Valerie Jarrett Vs. Dan Choi

I think it's time for a cage match!

Castro Evacuated Due To Gas Leak

I'm getting dozens of emails and tweets reporting that much of the central Castro business district has been evacuated due to a major gas leak. Some write to say that they can actually hear gas rushing out of a broken main line.

A high pressure gas line has been ruptured by workers using a backhoe at 18th and Castro. Street closures are in effect on the 400 and 500 block of Castro as well as 18th Street between Hartford and Collingwood. These areas are closed to both car and foot traffic. Muni lines 24, 33, and 35 are impacted and will be re-routed in the area. Castro Street Muni Metro station is also closed.

Stand by for an update. Residents are naturally quite anxious with San Bruno still fresh in their minds.

UPDATE: This just in from SF emergency services.

The ruptured gas line at 18th and Castro has been shut off. Repair work will continue to take and additional 4 hours. Bus service on the 24, 33 and 35 lines have been re-routed and Castro Station has just re-opened. The 400 block of Castro Street will continue to be closed for another 2-3 hours. DEM will continue to monitor and unless there is a significant change this is a final report.

(Photo by JMG reader Kevin K.)

DOD Revises DADT Discharge Procedure

In response to the murky legal waters currently swirling around DADT, the Pentagon has announced it is raising the rank of persons able to make the call to eject a gay or lesbian servicemember. Chris Geidner reports at Metro Weekly:

Discharges under the military's ''Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' policy will now take the approval of the service branch secretary, and only in consultation with the defense department general counsel and the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, according to a pair of memoranda issued by senior military leadership today.

Until further notice, pursuant to a memorandum from Defense Secretary Robert Gates and a follow-up memorandum from Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Clifford Stanley, no service member can be discharged under DADT without the ''personal approval of the secretary of the military department concerned, and only in coordination with me and the General Counsel of the Department of Defense.''

The message I'm seeing is that the Pentagon intends to make it extremely hard to kick someone out.

WASHINGTON: 8PM Post-Rally JMG Reader Meet-Up At Green Lantern Bar

Based on reader responses and the advice of JMG-ers in DC, we've decided to hold next Saturday's DC reader meet-up at the Green Lantern, which is down an alley (Halloween! Spooky!) just off Thomas Circle near 1111 14th Street. (That's the address the bar manager suggested is easiest to find from the street.) The Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rally runs noon to 3pm, so you'll have to time to rest up and grab dinner before we get to the bar at 8pm.

Green Lantern's costume contest is later that night, but they're bringing the staff on early in case there's a lot of us. Previous JMG meet-ups in NYC, Las Vegas, Montreal and San Francisco have ranged from 25-100 or so folks, but I have no idea how many of y'all are coming in for the rally. Rather than do a Facebook page on this, just hit the comments if you think you'll drop by. As always, we look forward to putting faces to screen names! UNRELATED: I've been advised to note that next Saturday is also the 4th annual Power Bottom Appreciation Day, which is the creation of DC-based JMG reader Durban Bud. Wait, maybe that's not unrelated. We'll decide when we meet you.

Meg Whitman IS The Governator

BearCity Cast Goes True Blood

Via press release from NYC nightlife guide Next Magazine: "Just wanted to show you Friday’s hilarious cover of Next Magazine. On it Gerald McCullouch, Joe Conti and Stephen Guarino of the new film BearCity reenact this summer’s now iconic cover of Rolling Stone featuring the cast of True Blood." First of all, that doesn't look like blood. And we're not surprised that Next chose the least bear-ish cast members for their cover, are we? BearCity begins a week-long run at NYC's Quad Cinemas tomorrow, with the entire cast appearing at the 9pm show. Watch for several well-known JMG participants as extras!

Tweet Of The Day - AFER

NPR Fires Host Juan Williams Over Muslim Comment, Wingnuts Go Berserk

National Public Radio has fired host Juan Williams (who also does political commentary for Fox) after he said on the Bill O'Reilly Show that seeing Muslim-looking people on airplanes makes him nervous. And all of Teabagistan is going nuts.

Williams, who is also an analyst for Fox News, told Fox today that he was not given a chance to defend himself. "'I don't even get the chance to come in and we do this eyeball to eyeball, person to person and have a conversation," he said. "I've been there more than 10 years. We don't have a chance to have a conversation about this." On an appearance of Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor," on Monday Williams, 56, said, "I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country, but when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they're identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."

Williams' Fox News colleague Mike Huckabee says that the federal government should now suspend all funding for NPR.

"NPR has discredited itself as a forum for free speech and a protection of the First Amendment rights of all and has solidified itself as the purveyor of politically correct pabulum and protector of views that lean left. While I have often enjoyed appearing on NPR programs and have been treated fairly and objectively, I will no longer accept interview requests from NPR as long as they are going to practice a form of censorship, and since NPR is funded with public funds, it IS a form of censorship. It is time for the taxpayers to start making cuts to federal spending, and I encourage the new Congress to start with NPR."

Mama Grizzly, who probably can't even spell NPR, see blood in the water.

Quote Of The Day - Ted Olson

"It happens every once in awhile at the federal level when the solicitor general, on behalf of the U.S., will confess error or decline to defend a law. I don't know what is going through the [Obama] administration's thought process on 'don't ask, don't tell.' It would be appropriate for them to say 'the law has been deemed unconstitutional, we are not going to seek further review of that.'" - Former Bush administration Solicitor General Ted Olson.

