Combined Gay News Headlines (T5T-1)

Stefano Gabbana Binges On Small Plates

THE SHOT — "I love italy," tweets designer Stefano Gabbana, who must obviously be done with his yachting vacation to engulf so many calories. CONTINUED » Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Food, Italy, Stefano Gabbana, the shot, Twitter

If the Church Is So Concerned About Gay Marriage, Where's The Uproar Over Divorce?

Bishop Harry Jackson, the religious zealot leading Washington D.C.'s ridiculous campaign to halt same-sex marriage, claims he's "teaching, training, [and] having interventions" to keep people from supporting an end to marriage discrimination. Great. But why, asks Contessa Brewer pointedly today, isn't he expending the same effort to, uh, keep people from supporting the right to [...]

Wisconsin Supreme Court to Domestic Partnership Foes: Don't Let the Door Hit Ya

So, one other piece of good news this week: CONTINUED » Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Domestic Partnerships, Julaine Appling, Lawsuits, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Family Action

Tearin’ Up The Dancefloor

Last weekReek’s INTEGRATION Halloween party was truly spectacular. If momentum has anything to say about it, this week’s anniversary party should be pretty cool too.

Battles of the Bands Tomorrow!

After you wake up from your October 31 activities…come out to the campus and enjoy a FREE Battle of the Bands as a part of the 2nd Annual Latino Heritage Festival at Maple Mall (In Front of Joyal Administration Building) on Fresno State’s Campus on Sunday, November 1, 2009 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Featuring: [...]

Carrie Prejean rises again...in a sex tape

Is it me or is the former Miss California a prime example of a living, breathing hypocritical cliche? Apparently she has a sex tape in her past...

The video the lawyer showed Carrie is extremely graphic and has never been released publicly. We know that, because TMZ obtained the video months ago but decided not to post it because it was so racy. Let's just say, Carrie has a promising solo career. We're told it took about 15 seconds for Carrie to jettison her demand and essentially walk away with nothing. As we first reported, the Pageant is paying around $100,000 to her lawyers and publicist -- a fraction of her bills. She pockets nothing in the settlement.

Joe Jervis said:

Hey Maggie Gallagher! Did I just hear your tires squealing? Since, as you say, God was speaking directly to Carrie during her anti-gay pageant answer, what was he saying during her double-penetration scene? I kid, I kid. I only HOPE there's a double-penetration scene!

I have two questions: 1) Is this pre- or post- the free tatas from the pageant? 2) Does this mean she won't headline the Values Voter Summit 2010?

Washington's Referendum 71 still looking good

States with mail-in ballots have the excruciating pleasure of having to wait days or even weeks to learn the result of tight races.  Washington is one such state.  So here's the latest but not the last word on Referendum 71.  Reminder: we want towant to see R-71 approved because this means that the domestic partnership law will be preserved.  As of 6 pm on Nov. 4th, the Secretary of State reports:

Approved: 579,502 (51.65%)
Rejected: 542,582 (48.35%)

Looking good!  However, there are still about 400,000 ballots on hand yet to be counted, so if you're cautious you'll want to wait a bit before celebrating victory.  Bill sponsor Sen. Ed Murray and is already calling it a win since about 56% of the projected total number of ballots cast have already been counted.  Captain Reject (Larry Stickney) hasn't conceded yet, but must be feeling as desperate as Sen. Murray is confident because he asked people this afternoon to do this:

As you may know, we have seen amazing things happen at every critical juncture of this campaign. Please join me today in getting down on our knees to lift up this effort to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Let's pray the REJECT R-71 effort across the finish line! Every family and church in Washington now and for years to come will benefit from our efforts if we win! Pray that we are in the lead by the end of today's counting!

Now, for God to influence the election after ballots have been cast, wouldn't that require God to change people's votes?  So Stickney wants God to tamper with ballots.  Apparently God isn't into felonious activities, since He did not deliver unto Stickney such ill-gotten gains in the 6 pm count.

