I give my boyfriend a lot of grief for being an Episcopalian. But today I'm proud to say that I suck protestant dick. The latest from California:

California's six most senior Episcopal bishops today unanimously declared their opposition to a constitutional amendment on the statewide November ballot that would ban same-sex marriage.

The bishops argued that preserving the right of gays and lesbians to marry would enhance the "Christian values" of monogamy, love and commitment.

"We believe that continued access to civil marriage for all, regardless of sexual orientation, is consistent with the best principles of our constitutional rights," said the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

"We do not believe that marriage of heterosexuals is threatened by same-sex marriage."

My big sister Robin? Well, she’s a helluva woman, isn’t she? Of course she is. She was recently declared Woman of the Year at the Oregon State University, Corvallis, in fact, where she heads the Student Organizations and Events department, and she lives with her partner, Carol, in a small house on their big land on a river deep in the misty Oregon rain forest. They have been together since 1996-ish. They were “married” in a mass gay wedding in Washington, DC in 2000. That was all in protest: an outlaw wedding. It was kind of a big deal. Totally illegal, of course.

Well! Now! Here we are eight years later, and their deep and undying gay luv has finally been smiled upon by the State of Oregon: Robin and Carol successfully registered as domestic partners in Portland just last Friday, and it’s a done deal, good and proper and legal and everything. They have now officially been pronounced wife and wife.

My big sister is big gay married! Hooray!

A majority of Californians—by a wide margin, wide enough to compensate for bigoted folks who tell pollsters what they think they want to hear—are telling pollsters that they're going to vote against a proposed ban on same-sex marriage. So things are looking good for the gays in California. And yet the Lord God is hurling another hurricane at New Orleans.

The Lord works in mysterious ways, etc.

Del Martin—a pioneer in the gay rights movement, the co-founder in 1955 of the Daughters of Bilitis, one of the first lesbian-rights organizations in the country/world—died today at 87. Martin married her partner of 55 years, Phyllis Lyon, in California on June 16, 2008, the day that same-sex marriage became legal in that state. (Martin is on the left in the photo above.)

"Today the LGBT movement lost a real hero," Kate Kendell, Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said in a statement released moments ago. "Her last act of public activism was her most personal—marrying the love of her life after 55 years. In the wake of losing her, we recognize with heightened clarity the most poignant and responsible way to honor her legacy is to preserve the right of marriage for same-sex couples, thereby providing the dignity and respect that Del and Phyllis' love deserved."

Our sympathies go out to Mrs. Martin's widow.

You might think that security guards at U.S. federal buildings would be pretty much immune to offensive words and images by now, what with all those pictures of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney that have been hanging in the lobbies of our federal buildings for seven long years now. But you would be wrong:

A woman wearing a T-shirt promoting lesbianism said she was forced the leave a federal building Monday by a security guard who didn't approve of her attire.

Lapriss Gilbert said she was picking up a Social Security card for her son when the guard was offended by her "lesbian.com" shirt and threatened her with arrest.

I'm on Gilbert's side, of course, and I can certainly appreciate why she was so upset after this encounter. (Still, it could've been worse—at least that guard didn't shoot Gilbert in the back.) And LA Times? I don't see how the word "lesbian" all by itself on a t-shirt promotes lesbianism. It acknowledges the existence of lesbians, for sure, and it promotes a particular website for lesbians. But it doesn't "promote lesbianism" in the sense that you seem to mean here. Gilbert was just merely wearing a "lesbian.com" t-shirt; she wasn't trying to turn straight female federal office workers away from the natural use of men.

Still, I wonder if this can really be true:

"As an African-American and a lesbian, I haven't been through one day without facing some sort of discrimination," Gilbert said.

Really? As an Irish-American and a faggot, I of course face far less potential discrimination on daily basis than Gilbert does, thanks to the color of my skin and the having of my cock. But I find it kind of hard to believe that Gilbert hasn't experienced one day without facing some sort of discrimination. Surely there have been days when Gilbert stayed at home, curled up with a book or a girlfriend or both, days during which she encountered no discrimination at all. Or maybe Gilbert is one of those hypersensitive types that can just feel the discrimination oozing in under the door when she's at home.

And thanks to the lesbians kiss that made news all over the world, some of those gay softballers are probably wondering what's permissible, PDA-wise, at the home of the Seattle Mariners.

The softballers are in town for the Gay Softball World Series, which goes down in Seattle this week. And they're no doubt familiar with the rough outline of the Lesbian Kiss Scandal: Two women at a Mariners game were threatened with expulsion if they didn't stop kissing. The couple maintains that they merely gave each other a few quick pecks; they also claim that they were informed by a "seating host" that other fans were upset by the sight of same-sex kissers at the ballpark—and the women provided the media with a photo they took of a kissing straight couple seated in the same section that wasn't told to knock it off. The Ms insist that the lesbians were groping each other and making out, that the team doesn't treat gay fans any differently than it treats straight fans, and that they have just "one standard" for PDA at the ballpark, not different standards for gay and straight fans.

