Monday, October 31, 2011

Homophobic NC Senator Jim Forrester is Dead!

Homophobe Jim Forrester and his gay hair
The Gaston Gazette is reporting this evening that North Carolina Senator, Jim Forrester, the author of what's being called Amendment 1, the constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman, died Monday at Gaston Memorial Hospital.

Forrester, 74, a retired family practice physician, died at approximately noon Monday at Gaston Memorial Hospital after family members removed him from life support about an hour earlier. He had been admitted to the Gastonia facility on Saturday, before losing consciousness and being transferred to intensive care Sunday morning.
Doctors suspected the 11-term senator may have had a stroke that was accompanied by cranial bleeding, said his sister-in-law, Sally Beach.
Forrester had suffered from health problems for some time that required him to have regular blood transfusions. He began to have trouble walking Thursday before leaving for a trip to the mountains with his wife and sister-in-law. They returned Saturday morning so that he could be admitted at Gaston Memorial.
He and his wife, Mary Frances, have four grown children who were all contacted across the country and able to make it home by late Sunday night. Forrester was surrounded by family members when he died, Beach said.
Forrester made headlines in early October when news broke that he had falsified some of the credentials on his website, where he claimed to be a fellow at the American College of Preventive Medicine. But Michael Barry, the executive director of the American College of Preventive Medicine, says Forrester is not now and has never been a Fellow of the College.

“A Fellow is kind of our highest designation of membership,” Barry explained. “We don’t know Dr. Forrester, so I can’t speak to his motives.”

The gay blogosphere jumped all over the story and word spread like wildfire. The moral of the story is simple: Karma is a bitch.

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Happy Halloween! Best Costume and Prank EVER!! (Video)

Promotional photo of Boris Karloff from The Br...Image via WikipediaHalloween is my favorite holiday of the year. I don't dress up or go out or anything, but I love the way some people are really into it and go all out with their costumes and pranks. I also love that on this one night of the year, I can settle in and watch my favorite old monster movies from the 30's and a Ghost Hunter's live broadcast without a lot of complaining from my hubby about what he affectionately calls, "that ghost shit".

So, in recognition of all of those dedicated revelers out there who work so hard to punk unsuspecting victims for the amusement of us all, here is a video of The Best Halloween Costume and Prank EVER!!

Happy Halloween!!


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Blogs to Watch Out For: Homophobic Jesus (Video)

As an ex-Catholic, a big part of my childhood was spent learning all about Jesus and his Super Friends and how they traveled the back roads of The Holy Land spreading the good news that the new and improved Jehovah, -- now with 50% less wrath -- had turned over a new leaf and had better things to do than smite his children for every little infraction like he used to.

No more plagues of locusts, global flooding or tests of faith involving killing your own kid for this kinder, gentler supreme being. Public Relations Jesus had come to manage, massage and spin the word that God is Love and those who don't like it can just go to Hell.

Like most of you, I had never read anything, anywhere about J.C. condemning homos or our so-called "lifestyle". But apparently crucifixion and rising from the dead changes a man. Not to be outdone by his flock of inbred followers, the lord and savior of the universe is back. Not in a Rapture kind of way (sorry Rev. Camping). This man-god has finally learned to use the interwebs to get the message out to us mere mortals that he doesn't like the butt sex any more than Marcus Bachmann likes dressing as Ethel Merman and singing "Everything's Comin' Up Roses" in the bathroom mirror when the wife is on the campaign trail.

On his official blog, HomophobicJesus.com, Lord Lambchop (Lamb of God, get it?) says, "Famine, genocide, cancer, oh the suffering of my people! I have heard you crying in the night and so I have returned... but first things first: Gay Marriage."

Mr. Christ goes on to say, "It really irks my dad that some of his children are "coming out of the closet," embracing who they think the are, "finding love" and desiring to live their lives in monogamy. I ask you, how can we teach our children to respect others and to truly love with these damn gays around? The homosexual lifestyle is a choice and granting them the same rights as heterosexuals is a moral question and just plain wrong."

To seal the deal, the savior with two daddies adds, "Join me in the fight today, together we can pray the gay away!"

So, in summary -- and you might want to write this down -- loving, committed relationships between consenting adults of the same sex: Bad. Institutionalized pedophilia overseen by an old guy in a dress living in a palace in Rome: Good. 