Elections Results: The Good In Kalamazoo

When I woke up after the November 2008 election, I woke up with the reality that about half the people I saw on the street in my hometown of San Diego did not want to see my lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community have equal marriage rights under the law. Moderating the CoverItLive (CIL) live-blogging/chat room thread, I saw some LGBT folk in the Northeast realize, like I did last November, that just over half of their families, friends, neighbors, and people they see in the street voted against their equality, with regards to marry, under the law.

I put out the poll early on in our live blogging coverage about which election result our blenders were following closest:

I'm one of the 2% who said the election result I was following closest was the basic civil rights election in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I cared about that most because I believe it was the one that spoke to the basic civil rights issues of trans people and community most directly, and because the opposition fought that piece of legislation with the Bathroom Meme -- the Bathroom Meme that states crossdressed men and trans people are going to invade public restrooms to prey on women and children.

And, as I pointed out in the Godly Perverts And The Bathroom Meme, one has much more to fear from Godly Perverts in women's public restrooms than one has to fear from crossdressed men and trans women.

That this is the second municipality in a row (the first being Gainesville, Florida) where voters rejected those who used the Bathroom Meme in an attempt to and deny basic civil rights to LGBT people...well, I think this says something positive about America regarding America's views on housing, employment, and public accommodation for LGBT people.

Still, I'm with Pam and many other baristas and blenders in this though: Civil rights aren't things that should be subject to mob rule. As happy as I am in winning in Kalamazoo, I'm not happy at all that there was a referendum on a basic civil rights ordinance for LGBT people.

Will the next stop for the Bathroom Meme be Tampa, Florida? From Tampa Bay Online's Tampa City Council to vote on transgender protections:

The city council is expected to vote Thursday on a proposal to expand Tampa's anti-discrimination laws to include transgender individuals.

The proposed ordinance, if approved, would extend laws prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on sexual orientation, sex, race and religion to include "gender identity or expression" as a protected class...

Let's hope that if this passes we don't end up with another "mob rule" referendum on the ballot.

Maine’s super-volunteers and passionate student allies

In the days leading up to my departure for Maine, I wasn't sure what to expect from the people I'd meet here. I'm no stranger to ballot campaigns; we've had our share of those in Oregon. I rode on Tuesday to a suburb outside of Portland, Maine with another volunteer staff to meet with nine high school students about their interest to get involved with the No On 1 campaign. Our goal was to start a “Friends and Family” Volunteer Recruitment Phone Bank with them on the spot, and to organize a few times when they and their friends could volunteer together, canvassing door-to-door the weekend before Election Day. We rolled up to their neighborhood Starbucks at about 3 o'clock and met the students inside. They'd come straight after school, and had heard about the campaign at an all-ages concert,about the campaign at an all-ages concert, where they'd been watching their favorite local band. Three of the youth were band members! A few of them had worn their No On 1 buttons to school that day, and mentioned that they'd started conversations with other students about the issue, and what it meant to them. After introducing ourselves and briefly describing the state of the campaign, we read through a script and role-played it, making sure to arm the students with the facts needed to express to their friends and family members how much this means to them and why we need their help in the last two weeks of the campaign. When we asked the students to get out their mobile phones and start calling to sign their friends up for volunteer shifts with the campaign, they excelled at the task! After about a half hour, the students made a plan to gather together with their newly signed up volunteers for a morning canvass on Halloween, knocking on doors to get out the vote. None of the nine students were affiliated with the Gay Straight Alliance at their school, (and none mentioned that they identified as LGBT,) but all shared a sense that whoever you are and whomever you love, couples deserve to be recognized equally under the law.

From Maine with Love

“You Have Always Been Welcome Here”, a play about the lives of four transgender people as they explore their relationships to family, gender, Christianity and spirituality is coming to Pendleton thanks to Pendleton PFLAG!

“You Have Always Been Welcome Here” here Presented by PFLAG Pendleton in cooperation with Communities of Welcoming Congregations & The Drama Queens    -   “You Have Always Been Welcome Here” portrays the lives of four transgender people as they explore their relatn Welcome Here” portrays the lives of four transgender people as they explore their relationships to family, gender, Christianity and spirituality.   Rev. Tara Wilkins, executive director of Community of Welcoming [...]

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