Miracle On 22nd Street

What happens when a gay couple in NYC's Chelsea neighborhood mysteriously get hundreds of letters to Santa addressed to their apartment? Watch the clip and then read Father Tony's excellent follow-up interview.

Dance Of The Sugar Plum Lesbians

This story makes its seventh annual appearance on JMG....

Grand Central Terminal functions as the mechanical heart of midtown New York City, pumping out several thousand workers and tourists on one beat, then sucking in several thousand more on the next.

The rhythms of the terminal are fascinating.

Beat. Four thousand, inbound from New Haven.

Beat. Three thousand, outbound to Westchester.

Worlds collide on the main floor.

The tourists gawk up at the gloriously ornate ceiling and uselessly flash their digital cameras at objects hundreds of feet away.

The commuters rush up to the track displays to determine their track number, then dart across the terminal floor, dodging the milling tourists, heads down, like running backs heading for the end zone.

It's mesmerizing. It's majestic.

And sometimes, like tonight, it's magical.

I'm walking through the massive main room just as the holiday laser show begins on the ceiling. To the tune of Take The "A" Train, the laser depicts two trains arriving from different directions. The trains stop opposite each other and a reindeer leaps out of each one and crosses over to the opposite train.

The laser traces the outline of one of the zodiac constellations painted on the ceiling. The Cancer crab leaps to life and becomes the Crab Conductor, waddling down the center aisle of the car, punching the reindeers' ticket stubs with his claws.

I move over to the edge of the room, near the entrance for Track 25, so I can watch the reaction to the show. As usual, I'm more entertained by watching the audience than by watching the actual show.

At the ticket windows, standing in front of signs that say "Harlem Line" or "Hudson Line", commuters tilt their heads painfully back to view the show directly overhead. The tourists cluster in delighted circles, holding each others' elbows for balance as they nearly bend over backwards.

Some people move to the edges of the great hall, as I have, to remove themselves from the traffic flow while they watch. Among those that come to join me on the perimeter of the room is a lesbian couple. They stand quite close to me, the taller woman behind the shorter one, with her arms wrapped around her, supporting her a bit as they both lean back on the marble wall.

The shorter woman is stout with a large firm chest. Her hair is short and brushed back into what might have once been called a ducktail. She has an ornate tattoo on her left forearm and she has a leather wallet protruding from the rear pocket of her jeans, attached to her leather belt by a short silver chain. She has more than a passing resemblence to Tony Danza, her big boobs notwithstanding, so naturally (in my head) I name her Toni.

Toni's girlfriend is blond and her short ponytail dangles just above her collar. She is wearing long Christmas tree earrings which nearly brush her shoulders. Her lanky, sinewy limbs are bound in a tight running outfit, over which she is wearing a school athletic jacket. I imagine that she might be a coach at Yale or Harvard, perhaps a girls lacrosse coach, or maybe track and field.

Coach is squeezing Toni tightly and they bounce together to the music a bit. Coach looks over at me and catches me smiling. She nudges Toni, who looks over at me too, and we all grin goofily at each other for a moment.

Overhead, a new show begins. The familiar opening notes of Tchaikovsky's Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairies ring out as the Empire State and the Chrysler buildings sprout arms, bow to each other, and begin waltzing across the ceiling.

I look around the room and it's as if time was frozen for just a second, every person stopped in mid-stride, eyes cast upward, mouths open in silent joy.

Toni pushes away from Coach, turns around and delivers her a bow as deep and as elegant as the one just depicted overheard.

"Madame, may I please have this dance?" she asks Coach.

Coach looks around a bit awkwardly. "You are TOO much!" And she giggles.

"Madame, I must insist!" says Toni, as she takes Coach's hands into hers.

Coach relents and she and Toni begin a beautful, slow waltz, moving in half-time to the music. As you might have guessed already, Toni leads.

As they dance, their eyes remain locked on each other. Toni is giving Coach an intense look, her lips tightly curled into a satisfied smile. Coach is grinning from ear to ear and again, she giggles.

All around Coach and Toni, the tourists, the businessmen, the students, the conductors, even the guy with a broom...they're all watching. Some are expressionless, but more are smiling, and some of them...some of them are frantically fussing with their cameras, eager to capture this magical New York Moment.

Serendipity prevails, the tune ends, and Toni dips Coach backwards with a dramatic upsweep of her free arm as a firestorm of camera flashes erupt around them. Toni pulls Coach up and close to her and they hug. There's another camera flash and the crowd begins to move along.