This has been a public service announcement. For more information, visit HomophobicJesus.com


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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Retro Video: "Free Your Mind", by En Vogue (Music Video)

Best of En Vogue
Image via Wikipedia

This song has been in my head for the last few days, so I figured I'd share it here. I love the message, the look and sound of this video. What's not to love about En Vogue?


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Latest Polls Show Increased Acceptance of Marriage Equality

The Pew Research Center has just released the results of its latest polling on public attitudes towards Marriage Equality. The charts below show increased acceptance across the board for every age group and religion, accept for two.

Predictably, evangelical Christians continue to hold fast to their misinterpretation of of what it means to love thy neighbor. But the biggest surprise is that support among the spoiled yuppie spawn known as Generation X has actually decreased.

What the fuck is up with that? It's not our fault that the real world expects more of you than your parents did and that listing skateboarding as a skill on your resume didn't get you that Fortune 500 job. Get a haircut, shave that stupid gotee, put down the X-Box controller, move out of your mother's basement and get a f'ing life!





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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

New Wave Wednesday: "Homosapien", by Pete Shelley

My New Wave pick of the week is a deep cut from the UK's Pete Shelley. Shelly formed his first band,  Buzzcocks in 1975 after seeing the Sex Pistols in concert. A year later Buzzcocks debuted as an opening act for the Sex Pistols. The band went on to release such New Wave/Punk hits as "Orgasm Addict" and "Love Bites".

Shelley struck out on his own and released his first UK hit, Homosapien in 1981. The song was banned by the BBC for "explicit references to gay sex".

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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Material Girls Rufus Wainwright and Sean Lennon Stage Impromptu Concert at Occupy Wall St.

I can't pretend to understand the Occupy Wall St. "movement" any more that I understand the Teabaggers. They both stem from the "Americans are angry" meme and want to "take back America" from some shadowy, nefarious super-villains who somehow stole it when we weren't paying attention. By the way, we never pay attention, so who's really to blame?

And I really can't comprehend how going from loafing on the couch to loafing in the park constitutes a political movement, but what do I know? I'm just trying to get some legal recognition of my God-given right to marry the man I love.

Maybe we're doing it all wrong. Instead of all the blogging, lobbying, organizing, letter writing, petitioning, registering voters and marching through the streets of DC, we should just plop our lazy asses in a makeshift tent city somewhere and whine about how hard life is for a few months. Apparently that's what passes for political activism in a post-slacker society.

Anyway, after several weeks of this bullshit, I still don't know what the occupiers hope to accomplish, and you know what? I really don't care. Because when the wealthy spawn of wealthy celebrities start showing up and pretending that they feel your pain and you swallow it hook, line and sinker, it only proves to me what a fucking idiot you really are.

So, without further ado, here is Sean "I got Beatle money!" Lennon and Rufus Wainwright pretending to give a shit in New York's Zuccotti Park, doing their version of the Madonna classic "Material Girl".


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Monday, October 24, 2011

Preacher Gets it Wrong on Doomsday Prediction... AGAIN!

Crazy-ass preacher Harold Camping
Here I sit staring at the blank screen of my eight-year-old laptop wondering what the day will bring. What will the traffic be like on the way to work? Will I get my insurance license problems sorted out? Will that doomsday preacher guy, Harold Camping, explain why he was wrong about the Apocalypse again?

That's right folks, in case you weren't paying attention, Rapture 3.0 was due on Friday, the 21st. Camping, who looks suspiciously like the preacher demon from Poltergeist II, had predicted that the world would end back on May 21. When the date came and went without incident, Camping emerged from his hidey hole a few days later looking like a groundhog wondering where his shadow went and had a lot of splainin' to do.

The myopic prognosticator explained that it was simply a mathematical error and that the real date for the End Times would be October 21, 2011. To be honest, I was so busy on Friday that I didn't even notice, although traffic did seem a little lighter.

I wonder what he'll have to say this time around to the thousands of morons that were duped by his medicine show-style salvation. You remember them, don't you? The people out on the street corners last spring who sold all their worldly possessions, spent their life savings and maxed out their credit cards based on Camping's assurances that they wouldn't be around when the bills arrived? They weren't anywhere to be seen in the media this time around. That's probably because they're all occupying Wallstreet.

You see, it's the big banks' fault they're broke, not their own or their crazy-ass preacher's, because a preacher would never lie, cheat or steal from his gullible flock and after all, overspending yourself into the poorhouse is the American way.

