Op-ed: I Stay Closeted to Put Food on the Table
Even with all of the legal advances LGBT Americans have experienced in recent years, those who work in religious education don’t necessarily reap the benefits.
Michelle Luvdestini
www.advocate.com/commentary/2015/02/23/op-ed-i-stay-closeted-put-food-table
Texas Wants to Un-Marry Lesbian with Cancer
A few judges are still refusing to see gay and lesbian couples in Alabama. Texas has had its first lesbian marriage, and now state officials are scrambling to find a way to undo it. And some major national anti-gay figures are preparing to release a new manifesto to stop the freedom to marry.
Almost every county in Alabama is issuing marriage licenses now, but incredibly, a handful judges are still defying the federal ruling. Depending on who you ask, as of last week, there were about fifty counties finally complying with the order to let gays and lesbians marry. That leaves around seventeen where you still can’t get a license.
A few have stopped marriages altogether, but most of the remaining counties are only turning away gays and lesbians. Judge Nick Williams in Washington County said “I’m not worried about following the U.S. Constitution,” which he probably should have mentioned before being sworn in as a judge.
Meanwhile, Judge Roy Moore, the Supreme Court Justice who started all this trouble, may be in some trouble of his own now. Moore told state judges that he wouldn’t allow them to issue licenses, but he really can’t do that. The Human Rights Campaign has gathered nearly 30,000 signatures calling for an investigation into whether Moore should be removed from office.
Moore’s been down this road before. In 2003 the Court of the Judiciary kicked him out of office for making up his own rules about a Ten Commandments statue. But even if he’s removed for a second time, we might not have heard the last of him. Ordinarily, Moore couldn’t ren for office again because he’s about to pass an age limit. But a Republican Senator has introduced a new bill to raise the limit, so Moore could run for re-election again in 2018.
There is one married lesbian couple in Texas right now. Probably. Last week a judge allowed Sarah Goodfriend and Suzanne Bryant to obtain a marriage license, citing urgency after Sarah was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The ruling applies only to this one couple. And according to state officials, that’s still one couple too many.
Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and Attorney General Ken Paxton all want to take the license away from the cancer-stricken couple of 31 years who are raising two children. Paxton has declared that the is license void, and the couple is not actually married. But can he actually do that? That’s murky. He can try. Attorneys General have a lot of legal authority, but it’s kind of unheard of to step in and un-marry a couple, particularly after a judge ordered them married.
The common thread between Roy Moore’s actions and Texas’ is that they’re pretty desperate. People who oppose marriage equality are running out of options, which is why you’re seeing last-ditch attempts to do something, anything. And they might delay marriage for a bit, or force you to take a bus to the next county, or issue threats to a family facing a terminal illness. But at this point they know they’re not going to win.
And yet still they’re trying. Last week Kansas Rep Tim Huelskamp introduced a federal constitutional marriage ban in Congress. They tried this over a decade ago and it went nowhere. It’s going to go less than nowhere this time.
But according to reports, there’s a group of national anti-gay leaders working on a new proclamation to stop marriage equality. The title is “Reclaiming Marriage,” and they’ll probably release it in March. The people who have seen a copy have called it a sweeping manifesto, signed by the very people you’d expect. But even this sweeping manifesto will probably be pretty weak. The only call to action is “careful discernment” over the coming years. And even that is expecting a lot of these people.
Joan Rivers snubbed by Oscars tribute: LGBTI stars share anger on social media
A number of LGBT stars have taken to Twitter to criticize Oscar bosses for omitting Joan Rivers from the award ceremony’s In Memoriam segment.
Last night (February 22), the academy paid tribute to the likes of late industry figureheads including Richard Attenborough and Robin Williams, but Rivers – who died on September 4 last year – was nowhere to be seen.
joshh
PHOTOS: Newly Released Studio 54 Collection Offers Rare Glimpse Into A Party Legend
Parties come and go; clubs fade in and out of relevancy. But nothing will ever recreate the perfect storm of disco, drugs, sexuality and decadence that was New York City’s Studio 54 in the late 70s and 80s.
