Edina Monsoon, of “Absolutely Fabulous” fame, is 54 today….
Only a few months older than me….
Jennifer Saunders is a comic genius…
And not just because she so accurately portrayed me in my 30’s and early 40’s….
And I had several friends trying out for the role of “Pats”….
One was more successful than others….but wait for the book!
Filed under Entertainment, Gay, Television
It’s nice to see some positive news from Virginia…
And for people to see just how the Private Sector tries to use anti-Gay Republican legislation to discriminate, not just against Gay people, but their children…
The good news is that, thanks to a Change.org petition with over 80,000 signatures-multiplying by the moment- they can also be persuaded to change. But it seems they only change once there is enough Public Pressure to do so…
Wouldn’t it be nice if they did the right thing to begin with?
From the NewCivilRightsMovement.org:
A young boy with two gay dads will now be allowed to swim in a Virginia health club pool after a Change.org petition went viral, garnering as of this writing almost 80,000 signatures in a few days — and escalating by the thousands every few minutes. As The New Civil Rights Movement reported Tuesday, a same-sex couple who have a two-year old son had been denied access to the Roanoke Athletic Club‘s swimming pool, which is owned by the regional Virginia medical provider, Carilion Clinic, which revoked the membership of the family after they realized the family was headed by two gay dads.
The petition, by LGBT activist Mark Lynn Ferguson, noted that two men, Will Trinkle and his “partner Juan Granados wanted to take their 2-yeard-old son [sic] Oliver Trinkle-Granados to the gym’s outdoor pool during the summer months.”
Only children on family memberships are allowed to use the pool, so Trinkle signed up for a family plan. His application was accepted and processed, clearly listing him, his same sex partner, and their child as members.
Nine days later, a representative from the gym contacted Trinkle and told him that his application was processed by mistake. According to Trinkle, the representative said that the company was “‘tightening policies’ so no families like us would ever ‘get as far’ as we had.” The representative went on to claim that Roanoke Athletic Club is following Virginia state law, which does not recognize same sex marriage.
Now, just moments ago, Change.org wrote via Twitter that “The Carilion Clinic announced they will change their family policy so children with gay parents can swim in the pool!”
Filed under Gay, Social Justice, The South, Uncategorized, Virginia
Let’s never forget….
And keep this in mind as we await the Republican controlled Supreme Courts decision on Health Care Reform (aka Obamacare) tomorrow….
Striking down this legislation will have a great impact on people with pre-existing conditions, including AIDS, and vastly limit access to affordable Healthcare.
From USA Today:
It was on June 27, 1987, when a group of grieving friends and loved ones hung a 40-panel quilt from a balcony in San Francisco to memorialize 40 lives lost to AIDS. Their act inspired thousands of mothers, brothers, friends and lovers to make and send in their own panels and, soon, that quilt became the world’s biggest piece of folk art and the nation’s most tangible symbol of the epidemic.
Today, the AIDS Memorial Quilt contains more than 47,000 panels with the names of more than 93,000 people. Laid end to end, they would stretch more than 50 miles. Displaying the whole thing is such a huge undertaking that it hasn’t been tried since 1996.
But it’s about to be done, in a series of events that begins Wednesday, the 25th anniversary of that first display.
The entire quilt is coming back to Washington, D.C., where it was shown several times between 1987 and 1996. Pieces will be on display during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, June 27 to July 1 and July 4 to July 8. Then, from July 21 to July 25, organizers hope to roll out every segment of the 54-ton quilt, in stages, on the National Mall and in more than 50 venues around the city, during the International AIDS Conference.
At a time when AIDS is often out of the daily headlines and when treatments make long lives possible for many with the disease, the quilt is a reminder that people with HIV still matter and that the disease still kills, says Julie Rhoad president of the Names Project Foundation, the Atlanta-based custodian of the quilt: “Those who have no access to care are dying rapid, hard deaths and they are invisible.”
More: AIDS Memorial Quilt marks 25 years with display in D.C. – USATODAY.com.
Filed under Gay, Health Care
Today, North Carolina is voting whether to approve Amendment One to the Constitution which says, as follows:
“Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.”
If you live in North Carolina and have not gone out to vote against this spiteful, hateful attempt to spread hate and discrimination, please DO SO NOW!
People need to understand that “marriage” is a secular, legal contract. Religion has nothing to do with it. I’m fine with anyone having a religious ceremony-or not- but we should not prohibit unmarried heterosexual or Gay couples from sharing the same legal protections as married people.
I’ve been with my partner for 15 years and don’t you dare try to tell me our relationship should not have the same legal recognition as straight couples. This is the only way to protect us in the event of sickness or, god forbid, death, so that we each can care for the other and no one can interfere with our wishes. Or contest our estates….I hate to think how complex this is for people with children.
I am grateful to all the People of Faith who have come out against this mean-spirited, petty attempt to enshrine discrimination into the North Carolina Constitution.
However, a substantial number of Fundamentalist Christians are claiming they support this hateful amendment based on “biblical” principles….
