'Superman Returns': A Heap of Homo Hype

You know how we've been hearing for months about the inevitable gayness of 'Superman Returns'?

It's turns out to be a crock of kryptonite.

Straight-guy Jeff and I expose it for what it really is: The Straightest Movie of the Summer.

Click to Find Out Why: It's a Bird ... It's a Plane ... It's NOT Gay


More Super Links
A Superstar Is Born
'Superman Returns': Behind the Scenes
Kablam! Stars Who Failed as Superheroes
'Superman Returns' Info, Showtimes & Tickets

Plus: 'Super' Blog Stuff from My New Favorite Movie Blog: Summer Movie Madness
Battle of the Lexes | The Lois Lane Showdown | The Movie of the Summer

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Tags: 'Superman Returns', Gay

You Gotta Start Somewhere

My pal Tye over in AOL Music put together this very hot collection of music videos starring (well, not necessarily STARRING) men you know and love today -- but back before they became household names. Check out:

-- 'CSI' stud Gary Dourdan smooching on Janet Jackson
-- A young Brandon Routh getting a super education on 'What a Girl Wants'
-- An even younger-looking Josh Duhamel who chases after Christina Aguilera

Also included are videos from Wentworth Miller, Matthew McConaughey, Matt LeBlanc, 'Grey's Anatomy' hottie Justin Chambers and a bunch of other guys who are fun to drool over.

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Did George Clooney Kiss My Straight Guy-Friend?

My straight writing partner went on vacation.

Having nothing better to do one day, I snooped around looking at stuff he's published.

In doing so, I discovered something in his past. Something he wrote. Something very gay.

Was the kiss he says he got from George Clooney for real? A dream? A cry for help?

Check it out, then you tell me.

Straighten Out: Did George Clooney Kiss My Straight Friend?

 

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Would a Fourth 'Brady Bunch' Boy Have Been Gay?

Study: Why Older Brothers and a Mother's Womb Can Make Men Gay



If Mike Brady and his first wife had had another son, science says there's a darn good chance he might have been gay. Think of the hijinks of Greg, Peter, Bobby and Bruce. Now that's a very Brady sequel I'd like to see.

A new study out documents that boys who have several older brothers are more likely to be gay, adding further evidence that biology is a determining factor in homosexuality.

This makes a lot of sense if you look at the large number of gay Mormons and Catholics. People of these two faiths tend to have large families. And while religion isn't addressed in the study, I know just from my own anecdotal observation that the younger guys of these large broods very often do turn out to be gay.

Note that just being raised with brothers isn't the cause of the big brother effect. It's actually something that happens in the womb. Younger brothers who didn't grow up with their older brothers were still more likely to be gay, and younger brothers who grew up with older non-biological brothers were not. Nature trumps nurture once again.

The study says that "the [big brother] effect is probably the result of a 'maternal memory,'" meaning the mother's womb actually remembers that it's already produced X number of boys, and somehow signals the body in a way that "provides a prenatal environment that fosters homosexuality in her younger sons."

If TV writers had known this all along, can you imagine how much more fun 'Bonanza,' 'The Waltons' and 'My Three Sons' could have been?

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The REAL Hot 100 Women

A list so hot, not even Eva Longoria, Jessica Simpson or Paris Hilton made the cut



Not that I have anything against nice breasts, but don't you think it's about time (OK, way PAST time) that women deserve to be recognized for something greater than their bust size?

Between Maxim's Hot 100, Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, the FHMs of the world and any number of other similar babe-fests, mainstream media continues to peddle women as scantily clad sex objects, with scant attention paid to the fact that women also happen to have brains.

In P!nk's song 'Stupid Girls,' she asks:

"What happened to the dreams of a girl president
She's dancing in the video next to 50 Cent
They travel in packs of two or three
With their itsy bitsy doggies and their teeny-weeny tees
Where, oh where, have the smart people gone?
Oh where, oh where could they be?"

Newsflash: They're out there, and our friends at Feministing.com have found them.

Behold The REAL Hot 100, a list of women who are way hot, not because of how they look, but because of who they are and what they do. Feministing says:

"REALLY hot women are smart. REALLY hot women work for change. REALLY hot women aren’t afraid to speak their minds. And while some REALLY hot women might look awesome in a bikini, they know that’s not all they have to offer.

The REAL hot 100 is a list featuring young women from around the country who are breaking barriers, fighting stereotypes, and making a difference in their communities or the nation.

This project will not only combat the popular notion that all young women have to offer is their ability to appeal to men, but it will also highlight the important -- but often overlooked -- work young women are doing."

That's HOT. These women are amazing.

   Click Here to Meet the Winners

Also See: 'The Toughest Girls inHollywood'

 

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The Importance of Being Not Too Earnest

I received an e-mail a couple days ago from a reader who thought AOL Gay & Lesbian should be more serious:

"When the numerous serious conflicts around the world and here are playing themselves out you choose to display drag queens and clowns riding floats. Why not talk about the Bush anti-gay amendment; gays in the military (like those serving now) etc. Instead of further alienating straights and conservative gays or just plain mainstream gays, you could do more."

When it popped in my inbox, I slipped into a momentary shame spiral and pondered my own shallowness. I even rattled off a short e-mail to the guy with links to "serious" blog posts I've written over the past month or so.

