Scott Lively Isn’t Impressed by HRC’s Export of Hate Report
Pastor of Hate Scott Lively broke his silence yesterday after being featured in HRC’s Export of Hate report.
HRC.org
After 72 Years Together, These Gay Newlyweds Give Love A Good Name
After 72 Years Together, These Gay Newlyweds Give Love A Good Name
“We’ve always been married in our hearts,” says Vivian Boyack at the end of this too-cute-for-words interview.
In case you didn’t catch this story the first time around, Vivian Boyack and Alice “Nonie” Dubes recently tied the knot after an awe-inspiring 72 years as a couple.
The story exploded for obvious and adorable reasons. The couple, who until this point have lived quiet and private lives, now gets interview requests from around the world. Flowers and letters congratulating them have arrived at their doorstep from strangers who they’ll never meet.
The following is an account from The Des Moines Register of how the two met:
Neither considered romance much back then. Vivian caught the interest of a boy once who became a friend but she cut that short by telling a schoolmate: “I wouldn’t go with him to a dogfight.”
Then Nonie saw Vivian from afar one day, and it changed everything. Both were attending Iowa State Teachers College (now known as the University of Northern Iowa) in 1942.
“I could tell you exactly what she had on,” Nonie said. “A gray dress with black
velvet trim and big pearl buttons.”
That was it. They never spoke.
But after Nonie dropped out of school and returned to Yale to work, she heard the school in town needed a new teacher. “I prayed that night that she would come to Yale,” Nonie said.
By chance, Vivian saw the job there and got it. She soon met Nonie, who asked her to a movie. Nonie had to work that night but told Vivian to go to the show, and she would join her later.
“She was already bossing me around,” teased Vivian, the soft-spoken one in the relationship. “But I had a new friend.”
They hit it off.
“What then?” they were asked.
Silence.
“This is difficult for us to talk about,” Vivian said.
“No one knew what was happening,” Nonie said. “We didn’t even know it was anything special. I was just drawn to her. That’s all.”
“The hand of God was there,” Vivian added. “Suddenly, we were in love.”
From that day forward, they felt like they were in hiding.
Well, they aren’t hiding any more. Here’s a video of them talking about their experience:
Dan Tracer
Texas Law Enforcement Groups File Brief With Fifth Circuit In Support of Marriage Equality
Texas Law Enforcement Groups File Brief With Fifth Circuit In Support of Marriage Equality
A group of Texas county sheriffs and law enforcement officers have filed a brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals this week in support of marriage equality, The Texas Tribune reports:
“Gay and lesbian law enforcement officers and other first responders put on their uniforms, place themselves in harm’s way to protect and defend our communities, and swear to uphold our laws without prejudice or bias,” said the letter, filed by Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, more than 50 other Texans working in law enforcement and a coalition of city police departments from around the country.
The brief continues:
They serve our communities with equal distinction, skill, and bravery. But Texas denies these men and women the equal dignity and respect they deserve. Texas does not treat them equally in their day-to-day work, nor, tragically, even when they make the ultimate sacrifice.
Last week, lawyers representing same-sex couples int the case of De Leon v. Perry filed briefs asking the Fifth Circuit to uphold a federal judge’s ruling striking down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. The court is expected to hear arguments in the case in the coming months.
Check out the law enforcement brief below:
Kyler Geoffroy
Bipolar, referendum, LGBT, Mental Health – all the rambles
Bipolar, referendum, LGBT, Mental Health – all the rambles
A bit of a rant, a bit of a ramble. I think I’ve had too much caffeine…..
Hari Kondabolu Isn't Sure Matthew McConaughey Is The Best Gay Ally
Hari Kondabolu Isn't Sure Matthew McConaughey Is The Best Gay Ally
Frequently shirtless Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey is beloved by many in the gay community, as evidenced by this 2012 interview in The Advocate. But comedian Hari Kondabolu (“Late Show With David Letterman,” “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell”) isn’t 100 percent convinced that McConaughey is the best gay ally.
Watch Kondabolu deconstruct Mac’s bizarre thought process above, and let us know if you think he’s alright alright alright.
Sorry.
Hari Kondabolu’s debut album, “Waiting For 2042” can be purchased on iTunes.
Three Florida Cities – Three LGBT Advances
Three Florida Cities – Three LGBT Advances
This week, there have been three significant victories for Florida’s LGBT community.
HRC.org
Check Out Joe Manganiello's Speech Accepting the HRC Ally for Equality Award: VIDEO
Check Out Joe Manganiello's Speech Accepting the HRC Ally for Equality Award: VIDEO
True Blood hunk and longtime LGBT ally Joe Manganiello attended the Human Rights Campaign Seattle Dinner last weekend to accept the Ally for Equality Award.
Said Manganiello during his acceptance speech:
You know I never set out to be an advocate, I’m simply a person who believes in equality for everyone. And I’m a person who believes in standing up for his friends. And if I’m being completely honest, there’s a small part of me that felt weird about accepting an award just because I think that everyone should be treated the same – that each individual be allowed the basic human right to love whomever their heart wants to love without fear or hatred or prejudice.
