Friday, November 11, 2005
Andre Boisclair is the sexy openly gay frontrunner in the race to lead Quebec's separatist party, Parti Quebecois. His candicay looked like it might have been doomed after he recently
admitted cocaine use while serving in the provincial parliament.
"What I want to tell you is that I made mistakes, things I regret. Yes, I consumed. I can't be clearer than that."
Incredibly, this confession did not sink Boisclair. A poll by the
Montreal Gazette said he actually
gained 11 points the day after he admitted the drug use.
This gives an entirely new meaning to a "bump" in the polls. If coke gave him 11 points, just imagine what heroin could do!
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A Senate panel led by Kansas Republican Sam Brownback narrowly approved a measure backing a
Constitutional Amendment that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, effectively rescinding the Massachusetts law that made gay marriage legal last year.
It is no surprise that the Republicans are pushing the "Marriage Protection Amendment." Having failed miserably at governing, they must now look for scapegoats. The gay community makes a convenient pinata.
A couple of weeks ago, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., had to call a closed session of the Senate because the Republicans were stonewalling on a report on how America got caught up in the Iraqi mess. GOP senators whined that they needed more time to finish the report.
Now, we find that they have the time to push an anti-gay marriage Amendment. America is in the mess that it is in because we don't have time for war reports, but we have time to obsess about successful gay couples. This is really a sad case of Americans attacking other Americans for political gain. It is sickening and an affront to morality, decency and common sense.
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God's self-anointed spokesperson, Rev. Pat Robertson, has once again
made an ass of himself. He warned citizens of Dover, Pennsylvania, the town that on Tuesday
threw out school board members who supported creationism, that they might be victims of a natural disaster. On his bizarre show, The 700 Club, he said:
"I'd like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don't turn to God, you just rejected him from your city. And don't wonder why he hasn't helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I'm not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that's the case, don't ask for his help because he might not be there."
First, I didn't know God was on the ballot. If he lost, will he get a new campaign manager in 2006? And why was he running for School Board in Dover? Surely, he would set his sights on something higher, like county commissioner.
Second, why are people still paying attention to this clown? Does the number 700 stand for the collective IQ of his 700 Club audience of 1 million Christians? It is clear that Robertson is nuts and getting nuttier, if that is possible. The next step: he's simply going to declare that he is God.
Fundamentalists want respect and bristle when people think they are ignorant and backwards. But how can people think otherwise when they follow and give piles of money to charlatans like Preachy Pat?
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Thursday, November 10, 2005
Trying to find the perfect holiday gift for a friend or loved one? How about my book, "Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth"? The Advocate magazine recently called the book one of the Top 5 exposes on the "ex-gay" ministries. Consider this entertaining, educational and inspiring book for the holidays. Not only will you, a family member or friend have enjoyable holiday reading, you will also be supporting this blog. You can purchase an autographed copy of Anything But Straight by sending a $35 check or money order to:
Wayne Besen
1000 West Avenue
Apt. 706
Miami
Beach, FL 33139
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Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to be in a race against President Bush to see who can become the
most unpopular politician in America. Each of the four ballot measures Arnold foisted on the electorate lost decisively. In January Schwarzenegger's approval rating stood at 62 percent in the Public Policy Institute of California's poll. In the most recent PPIC poll his approval rating plummeted to 35 percent. Unfortunately for Arnold, he can't invade a foreign country to boost his ratings. Although, rumor has it he is eyeing a border fight with Mexico.
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New
documents reveal that in 2003, lowlife lobbyist Jack Abramoff promised President Omar Bongo of Gabon a personal meeting with President George W. Bush if he ponied up $9 million. Ten months later, Bush met with Bongo in the Oval Office.
The White House claims that Abramhoff's role had nothing to do with the meeting. They say that it was just a coincidence that Bush met with a leader of a tiny country that he probably couldn't find on a map. Sure, and Brownie did a "heck of a job."
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In a season of discontent for the White House, Tuesday's election results intensified Republican anxiety that next year's midterm contests could bring serious losses unless George W. Bush finds a way to turn around his presidency and shore up support among disaffected, moderate swing voters. (
Washington Post Analysis)
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All eight members up for re-election to the Pennsylvania school board that had been sued for introducing the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in biology class were
swept out of office by a slate of challengers who campaigned against the intelligent design policy.
