Monthly Archives: February 2014

ARIZONA: Two More GOP State Senators Reverse, Call For Hate Bill Veto

This morning I reported that Arizona GOP state Sen. Mike Pierce has flip-flopped and is now calling for a veto of the hate bill that he voted for last week. Add two more GOP state senators to the list. Via LGBTQ Nation: Sen. Bob Worsley says he and Sens. Adam Driggs and Steve Pierce sent a letter to Brewer Monday …

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Arizona GOP Rep. John Kavanagh: I Believe That Brewer Will Veto The Bill

Michelangelo Signorile has tipped me that GOP Arizona state Rep. John Kavanagh, who was destroyed by Anderson Cooper on Friday, has refused to appear on Signorile’s SiriusXM show today, saying that he believes the hate bill will be vetoed by Gov. Jan Brewer. SiriusXM producer Sean Bertollo recaps the conversation for us: I reached out to his office and spoke …

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John Kerry Reacts To Ugandan Law: We Are Reviewing US Assistance Programs

“This is a tragic day for Uganda and for all who care about the cause of human rights. Ultimately, the only answer is repeal of this law. The United States is deeply disappointed in the enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda. For the four years since the bill was introduced, we have been crystal clear that it blatantly violates …

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Actor/Director Harold Ramis Dies At 69

Harold Ramis, best known as one of the stars of Ghostbusters and as the director of Groundhog Day, has died in Chicago. Ramis, a longtime North Shore resident, was surrounded by family when he died at 12:53 a.m. from complications of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, a rare disease that involves swelling of the blood vessels, his wife Erica Mann Ramis said. …

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From The Head Of Log Cabin Republicans

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White House Denounces Uganda

Via press release: Statement by the Press Secretary on Uganda: Instead of standing on the side of freedom, justice, and equal rights for its people, today, regrettably, Ugandan President Museveni took Uganda a step backward by signing into law legislation criminalizing homosexuality. As President Obama has said, this law is more than an affront and a danger to the gay …

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BREAKING: GOP Sen. John McCain Calls For Veto Of Arizona Hate Bill

Minutes ago Sen. John McCain joined fellow GOP Arizona US Sen. Jeff Flake in denouncing the bill to legalize anti-gay discrimination. There has been quite the rush of local and federal Arizona GOP officials coming out against the bill in the last 24 hours. Encouraging!

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New Duet From RuPaul & Martha Wash

RuPaul’s new album Born Naked is out today and the first track we’re hearing is a sparse and lovely duet with Martha Wash, Can I Get An Amen. The lyrics are from one of RuPaul’s most famous quotes: “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” The album’s title itself references another RuPaul gem: …

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Photo Of The Day

Remember how Scott Lively melted down when activists disrupted his press conference on Friday? Afterwards he smugly posed for a photo with them. He writes: The conference was briefly disrupted when three LGBT activists (one of them a non-English-speaking Russian) stood up to try to read a statement. We did not allow them to control the room, and asked the …

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Real Or Parody Account?

The Twitter feed for Arizona Families United is so over the top, I can’t tell if it’s a parody account. (Tipped by JMG reader Tom)

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Queer Nation Disrupts Final Sochi Promotion At Grand Central Terminal

Via press release: Nearly three dozen members of Queer Nation held a raucous protest at the United States Olympic Committee’s final “Road to Sochi Tour” event at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on February 23. The action began just as the event began in historic Vanderbilt Hall, inside the terminal, with protesters chanting “Don’t Buy Putin’s Lies” and unfurling two …

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Freedom To Marry Launches $1M Campaign For Marriage In The South

Via press release: Freedom To Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide, today launched a $1 million multi-state campaign to build majority support for marriage in the South. The new effort, called Southerners for the Freedom to Marry, will include significant field and media work over the next year in partnership with supportive organizations across the region. Bipartisan co-chairs include …

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EPSN Poll: 72% Say NBA Is Ready

It’s probably too late for us to freep this poll, but there’s an interactive map and not one state says the NBA isn’t ready for a gay player. The lowest result appears to be Mississippi at 58%. The highest is Vermont at 84%. (Tipped by JMG reader Rob)

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Group Suing Scott Lively Says He Is “Directly Responsible” For Ugandan Law

From the Center For Constitutional Rights: In addition to putting the lives of LGBTI Ugandans at serious risk, in signing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, President Museveni has criminalized the existence and work of our client, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), and other advocacy organizations in violation of the Ugandan constitution and international law. The Center for Constitutional Rights holds right-wing U.S. evangelical …

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Today’s New York Daily News

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Young Turks Slam Concerned Women

The Young Turks yesterday attacked Concerned Women for America for supporting Uganda’s brutal anti-gay bill. With a shout-out to JMG.  Worth watching. (Tipped by JMG reader Chris)

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HomoQuotable – George Takei

“Dear Arizona, Congratulations. You are now the first state actually to pass a bill permitting businesses – even those open to the public – to refuse to provide service to LGBT people based on an individual’s ‘sincerely held religious belief.’ This ‘turn away the gay’ bill enshrines discrimination into the law. Your taxi drivers can refuse to carry us. Your …

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Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip recap: The race to the Supreme Court intensifies, with multiple new lawsuits and an expedited schedule. Oregon won’t defend its marriage ban in court, and a marriage lawsuit in Virginia might have reached a premature end. Plus polling from Louisiana shows progress, but it’s been slow.

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UGANDA: President Signs Anti-Gay Bill

Just yesterday the Guardian reported that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was putting off signing the anti-gay bill while he challenges US scientists to disprove that homosexuality is a choice. But today Museveni has signed the bill. According to the Associated Press news agency, government officials clapped after Mr Museveni signed the bill at a press conference at State House. The …

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Tucson Mayor Compares AZ Hate Bill To Whites-Only Lunch Counters Of 1950s

“Discrimination by private businesses led to some of the most noteworthy moments of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was targeted at the Montgomery Bus Lines, sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to move to the back of the bus. Civil rights activists who claimed white-only lunch counters as their …

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