All those visiting gay softball players are probably aware of the story—seeing as it was everywhere—and some might be wondering how to conduct themselves tonight at Safeco Field. The Ms forbid "displays of affection not appropriate in a public, family setting," which is a little vague. The rule implicitly allows for some displays of affection—those appropriate to a family setting—while forbidding others. But how can the average gay fan know what PDA is appropriate and permissible at Safeco and what PDA is inappropriate and will get you expelled from the park?

I have a suggestion.

One way—perhaps the best way—for gay baseball fans to determine what kind of PDA is permissible in the park is to watch what straight fans are doing. If straight couples are doing it and not being asked to stop, well, then gay couples can do it too. Equal treatment, right? No double standards, right?

So here are some photos I took of a couple of straight fans that I had the pleasure of sitting behind at a recent game (click on image for a larger version):

These two are clearly in love and they were terribly cute together. And while I'm not the PDA type myself, I certainly don't begrudge this couple their marathon ballpark PDA session. (Luckily my child wasn't at this game, so I didn't have to explain to him that some men like to kiss women. But that is my boyfriend's knee in the shot, and I did have to explain to him what "straight" means. He cried all the way home.) And it was a marathon PDA session: These two were going out at it throughout the entire game—they had their arms wrapped around each other for nine innings—and by my count they kissed each other 37 times. (I didn't see any tongue but my angle was bad. There could've been tongue.) A Safeco Field "seat host" was stationed about ten feet away the entire time and the host was aware of this couple and never asked them to break it up.

So I thought I would share these pictures with the 800 gay softballers who are going to the game tonight. Guys? Wondering what displays of affection are appropriate to a family setting? Just reference these pictures. Heck, print them out and take them to the game with you. And remember, gang, everyone's equal at Safeco Field. So gay couples at the game should feel free to wrap their arms around each other, hold each other in an embrace that lasts the entire game, watch the game cheek-to-cheek, and can kiss roughly 4.1 times per inning.

Enjoy the game!

Asked why they didn't mention the fact that Australian diver Matthew Mitcham was gay—and that his boyfriend, the man Mitcham credits with getting him back in the sport after a crippling depression that NBC did mention, was sitting in the stands with his mother—when he pulled off a huge upset and won the gold medal, NBC told AfterElton.com...

“In virtually every case, we don’t discuss an athlete’s sexual orientation.”

Mentioning the spouses, boyfriends, and girlfriends of heterosexual athletes—even discussing a love triangle involving heterosexual athletes—somehow doesn't equal discussing "an athlete's sexual orientation." But mentioning the boyfriend of a male athlete does.

Because, you see, straight people have sex, while gay people have sexual orientations. Please make a note of it.

Is my mind perpetually in the gutter, or is there a really good fag joke here?

As Dan predicted, Hallmark's introduction of same-sex wedding cards has inspired a boycott from the American Family Association:

Hallmark Greeting Cards has announced it will begin selling same-sex wedding cards, even though same-sex marriage is legal in only two states...We've all given or received Hallmark Cards—remember their slogan—"when you care enough to send the very best." But promoting same-sex marriage for profit is not the very best for families or our nation.

Hallmark is a private company obviously driven by greed. Let them know you do not appreciate Hallmark promoting a lifestyle which is illegal in 48 states. American Greeting Cards, Hallmark's competitor, does not offer same-sex marriage cards.

TAKE ACTION
Send an e-mail to Hallmark. Ask them to stop promoting a lifestyle that is not only unhealthy, but is also illegal in 48 states. Forward this to your friends and family.

And as Slog Tipper Stephen notes:

They even put up a link taking readers to a readymade complaint email which they urge everyone to send to Hallmark. They filled the form in with words of protest, but the forum I was on urged everyone to go and edit the text and send them a thank-you instead. Spread the word!

Thanks, Stephen, and will do. Hey everyone—send Hallmark an AFA-generated thank-you note here!

The greeting card company is rolling out a line of cards for same-sex weddings and civil unions.

Most states don't recognize gay marriage—but now Hallmark does.

The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards—featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. "Two hearts. One promise," one says.

Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only U.S. states with legal gay marriage. A handful of other states have recognized same-sex civil unions. The language inside the cards is neutral, with no mention of wedding or marriage, making them also suitable for a commitment ceremony.

Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure.

The cards are, of course, ugly and banal, which is as it should be. We wanted equal treatment, after all, not special rights. But while Hallmark may not have brought these cards out in response to political pressure, it should brace itself for some political pressure. The haters aren't going to be happy. No doubt the American Family Association, which is currently boycotting McDonalds (fundy families could do with a little less junk food), will go after Hallmark too.

Oh, and you gotta love this: at the AFA's Boycott McDonalds site you'll find this...

WARNING: The images below contain male full-frontal nudity. Please be aware and exercise caution before viewing these images. If you are under 18, please leave this page!

Then some standard-issue images of naked folks at a pride parade, which the AFA accuses McDonalds of co-sponsoring. (Some of the folks at this particular pride parade could do with a little less junk food too.) What will their AFA's Boycott Hallmark site show? Pictures of fully-clothed gays and lesbians getting married? "Warning: Women in matching wedding dresses! If you are under 18, please go leave this page and go to Burger King!"