I don't know why I got defensive. I do cover serious topics. But later that day, I thought more about his e-mail and several, more rational thoughts ran through my head. The first was that the guy probably wrote to me while sitting in his mother's basement, in his underwear, watching reruns of 'Gilligan's Island', surfing gay Web sites of ill repute. He accidentally stumbled on my site and decided it was my fault his ex-boyfriend dumped him for someone way better, so he proceeded to dump on me by telling me *I* could do more to help the gays. Isn't that usually the case?

But more importantly, I thought to myself, listen Mr. More-Serious-Than-Thou: Drag queens, dykes on bikes, faeries, leather queens and yes, clowns on floats --  ARE serious. In case you forgot, drag queens gave us the Gay Pride you're walking on.

Gay Pride, while we make it look fun, is still a serious political action, especially in smaller communities. Gay Pride is about visibility, and not just visibility for guys who drive BMWs, have good jobs and wear fabulous clothes. It's for everyone. It's not by invitation only.

I've really been sort of amazed at how many people just like Mr. Serious -- and it's mostly gay MEN, I'm ashamed to say -- have shared comments just like his with me this Pride season. They don't want to see freaks on parade. I say too bad. Get a life. Why is it that people who are part of an oppressed community, who want their civil rights, who want to be treated with respect, don't see the failings of their wanting that for themselves, but not for any other GLBT folks who don't look or act exactly like they do?

Frankly, these Mr. Serious types are the ones giving us a bad reputation, not the drags, sissies and butches.

And another thing: One of the best things about being gay, les, bi and trans, is the homoceptional ability we have to play and be silly. I think it's a homo-coping mechanism. We make people laugh, including ourselves, as a way of getting our message across. If you've got dramatic flair, why not leverage it?

It would empower the wrong people for me to say we laugh to keep from crying. Just because we're being funny or fiercely fagulous, don't think we're not serious. We want the right to live life as WE see fit. We don't need discrimination from society in general, and we don't need discrimination among the ranks either.

Bottom line: Let's be serious, but not take ourselves too seriously.

And with that, I want to share this awesome video which is part of L.A. Pride's celebration this year. It's seriously a blast. Watch it. I know you'll think so too.

And Happy Gay Pride!

 Click to Watch the Gayest Video Ever

 

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The Greatest Gay Song Ever

It's as American as ... Gay People!



What's the greatest gay song ever? In honor of Gay Pride, I'll tell you.

You are so wrong if you're expecting Over the Rainbow/ I’m Coming Out/ It’s Raining Men/ I Will Survive/ I Am What I Am.

Not that I have anything against those songs. I love them all. They are legendary Pride anthems.

But the greatest gay song ever is 'A Patriotic Finale,' the most celebratory, clever and fun song about being gay you will ever hear.

Never heard of it? Meet your friendly, neighborhood show tune queen: Me.

'A Patriotic Finale' is from 'When Pigs Fly,' a romp of a show that Ziegfield would have loved -- if he'd had a commitment ceremony with Noel Coward. It's the brainchild of Howard Crabtree, with sketches and lyrics by Mark Waldrop and music by Dick Gallagher. When it opened in New York in 1996, the New York Times called it an "exceptionally cheerful, militantly gay new musical revue that comes close to living up to its own billing, 'the side-splitting musical extravaganza.'"

No one -- and I mean no one -- I have ever played this song for hasn't grinned ear to ear. It will make you laugh. It will make you marvel at the cleverness of gay people. It will make you glad you're gay. If you're not gay, it will either make you want to be gay, or at least want to know someone who is.

Check out a few of the lyrics below. I encourage you to download this song from AOL Music Now or iTunes, or buy it on Amazon. Think of it as my little Pride gift to you (only with you forking over the .99 cents/$12 bucks.)

A Few Select Lines From 'A Patriotic Finale'

You can't take the color out of Colorado
You can't take the Mary out of Mary-Land
As John Phillip Sousa said, "I can't march
If I can't hear the boys in the band."

You can't take the sissy out of Mississippi
He's there and he's going to stay
And so Q.E.D., it's as plain as ABC
You need US to make the USA

Who will never be passe in Old El Paso?
Who will always know what's new in New Orleans?
Chicago without chic would be boring and oblique
And you can't have New York City without QUEENS

You cannot replace those Staten Island faeries
And who'll always keep Santa fey?
Yes, we're proud to state, we help make this country great
You need US to make the USA

It goes on. It gets better. It's the greatest gay song EVER.

But hey -- this is just my opinion. What do YOU think the gayest song ever is?  Post the obvious -- or the obscure. Think you can out-gay me? Try. Just try.

 

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New York Pride

This weekend is the big Pride weekend. A whole bunch of cities will celebrate all things gay, lesbian, bi and trans  -- including, of course, New York City.

Two cool things I want to share. First, video producer Richard Davis sent me a link to the Pride edition of 'Out at the Center,' a video segment hosted by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in New York:


Click Here to Watch

"The Pride Edition is hosted by Mimi Gonzalez and features an interview with Gilbert Baker, the creator of the rainbow flag; a first-hand account from Rich Wandel on the first marches of the Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee. Richard Burns shares personal stories from 20 years in the movement. There is a segment on marriage equality and footage from this year's AIDS Walk. Throughout the show, lesbian, gay, bi and trans New Yorkers give their perspective on the meaning of pride."






Second, I want to give big, fat, gay props to Florent, my dearest friend in New York who has the honor of serving as Grand Marshall of the NYC Pride March this year along with Christine Quinn, the Speaker of City Council.

