O-Kern-Homa, Where the Hate Comes Sweepin' Down the Plain

O-Kern-Homa, Where the Hate Comes Sweepin' Down the Plain
Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern (R) has introduced a bill to officially change the name of the state from Oklahoma to Okernhoma. Kern stated, “By putting my name in the state’s name, the people in our great state will be reminded that my opinions are more important than any one person’s individual rights.” Kern’s latest bill joins three bills that she filed earlier: (1) a bill allowing businesses to refuse service to gay people, (2) a bill promoting gay conversion therapy, and (3) a bill penalizing anyone who issues a marriage license to a same-sex couple. Kern is considering introducing another bill which will allow any citizen to slap the face of a gay person without provocation.

In Okernhoma, gay people will not be able to eat or sleep. Her HB 1597 specifies that “no business entity shall be required to provide any services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods or privileges related to any lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender person, group or association.” In adherence to this proposed bill, heterosexual Okernhomians will not allow gay people to buy groceries, rent apartments or (gasp!) go to the gym. It is assumed that once these preventative measures are put in place, gay people will be forced onto the streets where they will roam in packs, much like the zombies on The Walking Dead. Once banded together, homeless and hungry, gay people will be much easier to identify and discriminate against.

Okernhoma will hire specially trained agents to do the difficult work of rounding up the Walking Gays. Once the gays are locked up, conversion therapy will be forced on them to make them heterosexual. Kern has stated that homosexuality is “more dangerous” than terrorism and that it will “tear down the moral fiber of this nation.” Her proposed HB 1598 allows Okernhomians to “control or end any unwanted sexual attraction” through conversion therapy. It is assumed, of course, that homosexuality is unwanted. The agents doing this highly sensitive work shall be known as the Controlling Okernhoma Police Squad, or C.O.P.S.

If any two gays manage to fall in love anyway and then attempt to ruin Western civilization by requesting a marriage license, Kern’s HB 1599 ensures that a clerk issuing that license will lose his or her salary and benefits. A marriage license issued to a same-sex couple will automatically burst into flames once it is handed over. The couple, hands scorched and raw from handling the fiery license, will be denied any medical attention from area hospitals. They will not be allowed into drugstores for First Aid supplies either and will be forced back onto the streets. The C.O.P.S. can then round them up one more time and try conversion all over again.

“Sally Kern is my hero,” says devout Okernhomian, Mallory Fobic. “She is ensuring that our state stands firmly in the 19th century and I, for one, am all for it! Discriminatin’ against specific human beings is my God-given right! I am a waitress and my God forbids me from servin’ lunch to fags. Sally Kern understands the destruction these gays are causin’. I hope she will propose that slappin’ bill soon because Jesus wants me to slap gays in the face to knock some sense into ’em. What Would Jesus Do? He’d vote for Sally Kern’s bills, that’s what! And he’d slap a homo silly, I tell ya.”

Kern’s bills have received enthusiastic support throughout the state. However, state Rep. Todd Russ (R) believes that Kern’s name-changing bill does not go far enough. “Okernhoma is a fine name, surely,” he said, “but … Okernhetera would be much more effective in promoting our value system. We don’t want no homo in our state name.”

Kern believes passing these bills is important for the future of Okernhoma. “I don’t want any kids in my state turning on the radio and accidentally hearing some sad song sung by John Elton or Sam Smith. And God forbid that they might get a glimpse of that Ellen Degenerate Show! Enough is enough!” After a moment, Kern asked that the phrase “Enough is enough” be stricken from the interview because it too closely echoed the song “Enough Is Enough” sung by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer, two gay icons. “Oh good grief,” sighed Kern, “I can’t take it anymore.”

If none of these bills pass, Kern is considering proposing a Constitutional Amendment to kill all gay people and get rid of the problem once and for all.

www.huffingtonpost.com/domenick-scudera/o-kern-homa-where-the-hat_b_6563750.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Sam Smith Isn’t Fat And Here’s The Shirtless Pic To Prove It

Sam Smith Isn’t Fat And Here’s The Shirtless Pic To Prove It

Sam_Smith_ShirtlessWhen Howard Stern called Sam Smith “fat,” ugly” and “effeminate,” the British crooner took personal offense, and rightfully so.

He initially took to Twitter and wrote, “Can’t believe what I’ve just read.” That was followed by a second tweet that simply read: “Ignore.”

