Monthly Archives: July 2008

WordPerfect Founder Bruce Bastian Pledges $1M To Fight Prop 8

Utah resident and WordPerfect cofounder Bruce Bastian has pledged $1M to fight California’s Proposition 8 as out-of-state money continues to roll in on both sides of the issue. When Bruce Bastian of Utah stood up Saturday night at a San Francisco dinner and wrote a $1 million check for the campaign against Proposition 8, he made it clearer than ever …

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Caption This

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Tennessee: Two Killed, Seven Injured In Shooting At Gay Friendly Church, Shooter’s Letter Says He Hates Liberals And Gays

Days after the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville put up a sign welcoming gays to worship, yesterday a gunman shouting “hateful words” killed two people and injured seven others during a youth performance of the musical Annie at the church. The gunman was tackled by congregants and eventually taken into police custody. Jim D. Adkisson, 58, was charged …

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Whoopi Kissed A Girl

After Kate Perry performed her hit record I Kissed A Girl on this morning’s episode of The View, Whoopi Goldberg surprised the pop singer by bounding onstage and planting a kiss on her. Whoopi then turned to the delighted audience and proclaimed, “And I liked it!” Go, Whoopi!

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New Study: Life Expectancy For People With HIV Rises By 13 Years

A new study published in The Lancet says that advances in treatment since the late 90’s have added 13 years to the average life expectancies of people with HIV. In high-income countries with the appropriate health care available, a 20-year-old infected with HIV in 2008 can expect to live another 49 years with the disease. The team, involving Bristol University …

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Critical Mess

A huge kerfuffle has erupted in Seattle over this weekend’s Critical Mass cyclists’ rights event in which a driver hit two cyclists, then was pulled from his vehicle and hit in the head with a bike lock while uninjured cyclists smashed his windows and slashed his tires. There are many conflicting reports on Slog. Cyclists are claiming that the driver …

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Moving Day

Perry Street, West Village, Sunday 5pm…. Woman On Cell: Hey, I just signed the lease! The truck doesn’t come until Wednesday but I already met some of the neighbors and they said they’d help. Very nice guys. You should see them. I think everybody in the building is, like, a bodybuilder or something.

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You Are Not Going To Heaven

While I don’t personally subscribe to the concept of heaven or hell, Pam Spaulding tips us to the latest question on WayToGod.org, which she describes as a “fundie Dear Abby.” Question: I am a born-again Christian, having come to faith 10 years ago when I admitted to Christ I was a sinner, believed that Christ is God’s Son and that …

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Prop. 8 Reworded (It’s A Good Thing)

The California Attorney General’s office has reworded Proposition 8 so that voters understand that they would be rescinding an existing right. The new text: Proposition 8ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME-SEX COUPLES TO MARRY.INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT Changes California Constitution to eliminate right of same-sex couples to marry. Provides that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized …

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McCain’s Anti-Gay Family Values

Yesterday John McCain appeared on This Week with George Stephanopolous where he flip-flopped back to his original position against gay adoption. Earlier this month McCain came out against gay adoption only to have his campaign backtrack later from that position. “Family values, family values, family values,” said the man with the spotless personal track record.

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LA Mayor Joins HRC Gala Boycott

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa abruptly pulled out of his planned keynote speaker role at Saturday’s Human Rights Campaign gala in San Francisco. Some local gay rights leaders and activists had called for a boycott of the gala in protest of last year’s ENDA/transgender debacle. When the San Francisco Labor Council joined the protest, that put Villaraigosa in the uncomfortable …

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Morning View – The Cubbyhole

Opened in 1994, last year the tiny Cubbyhole was voted the best lesbian bar in NYC. Perhaps that’s faint praise for a town that has less than a handful of such establishments, but the few times I’ve been inside I found a generous and friendly staff and a welcoming clientele. The Cubbyhole is on W.12th Street in the West Village. …

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Nike Pulls Homophobic Ads

Nike has announced that it has canceled its “That Ain’t Right” campaign after it was widely criticized as homophobic by gay bloggers and advertising critics. Via ESPN, here is Nike’s statement: Nike is strongly opposed to discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting athletes regardless of their sexual orientation. The advertisement in question is based purely …

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Final Words

“For those who oppose the death penalty and want to see it end, our best bet is to vote for Barack Obama because his supporters have been working behind the scenes to end this practice. God bless America. It has been great living here. That’s all.” – Mississippi death row inmate Dale Bishop, shortly before he was put to death …

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Christianists Gets Pennsylvania’s Hate Crimes Law Overturned

Acting on a petition filed by the Christianist group Repent America, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has upheld a lower court’s ruling that struck down that state’s 2002 hate crimes law, saying it was inappropriately attached to an unrelated bill. Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision striking down amendments that added sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, gender, and mental …

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Daily Grumble

Waiting for George Michael to take the stage on Wednesday, I was grumbling to Aaron that I only went to see “oldies” acts these days, how everybody I’d seen in concert this summer had been around for 25 years or more. Yaz, Donna Summer, B-52’s, Cyndi Lauper, Laurie Anderson, etc. Aaron said, “Well, don’t you know of any new bands …

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Broadway Friday

– The screenplay for Hairspray 2 will be written by John Waters. “Also set to return are director/choreographer Adam Shankman, the song-writing team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.” The first Hairspray: The Musical grossed over $200M and the sequel is set to open in July 2010. But somebody also thought Grease 2 …

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Brandon McInerney To Be Tried As Adult

A Ventura County, California judge has ruled that the 14-year-old killer of gay teen Lawrence King will be tried as an adult. Relying on past court decisions, a judge ruled Thursday that trying a 14-year-old boy accused of murder in an adult court does not violate the constitution, swatting down legal arguments raised by the boy’s attorney that it was …

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Mars Kills Homophobic Snickers Ad

The Human Rights Campaign has announced that candy giant Mars Inc. has agreed to pull their new campaign for Snickers. The commercial features Mr. T machine-gunning an effeminate-appearing Olympic race-walker. Earlier this week, AdAge critic Bob Garfield issued an open letter to the head of the ad agency responsible for the ad, calling for its immediate withdrawal. Following conversations between …

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My Beautiful (Tethered) Balloon

As part of Central Park’s 150th anniversary celebration, beginning today you can ride a tethered balloon to a height of 300 feet over over the trees. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Olmsted and Vaux’s Greensward plan — the original design for the world’s most famous park — the Central Park Conservancy and New York City Department of Parks & …

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