Jesus Christ! If anyone ever accused me of watching “reality TV”, I’d murder them with a salad fork. (And yes, I always seem to have one handy—beware!) There is no greater evil on this earth.

I know, I know! Most of you poor suckers--despite your express wishes and best intentions-- have accidentally been sucked in by some soul-sucking reality turd or other. (Blah, blah, blah, Project Runway! Wah, wah wah, American Idol! I don’t want to fucking hear about it!) Some of you are probably suckling, even as we speak, at the poison teat of the wretched reality TV god.

For shame! You people disgust me!

That being completely understood, let me tell you about this reality show.

Continue reading "Reality TV: An Exercise in Gender Confusion!" »

That's how popular gay blogger Joe.My.God. characterizes the cover of the upcoming People:

To my mind, the upcoming cover story about Ellen's wedding in People is the best of possible PR for the No On 8 campaign. Ellen DeGeneres is the most beloved person on TV, bigger than Oprah, and this joyous shot will go miles to convince those undecideds. Brilliant timing, truly.

Agreed, and for those not fluent in out-of-state proposition lingo: Proposition 8 is the ballot initiative that seeks to reverse California's just-established marriage equality. "No on 8" is the campaign to get people to shoot down this would-be reversal. Thank you, JMG.

Let's pretend that it's November and Barack Obama is 20 points ahead—thanks, in part, to a collective decision on the part of the traditional media to stop eating John McCain's ass and actually hold the McCain camp accountable for its crude race-baiting, anti-Christ-baiting, accusations of treason, and lies.

Hey, we're fantasizing, right?

So let's say Obama is on the verge of getting his ass elected. That'll mean he's also on the verge of having to make good on a campaign promise he made to us queers: He's going to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which bars any federal recognition of same-sex marriages. Obama's pledge to repeal DOMA—or work with Congress to repeal it—recalls Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign promise to end the military's ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military—and we all know how that worked out.

Repealing DOMA would make the splashiest benefits of marriage—social security, joint tax filings, the ability of a foreign partner to obtain citizenship, etc.—available to legally married same-sex couples. Of course same-sex couples can only be legally married in California or Massachusetts at the moment (fuck you again, Washington State Supreme Court, and fuck you hard), while New York State, on the orders of it governor, will recognize their marriages (hello? Christine?). Which means that there are only three states where, if DOMA were repealed during the first Obama administration, same-sex couples would enjoy all the rights, responsibilities, and protections of legal marriage, the big ones granted by the federal government and the more numerous-but-less-crucial ones granted by the states.

Now pro-gay legislators would sign on for a DOMA repeal, of course. We're not going to have any trouble lining up the votes of Barbara Boxer or Jim McDermott and Barney Frank and, um... those guys. But just as there weren't enough "thinking Americans" to put Adlai Stevenson in the White House (look him up, kids), there aren't enough pro-gay legislators in Congress to repeal DOMA.

Unless...

We need to come up with an argument for repealing DOMA that would play well in anti-gay states, places represented by anti-gay Republicans and anti-gay Democrats. So how about this:

If DOMA is repealed then gay and lesbian couples that wish to marry, and gay and lesbian singles that would like to marry one day, will have a huge incentive to leave anti-gay states like Mississippi, Alabama, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, etc., for states where we can enjoy our full marriage rights, states like California and New York and Massachusetts. So a Congressman from Dumbfuck, West Virginia, could vote to repeal DOMA and then go home and spin his vote to his hateful constituents not as a pro-gay vote—heavens no!—but as an anti-gay vote. He voted to repeal DOMA so that those those sinful gays and lesbians would quit West Virginia for Massachusetts. And then the congressman from Dumbfuck could remind his constituents that God sent a hurricane in the shape of a giant wrathful fetus to destroy New Orleans because the gays were about to host a big street party and God is all powerful and so He could so totally send one to West Virginia if he felt like it. And so anything the congressman from Dumfuck could do to encourage native-born gays and lesbians to leave the state, and discourage gays and lesbians from moving into the state, was really in their best interests of his God- and fetus-shaped-hurricane-fearing constituents.

It sounds crazy, I realize, but Christian bigots are already fantasizing about mass gay migrations. When discussing a bill that would make it possible for American gays and lesbians to sponsor their foreign partners for US citizenship, Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council said that his organization would "prefer to export homosexuals from the United States than to import them into the United States." Driving gays and lesbians out of the country may be a bit unrealistic, as even Mr. Sprigg might admit, seeing as we homosexuals reproduce ourselves out of the bodies of heterosexuals. By the time Sprigg finished rounding up all the gays and lesbians in the country and exporting us to, say, the EU (pick me! pick me!), he'd have a fresh generation of homos on his hands.

So it seems plausible that Mr. Sprigg, the Family Research Council, and the good people of Jesusland, USA, would embrace policies—the repeal of DOMA at the federal level, a halt to all efforts to amend state constitutions in California and Massachusetts to ban gay marriage—that resulted in American homosexuals exporting ourselves (in greater numbers than we already do) from states where we're not wanted (Virginia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Michigan, etc.), to states where we are wanted (California, New York, Massachusetts).

