It's an open thread! Pleeeeease feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread...
So below is what my cartoon sockpuppet Bookworm Bob & I have been looking at so far into this week.
• The Huffington Post's U.S. Immigration Law: Tearing Apart Life, Love & Home:
On Sunday, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans - and their allies - will travel from nearly every corner of the country to converge on Capitol Hill and call on lawmakers to support full equality for the LGBT community. The event, named the National Equality March, comes on the heels of growing calls for the federal government to pick up the pace on civil rights legislation, such as recognition for LGBT couples, repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and finally passing an inclusive employment non-discrimination act. Organizers say they are expecting tens of thousands - if not hundreds of thousands - of participants for the event.Steve and Joe, however, will be notably absent.
The couple, who recently married in Connecticut and bought a home in Washington, D.C., will not be in the capital on Sunday. Instead, they will be packing Joe's belongings. Under federal law, Steve and Joe are no longer allowed to live together in the country they call home...
Good reading, I think, so this whole piece comes with my strong recommend. 
• Two stories to compare and contrast. Story 1: Baptist Press's 'Gay Mardi Gras' sparks ministry summit:
It's officially known as "Southern Decadence" and informally as "Gay Mardi Gras" in New Orleans' French Quarter. It's difficult to ignore, drawing tens of thousands of people in a homosexual or lesbian lifestyle and pumping millions of dollars into the city's economy.At Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, 100 local pastors and church members gathered just days before the Labor Day weekend festival to broach a subject some felt has been too long ignored: how to minister to those in same-sex attraction without compromising biblical principles.
Fred Luter Jr., pastor of Franklin Avenue, said the "Embracing Restoration" summit was "an attempt to educate people about the lifestyle that is here."
The conference, a first for the church, hosted leaders of ministries to people in same-sex attraction: Bob Stith, the Southern Baptist Convention's national strategist for gender issues; Paulette Lawrence, executive director and board president of A Good Thing Out of Nazareth; Terri Brown, membership diip director for Exodus International; and Greg Hand, pastor of Vieux Carre Baptist Church in the French Quarter...
• Story 2: Beliefnet News's On Eve of March, Faith Drives Activism for Gay Rights Supporters:
As thousands of gays and lesbians prepare to march on the nation's capital to push for equal rights, leaders from a range of faiths say it's time to stop using religion as a weapon to oppose same-sex marriage.What's more, advocates for gay rights say their faith and a sacred belief in justice are what actually form the foundation of their support for gay and lesbian unions.
Brent Childers, an evangelical Christian, said he once used religious tenets to support prejudice toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, but "I realized those attitudes were not in keeping with my religious values by causing harm using religious teaching."
...Childers is among the more than 100 religious leaders who have endorsed the Oct. 11 National Equality March on behalf of gay rights.
Several faith groups are planning religious events in the Washington area Oct. 9-11, including an interfaith service before the march...
Faith: An interesting thing. Practitioners of the same faith, but not approaching their faith the same way at all.
• CNN Money's Gourmet magazine closes after 70 years; Downturn and ad drought claim longstanding Gourmet magazine. Publisher Cond? Nast announces 3 other closures: Cookie and bridal magazines Elegant Bride and Modern Bride.:
Gourmet, which has amassed a devoted following over nearly 70 years of publication, will be shut down, publisher Cond? Nast said.Foodies got some sour news Monday.
The magazine, introduced in 1940, is expected to close by the end of the year.
"I feel like Linus and somebody has yanked away my security blanket," said Stuart Clifford, 55, who has been a subscriber for 32 years...
Bad news for us foodies. I didn't read this magazine much -- but hey, I do almost all of my reading online these days. 
• Okay, itkay, it's a burger story, but it's still our Wiener Story Of The Day: New York Daily News' Meet the 1,500-calorie 'Craz-E Burger': beef patty, bacon and cheese on Krispy Kreme donut:
Talk about a heart-stopper.
The donut burger - a bacon cheeseburger with a buttered Krispy Kreme glazed donut standing in for a bun - is becoming a hit on the fair circuit and among some far-out foodies.
Amusingly, the heart-stopping sandwich was sold just outside the West Springfield agricultural fair's "Better Living Center."
Pioneered in the South and popularized by Food Network host Paula Deen, it was a big hit at this year's Big E fair in Massachusetts. Fairgoers bought about 1,000 "Craz-E Burgers" each day of the fair's 17-day run, which ended Sunday, organizers said.
At 1,500 calories per, that adds up to 2.5 million calories worth of sugary, cheesy, bacon-dressed beef - or the creation of an additional 730 pounds of waistline jiggle...
ZOMG! That's a heck of a lot of calories for one damn sandwich! 