You go, Flo! I'm SO proud of you and all you do for the many communities in which you are such an active force.

I love you, man! 

PS. Thanks to Towleroad for the amazing tribute he wrote to Florent a while back.

Update 6/23/2006: The New York Times Loves on Florent:
A Happy Fellow, and No Doubt a Heroic One, Too

 

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The Signs of Pride

Click to View Photos

I love Pride and protest signs. My esteemed colleagues here at AOL and I put together this gallery of the Signs of Pride. The photos are all from the DC Gay Pride parade, like this gallery from last week, but focus solely on all the cool signs people marched with.

Whether handmade, machine printed, or drawn on the sidewalk with chalk by a group of teenagers in Dupont Circle, they represent the courage of people's convictions.

My favorite protest sign moment ever? Activist-treasure Urvashi Vaid holding up a placard that read "Talk Is Cheap. AIDS Funding Is Not" at George H.W. Bush's first-ever policy speech on AIDS. Love her!

 

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When Jocks Are a Gay Guy's Best Friend

It's always awesome when straight guys call other straight guys on their homophobic jibber jabber. One of my favorite straight guy blogger (and you have to admit, adorable) colleagues did so yesterday on his sports blog.

Blog Boy Chris Mottram writes Saved by the Blog. ("They've done studies: 60% of the time, this blog is funny every time.")  He and his brother, super blogger Jamie Mottram (fraternal hottie Mr. Irrelevant), are two of the hosts of an ultra-popular podcast on AOL, Sports Bloggers Live. You should check it out if you like that sort of thing. Although I usually don't know what the hell they're talking about, I listen anyway because I like their jokes.

I know nothing about sports. On the day of the Super Bowl, I was flying home from a weekend in South Beach and every TV on JetBlue was set to the Superbowl ... except one. Guess who was watching men's figure skating?

Wait, that's technically a sport. Maybe I'm a jock and I don't even know it? But I digress ...

It seems some ballplayer -- Ozzie Guillen -- called some sportswriter -- Jay Mariotti --  something bad: "What a piece of s*** he is, f****** fag.''

While I have never heard of either of these dudes, I was still happy to see Chris send Guillen to the dugout for it. And he did so immediately -- way before ESPN.

So check out Chris' post, brilliantly illustrated with the Guillen photo below, and tell him you appreciate it, too.

 

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'Gay Bashing Is Alive and Well'

Tricia Romano has an interesting piece in the Village Voice about the gay-bashing of drag performer extraordinaire Kevin Aviance. 

In addition to paying tribute to Aviance's talent, she uses the crime to comment on the rise of anti-gay violence. She talks to drag queens, famed drag king Murray Hill and others about life in New York, and how it actually feels more dangerous now to some to walk down the street if you're queer.

It's doubly hard to square the frequency of gay bashings with the public perception that it's OK to be gay. "Just because we have gay TV shows and all that, these things are just a fantasy," [drag performer Honey] Dijon says. "It's like two different realities. It's like 'The Matrix.' There's the virtual reality and what's happening in the real world. And what's happening on the street is a reflection of what our larger government and religious institutions are doing. What's the difference between what the government did in Iraq and what they did to Kevin Aviance? One is sanctioned and the other is not?"

Although the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs cited a 13% decrease in reported incidents of anti-GLBT violence nationally in 2005 over 2004, the numbers for 2006 so far in New York are higher than last year, according to Romano's research.

The chasm between the perceived increase in acceptance by society and reports of an increase in gay-bashing is an interesting discrepancy to contemplate.

The question is: What do we do about it?

More: See, Share Comments for Kevin Aviance

 

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What Was Reich Is Wrong

Pentagon Goes Too Far on Gays



Call me crazy, but the I think the U.S. military is losing it. Big time.

A document has surfaced in which the Pentagon says that gay people have a "mental disorder." It puts gays on a list of those with "defects." Others on the same list include people with mental retardation and personality disorders.

People, the significance of this Pentagon document is huge. Our own government is ignoring what mental health experts established more than 30 years ago when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. Our own government is sliding back the clock to a time when gays were labeled as sick.

You may recall that Hitler's Third Reich called homosexuality "degenerate behavior" -- and sent gays to concentration camps. Why? Because gay men were enemies of the state. In 1936, Hitler's government created an office called the "Reich Central Office for the Combating of Homosexuality and Abortion," whose job included compiling lists of (and later persecuting) its gay citizens.

Scholar Jack Nusan Porter cites and sources the following as one of the main reasons why Hitler didn't want gays in the military -- or anywhere else:

"Hitler's misgivings about homosexuality stemmed primarily from self-interest. His objection to it as a vice or symptom of effeminacy was only secondary. The main danger, as he saw it, was that it would infiltrate the political leadership and constitute itself a secret Order of the Third Sex." Hans Peter Bleuel [Sex and Society in Nazi Germany, New York: Lippincott, 1973]

Did you catch that? Hitler was afraid gay people might rise in the ranks. Maybe that is what our own military is afraid of -- not gays in shower rooms and barracks, as is so often cited. (Read: Give me a break.)

Does it seem like a stretch to link the Pentagon's actions with those of Hitler's government? I really don't think it is. While Canada, Belgium, France, Britain, Germany and a list of other nations are welcoming gays into their military ranks, our government codifies gays as sick. So tell me: Could the creation of a "U.S. Office for the Combating of Homosexuality" be far off? Maybe not.