Unfortunately Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry thinks my "trail of queers" idea is a bad one.

"I don't think we win by buying into messages or arguments that adopt our opponents' invidious premises, i.e., the suggestion that gays are bad and should be driven from the state," Evan wrote in an email. "The opposition will not be mollified, and we lose a chance to move the middle through authentic engagement."

Blah blah blah—authentic engagement and all that. But I honestly think my approach is more pragmatic, and will result in DOMA being repealed sooner rather than later.

UPDATE: In comments elswinger writes: "Not once have I ever heard him say [he was going to repeal DOMA]. If he had we would be seeing commercials from the McCain camp about it."

From Obama's Open Letter to Gay Americans: "I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)—a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether."

And Google "obama doma" if you want to see how exercised the religious right is about Obama's "threat" to repeal DOMA.

Do not watch this. Unlike you'd like to enjoy your morning.

(Thanks, Melissa!)

SFGate:

Doctors in California must treat gays and lesbians the same as any other patient, regardless of religious objections, the state Supreme Court ruled today.

In a unanimous decision, the court rejected a San Diego County fertility clinic's attempt to use its physicians' religious beliefs as a justification for their refusal to provide artificial insemination for a lesbian couple.

...

Today's ruling, three months after overturning California's ban on same-sex marriage, strengthened the state's law that prohibits businesses, including medical clinics, from discriminating against customers because of their sexual orientation, as well as their race, sex or religion. The court said religious beliefs do not excuse discrimination.... In today's ruling, the court also rejected the doctors' claim that their freedom of speech was being violated, saying they remain free to criticize the anti-discrimination law as long as they comply with it.

Subscribers to Manhunt, the gay-hookup portal, have been canceling their accounts, Towleroad reports, after finding out that their big gay wads of cash were gushing into the bank account of John McCain. Manhunt chairman Jonathan Crutchely had sent McCain’s presidential campaign $2,300—the maximum individual donation allowed for a presidential candidate.

Manhunt has responded to the angry letters by writing, “The subject that you have brought to our attention is a personal matter and is not representative of MANHUNT.” But, in an attempt to wipe its hands of the sticky situation, the website’s founder last night sent a statement, which said…

It should be known that Jonathan Crutchley's donation to McCain left the entire Board in disbelief. I am disappointed that we have lost some customers, and I understand the anger. It is too bad for the web site if we lose customers, but PLEASE never refer to me as a Republican. I consider it an offense.

Earlier today, at the request of the Board, Jonathan has stepped down as Chairman.

So the gays are distancing themselves from the toxic Republican brand, but McCain hasn’t weighed in. He’s apparently fine taking the big gay wad to keep his chest loaded.

...is a huge, ermine-wearing fag. Seriously.

This one goes out to Slog commenter Balt-O-Matt...

...that did a little solo jerk-off porn? They've been kicked off the team. The owner of the porn site blames a generational split for the trouble these boys are in:

I'm in my mid 40s, and my generation has a stigma about porn. The kids, the generation of the student-athletes, don't have that stigma. They really don't care. They've come from a Paris Hilton, Tommy Lee-Pamela Anderson sex tape generation, Myspace pages. The shame and stigma aren't there for them.

A lot of folks are tempted to cast the owner of FratmenTV.com as the villain in this piece—he is a pornographer, after all—but it's hard to argue with his statement. Every other young person with a camera phone is an amateur pornographer, and the exhibitionist streak comes standard with people under 30.

More at Towleroad.

Particularly Provincetown.

Family Week, which just ended here, is causing a turf war between different local businesses: those who benefit from having several hundred children and their parents pushing strollers through town and those who most definitely do not.

And several business owners are up in arms that the Family Week producers have pushed the date of next year’s event back to the first week in August, saying the move will further hurt sales at local restaurants, stores, bars and guesthouses.

“That would definitely kill us,” said P.J. Layng, owner of Roots for the Home and Garden.... Layng estimated that business at Roots was off 10 percent during Family Week, largely because parents and their children are not interested in shopping for home furnishings on their vacation.

My family just spent a week in Provincetown. But we were there the week before Family Week, not the week of. And, yeah, it's true that we didn't shop for furniture—but does anyone? Is shopping for furniture a popular pursuit for the vacationing childless?

This post is by regular Slog commenter Mr. Poe. The opinions expressed in this commentary do not necessarily represent the views of Index Newspapers, The Stranger, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Cupcake Royale, or any of their subsidiaries.

Glory be to the Republican Father, to the Governor of the Holy...Florida. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen. Or something. But seriously, we need to talk. It just feels like there are so many things that haven't been said that should, like "why are you praying to me" and "do I need to get a restraining order". No, you do not need a restraining order. I spent two years of my "life" in Florida, and have vowed never to return. Since then I have returned, but that's not important because it never happened. As for the prayer, you'll soon notice that I'm not actually praying to you. This is more like a letter. A letter addressed as a prayer, if you will. Truth be told, I couldn't think of a clever headline so I settled with the first thing that came to mind. Actually I didn't even try to think of a new one. I figured it best to go with the only thing I thought of since I have a hard time finishing anything I st.