America's Third Parties

America's third parties: "Nothing sounds crazier than politicians discussing shit you actually care about."

Alan Colmes: 2PM Next Thursday

As I mentioned on Facebook a few days ago, I'm going to be a guest on Fox News' Alan Colmes Show, but that appearance has been moved from 2PM today, to the same time next Thursday. As you may know, Colmes is the sole voice of sanity on Fox, but still...it's Fox...so I'm taking garlic and stakes to the studio, where the producer has instructed me to "turn left under the gigantic poster of Rupert Murdoch." (He was joking, I hope.) I'll post a reminder next week with a link to a live video/audio stream, if there is one. My apologies to anybody who tuned in today expecting to hear me.

White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett Defends Appeal Of DADT Injunction

Wonk Room provides the transcript:

You know what, the Justice Department is required to defend the law of the land. Believe me, we wish there were another way because the President has been so clear. And I think there are many members of the gay community who actually understand this and who are working with us to try to put pressure on Congress to repeal it. It’s clear that the vast majority of American people think that it should not be the law. And we are determined to have Congress revoke it. But we have to go through that orderly process.

Nate Silver: GOP Will Gain 49 In House

Over at FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver updates his forecasts today to predict that the GOP will pick up 49 seats in the House. That's far fewer than the 100+ being claimed by some Republican flacks, but still enough for the GOP to take the majority by six seats. Silver hedges his bets:

As I have warned repeatedly in the past, we believe that the uncertainty in the forecast is intrinsically quite high, stemming from the unusually large number of seats in play, and from differences of opinion among pollsters in how to calibrate their likely voter models to account for the so-called “enthusiasm gap.” There are only 170 seats that the model thinks of as “safe” Republican — those where their chances of winning are 95 percent or higher. However, there are only 151 seats that the Democrats are at least 95 percent assured of winning.

According to Silver, there's still about a 25% chance for the Dems to hold the House, a result which would, of course, depend on a strong turnout from Democratic voters. Hit the link for an interactive breakdown of each race by district.

Andrew Sullivan On Homocons And GOProud: They Are Nauseating

In a video essay posted today on Big Think, Andrew Sullivan muses "How Can Anyone Be Gay And Republican?" Here's an excerpt.

You know, I used to say, we have to stay in these parties because certainly gay people do not want to become a Democratic Party constituency that is totally taken for granted, which is, of course, what has happened. When you have no leverage over the party, they don’t do anything for you—except take your money and invite you to cocktail parties, which is all that’s happened really in two years under Obama with two houses of Congress.

But at the same time, you know, this Homocon thing... it was in someone’s apartment. I mean the idea that this has been any genuine meaning out there for most people, there are plenty of gay people; many, many, many more I think than other minority groups actually, who would love a party of limited small government, prudent, strong foreign policy, balanced budgets, live and let live, like the British Tories. And if the Republican Party ever becomes that again, I think there will be plenty of places for gay people in it.

But to do so and join a party on condition that we oppose our own civil rights and our own basic civil equality seems a non-starter for me. I mean, it’s... there’s something quite nauseating about it actually. And you see even, like, Chris Barron who is the head of Homocon, or whatever they are calling themselves, GOProud, having to say that when Jim DeMint goes on and says that no gay person should be a school teacher, which is to the—which Ronald Reagan rejected in 1978—where are you left?

Watch the video on Big Think. Obviously, we agree.

FRC's Tony Perkins: Facebook Is Cowardly For Deleting Bullying & Anti-Gay Pages

"If there were a status update for Facebook's entire site, it might say something like, 'Jumping on the politically correct bandwagon.' Last week, the social media giant officially friended the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to 'end hate speech and anti-gay bullying' on the Internet. The new partnership, which made a splash in the mainstream news, is significant because it puts Facebook on the media's growing path toward censorship. Apparently, anything they construed to be anti-homosexual will be stripped from the site. Where does that leave Americans who morally oppose the lifestyle and want to help people find freedom from it? [snip]

"It may happen slowly, but I guarantee that Facebook will begin to broaden its definition of what's 'hateful' based on GLAAD's prior actions. Will GLAAD pressure Facebook, as it did the Washington Post, to purge any research about the risks of homosexuality? Will discussions about biblical faith suddenly be considered harassment? And, more importantly, will these standards be applied across the board? - Family Research Council head Tony Perkins, who says Facebook is "cowardly" for going after anti-gay pages but leaving up such pages as "I Can't Wait For Rush Limbaugh To Die."

Special DADT Report From Rex Wockner

The below is a special to JMG report on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" from veteran gay reporter Rex Wockner.

Don't Ask Don't Tell Roller Coaster

The Obama administration resuscitated the Don't Ask, Don't Tell gay ban Oct. 20 by convincing the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to temporarily stay an injunction by a federal district judge in Riverside, Calif.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips had found the ban unconstitutional and barred any further use of it worldwide effective Oct. 12. In response, the military stopped kicking out openly gay and lesbian servicemembers and began letting open gays and lesbians sign up to enlist.

But the Obama administration -- which says it strongly opposes DADT -- immediately began fighting to bring the ban back to life, ultimately succeeding eight days later.

The Justice Department argued that an abrupt end to the ban would be harmful to the military in myriad ways. Judge Phillips was wholly unconvinced and refused to stay her injunction. The 9th Circuit, on the other hand, issued a brief stay -- until at least Oct. 25 -- while it considers issuing a longer stay.