Check out the full speech, which includes a highlight reel of some of Manganiello’s greatest shirtless moments in cinema AFTER THE JUMP…
Kyler Geoffroy
Arizona Judge Just Hinted He’s About To Hand Down A Major Victory
Arizona Judge Just Hinted He’s About To Hand Down A Major Victory
Let’s peer into a magic crystal ball at what the future may hold for Arizona. (Aside from punishing drought and venomous lizards.)
We’re going to make a prediction here: Arizona’s about to get a major victory for marriage equality. It’s going to be strongly-written, unequivocal, and will build upon recent victories in neighboring states.
How do we know? Well, because last week US District Judge John Sedwick issued a minor ruling, buried in which are some extremely telling hints at a major decision soon to come.
Sedwick is overseeing the marriage litigation in Arizona, which has been proceeding at the usual pace for these sorts of cases. But last month, there was a major shift: one of the plaintiffs passed away, which introduced all kinds of time-sensitive concerns about death certificates and benefits. Sedwick needed to rule on those particular issues right away, rather than taking his time to write a thorough evaluation of the state’s marriage ban.
Sedwick’s ruling is pretty narrow, and applies to just one couple. But the route he takes illuminates exactly how he’s thinking, and it indicates that he’s about to hand us a pretty major win.
First of all, he makes short work of the state’s claim that the Baker case prevents him from issuing a ruling. Sedwick points out that Baker happened 42 years ago, and that the Windsor decision “eliminates any uncertainty” that Baker can be safely disregarded.
Then he turns his attention to the federal courts that have upheld marriage bans. There aren’t many, he says, and “none of these decisions are persuasive.” That’s another indication that he sees no reason to uphold Arizona’s ban.
Sedwick also has no time for the state’s claim that its marriage ban does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. “This argument lacks merit,” he scoffs, “the laws do discriminate.”
Another obvious signal.
Importantly, he uses the term “fundamental right” in reference to marriage. That’s a big deal, since it’s a lot easier to make a Due Process and Equal Protection Clause claim when fundamental rights are at stake. This isn’t just a hint that he’ll rule in favor of gay and lesbian couples. It’s a signal that he’ll rule strongly, using the language that our side needs in order to make a compelling case on appeal.
He concludes that section of the ruling by writing that the plaintiff “is likely to prevail on the merits.” Hooray! He basically just said, “everyone knows you guys are going to win.”
So what happens next? We sit back and wait for the Arizona decision, which could come at any moment. Then the losing side (which will probably not be us) will probably appeal to the Ninth Circuit.
That’s where things get complicated. The Ninth Circuit already has three marriage cases awaiting a decision, so the Arizona case will be playing catchup. The three-state decision could come at any moment — maybe before the Arizona ruling, or maybe after — but either way, there’s a strong consensus in the Ninth Circuit that marriage bans need to go.
matt baume
Transgender Teen Named Homecoming King in Texas
Transgender Teen Named Homecoming King in Texas
Mel Gonzalez, a transgender teenager in Texas, was voted Homecoming King at his high school over the weekend.
HRC.org
Palm Springs' <em>Cinema Diverse</em> Called<em> The Academy Awards of Gay Movies</em>
Palm Springs' <em>Cinema Diverse</em> Called<em> The Academy Awards of Gay Movies</em>
Among the films screening at Cinema Diverse is Snails in the Rain, an intelligent and emotional Israeli film set in 1989 Tel Aviv, Boaz (incredibly sexy male model Yoav Reuveni) is a linguistics student committed to his girlfriend, Noa. But soon Boaz begins receiving a series of love letters from another man. They expose the inner world of their author, who is deeply closeted, but knows plenty about Boaz, including his past attraction to other men.
Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs Gay and Lesbian Film Festival has more and better advance buzz than in any previous year, even being called a Gay Oscars (isn’t that redundant?) of sorts by Kevin M. Thomas of Examiner.com:
The Palm Springs Cinema Diverse film festival seems to be shaping up to be the Academy Awards of Gay Movies. The Sept. 18-21 event is bringing together almost every GLBT movie I’ve seen (and loved) at other festivals – and a handful of new ones to check out. It’s amazing that all of this great content can be seen in just three days. It’s a filmgoers’ heaven!
The director and cast members of one film dropped by the Nicholas Snow Live studios for a candid interview. The Dark Place is among the 28 feature films and more than 30 short films screening.
Long estranged from his widowed mother, Keegan Dark has the uncanny ability to remember his life in videographic detail – an ironic curse as it makes him unable to forget any of his life’s numerous tragedies, including the deaths of his father and brother. He returns home, boyfriend in tow, to his family’s vineyard estate to make amends with his mother, only to discover that she has remarried. His family now includes a step-father and step-brother — and Keegan quickly surmises they aren’t up to any good. But his investigation into their past gets derailed when his mother drops into a coma, his boyfriend leaves him, and the town’s sheriff targets him as the culprit. With time running out, Keegan struggles to unravel the secrets that threaten to destroy him and everyone he loves.
LISTEN:
Check Out Movies Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with SnowbizNow on BlogTalkRadio
(Listen to this episode on the BlogTalkRadio Network.)
The Dark Place Official Trailer:
In an earlier episode of my show, I announced other news of the festival:
Check Out Movies Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with SnowbizNow on BlogTalkRadio
(Listen to this episode on the BlogTalkRadio Network.)
Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, takes place at the Camelot Theatres. For the complete lineup, click here.
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