Hate Legislators

After hours of contentious debate during which GOP members of the House parroted numerous lies funneled to them by the American Family Association, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HR 1913) passed by a vote of 249-175. Democrats opposing: 17. Republicans in favor: 18.

Yesterday Sen. Ted Kennedy introduced a Senate version of the bill. President Obama has promised to sign the bill when it reaches his desk. That will likely be the first of his many promises to the LGBT community to come to fruition.

Senile reichwing politico Virginia Fox of North Carolina spewed out an utterly deplorable diatribe claiming that Matthew Shepard's brutal murder wasn't a hate crime, just a robbery gone wrong.

I hope Ms. Fox gets "robbed" real soon. People are posting her work and home phone numbers all over Facebook. No doubt the old crone will get a lil bit o' hate back in her face.

Wet ones

Water polo players, photographed by Rasmus Kaessmann,

Brought to my attention by the wonderful JockoHomo.

Annual benefit for local gay/lesbian water polo team, Tsunami Polo, on May 2.

Big Pussy

I'm becoming be-catted again.
Photog Rick Gerharter will be travelling again, and since none of my alleged freinds on FaceBook volunteered to host him when I deftly turned an invite into a request - a party at your house, with a cat!

Too busy to regurgitate the latest YouTube wars of gay marriage. They're perfectly summated by Towleroad and JoeMyGod, with some snarky semi-literate posts at Queerty; my top 3. really don't need much more most days, unless you want regional specifics.

Anyway, finally got a pal to go to Berkeley to see the new show there, which I'm stoked to see:

The Lieutenant of Inishmore @ Berkeley Repertory

Farcical black comedy about an IRA assassin who flips out when someone kills his cat; set in an Irish pub, penned by Oscar-winner Martin McDonagh (In Bruges) and directed by Obie Award-winner Les Waters (Pillowman). Special LGBT "Night Out" tonight, with a post-show dance party, food, drinks. $13.50-$71. Tue, Thu-Sat 8pm. Wed, Sun 7pm. Sat, Sun 2pm. Thru May 17. 2015 Addison St. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org


I asked the publicist if there's a cat onstage.
Who was it that said, "Never work with animals or kids."?
He assured me there's some clever theatrical uses to make a "cat" be on stage.
Plus, Thursday's their "gay night" with a post-show schmooze session.

Anyway, my life will be changed for the next few weeks. Having a living creature share space just makes everything different. He's a funny type of cat, this Max (white, male, three-legged); needy for affection, but smart enough to relax. And having only three legs, he can't run out the door as easily, like the last one who visited.

Cat. Now and (thankfully not) forever.

Teabaggers to Teabombers

Are rightwing extremists terrorists?
You betcha.

New Homeland Security report warns of rise of right-wing extremism

Paralleling the current national climate, rightwing extremists during the1990s exploited a variety of social issues and political themes to increase group visibility and recruit new members. Prominent among these themes were the militia movement’s opposition to gun control efforts, criticism of free trade agreements (particularly those with Mexico), and highlighting perceived government infringement on civil liberties as well as white supremacists’ longstanding exploitation of social issues such as abortion, inter-racial crimes, and same-sex marriage. During the 1990s, these issues contributed to the growth in the number of domestic rightwing terrorist and extremist groups and an increase in violent acts targeting government facilities, law enforcement officers, banks, and infrastructure sectors.

Remember the guy who shot up his own church?

"Adkisson, a former private in the United States Army from 1974 to 1977, says that he was motivated by hatred of liberalism and by extension homosexuality.[7][1][8] According to a sworn affidavit by one of the officers who interviewed Adkisson on July 27, 2008:[2]

“ During the interview Adkisson stated that he had targeted the church because of its liberal teachings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country, and that he felt that the Democrats had tied his country's hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of major media outlets. Adkisson made statements that because he could not get to the leaders of the liberal movement that he would then target those that had voted them into office. Adkisson stated that he had held these beliefs for about the last ten years. ”

And just last week, the crazed gunman in Pittsburgh who shot three cops at an immigration office:

Another longtime friend, Aaron Vire, said Poplawski feared that President Barack Obama was going to take away his rights, though he said he "wasn't violently against Obama."