Let's begin with something obvious. You are ridiculously hot. Your looks are so grand they managed to surpass all of your sexified competition: Anderson Cooper, Scooter Libby, (Mayor) Adam West. Anderson Cooper! How the fuck did you do that? You are officially more intriguing than Anderson Cooper. Congratulations. Don't get me wrong, I obsessed about Coop as much as the next fatherfucker, but that obsession ended a long time ago (Tuesday). Even though you're Republican, "straight", part of a fraternity and kind of a gigantic douchebag, I love you. I love everything about you. I mean, just look at you:

Awww... I'm smiling too. You seem to be fighting yours, but why? Is it because you have a secret? A big, juicy, Grade A secret? Maybe you just need to poop. Whatever the reason, it's adorable. We have so much in common. I don't have any humble qualities either. You should know that although I'm retardedly liberal, I see your side and I totally dig it. Matter of fact, you seem to hold solid stances on everything save homosexuality. I can deal with that, and I'll soon explain why. We're both well aware that it's possible for an openly gay Democrat to mingle with a closeted Republican.

Continue reading "Mr. Poe Prays to Crist, Charlie Crist" »

I'm sorry, but this is completely retarded. The Centers for Disease Control, desperate to slow the spread of HIV among young gay men, is going to hand $1.5 million worth of gift cards to "gay opinion leaders" in the hopes that they will "talk up safe sex" among their peers and, with any luck, bring down HIV infection rates. The CDC wants us to know that gift-card program—which originated in London and was attempted in North Carolina—really and truly works:

These opinion leaders [in North Carolina] were given four $25 gift cards, along with marketing materials, to talk up safe sex. A study of the effort, published in June in the American Journal of Public Health, indicated more men were practicing safe sex.

The research was based on repeated surveys over time of about 300 men. It found a 32 percent reduction in unprotected anal intercourse during 2005, and a 40 percent reduction in the average number of sexual partners.

Okay...

I'd like to read that study. Who conducted the interviews? Who wrote up the results? If it was the same folks handing out the gift cards I wouldn't put much stock in those reported reductions in rates of unsafe sex and reductions numbers of sexual partners. It's possible that the 300 men enrolled in the program were telling the gift-card-givers what they wanted to hear in order to keep the gift cards coming. Or, if the gift-card-givers had a stake in the success of the program, it's possible the gift-card-givers were inclined to read good results into inconclusive data. It's also possible that the gift cards weren't the catalyst for behavior change if, indeed, there was measurable behavior change. Knowing that they were going to be asked again and again about the sexual choices they were making—knowing that they were going to be called to account—might have inspired some of the men in the study to make better choices. Or claim that they did.

And the devil, as always, is in the details:

The funding ran out and the program ended. And the surveys weren't backed up by HIV testing.

So... the enrollees weren't tested for HIV, and the story doesn't mention if there was any measurable drop in HIV-infection rates in North Carolina while gift cards were being passed out to opinion leaders. So... let's roll the program out nationally!

The saddest thing about this story is this: It rests on the premise—and broadcasts it to straight people everywhere—that gay men, from our opinion leaders on down, care so little for ourselves and our sex partners that we will do the right thing only when bribed with piddling $25 gift cards. For $25 worth merch we'll make better choices and encourage our friends to do the same. But if you don't come through with the gift cards, well, looks like we'll just keep spreadin' that virus around.

The reality is that are tens of thousands—hundreds of thousands, millions—of gay men out there who regularly encourage their friends and lovers to do the right thing. For free. Hell, I've been doing just that in "Savage Love" for ever. If you're going to start passing out gift cards for it, CDC, I figure you owe me a stack. I'll take mine for Snowboard Connection, Cupcake Royale, and Mr. S. Thanks.

Oh, and here's a funny detail from the MSNBC story about the gift card program...

Meanwhile, prevention programs that target gays and bisexuals are scattershot. Even in progressive cities, these efforts sometimes amount to little more than offers of testing and free condoms, some experts said.

So scattershot offers of testing, according to experts, aren't enough to stop the spread of HIV. Who's going to break it to Public Health—Seattle & King County?

You heard about naked gay soccer. You wondered about naked gay soccer. But unless you went to the Rain City Soccer naked gay soccer game today—like my hung over ass—you missed shirtless tops versus unclad bottoms running across the playfield at Cal Anderson Park.

Slog comment anchor Jubilation T. Cornball, playing for team no-pants, was on the winning team (which included lots of hot guys in briefs). Here he is in victory pose, wearing a tutu.

Condolences to the hot shirtless tops, and cheers to the junk-flapping bottoms.

Well, not entirely naked (though the organizing group did supply me with a photo racy enough to require placement behind a jump). At tomorrow's Shorts vs. Shirts game, Rain City Soccer players will either be topless or bottomless, but not—NEVER!—both.