There's an app for that.
For the record, Camping also predicted the end was nye back in 1994, but instead of the wrath of the almighty, we got eight years of Bill and Hilary Clinton.

So maybe math isn't Camping's strong suit. Or maybe he's just over-thinking it. At 90 years old, the real end times are probably his own. He just over-generalized. My advice to Father (End) Time is to check out  iTunes and download the free Rapture Predictor app. Sure, it's bullshit too, but at least it's free.

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Friday, October 21, 2011

Southern Discomfort: A Queer Yankee in the Queen City

What the fuck?
As I forge a new life for myself and my little family here in the Charlotte area, I can't help but feel a little bit like I've stepped through the looking glass into an alternate universe. Everything seems familiar but slightly off. Kind of like Canada, but warmer and without the silly accent.

I've moved at least 19 times in my life and lived in four states and the District of Columbia. I like to think I'm adaptable. I can get along with just about anybody from socialites to rednecks and career women to soccer moms. I have friends of every race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and socio-economic background, so why do I feel so off balance here in North Carolina? 

The neighborhood is very nice and the homes are well kept, but every now and then you catch sight of something unfamiliar. There are trees and birds I've never seen before and the tea is too damned sweet. That must be why all the cashiers at the Bi-Lo supermarket call you either sugar, honey or sweetie. Yes, I know, the name "Bi-Lo" itself sounds like code for married guys that like a little dick on the side, but what are you gonna do?

Restaurant food here seems to be limited to two choices of preparation: deep fried or smoked. They have something here that they call "liver mush" or "liver pudding" that I really don't want to know anything about.

As I learn my way around the unfamiliar streets of my new habitat, I find that people here either drive waaaay to slow or waaaay too fast. If you ask someone for directions, they feel the need to tell you the three or four different ways to get there. God help you if there are two or more people involved in the conversation, because they'll have a twenty minute argument over which way is best. "Thanks for your help, but I really just need one route, hopefully the most direct and with the fewest turns." In the time it takes to get directions, I could have found my way there and back on foot three times, mowed my lawn, done my laundry and collected social security.

Speaking of social security, have I mentioned that we're now living next to my partner's folks? To keep it simple, I refer to them as my in-laws, not to their faces, mind you. That would be too confusing for them. They're very nice people and they've been incredibly supportive and welcoming to me, even though they never say the "G" word. According to some unwritten and unspoken law, I am also forbidden to say the word in their presence as well, which means I can't discuss my blogging and activism with them or in front of them. I figure they'll work it out for themselves when they see me on the evening news at an LGBT rights rally. It's a little like "Everybody Loves Raymond" meets "Sordid Lives". While they "try" to respect our privacy and let us live independent lives, we are ever mindful that our every move is being closely monitored from across the driveway. 

Curiously enough, Charlotte is called The Queen City and yes, there are signs of gay life here in the Tar Heel State.  (What the hell is a "tar heel" anyway?) There is a group forming with he help of HRC and Equality NC to be called Equality Charlotte. They have already held their first rally in response to the upcoming anti-gay marriage equality ballot measure. I've been to a couple of their planning meetings at the LGBT center and met several of the organizers. Some very talented and intelligent people are involved. I look forward to doing what I can to help. A web site is in the works. I'll post a link as soon as it's up.

So, as I proceed gayly forward into the uncharted territory of the latest chapter of my life, I promise to keep you posted. I've got some ideas for revising this here blog thingy, which may include a new name and a new look, but you have my word that I will continue to be my same old smart-ass self. As for my new Carolina neighbors, to borrow a line from Jack Nicholson as The Joker, "Wait 'til they get a load o' me."  

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Prince, "Purple Rain" (Music Video)



Something to get your Spirit Day started.



Spirit Day 2011: Millions Wearing Purple to Honor LGBT Youth

Spirit Day was created last year by teenager Brittany McMillan to call attention to the problem of anti-gay teen bullying and those kids who chose to end their lives because they just couldn't take it any more. 

For those who may not know/remember, in the rainbow flag, purple is the color that represents spirit. 