Among the losing incumbents on the Dover, Pa., board were two hillbilly members who testified in favor of the intelligent design policy at a recently concluded federal trial on the Dover policy: the chairwoman, Sheila Harkins, and Alan Bonsell.
These jerks think God intervenes and personally talks to them every day. I wonder what the Lord had to say today as their butts were booted from office for supossedly advancing His word? Maybe He said that "evolution is part of my plan and if we get rid of real science the human race will never evolve." Or, maybe God is more crass and after stuffing the ballot box said, "Take that assholes!"
Unfortunately, I didn't get to gloat very long before the yahoos in Kansas rained on my evolution parade. The disgraceful laughing stock
Kansas Board of Education actually voted 6 to 4 to change the definition of science, so they could teach creationism under the guise of Intelligent Design. They think we are falling for the semantic trick, but since most of us haven't been educated in Kansas, it is a little harder to fool us.
Why is the Kansas Board of Brainwashing so determined to make Kansas kids the stupidest in the world? There needs to be a recall election to throw these ignorant clowns out of office before they vote 6 to 4 to redefine reality. Or, maybe they already have?
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PlanetOut Inc. on Wednesday
purchased the assets of LPI Media Inc.—including the magazines The Advocate and Out and related Web sites - for $31.1 million. The move creates the world's largest media company serving gay men and lesbians. It also nearly doubles PlanetOut's estimated 2005 pro forma revenue, according to a company press release.
The San Francisco - based public company paid $24 million in cash and $7.1 million in seller-financed debt for the assets of Los Angeles - based LPI Media. PlanetOut said it will also reimburse certain prepaid and other expenses totaling about $1 million.
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Wednesday, November 09, 2005
With 35 percent of the precincts reporting, 57 percent had voted against the measure, with 43 percent in favor of it. Twice before, in 1998 and in 2000, voters rejected similar nondiscrimination laws by narrow margins. Maine is the 17th state to ban
discrimination on the basis of sexualorientation and the 7th to protect transgender people fromdiscrimination.
"Today's win proves that dogged, grassroots organizing can overcome the lies and smears of anti-gay zealots and the profound unfairness of having minority rights put up for apopular vote," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Matt is correct. This is a much needed victory because it shows that if we keep fighting, we will ulitmately win. New England is now a discrimination-free zone and for this we should be very proud. Maine is also a very beautiful state. Reward the voters with a nice Maine vacation - when it gets warmer.
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(Weekly Column)Remember the good old days when liberals were the victims? Today, one has to wear a raincoat not to get splashed by the cascade of crocodile tears cried by whiney conservatives plaintively screaming how they have been wronged. Has there ever been a wimpier group in the history of politics?
This week, a dozen AIDS activists reportedly wearing body condoms were arrested after storming the Family Research Council's Washington headquarters to protest the group's deadly anti-condom policies. The small group of rabble-rousers chained themselves to furniture in the lobby.
Understandably, FRC staffers were upset, but the hysterical response by Tony Perkins, the group's president, was over the top.
"Hateful! Ignorant! That's how these radicals characterized my statements [about condoms]," Perkins carped. "This is not debate. This is not democracy. What we see is the attempt by a radical few to intimidate, to shout down, to forcibly prevent the expression of any ideas they disagree with."
Waaa. Waaa. Waaa. Would someone get Perkins his little pink blanket?
A few activists engaged in non-violent protest and Perkins acts like it's the end of democracy. I checked Google and FRC has nearly a million hits. His group is on speed dial to the White House. Perkins doesn't seem to be having any difficulty expressing himself or getting his, yes, hateful and ignorant message out.
This summer, I was keynote speaker at South Carolina Pride. As I rode atop a float, I was forced to listen to fundamentalists hurling insults and Bible verses at me. These demonstrators were every bit as intrusive and obnoxious as the protesters that confronted Perkins.
But, of course, I didn't send out a sniveling press release griping about the end of democracy and radicals subverting my message. I simply waved to the yahoos and thanked them for coming to Pride. But then again, I'm not a whiney conservative.
The new conservative wimp factor extends to congressional leaders. Earlier this month, Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into a closed session to force the GOP to stop stonewalling on a key intelligence report. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., broke a nail and moaned that he had never before been "slapped in the face with such an affront."
Waaa. Waaa. Waaa. Would someone get Frist his pacifier?
Sen. Trent Lott, also had an axe to grind and a cross to burn, uh, I mean bear.
