The Bilerico Project

Jeff Merkley's opening statement on ENDA

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0500

Jeff Merkley's opening statement on ENDA.

Queer music Friday - Aiden James

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0500

TBP reader Scott sent in this video for gay pop/rock singer Aiden James' video for "On the run." Scott says: "A good song, even after the election results." And the video's cute.

The Top 10 Best Ballot Questions Ever

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0500

If "Let the people vote!" is now the dominant, deeply-considered political philosophy, I don't see why we can't all dream about what we want to see on the ballot. There's no cow too sacred, so add in your ballot initiative ideas in the comments.

Here are a few federal policies I'd like to see on the ballot in 2012. There's no federal ballot initiative process (yet), but these are sure winners and there's no reason to think inside the box.

10. Cap bailed-out Wall Street execs' salaries to 150% the average American salary. The only thing the left, the right, and liberals and conservatives who aren't power brokers all agree on is that these folks aren't cool and don't deserve to make tens of millions of tax-payer money as a reward for destroying America's economy.

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Thank GOD police didn't use excessive force at the Rainbow Lounge in Ft. Worth, Texas

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:30:00 -0500

The police came out with their internal investigation of their raid on a Ft. Worth gay bar, and I for one am grateful for the results: they didn't use excessive force in the raid.

The only thing police did wrong was not file paperwork quickly enough:

The long-awaited 1,000-page report is expected to fault officers for not writing a timely report on the June 28 raid of the Rainbow Lounge, but conclude officers did not use excessive force or violate other operational policies.

Officers are supposed to write reports by the end of every shift, but in this case the officer waited until the next day - after gay groups had launched protests, police said.

Chief Jeffrey Halstead was also set to announce Thursday if any of the officers will be disciplined.

Halstead has told city officials none of the officers will be fired but at least one may receive written reprimands or short suspensions, the officials said.

And, in this report, we find out that Chad Gibson, who was hospitalized for a week following the raid due to brain injury, wasn't bashed by police. He just fell down because he was drunk!

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We can't deny the fact that you hate us right now, you hate us!

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:30:00 -0500

I was actually gone on vacation for the earlier part of this week in Seville, since French vacations don't line up with American elections... but I've been catching up and most of what I wanted to say about the elections on Tuesday has either been covered by a contributor on Bilerico or will be soon (there's some great analysis of the elections lined up for the next few days here at TBP, and I'm sure more will be coming in as our brilliant and committed contributors digest the results).

I have three things to add, though, about fault and finger-pointing, so-called strategic incrementalism, and Gay Apartheid, which may just be my new favorite way to not quite violate Godwin's Law. All after the jump.

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Marriage ads in New Jersey

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0500

Garden State Equality has two new ads out for same-sex marriage in that state even though the anti-marriage Republican just won the election for governor. The first is about health care, and considering how the debate is going in Congress it's... ugh. The second, about hospital visitation, is after the jump.

GLAAD's LGBT ad award winners

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500

GLAAD has put out their Media Award winners in advertising. Here's the Orbitz commercial that took the top prize (notice the tiny HRC logo on that one guy's polo as well as the rainbow flag in the background):

Category winners after the jump.

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Why we need a saner approach to dealing with cruising

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0500

Reason #3920:

Lee Creamer, 26, admitted extorting hundreds of pounds out of three men who were fearful their families would find out about their activities, the Portsmouth News reports.

He would go to areas such as Portsdown Hill and the Rock Gardens in Southsea dressed as a police officer and tell his victims they could either go to court or pay an on-the-spot fine. He would then drive them to cashpoints and give them a fake receipt and details of a course they had to attend.

The three offences took place in June, when Creamer took a total of £1,560 from three men, some of whom were married.

Appearing at Portsmouth crown court, he pleaded guilty to three charges of blackmail and one of impersonating a police officer.

Police believe he may have targeted many more men and are appealing for victims to come forward.

At least the newspaper didn't publish the names, addresses, and mug shots of the victims and label them dangerous sex predators.