More Coverage: Pentagon Gay 'Disorder' List Row (BBC)
See the Document: The Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military

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The Blog as Performance Art Can Be Way Gay

If you're in NYC tomorrow night, Tuesday, June 20, check out the Gay Pride month mounting of the WYSIWYG Talent Show. Organizers call the monthly event a "showcase for the oft-overlooked genius of bloggers in or visiting New York City."

How could you NOT love a show titled 'Way Gay ... Even Gayer Gay Gayness'?

As the Gayest Editor Ever, this brings a ton of very warm, very gay feelings to my heart, because if everything was way gayer, we'd all be better off.

Here's a list of the seven way talented talent show bloggers, and my own little favorite recent clip from each of their way gay blogs.

Ham & Cheese on Wry
Curly makes me smirk 'n' smile -- almost daily.

"Because I'm one of the gays and, you know, we all know each other, I can say without equivocation that no, Marcie [of the Peanuts comic strip fame] is not a sister. It chagrins me to do so since, clearly, the recruitment efforts of another lesbian (hello, Peppermint Patty) were less-than-successful. But fear not, fellow dykes, at last check, Patty had surrendered her decoder ring and the secret handshake was changed so that she is no longer in-the-know." See the Rest of her post: 'Debunking the Myth about Marcie's Sexuality'

GregWalloch.com
Performance artist Greg Walloch is worried that people are saying he's not a real blogger because he doesn't post every day.

"May be it's because I have an actual life that I'm busy living? Seeing as my last post was way more than a month ago though,they may indeed be right to question my authenticity. In any case, here is a glimpse at recent real life events and all of the awesome folks I've had the privilege of workin' with."

And the guy *IS* super busy as he describes in great, but very interesting and way gay detail:  'Blog MIA? Check Me Out In the Flesh!'

The Femme Files: Lipstick. Lube. Links.
Femme Files' one-line bio is "Queering femininity one post at a time." I love this send-up on the "types" she encounters at her "Queer Salsa" lessons:

"There are no men and women in Queer Salsa, but leaders and followers. If they were feeling a little more brave they would just call it tops and bottoms and acknowledge the switches among us.  Nonetheless, it’s really interesting to see who makes eye contact, who avoids my eyes completely, how people lead.  Here is a sample of the leaders who twirl me about the dance floor Thursday evenings:" 'Follow the Leader'

Manhattan Offender
I love Rod Townsend's posts and the ways in which he calls things out that he encounters in everyday life.

"The timing of the juggernaut that is Pride Month with the institution of Father's Day is really just coincidence, but to look at Sunday's Times you may get the impression from both advertising and editorial that it is more a matter of synergy.  In just the first section the advertisements from almost all of the major department store advertising looks as if the 'D-A-D' oriented text could easily be substituted for 'G-A-Y'." Check out his 'The Times Wishes You a Happy Father's Gay'

The Search for Love in Manhattan
Author Joel Derfner is an ironic, twisted man. Here's one of his ironies. You can check out his site for the twisted.

"Remember when I went to Seattle for auditions for a show of mine and ended up thinking that most of the men who auditioned for us were too gay?
Well, we cast a couple of them anyway.
And I have learned, after being in rehearsal for a week and a half, that they're straight.
Luckily, they're terrific performers, so everything is okay, except for the fact that I don't understand anything anymore." More at The Search for Love in Manhattan

Milk Bubble Instrumental
Lyricist "dj:ayedn" writes soulful observations about his art, music and the world around him.

"I dont cry as often as I should. I'm not moved as often as I should be. I guess my goal can be to be so moved that I create something that would make someone cry. To be so entirely beautiful. So incredibly powerful.So definitively tight. That replay after replay it challenges the spirit to interpret the sound into feeling. And that feeling so full so beautiful so perfect and compromising." .:.:. :.:. You like my music because there’s love in my song .:.:.

Joe.My.God
Worth Repeating favorite Joe.My.God is a great, way gay writer and observer. I love how he keeps gay history alive, too, by talking about gay stuff that "kids these days" (my quotes) may not have had any exposure to, or lack the context to appreciate. The following was a fun follow-up post to his piece on the phrase to "read someone's beads" (see the link below if you don't know what I'm talking about). Joe's also brilliant at involving his readers, as he did in this post on favorite drag names. He got over 200 replies. I guess I'm not the only one who loves Joe.

"After I posted last week about Rita Beads, some of you wrote to me to tell me your own favorite drag names. We're due for a giggle here, so let's devote a post to that theme, yes? My own taste in drag names runs from the really infantile, like SuppositoriSpelling, to the inexplicably funny, like Peaches Christ. See? It's funny every time you say it. Peaches Christ! I'm not crazy about the old punny standbys like Virginia Hamm, Bertha Vanation, AnitaMann, etc, although for many that is their favorite form. I do have a soft spot for the hilariously grandiose names preferred by some of the black drag queens, names such as Monique de Bon Marche' or Veroniquevon Velioux. (I just made those up, but you know the kind I mean, right?) By the way... Peaches CHRIST!  Yup, still funny.  1. Rita Beads.  2. Peaches Christ 3. Suppositori Spelling"  See What People Posted for Joe.

 

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'A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story'

Don't forget to set your TiVo tonight for Lifetime's portrayal of Gwen Araujo, a transgendered teenager who was beaten to death in California by a group of young men.