This prompted none other than Bonnie Hunt (remember her?) to voice her support of the 22-year-old R&B/pop singer:

“Sam, you never let all the amazing reviews go to your head, Pls never let negative remarks go to your heart. You are loved,” Hunt tweeted.

Now, the six-time Grammy-nominee is setting the record straight… with a semi-shirtless picture of himself posted to his Instagram account. The selfie proves Smith isn’t fat. (Not that there’s anything wrong with having an inch to pinch! Besides, science says guys with bellies make better lovers.) It also proves that he’s hairy. And we kinda like it.

Seriously, who knew Sam Smith was an otter? He normally looks so clean cut.

In 2014, Smith’s album In The Lonely Hour topped the list of bestselling artist albums and has since been nominated for six Grammys.

Stern has since responded to the controversy by saying, “I feel bad because the guy thinks I don’t like him. I love him,” and adding that he had Tom Petty’s Sam Smith‘s song on his playlist.

Related stories:

Howard Stern Loves Sam Smith Because He’s Chubby And Gay

Sam Smith Forced To List Tom Petty As “Stay With Me” Co-Writer, Dish Out Royalty Checks

Sam Smith Doesn’t Need Grindr When He Has Music Video Extras Hanging Around

Graham Gremore

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Anti-LGBT Groups Vow To 'Fight To The Legal Death' As Trial Begins Over Houston Equal Rights Ordinance: VIDEO

Anti-LGBT Groups Vow To 'Fight To The Legal Death' As Trial Begins Over Houston Equal Rights Ordinance: VIDEO

Welch

Allegations of fraud and forgery took center stage as a trial over Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance began this week, according to a report from The Houston Chronicle.

After the council approved the ordinance in May, anti-LGBT groups said they turned in more than 30,000 signatures on a petition to repeal it. However, city officials rejected the petition, saying it had only 16,500 valid signatures, fewer than the 17,269 needed to force the City Council to repeal the ordinance or place it on the ballot.

That prompted a lawsuit from opponents of the ordinance, led by former Republican Party Chair Jared Woodfill and Texas Pastor Council Executive Director Dave Welch (above). In court documents, the city has accused the anti-LGBT groups of fraud, forgery and other dishonest tactics in gathering signatures. From the Chronicle

TaylorAttorneys for the city of Houston signaled in court Tuesday they intend to prove rampant fraud in a petition drive led by opponents of the equal rights ordinance who hope to force a repeal referendum. …

In his opening argument in court Tuesday, Alex Kaplan, an attorney for the city, said the petition is “full of problems.” …

Andy Taylor (right), attorney for the plaintiffs, said any claims of fraud were untrue and the city’s argument is “laughable.” He said “well-intentioned voters from time to time didn’t follow all the rules” but there was no fraud. 

“They’re talking about ticky tacky deficiencies like we’re missing a comma or our signatures are hard to read,” Taylor said. “Give me a break. Did our forefathers die in battle so that commas could prevent their children from voting.” 

Taylor told My Fox Houston that his clients will “fight to the legal death” to repeal the ordinance. And while the trial is focused on technical issues as opposed to the merits of the ordinance, Taylor’s legal representation appears severely tainted by his bigotry. From My Fox Houston: 

“Why in the world would we create a law that confers special rights on men who just want to pretend they are women so they can go into female restrooms in Houston and take advantage of young girls?” asks Taylor. …

Taylor claims this case is going to trial not because of an invalid petition but because Mayor Parker doesn’t want the issue on the ballot.

“She just told her lawyers kill this thing. Smother this thing in the crib because she doesn’t want voters to have a chance to pass on the lunacy of this bathroom ordinance. Well her day off reckoning is about to come,” Taylor says. “We are very confident the jury, after it hears all the evidence, is going to say one thing, mayor you got it wrong. Let the people vote.”

The city’s lead attorney, Geoffrey Harrison, told Click2Houston.com that the people have already voted:

“The people elected Mayor Annise Parker and elected the members of City Council who voted for this ordinance.”

The trial could last two months as jurors go over more than 5,000 pages of signatures to determine how many are valid. 

Watch reports from My Fox Houston and Click2Houston.com, AFTER THE JUMP … 

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FOX 26 News | MyFoxHouston


John Wright

www.towleroad.com/2015/01/meet-the-creepy-attorney-whos-challening.html

'RuPaul's Drag Race' Adds New Judges, Will Premiere March 2

'RuPaul's Drag Race' Adds New Judges, Will Premiere March 2
Hello, hello, hello! The wait is almost over.