GLAAD is taking the lead this year and released the following statement:


Last year, millions took part in Spirit Day by wearing purple, changing their Facebook and Twitter profile pictures to purple, and sharing the message via social media.  Public figures – from the cast of Glee, to Ellen DeGeneres, to Hillary Clinton – took part as well. This year, millions more are expected to show their support – and the support among public figures has grown. Celebrities like Conan O’Brien, Heather Graham, Cher and Aziz Ansari have pledged to go purple. Some of the nation’s biggest brands, including Facebook, Yahoo!, PepsiCo and Viacom are encouraging millions of their employees to participate. MTV will change the color of its logo to support a cause for just the second time in the network’s history.


Beyond the nation’s media, celebrities and brands, students and youth are taking action:


-       At Palisades Park Jr./Sr. High School in New Jersey: The students and faculty have been made aware of Spirit Day. Everyone has been asked to wear purple on Thursday. At the end of the day, all students and staff members wearing purple will be called down to the lobby to take a picture.


-       At Troy High School in Troy Michigan: The Gay-Straight Alliance is distributing purple wristbands and asking teachers to have a one minute word with the class explaining Spirit Day and handing out wristbands.

Churches and congregations are also ‘going purple.’


This year’s Spirit Day, like last year’s, has an urgency to it. There’s a need for our communities and our culture to show these young people that they are accepted and cared for. Every person who wears purple on Thursday creates a slightly bigger safe space in the world of an LGBT young person.

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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Fight Bullying and Teen Suicide: Wear Purple on Spirit Day, October 20

From GLAAD:

Millions of Americans wear purple on Spirit Day as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying. Spirit Day was started in 2010 by teenager Brittany McMillan as a response to the young people who had taken their own lives. Observed annually on October 20, individuals, schools, organizations, corporations, media professionals and celebrities wear purple, which symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag. Getting involved is easy -- participants are asked to simply "go purple" on October 20 as we work to create a world in which LGBT teens are celebrated and accepted for who they are.
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New Wave Wednesday: "Just What I Needed", by The Cars

The Cars, 1984. L-R: Benjamin Orr, Greg Hawkes...The CarsThe Cars were the  ost influential band of the New Wave/Punk era. Led by Ric Ocasek, the band topped the charts during the late 70's and early 80's with hit's like "Drive", "My Best Friend's Girl" and "You Might Think".

This week's pick, "Just What I Needed" comes from 1978, via The Midnight Special, which was a TV show that came on every Friday night and featured live performances by the top rock bands of the time. We could use a show like that now.


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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Guest Post: You Don't Mind, by Mark Cox

Guest Blogger, Mark Cox
The following guest post is by Gastonia, NC resident Mark Cox and appeared in The Gaston Gazette on October 13, 2011 in the Letters to the Editor section.
You don't mind gay people when you need your hair or make up done.
You don't mind gay people helping you book your travel arrangements or help you board your airplane or to get you something to drink on your flight.
You don't mind gay people when you want to eat out or want to be entertained in the movies, theater or television or want to listen to music.
You don't mind gay people when you want to make a banking transaction or ask for a loan. 
You don't mind gay people when you need medical care, nursing or doctors' opinions. 
You don't mind gay people when you want flowers for a funeral or for your home, or someone or help you decorate your house. 
 You don't mind gay people when you put on that new dress or that new suit for church. 
You don't mind gay people when you read their books or articles. 
You don't mind gay people when you need an attorney to get you out of trouble, or a social worker to help you in some way. 
You don't mind gay people teaching your children and grandchildren, as long as you don't know and can't tell they are gay.
You don't mind gay people building your cars and trucks and even servicing them. 
You don't mind gay people manufacturing everything that goes into your home and even helping design the products. 
You don't mind gay people fighting in wars, defending your country and your rights as long as they are quiet about it. 
You don't mind gay people when they are transporting you to the hospital. 
You don't mind gay people when they are directing traffic or filing a police report. 
You don't mind gay people when they are helping you buy or sell a house. 
And you don't mind gay people when they make beautiful music at the symphony or even in your church. 
Imagine your world without the talents and hard work that gay people give and that you are accustomed to. If there is a job to be done, gay people somewhere are doing it. Gay people will even help you organize your closet. Don't expect them to live in theirs. Gay people work shoulder-to-shoulder with you every day.
Gay people don't mind helping you and enriching your life... UNTIL you try and deny them the same rights that you enjoy. Stand up for EQUAL RIGHTS for ALL PEOPLE. Stand against legislated hate. Stand against DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), now known as Amendment One. Stand up for marriage as a civil right for ALL people. (KMC 9/28/11)


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Monday, October 17, 2011

Minister warns: "Wank with the Wife in the Room or You're Gay."