The Washington Blade gives it good marks. Reviewer Brian Moylan writes that the film focuses to a great extent on the relationship between Araujo (played by J.D. Pardo) and her mother (Mercedes Ruehl):

"Take, for instance, a scene where [her mother], who has been trying to force Araujo to dress as a boy for months, finally realizes that she must accept her daughter for who she is. In a crying fit, Araujo screams, “I’m a freak,” and Guerrero answers, “You’re not a freak. We just need to redo your makeup. You know they have waterproof mascara.”

Although that reads "funny," it's a huge statement about acceptance. And so is this movie.

· Official Site: 'A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story' (Lifetime)
· AOL TV Editor's Pick | See Local TV Listings


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Straighten Out Answers Reader Mail

My writing partner Jeff wrote this intro to our Straighten Out column this week:

"It’s not easy having a penetrating conversation about the difference between gay and straight each week. In preparing this column, Kenny has to endure a lot of ridiculous, unintentionally bigoted questioning from me, and I’m sure he’s getting tired of it. And combating Kenny’s homosexual superiority complex is, frankly, exhausting for me. But just when I think we’ve run out of stuff to fight about, you, our dear readers, come through like the cavalry on a fleet of flying carpets with some amazing e-mails."

That's right, people: Now we give advice. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Topics we cover this week include:
-- should she marry a guy who has dated men?
-- how should he deal with angry fundamentalist Christians?
-- wanna hook-up?
-- do his male longings make him gay?
-- boxers or briefs?

You can get the answers, but you have to click first: Straighten Out.

PS: Should you tell your straight friend that he starred in your gay dream?
That was last week's issue, which I failed to post here, but you can still read it if you're interested: Gay Dreams, Man-Touching and the Art of Over-Gaying

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D.C. Does Pride

Click here to see the photo gallery.

Had some fun at DC Pride last weekend, and here are the photos to prove it. AOL photographer Dave Rogowski and his handsome sidekick, Danny, shot these.

I have to say that the DC Pride parade feels underproduced for such a big city with such a huge gay population. There were 80 contingents, but I wasn't overwhelmed by the floats. The participants and the crowd were all very spirited, however.

More Gay Pride coverage on AOL Gay & Lesbian

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Republican Governor Fires Anti-Gay Appointee

File this story under "One Step Forward."



Gov. Bob Ehrlich, the Republican governor of Maryland, made it clear that throwing around words like "sexual deviancy" when referring to the lives of gay men and lesbians will not be tolerated in his administration.

Ehrlich fired Robert J. Smith, a political appointee on the (Washington) Metro transit authority board, for making an anti-gay comment while a guest on a public access TV show. In fact, it was vice presidential daughter Mary Cheney's "lifestyle" that prompted the remark as reported in today's Washington Post:

"On last weekend's show, Smith interrupted another speaker who was talking about federalism and Vice President Cheney's daughter. The speaker said Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, would not want the government interfering in her life, according to a recording of that portion of the show.

"That's fine, that's fine," Smith interrupted. "But that doesn't mean that government should proffer a special place of entitlement within the laws of the United States for persons of sexual deviancy."

Ehrlich said the comments were in "direct conflict to my administration's commitment to inclusiveness, tolerance and opportunity."

I found it amusing but not surprising that Tim Graham's blog post today on 'Newsbusters' -- the blog that saves the world from "liberal media bias" -- said, "WashPost Finds Maryland Governor 'Centrist' For Pandering to Gay Left."  This was the best part:

"The Post is announcing on its front page today where America is headed: people will not be discriminated against for being gay. People will be discriminated against for being "anti-gay." Orthodox religion will be castigated as "hate speech" and punished in the public square. Liberals say they are "free speech advocates," but not when Christians speak outagainst sexual sin. There is no room for debate, only denunciation."

Conservatives just do not get it. We don't all have to agree, but there are respectful ways to talk about our differences. Why do they feel compelled to cast aspersions in such holier-than-thou, judgmental, hurtfulways? Then they call it liberal bias and reverse-discrimination when they get called on their prejudice.

They call hate speech free speech. It's not.

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Jared Leto Is So Straight!

Ever since Jared Leto didn't come out on AOL, I've hated him.

At the time, I was slightly amused that he played with his interviewer, casually tossing out his proffered, "I'll give you an exclusive ... I'm gay," only to have his publicist later explain he was "just kidding."

Since then, I've come to think about him in the way I did before the big coming out, and that is: I don't think about him.

Seriously, when I first got wind of the big interview, I had to Google the guy. He wasn't on my radar. Although he has been in more movies than one might think, I guess he never made much of an impact on me. The TV era during which 'My So-Called Life'  played was not in sync with my age demo's TV habits, so I just never knew him as an actor.

I do know him now -- as a smartass, though. I still can't figure out what moved him to falsely represent himself as being gay. I'm pretty sure it was to score some publicity for his band -- I never knew he had a band -- a stunt which strikes me as desperate and lacking in creativity in every sense of the word.

Of course, I do harbor some suspicion that his coming-out-capades may be an indicator that perhaps he does harbor some desire for man-on-man lovin.'  But since it appears that he mostly just played the gay card to benefit no one but himself and his crappy band, I don't give a flying, um, rainbow flag either way.

Which brings me to this little gem of a video clip. This is Leto on Jimmy Kimmel, only with added hilarious Celebrity Translation from VH1's Best Week Ever.

And I'm SO glad he's NOT gay.

Click, Laugh, Gloat

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Could Thy Neighbor Be a Bigot? If They're on This List, Then Yes

Just how well do you 'Know Thy Neighbor'? If you live in Florida, you may be able to find out.