This is for them:
Filed under Elections, Gay, Religion, Uncategorized
From the “Too Little, Too Late” Department….
As close as the Bush Elections were, firing up the Social Conservatives on anti-gay issues was probably enough to make Bush president….
You can’t be absolved of a sin that big with a simple “I’m sorry”….
Also, I strongly expect he’s only saying this now that he’s out of politics and has made his money because his former “friends” in the GOP have turned their backs on him and most Gay people detest him so much he can’t get a date, much less a husband….
What goes around, comes around…..
From ThinkProgress.org:
Former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman has issued what may be his first public apology for his role in fomenting anti-gay sentiment during President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election bid:As for his role in the 2004 Bush campaign and its exploitation of marital politics, Mehlman is candid — and remorseful.“At a personal level, I wish I had spoken out against the effort,” he says. “As I’ve been involved in the fight for marriage equality, one of the things I’ve learned is how many people were harmed by the campaigns in which I was involved. I apologize to them and tell them I am sorry. While there have been recent victories, this could still be a long struggle in which there will be setbacks, and I’ll do my part to be helpful.”Eleven states voted on ballot measures banning same-sex marriage during the 2004 election, as conservatives hoped to bring out their base for the President. But political scientists have said that the turnout in those states “was no higher than in the 39 without them” and estimate that “the presence of these referendums likely had no effect on the outcome of the Bush-Kerry presidential contest.” Meanwhile, Mehlman — who came out as gay in 2010 — has worked to advance same-sex marriage in New York, Maryland, and New Hampshire.
And the latest Republican Hypocrite is: Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu
Not only Gay, but publicly anti-immigrant and dating a male Mexican Immigrant….
They are just going to love this in Arizona!
I somehow think his Congressional campaign just ended…
From TalkingPointsMemo, click the link at the bottom for full story and pictures:
Rising Republican star and well-known border hawk Sheriff Paul Babeu, who’s now running for Congress in Arizona, was hit Friday night with bombshell accusations from a Mexican immigrant who said he dated the sheriff for years and was threatened with deportation if he ever told anyone about their romance.
The Phoenix New Times newspaper broke the story on its website in a piece written by veteran journalist Monica Alonzo. The accusations came complete with text messages said to be between the two men as well as compromising photos purportedly of Babeu that are reminiscent of recent sex scandals that ended the careers of Congressmen Anthony Weiner and Chris Lee.
In one photo, Babeu is seen posing in front of a mirror in nothing but his underwear. In another, he has his hand inside the man’s partially unbuttoned shirt.
The newspaper identified the accuser only by his first name, Jose, citing his fear that the sheriff would try to challenge his immigration status.
Jose said he met Babeu through the dating website gay.com in 2006, before he became sheriff, according to the newspaper. Babeu was a police officer in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler at the time and was elected as sheriff of Pinal County in late 2008.
Beyond the romance, the newspaper also said Jose volunteered for Babeu’s campaign, maintaining his websites and social media accounts.
They were apparently together during Babeu’s fast rise to becoming a national figure in the fight against illegal immigration. The sheriff first burst onto the national stage in 2010 when he appeared alongside Arizona Sen. John McCain (R) in a now-famous television ad, calling on the federal government to complete “the danged fence” along the US-Mexican border.
More recently, Babeu has been a frequent guest for Fox News for immigration-related topics, including the ongoing Fast and Furious scandal. He has endorsed Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential primary, and touted as a co-chair of the candidate’s presidential campaign in Arizona. He even recorded robocalls for Romney that went out to voters in Iowa last year.
via Arizona Sheriff Rocked By Accusations Of Alleged Immigrant Ex-Boyfriend | TPMMuckraker.
Sometimes, I really love the city I live in! Frequently, in fact….
Tonight the Greensboro City Council voted 8-1 to oppose the proposed Constitutional Amendment to the NC State Constitution to ban Gay marriage and pretty much any recognition of any Gay relationship.
I’m so proud of Mayor Robbie Perkins and Councilman Zack Matheny, both Republicans by the way, for leading this effort to support Greensboro’s Gay Families.
The loan dissenter was Councilperson Trudy Wade- a local vet who will never touch our pets!
Thank you to the 8 decent people on the City Council who stood up for Equality!
From DigTriad.com:
The proposed amendment, which will appear on the May primary ballot, would state that “marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized” in the state of North Carolina.
Greensboro Mayor Robbie Perkins and councilman Zack Matheny are bringing the resolution in opposition to the council.
The resolution cites the city’s policy of hiring without discrimination and the policy to offer benefits to domestic partners as reasons to oppose the amendment.
“Whereas, This amendment, if approved by voters, would be inconsistent with the City of Greensboro’s goals, commitments, and policies, negatively impacting, among other things, the City’s ability to offer domestic partner benefits and compete as an employer.”
City Councilwoman Trudy Wade intends to vote against the resolution. She issued her own statement regarding the vote.
