Allowable Marriage: According To The Bible (Chart)

Many people today believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible.  They believe that it is actually the word of god.  Since the book of Leviticus says that men lying together "are an abomination", then, in their minds, 6000 years later, obviously god doesn't want people to be having gay sex.  That being said, I thought I would share the other types of marriages that are permissible, according to the Bible.  Pay attention.

Now, the whole rapist/victim match up...that is an abomination.  However, I think the brother-in-law thing still takes place in West Virginia. (shudders)

Viral Photo Of The Day

I have seen the following picture on nearly a dozen sites in the last hour.  Yahoo, Mashable and even The Trevor Project are posting the photo, claiming that it was taken last night at Niagara Falls.  With the photo showing up on Lance Bass' Twitter feed last night, the world has just assumed it to be true.  Some have even credited Bass with the photo.

Well, Lance Bass didn't take the photo.  Turns out, the photo isn't even from last night.  If any of these "journalists" would have done 30 seconds of research, they would have discovered that the photo was taken by Mykelle Nicole, in June of 2008.  You can see the original on Nicole's Flickr page.  It's one out of a series of pictures taken in Niagara Falls that night.  I recommend taking a look at her page.  She's quite talented.

Regardless of when the photo was taken, I think it is still a wonderful symbol for marriage equality in New York.  It just upsets me when people take something at face value, when the truth could have been discovered in one Google search in less than a minute.  Ugh.

New York Starts Marriages Of Same-Sex Couples

At the stroke of midnight, gay, lesbian and bisexual couples in New York started making their legal, lifelong commitment to each other.  What a historic day to witness.

Kitty Lambert, 54, and Cheryle Rudd, 53, became the first couple to be married at Niagara Falls as the clock struck 12.  At 9:02AM, Phyllis Siegel, 76, and Connie Kopelov, 84, became the first same-sex couple to be married in Manhattan.  Siegal, who has been with her partner for 23 years, later said,

‘‘It was just so amazing.  It’s the only way I can describe it. I lost my breath and a few tears.’’

23 years!  I cannot imagine being with my wife for the last 23 years, and only being able to legally get married to her today.  Unbelievable.  Siegel and Kopelov are one of the 823 couples scheduled to be married today, just in New York City.  The following video was shot by the Associated Press.  It shows dozens of couples in line to exchange their nuptials.  It also shows a number of people from Westboro Baptist Church trying to spoil the party.  As of the moment, they seem to have been largely ignored by marriage supporters.  One suggestion:  I wouldn't watch the following video on Youtube, unless you're prepared to read a large number of disgusting and hateful comments.



New Yorkers have fought hard for this.  It's only fitting that marriage equality finally comes to the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement.  My favorite gay couple can get married now, after over 40 years of being together.

All joking aside, congratulations, New York.

'Edge Of Glory'

I've become a bit tired of talking about Lady Gaga on this website.  She's run her course.  I saw this video, though, and had to share it.  It certainly speaks to the "glory" part of the song, if you ask me.



Love is love.  Gay rights are bi rights.  Bi rights are straight rights.  We are all connected.

Kevin Smith Officiates Gay Wedding

Last night's 'Nightline' on ABC had a piece about getting married by a celebrity.  I guess it's the new "in" thing to do if you're getting married in California.  Tori Spelling has been doing it on her reality show for a couple of years, now.  And, in February, you can add writer/director/actor Kevin Smith into the mix.

In February, Smith, an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church, an online church with over 20 million members, married Scott Loudon and Michael Wojtowicz.  Yes, his first official marriage was of a gay couple.  As long time Los Angeles Kings season ticket holders, Loudon and Wojtowicz wanted a hockey themed wedding.  Being the hockey fanatic that he is, Smith couldn't refuse.

Dressed as a referee, he conducted the ceremony as the couple were dressed as players, complete with jerseys and fake bruises.  The 50 or so in attendance at Smiths theater in L.A. all wore jerseys as well, while the proceedings were broadcast online as part of a regularly scheduled podcast.