Hat tip: JoeMyGod
So anywho...It's an open thread! What are you thinking about today, or what books or articles have you been reading the past few days? Wanna share?
And again, please feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread because...it's an open thread! Woo-hoo! 
They wanted Department of Education official Kevin Jennings's head for being gay, now the mask comes completely off of the right-wing gay witch hunt tactics by the concerted effort to destroy Chai Feldblum, President Obama's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) nominee by harping on her sexual orientation.
The transparency about this is so outrageous because there isn't even an attempt to create a fig leaf of challenging her qualifications. When bible-beating theocrat noise machines are engaging in the most base and naked homo-hatemongering since the Bush gay-baiting campaign of 2004. Media Matters has roundup of the disgusting campaign against Feldblum.
WorldNetDaily's Joseph Farah - she's "an outspoken homosexual rights activist");/em>
Traditional Values Coalition: Feldblum "wants the gay agenda to trump the First Amendment and religious freedom to impose the gay agenda on all Americans."
Catholic Online: warned that Feldblum may let groups use "Police Power" to push "Homosexual Equivalency Movement."
The most interesting baiting surrounds these comments by Feldblum, taken out of context by the right wing spin machine.
"Gay sex is morally good. Now you may think that might be a little crazy to go out there and say gay sex is good. But think a second. Society definitely believes that heterosexual sex is good. Right. Heterosexual sex within a certain framework -- marriage -- I mean, you can't get more dewy-eyed and romantic in this society about how wonderful that is."
"If you're not being cynical for the moment, I think that does reflect a correct understanding that sex is often a basic building block for intimacy and that intimacy and connections within couples and within families are integral building blocks for a healthy society."
Nothing was mentioned about the fact that Feldblum did not make these remarks in any context regarding her nomination, they were made during a UCLA symposium on homosexuality. Besides that, what exactly is wrong saying that heterosexuality isn't any more "special" than homosexuality? Please.
When the sheer level of homophobia gets this high and the GOP doesn't condemn it, we'll start seeing some embarrassing homobigot outings with pols and pastors caught with their pants down and their "little soldiers" in places where they shouldn't be. It seems to work that way.
VOTERS AND VISIBILITY
I have to start off talking about Voters and Visibility, because Josh Castle and his Seattle crew deserve huge credit for seeing something they thought needed doing, and doing it. Their goal: register to vote as many R-17 supporters as possible before the October 5th registration deadline*. Josh & Co. set up shop Saturday and Sunday on two major city intersections. Here's the result, via Josh
The volunteers at Standing Together to Approve Ref 71 this weekend registered 176 voters & signed up 97 volunteers! They showed up & did the hard work & they totally rock!!! We talked to thousands about the urgency of filling out their ballots & voting to Approve 71. We distri distributed tons of flyers & posters. We made connections & met lots of people who want to help! The events this weekend were a STUNNING SUCCESS!!!*If you've never registered to vote in WA before, you can still do so in person at your county elections office. Deadline is October 26.
Saturday in front of Macy's at the corner of 4th and Pine: 
Josh talks a rickshaw driver through the voter registration process:
Update: Added the Kirkland PFLAG event below.
Seattle
Last Friday, Seattle Gay News printed Special Section: Approve Referendum 71 (pdf)
In this colorful Special Section, find articles on the status of the campaign and campaign happenings; what you can do to help Approve Ref. 71; and messages of active support and solidarity from our community, clergy, elected officials, candidates and businesses.
Issaquah 
Issaquah celebrated Issaquah Salmon Days over the weekend, a prospect that two Approve 71 volunteers found irresistible.
We got great reception in Issaquah. In just 2 hours the two of us handed out 900 palm cards! Lots of people who knew about R-71 said they really appreciated us being there. For people less well informed it was fun to see their faces light up with understanding as they looked at the card. We educated A LOT of voters today. Got a few eligible teens to register online too.
Kirkland 
Bellevue PFLAG mom Wendy teamed up (and not for the first time) with Approve 71 to table together at the premiere of the documentary, Put This on the {Map}, a film "featuring 26 young people redefining gender and sexuality in Eastern King County." Attendees were well-informed about Referendum 71 and took the opportunity to sign the Vote to Approve pledge, pick up R-71 posters and palm cards and talk to Wendy about PFLAG.
Vancouver 
Rory Bowman in Vancouver has created the Approve 71 Vancouver blog to keep area Approve 71 advocates informed and engaged.
There's a lot of good folks working like the dickens down here.reports Rory. Everyp;Everything from tabling at the farmers market to making presentations at the local church.
CONTRIBUTIONS
Who said making a donation has to be painful? Two community-minded businesses, Purr Cocktail Lounge in Seattle and The Tempest in Tacoma, held fundraisers for Approve 71 this past weekend.