The administration also said it wants Congress, not the courts, to end the ban. The House of Representatives voted to end the ban earlier this year but the Senate refused after a filibuster by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

There is no indication that the Senate will change its mind when it returns to Washington for the lame-duck session following the Nov. 2 elections, even though the DADT repeal measure is a part of the bill that funds the entire U.S. military for next year. McCain's filibuster also left the overall military funding measure unpassed.

"Really, what's in my heart right now is it's going to be really hard for me to vote for Barack Obama," prominent gays-in-the-military activist Dan Choi said in an interview. Choi re-enlisted in the Army at the Times Square recruiting station in New York on Oct. 19.

"Call me a one-issue person, but this is really pissing me off," Choi added. "When Congress has a law that's unconstitutional, it's the job of the courts to call it unconstitutional. That's Civics day one. Obama's giving Don't Ask, Don't Tell mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. For him to do that at this point is upsetting, it's disgusting."

GetEQUAL director Robin McGehee called the government's successful push for a stay "a travesty."

"This ... brings the military's discriminatory Don't Ask, Don't Tell law back from the dead," she said. "It is a travesty that after numerous attempts, President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder will go down in history as the administration that breathed life back into Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The lives and careers of openly gay and lesbian servicemembers are now back in the crosshairs of our government and a renewed commitment to discrimination falls squarely in the hands of this White House."

Servicemembers United Executive Director Alexander Nicholson said he's hopeful the stay will last just a few days.

"An objective look at the evidence before the court clearly indicates that ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell would not harm military readiness, but would rather enhance it," he said.

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese called DADT's resurrection "a sad day for all Americans."

"Today's decision only furthers our resolve to send this law to the dustbin of history and also draws a spotlight on the administration to make good on their pledge to end these discharges that damage our national security," he said.

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis said the stay dumped the ball back in the U.S. Senate's lap.

"Gay and lesbian servicemembers deserve better treatment than they are getting with this ruling," he said. "We now must look to the Senate next month in the lame-duck session to bring about the swift certainty needed here and to repeal this unjust law that serves no useful purpose."

[Photos and text by Rex Wockner]

Fran Drescher For NY Marriage Equality

Buddhists Win Google Stereotypes

When you begin a Google search with the question "Why are [Christians, Jews, Muslims] so" - you get the above suggestions. The same query regarding Buddhists yields only "happy."

UPDATE: It's not listed in the above-linked story, but I've done the same query on atheists.

Gay Comedian Eddie Sarfaty Joins Joy Behar To Dish On Teabaggers And DWTS

DOD To Announce New DADT Rules

Today the Pentagon is expected to issue another set of DADT guidelines in the wake of yesterday's stay of Judge Virginia Phillips' injunction.

Defense Department spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said Thursday that he expects the guidelines be announced later in the day. An injunction last week barring the military from following the "don't ask, don't tell" law prompted the Pentagon to order that recruiters must accept applications from gays, and military lawyers must stop prosecuting cases aimed at firing them.But a Wednesday ruling froze that injunction. That means the military could at least temporarily return to its policy banning gays and lesbians from serving openly, while the courts continue to consider the question.

Court Approves Moscow Pride

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favor of Moscow Pride president Nikolai Alexeyev, saying that authorities acted illegally when they banned gay pride in Moscow.

City Hall was ordered to pay 12,000 euros in damages to Nikolai Alexeyev and a further 17,500 euros in costs. And gay rights activists believe the ruling opens the way for all groups to rally in public, regardless of their political or social background. “This is the first ever decision of the European Court of Human Rights which concerns freedom of assembly in Russia. It guarantees everyone freedom of expression without special permission,” Alexeyev told The Moscow News directly after the verdict. The Moscow city government lost each of the three complaints, which activists said had great significance for the future beyond the gay rights movement.

Robot Dancer

Today they dance, tomorrow they come for you in your sleep.

Today In Teabagger Videos

FLORIDA: Show Us Your Papers (Unless You're Canadian Or European)

According to Florida's proposed Arizona-style immigration law, if cops suspect you of being in the country illegally, they will release you if you show a Canadian or European passport. Passports from other nations? That calls for further investigation.

​Florida state Rep. William Snyder, the slow-drawling ex-Miami-Dade Police officer who has drafted Tallahassee's version of the hotly debated Arizona immigration bill, is adamant that his law would not lead to racial profiling. "Race, ethnicity, and national origin cannot be used in making arrests. It's immoral, illegal, and unconstitutional," he said in a recent radio interview. So why does his bill explicitly offer a free pass to Canadians and Western Europeans, who need only show a passport to be "presumed to be legally in the United States"? "That language makes it clear that police are targeting only a specific minority," says Susana Barciela, policy director at the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. [snip] Even if an officer has "reasonable suspicions" over a person's immigration status, the bill says, a person will be "presumed to be legally in the United States" if he or she provides "a Canadian passport" or a passport from any "visa waiver country." What are the visa waiver countries? Other than four Asian nations, all 32 other countries are in Western Europe, from France to Germany to Luxembourg. In other words, Snyder's bill tells police to drop their "reasonable suspicions" of anyone hailing from dozens of countries full of white people. How is that not racial profiling?

Teabagger gubernatorial candidate Rick "Medicare Fraud" Scott has promised to sign the bill if elected.

Keith Olbermann Mocks Ken Mehlman

In a piece parodying that ridiculous phone call to Anita Hill by the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Keith Olbermann used Ken Mehlman as example of some other people who have no right to apologies.