The invites were even made to look like tickets to a game:

The wedding date was 02/12/2011 - Sec 2011, Row 2, Seat 12

I don't know about you, but speaking for myself, I would much rather be married by Silent Bob than Donna from 'Beverly Hills, 90210'.  As Smith said in the piece last night,

"If you're getting married here, you're really interesting.... If you're getting married in hockey jerseys, and making me wear a referee jersey, and you're gay, and you're here, and you're huge hockey fans, we're in for a great show."

Take a look at the video.  I found it really touching.  It's nice to see Smith's reaction to the whole thing.  It's as if he's just hanging out with a couple of his drinking buddies.  It's no big deal to him.

I have read a couple of comments on the gay websites regarding this story, and I was surprised to see how much of a negative reaction it's getting.  One comment in particular struck me as peculiar.  It went on to say, "Shame on Kevin Smith.  Publicity stunts like this make our fight towards marriage equality look insincere.  Gay marriage is not a joke."

Really?  Are we going to bring the "sanctity of marriage" bullshit argument into this story, now?  News flash:  There is no sanctity in marriage, anymore.  There hasn't been for decades.  When Larry King can be on his 8th (or is it 9th) wife.  Or when you can get married by Elvis at a drive thru window in Las Vegas.  Or when one of the most popular shows on cable is about a man and his four wives, there is no sanctity in marriage.

If straight couples can have Star Wars themed weddings or Lord of the Rings themed weddings, why can't a gay couple have a hockey themed wedding?  What's the harm?  In my mind that IS marriage equality.

Kevin Smith, believe it or not, has been a long time advocate for the LGBT community.  In fact, when no one else would fund or produce a little documentary called 'Small Town Gay Bar', Smith personally funded the project so that it would be completed.  He also distributed it through his production company, View Askew, and secured a spot for it to be shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.  It is an amazing film that documents the lives of gay and lesbian residents in rural areas in the South, and the steps they have taken to try to form a resemblance of a community.  Over the last three decades, some have had the courage to open gay bars in their local towns, only to be threatened, beaten, and run out by local politicians and church leaders.

On a personal note:  My wife and I were initially planning on having a Beatles themed wedding in Las Vegas.  Due to unforeseen circumstances (our almost 3 year old daughter on the way), we decided to change our wedding plans.  A close friend of ours became ordained as a minister online through the Universal Life Church.  We were married in our kitchen, with only a couple of our closest friends in attendance.  

If I had to do our wedding day all over again, I would still be standing in that little kitchen with my beautiful fiancée, and a champagne flute filled with sparkling grape juice.  I wouldn't change a thing.  It's 2011.  Weddings aren't about pomp and circumstance, or wedding dresses and "something borrowed/something blue" anymore.  Tradition is out the window.  Today, it's simply about two people coming together to make a commitment to love each other for the rest of their lives.  End of story.

Congratulations, Scott and Michael.  May the two of you have a happy and fruitful life together.  Go Kings!! 

Fox News' Reaction To The Obama Administration's DOMA Announcement

As some of you may have read, the Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, released a statement yesterday, announcing that the federal government will no longer defend Section 3 of DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) in court.  Here is an excerpt from the announcement:

After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny. The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases. I fully concur with the President’s determination.

Consequently, the Department will not defend the constitutionality of Section 3 of DOMA as applied to same-sex married couples in the two cases filed in the Second Circuit. We will, however, remain parties to the cases and continue to represent the interests of the United States throughout the litigation. I have informed Members of Congress of this decision, so Members who wish to defend the statute may pursue that option. The Department will also work closely with the courts to ensure that Congress has a full and fair opportunity to participate in pending litigation.

Furthermore, pursuant to the President's instructions, and upon further notification to Congress, I will instruct Department attorneys to advise courts in other pending DOMA litigation of the President's and my conclusions that a heightened standard should apply, that Section 3 is unconstitutional under that standard and that the Department will cease defense of Section 3.

House Speaker John Boehner (R, OH) issued the following statement:

"While Americans want Washington to focus on creating jobs and cutting spending, the President will have to explain why he thinks now is the appropriate time to stir up a controversial issue that sharply divides the nation." 

I happen to have my Republican/Democrat translation dictionary handy.  The Democratic translation is as follows:

"While Republicans want Washington to focus on redefining rape, intruding on women's reproductive rights, reversing gay rights in states across the nation, and eliminating collective bargaining rights in the Midwest, the Muslim that you people voted into office will have to explain why he isn't coddling old, rich, straight, white men and NASCAR fans like Dubya used to."