The former Ole Miss cheerleader's melodramatic response nearly topped Frist's hissy-fit histrionics
"I'm astounded by this," sniffed Lott. "I don't really know what the tenor of this is, or what is the justification for it, and why this extreme, you know, approach was used."
At least Lott isn't the only conservative getting bitch slapped. Failed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork described President George W. Bush's selection of Harriet Miers for the high court as a "kind of a slap in the face to the conservatives." We used to be able to tell who the conservatives were by the bad suits. Now, we can identify them because they have red welts on their faces.
After the right wing forced Bush to dump Harriet Miers because she hadn't bombed an abortion clinic or protested a gay man's funeral, (or whatever it was they wanted her to do to prove she was a true conservative) they threatened to pick up their marbles and skip home if Bush didn't choose a nominee who passed their litmus test.
"If we don't get a good nominee - if it's somebody else who is a stealth candidate, and we don't know what their judicial philosophy is - well then that will be the end of the Bush coalition," hissed the Free Congress Foundation's Paul Weyrich."
Waaa. Waaa. Waaa. If Bush had picked a moderate would Weyrich have threatened to hold his breath until he turned blue?
The wimp factor is not just in word, but also in the dirty deeds of Republicans. The whole nation suspects that Scooter Libby is taking the fall for Dick Cheney. The VP was likely behind the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame, but would rather see his deputy in the hoosegow than come clean. That's the definition of a girlie-man.
In the Plame affair, conservative columnist Robert Novak wasn't exactly macho when he was the first to rat on his source, selling out a fellow Republican faster than special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald could say San Quentin. He still won't discuss his role in the affair or his perfidious snitching.
The transformation of the right wing from Tarzan to timid is the fault of Bush and his namby pamby "compassionate conservatism." This creed allowed conservatives to show their feelings, and once the floodgates opened, the river of tears never stopped flowing.
I make a simple plea to conservatives: Please leave the bleeding heart routine to us liberals. We are not only better at it, but we are actually compassionate. Stealing our act is nothing short of a slap in the face.
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Having President George W. Bush campaign at the last minute was a huge mistake for Jerry Kilgore in the race for Virginia's governorship. It appears he is going down in flames, with Democratic Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine coasting to a
clear victory. My sources tell me that Katherine Harris isn't lurking anywhere in Old Dominion, so it looks like a done deal.
In the race for New Jersey governor, CNN projected Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine would defeat Republican businessman Doug Forrester, culminating the most expensive race in the Garden State's history. Once again, Bush is dragging down a Republican candidate. This nightmare for the president signals the beginning of the end of his failed presidency. The only agenda he has left is to keep America out of more disasters and he will likely fail at this too.
The only bright spot for Republicans was in New York City, of all places. Mayor Michael Bloomberg won a second term, defeating Democrat Fernando Ferrer. Of course, the only way he won was by running away from his own party. If he would have run as a real Republican, he would have lost by 25 points.
For a change, it's a good night to be a Democrat. I will sleep well.
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Tom Cruise has essentially blamed his sister for his recent abandonment of reality. He
replaced her today as his publicist with a Hollywood insider Paul Bloch, who is also co-chairman of the public relations firm Rogers & Cowan. I agree his sister did a lousy job, but look what she had to work with.
Her brother jumped on Oprah's couch, dissed Brooke Shields and prays to aliens. Not even Mike Deaver or James Carville could have spun Cruise's odd behavior. I hope his sister gets a good severance package and a much-needed vacation.
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The
Human Rights Campaign said today's
vote denying marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships to same-sex couples will seriously harm thousands of Texas families.
"Education is a long-term effort that cynical politics can never stop," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "These amendments are part of a long-standing effort by the extreme right to eliminate any legal recognition for gay people and our families."
Texas joins 17 other states with constitutional amendments denying marriage to same-sex couples. The amendment in Texas not only prohibits but also threatens civil unions and domestic partnerships thatare widely supported by most Americans.
Although this is painful, it certainly wasn't a big surprise. Texas is, after all, Texas. Let us hope
Maine voters upheld a law that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation. If the law is upheld, New England will become a discrimination-free zone, in regards to GLBT employment.
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Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is an elitist who thinks he is superior to other Texans. While everyone else in his state has to be tried in a system tainted by partisan, money-grubbing elected judges, DeLay thinks he can
judge shop.
