recognize the case as a hate crime. Specifically, they meant the sexual orientation/transgendered group. Unfortunately for them (fortunately for those of us who like to laugh at such things), they got the statute numbers mixed up and referred instead to crimes based on religion or race. Good going guys!

Constance McMillen

Constance McMillen, the Mississippi high schooler who just wants to take her girlfriend to the prom, is kind of awesome, as is her family. Her family does not "believe in" homosexuality, but they are completely supportive of her nonetheless. She also appears to have been raised right, urging people to be respectful to the principal and superintendent who are trying to cancel prom.