Battle That Beat, Bro

The above is an excerpt from the new "book" by Jersey Shore's Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. Soon to be a New York Times bestseller. SRSLY.

Porno Pete And Ken Hutcherson Giggle About Being "Homobigots"

Porno Pete LaBarbera hosted Christianist Pastor Ken Hutchinson on his radio show to yuk it up about being labeled "homobigots" by Pam Spaulding, who "needs God in a big way." Pam responds appropriately.

Bob Guccione Dies At Age 79

Bob Guccione, founder of Penthouse Magazine and the man whose spectacular flop Caligula introduced hetero movie audiences to fisting, has died at the age of 79.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1930, Guccione started Penthouse in the mid-1960s. By the 1980s, he had created a $300 million media business and Penthouse had a circulation of 4.7 million, according to the New York Times. Marc Bell, chief executive officer of FriendFinder Networks Inc., which now publishes Penthouse and runs adult websites, called the death “very sad” in an e-mailed statement. The company plans to release a statement today, he said. Penthouse’s first issue hit newsstands in the U.K. in 1965 and went on sale in the U.S. in 1969, according to Biography.com. The magazine challenged the popularity of Playboy, a men’s magazine that had gained widespread following, by featuring photos and content that were intended to be more explicit and provocative.

Back in one of my writing classes in college, students held an unauthorized Penthouse Forum contest. All entries were required to contain the rote phrases "much to my surprise" and "needless to say," which appeared in almost all every issue. Much to my surprise, when I opened the door there stood two buxom blond twins! Needless to say, I invited them in. I recall arguing for the inclusion of the equally overused "endless gobs of ropey cum," but I was denied.

I still miss Guccione's excellent science/sci-fi title, Omni Magazine.

It's Gonna Be A Long Election Night

With an unprecedented number of races in the toss-up category, it's gonna be loooong election night on November 2nd.

Joel Burn's Husband Joins Him On MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell Show

The Purple Bears of Seattle

Some of Seattle's bears gathered last night to show support for GLAAD's Spirit Day. I see at least a few JMG readers there! More photos at Andy Hahn's Facebook page.

Dan Choi Gives Up On Obama

Open Thread Thursday

Are you dressing up for Halloween this year? Snooki, Steven Slater, Lady Gaga, Chilean miner? Bad boy angel with wings? Naughty nurse? Or something from the Village People milieu?

BREAKING: Ninth Circuit Court Stays Injunction Against Enforcing DADT

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has granted the DOJ's emergency request for a temporary stay on Judge Virginia Phillips' order to stop enforcing DADT. Via Chris Geidner at Metro Weekly, here's the brief ruling.

This court has received appellant’s emergency motion to stay the district court’s October 12, 2010 order pending appeal. The order is stayed temporarily in order to provide this court with an opportunity to consider fully the issues presented. Appellee may file an opposition to the motion for a stay pending appeal by October 25, 2010. To expedite consideration of the motion, no reply shall be filed.

What this may mean (if anything) for Dan Choi, I have no idea.

UDPATE: Chris Geidner adds to his above-linked post.

This does not immediately change the military's policy of not enforcing DADT, as the Oct. 15 guidance from Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Clifford Stanley stated that, while seeking a stay, "the Department of Defense will abide by the terms of the injunction" and stated that "additional guidance" would come if a stay is granted. This also is not a stay of the order that will last through the appeal. This is only a temporary stay granted through the time when the Ninth Circuit can decide -- sometime after the Oct. 25 deadline given to the LCR attorneys to respond to the stay request -- whether to issue a stay pending the outcome of the appeal. The decision will likely come soon after the Oct. 25 submission by LCR because the court will not hear oral arguments in the case and stated in its order that the government will not hear oral arguments in the case and stated in its order that the government will not be allowed to file a reply brief, which would happen in the ordinary course of appellate briefing. If a stay is granted pending the appeal, however, DADT would likely go back into effect in the interim, as the appeal is not even scheduled to complete the briefing process until the second week of March 2011.

MC 900 Foot Jeebus

It's not quite 900 feet, but the statue going up in Poland will be the world's biggest Jeebus. Why are they building it? For the MONEY, silly.

Although erected ostensibly to show gratitude to God, the town hopes having the massive statue will bring tourists into a community that has lain off the beaten track for most of its existence. "If we had opened a racetrack or a golf course here, tourists would have come only for the season. But with a statue of Jesus the season will last the whole year," a local official told Wprost, a weekly news magazine.

Tweet It

Weird Al is sobbing....

KKK Grand Wizard David Duke Defends The "Whiteness" Of The Tea Party Movement

Former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard and white supremacist David Duke thinks it's ridiculous to criticize the Tea Party for being so white. Completely unrelated (yeah, right) is today's report from the NAACP that ties the Tea Party to several white nationalist groups. According to Duke, Zionists are trying to wrestle the Tea Party away from its rightful white founders. (And something something something about how Hollywood is teaching us the "sexual mores of monkeys.") We're quite happy to see Duke stand up for the teabaggers. Let's hope he gets his wish and the national media ties this Grand Wizard around their necks.

Former NY State Sen. Hiram "Slasher" Monserrate Indicted For Corruption

Former New York state Sen. Hiram Monserrate, who was expelled from the Senate after being convicted of slashing his girlfriend's face with a broken glass, has been indicted on felony charges of campaign finance fraud.

