Mike Huckabee Ties Marriage Equality to Gay Sexual Acts

Former Governor of Arkansas and Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee continues his attacks on the LGBT community. In referring to gay marriage the politician talked of the "ick factor" because the thought of two men or women having sex troubles him.

Huckabee has been called out for these and other outrageous remarks but continues to shrug them off. He insists that the LGBT community is hypocritical because one of our used the term "ick factor" and thinks if we can use it so can he. He also maintains that we want to "talk about the issues" at our convenience but not when the opposition brings them up.



Tell Mr. Huckabee discussion of marriage equality has nothing to do with gay sex his interest/or disinterest in it and his effort to tie the two together is irresponsible and down right icky.

Mike Huckabee can be reached at:

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/contact?p=contact-us

http://twitter.com/govmikehuckabee

Watch LIVE: LGBT Pride White House Reception

JOIN THE LIVE CHAT

VISIT WHITEHOUSE.GOV

Californian LGBT's to Protest "Ex-Gay" Irvine Conference

Orange County will be the sight of a big protest this Saturday as the LGBT community will face off with organizers of an "ex-gay" conference. The conference is being held by Exodus International the largest organization dedicated to "helping cure" people of their unwanted homosexual desires. "Conversion therapy" has been denounced by every major scientific organization proving that it is ineffective and psychologically damaging. LGBT activists will be waving signs of support and love, to reach conference attendees and people who live in the community to demonstrate that one can be healthy and happy as a queer individual.

They are planning a demonstration for Saturday, June 26th, from 4 to 6 PM at the intersection of Ridgeline Drive and University Drive in Irvine.

Word of the Gay: "Bathroom Bill"

"Bathroom Bill" is a new term used by right-wing opponents of transgender non-discrimination protections. The term is used to incite the irrational fear that such policies will usher in waves of transgender people using female restrooms and that horror will ensue.

Word of the Gay: "Shim"

"Shim" is a derogatory term for transgender women that is akin to the term shemale.

Popstar Vanessa Carlton Comes Out as Bi!

American grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and pianist Vanessa Carlton has come out as bisexual yesterday at the Nashville pride parade. She announced before the live audience: "I've never said this before, but I am a proud bisexual woman." Carlton is most famous for her best known single 'A Thousand Miles' which I embedded below.



Carlton can be thanked for her bravery to speak up via Twitter.

Happy Father's Day - Queer Men's Resources

Happy Father's Day to all you GBTQ and allied dads! May you continue to feel loved and empowered in the work and care that you provide all those in your life.

Queer Father's Resources:

Gay Dad nationwide meetup groups

Proud Parenting Information

Gay Dad Support Group

Gay Parent Magazine

Gay/Bisexual Father's Married to Women

Gay Dad's Info

Family Equality Council

Gay Family Values

Blog On Being a Gay Parent

*Image courtesy of KLHint on Flickr.

Shameless Self Promotion Sunday

Please feel free to share any links to queer or queer related topics of interest. You can post a blog entry you made, a website you found interesting. Anything goes as long as it is queer in nature.

The Weekly Queer Roundup

This week certainly had a healthy dose of queerness, after all Google is celebrating LGBT pride, and you should too if you follow gay protocol. But even queerer than that is homophobic rapper Eminem coming out in support of gay marriage! So did Iceland which legalized gay marriage, and Minnesota might follow next! It's just a sign of the times for the radical right who blame oil spills on our lack of morals. Don't even get them started on the week after pill 'Ella' that give women more options over their bodies. Speaking of bodies, Grindr may be a thing of the past with the invention of AssFinder. Queerdom is hitting all over the place, Boston may be post-gay, the Feminist Hulk has come to town, and gays don't want any McMuffin's. That's a whole lotta queer, and we are loving it!

Tell Hawaiian Governor Linda Lingle to Sign the Civil Unions Bill

The Hawaiian legislature passed the civil unions bill by a vote of 31-20 (three votes short of a veto proof majority) a few weeks ago. The bill passed the senate back in January, earlier this year. The bill now sits at the desk of Republican Governor Linda Lingle who has not spoken publicly on whether she will sign, veto, or ignore the bill.

