The state funeral for Sen. Robert Byrd has delayed Family Research Council head Tony Perkins’ testimony at Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing. But Good As You has the text of Perkins’ planned remarks. An excerpt: Her own statements make obvious that Elena Kagan would strike down any marital statute – including the federal Defense of Marriage Act – which …

Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle has received an estimated 7500 cards and letters urging to her to support her state’s pending civil unions bill. Lingle has until Sunday to decide on whether to veto the bill or allow it to become law without her signature. Two weeks ago she listed the bill among her potential vetoes in order that the legislature …

Ireland’s lower legislative chamber, the Dáil, has just passed a civil partnerships bill. The Dáil has passed without a vote, all stages of the Civil Partnership Bill, giving new legal rights to non-marital couples. Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said ‘it was one of the most important human rights pieces of legislation the House had dealt with.’ Minister Ahern continued ‘to …

Tomorrow Carrie Ladyfingers Prejean will opposite marry NFL quarterback Kyle Boller in San Diego. And in a deliberate final “fuck you” to the gays, she’s booked the wedding at Doug Manchester’s Grand Del Mar Hotel. Manchester’s hotels have been boycotted and picketed by gays and gay-friendly organizations ever since it was revealed that he contributed more than $125,000 to Protect …

Europe’s Ryanair is about to begin testing on their “vertical seating” plane layout. They plan to remove ten rows of seats from the rear of their 250 planes and replace them with fifteen rows of the depicted style. Budget airline Ryanair is planning to revolutionise air travel by introducing flights where passengers stand up rather than sit down – from …

The finalist cities to host the 2010 Democratic National Convention have been announced. Recognizing that President Barack Obama faces serious challenges in the Midwest he carried not two years ago, the Democratic National Committee on Wednesday picked three heartland cities and just one in the Republican-friendly South to consider for its 2012 nominating convention. The cities are Cleveland, St. Louis, …

It gets funnier and funnier. (Tipped by JMG reader Peter)

“I know it’s really gonna upset a lot of gay men — I’m sure hundreds of ’em are gonna be jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge — but I ain’t available. I ain’t gay. Sorry.” – Sen. Lindsey Graham, speaking to the New York Times. (Via – Politico)

In a desperation move to shore up the state budget, California lawmakers are considering a bill that authorizes a feasibility study on digital advertising on license plates. In addition to being a moneymaker, the high-tech plates also could be used to streamline automobile registration procedures and to quickly tell motorists about hazardous road conditions and Amber Alerts, officials suggest. Critics …

Samwell’s silly What What (In The Butt) remains one of the biggest viral hits on YouTube, garnering over 29M views to date and a cover version on South Park. Below he performs an acoustic version with Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age, who opines: “What What (In The Butt) is not only a question, but it needs an …

Oregon has become the third state to bar companies from checking the credit records of potential employees. Under the new law, Oregon employers will no longer be able to use credit history as a factor in hiring, firing, demoting or suspending employees, unless they can establish that it’s substantially related to the job. The law originated from a concern that …

The French parliament has approved a law that calls insults “psychological violence” and makes it a crime to repeatedly insult someone. The law is primarily meant to protect victims of domestic violence. “We have introduced an important measure here, which recognises psychological violence, because it isn’t just blows (that hurt) but also words,” Nadine Morano, the minister for family affairs, …

The terrible economy has been especially hard on the ADAP system, the AIDS Drugs Assistance Program that provides life saving medications to the HIV-positive. More people are now on ADAP waiting lists that at any time since the program began. Eleven states have closed enrollment in the federal program, most recently Florida, which has the nation’s third-largest population of people …

Queen Elizabeth II will visit Ireland next year, making her the first British monarch to step foot on the island since it became independent in 1921. Confirmation that the event, long discussed between London and Dublin, will take place next year has come from Ireland’s prime minister, Brian Cowen. It is time for “normal courtesies” to be observed between friendly …

New York City’s neverending battle with bedbugs has gone retail. Via Gothamist: Hollister, the teen-oriented clothing store that’s a subsidiary of Abercrombie & Fitch, was shut down yesterday due to what one employee described as “a massive bedbug outbreak” at the four-story SoHo flagship location. And according to our source, who spoke on condition of anonymity so that he/she wouldn’t …

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Beginning today Google will cover the added tax charged to LGBT employees whose partners are covered by their insurance plan. “It’s a fairly cutting edge thing to do,” said Todd A. Solomon, a partner in the employee benefits department of McDermott Will & Emery, a law firm in Chicago, and author of “Domestic Partner Benefits: An Employer’s Guide.” Google is …