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Queer music Friday - Me'Shell NdegeOcello

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:00 -0500

Since Phil mentioned Me'Shell NdegeOcello earlier this week, I wanted to highlight her in the last QMF before the election. Here's "If that's your boyfriend":

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Gays, kids, and recruiting: It's ain't over yet

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Jonathan Zimmerman in the SF Chronicle asks the $64,000 question:

Let's suppose, for a moment, that conservative critics are correct: Gay educators want to "promote homosexuality" in American schools.

So what?[...]

Jennings acknowledged the contradiction in a 1997 interview about GLSEN. "We were busy putting out press releases, and saying, 'We're not promoting homosexuality, that's not what our program's about,' " he said.

But none of this should matter, he quickly added. One day, Jennings said, "most straight people, when they would hear that someone was promoting homosexuality, would say, 'Yeah, who cares?' because they wouldn't necessarily equate homosexuality with something bad that you would not want to promote."

Clearly, we're not there yet.

Clearly. Consider this lesbian woman who was beaten in an elementary school last year because she talked with a kid:

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Why do homophobes want to keep their names secret?

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:30:00 -0500

Fundies continue to try to shield the names of their donors, a trend that, as far as I know, started in 2008 in Florida well before the elections. In Maine, a judge told them NOM they have to disclose their donors while the trial proceeds (I'm going to guess that means he saw little merit to their claims). But I also found this story yesterday from Washington, which I almost glossed over because I knew that they were suing to keep petition signers' names secret, not donors, since they haven't really raised all that much money. But, well, there ya go:

Family PAC wants a federal judge to declare unconstitutional the state's public-disclosure laws, which limit to $5,000 contributions from businesses and individuals made within 21 days of the election.

The laws also require campaigns to disclose names and addresses of those who donate more than $25. Those contributing more than $100 must also include their employers' names and addresses, as well as their occupations. The suit seeks to keep all that information from being disclosed.

The group acknowledges that there are substantial contributions the campaign wants to accept but can't because of the limits.

I'll ask the question that I've asked every time one of these groups tries to shield the names of donors: just whose name are they trying to hide? And, more to the point: who is telling them they'll donate boatloads of money so long as their name isn't disclosed?

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The Passion of the Palin

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:00:00 -0500

Sarah Palin thinks she's the new Jesus. Not that she's peaceful, forgiving, and infinitely wise, but that she is persecuted by people who think they've figured everything out and her pain gives us never-ending life and a reason to live.

Since my first post on Sarah Palin was widely linked, read, and even cited in a book on Palin, does this make me a Pharisee or just one of the people shouting as she carries her cross?

Descriptions of the book after the jump, and, yes, it's really all about how much she suffers for our sins.

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The gayest doll ever

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:30:00 -0500

Why didn't I ever get one of these to play with? It's the new "Palm Beach Sugar Daddy" Ken doll, a modernization of the "Oscar Wilde" Ken doll that never existed.

I might have to get one myself, because I still haven't found my sugar daddy yet and I'm not getting any younger.

Politicians fall further behind the public on LGB legislation

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:00 -0500

Via the New York Times, here's an interesting chart comparing public opinion on various LGB rights issues (since it says NY has job protections I'm assuming it excludes transgender people). The different colors refer to different issues, the different lines to different states, and filled-in circles means that a law providing that right or protection has been passed. You'll have to click to enlarge to see what's going on.

It makes a point I've been making at the national level for a while now: most of these protections are overwhelmingly popular with the public in general, so why are politicians so afraid to vote for them?

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If it's all about procreation, then why did I just marry an octogenarian?

alex@bilerico.com (Alex Blaze) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:30:00 -0500

While there are still major issues with the Perry vs. Schwarzeneggar case to overturn Prop 8 at the federal level, at least the case it turning out gems like this:

A federal judge said sponsors of California's ban on same-sex marriage may not delay in handing over campaign strategy documents to gay-rights groups that are looking for evidence of anti gay bias as they try to overturn the measure.

The sponsors had sought to keep the documents while challenging the order to turn them over in an appeals court.

But in a ruling late Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker of San Francisco said backers of Proposition 8 had failed to show that disclosing internal memos and e-mails would violate their freedom of speech or subject them to harassment.

Wait, they can't just claim that they're afraid of being disagreed with and keep all their political activity secret? Ya don't say!

And this one:

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