Then.

"Hey, look!"

The laser show is being concluded with giant sprigs of mistletoe appearing over our heads. This time it's Coach who bends down and plants a long tender kiss on Toni's non-lipsticked mouth. There's another flash of cameras from the delighted audience.

Toni takes Coach's hand and they begin to move off towards the exit.

"Oh, don't stop!" says a disappointed woman, still rummaging for her camera.

Toni looks back over her shoulder and says, "I never will."

Grand Central Terminal, the mechanical heart of New York City, beats again. But this time I hear a different rhythm. This time I hear a double beat.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYBODY!

Morning View - Freeze Damage

Last weekend's freeze has left Orlando littered with dead tropicals like this banana tree in my mom's back yard.

Joe Biden: Gay Marriage Is Inevitable

During an appearance on the Today Show, this morning Vice President Joe Biden said that he agreed with the president's "evolving" position on gay marriage and that a "national consensus" on the issue is inevitable.

“I think the country’s evolving,” he said. “And I think you’re going to see, you know, the next effort is probably going to be to deal with so called DOMA [Defence of Marriage Act].” DOMA prohibits federal government from recognising gay marriage, meaning that even if states allow the practice, gay couples still cannot access federal benefits. Mr Biden added that attitudes had changed to openly gay soldiers and that consensus was beginning to turn in favour of gay marriage. He said that gay troops were now “widely accepted” and “the same thing is happening now in regard to the issue of marriage.”

Tap Tap Tap

Is anybody working today? Where are you off to?

History

Ann Coulter Mocks DADT Repeal

More vomit from GOProud's BFF.

The View Slams Bill Donohue

Afternoon View - Orlando Main Library

Like many Brutalist buildings, Orlando's Main Public Library looks like a prison. Unfortunately my alma mater, UCF, also features a major example of ugly Brutalism.

UGANDA: Pastor Martin "Eat Da Poo Poo" Ssempa Charged With Blackmail

Uganda's notorious Pastor Martin Ssempa, who infamously tells national audiences that the preferred sexual practice of gay men is eating human feces, has been charged with attempting to blackmail another pastor. Ssempa is accused of offering to pay another man to say that he had "been sodomized" by Pastor Robert Kayanja. A total of eight anti-gay Christian activists have been charged in the case.

Pastor Sempa is accused of hiring Robson Matovu to blackmail Pastor Kayanja. Court heard that Pastor Male reportedly gave Mr Matovu a signed and stamped affidavit implicating Pastor Kayanja while Samson Mukisa was reportedly promised necessities on condition that he would speak publicly on how Pastor Kayanja had sodomised him. A police report indicates that complaints of sodomy against Pastor Kayanja did not reveal any evidence the offences. “In retracting their statements, the complainants said they had been mobilised to make false accusations against Pastor Kayanja in order to tarnish his name,” reads a report.

Box Turtle Bulletin's Jim Burroway notes: "Public charges of sodomy are a common way to settle political and other scores in Uganda. Should the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill become law with its death penalty and other heightened penalties for advocacy on behalf of LGBT people or failure to report gay people to police, such conspiracies will increase and carry far greater dangers. The bill will mean that no one will be safe, including straight people."

AFA: Limp-Wristed Nancy Boys Can't Get Out Of The Military Anymore! ROFL!

"If a homosexual signs up now, he’s stuck with the whole magilla. Go to your superior officer now and say, hey, I’m a flaming homosexual, I hate the army, let me out of here, the superior officer will say, tough darts, those days are gone. You’re stuck with us now, Nancy-boy. So, who’s sorry now?

"The more this message resounds, the fewer homosexuals will want to enlist. It’s one thing to be gay, and say, hey, I’ll give it a few weeks and then bail if I don’t like the food, can’t get enough action in the barracks, or thought I’d enjoy ogling male soldiers in the shower more than I did. Those days are now shortly to be a distant memory for our homosexual friends. They enlist, they’re stuck with the whole program just like everybody else.

"In other words, they had preferential treatment and special privileges, a status and privileges and an exit strategy denied to their honest and straight counterparts. And homosexuals just bargained it away. Now, they will discover to their dismay, they’re back to having equal rights instead of special rights." - American Family Association radio host Bryan Fischer, who once predicted rampant gay rapes, AIDS infections, and battlefield boyfriend spats should DADT be repealed.

In-Flight Gay Wedding Rap

From SAS Airlines' in-flight gay wedding.