As you could imagine, Fox News went ape shit.  Just take a look at Megyn Kelly's face as she is reporting the announcement.  She looks like she is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.  Of all people for them to talk to on air, Maggie Gallagher, the head of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).  NOM was started with funding by the Mormon church in 2007 as an organization to spearhead the campaign against Prop. 8 in California.  The Southern Poverty Law Center, the nation's leading experts in hate crimes and hate and extremist organizations, officially lists NOM as a "hate group".  This is epic:



Then, later in her show, she had political commentator Monica Crowley on as a guest.  Crowley called the President, "Mubarak Obama".  Just watch:



Guess that answers the question why 72% of Republican primary voters think Obama is a Muslim or isn't sure.  You know Fox News...."fair and balanced".

Republicans Want To Bring Back Slavery

They don't, but if you saw this headline in tomorrow's newspaper, would it really surprise you?

**OK, I'm going to be honest.  I am so angry right now, I don't even know where to start.  I'm going to be very critical of a certain group of people here, but I'm being 100% honest with the way that I feel.  If you're offended, I'm sorry, but you don't have to continue reading my blog if you don't like it.**

Republicans are pissing me the fuck off.  Who else can they fuck with....really??  They have it their mission in the last year to do anything they can to take as many rights, privileges, and benefits away from gay Americans.
Republican Senators and Congressmen are vowing to push through a bill in this session repealing the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (follow me).  States that have approved gay marriage, such as Iowa and New Hampshire, are fighting tooth and nail not to have it repealed by GOP state legislatures.  California is fighting in the courts to get gay marriage back after it was approved and then repealed by Republican voters.  Wyoming passed a bill today refusing to recognize gay marriages performed in OTHER STATES!!  And other states are merely cutting domestic partner benefits arbitrarily for the sake of "budget cuts", while not making any cuts to the benefits of married partners.

As February approached, rumors started to circulate as to how drastic Republicans would want to cut the budget on things like the arts, women's services, and health care.  It was much worse than anyone could have imagined.

The GOP has declared an all out war against Planned Parenthood.  Today, the House voted to strip the entire $327 million in annual Title X federal funding that it receives.   By law, none of the federal money they receive can go to fund abortions.  They have a private donor fund for that already.  Congressmen know that.  It's been that way since the mid-90s.  The $327 million they receive go to education, birth control, STD testing, HIV tests, cancer screenings, and gynecological exams, amongst other things.  I have used Planned Parenthood on numerous occasions for free STD and HIV testing about 10 years ago when I lived in Denver.  They were an excellent resource for contraceptives when I didn't even have enough money in my pocket to buy a pack of condoms.  They were always kind, accommodating, and never judged me.  My wife used their services when she was younger, was uninsured, and needed Depo shots. She received them at no charge from Planned Parenthood. They are an excellent resource for both men and women.  Abortions account for only 3% of the total procedures done at their clinics.  The things they do save more lives than the babies that die in their locations.  If they lose almost a third of a billion dollars in funding, over 800 locations nationwide risk being closed.  That means the possibility or more unwanted or unplanned babies, the spread of various STDs or HIV unknowingly being spread in those communities, and lower income women not being able to get gynecological care at little or no cost in their neighborhood.

Oh, and to make things worse, Republicans in the state of South Dakota, (which I'm going to just refer to as Dumbfuckistan from now on) introduced a bill making the defending of a fetus "justifiable homicide".  This opens the doors to being able to legally kill abortion providers.  House Bill 1171 states that murder is legal if defending your unborn child, or the unborn child or your spouse, partner, parent, or child.  So, even if the mother is going into the clinic with the intent of having the abortion, that woman's husband, boyfriend, son, daughter, father, or mother could, in theory, kill the abortion provider justifiably.  And, get this, the Dumbfuckistan state House has also introduced a bill requiring mandatory gun ownership for everyone 21 years of age and older.  It's not expected to pass, obviously, but could you get any dumber.