Pastor Mark "Oops! I dropped the soap" Driscoll
From the wacky world of closeted anti-gay ministers come the latest admonition warning straight guys that masturbation can be a for of homosexuality if there's not a woman in the room with you. Pastor Mark Driscoll of Seattle's Mars Hill Church says in a pamphlet he wrote:
“Masturbation can be a form of homosexuality because it is a sexual act that does not involve a woman. If a man were to masturbate while engaged in other forms of sexual intimacy with his wife then he would not be doing so in a homosexual way. However, any man who does so without his wife in the room is bordering on homosexuality activity, particularly if he’s watching himself in a mirror and being turned on by his own male body.” - Pastor Mark Driscoll of Seattle’s Mars Hill Church, from Porn-Again Christian: A Frank Discussion on Pornography & Masturbation for God’s Men.
Sounds like the voice of self-loathing experience to me, gays and girls. Pastor Mark has just told every man on the planet that ever lived that they're all gay. Projecting much? Someone is enjoying the sight of his own male body in the mirror a little too much. Watch out for this guy at the gym, fellas.

I always thought that spanking the monkey was a way to get some relief without having to go through all the song and dance required to get the wifey in the mood and deal with all the cuddling bullshit afterwords. But what do I know? From what I've always heard, women get really annoyed when they find out how much their man likes to polish his knob, so why would a guy want her around when he's fantasizing about Sophia Vergara?

This one sounds like a really bad Jeff Foxworthy joke (okay, that's redundant): "If you're an anti-gay minister who knows way too much about male masturbation, you might just be a big old 'mo."

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Actor Zachary Quinto is Out and Proud

Actor Zachary Quinto (Heroes, Star Trek) has finally and officially come out in an interview for this week's New York Magazine. Rumors had circulated for years about Quinto, but he never publicly acknowledge being gay, even cutting short interviews that dared to ask about his private life.

Benjamin Wallace writes in Sundays' online issue of New York:
"Quinto has played a series of gay roles, including on Tori Spelling’s TV show So NoTORIous, and on the new FX series American Horror Story, where he plays the kinky dead owner of the haunted house, and has been outspoken about gay-rights issues. Last year, the Times, in profiling him for Angels, noted that “the blogosphere is rife with speculation about his sexuality” but that “he prefers not to feed the rumor mill with either substantiation or dismissal.” That has changed. A little while later in our conversation, speaking of the cultural bipolarity that can see gay marriage legalized in New York in the same year that yet another gay teenager, Jamey Rodemeyer, was bullied and killed himself, Quinto says, “And again, as a gay man I look at that and say there’s a hopelessness that surrounds it, but as a human being I look at it and say ‘Why? Where’s this disparity coming from, and why can’t we as a culture and society dig deeper to examine that?’ We’re terrified of facing ourselves.”
Read the full story here.

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Friday, October 14, 2011

U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Gay Adoption Case

The Supreme court denied a request to hear an appeal in the case of two gay dads who are suing the sate of Louisiana over its refusal to include the names of both fathers on their adopted son's revised birth certificate.  The Washington Blade reports:

The court denied the petition for a writ of certiorari, which was filed by Lambda Legal, in the case of Adar v. Smith. Justices didn’t offer a comment on why they wouldn’t hear the lawsuit, which effectively ended the path for the litigation.
Kenneth Upton, supervising senior staff attorney in Lambda’s south central regional office in Dallas, said the Supreme Court is “leaving untouched a dangerous” previously issued ruling that leaves same-sex parents who have adopted or plan to adopt “treated differently from state to state.”
“By denying this writ, the Supreme Court is leaving untouched a dangerous Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that carves out an exception to the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution and to the uniformly recognized respect for judgments that states have come to rely upon,” Upton said. “This decision leaves adopted children and their parents vulnerable in their interactions with officials from other states.”
The case involves Oren Adar and Mickey Smith, a gay couple who in 2006 adopted their Louisiana-born son in New York, where a judge issued an adoption decree. In 2007, the couple attempted to obtain a new birth certificate for their child in part so Smith could extend his health insurance coverage to his son.
However, State Registrar Darlene Smith wouldn’t issue a certificate with both adopted parents’ names, saying Louisiana doesn’t recognize adoption by unmarried parents.
In October 2007, Lambda filed a lawsuit on the basis that the registrar was violating the U.S. Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause and Equal Protection Clause. Lambda argued that under the Full Faith and Credit Clause, judgments issued by a court in one state, such as New York, must be legally binding in other states, such as Louisiana.
Read the full story here.