Thanks to DeLay and Karl Rove, the partisan fault lines have deepened. This has had a deleterious affect on the bench. Indeed, the
New York Times reports the system is broken:
The complaints against the Texas judicial system have a long history. In 1987, "60 Minutes," in a program called "Justice for Sale," showed Texas Supreme Court justices taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from lawyers appearing before them. Eleven years later, "60 Minutes" found that little had changed.
In 1998, Texas for Public Justice issued its own report, finding that the seven Texas Supreme Court justices elected since 1994 had raised $9.2 million, of which 40 percent came from interests with cases before the court. A survey taken for the court itself, the group said, found that nearly half of the judges themselves thought that campaign contributions significantly affected their decisions.
I've got a problem that DeLay didn't have a problem until he had a problem. Got that?
For years, DeLay said nothing about the Texas system of justice. But now that he is in trouble for corruption and scumbaggery, he is whining like a crybaby. "Waaaa. Waaaa. Waaaa. Find me a corrupt judge."
DeLay made his legal bed and now he must sleep in it. The time to change the Texas legal system was when he was a powerful Texas politician, not when he is on trial.
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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a
federal lawsuit yesterday against the Fox News network, claiming it harassed and discriminated against its female employees, creating a "hostile work environment because of their sex."
The commission claims that a Fox vice president, Joe Chillemi, "routinely used gross obscenities and vulgarities when describing women or their body parts," language that it says Mr. Chillemi "did not use with male employees." The suit contends that Mr. Chillemi "routinely cursed at and otherwise denigrated women employees," telling them to "be a man."
Telling women to "be a man". This certainly does sound like the kind of ridiculous thing that would come out of the Fox newsroom. What confuses me is that I thought Chillemi was already in an intimate relationship with President Bush. At least Chillemi can go to Bill O'Reilly for advice on how to settle out of court.
How long do you think it will take until Fox blames the liberals?
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Australian police on Tuesday arrested 17 people, including an outspoken Muslim cleric who supports Osama bin Laden, on charges of planning a terrorist attack and committing to "violent jihad in Australia".
According to
Reuters, one of the arrested men was in critical condition in the hospital after being shot during early morning raids in Sydney and Melbourne, in which police seized chemicals, firearms, computers, backpacks and travel documents.
After 9-11, the rioting in France, the London and Madrid bombings, this foiled plot in Australia, the hanging of gays and the long security lines at airports, I'm getting a little fed up with radical Islam. This cancer simply must be dealt with across the world. They have already turned the Mid East into a cesspool and now they are exporting their hatred and violence across the civilized world.
The west cannot deal with this hatred masquerading as religion alone. It is time for the Saudis to cut off worldwide funding for Wahabbism and Pakistan must close down their Madrassas, which are hate schools. Reformers in Iran must be given support to overthrow their nutty mullahs. Enough is enough. Does radical Islam contribute anything to the world other than pain, misery, death, destruction and heartache?
Sure, most Muslims are good people who work hard and mean well. So, it is time they speak out and vociferously oppose the assholes who have hijacked their religion. The world is waiting for them to wrest control and show us that Islam is truly a religion of peace. Because right now, it looks like the faith of the suicide bomber.
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Okay, so we can't pin the blame on him for
this one. I was just trying to drive his approval rating below 25 percent.
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Monday, November 07, 2005
I'm jealous of "ex-gay" leader
Chad Thompson. He seems to be getting more action than I am. Or, at least, he finds a way to hang out with cute boys and pose with them for pictures. Maybe if I became an "ex-gay" I could hang out with Chadwick's crowd of sexually frustrated studs. His ministry increasingly looks like a Bel Ami video, except with clothes.
As the Good Book says, love thy neighbor, especially if he is a twink. By the way, where are the women? For a straight guy, I certainly don't see any women in the picture.
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It is bad enough that the Bush Administration continues to torture America by simply remaining in office, but now they are openly advocating for torture of U.S. detainees. The point man for this scurrilous operation is VP Dick Cheney. We always thought the man was evil, but now he's outspoken about it. It's a coming out party for Cheney as Mr. Torture.
The Washington Post detailed his efforts today, and he is quite passionate about it. Maybe prosecutor Fitzgerald needs to put Cheney on the rack so he will spit up the truth about his role in the Valerie Plame affair.
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Fundamentalist Christians are often known for breathing fire, but it turns out they also want to breathe clean air. The
New York Times reports today that the National Association of Evangelicals, a nonprofit organization that includes 45,000 churches serving 30 million people across the country, is circulating among its leaders the draft of a policy statement that would encourage lawmakers to pass legislation creating mandatory controls for carbon emissions.
