LATEST: NEWS ROUND-UP | UPDATES: PROP 8 | DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL | ENDA <<
FLORIDA: Charlie Crist reveals his gay card.
New DADT trial TO BEGIN...
UNCONSTITUTIONAL: Federal Court overturns DADT.
DADT ruling ANALYSIS...
WATCH: Soldiers impacted by DADT accompany Lady Gaga to VMAs.
Follow us on TWITTER and "like" our site on Facebook, right here:
In July I posted about a new effort by the Human Rights Campaign toward marriage equality in New York. The Campaign for New York Marriage, headed by Brian Ellner, has just launched the first in a series of ads intended to lobby public support for the issue.
"The timing of commercials is deliberate, and revealing: With the front-runner in the governor’s race, Andrew M. Cuomo, the Democratic attorney general, pledging his support for same-sex marriage, and the Legislature in Democratic hands, advocates are pushing for a new vote early next year. 'We want to build excitement and momentum in advance of that,' said Ellner...As part of that strategy, the Human Rights Campaign and its allies are spending heavily to oust three New York state senators — all Democrats — who voted against the marriage bill last year and who face opponents in the primary on Tuesday: William Stachowski of Buffalo, Shirley L. Huntley of Queens and Rubén Díaz Sr. of the Bronx."
Along with Moore, the ads will feature Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Rev. Al Sharpton Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Whoopi Goldberg, Fran Drescher, Tom Colicchio, and Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, the widow of Arthur Ashe.
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...
Posted 10:23 PM EST by Andy Towle in Brian Ellner, Gay Marriage, Human Rights Campaign, Julianne Moore, New York, News | Permalink
| Comments (5)
The Washington Blade reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will schedule a vote on defense legislation containing repeal of the Military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy next week:
"A senior Democratic leadership aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Reid met with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday to inform the Republican leader that the fiscal year 2011 defense authorization bill will come to the Senate floor the week of Sept. 20. The aide said Senate leadership is anticipating the Senate won’t have unanimous consent to bring the legislation to the floor, so 60 votes will be necessary to end a filibuster and move forward with debate on the bill. 'We are going to take it the floor next week to see where the votes are,' the aide said."
Said Alexander Nicholson, founder and Executive Director of Servicemembers United: "We are both pleased and relieved that Senator Reid has decided to schedule the defense authorization bill for floor time next week. We are fairly confident that we will have the 60 votes to break a filibuster of this bill. It would be shameful for lawmakers to vote to hold up an important and expansive piece of legislation like the defense authorization bill simply because of their opposition to one or two provisions within it."
Politico adds: "Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich) downplayed the language in the existing authorization legislation, categorically rejecting that it amounts to a "repeal" of the 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy enacted in the Clinton administration. 'It does not repeal 'Don't ask, don't tell' — I wish that it did,' Levin said, before explaining that the language merely allows military authorities to overturn the policy if the internal reports they are conducting conclude that doing so would not be detrimental to troop morale. 'I think most people understand what this provision does.' Levin added that the bill was not perfect, but that the essential nature of funding troops in wartime necessitates passage."
Posted 5:20 PM EST by Andy Towle in Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Harry Reid, Military, News | Permalink
| Comments (15)
2001, AN ACID ODYSSEY: Dude has major chemically-induced freakout during movie at the Egyptian Theater in L.A.
MOTHER SABRINA: World of Wonder's James St. James interviews a drag legend.
SECRETLY GAY: A new Austrian ad for the Swedish/Dutch furniture giant Ikea.
BRANDON FLOWERS: Discusses his new record on iHeartRadio.
For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.
Posted 4:15 PM EST by Andy Towle in Advertising, Austria, Brandon Flowers, Drag Queens, Film, News, Towleroad Guide to the Tube | Permalink
| Comments (11)
One Colorado endorses Hickenlooper for governor.
Who's the prominent Republican with the illegal boyfriend?
Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen hobnob at NY Fashion Week.
Cher digs up an old outfit.
Gays thrown out of restaurant for kiss on the cheek in Costa Rica: "The men allegedly greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek, prompting the management of La Buca restaurant, in the eastern San Jose suburb of San Pedro, to send over a waiter to ask them to leave. In Costa Rica, a kiss on the cheek is the standard greeting between women, and between men and women."
A Day with HIV in America: nationwide photo essay launched for September 21.
Indiana campaign manager tweets anti-gay slurs.