Swedish Photojournalist Hasse Persson was there snapping shots of what would become the gold standard of 70s hedonism and 80s excess.
In December 1979 the club was raided by the IRS. Between all the sleepless nights and overindulgence, owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager never got around to making the business legitimate. They were skimming millions, and the raid turned up entire bags filled with cash stashed throughout the club. Steve and Ian pled guilty to tax evasion and were sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
Presson’s stunning collection of black-and-white photos is aptly called Studio 54, and if you’re looking for the perfect coffee table conversation starter, the hard cover book will accent any living room.
Here’s what Persson writes in the forward:
“The times and the prevalent drug culture sanctioned this hedonistic half-way-house between heaven and hell. Somebody smart said Studio 54 existed after the Pill, before AIDS and while cocaine was still seen as a pick-me-up. The drug reference today seems vapid but a lot of people had been reading Sigmund Freud’s so-called cocaine-papers. In his book Über Coca, published in 1984, Freud was full of praise for cocaine’s benefits, claiming it to be a far better drug than alcohol. And less harmful. When Freud also mentioned that patients who had been prescribed cocaine reported an increased sex drive, Studio 54 was easily convinced. ‘Push, Push, in the Bush’ as Mustique put it.”
And here’s a sample of shots. You might recognize the likes of Andy Warhol, Truman Capote and Bianca Jagger — all regulars:
Dan Tracer
Rapper Common Includes Sexual Orientation In Oscar Acceptance Speech on the Legacy of Selma: VIDEO
Musician John Legend and rapper Common gave a moving award acceptance speech at the Oscars, with Common saying that the bridge Martin Luther King Jr. crossed on his march from Selma to Montgomery is no longer just a symbol for the Civil Rights Movement, but is now a symbol for any discrimination based on “race, gender, sexual orientation and social status,” reports Billboard.
The duo’s song Glory, featured in Selma, won the Oscar for best original song. Common went on to say the symbol of the bridge connects people around the world, from those fighting for freedom of expression in France to those fighting for Democracy in China. Legend also took the opportunity to touch on incarceration rates among black men in his speech.
Said Legend:
“Nina Simone said it’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times we’re in. Selma is now because the struggle for justice is right now. We live in the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more black men under correctional control today than there were in slavery in 1850.”
Cameras panned to David Oyelowo, who played Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, during Common’s acceptance speech with visible tears in his eyes. Fellow co-star and Selma producer Oprah Winfrey, seated next to Oyelowo, was also shown filled with emotion. Watch Common give his touching speech AFTER THE JUMP…
Anthony Costello
Op-ed: An Answer to Every Homophobic Question Same-Sex Parents Face
For same-sex parents, homophobia is often disguised as pseudo-concern. Here’s how to fire back.
Amy Kaufman Burk
www.advocate.com/commentary/2015/02/23/op-ed-answer-every-homophobic-question-same-sex-parents-face
Best Tweets: Travolta Out Memes Himself at the 2015 Oscars
“Glom Gazingo” wins the award for Creepiest Oscar Moments.
Jami Smith
www.advocate.com/comedy/2015/02/23/best-tweets-travolta-out-memes-himself-2015-oscars
Israel: PM candidate visits gay club and promises marriage for everyone
Tzipi Livni could become one of two rotating premiers if her coalition wins
darrenw
www.gaystarnews.com/article/israel-pm-candidate-visits-gay-club-and-promises-marriage-everyone230215
Idina Menzel Calls John Travolta 'Glom Gazingo' At This Year's Oscars
The wickedly talented Idina Menzel got back at John Travolta for his gaffe at last year’s Oscars. During this year’s ceremony, Menzel invited Travolta to the stage by calling him Glom Gazingo.
“I deserve that,” Travolta said, before saying Menzel’s name right. “That was so good!” Menzel said. Watch the interaction below. For a full list of Oscar winners, head here.
You must be 18 years old or older to chat