Monserrate, 43, was charged with funneling taxpayer money to a non-profit group, Latino Initiative for Better Resources and Empowerment, or LIBRE, that provided support services for his unsuccessful campaign for the state Senate in 2006 and his re-election campaign to the New York City Council. He pleaded not guilty to his arraignment for mail fraud and conspiracy and was released on $500,000 bond. The Democrat was a member of the city council from 2002 through 2008. Prosecutors say he requested $300,000 in discretionary funds allocated by the council annually to non-profits for LIBRE, and then directed the group to use a third of it for his efforts to gain his party's nomination for the state Senate.

Monserrate was one of the notorious "Democratic Eight" who voted against marriage equality. Days after the vote, Monserrate objected without irony to the order of protection that kept him away from his slashed girlfriend, saying, "The state should not keep apart two people who want to be together."

NOM To Launch Iowa Bus Tour Against Pro-Marriage Supreme Court Justices

Next Monday NOM launches their third bus tour, this time in Iowa to support the Christianist campaign to defeat the state's Supreme Court justices.

In one sweeping decision unelected judges decided that it is all right to purposefully deny a child a mother and a father and that millennia of tradition and the views of a large majority of Iowans, that marriage is and always should be between one man and one woman, is irrelevant. This is not their role. The Legislature makes the law. The Governor executes the law. And, only "we the people" can amend our constitution. If the Iowa Supreme Court will do this to marriage, every one of our freedoms, including gun rights and private property, is in danger of being usurped by activist judges who are unelected officials. Most Americans believe that government is out of control. Now is the time to take a stand against the radical judicial activism of the Iowa Supreme Court.

Hopping on board the NOM Hate Bus will be Family Research Council execudouche Tony Perkins, former Sen. Rick "Spreading" Santorum, and local asshat Rep. Steve King. The bus is scheduled to make 20 stops over four days. Hopefully the Courage Campaign will be trailing them again to document the bigotry.

Openly Gay Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns Speaks To Ellen DeGeneres

(Via - Victory Fund)

RELATED: Burns has posted a YouTube message about his experience on the show. "You know you're a redneck when your mom is more excited about meeting Jeff Foxworthy than Ellen DeGeneres."

October 27th In NYC: LGBT Fundraiser For NY State Sen. Liz Krueger

Embiggen for the details. I blog a LOT about the nonstop clown car that is the New York Senate, but too rarely do I laud its heroes like my own state Sen. Liz Krueger, who is onboard with every LGBT issue.

Activists Interrupt Utah Gubernatorial Debate Over LGBT Teen Suicides

Pride In Utah reports that activists from a new group calling themselves Justice Vanguard interrupted last night's gubernatorial debate to demand candidates address the bullying and suicides of LGBT youth.

Justice Department Files DADT Injunction Stay Request With Ninth Circuit Court

Politico just reported that the Department of Justice has filed their appeal (of Judge Phillip's denial of their request to stay her DADT injunction) with the Ninth Circuit Court. This was expected, of course. I've posted the brief on my Scribd account, bloggers feel free to grab it.

Porno Pete Vs. HRC

Porno Pete LaBarbera is accusing the Human Rights Campaign of "blackmail" because of the HRC's point system for their Corporate Equality Index, which measures how major companies treat their LGBT employees. Via the American Family Association's OneNewsNow:

HRC is now demanding those corporations offer unlimited healthcare coverage for transgender employees -- or lose the highest ranking offered under the Corporate Equality Index. Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality tells OneNewsNow the group is simply escalating "its blackmail campaign against businesses." "In order to get a 100-percent rating, you now have to provide funding for sex-change operations for transsexuals," he explains. "So...they keep ramping up the demands to get the 100-percent rating, knowing that companies are bragging about having the rating."

I asked the Human Rights Campaign to respond.

The new CEI requirement is for insurance coverage to pay for medically necessary treatment for transgender people including sex affirmation surgeries. These surgeries are medically necessary according to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and have been endorsed by the AMA among other. It is our hope that the new CEI criteria will make a difference in the lives of transgender people.

NOM Sues New York To Keep Secret The Backers Of Their Carl Paladino Ads

NOM doesn't want anybody to know who is paying for their ads supporting Carl Paladino. Therefore they have sued the state of New York to evade campaign finance disclosure laws, a tactic they have used in seven other states. Buffalo News reports:

The National Organization for Marriage doesn't want to conform to state election laws requiring it to register as a political committee and reveal the names of its contributors. The group calls that requirement a violation of free speech rights and has asked a federal judge in Buffalo to declare a section of state Election Law unconstitutional. The state Board of Elections says the law is constitutional, and U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara will hear legal arguments on the dispute Thursday afternoon. Based in Washington, D.C., the group -- which refers to itself as NOM in court papers -- says it wants to run radio and television ads as well as a direct-mail marketing campaign that would support some candidates and criticize others. Some of the ads would support Paladino -- a vocal opponent of gay marriage -- while criticizing Cuomo, a gay rights supporter, according to papers filed in court by the National Organization for Marriage.

Even if NOM loses tomorrow's case, they will doubtlessly ignore the ruling as they have done everywhere else. Why isn't Brian Brown in jail for contempt of court?

NEVADA: Conservatives Launch Campaign Urging Latinos Not To Vote

A conservative group astroturfing themselves as "Latinos For Reform" have launched an ad campaign urging Nevada's Latino residents not to vote.