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Asheville Activists Launch We Do Campaign for Marriage Equality (Video)

In an effort to call attention to the fight for marriage equality in North Carolina, more than a dozen gay and lesbian couples from Campaign for Southern Equality launched the We Do campaign on October 3rd. The couples have applied for marriage licenses, knowing they'd be denied, and recorded the process for a YouTube video.

What is most moving about this video is that the clerks all seem to be sympathetic and genuinely sorry that they can't issue licenses to the couples until the law changes. Unfortunately, recent polling shows two-thirds support for banning same-sex marriage by amending the state constitution, depending on how the question is worded.

Hat tip to Matt Comer at Q-Notes.


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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

"We Are All Equal" PSA Responds to NC Marriage Amendment (Video)



For more information about how you can help stop North Carolina's hateful Amendment 1, visit Charlotte Votes Against Amendment One on FaceBook or EqualityNC.org.  

Quack of the Week (10-12-11)


Visit QuackCity.com for more Duck Toons, featuring Buckminster Duck. Posted with permission.

Former Ex-Gay Leader Admits Gays Have Nothing to Repent


Ex-ex-gay John Smid

John Smid, the former leader of Exodus International's largest ministry now admits that he is gay and that gays can't be converted to straight. On his website, Smid responds to a letter from a reader who is confused about Smid's change of position on the gays. The writer asks, "Are you saying homosexuality isn’t wrong or are you saying it is wrong, but we have to be patient while God’s goodness brings the homosexual to repentance? I see that you are saying homosexuals can be Christians, but can they remain that way…never expecting a change?"


Smid responds:

 

Repentance from something means it has to be something you can control, like actions.

"So often people will say someone needs to “repent” from homosexuality. It is something that actually cannot be repented of! People are, or they are not, homosexual. It is an intrinsic part of their being or personally, my being. One cannot repent of something that is unchangeable. I have gone through a tremendous amount of grief over the many years that I spoke of change, repentance, reorientation and such, when, barring some kind of miracle, none of this can occur with homosexuality. The article today is a great example of how we as Christians pervert the gospel as it relates to homosexuality as though homosexuals aren’t welcome in the kingdom unless they repent (which many interpret to change). But since homosexuality is not “repentable” then we put homosexuals into an impossible bind." 


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LGBT Rights Pioneer Frank Kameny Dies at 85 (video)

Civil rights activist Frank Kameny, founder of The Mattachine Society, died of natural causes at his home in Washington DC on Monday morning, Nathional Coming Out Day. He was 86.

In honor of this remarkable man, who fought the U.S. government in court over his firing from the State Depart for being gay during the 1950's, I'm reposting a story I wrote about him on his 85th birthday last year, along with a video interview Kameny did for the Washington Blade on his 85th birthday.


Before Harvey Milk, there was Frank Kameny


With all the hoopla surrounding the celebration of Harvey Milk Day in California and cities around the country and the 80th birthday of the slain LGBT rights leader, it's gone unnoticed that our community still has one of our civil rights pioneers alive and well in the person of Mattachine Society founder Frank Kameny, who celebrated his 85th birthday on May 21st.

Kameny was fired from his State Department job in 1957 as a security risk when it became known that he was gay. As one of the founding members of the Mattachine Society, he led the successful fight to overturn the ban on employment for gays and lesbians at the agency that is now headed by Hillary Clinton. Kameny is seen in this photo picketing the White House. He is the second in line. Kameny's slogan "Gay is Good" became the mantra of the early gay rights movement.

The Mattachine members believed that by dressing conservatively and being respectful, they could show the world that homosexuals were not threatening. It was not until Stonewall that the LGBT rights movement became more radical and in-your-face. You can read more about the life and legacy of Frank Kameny at TheKamenyPapers.com.

The following video interview with Kameny at his 85th birthday party comes to us courtesy of The Washington Blade. Kameny has some interesting things to say about the current state of the movement, Lt. Dan Choi and President Obama. There's nothing wrong with your ears or your PC/Mac. The audio goes from stereo to mono in the clip.



