Dear Abby Supports Gay Marriage

You just gotta love Dear Abby.  She has long been an advocate for GLBT inclusion and equality.

Rush Caught Again

There are so many jokes here it is hard to choose just one.  My favorite excuse from the article:

“Limbaugh’s doctor had prescribed the Viagra, but it was “labeled as being issued to the physician rather than Mr. Limbaugh for privacy purposes,” Roy Black, Limbaugh’s attorney, said in a statement.”

Well now that really worked out well didn’t it?

Larry Kramer Still Outspoken

A great article in the NY Times on Larry Kramer who, in my opinion, is one of the greatest voices the GLBT movement has ever had.  Seeing his play The Normal Heart literally changed my life. 

Did Republicans and Conservatives Hate America?

Who said the following quote:

“I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our overextended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today”

Was it John Kerry?  Ted Kennedy? Jack Murpha?  Or was it…  

Republicans Abandon GOP

Republicans switching to Democrats?!?  The last time we saw such moves was when the Republican Revolution began back in the 1980s.  Is this a harbinger of things to come or just more proof that some Republicans are fairweather friends that hold no real loyalty to ideology?

Via Andrew Sullivan

We Must Succeed In Iraq

This from Andrew Sullivan seems to make sense to me.  However, hindsight is 20/20.  While there certainly is value in examining mistakes, the bigger strategy needed answers the question, "Where do we go from here?"

Whether or not the war with Iraq was a valid idea, we are there now.  We have created, for better or worse, an opportunity in the Middle East whose outcome will have vast repercussions on US interests for years to come.  We truly have no choice now but to succeed.

Staying the course isn't an option because, besides being an inane slogan, the course has not produced acceptable outcomes.  What we need is a concrete plan for winning this war and that plan must be articulated by the Commander In Chief.  Sadly, I haven't heard anything that offers what this nation sorely needs… hope.

Republicans Stop Renewal of Landmark Voting Rights Act

Is anyone really surprised that the Republicans have "bottled up" renewal of the voting rights act?  According to some, the Republican Party isn't big on encouraging all citizens to excercise their right to vote.

Gay Marriage Is About Value

If marrying your gay partner is on the same level as marrying a farm animal, isn't that the same thing as calling a gay person non-human?  Is the love between two gay people on the same level as loving your pet? 

That truly is the underlying question in the gay marriage debate.  Is our love as real, as worthy, as valuable as that between heterosexuals and does it deserve recognition?  Even if for only 55 hours.

Gay Violence In America

What happened to drag performer Kevin Aviance is unfortunately not all that rare.  Physical crimes against gay persons are on the increase. 

While I don't agree with Kevin that his attack can be laid at the feet of President Bush, I do believe that anti-gay rhetoric has a price.  That price is usually paid in blood when an innocent gay person meets up with one or more of the legion of people who take the line that "gays are an abomination" literally as a license to do violence. 

As the right wing always likes to remind us — words have consequences. I would tend to agree.

Via Express Gay News

Respect Vs. Fear

Andrew Sullivan makes an interesting point today:

"I recall Oakeshott's response to a question about the power of the U.S. president. 'The president has no power," Oakeshott explained. "A blackmailer has power. The president has authority." Under this president, I fear, we are beginning to appreciate that distinction more profoundly."

Even comic book heroes know:

"With great power comes great responsibility." Uncle Ben to Peter Parker in Spiderman

There is a big difference in doing something because you should and in doing it because you can.

Macy’s Mea Culpa

Yeah, yeah, yeah… yadda, yadda, yadda… We have heard this all before.  When will corporate America learn that bowing to pressure from the thumpers isn't good strategy.

Defiance In Iran

One picture indeed speaks volumes.  This brave woman should be a reminder to us all that one person's actions can make a difference.

Kevin Aviance Illustrates The Trouble With Complacency

If there was ever a doubt that GLBT citizens still have a way to go before we reach our "mountaintop", the story of Kevin Aviance's brutal attack should dispel any remaining bits of delusion.  Kevin says it best:

“Kevin said he never thought this would happen to him,” Evans explained on behalf of his client, adding that even when he was dressed outrageously for a performance he never felt threatened. “Never in a million years was he scared. He has left clubs in full drag and had nothing but positive energy from the people who approached him on the streets.”

Are we better off than we were in say… 1969?  Of course.  Though hatred of Gays and Lesbians isn't as widepsread as it once was, it does still exist and we must not be lulled into a false sense of security.  The struggle for equality continues.

Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are

A very compelling reason for coming out.

"…I received an email from a single mother in a western Canadian city about her 14-year-old son David, who came out and is being bullied and tormented in school. She is overwhelmed by his depression and anger. She wrote that I was the only successful gay male she knew of and needed someone who could offer her son hope. She said her son needed to know that he could be gay and have a life, career and be respected and judged on the content of his character, not on any human characteristic."

Via Express Gay News

Republican Governor Shows Support for Gay Tolerance

Yes Virginia, there are Republicans who respect equality and inclusion for GLBT Americans.  GayPatriotWest, an exeptional conservative gay writer, points out one Republican Governor who acted on his "commitment to inclusiveness, tolerance and opportunity." 

While I tip my hat to anyone, regardless of affiliation, who supports and defends the humanity and equality of GLBT citizens, I don't support firing someone for speaking their opinion.  Unless he was acting in his official capacity and/or deliberately misrepresenting the Governor in that capacity, he is free to hold any opinion his obviously narrow mind can form and speak said opinion to anyone who cares to listen. 

UPDATE:  Andrew Sullivan weighs in here.