(Tipped by JMG reader James)

Pat Robertson: It's Time To Legalize Pot

Wait, WHAT?

Quote Of The Day - Rep. Steve King

"The basis for the individual mandate was the Commerce Clause -- that Congress has the constitutional authority to regulate commerce between the states. [But] not accessing healthcare from any source, let alone not purchasing health insurance, none of that is interstate commerce and should not be.

"The dozen or so new Republican governors and the almost 700 new Republicans in the state legislatures, they can throw a lot of wrenches in the works by refusing to accept some of the mandates from ObamaCare...deciding not to participate in it and joining the lawsuits through the court side. The third piece is Congress can't rely on any of that to get the job done for us; we have to do the job ourselves as well. That means passing a stand-alone repeal of ObamaCare." - Wingnut Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), saying that the U.S. House can repeal health care reform "in the first few days of the new session."

Sam Sparro - Pink Cloud

Jared at Pop In Stereo tips us to this new single from out artist Sam Sparro, which totally is taking me back to South Beach of the early 90's.

UTAH: Gay Rights Come To Grand County

In a continuance of the march to full LGBT rights for small town and rural Americans, yesterday Grand County, Utah granted housing and employment protections to its gay and transgender residents. The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

That means one in four Utahns, living in 10 communities from Moab to Logan, are protected from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Advocates for the statutes hope that groundswell of support will push the Utah Legislature to protect all Utahns. “Each of these local governments has set an example for their residents and for business owners and property owners,” said Brandie Balken, executive director of Equality Utah. “They’ve also set a good example for our Legislature.” Sen. Ben McAdams, D-Salt Lake City, plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to existing housing and employment laws banning discrimination based on characteristics such as race, religion or national origin. Two-thirds of Utahns support such a law, according to a January poll by The Salt Lake Tribune.

Pride In Utah cautions that the GOP head of the Utah state Senate has hinted that his party may attempt to overturn local anti-discrimination laws by statewide edict. In the meantime the effort to institute a state version of ENDA in Utah continues.

Happy Festivus!

"The tradition of Festivus begins with the Airing of Grievances. I got a lot of problems with you people! And now, you're gonna hear about it." (Festivus en Espanol.)

Parents Of Dead Student May Sue Rutgers

The parents of Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi have filed notice of possible intent to sue the school. Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge earlier this year after other students webcast a sexual encounter he'd had with a man in his dorm room.

The parents, Joseph and Jane Clementi of Ridgewood, N.J., filed legal notices with the university on Friday, said Paul Mainardi, a lawyer for the family. By law, they must wait six months to file a lawsuit, but they had to give notice within 90 days after the death to preserve their right to sue. Mr. Mainardi said that the notices did not necessarily signal an intention to sue. “A decision as to whether to file suit against Rutgers University in the future has not been made,” he said.

One of the legal notices filed last week, a notice of tort claim, contends that Rutgers “failed to put in place and/or implement, and enforce, policies and practices that would have prevented or deterred such acts.” Another notice claims the university broke its agreement with Mr. Clementi to protect him. E. J. Miranda, a spokesman for Rutgers, said the university shared the family’s sense of loss and understood that they would question whether an institution or other people were to blame. “While the university understands the reaction,” he said, “the university is not responsible for Tyler Clementi’s suicide.”

The students responsible for the webcast have since withdrawn from the school after being charged with invasion of privacy. They may face additional charges.

Dumbassery Highlights: Fox & Friends

WND Claims Army Colonel Has Requested To Be Relieved Of Command Over DADT

Christianist website World Net Daily is claiming that an unnamed Army colonel has requested to be relieved of his command rather than serve under a repealed DADT.

A lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army has confirmed to WND that he is asking to be relieved of the command of his squadron because of the new policy. And former combat personnel are telling WND that they are continuing to keep the pressure on Congress to reverse itself. "I have already requested through my chain of command that I be relieved of command of my squadron prior to new policy implementation on grounds that my personal beliefs don't permit me to force the coming 'behavior modifications' training and other inevitable policies on my soldiers," the officer, whose name has been withheld, wrote to WND. The statement highlights the question of whether soldiers themselves are ready to go along with the controversial social experiment imposed by Congress, or whether they'll carefully withdraw from command positions and troop ranks, pack their bags and leave the military.