The deadline for action on the bill is July 6th, meanwhile the Governor is keeping her options open and putting the bill on a possible veto list. She has met with proponents and opponents of the bill and is weighing her options carefully.

Please tell Governor Lingle to sign the civil unions bill into law.
E-contact form
Phone: (808) 586-0221 or (808) 586-0222

Demand Rep. Skelton Apologize for Homophobic Remarks

Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO) has publicly said he wants to keep the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy for fear that repeal would lead to a national discussion about homosexuality.

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Tuesday that he thought the military should keep its ban on openly gay service members in part because he did not want to open a national discussion about homosexuality. The chairman, Representative Ike Skelton, a conservative Missouri Democrat, said he thought the debate in Congress over the proposed repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy might force families to explain homosexuality to their children. “What do mommies and daddies say to their 7-year-old child?” Mr. Skelton asked reporters at a news media breakfast. [1]

Join GetEQUAL in demanding an apology by signing this petition.

1-800-Dial Heterosexism

Dial for Men has recently come out with a slew of products for the "manly man" and question whether you are "man enough" to handle their products? This type of sexist, gender stereotypical advertising is nothing new, but Dial has also added a taste of heterosexism to the mix.

Dial's MAGNETIC body wash product promises to enhance attraction through its pheromone infused formula. Not only will it get you clean but you will also be able to get your freak on with all the ladies in town!

According to the product label:

"You don’t need the help, but it doesn’t hurt to increase your odds. Dial® for Men Magnetic™ body wash is clean rinsing and moisture rich, so you get a great clean without drying your skin, and leaves you smelling so good women can’t help but notice."

I am certain Dial meant no harm through this campaign, they are targeting men through the very obvious marketing concept that 'sex sells' Regardless of what you make of their cheesy efforts to build their brand, there is no need for this subtle heterosexism. The majority of the population is straight but many men may be attracted to this product to court a female, male, or perhaps both sexes. Dial would have been better off using gender neutral language to make the product more palatable to all consumers. After all gay/bi men are attracted to those same manly pheromones that straight/bi women like in men.

If you are so inclined, Dial can be reached for feedback through Henkel North America through their customer service form.

Rally to Protect New York Homeless LGBT Youth

A rally to protect and advocate on behalf of homeless LGBT youth will occur tonight in Manhattan. This rally is in response to the recent hate crime against the Ali Forney LGBT homeless youth shelter. There are too many issues LGBT youth who are homeless go through to be ignored and while the the NYC Commission on LGBTQ Runaway and Homeless Youth came out with a report of suggestions, action needs to follow for implementation of change.

Monday June 14th, 6:30PM, Union Square
(Special guest-speakers Sandra Bernhard and Lt. Dan Choi)

Word of the Gay: "H.A.T.E."

"H.A.T.E." is a new acronym standing for homophobia and transphobia everywhere that is being used by the activist grassroots group Queer Rising.

Shameless Self Promotion Sunday

Please feel free to share any links to queer or queer related topics of interest. You can post a blog entry you made, a website you found interesting. Anything goes as long as it is queer in nature.

St. Pete's Florida Gay Pride Ads Rejected by Major Billboard Company

Clear Channel one of the largest outdoor advertisers has rejected two ads from the St. Pete's gay pride which serves the Tampa Bay, Florida LGBT community. The company has approved two current ads and has accepted ads from the organization in the past, but doesn't wish to comment on its decision to reject this set. The ads in question display a lesbian couple with the words "My Family is Free" and a gay shirtless couple saying "My Family is Fun."

Parade organizers are calling foul and suggesting that the company is rejecting the ads because it displays two same-sex couples. As a result St. Pete's Pride has pulled their other ads to make a point.



Clear Channel Outdoor can be contacted at: http://www.clearchanneloutdoor.com/contact/cf_outdoor.aspx

Open Forum: Will Part of the Trans Community Go Extinct?