The ad was widely seen as an effort to hurt the campaign of incumbent Sen. Harry Reid, a Democrat, who is working hard to turn out Latino voters. Mr. de Posoda, who has long worked with the Republican Party, said he didn’t like either candidate but acknowledged that a Latino boycott would hurt Mr. Reid’s chances. Democrats from President Barack Obama on down condemned his effort. “I think it is terrible,’” Mr. Obama said Tuesday during a roundtable with reporters from Spanish-language outlets. “It is a cynical political ploy to try to drive Latino votes to benefit a Republican candidate in Nevada who would never vote for immigration reform.” Mr. de Posoda argues that politicians take Latino votes for granted and have failed to deliver on promises including enacting comprehensive immigration legislation. To teach them a lesson, his ads argue, Latinos should stay home on Election Day. After complaints from Nevada Democrats and some Republicans, Univision said it would not run the spots, called “Don’t Vote.”

You think you've seen it all, and then this.

CALIFORNIA: Jerry Brown Increases Slight Lead Over Meg Whitman

Polling averages still call it a toss-up, but yesterday's Survey USA poll shows Jerry Brown with a seven-point lead over Meg Whitman, who doesn't appear to have been seriously damaged by her housekeeper scandal.

He's Coming In A Honda!

Daily Grumble

The CVS on my block has completely done away with humans and you must now use the miserable, annoying, never-works-right self check-out. Place your scanned item on the tray. Place your scanned item on the tray. My motherfucking scanned item IS on the motherfucking tray. I always scream at the attendant, who shrugs and wanders away. Seniors, of course, are completely flummoxed by the machines, so checkout times are much longer. Congratulations CVS, you make the eye-rolling cashiers at Duane Reade feel like the fucking Welcome Wagon.

PhoboQuotable - Maggie Gallagher

"LGBT teens were roughly four times as likely as other students to attempt suicide in the last year. They're also about twice as likely to report being in a physical fight at school, three times more likely to say they were injured by a weapon and almost four times as likely to say they missed school because they felt physically unsafe, compared to other teens. These kinds of negative outcomes are consistent with the idea that anti-gay bullying is mainly responsible for the higher suicide rate among gay teens. But as I kept reading, I kept finding pieces of the puzzle that don't seem to fit the 'it's homophobia pulling the trigger' narrative.

"Gay students are also more than twice as likely to report having had sexual intercourse before age 13 -- that is, to be sexually abused as children. They are three times as likely to report being the victims of dating violence, and nearly four times as likely to report forced sexual contact. A majority of LGBT teens in Massachusetts reported using illegal drugs in the last month. (Perhaps most oddly, gay teens are also three times as likely as non-gay teens to report either becoming pregnant or getting someone else pregnant.) Forced sex, childhood sexual abuse, dating violence, early unwed pregnancy, substance abuse -- could these be a more important factor in the increased suicide risk of LGBT high schoolers than anything people like me ever said?" - Maggie Gallagher in a New York Post column that opens, "Do I have blood on my hands?" Yes, Maggie. You totally fucking do.

Google Staffers - It Gets Better

Morning View - GLAAD's Spirit Day

I haven't shaved in ten days, hence the cropping, but at least I remembered to wear purple for GLAAD's Spirit Day. Hopefully the folks at Chirpin' Chicken will find this meaningful when I leave the apartment for lunch.

Quote Of The Day - Christine Quinn

“He is the candidate on that stage, who I think is in part responsible for everything that is happening, juxtaposed to the attorney general, who has been very strong in both condemning these attacks and condemning the comments of Mr. Paladino. You can’t say for 100%, but you have to look at the context of things. In New York, across the country, the LGBT community has become one of the political targets of the day. When there is focused political rhetoric against the LGBT community, anti-LGBT hate crimes go up. It is a fact, documented by decades of data at AVP [the Anti-Violence Project] and the FBI and in the police department. So why would it be any different this time?" - Openly gay NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, blaming Carl Paladino (in part) for NYC's recent rash of anti-gay hate crimes.

(Via - Julie Bolcer @ The Advocate)

Alec Baldwin For Fight Back New York

Alec is pissed that he can't marry Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

NORTH CAROLINA: Lesbian Couple Booted From Raleigh-Area Mall For Kissing

With commentary from Raleigh native Clay Aiken.

Dan Choi On Anderson Cooper

And Alex Nicholson of Servicemembers United.

Judge Denies DADT Stay

Breaking via numerous Twitter observers is word that Judge Virginia Phillips has denied the Justice Department's request for a stay on her injunction against enforcing DADT. The DOJ will now rush their appeal over to the Ninth Circuit Court.

REACTIONS

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force

"Judge Phillips again rejected the government's bunk that it's necessary this discriminatory policy remain in effect any longer. She and the overwhelming majority of Americans have rightly concluded it's time to make 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' a policy of the past. Our elected officials have diddled around and played the delay game as the careers of thousands of courageous, patriotic service members have been destroyed. Phillips said enough is enough, and we couldn't agree more.”

Human Rights Campaign

Today, federal district judge Virginia Phillips, following on her July decision striking down the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law in a case brought by the Log Cabin Republicans, and her subsequent injunction barring enforcement of DADT, refused to issue a stay on her decision. Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese issued the following statement: “Judge Phillips once again did the right thing for our national security. We call on the administration not to appeal her decision. DADT is an unconscionable law that forces brave lesbian and gay Americans to serve in silence and has forced 14,000 patriotic Americans out of the military. The law is detrimental, not only to our national security, but also to the core American value of fairness.”