The Christ Church of Peace in Jacksonville, Florida, has launched a campaign in which they publish the names of people who signed a petition to get an anti-gay marriage initiative on the Florida ballot.

Why? First, to help weed out fraudulent signatures. Second, to provide a tool for people who discover that their next-door neighbor signed the thing.

Organizers hope that gay people and their friends and family can use this information to begin a face-to-face dialogue with the petition-signers and tell them first-hand about the ways in which anti-gay bills like this actually affect real people, even people they know. Their next-door neighbors, for example.

'Know Thy Neighbor' was originally started in Massachusetts for a similar situation. 

This kind of political organizing is brilliant. It pulls the curtain back on bigotry. It enables conversation. And it's all being masterminded by a church, no less.

Someone asked me if it's "fair" to make the names public. My answer: Absolutely. 


Pro-gay Know Thy Neighbor Campaign Comes to Florida (The Advocate)
See Who's on the List (Christ Church of Peace)

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Macy's Marks Down Gay Pride -- Way Down

It's almost hard to believe that a MACY's in Boston would be so stupid as to start Gay Pride month with a kick-ass window display, only to later strip it down because a small group of conservatives got their fruit-of-the-looms in a wad over it.

The right-wing nut-jobs complained that the display included "male mannequins with enlarged breasts, and one was wearing a skirt. It was really disgusting."

Um, it's called working out? And I think that's a towel wrapped around the guy's waist; shin-length skirts are so 2005.

The Boston Pride Committee has said that Macy's apologized to them for the incident and has "given their assurance that Macy's will continue to support LBGT Pride Events in Boston and will take appropriate actions."

Sorry, but that doesn't really cut it. And I can't believe Boston Pride is being that nice about it.

I also don't think Auntie Mame would like this one bit. Like she said when Macy's fired her: "Don't forget the skates for the little nippers. Get 'em at Gimbel's!"

Get More Macy's Window-Scoop:
· Towleroad Round-Up
· 'Gay Mannequins Take Sex Hormones' (Boston Herald)
· 'Crisis Pros Offer Advice' (Boston Herald)

 

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Gay Pride: No Fats, Fems, Drags, or Butch Dykes, Please

It's Gay Pride month, and blogger Joe.My.God. is pissed.

Why? Because because the gay community seems to slowly but surely be turning their backs on the fringe, the gay people who don't look "mainstream," the very queer people who made Gay Pride possible in the first place.

At last year's New York Pride, Joe overheard a man tell a friend why he wasn't going to watch the parade: "Those defectives and freaks?" he spat, indicating the colorful crowd outside the store, "They have nothing to do with MY life, thank you very much. This parade has as much dignity as a carnival freak show. It's no wonder the whole country hates us."

Now, Joe rips him a new one -- and everyone else who thinks gays should look like, well, everyone else.

This is a great read. I have to say I agree completely. Do you?

Watching the Defectives, by Joe.My.God

 

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That's So Gay, and By That I Mean ...

What do you think of when you hear, "that's so gay"?

The Times Online U.K. writes that "the word 'gay' now means 'rubbish' in modern playground-speak and need not be offensive to homosexuals, the BBC Board of Governors has ruled."

That's pretty huge. The American equivalent would be for NBC to say that journalists can use "gay" when they mean "stupid" or "crap." And it's because that's what kids say on the playground? Bollocks.

That seems like a really asinine reason if you ask me, not to mention offensive as hell. It's one thing for kids to use the word that way, it's quite another for the BBC Board of Governors to say that it's acceptable use in a professional media environment because it's "keeping up with developments in English usage."

I'm actually very interested in the use of the word "gay" and the phrase "that's so gay." One of the reasons is that it seems that the meaning can vary widely by people who say it or hear it. When you say it, it might mean one thing, and when I say it, it could be something completely different.

When used on playgrounds, or by some idiot adults, yes, it's pejorative. They equate it with "lame" (a term I hate) or, as with "rubbish" above, "stupid" or otherwise undeserving of respect. 

I was CC'd on an e-mail this week where someone I know and like wrote "check out [blah blah blah] ... it's incredibly gay. Not in a derogatory sense, but the [blah, blah, blah] does have a huge host of gay metaphors!"

The fact that he said it that way was both cool and kind of insulting. He was down with the fact that it was gay, but by needing to clarify that he wasn't saying that in a derogatory way reinforced a negative use of the word.

When I say "that's so gay," it's a celebration. To me, gay is good. On this blog and in other things that I've written, I'll call something "gay" -- and then proceed to hear FROM GAY PEOPLE that I'm defaming them. I'm not. If I say something is gay, it means fabulous, beautiful, brilliant. It's embracing. But it's interesting that even gay people can hear "that's gay" as a negative.

I don't say "gay" or even "that's so gay" like it's a bad thing. But a growing number of people do.

Meanings of words do change. The Times Online U.K. has a timeline of  "gay" which I share below. I wonder what the future of "gay" is?

I have two questions:

1) Do you think "gay" will ever mean "good" again?

2) Do we need a new name for "gay"? Because I have been called "trash," but I'm not "stupid."