OK.....next point.  Today the fuckers voted to repeal Obama's health care reform.  They claimed it was because the budget, but we all know they hated the thing back when Hillary Clinton tried to get everyone on board with it back in the 90s.  They call it "Socialist" and "Marxist", but I call it "necessary".  Even with insurance, I can't even afford my medical bills.  They're over $500 a month sometimes, minimum.  My parents filed bankruptcy twice because of hospital bills.  One stay in the hospital can literally break a family for years. It's how the poor stay poor.  Just when they start to get on their feet again, there's another emergency, and they're back on their knees.  You're required to have insurance on your car.  You're required to have insurance on your house.  Heck, I have to have insurance on the things I have in my storage unit.  Isn't my health more important than a few totes full of hoodies and office supplies in my storage unit?  I think so.  Not only did House Republicans vote to repeal health care reform, but they also voted to refuse to pay any federal employees that were working on the health care reform project.  So, thousands of people...out of work.

Congress also voted to strip roughly 25%, or $20.6 million, from the National Endowment for the Arts.  It's the biggest cut the NEA has received in 16 years.  Don't forget, there's also talk that they want to remove funding for NPR and the Corporation for Public Brodcasting (PBS).  Hopefully, your kids are old enough to already have enjoyed Sesame Street.  Mine isn't.

At the same time, Republicans voted to keep in funding for abstinence only programs.  These are programs that have been proven not to work.  They paint false realities and unrealistic futures.  When students have sex, and they eventually do, they are unprepared and know nothing regarding STDs, HIV, or safe sex.  This is an example, although a little strange, of the content of some of the abstinence only curriculum being taught today.  This is your tax dollars at work:



Congressmen also reversed $1.5 billion in funding cuts that Obama made to combat efforts in Iraq.  Evidentially, the GOP thinks we're still in combat operations there.  Let's not forget that Tea Party Republicans are fighting to eliminate the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency.  Not make budget cuts, but eliminate the entire department from the government.

After all of this bullshit, what have Democrats done?  We've made phone calls.  We have organized online.  We have rallied using social networks like Facebook and Twitter.  We have blogged our frustrations.  We have called our Senators, asking them to vote against the budget cuts that the Congressmen have just made.  We have been civil.

Then we have the incident yesterday at Rep. Betty McCollum's (D-Minn.) office.  Last week, she submitted an amendment to the budget to cut $7 million from the Pentagon budget by discontinuing the Army's sponsorship of the #39 car in NASCAR.  A couple of days later, she received the following fax in her office:

Um..yeah...they called our President the N-word....and they're dragging him behind a pick up truck with a noose.  A death threat to a Congresswoman over a $7 million sponsorship deal.  This isn't something that would cripple NASCAR mind you.  If that car lost the Army sponsor, he would pick up a new one.  Instead of being the "Army" car, he would be the "Oreo" car, or the "Applebee's" car.  It wouldn't make a damn bit of difference.  Fucking rednecks.  I swear, it's like "Fuck women.  Fuck the gays.  Fuck the Mexicans and the Blacks.  I don't want my tax dollars goin' to that gay art stuff, but you better not touch my fuckin' NASCAR.  What are you?  A communist?"

What is wrong with this fucking country?  Who's next?  Who haven't we fucked over as a nation?  Hispanics, check.  LGBT community, check.  Women, check.  The poor, check.  Minorities, check.  Children, check.  The Environment, check.  Who's left....oh.

Rich, old, white, straight, married males.  Wow.  Sounds a lot like....Republican members of Congress.  Coincidence? 

Why Can't This Be My Grandma?

Seriously.  I like the sound of "Grandma Jean".

Jean Argus, an 80 year old grandmother in Iowa, decided to speak out against House Joint Resolution 6, an amendment seeking to repeal that state's marriage equality law, and deny legal recognition for existing gay married couples.  This is her message:



She was inspired to say something after watching 19 year old Zach Wahl's impassioned speech regarding the strength of his family, during a public forum on the resolution.  If you missed it, here it is:



On February 1st, the Iowa House passed the resolution with a vote of 62-37.

The bill is now headed to the Democratic controlled Iowa Senate, where numerous Senators have vowed to block it from coming up to the floor for a vote.  Let's cross our fingers.

What Will Happen If Gay Marriage Gets Legalized?