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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Cher Shows Up to Cheer on Chaz at DWTS (Video)

Looking incredibly lifelike, pop diva and Medicare recipient, Cher showed up in the studio audience on last night's Dancing With the Stars in a show of support for her son Chaz.

To be honest, I missed the show last night. I had a meeting to attend early in the evening and by the time I got home, I had totally forgotten about it. I've never been a fan because, quite frankly, very few of the contestants in the history of the show are actual stars.

But I am a huge Cher fan, going way back to her earliest days with her dead ex-husband Sonny Bono and "I Got You Babe". I still love her music, but, honestly after all these years and all the nip-tucks, I find it increasingly difficult to look at her, especially when she's badly lit.

Also in the crowd were step-mom, former congresswoman Mary Bono Mack and assorted other family members.

Apparently last night's performance was his best so far. In my own humble opinion, Chaz isn't really much of a dancer, and I suspect that the voting viewers have supported him this far in hopes that Momma would make an appearance. Now that she has, will they continue to support Bono, or will the dancers with real talent be allowed their spotlight?

Don't get me wrong, I admire Chaz Bono. He has been a leader in the LGBT community for about twenty years and continues to break down boundaries through his work. His perseverance and determination are an inspiration to LGBT youth everywhere.


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Tuesday, October 11is National Coming Out Day

Come out, come out, wherever you are! Seriously, where have you been living, the 90's?

National Coming out day was started in 1988 to mark the anniversary of the 1987 March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights and is now celebrated around the world. Every year on this day closeted LGBT people  are encouraged to come out to at least one person.

Coming out is not something you do just once, it's an ongoing process that lasts a lifetime. Every time you change jobs, move to a new neighborhood or any situation where you'll meet new people, you're faced with the question of whether or not to let someone know who you really are. It's always hardest the first time, but it gets easier with practice.

The closet is a dark and lonely place to live. You only get one shot at life, so why not live it openly and honestly?

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Monday, October 10, 2011

Rally/March in Charlotte this Saturday to Protest NC Marriage Amendment

NC Gov. Perdue Comes Out Against Marriage Amendment

Official photo of Governor Beverly Perdue (D-NC).NC Governor Bev PerdueWell, folks, here we go again. Another bigoted politician is trying to score points -- and votes -- by using marriage equality as a wedge issue. As you may have heard, State Representative Jim Forrester (R), who represents my district (Gaston County), was successful in getting a bill passed over the summer that will put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in May 2012. The measure is being referred to unofficially as Amendment One.

Currently, 29 states have amended their constitutions to define marriage as only a union of  one man and one woman. Of those, 17 also ban civil unions and two, Virginia and Michigan go further in banning any contractual agreements intended to convey any of the rights of marriage.

Although many of those battles were strongly opposed by activists and grass roots organizations, public opinion was largely against us. This time around, however, things are different. A recent Elon University statewide poll showed that 56% of NC resident oppose the amendment.

NC Governor Bev Perdue released a statement on Friday, where she came out against the amendment: “I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman: That’s why I voted for the law in 1996 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, and that’s why I continue to support that law today. But I’m going to vote against the amendment because I cannot in good conscience look an unemployed man or woman in the eye and tell them that this amendment is more important than finding them a job. In addition, a number of legal experts have argued that this amendment, if passed, could eliminate legal protections for all unmarried couples in our state, regardless of sexual orientation. Right now, my focus, the General Assembly’s focus, and North Carolina’s focus needs to be on creating jobs.”

Essentially, Perdue is covering her ass with this statement. North Carolina's unemployment rate in August stood at 10.4%. The coastal region and outer banks are still rebuilding from the summer's devastating hurricanes, which left thousands homeless. Her statement is largely strategic, if not disingenuous. She doesn't want to be seen as a governor who gets bogged down in social issues during a time of dire economic crisis. But that doesn't mean she's had a change of heart.

Make no mistake about it, Perdue is smart, but she's no friend of the gays.
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Mrs. Betty Bowers Explains Traditional Marriage (Video)

Here's an oldie, but a goody. I've posted this in the past, but given that North Carolina's voters will get to decide in May whether or not to amend the state constitution to ban marriage equality, I thought it was worth posting again.

Mrs. Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian and Most-Saved Baptist, explains "Biblical Marriage" to all those Christian revisionists out there who believe that holy wedlock, as it existed in the 1950's, is the way it has always been and should always be. These are the same folks who can't tell the difference between a Flintstones episode and The History Channel.


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