World Net Daily, which is among the most widely-read conservative sites in the world, is asking for other anti-gay soldiers and officers to come forward with their post-DADT plans.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #63

A holiday double-feature from the TOQ:

ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS (1955) &
FAR FROM HEAVEN (2002)

An interesting comparison exists between the two films chosen for the Christmas episode of STEVE HAYES: Tired Old Queen at the Movies . Douglas Sirks' ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS (1955) follows the love affair between a well-to-do middle-aged widow with grown children, Jane Wyman, and her gardener, Rock Hudson, who is twenty years younger. Todd Haynes' FAR FROM HEAVEN takes the same scenario, but has the woman, Julianne Moore, losing her husband played by Dennis Quaid, to a gay lover. She too finds solace in the arms of her gardener, this time a handsome black man, played by Dennis Haysburt. Each film takes a pot shot at the conservatism of the 1950's with the latter adding a more realistic 90's edge. Both offer fascinating and moving holiday viewing by two iconic filmmakers. Happy Holidays!

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV): I'm Sorry I Wasn't There To Vote Against DADT Repeal

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who was the lone Democrat to vote against the Defense Authorization Act when it included the repeal of DADT, now says he regrets not being in DC to also vote against the stand-alone version of the bill.

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin apologized to his constituents Tuesday for missing two key votes over the weekend. Manchin has caught heat from friends and foes alike for failing to be on the Senate floor Saturday to vote on the repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” and the DREAM Act. Instead he was celebrating Christmas with his grandchildren in Pennsylvania. "Let me apologize to anybody and everybody within our listening and reading areas. I'm very sorry for missing the two votes,” Manchin said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday. For the record, Manchin says he would have voted against both bills. He says he took his cue on Don't Ask, Don't Tell from military leaders who felt in the middle of two conflicts now was not the time to change a major policy. And he was not satisfied with the DREAM Act because he wants to see comprehensive immigration change.

Rep. Barney Frank Rips Christian Network Reporter Over Dumbass DADT Question

Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenback On DADT Signing

Obama Fields Reporter's Question On Marriage Equality After DADT Repeal

VIDEO: Dan Choi Gets His Ring Back

Open Thread Thursday

Since lots of us are visiting our families this week, use the photo upload in the comments to show us some of your favorite childhood pics. (The 'rents will be only too delighted to hear you ask for examples.) This is me in April 1965 and I may have been doing my Ed Sullivan impression.

Fuckers At NOM Fucking Hate It When Gay People Fucking Let Kids Say Fuck

PROMISE RING: Lt. Dan Choi Gets His West Point Ring Back From Sen. Harry Reid

Sen. Harry Reid has returned Lt. Dan Choi's West Point ring, fulfilling a promise he made to Choi at Netroots Nation in front of hundreds of progressive writers, including yours truly. Upon receipt of the ring, Choi tweeted: "The next time I get a ring from a man, I expect it will be for full, equal, American marriage.

Afternoon View - Lake Eola

The fountain in downtown Orlando's Lake Eola is sort of the city's symbol and its silhouette is found on many of the town's non-Disney souvenirs. Obvs, I'm now in Orlando.

Porno Pete On DADT Repeal

"They will sue to get benefits [and] they will sue to get the same married housing as straight soldiers and so you're going to have a situation where you find yourself faced with this question of your kids being exposed to homosexual behavior in the house next door. Obama and gays have shown that they care more about the sensitivities of gay and lesbian soldiers than they do about the privacy rights of the majority of normal soldiers. I don't really think Obama respects the troops. He respects the gay activists and he wants to implement his agenda as fast as he can -- and that's what he's doing." - Porno Pete LaBarbera, head of the SPLC-certified hate group, Americans For Truth About Homosexuality.

An American Soldier

Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now

The first single from the album of the same name, which is out today. I'm hearing echoes of Rio buried in here.

Full Remarks From DADT Signing

A Sarah Palin Christmas

Obama On "Evolving" Marriage Position

Yesterday the president sat down with Advocate reporter Kerry Eleveld, who reminded him of his recent comment that his position on same-sex marriage has been evolving.

OBAMA: I'm not going to make more news today. The sentiment I expressed then is still where I am—which is, like a lot of people, I'm wrestling with this. My attitudes are evolving on this. I have always firmly believed in having a robust civil union that provides the rights and benefits under the law that marriage does. I've wrestled with the fact that marriage traditionally has had a different connotation. But I also have a lot of very close friends who are married gay or lesbian couples.