Vire, 23, said Poplawski once had an Internet talk show but that it wasn't successful. He said Poplawski owned an AK-47 rifle and several powerful handguns, including a .357 Magnum.

Obama has said he respects Americans' constitutional right to bear arms, but that he favors "common sense" gun laws. Gun rights advocates interpret that as meaning he would approve some curbs on assault and concealed weapons.

Poplawski had been laid off from his job at a glass factory earlier this year, said another friend, Joe DiMarco. DiMarco said he didn't know the name of the company, but knew his friend had been upset about it. Poplawski had often fought with neighbors and had even gotten into fist fights with a couple, Sand said.

"This is a relatively really quiet neighborhood except for him," Sand said. "He was just one of those kids that we knew to stay clear from."

Reichwing twits are already yammering about secession.
I know how to stay clear of them. I have two words: "Buh," and "Bye."

Bullycide

While in Illinois, a certified hate group unleashes a bilious video announcing its boycott of the Day of Silence (commemorating gay hate crimes victims and addressing homophobic bullying)...

– Once again, the Illinois Family Institute is a certified Hate group –

...at Virginia Tech, where last year a crazed gunman shot many students, students are planning a vigil to protest the brutal assault of two gay students only days ago.

Two men were reportedly attacked and called names while walking through grounds at the University of Virginia. This week, a student group is planning their own show of strength.

Seth Kaye, President of Queer and Allied Activism at UVa, is working on planning a stand against hate rally. He says its in response to a recent crime on grounds.

"It was one of my friends...they were walking behind the construction site around the "E" school...and people, five young white guys jumped them," Kaye explains.

Kaye tells us they didn't steal anything that night of April 4, but they yelled at his friend using sexual slurs, hit him, and smashed his cell phone. The victim went to the hospital. The physical wounds maybe gone, but another hurt is deeper and felt by students across this university.

Kaye says, "they were kinda shocked that something like this could happen here, but i think hatred is everywhere... what we're hoping is, people can change their language ...stop saying things like that's so gay."

Kaye hopes this rally will help people make that change. On the Stand Up Against Hatred Facebook page created to get the word out, hundreds wrote they plan on attending.

"We're just hoping the community can come together and say this is not OK, we can't have that on grounds or really anywhere in our society...we're hoping people will realize a lot of people support this, and don't support hate or violence," he says.

Meanwhile, Carl Hoover-Walker, an eleven-year-old who killed himself after months of antigay taunts, would have had his 12th birthday on this year's Day of Silence.

(CNN coverage via Towleroad)

An 11-year-old Massachusetts boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hung himself Monday after enduring bullying at school, including daily taunts of being gay, despite his mother's weekly pleas to the school to address the problem. This is at least the fourth suicide of a middle-school aged child linked to bullying this year. Groups like GLSEN for years have worked to get schools to address bullying and antigay behavior.

This barrage of YouTube Fascism by the rightwing (justifiably and almost instantaneously rebutted and parodied multiple times) is being unleashed, coincidentally, at the same time thousands of idiotic rightwingers are teabagging each other. Hey, doofs, it's your bills that need to get paid. Suck it up.

Frenzied and leaderless, new monstrous subgroups of the headless GOPiggie herd are running rampant like wild animals with iMovie. They stand guilty of national bullicide.

Sisterific!

Sunday in the park, with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence's 30th anniversary.

It was great to see the hunks and hunky Jesuses, mediocre bonnet competition (except the winner), two horrid bands, and perfect weather.

Two mini-exhibits of Sisters art are at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the SF Public Library.

Easterlings

Happy Easter.

Happy Pagan pride.

Have an egg-cellent weekend.