Paramedics called over reaction to gruesome scene in James Franco's 127 Hours.
The New York profiles Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Kendrick Meek campaign slams Charlie Crist for flip-flop on gay issues: “Can anyone believe anything Charlie Crist says anymore? It’s obvious Charlie Crist is willing to say anything. The only thing Charlie Crist says today that you can believe tomorrow is that he wants to be elected. The only thing we know about Charlie Crist’s track record is that he is a lifelong conservative Republican who has fought against every Democratic value. The governor’s charade trying to hide his lifelong conservative record just to get elected is an insult to every Floridian."
Oprah gives audience 300 eight-day trips to Sydney. Nate Berkus show to premiere.
Melting ice inspires unprecedented Walrus migration in Alaska.
At least ten killed in one week in Colombian "social cleansing" campaign.
Mixner: What is a LGBT Democrat to do in 2010?
LCR lawyer Dan Woods: DADT ruling "would apply nationwide." "The federal judge in any federal court has the power to declare an act of Congress unconstitutional, and that's what she's done. An unconstitutional law cannot be applied anywhere. It doesn't apply just in California or just within the boundaries of the 9th circuit. It would apply nationwide. That's part of the checks and balances of our governmental system...Our case has uniform federal law throughout."
Newt Gingrich calls Obama a Kenyan.
Core sample reveals thick layer of oil on Gulf seafloor.
Male model fix: Michael Gstoettner.
Honduran police officer sentenced for stabbing transgender sex worker: “This was a crime fueled by hate, as the 17 stab wounds attest. It is a testament to the integrity and courage of all involved with the case that they advanced the cause of justice notwithstanding the threats and intimidation.”
Corruption: Stinky mailer employed in NY gubernatorial campaign.
Neil Patrick Harris met David Burtka on the street: "At the Tommy Hilfiger after-party last night, we asked Burtka how the couple got together. 'We met on the street,' he told us. 'We met on Ninth Avenue between 44th and 45th, through a friend of ours.' All it took to seal the deal (and the first date) was a quick talk. 'Chatting,' said Burtka. 'And that was it.'"
Posted 2:39 PM EST by Andy Towle in Charlie Crist, Colorado, Costa Rica, Deepwater Horizon, Neil Patrick Harris, News | Permalink
| Comments (7)
Gay former NBA star John Amaechi tweeted yesterday that he was denied entrance to Crunch Bar in Manchester, UK (where he lives) after the bouncer said he was "big and black and could be trouble."
"When Amaechi questioned the decision, the doorman said it was a 'private members' bar.' He then allegedly claimed that the New York Times best-selling author had been flagged up as 'trouble' on the gay village's shared security radio network. A spokesperson for the bar later told Amaechi's representative: 'Your group was stopped from entering the venue on Friday night as a message was received over the NiteNet radio system, (a system where several venues work together within the village, where they announce any issues they have with any customers), that your group had been argumentative and aggressive to another venue’s doorstaff. On interview with the staff who were present at the time, we are satisfied that there were no racism or bigotry comments as you suggest. All three staff who were present on the door at the time have been with us for over 14 months and none of them have ever displayed the attitude or characteristics you suggest in your email. You have clearly misunderstood the situation and perhaps justifying your exclusion that evening. We consider this matter closed now.'"
The other bars, VIA and Taurus, which use the NiteNet system deny there was any such warning about Amaechi's behavior.
According to the paper, "Amaechi's representatives have lodged a complaint with the Equality and Human Rights Commission along with a complaint to the Manchester City Council LGBT affairs director, Terry Waller and also with the Greater Manchester Police LGBT liaison office."
Read our recent interview with John Amaechi HERE.
Posted 1:29 PM EST by Andy Towle in Discrimination, John Amaechi, Manchester, News | Permalink
| Comments (55)
Today, in over the top campaign ads — Republican John Dennis takes his Wizard of Oz fetish to new heights in a campaign ad against rival Nancy Pelosi.
The SF Weekly notes that Dennis has reason for over-the-top fantasy: "Dennis has his work cut out for him in a town where Cindy Sheehan outpolled the Republican Congressional candidate last time around -- and Pelosi picked up 71 percent of the vote."
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...
Continue reading "Watch: Rival Depicts Pelosi as Wicked Witch of the West"
Posted 1:13 PM EST by Andy Towle in Advertising, California, Nancy Pelosi, News, San Francisco | Permalink
| Comments (8)
Recent Comments