HOW BRIGHT BECAME DULL
· Believed to derive from Old French “gai”, the Latin “gaius” ora Germanic source. Originally meant “carefree”, “happy” or “bright and showy”
· From late 17th century acquired sexual connotation of “uninhibited by moral constraints”
· Gertrude Stein’s Miss Furr & Miss Skeene (1922) cited as first published reference to ambiguous sexuality
· Noel Coward pens tribute to dandies of the “gay Nineties” wearing green carnations in 1929 musical Bitter Sweet
· Used to describe foppish dress code, unattached men or bachelors until adopted by homosexuals themselves in 1960s
· Originally used as an adjective (“he is gay”), the word is adopted as singular noun (“I am the only gay in the village”)
· Children and students use gay as shorthand for “rubbish” during 1990s
· Bloggers substitute “gay” for “boring” or “dull”, reversing original meaning

 

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Gay Marriage: It's All the Rage. And I Do Mean Rage.

Featuring Reader Comments and Your Feedback





George Bush held a press conference yesterday in which he professed to care very much about the moral integrity of our nation. He outlined the reasons why it's necessary that Congress work to amend the Constitution to ban gays from being able to marry in states that might otherwise sanction it. It has virtually no chance of passing in the Senate, but as I said in my last blog post, this whole thing is about elections and not really about gay marriage at all.

I was glad ABC news noticed, as I did, that the Bush press conference was moved out of the Rose Garden where it was previously scheduled to be held: "The president stood on the stage alone, gave a muted speech and quickly left ... While his words in favor of the Marriage Protection Amendment were tough, the event itself  lacked the pageantry that could have backed up the force of his words."

Did Bush (read: his handlers) experience some last-minute second-guessing as to how it might look for the leader of the free world to be using such a grand and floral presidential pulpit to so visibly single out a group of Americans as second-class citizens? And waving around the U.S. Constitution as a master uses his whip, no less?

I got an e-mail today from my high school English teacher. He's a dear friend now and has been for 25+ years, but it's still fun to refer to him as "my high school English teacher." He reads my blog (talk about pressure to punctuate) and wrote to me to echo my outrage, saying that Bush's constitutional meddling is "the first time ever our Constitution is used to be discriminatory, exclusive instead of inclusive. It would mean the destruction of the document and another step toward the fascism this administration stands for."

In fact, I received a bunch of outraged e-mail on this topic, and outraged comments left here on the blog -- on both sides of the issue, of course. I'll share a few of my favorites, and hope you'll continue to chime in with your thoughts as well. The headlines are mine:


Against Amending the Constitution
"It is quite clear that Conservatives have nothing left to fall back on and are now pushing this issue in attempt to rally their base. Many of whom are afraid of what they do not know. It is mind boggling that they are so quick to discriminate against gay couples who deserve the same rights as those that are afforded to straight couples through marriage. I also blame the Gay and Lesbian organizations who are supposed to help fight against these blatant attempts to alienate gay people by not acting as aggressively as possible. By aggressive I mean a campaign that would help educate the ignorant as to the many contribution of gay and lesbians and one that would remind people that our country should have already learned its lesson about what discrimination does to the fabric of society in general. It is long overdue ... "
Comment from heproductions1


In Favor of Amending the Constitution
"'We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal' by Thomas Jefferson does not mean that marriage should be between two men or two women as our whole Christian Heritage is based on the principal that society is best served by a socially accepted and legally defined marriage as between one man and one woman. Not one man and several women or one women and several men or man and man or woman and woman but between one man and one woman. The gay party are going to extend their beliefs that they should have rights that are not inherintly deemed by the majority of society to be good for that society and no matter how you feel about that it would serve your better interests as gays to back off on areas that are going to cause a greater discrimintion of you than you have had in the past. Perhaps some intelligent reflection would serve your intersts better than provoking the majority of society that want their standards as they have been..."
Comment from petewellton


Let Me Guess: You Were Homeschooled, Right?
"GOD MADED MALE AND FMALE TO BE TOGETHER AND TO INJOY BEINGWITH MALE AND FMALE.  NOTTT!!! WITH MALE & MALE OR FMALE & FMALE. YOU!!! SHOULD READ THE BIBLE!!!!GOD!!!DOES NOT WANT YOU TO BE GAY'''''ORLESBIAN''''.IF SO HE WOULD NOT HAVE MADED US DIFFERENT'''SO LIVE IN THIS KIND OF SIN  AND YOU WILL GO TO HELLSFIRE .READDD YOUR''''BIBLE'''''BE FOR IT TOO LATE. K.D.C.KIDWELL.INDIANA. "
Comment from kidwellc


People Who SAY They Don't Hate Gays, Then Proceed to Hate on Gays
"God didn't want Adam to be lonely and created WOMAN.  I don't hate gay/lesbian people.  Those I've worked with have been some of the hardest working, fun people to be teamed with on a project.  I pray they all get the psychological help needed before they burn in hell's fire.  God may have made them predisposed to prefer someone of the same sex, but that is just their personal 'thorn in the flesh' that God can help them with if they seek His will.  We all have 'thorns' which shows God's power and our weakness. We need to lean on HIM!!  We know His will so why deliberately make laws to go against Him?"
Comment from olsontype


Favorite Zinger
"And for those who oppose gay marriage i  i hope  your  kids come out gay"
Comment from penthouseboiz


Least Favorite Zinger
"Why did the closet need to be opened?"
Comment from gecollc

 

UPDATE: June 7, 2006, 1:00 PM Eastern:

· Senate Rejects Ban on Gay Marriage (AOL News)
· Jon Stewart Hits a Gay Marriage Home Run (The Malcontent)


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Why Bush Wants Gay Marriage Banned in the U.S. Constitution NOW

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal." * -- Thomas Jefferson

*Unless they are gay or lesbian. -- George Bush




Midterm elections are only five months off. Bad timing since Bush's poll numbers are reaching all-time lows, hovering around 30 percent of Americans who approve of the job he's doing. Many of his own supporters are fed up with him -- and the Republican party -- over the bungling of the war in Iraq, the price of gas, a growing government that is anything but limited and certainly not spendthrift. And don't forget the sea of scandals in Congress, lingering anger over hurricane response, and total disbelief about goverment eavesdropping on American citizens.