Let me preface this open forum discussion with the fact that more transgender people are coming out than ever before and gender variation is the most accepted it has ever been (in modern societies that is). With the rise of gender bending, metrosexuality, feminism, and gender neutrality many males and females are expressing facets of both their masculinity and femininity. It is no longer uncommon in urban populaces to see cisgender heterosexual men neatly groomed displaying "feminine" attributes or stereotypically female products or to see a straight woman with short butch hair in a suit. Gender stereotypes are quickly dissipating and society is moving in a direction towards acceptance of gender expression. While we are still very far from being a truly genderless world we are growing increasingly tolerant and carefree about the irrelevance of someones gender identity or expression.

With gender (not sex) slowly becoming a thing of the past will there eventually be a contingent of the transgender community (crossdressers, drag queens/kings) who don't feel the need to opt for surgical changes but merely dress in the opposite gender from which they were born go extinct? In a world where cosmestics, mucles, facial hair, and expressions are no longer gender specific someone trying to genderbend will have no gender to play with because nothing will be distinctly male or female.

Word of the Gay: "The Dark Days"

"The Dark Days" is a term to refer to the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980's when thousands of gay/bi men were perishing and suffering the toll of this horrific disease.

End the Antiquated MSM Blood Ban!

Today Open Left has organized a blogswarm asking readers to take action to revise/end the FDA's ban on men who have sex with men (MSM) from donating blood. The Health and Human Services Committee on Blood Safety and Availability is deliberating for the third time since the ban has been implemented over whether changes are needed.

Please take a minute to email Dr. Holmberg and the Committee at jerry.holmberg@hhs.gov. Urge a revision of the policy that incorporates sound medical, scientific, and non-discriminatory guidelines.

Here is a letter summarizing the scientific and social reasons for revising the ban for your convenience. Feel free to copy and paste into an e-mail:

---

Jerry A. Holmberg, PhD
Executive Secretary
Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability
Office of Public Health and Science
Department of Health and Human Services
1101 Wooton Parkway, Suite 250
Rockville, MD 20852

June 10, 2010

Dear Dr. Holmberg,

I am pleased that the Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability (ACBSA) is planning to review the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decades-long ban on blood donation by any man who has had sex with another man since 1977. I strongly urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review its policy prohibiting gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) from donating blood.

The FDA's current blood donor eligibility policies are largely inconsistent, imposing significantly less restrictive deferrals to heterosexual men and women who engage in high-risk sexual behavior, yet banning gay and bisexual men who are HIV-negative, consistently practice safe sex, or are in monogamous, long-term relationships. This policy reinforces inaccurate stereotypes about gay men and HIV, and results in a significant loss of healthy blood donors.

The advent of new HIV testing technologies, which can detect HIV directly and has a window period of only 9-11 days after infection, has provided scientific and technological reasons to reconsider the policy. In the face of chronic blood shortages in the nation's blood supply, the unnecessary exclusion of large numbers of HIV-negative blood donors may harm patients in need of blood transfusions.

I join a growing consensus of voices who have called for reform of the FDA's donor eligibility policy. Many public health experts, the American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks, America's Blood Centers, and others have supported reforming the policy. Additionally, 18 U.S. Senators, as well as U.S. Representatives, have recently sent letters to the FDA calling for the long-standing policy's review and modification.

It is both timely and necessary that an exhaustive review of alternative policies is conducted. I encourage Health and Human Services (HHS) and the FDA to act quickly to address our mutual concern for expanding the blood donor pool and ensuring the safety and adequacy of our nation's blood supply.

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Arizona Mayor Doesn't Want “Lacy-Drawered, Limp-Wristed” Gays in Military

Yuma Arizona's Mayor Al Krieger made offensive remarks at a Memorial Day event suggesting gay people are effeminate and weak and asserted that gay servicemembers can never do what tough veterans have done in the past.

The Mayor voiced his opposition to repealing the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy by saying:

“I cannot believe a bunch of lacey-drawered, limp-wristed people could do what those men have done in the past.”

“We need solid, strong men to fight those battles. Not pacifists.”

He even went on to compare his stand with that of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, saying that he was principled and speaking from the heart.



The Mayor can be reached for comment at Alan.Krieger@YumaAz.gov

Word of the Gay: "Biebian"

"Biebian" is a new term for lesbians who sport the teen pop-star Justin Bieber's hairstyle.