It is about time that these right wing groups address real issues that affect millions of people. Perhaps, they are finally learning that there is more to life than gay bashing and abortion protests. These divisive issues may raise them lot's of money, but if they would expand their outlook, they might actually be a force for good. The National Association of Evangelicals should continue to broaden its horizons. If evangelical groups would get their noses out of bedrooms and their eyes out of key holes, they would discover a wide world in need of their assistance.
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(Rudy G.)
Enough
rioting in France, already! What do we have to do, send Rudy Giuliani and NYPD to Paris to get the police to stop allowing radical Muslim youth a free pass to torch cars and cause mayhem. It is time that French authorities stop trying to understand the plight of the rioters and bring in the water cannons. I'm sure the rioters have some legitimate grievances, but at some point order has to be restored.
France has to take some responsibility for discrimination against immigrants and not creating job opportunities. It is important that all French citizens have a reasonable shot at success. However, the Muslim rioters also bear much of the blame. It is a simple fact that any population that embraces radical offshoots of Islam is destined to be dirt poor, perpetually angry and prone to violence and extremism. The only nations to defy this trend are the ones, such as Saudi Arabia, that have the good fortune of sitting on top of oil. And even these wealthy countries are dysfunctional, full of rage and treat women like pets.
By allowing these wilding mobs to trash the nation, France is sending the dangerous message that violence is a legitimate form of street protest. This is the wrong lesson to be learned from a group that celebrates violence and glorifies death. For the sake of world security, France must have the guts to fight back and show that the West refuses to be bullied by extremists.
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Sunday, November 06, 2005
Is it just me or does "ex-gay" Chad Thompson (Middle in pink) look a little too happy posing with hot Justin (Right)? You know what irritates me about Chad? On the
front page of his website he dresses like he is a teenager at a rave. But if you go deeper into his website one can view crowsfeet on his face. He clearly is no longer a teenager. His fake rave boi act is just a cheap and tawdry way to recruit confused young men into his troubling ministry.
His bogus look matches his phony rhetoric against homophobia. He tries to play semantic games and speak out against gay bashing. But, his stance on homosexuality is really what causes hatred against gay people in the first place. If he is such a tolerant guy, why is he dedicating his life to make other people "change"? What a hypocrite.
In any case, I'm fed up with "ex-gays" posing with or mentoring hot guys. It reminds me of when I once went to an Exodus conference and all the hot guys hook up, uh, meet up, as prayer partners. What a sad, sick joke!
(Look Close: Chad's not a boi)
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Two-thirds of those surveyed by a
Washington Post/ABC News poll said the country is heading in the wrong direction. Asked whom they were likely to support in next year's House elections,
52 percent of registered voters said the Democratic candidate, while 37 percent said the Republican. While this testing of generic preferences is not always a reliable indicator of elections, the result suggests that Republicans for now are in trouble.
Friends, this is a huge turn of events. The last time a party saw such a reversal of fortune, the Republicans took over Washington in 1994 behind Newt Gingrich. Before we celebrate, however, it is crucial to recognize that the public is still not convinced the Democrats can do the job. Until the Democrats present a clear and focused message, their gains will be transitory and tenuous. Consider this:
One bright spot for the Republicans is the low regard in which many Americans hold the Democrats. The public sees the Democrats as disorganized, lacking in clear ideas or a positive alternative to the GOP agenda, and bereft of appealing leaders. In the Post-ABC News poll, voters gave Washington low grades without favor: Just 35 percent said they approved of the job Republicans in Congress were doing, while only 41 percent gave a positive rating to the Democrats.
In my
last column I vividly point out what the Democrats must do to win. Will they listen or will they lose?
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The Human Rights Campaign has launched the first-ever advertising and landmark education
campaign on transgender issues. Congratulations to HRC for moving forward with this much-needed project. "The more Americans know and understand each other, the more united we are as a nation," said HRC President Joe Solmonese.
"Our new education campaign underscores that employees, many of whom provide vital national security positions, are being denied the opportunity to do their jobs purely because of who they are. Most Americans want a federal law to end discrimination. But no law exists. We're working on Capitol Hill and across the country to build support for that law, a law we unequivocally support."
Convincing Americans that transgender Americans deserve equality is no easy task, but it is a worthy mission and HRC deserves credit for leading the way with this campaign.
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