As Rain City says:

"Shirts vs Shorts, what the hell is that?"...It's a soccer game, in the heart of Capitol Hill, in the middle of summer, where you can either wear a shirt, or you can wear shorts, but you can't wear both. Team Shirts team can wear normal underwear, jocks, thongs, whatever as long as it shows off some skin, likewise for Team Shorts. There will be festivities afterward at the Elite.

If you wake up in the mood to watch a bunch of sporty gays run around and kick things in their underpants, show up at Cal Anderson Park at 10:00 am tomorrow.

...by letting seed roll off his back. Or in the end. Or something.

Via Towleroad.

Warning! Below you will find the word “eateries”. Forgive me.

A long time ago I co-wrote a feature piece with Dan (yes, Savage) and Mary Martone (where have all the Mary Martones gone? I ask you.). It was a field piece, a big gay adventure! The three of us separately scoured Seattle, tops-to-bottoms (har-har), searching for Seattle’s best potential next “gay ghetto”. (That’s what Capitol Hill used to be, wee children.) I got West Seattle, among other places. Interested parties can find the entire piece here.

Now you will pause to please to recall David's post below. This one. It links a bizarre Nazi-quoting Republican propaganda van that’s been spotted in West Seattle to the apparently batshit crazazy owner of Salty’s. It’s seems that said owner of Salty's (and the hate van) is a big conservative Hitler-appreciating doo-doo headed douchebag of sorts, which finally sort of explains, well, this (from the New Gay Ghetto piece I was talking about):

Next I rang Salty's, one of West Seattle's most chi-chi and popular eateries, and asked how they would feel about sharing their digs with a disco or bathhouse. They put me on hold three times, and I eventually gave up. I can take a hint.

Indeed, but apparently I can’t take a hint! For there is, in fact, even more to that story.

I called Salty’s one more time. It's true. I basically knew that whatever they said wouldn’t make it into the piece (it had been “put to bed” as they say), but they had really pissed me off. When they answered, I told them precisely again who I was and exactly why I was calling. I remind them that I had called three times before and had lingered on hold for at least forty minutes. I respectfully asked for an answer to my question.

Well! Merciful heavens! The fussy voice on the other end said, “I don’t know how I’d feel about that, I’m sure I probably wouldn’t like it too much, now we are very busy, thanks…” aaannnddd….

Click.

CLICK! They totally hung up on me! The turds!

So there you have it, and there it is: Salty’s on Alki—an apparently Nazi-liking, Republican-ish, Gay-Ghetto-Not-Likers and big hanger-uppers on me.

We’ve beheld thy true face, Salty’s. And it’s a great big asshole. With terrible phone manners. And I really hope someone hangs up on you someday. And on your fucking van, too.

AP:

Oral arguments set in Sen. Craig sex-sting appeal

It's rude to talk with you mouth full, Senator.

Via Fleshbot.

I missed this story while I was away on vacation...

A contestant on HGTV's Design Star—Michael Verdugo—was outed by Gay Porn Blog for his "nasty porn past." That judgement seems a little harsh, considering the stuff that Gay Porn Blog regularly smiles on. And all Verdugo is alleged to be "guilty" of is appearing in a little gay bondage porn back in the mid-1990s. And, come on, who wasn't making gay bondage porn in the mid-90s?

It's unlikely that Verdugo's past would've gotten him booted from Design Star—a porn scandal is always good news for reality show producers—but it did get him in trouble with his current employer: the police department in Hollywood, Florida. Verdugo's been on the force in Hollywood for 10 years, and by all accounts he's a good cop. But shortly after Gay Porn Blog made the connection between Rope Ritual's "Jeremy Wess" and Design Star's Michael Verdugo, the Hollywood PD placed Verdugo on administrative leave "pending the outcome of an investigation."

And if the investigation finds that Verdugo and Wess are the same person? It seems incredible—and unfair, and crazy, and nuts—that this guy could lose his job over this. He did nothing wrong, he broke no laws, he didn't hurt anybody.

Oh, and nice tits, huh?

UPDATE: You can order a copy of Rope Rituals here.

The HIV vaccine is a total bust... but researchers in Houston claim to have found the Achilles' heel, a part of the fast-mutating virus that doesn't mutate. Blast away at that, and you can "disable" the virus in infected persons.

The weak spot is hidden in the HIV envelope protein gp120. This protein is essential for HIV attachment to host cells, which initiate infection and eventually lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Normally the body’s immune defenses can ward off viruses by making proteins called antibodies that bind the virus. However, HIV is a constantly changing and mutating virus, and the antibodies produced after infection do not control disease progression to AIDS. For the same reason, no HIV preventative vaccine that stimulates production of protective antibodies is available.

We've been down this road before—Achilles' heels located, targeted, hopes raised, and then... back to the ol' drawing boards. These researchers say they're at least five years away from any treatment for people with HIV, so let's not go out and stick our asses in the air just yet, boys, okay? And remember: Even if we do one day have a vaccine or an effective treatment for HIV, recreating the gay communal-sewer sex culture of the '70s is a Very Bad Idea. One important lesson—one of the top lessons—of the AIDS epidemic is this: Given the right conditions, new sexually transmitted infections can emerge and kill you and all your friends.