Seattle
Purr held an "APPROVE Ref.71" fundraising and awareness event called "Protect Your Rights" 
Report via Joe Mirabelle at The Mighty Pen
I spoke to Barbie Humphrey who owns the purr and sponsored the event. She told me that when the community heard about her plan everyone wanted to chip in. For example, Seattle Gay News provided free advertising.Purr was packed with people. Some were even wearing the logo-ed green approve 71 campaign shirt available at http://www.approve71.org to show their support for domestic partnerships.
The event raised over $2000.00 from cash contributions and proceeds from Cocktail 71, a concoction of Absolute Citron Vodka, Champaigne, and deliciousness. (Absolute gave Purr a deal on the Vodka by the way).
While the $2000.00 was helpful, the community awarness, and what campaign director Josh Friedes called "Friend Raising" may be even more valuable. The community in Seattle and throughout the state is waking up to the fact that real families are in serious risk if domestic partnerships are taken away.
Tacoma 
The Tempest made use of its back lot and held and indoor-outdoor live band fundraising extravaganza. Check out their Flikr photostream. Tacoma volunteer Laurie Jinkins reports
We had 170 attendees and raised $7,730.12. Almost $3,000 of it was raised when Kim Archer (of the Kim Archer Band) auctioned off her band for two events of the purchasers choice. We added a few volunteers to our volunteer shifts and generally saw a lot of people we hadn't seen before. Good work by all. I'm off to Yakima.
Redmond
Microsoft Corporation made a small donation this past Friday. Dominic Holden at SLOG reports
Asserting itself as a powerful advocate for gay rights, the Microsoft Corporation donated $100,000 to the campaign trying to approve Referendum 71, a report filed today with the state Public Disclosure Commission shows (.pdf). If voters approve the measure, they will uphold the state's domestic-partnership law, but a recent poll shows that only 51 percent of likely voters support the referendum.Other large employers and labor organizations in the state have made significant contributions too. For example, Puget Sound Energy, $15,000; SEIU Washington State Council, $10,000; Vulcan Inc, $10,000; American Federation of Teachers Washington, $2,000; SEIU Healthcare 775NW, $2,000.Thi>This took guts. Microsoft's brazen role in R-71 will outrage the Ken Hutchersons of the world, who pressured Microsoft for years to back off from supporting gay-rights legislation. And it could also summon conservative interests-e.g., the Mormon Church-to dump money in on the other side. After October 12, state rules block any person or group from donating more than $5,000 to the campaign.
WHAT ELSE?
Did I miss anything? Almost certainly! There's so much happening that I know I'm only seeing a tiny slice of it. Let me know what's happening in your corner of the state so I can incorporate it in the next update!
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Getting people excited, engaged, & thinking about Ref 71 and the importance of Approving to keep the domestic partnership benefits that were passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor.
- Reminding everyone to watch for their ballots starting Oct 16 & fill them out and mail right away.
- Hand out signs, posters, flyers, stickers, etc.
- Sign up volunteers for more bar crawls, phone banking, canvassing (door knocking), sign waving, events, etc.
We are targeting our core base of supporters for a reason. 17% of voters actually vote during off year elections (yes, less than 1/5 of voters!) & the average voter age is 59. There may be majority support for domestic partnership rights among WA residents, but THIS ELECTION WILL BE WON OR LOST ON VOTER TURNOUT. If we can get enough of the GLBT & straight ally community to actually fill out those ballots that may be all we need to win this battle!"
Help Approve Referendum 71!
Already six states embrace the freedom to marry. Will Oregon be next? How can we win marri Will Oregon be next? How can we win marriage for same-sex couples in Oregon, and how long will it take?
Evan Wolfson is founder and Executive Director of Freedom to Marry, a national gay and non-gay partnership working to win marriage equality across the country. In 2004 TIME magazine named Wolfson one of the "100 most influential people in the world." Wolfson is the author of "Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality and Gay People's Right to Marry". He wrote the book on marriage, literally.
Monday, November 26:00 PM
SEIU Local 49
3536 SE 26th Ave.
Portland, OR 9720
7:00 p.m.
Old Stone Church in Bend
157 NW Franklin Ave.
Light refreshments will be served.
6:00pm
Eugene Public Library
100 W 10th Ave
Eugene, OR 97401-3035
Thank you to the following co-sponsors: Basic Rights Oregon Education Fund, Unitarian Universalists Fellowship of Central Oregon, Human Dignity Advocates of Crook County, GLBTbend.com, PFLAG Central Oregon, Human Dignity Coalition & Spice Trader Records
For more information, contact: www.aclu-or.org