RuPaul and Logo have finally announced the premiere date for “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season seven: March 2. And while we’re stoked that we finally have a date for that first Monday we’ll head out to our favorite gay bar and yell at the TV with our fellow queers, there is one huge change this season that we couldn’t help but notice: Ru flipped the judging panel!

While fan favorite and beloved loud mouth Michelle Visage will be returning to Ru’s side for this season of “Drag Race,” it looks like Santino Rice got the boot. Instead, Ru is bringing in two new judges to join the ranks: Ross Mathews and Carson Kressley.

drag race

“Yes, Virginia, there is a gay Santa Claus!” said Executive Producer RuPaul in a statement sent to The Huffington Post. “I asked for a new, wickedly funny, smart and experienced judge…and I got two! Ross and Carson are the perfect addition to the ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ family because they’re not just show biz experts, they’re superfans and longtime lovers of the art of drag.”

Matthews is a TV personality best known for his appearances on E!’s “Chelsea Lately” and the channel’s red carpet coverage, while Kressley made a name for himself in the early 2000s on “Queer Eye For The Straight Guy.” The guest judges for the 2015 season include Ariana Grande, Jessica Alba, Demi Lovato, John Waters, Kat Dennings, Kathy Griffin, Olivia Newtown-John, Alyssa Milano, Jordin Sparks, Mel B and more.

How will these judging changes affect the framework of the show? Only one way to find out — tune into Logo TV on Monday, March 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

Curious about the fourteen queens competing on “Drag Race” season seven? Check out the slideshow below and LogoTV.com.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/28/drag-race-season-seven-premiere_n_6555636.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Photo Exhibit Celebrates Art & AIDS: Amor y Pasión

Photo Exhibit Celebrates Art & AIDS: Amor y Pasión

Clecio Lira African Pieta

The Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York City is currently presenting Art & AIDS: Amor y Pasión, an exhibition curated by Osvaldo Perdomo and David Livingston featuring artists living with HIV and AIDS. The exhibition is an outcome of weekly therapeutic art classes run by GMHC’s Volunteer, Work, and Wellness Center as well as by artists who have come to GMHC looking for help or support after they learned about their diagnosis. GMHC is the world’s first and leading provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and advocacy. In 1981 six gay men and their friends gathered in Larry Kramer’s living room to address “gay cancer.” This group started raising money for research and started to form the Gay Men’s Health Crisis — the story of this group was the inspiration for Kramer’s play The Normal Heart, now a critically acclaimed hit HBO film.
The Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art is the first dedicated LGBTQ art museum in the world with a mission to exhibit and preserve LGBTQ art, and foster the artists who create it.
Photography courtesy of The Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art
First Image by Clecio Lira
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Luis Carle
“Crowbar NYC (1994)”
luiscarle_ISRAELIS
Luis Carle
Israelis, NYC
Peter J Robinson_ I Do
Peter J. Robinson, Jr
“I Do”
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George Towne
“Rich and Seth”

jjkeyes

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Sundance Double Review: 'I Am Michael' and 'The D Train'

Sundance Double Review: 'I Am Michael' and 'The D Train'

7_michael

BY NATHANIEL ROGERS 

One of the most interesting trends of this year’s Sundance Film Festival is confrontational stories about people being pushed out of or willfully stepping away from their sexual comfort zones. THE DIARY OF A TEENAGER GIRL has earned the best reviews and the most press but let’s discuss two films with more LGBT appeal.  I AM MICHAEL, a drama about religion and homosexuality, and THE D TRAIN, a comedy about a high school reunion, feature grown men whose lives spiral out of control when they stray from their true selves. 

How many gay kids growing up confused about what they were feeling within religious environments used this Bible verse in ways that would horrify fundamentalists?

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you:
-Matthew 7:7 

It’s a lovely sentiment whether you’re religious or not. Everyone needs to know themselves and find their own way. Those who’ve come before us lay down tracks for us to follow but we all still have to choose which to take or construct our own. But Matthew’s promise won’t work for everyone. What if you don’t know what to ask, don’t know what you’re looking for or, like the protagonists of these movies, are totally unsatisfied with the knowledge you already have about your true character?

CONTINUED, AFTER THE JUMP

Zachary_Quinto_James_Franco_I_Am_Michael.jpg.CROP.promovar-mediumlarge

2_michaelIn the opening scene of writer/director Justin Kelly’s provocative I AM MICHAEL, Michael Glatze is introduced as an “ex-gay” pastor warning a depressed teenager away from his same-sex desires. And then we’re hurled back some years to meet the same but much different Michael, presumably in order to learn how the one became the other. The eponymous sexually-confused Michael is played by James Franco in a case of so-obvious casting that what else is there to say about it? Once upon a time, as we learn after the opening scene of this true story, Michael was a semi-famous gay activist and successful magazine editor with a happy long term romance with Bennett (Zachary Quinto).