NOM NOM, Dumb dumb

It's sweeping the gay blogs (and about half of all my friends' Facebook posts), so I might as well pile on.

The inane propagandistic and apparently Twilight-inspired cloudy-CGI lie-fomercial from the latest anti-gay anti-gay marriage cabal is both hilarious and heinously horrid.

The moronic National Organization for Marriage's acronym is the same as the LOLcat phrase "nom nom" which is LOLcatese for "Yummy Yummy!" They've also unleashed the 1 Million For Marriage cabal, which ironically uses the acronym 1M4M. Yeah, it's not a gay male hook-up site. Well, considering how many of the rightwing stooges are closet cases, who knows?

So much stupid, so little time. It's raining Stoopid!

And quick as a wink, hilariously bad paid actor greenscreen audition tapes have been unleashed.

Also, a remix of The Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men" and the lame-ass NOM video have gone viral.

I'm not linking to the rightwing video; don't wanna give it another click. Here's a response, though, with screencaps from the stupid video used:



For a full gay marriage video fest and judicial round-up, visit this post on Towleroad.com.

Okey-Bye!

Pansy Craze

A few weeks ago, I interviewed pioneering gay musician Jon Ginoli of Pansy Division. The lovely folks at Cleis Press gave me a copy of Ginoli's autobiography Deflowered: My Life in Pansy Division.

I just finished reading it today, partially while finally enjoying a few hours in sunny Dolores Park. Even the usual noise and curious dogs didn't faze my reading of this sweet and fascinating journey through the beginnings and arduous touring life of this funny, sweet and punk-pop band that made music history. It's great to read a band book where nobody dies of a drug overdose. Ginoli recounts the band's numerous tours around the country, in Europe, and opening for Green Day!

Look for Jon in your city, as he's in the middle of a months-long book tour, where I hear he plays a few songs, too.

Look for more Pansy Division in the Bay Area in August, when they reunite for gigs and perform songs from their new CD, That's So Gay.
They've also got a new film documentary on DVD. Enjoy more of their YouTube videos HERE.

The above video is one of their more dissonant, yet perfectly "gay" songs, "Vicious Beauty." I know a few high school guys who'd be perfect for the song's subject!

Ioway to go!

Just posted this on the BAR's website:

Breaking news: Iowa
court OKs same-sex marriage

NEWS
Published 04/09/2009
by Lisa Keen

In what's being hailed as an enormous victory for equal marriage rights for gay couples, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled unanimously Friday, April 3 that same-sex couples have the right to marriage licenses the same as heterosexual couples.

Read a PDF copy of the ruling HERE.

And, because it's my blog, and not my newspaper, here are pics of hot Iowa wrestlers!

Coi boy

New Livable Streets Campaign Transforms Worst Potholes into Coi Ponds

The SF Society of Urban Ichthyologists has launched a new campaign to urge City leaders to transform San Francsico's worst potholes into more attractive Coi Ponds. The largest potholes would be filled with water and locally farmed Coi to create more beautiful and peaceful streets. The beautification is also expected to attract more bicyclists, pedestrians and fisherman to our city streets. The SFBC applauds this innovative traffic calming measure, and supports the multiple uses of our cratered streets until a permanent fix is brought forward.

Seriously...Join our monthly Good Roads Pothole Ride this Saturday, April 4th, when pothole patrols will be leading a special edition "Park to Park" ride. We will start at the bike-friendly Duboce Park Cafe at 10am and head through the Richmond District to mark every pothole, crack, and trench we see. After our work smoothing San Francisco streets is done, we'll pick up picnic goodies and venture over to the SFBC's potluck in Golden Gate Park for the kick-off of Healthy Saturdays, car-free space in Golden Gate Park. Visit sfbike.org/goodroads for more information. Heavy rain cancels.
Details: Saturday, April 4th. Meet at 10am outside Duboce Park Cafe (Duboce + Sanchez).

(Thanks to the the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition for a witty April Fool's Day newsletter!)