Remember: Straight people should have more sex (and more sex partners) than they do; gay people should have less sex (and fewer sex partners) than we can. Balance, balance, balance—oh, and anal sex is not a first-date activity; use condoms for anal sex with casual partners to protect yourself from HIV and other STIs, known and unknown; and lower your inhibitions the old-fashioned way—therapy and beer—and stay the fuck away from meth and meth users.

I've been a bad, bad blogger. I did a followup interview with Rebecca Hale, Director of Public Information for the Seattle Mariners, back when the lesbians-kissing-at-an-Ms game debate was still roaring along. She was getting back to me about the possibility of having a gay day at the Ms. Hale told me the Ms were open to the idea. Quickly, from my notes...

"We would be delighted to do the same kind of event that the Giants do, the Twins do, we just need someone to work with us on it, to promote it. We could do a t-shirt, a cap, some of the different kind of promotional items. There are a lot of options… We just need to get with someone who can take a leadership role on organizing the event."

Hale needed a gay community group to step forward and organize the event. (ERW? SMC?) She also pointed out that some of the gay nights listed at this site are defunct, or were one-offs. Toronto's gay days were cancelled for lack of interest, according to Hale. I intended to call the Giants and the Twins to see if they relied on gay community groups to organize their fully funct gay days, but I got busy, then distracted, and then went on vacation.

Anyway, seems relevant to this debate, and wanted to put it out there. Okay, back to the beach for me...

So muses Slog tipstress Karla, about the Mariners'/Safeco Field's inability/unwillingness to host a gay night (as so many other clubs have done) but complete devotion to a night for peanut-allergy sufferers.

Today brings a story that seems too good—by which I mean too hilarious—to be true. And yet it is.

At the center of the saga is the annual summer campout of the Northwest Bears, the (hairy) gay men's social and service organization that, as you may recall, won The Stranger's first annual Pride Parade float contest. The "drama," as it is, comes from the name selected for this year's bear campout: Kamp Kodiak 2008 “Olympic Village.”

First came the U.S. Olympic Committee's astounding cease-and-desist letter:

Dear Mr. Fotter,

The United States Olympic Committee ("USOC") recently became aware that the NorthWest Bears Club (“NWBC”) is promoting an event called Kamp Kodiak 2008 “Olympic Village” from August 7-11th in at the Miller River Campground. The USOC has not given NWBC permission to use the word OLYMPIC, the Olympic Symbol or the Torch image in conjunction with this event and objects any attempt to misappropriate the goodwill associated with those marks.

Congress granted the USOC the exclusive right to control all commercial use of Olympic imagery and terminology in the United States, including the Olympic Symbol and the word OLYMPIC, or simulation of those marks tending to cause confusion or mistake, to deceive, or to falsely suggest a connection with the corporation or any Olympic Games activity. See The Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, 36 U.S.C. §220501 et seq. (the “Act”). The Act also allows the USOC to file a civil action against any unauthorized commercial use of the word OLYMPIC “for the purpose of trade [or] to induce the sale of any goods or services, or to promote any theatrical exhibition, athletic performance, or competition.” NWBC’s use of the mark OLYMPIC in connection with this event without permission from the USOC clearly is prohibited under the Act. NWBC's use of the mark OLYMPIC therefore may give rise to claims of trademark infringement, unfair competition, and false advertising. In addition, NWBC’s use of the mark OLYMPIC dilutes the fame of the USOC’s OLYMPIC trademarks, weakening their value and therefore impairing the USOC’s ability to support U.S. athletes.

Unlike the National Olympic Committees of many other countries, the USOC does not rely on federal funding to support all of its efforts. We raise the money we need to feed, house, and train U.S. athletes primarily by public fundraising and by licensing the use of the Olympic marks, images and terminology to our official sponsors, suppliers, and licensees. These legitimate license and sponsorship fees house, feed, train and otherwise support U.S. Olympic athletes, and finance this country’s participation in the Olympic Games. Other companies such as McDonald’s and Coke have paid substantial sums to the USOC for the right to use Olympic-related marks, and through their sponsorships have supported U.S. athletes for years. On the other hand, NWBC has no official relationship with the USOC and therefore is not authorized to use any Olympic imagery or terminology.

The USOC is requesting that the NWBC change the terminology and imagery associated with this event. Accordingly, the USOC requests that NWBC take the necessary steps to remove all usages pertaining to the event, and ensure that Olympic terminology and imagery will not be used for any future NWBC function. In short, the USOC request that NWBC:

1. Ensure that all steps have been taken to remove the Olympic imagery and terminology from any internet site, advertisement enrollment form or signage that is in place to promote this event;

2. Refrain from using Olympic terminology in reference to the specific competitions by renaming such festivities as: Big Ass Bear Olympics with Dr. Bob and the Olympic Board Game Competitions;

3. Refrain from using Olympic terminology or engaging in any other commercial activities in violation of the Act in the future.

Please acknowledge your understanding of our position and your agreement of these conditions by return e-mail reply to my attention prior to the start of the August event. If you would like to discuss this matter directly, please feel free to contact me at XXX-XXX-XXXX.