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network

"By the judge keeping the injunction in place, lesbian and gay service members are protected another day, but the uncertainty has not gone away. The Department of Justice will immediately ask the 9th Circuit to stay the injunction. We're talking about the careers of patriots, people who are on the frontlines serving our country - some of whom are highly decorated - and the court needs to keep the injunction in place. As the DOJ fights to keep this unconstitutional and oppressive law, we are monitoring active-duty clients' cases and fielding calls every day to our hotline. During this interim period of uncertainty, service members must not come out. Our service members need finality. Given the uncertainty in the courts, we urge the Senate to act swiftly next month on repeal when they return to Washington."

Log Cabin Republicans

"Judge Phillips is right to stand with servicemembers by rejecting President Obama's request to continue this discriminatory policy," said R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of Log Cabin Republicans. "It is vital that as a nation we uphold the fundamental constitutional rights of all soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen. As this past week has shown, our military is well-equipped to adapt to open service, and eager to get on with the work of defending our freedom. As Commander in Chief, the president should drop his defense of a policy which he knows undermines military readiness and threatens national security. The president has said that 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' will end on his watch, but is currently standing in the way of its demise. Log Cabin Republicans will continue to fight this policy no matter how many obstacles he puts in the way."

Photo below by JMG reader Justin Elzie.

NEW YORK CITY: Army Accepts Re-Enlistment Of Lt. Dan Choi

Matthew Rettenmund reports at Boy Culture that the U.S. Army today accepted the re-enlistment of Lt. Dan Choi. It took Choi a few minutes of knocking to be admitted to the Times Square military recruitment center, which is on a traffic island between Broadway and Seventh Avenue. According to Rettenmund's report, Choi merely has to supply some medical paperwork tomorrow and he's in. In the clip below, Choi says he found today's event to be "absolutely exciting, absolutely vindicating." Congratulations, Lt. Choi!

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoters, today's Swag Tuesday booty is a ticket to this Sunday's 30th anniversary reunion of the patrons and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco. Trippin' On The Moon: Dancing Under The Dome begins at 4pm at Santos Party House in Soho. Facebook event page.

Seven DJ’s, all who graced the turntables at one of the most spectacular clubs in the world will come together for one very special evening. Not since the closing party in 1988 have they all been under one roof. Please join us for what will sure to be a monumental event as we celebrate 30 years of music, dancing, friendship and memories. Music of (in alphabetical order): Michael Cavallone, Michael Fierman, Warren Gluck, Robbie Leslie, Terry Sherman, Mark Thomas, Sharon White. Lights: Richard Tucker. Special guest performer!

Advance tickets $60, tickets at the door (if available) $75. Get a special discounted admission of $40 by presenting your original Saint membership card. Advance tickets here. Enter to win a ticket by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the the text of your comment. Entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. If you cannot be in Manhattan on Sunday, your winning entry is transferable to your favorite Saint fan.

Tweet Of The Day - Lt. Dan Choi

Dan Choi is apparently going to test today's directive from the Pentagon. Stand by...

UPDATE: The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network urges caution.

“During this interim period of uncertainty, service members must not come out and recruits should use caution if choosing to sign up,” SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ law is rooted in any statement of homosexuality made at anytime and to anyone. A higher court is likely to issue a hold on the injunction by Judge Phillips very soon. The bottom line: if you come out now, it can be used against you in the future by the Pentagon. As the DOJ fights to keep this unconstitutional and oppressive law, we are monitoring active-duty clients’ cases and fielding calls every day to our hotline. Given the uncertainty in the courts, we urge the Senate to act swiftly next month on repeal when they return to Washington.”

Follow Choi in real time on his Twitter feed.
UPDATE II: Seems like Choi would have known this.UPDATE III: CNN covers Choi's tweets.

UPDATE IV: Village Voice reporter Steven Thrasher reports that a crowd of over 100 has assembled to watch Choi. UPDATE V: Thrasher photographs Choi being mobbed by the media.

Tom Bosley Dies At Age 83

Secretary Hillary Clinton - It Gets Better

"Hang Them": Uganda Paper Publishes Names And Photos Of "Top 100 Homos"

CBS News today picked up on the story of a Uganda newspaper publishing the names and photos of the country's so-called "top 100 homos." The yellow banner under the headline reads "Hang Them!"

In the days since it was published, at least four gay Ugandans on the list have been attacked and many others are in hiding, according to rights activist Julian Onziema. One person named in the story had stones thrown at his house by neighbors. A lawmaker in this conservative African country introduced a bill a year ago that would have imposed the death penalty for some homosexual acts and life in prison for others. An international uproar ensued, and the bill was quietly shelved. But gays in Uganda say they have faced a year of harassment and attacks since the bill's introduction. The legislation was drawn up following a visit by leaders of U.S. conservative Christian ministries that promote therapy they say allows gays to become heterosexual. "Before the introduction of the bill in parliament most people did not mind about our activities. But since then, we are harassed by many people who hate homosexuality," said Patrick Ndede, 27. "The publicity the bill got made many people come to know about us and they started mistreating us."

Box Turtle Bulletin, the leading U.S.-based blog for LGBT issues in Uganda, has been all over this story since it first broke on October 4th. BTB's Jim Burroway reports that many of the published photos were harvested from Gaydar and Facebook profiles. Last week BTB noted that Rolling Stone (unrelated to the U.S. music title) had been shut down by the government for reasons that may or may not be related to the "top 100 homos" issue.