New York Senate Judiciary Committee to Vote on Gender Identity Protections

The New York Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote tomorrow on the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), the bill (S.2406) has previously passed the State Assembly twice but faces obstacles in the more conservative Senate.

The bill if passed would outlaw discrimination on the basis of gender identity/expression in New York state. Currently it is legal in New York to be fired from your job, kicked out of your home or be denied credit or public accommodations (like service in a restaurant) simply for being transgender.

To pass the Judiciary Committee 12 votes are needed, insiders say GENDA already has 11 supporters and needs one more to move on to a full senate vote.

UNCONFIRMED VOTES

DeFrancisco -- Onandaga County (518-455-3511 Email)

Saland -- Columbia, Dutchess Counties (518-455-2411 Email)

LaValle -- Suffolk County (518-455-3121 Email)

Winner -- Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tompkins, Yates Counties (518-455-2091 Email)

Lanza -- Richmond (518-455-3215 Email)

Leibell -- Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester Counties (518-455-3111 Email)

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Contact your state senator if you are resident of New York state to vote in favor of the legislation.

Shameless Self Promotion Sunday

Please feel free to share any links to queer or queer related topics of interest. You can post a blog entry you made, a website you found interesting. Anything goes as long as it is queer in nature.

Ban Left-Handed Marriage

It is estimated that nearly 10% of the population is left-handed, clearly it is unnatural as 90% of the population is right-handed. We must stop left-handed people from forcing us to accept their deviance and not allow them to teach our children that it is okay to use either hand.

The Weekly Queer Roundup

What's up queers? This week in LGBT land we saw popstar sensation Miley Cyrus kissed a girl. In the United States this would still be considered "shocking" considering there are organizations who support the death penalty for gays in contrast to places like Ireland where the country is proceeding with how to recognize gay families. In the land of liberty we still need to justify and explain our identities, like Anna Paquin defending why she came out as bisexual. We shouldn't have to explain who we love, especially since science keeps indicating it's how we are born! Just ask all the men on capital hill it seems to be a hotbed of gay activity.

TV Personality Olivia Munn Advocates for Gay Rights

Actress, model and TV personality Olivia Munn has used her celebrity platform to speak out for gay rights. She has taken President Barack Obama to task for not doing more to expand the rights of the LGBT community and specifically points to his own minority status as a reason to be more sympathetic and active on behalf of civil rights.

“It’s ridiculous and I'm really upset that Obama, as a black man, and all the things that African Americans have gone through after being oppressed, has said 'you're less than' and cannot stand up and say marriage is a union between two individuals who love each other,” she said. “I just think everyone should be allowed the same rights — if they want to exercise them, they can and if they don't, they don't” (Advocate).

Be sure to praise Munn for being an ally on behalf of the community
http://www.oliviamunn.com/contact/ or via Twitter.

Ask Attorney General Candidates to Fight DOMA

Defend The Law has launched a petition campaign asking all of the 2010 candidates for New York Attorney General if they will pledge to sue the federal government to overturn DOMA, as is being done by Massachusetts AG Martha Coakley.

Tell the candidates for NY Attorney General that overturning DOMA should be a priority.

State Senator Eric Schneiderman (D): (212) 242-5301, friends@schneiderman.org

State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D): (914) 332-4940, campaign@richardbrodsky.com

Eric Dinallo (D): (212) 944-9640, info@ericdinallo.com

Sean Coffey (D): (212) 557-6100, seancoffey@coffey2010.com

Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan (R): (718) 876-6300, info@dandonovan.org

H/T to Joe My God.

Gay PRIDE Month - Worldwide Parade Listings

June officially kicks off gay pride month, and there will be parades, and festivals around the globe to celebrate LGBT history, culture, and freedom.

Check out Gay Scout's event calendar for a global listing of pride parades.

Also, check out Gay City USA's - International Gay Pride Parades & Events Calendar

Be sure to attend the pride marches, rallies, and festivals in your area!

Happy PRIDE!

Word of the Gay: "HIV-phobia"

"HIV-phobia" is the irrational fear or hatred of people living with HIV.