Sincerely,
CAROL GROSS
UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
One Olympic Plaza, Colorado Springs, CO 80909
www.usolympicteam.com

The Bears' hilarious back-n-forth with Ms. Gross is continued after the jump.

Continue reading "U.S. Olympic Committee Targets the Northwest's Large, Hairy Gay Men" »

In the current issue of the Stranger, I write about two lesbians who held hands at Qwest Field’s WaMu Theater. To their horror, a security guard approached them, shined a flashlight on their faces, and told them to “stop it,” they say. What’s worse: They were at the True Colors concert. You know, the show promoted with the rainbow fliers; the one that starred Rosie O’Donnell and Cyndi Lauper; the one that, as part of its mission statement, was held to "raise awareness about the discrimination the GLBT community still faces."

The PR firm handling the tour was mortified by the news. Patrick Confrey, of Rogers and Cowan, says, “We were freaked. We were like, “Are you kidding me?”

The women met with representatives of Qwest Filed last week to find out how to resolve the issue. Cai and Laura, who asked to be identified only by their first names, say Qwest agreed to institute new diversity trainings for their staff. One example of the trainings “will be a situation where same-sex couples, obviously, are allowed to hold hands,” Laura says. “We feel that they were genuinely upset by the incident. I don’t think it will resolve overnight, but they do have intention to resolve it.”

Qwest Field spokeswoman Suzanne Lavender says “everybody was satisfied with the result” of the meeting. Qwest management also gave the couple tickets for upcoming events.

While the couple accepted the tickets, Laura says, “We weren’t there for any prizes—just to make sure wouldn’t happened again.”

A sign outside a Bait 'n Peaches store in Ruston, Louisiana.

I have no idea what this means. It's inscrutable on so many levels.

Via Tech Master Brian G., who reports that the peaches were delicious.

Yesterday I Slogged about David Benkof, the anti-gay-marriage homosexual who recently wrote an op-ed in the PI about how the California marriage ruling caused "real harm" to hetero couples. Sniffles. Anyway, he said he’s no longer supporting man-woman marriage in the US. I wrote that Benkof “announced he’s pulling out of anti-gay marriage movement. In fact, it looks like he’s opposing marriage altogether.” Then, in the comments, someone identifying himself as Benkof wrote this response:

You might want to work on your reading comprehension skills. Between blogs and E-mails I have noticed at least 75 people who read my post, none of whom except you think I'm against marriage altogether. I think marriage is great. I want to get married someday. I have just stopped blogging and writing op-eds (Tuesday's San Jose Mercury-News is the last one) in response to the "marriage equality" movement.

In the interest of reading comprehension, here's what Benkof wrote on his blog:

It is with great sadness that I announce that I feel I must withdraw from openly supporting man-woman marriage in the United States. I recently learned quite a bit of disturbing information that makes it impossible for me to continue supporting a movement I no longer respect. I have not yet decided when or even if I will write about why I’m ending my participation in this debate.

Visitors to Benkof's blog will now find a blank page.

Right-wing zealots everywhere adored David Benkof as their leading (if not only) rabidly anti-gay-marriage attack queer. In a P-I op-ed published in May, he pontificated that California's court ruling upholding gay-marriage rights "does next to nothing for California gays and lesbians and causes real harm to people who believe in the 'old' definition of marriage." His blog, Gays Defend Marriage, bills itelf “A website for LGBT folks who support marriage as the union of husband and wife…” But in a post yesterday, Benkof announced he’s pulling out of anti-gay marriage movement. In fact, it looks like he’s opposing marriage altogether.

It is with great sadness that I announce that I feel I must withdraw from openly supporting man-woman marriage in the United States. I recently learned quite a bit of disturbing information that makes it impossible for me to continue supporting a movement I no longer respect. I have not yet decided when or even if I will write about why I’m ending my participation in this debate.

Now that’s really weird. He doesn’t say what the “disturbing information” is—could be cancer, a funding scandal, a realization that he is the gay analog of Alan Keyes—only that he stopped supporting marriage of men and women. And as I was writing this post, his entire blog went offline. Poof, he’s gone.

Via Andrew Sullivan.

...but according to Gaywired.com (citing PerezHilton.com):

Alabama Attorney General Troy King, a conservative Republican Christian who has called homosexuality the 'downfall of society,' has been caught with his pants down--literally--in a gay sex scandal. King was reportedly nabbed having sex with a male assistant by his wife, Paige King, in the couple’s own bed.

This could be a hoax. It's been hours since this hit the web and none of the newspapers in Alabama have anything. Then again, King's record, ethics-wise, isn't spotless. And, you know, he's a Republican.

Just in to I, Anonymous:

Didn't your overbearing mother and emotionally distant father teach you to clean up after yourself? The aftermath of the Pride Parade made it look like it was a retarded McDonald's employee parade. There were slurpee cups, burger wrappers, and gay-ass streamers everywhere. I thought fairies were supposed to be clean? It's wrong to stereotype homos, and you have definitely proven that, you dirty fags!

(Someone had to say it, and I'm glad it was someone as eloquent as Anonymous.)