Rs_300x300-150122111810-600.i-am-michael-james-franco-zachary-quinto4After moving from San Francisco they invite a third, a college kid named Tyler (Teen Wolf‘s Charlie Carver) into their relationship. (FWIW: the much buzzed about three-way sex scene starts hot but doesn’t go anywhere, amounting to an underwear hugging party. Multiple scenes of Quinto and Franco cuddling in bed: much hotter!)

All is not well: Michael becomes less and less happy, has difficulty dealing with his mother’s death, and is plagued with panic attacks. While working on a special religion-themed issue of his gay magazine, he starts furtively reading the Bible and turns away, rather radically, from his own life and gay family. In one uncomfortably amusing scene wherein he hides his Bible like it’s a porno from his boyfriends, he reads another gem from the Gospels: 

He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
-Matthew 10:39 

Interpret that ouroborus profundity as you will and must. If St. Matthew lived today he’d surely be employed as a horoscope writer because this is just vague enough to mean anything to anyone. Its circular logic is like the crude circle Michael draws to explain to Tyler about the infinite because circles have no beginning or end. Tyler, less concerned with the infinite and more into flirting, teasingly objects, pointing out the beginning and the end of Michael’s line drawing. Michael, considering the infinite all the time, begins to draw spirals instead. Willfully, or stupidly depending on how conscious you think Glatze was when he betrayed his community, Michael spirals out of control bringing still more people into his confused romantic orbit (including Emma Roberts pictured below), hurting everyone in the process. 

I-am-michael-6

I Am Michael has a provocative enough premise that it’s hard not to be thoroughly engaged if you’ve ever struggled with religion, faith, and sexuality. But it’s also too crudely told to totally deliver on the premise. There are thunderingly obvious instances of flashback to illustrate what we’ve just been told (one flashback to his mother is quite tacky). James Franco’s line readings don’t always dispel this weirdly pandering feeling, as he often sounds like he’s talking to a very small child when he’s speaking the movie’s themes aloud.

Though we’re not truly in a “post-gay” world anymore than we’re in a “post-racial” world, we’d probably all do better to acknowledge more fluidity in sexuality and be less judgmental about it. So long as people aren’t hurting anyone, as Michael Glatze does with his “ex-gay” teachings. I Am Michael strains for sympathy with Michael’s confusion but the subtle snark of its ending will appease your inner gay activist all the same. And yet it’s still a somehow unsatisfying movie.  

“Why are you doing this?”

Bennett asks Michael, the former love of his life, as if speaking the audience’s thoughts aloud in scene after scene. No answer ever comes.

I-am-michael-james-franco-4

THE D TRAIN

The subject of confusing sexual switcheroos also crops up in the far more mainstream comedy THE D TRAIN, starring Jack Black. Black plays Dan, a husband and father who is the self-proclaimed chairman of his high school’s alumni committee and still caught up in being socially accepted by his former classmates. In planning for the 20th reunion, he has the smart idea to convince the former coolest kid in school Oliver (James Marsden, more delicious than ever), who is now an actor, to return and thus lure other people to RSVP.

  Dtrain-oddcouple
Jack Black basks in James Marsden’s glow in “THE D TRAIN”

While visiting Oliver in Los Angeles, Dan is thrown by his former classmate’s “I don’t like labels” promiscuity: men, women …old high school acquaintances? Dan and Oliver party hard, plans for the reunion are drunkenly made and all sorts of chaos follows: sexual, emotional, social, fiscal, comic, you name it.

The D Train is messy with competing tones and plot threads but messiness is part of its agenda. It’s the story of a man who doesn’t know what hit him when he cares way too much about another man’s favor and affection. Black plays unpopular (for a reason) maybe a little too well. Dan is often hard to like even when Black is landing his punchlines. But the movie belongs to James Marsden’s sexually voracious self-absorbed actor. As with Enchanted, Marsden reminds us yet again that despite his considerable beauty, it’s comedy, not leading man heroism, that is his true big screen calling.  

    James_Mardsen_Jack_Black_D-Train

Nathaniel Rogers would live in the movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience. Follow him on Twitter @nathanielr.


Nathaniel_R

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