“The City Council resolution claims to be a reaffirmation of Greensboro’s commitment to be nondiscriminatory. In reality, however, it is a frontal assault against the institution of marriage.”
via Greensboro City Council To Vote To Oppose North Carolina Marriage Amendment | digtriad.com.
Filed under Gay, North Carolina, Uncategorized
It must be so sad to finally come out of the closet and no one cares….
We all knew….
All I can think is she really must need some cash and really want a new sitcom and is hoping the publicity will make her marketable again…
So sad….that I am so cynical.
She is a really talented actress. I think she could have been as great as Jodie Foster if she had been more secure…
But Gay people of our generation had a different journey. I can understand her fears, but it’s just too late to matter that she’s coming out….
Most of us who are Gay and her age bit the bullet and came out years ago. She could have, too.
While I always want Gay Actors to come out, it would have meant so much more if “Buddy” had confirmed our knowledge that she was Gay years ago.
Still, we can’t judge and look back…
I wish her the best….
Gay people always love a comeback!
From People Magazine, of course:
Kristy McNichol has been out of the public eye for 20 years. Now she’s chosen to come out – to try to help kids who are being bullied.
McNichol, 49, who has lived with her partner Martie Allen, also 49, for the past two decades, decided to make a statement about her sexuality and share this photo because she is “approaching 50” and wants to “be open about who I am.”
She “is very sad about kids being bullied,” her publicist Jeff Ballard tells PEOPLE. “She hopes that coming out can help kids who need support. She would like to help others who feel different.”
Best known for her Emmy Award-winning role as Buddy Lawrence in the ’70s show Family and later as Barbara Weston in Empty Nest, McNichol left it all behind when she dropped out of Hollywood to focus on her health.
Done with acting, McNichol spends her time focusing on tennis, yoga, travel and raising her beloved miniature dachshunds. “She is very happy and healthy,” says Ballard. “And she enjoys living a very private life.”
via Kristy McNichol Wants to ‘Be Open About Who I Am’ – Kristy McNichol : People.com.
Filed under Gay, Uncategorized
This woman may be the spiritual Grandmother of Occupy Wall Street and the biggest One Percenter Robber Baron in the GOP Game is quoting her…
Although I’m sure he doesn’t know who she really was and what she really stood for-typical shoddy work by the GOP Candidates.
The only thing that saves the GOP Candidates from embarrassment over incidents like this is the fact their voters don’t care about little things like facts…
And are too poorly educated and fanatical to get the point anyway….
And the candidates will just shamelessly lie their way out it if anyone calls attention to these disconnects…
From ThinkProgress.com:
Mitt Romney regularly incorporates lyrics from “America the Beautiful” into his stump speeches. Little does he probably realize that the hymn was written by a progressive feminist lesbian who composed it to critique country’s greed, excess, and growing economic inequality. The original third-verse lyrics Katharine Lee Bates wrote in 1894 were as follows:
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!
She later rewrote the stanza, toning down the rhetoric but maintaining that wealth was not what made America great:
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
Given Romney’s vast personal wealth and his ongoing defense of the one percent, plus his opposition to same-sex marriage and other LGBT rights, he might wish to rethink which American poets he chooses to highlight in his speeches.
Both Rick Santorum and Rick Perry fell into a similar trap last year when they highlighted Langston Hughes’ “Let America Be America,” despite Hughes’ record as pro-gay, pro-union, and pro-immigration. (HT: Mombian.)
via Mitt Romney Quotes Lesbian Poet Concerned About Income Inequality On The Stump | ThinkProgress.
NO!!!
It’s bad enough we had to accept J Edgar Hoover into the Club.
We have to draw the line somewhere!
This is just not acceptable. It has to be wrong….
Please let it be wrong!
From the Huffington Post:
Watergate was only one of several scandalous aspects of former President Richard Nixon’s life, according to a new book by a former White House correspondent.
Nixon’s Darkest Secrets: The Inside Story of America’s Most Troubled President by Don Fulsom (Thomas Dunne Books, $25.99), former correspondent for United Press International, makes several eye-catching accusations, including that the former president had a gay affair with Charles “Bebe” Rebozo, a Key Biscayne, Fla. banker apparently with ties to the mob.
The allegation is especially noteworthy because, as gay news website Queerty reports, Nixon was known to have made homophobic remarks.
From Queerty:
When a close aide to President Johnson was caught having sex with a former sailor in a YMCA bathroom, Nixon called the man “ill,” and added that such people “cannot be in places of high trust.”
The new book also alleges that Nixon beat his wife and that his aides referred to him as “our drunk.”
The Daily Mail reports that Nixon’s alleged secret lover also had a shady history of his own.
According to the Mail, the FBI claims Rebozo had ties to mob bosses Santo Trafficante and Alfred ‘Big Al’ Polizzi. He also ran a bank that, a former mobster claims, was used to launder money.
The book’s press release says that Fulsom used interviews with former White House staffers and ex-members of Congress, as well as government documents, to support his claims.
The Nixon Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
via Richard Nixon Had Gay Affair, ‘Nixon’s Darkest Secrets’ Claims.
Lost in the 21st Century 