OBAMA: And squaring that circle is something that I have not done yet, but I'm continually asking myself this question and I do think that—I will make this observation, that I notice there is a big generational difference. When you talk to people who are in their 20s, they don't understand what the holdup is on this, regardless of their own sexual orientation. And obviously when you talk to older folks, then there’s greater resistance. And so this is an issue that I'm still wrestling with, others are still wrestling with. What I know is that at minimum, a baseline is that there has to be a strong, robust civil union available to all gay and lesbian couples.

Eleveld then pressed the president as to a timeline for "getting there" on marriage. Obama: "I'm going to stick with my answer."

Ali Forney Center's Carl Siciliano Blasts Bloomberg's Cuts To Homeless Gay Kids

Michael K. Lavers reports at EDGE:

Juan Valdez literally remains out in the cold. The 21-year-old from Orlando, Florida, has been homeless since he arrived in New York City eight months ago. Valdez’s parents kicked him out of their home. And he told EDGE he now sleeps with what he described as "a whole bunch of ex-convicts" looking for sex. "I’ve been homeless the whole time I’ve been here," said Valdez. Valdez literally shivered alongside more than a hundred activists and elected officials on the steps of City Hall in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, Dec. 21, to protest Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed cuts to homeless youth programs.

Hit the link and read Lavers' full report. Then watch the clip and please consider making a holiday donation to the Ali Forney Center.

SLIDESHOW: Fort Lauderdale JMG Readers

We had a fantastic group of guys show up for our JMG readers meet-up in Fort Lauderdale/Wilton Manors. Thanks to everybody for coming out! I'll add some more photos from Father Tony's camera shortly. Man, I look tired after a week at Island House. Yikes.

FRC: We'll Sue To Stop DADT Repeal

Morning View - Fort Lauderdale Beach

LeAnn Rimes & LA Gay Chorus - The Rose

Clip description: "LeAnn Rimes joined the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles to pay tribute to LGBT youth everywhere, honoring the memory of those who have taken their lives in desperation, those who struggle with anti-gay bullying and discrimination - and reminding everyone that It Gets Better!"

(Via - Towleroad)

Obama's DADT Repeal Speech

Here's a excerpt of this morning's signing speech.

Gotham Knights - It Gets Better

LIVE VIDEO: Obama Signs DADT Bill

UPDATE: The ceremony is complete! Best quote from the president: "We are no longer a nation that says 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' we are a nation that says 'Out of many, one.'"

Family Research Council: Sen. John McCain Will Work With Us To Block DADT

Today the Family Research Council, an officially designated anti-gay hate group, announced that they have enlisted Sen. John McCain in their campaign to block the implementation of the repeal of DADT.

As for FRC, who will take great pleasure in seeing this lame-duck finally limp out of town, we'll be spending the next couple of weeks reassessing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" debate. In fact, I've already been in conversations with Hill leaders about holding hearings in the New Year, as well as statutory and legislative oversight steps that can be taken to turn back aspects of the repeal and slow down--if not stop--the rest. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and others will be working with FRC to put a strict evaluation process in place. We want to ensure that the Pentagon is monitoring the effect of this radical change on the men and women in harm's way. One way to do that is demanding specific measurables--like tracking the sexual assaults, dips in recruitment and retention, combat distractions, and more. If there's the slightest disruption to the military's mission, you can bet that FRC will be on the Hill, demanding to revisit this repeal. And unlike the Senate Majority Leader, we won't consult Lady Gaga first.

Quote Of The Day - Maggie Gallagher

"The inability of those who opposed DADT repeal to kill this bill in the lame duck, even in light of the strong opposition to repeal from troops in the field, is an example of the growing mismatch in culture power — the power to name reality, the power to determine which stories get told and whose feelings count.

"When the 58 percent of Marines putting their lives on the line for this country who say 'this is going to make our life harder' have so little weight in public debate — compared with, say, the understandably opposing feelings of Lt. Dan Choi and other gay soldiers — it’s certainly culturally significant.

"Back to marriage: Same-sex and opposite-sex couples clearly are not similarly situated with respect to marriage. Will we find enough people willing to stand on the commonsense proposition that marriage is the union of husband and wife, because these unions really are unique — and uniquely related to the common good? I think so. I can’t really believe we are going to end up like Europe. But then I’m an optimist."- Maggie Gallagher, writing for the National Review.

Barney Frank On The Radical Homosexual Agenda: Two Down, Two To Go

CHICAGO: Local News Covers Porno Pete's Addition To SPLC's Hate Groups List