Hey LGBT Community: Obama Is On Our Side

In the months leading up to the repeal of DADT, President Obama got a lot of crap from gay Democrats.  Many said they weren't going to vote during the 2010 midterm elections.  Dan Choi even had the balls to call him the "worst U.S. President in history".  Well, Don't Ask Don't Tell was eventually passed, and now the gay community is turning on Obama for not mentioning the Defense of Marriage Act or EDNA in tonight's State of the Union address.  A number of the blogs I read have an attitude of "If he doesn't mention it as a top priority, then he doesn't get my support anymore".

Check this out:  The Windy City Times released copies of questionnaires that the President filled out while campaigning for state senator in 1996.  In one survey, Obama adamantly pledged his support for legalized same sex marriage, state funded AIDS treatment, and adoption rights for same sex couples.

 Had Barack Obama platformed on these viewpoints for the 2000 Presidential race, he would have been slaughtered.  We would currently been in our third year of a McCain/Palin administration.

I am sure his views have not changed much since 1996, but you must realize, he is but one man.  Even though he is the President of the United States, he doesn't have a magic wand.  He still has to compromise with 535 other people.  435 in the House of Representatives, and 100 Senators, the majority of which want us to have no rights whatsoever.  The race will be won in steps, not in giant leaps.  The civil rights movement of the '60s was not won overnight.  This is the civil rights movement of this millennium.  And we have one hell of an ally in President Obama.

And for those who have any doubt...

Sex With Ducks

While at Tucson Pride, I saw a skit based on the song and video below.  It was from a duo named Garfunkel and Oates.  A bit of background on the song:  In April of 2009, Congress passed a National hate crimes bill.  The following morning on the 700 Club, Pat Robertson asked if, in addition to gays and lesbians, the bill would protect "some really weird person who likes to have sex with ducks".  The duo ran with the quote and made the following pro-gay marriage tune...

Gay Community To Ann Coulter: "Don't Speak For Us"

Last night, HomoCon held a fundraiser hosted by GOProud and Pay-Pal co-founder Peter Thiel.  Their keynote speaker was conservative pundit Ann Coulter.  What followed was some of the most offensive comments toward gays in recent memory.

Coulter started by telling the group of wealthy gay conservatives that she has "never failed to talk a gay out of gay marriage".  And then she did.  She told the crowd that she was opposed to gay marriage because it is strictly for procreation.  Here is a highlight of some of the more offensive things she said over the course of the evening:

"Marriage is not a civil right.  You're not black."

Liberals are trying to teach kinder gardeners "fisting", and that parents don't want their kids to learn about "homosexual lifestyle" in classrooms.

"As soon as they find the gay gene, you know who's being aborted."

"Blacks must be looking at gays saying, "Why can't we be oppressed like that."

The folks over at GOProud are defending Coulter, saying that although they disagree on gay marriage, they see eye to eye on a number of conservative issues.  What I personally don't understand is this:  How can your desire for government to be fiscally conservative override the fact that YOU'RE FUCKING GAY? Don't they realize that the Republican party hates them?  They are insisting on being part of a club that wants nothing to do with them, and they're willing to have their rights take a back seat to the club's agenda.  The Log Cabin Republicans have stood out as a gay Republican organization that tends to make social issues just as important as fiscal issues.  GOProud and Gay Patriot have had a history, especially recently, of taking steps to put the gay community back in the closet.  Saturday night was no exception.

Preserving The Sanctity Of Marriage

The New York Times printed a graph today showing two maps of the United States. The first one shows the states in which gay marriage is legal as of 12/31/2009. The second...shows the states in which it is legal TO MARRY YOUR FIRST COUSIN as of 12/31/2009. Unfortunately, I live in a the latter. Way to go Republicans. In twenty years, you'll have 27 states full of inbreds, but at least they'll be heterosexual inbreds. Unbelievable!!



BTW...Iowa...You guys kick ass!

Gay People Can Read The Bible Too

Um...OOPS! How about this? Let's make a compromise. We will give up the push for gay marriage if we are able to compile a list of all registered Republican women that were not virgins at the time of their marriage. If they're willing to make their sacrifice according to "God's Word", so will we. Somehow, I don't see that happening.