Condom Users Will NOT Be Raptured!

Don't be fooled by sexy Satan and his jumbo Magnums!

Quote Of The Day - Sheriff Billy McGee

"He got in a fight with his boyfriend, and the police were called to his house for a domestic disturbance. Those kinds of incidents don't speak well for people in law enforcement." - Sheriff Billy McGee, explaining why he fired gay corrections officer Andre Cooley. We can only presume that McGee will also fire any female officer beaten by her husband. The ACLU is suing McGee's agency. Mississippi, like all of the South, has no state-level employment discrimination protection for LGBT citizens.

(Tipped by JMG reader Ashton)

HRC & Courage Campaign To Carly Fiorina: Reject The Extremists At NOM

NOM has spent over $220K supporting Carly Fiorina. HRC and the Courage Campaign want Fiorina to reject their support as religious extremism.

Military Recruiters Told To Accept Gays

The Pentagon today told armed services recruiters to begin accepting openly gay men and women into the military.

Spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said Tuesday that top-level guidance has been issued to recruiting commands informing them that the military's "don't ask, don't tell" rule has been suspended for now. Recruiters also have been told to inform potential recruits that the moratorium could be reversed at any point.

Groups like Servicemembers United have cautioned those already serving not to come out until the DOJ's appeal is (hopefully) resolved in their favor.

NEVADA: Sharron Angle's Transitive Property Of Racial Empathy

Enormous Consequences

The Palm Center has launched Enormous Consequences, a website created in reaction to Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' recent statement about the overturn of DADT.

Above is a clock with the running total of hours during which gays have been allowed to serve openly, as well as a chart with the number of reported consequences of the new policy. The Palm Center has submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for documentation on all negative consequences that result from the new policy.

Is This Gotham's New Cab?

As I've blogged about several times, New York City has been holding a contest to replace its taxi fleet of about 12,000 Crown Victorias as Ford has discontinued the line. Today the Daily News reports that the top two finalists are an as-yet unseen Nissan "vanette" and the above model made by the little-known Karsan out of Turkey, which "features a sleek, futuristic design with a see-through glass roof for tourists and curious New Yorkers."

New York state Assemblyman Micah Kellner (my rep), who has cerebral palsy, notes that only the Karsan vehicle is wheelchair accessible. NYC pays many millions every year for a special fleet of disabled-friendly cabs, which must be dispatched by request, so Kellner's view could be very important to the final decision.

According to the rules, the winning taxi must be an "iconic vehicle that can be identified with New York City and exemplifies the character of the city." I guess the Karsan fits the bill, but I'd been pulling for Australia's futuristic Unicab (below). The new cabs must begin hitting the street by 2014.

Steven Slater Pleads Guilty

Famed/infamous JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater pleaded guilty today to one count of felony attempted criminal mischief and one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief. A one to three year sentence was suspended with the agreement that Slater enter a year-long mental health program. Slater also agreed to begin substance and alcohol abuse counseling and to pay his former employer $10,000 for the cost of the emergency chute he deployed to make his dramatic exit. If he successfully completes the terms of his plea bargain, his felony conviction will be expunged and replaced with a misdemeanor. Let the TV movie begin!

Christine O'Donnell: There's No Such Thing As Separation Of Church And State

(Via - Towleroad)

NYC: Trial Begins In Craigslist Murder Of Gay ABC Newsman George Weber

Last year 16 year-old John Katehis brutally stabbed to death gay ABC newsman George Weber after the pair hooked up via a Craiglist hooker ad. Weber allegedly hired the teen to "smother" him in an S/M scene. After his arrest, the killer claimed that he had stabbed Weber over 50 times in self-defense. Katehis' trial began in New York City this week where his lawyers painted the victim as a sexual predator. Duncan Osborne reports at Gay City News:

By inviting the 16-year-old Katehis to his home for a sexual act, Weber “was trying to do something that was 1,000 percent wrong, immoral, and illegal,” said Jeffery T. Schwartz, Katehis’ attorney, in his opening statement. The age of consent in New York is 17. “Although he can be tried as an adult, under no circumstances can he consent to a sexual act,” Schwartz said. “He cannot consent to sex, any type of sexual act, with an adult male.” In the defense telling of this incident, Katehis was an innocent who was plied with alcohol and “what John believed was cocaine,” before being asked to engage in a behavior that made him uncomfortable. After having his feet bound, the older man “pointed” a knife at Katehis and the younger man panicked. The wound that cut Weber’s jugular vein was inflicted as the two men fought over the knife. Katehis received a deep wound to his hand that was bleeding profusely during that fight. “The bottom line is a knife was introduced not by John Katehis, but by George Weber,” Schwartz said.

Shortly after Weber's body was discovered, internet sleuths found Katehis' MySpace profile in which he posed with his collection of swords and knives and boasted:

I like to do crazy and wild things.im like an adrenaline junkie, I'm always looking for a big thrill, I'm a big risk taker and like to live life on the edge. I am an Extremist, an Anarchist, and a Sadomasochist. As long as you show respect for me i will show respect for you, if you disrespect me, then i will fucking break your neck.

The subject line in Katehis' original Craigslist ad read: "I blow for cash M4M." After Katahis' arrest, anti-gay and right-wing blogs lit up with claims that "Weber got what he deserved." The now 18 year-old Katehis is being tried as an adult. Read Duncan Osborne's full report from the trial.