America knows Bush is on the wrong track. He's nervous, and the GOP is even more so.

So what's a flailing president to do? Hey! How about some good old-fashioned gay bashing?

George Bush is stinking up the White House rose garden tomorrow with something he's actually very good at: a big, pompous display of calculated hate-mongering (immigration, anyone?) Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to play the gay card again.

George Bush will gather his people, and a big bunch of reporters and cameras, in Jackie Kennedy's gorgeous rose garden -- he's making news here, folks -- and warn America that it's imperative that Congress amend the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage.

Does this bill have even a slim chance of passing the Senate on Tuesday? No. Why then is he doing this, you may ask?

1: He and his party are scared.

2: He knows how to play to people's worst fears.

3: Most importantly, it's a perfect tool to make democrats and anyone else who opposes the bill look bad. Think of the commercials they can create to let homophobic-leaning voters know that XYZ-candidate supports gay marriage!


I'm sure Bush has some good zingers lined up for tomorrow. This is what he had to say in his Saturday radio address yesterday:

"Ages of experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and a wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society ... Marriage cannot be cut off from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening this good influence on society."

Jeez, I wonder where that leaves all those divorced straight people I know? Is he saying that they're a bad influence on society? Maybe we need an amendment to the Constitution to deal with them, too.

I've been "married" to the same man for 18 years. Many of my gay, lesbian and straight friends are in similar longterm relationships. I also have gay, lesbian and straight friends whose marriages and relationships have ended. 

What I'm saying is that sexual orientation does not determine whether or not two people can have a healthy, happy marriage. Love doesn't discriminate. The U.S. Consititution shouldn't either.

But then, that's not really what this is about, is it?

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'X-Men 3': The Gayest Movie of the Summer, So Far

This week straight-boyfriend-Jeff and I caught 'X-Men 3: The Last Stand.'

I loved it. He liked it. He also fell asleep during it, though being the ravenous comic-book-movie fan that he is, he'd already seen it once.

In our weekly straight-gay chat, we determined that it's THE GAYEST MOVIE of the summer, so far.

Jeff: "Even I, with my blunted wooden gaydar, picked up on the screaming homo themes running through that movie like a river of salty drag queen tears."

Kenny: "Do you even know how gay you just sounded? I hold all the gay cards here, but I'm curious to see what kind of gayness you picked up."

Are you curious, too? Then you better click.

Straighten Out: 'X-Men 3' -- Way Gayer Than You Even Thought

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One 'L' of a Superhero

Buzz around the web this week is that DC comics plans to debut a new take on 'Batwoman' ... now, with extra gay. Under this incarnation, the female flying mammal will be a lipstick lesbian, out to some family members, but not the public at large. According to DC Comics Vice President/Executive Editor Dan DiDio,"We deal with stories about identities and secret identities," which explains DC's decision, and is a refreshing turn from the not-so-subtly closeted duo. It's always good to represent your real self in the real world as much as possible, even if it is normal for you to jump around the outdoors in tights and a mask.

I applaud DC Comics' attempts to create convincing characters that represent the gays. While it was great that Green Lantern had a gay friend, it's not enough. There are plenty of gay heroes in real life -- why not put them in the comics?

Incidentally, riddle me these two queries:

1) Don't we already have gay superheroes?

2) Wasn't Batwoman ALREADY a lesbian?

 
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Top 10 Unintentionally Gay Moments in Movies

'Brokeback Mountain' may have thrust openly gay movies into the Hollywood spotlight, but gayness has been a part of mainstream cinema ever since 'The Great Train Robbery.' Think about it: Gays write, direct, do costuming, makeup, choreography, cinematography, special effects -- how could we NOT sneak our nefarious pink agenda into Hollywood every chance we get?

Let's face it: Without gay people, there would be no Hollywood.

We may have gone too far and tipped our hands a little, though.

My new e-pal has found us out and compiled the evidence. He's created a screamingly hilarious list of the Top 10 Unintentionally Gay Moments in popular cinema. Some of them are totally obvious, like 'Dirty Dancing,' and a few scenes in 'Top Gun.' 'Top Gun' was a big score for the secret gay Hollywood Mafia -- legions of gradeschoolers were running around playgrounds imitating the movie and screaming about tailgunners for a whole SUMMER. Now those kids are voting age, and things are looking up!

Others kinda took us by surprise, in the best possible way. The captions on the photos are the best part -- try not to have a mouthful of coffee when you read the captions for No. 1, or else you'll be shopping for a new keyboard.

But listen, brothers and sisters, and make no mistake: JoBlo is onto us. We love love LOVE his site, but if he keeps up this kind of agenda-exposing muckraking, he may have to be fitted for a pair of concrete Fendi loafers.

COUNTDOWN on JoBlo.com:
Top Ten Unintentionally Gay Moments, #10-6
Top Ten Unintentionally Gay Moments,#5-1

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