Queer

  • Hillary’s no friend of queers

    I have never understood why so many homos seems to think Hillary Clinton is somehow on our side. She takes our money and shows up and gay fundraisers, but that’s the extent of her “support”. While running for the Senate, she said she would have voted for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

    It has now been one week since Senator Santorum’s remarks, and as this article in the Gay City News reminds us, she hasn’t managed to make any statement whatsoever. As of today, there’s no statement on Mr. Santorum on her web site, but she has found the time to announce legislation to establish “National Purple Heart Recognition Day” and praise Schweizer Aircraft Corporation and its support of our troops.

    Chuck Schumer took a week to come up with a statement, but there’s nothing on his web site. He lives in Park Slope, so he has plenty of queer neighbors!

    You can contact our illustrious senators here: Clinton and Schumer. Hillary doesn’t have “Gay and Lesbian issues” in the topic choices, but Schumer does.

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  • What’s the President’s beliefs on homosexuality?

    Here is an amazing exchange from yesterday’s White House press briefing. Does anyone know who the reporter is that asked the question?

    Q And if I can just shift gears very briefly, what’s the President’s beliefs about homosexuality?

    MR. FLEISCHER: You know, that’s a question that’s been put to the President, and if you go back and you look at it, the President has said that, first of all, he doesn’t ask that question about people. He judges people about who they are, their individual soul. That’s not a matter the President concerns himself with. He judges people for how they act and how they relate, and that’s his focus on that.

    Q How they act sexually? Because I asked sexually —

    MR. FLEISCHER: How they act as a person. The same way —

    Q But the police in Texas asked how they act sexually.

    MR. FLEISCHER: The same way you would say that about how anybody — what’s his reaction to this person or that person — say, are they a nice person, what kind of person are they? It has nothing to do with their sexuality.

    Q So does he believe that they ought to be free to be themselves, without interference from police?

    MR. FLEISCHER: The President has always said that when it comes to legal matters, that it’s a question of different groups, homosexual groups, gay groups should not have special rights or special privileges.

    Q Is it a special privilege to be able to love the person you love the way you want to love them, without interference from the police?

    MR. FLEISCHER: If you’re asking about a matter that is a legal matter that is pending before the Supreme Court, that’s a matter for the court to rule on, and we’ll find out what the court says in the specific case in mind.

    Q So he has no position on that?

    MR. FLEISCHER: It’s a matter that’s pending before the court, in regard to your last question.

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  • Jews for Hitler

    Gay Republicans are beneath contempt. They are the modern equivalent of pro-Nazi Jews.

    Rick Santorum, Republican Senator from Pennsylvania, and No. 3 in the GOP leadership:

    If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything.

    All of those things are antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family. And that’s sort of where we are in today’s world, unfortunately. It all comes from, I would argue, this right to privacy that doesn’t exist, in my opinion, in the United States Constitution.

    From the same article, Log Cabin Republican Executive Director Patrick Guerriero:

    There is nothing conservative about allowing law enforcement officials to enter the home of any American and arrest them for simply being gay. I am deeply troubled that Sen. Santorum would divide America in a time of war. Mainstream America is embracing tolerance and inclusion. I am appalled that a member of the United States Senate leadership would advocate dividing Americans with ugly, hate-filled rhetoric.

    … and John Partain, president of the Pennsylvania Log Cabin Republicans:

    The discriminatory remarks made by Sen. Santorum clearly do not reflect the compassionate conservatism promised by our president.

    “Compassionate conservative” George W. Bush supported the Texas sodomy law when it came under legal challenge, calling it a “symbol of traditional values”.

    Here is some more of that “compassionate conservatism”, from the 2002 Republican Party of Texas Platform (see the PDF for the full version, or this from Google):

    Homosexuality
    The Party believes that the practice of sodomy tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases. Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country’s founders, and shared by the majority of Texans. Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle in our public education and policy, nor should “family” be redefined to include homosexual “couples.” We are opposed to any granting of special legal entitlements, recognition, or privileges including, but not limited to, marriage between persons of the same sex, custody of children by homosexuals, homosexual partner insurance or retirement benefits. We oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.

    Texas Sodomy Statues [sic]
    The Party opposed the decriminalization of sodomy.

    I’m amused by the “fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country’s founders” part. If anyone has information on what our Founding Fathers or Jesus had to say on the subject of homosexuality, please email me.

    Here is the relevant section of the 2000 National Republican Party Platform:

    We support the traditional definition of “marriage” as the legal union of one man and one woman, and we believe that federal judges and bureaucrats should not force states to recognize other living arrangements as marriages. We rely on the home, as did the founders of the American Republic, to instill the virtues that sustain democracy itself. That belief led Congress to enact the Defense of Marriage Act, which a Republican Department of Justice will energetically defend in the courts. For the same reason, we do not believe sexual preference should be given special legal protection or standing in law.

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  • Ewan loves playing gay

    I’ve never really worried about being masculine. I know it’s a very popular thing, especially in America, to not want to be seen as homosexual. But I thought it was kind of exciting.

    Ewan McGregor, via Welshcake.

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  • We’re not worthy of Kiki and Herb

    Speaking of queer culture, while getting the demo photos from my camera, I realized I had two good photos of Kiki from the March 3 performance. She really is a performance goddess.

    kiki1.JPG

    kiki2.JPG

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  • BYOQS [bring your own queer sign]

    James and I spent a couple of hours with some smart queer activists talking about anti-war activism that doesn’t involve a laundry list of other issues, or worrying about being polite: exactly the people I need to be around right now.

    If you want to join us for the 5pm rally — whichever day it is — or the one on Saturday, send me an email or call me.

    Here is what James had to say about it.

    I’ve just added a new category to my blog: War.

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  • Ugliness in my home state

    ACLU Warns Arkansas School to Stop Persecuting Gay Student:

    JACKSONVILLE, AR — The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging officials at Jacksonville Junior High School over repeated punishment of a 14-year-old student for being openly gay. In a letter to school officials sent today, the ACLU demanded that the school stop violating the student’s rights and remove all unconstitutional disciplinary actions taken against him from his record by March 21 or face legal action.

    In its letter, the ACLU said that school officials “outed” the gay student, Thomas McLaughlin, to his parents against his wishes and have since told him he must not discuss being gay while at school, forced him to read from the Bible and disciplined him for being open about his sexual orientation.

    Update from my friends at the ACLU. You can send supportive emails to Thomas via safeschools@aclu.org.

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  • ACT UP / Roche

    ACT UP has photos and a statement from its protest of Roche’s new drug Fuzeon’s cost: $25,000 per year.

    A few more photos may be found here.

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  • Lou Harrison MP3

    I should have done this a few days ago, when I posted about the death of Lou Harrison.

    Here is an MP3 (2.4MB) of Lou Harrison’s “To John Cage” from “Seven Pastorales”.

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  • Lou Harrison

    Lou Harrison, an important American composer, who was a sweet gay artist and activist, has died at 85. I had the honor of meeting him and his lover a few years ago.

    There are few people one meets that give one the feeling of gentle saintliness. I felt that way when I met him, and I felt that way when I met Paul Cadmus.

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