LGBTQ news and entertainment
Via Towleroad.com: Olbermann has moved his Countdown program to Current TV, where he used one of his special comments to, first, proclaim that gay marriage is inevitable, and then to blame religion for holding it back.
“Every year the margin by which this country supports this grows,” he said of marriage equality. “And within a decade, or perhaps less, it will be universal in this nation. Period.”
Watch the video.
After a week of mainly calm and respectful attendance by pro-marriage-equality supporters, nerves seem to be getting frayed as no vote is in sight on passing marriage equality.
From the NY Times: “Frustrations flared in the Capitol on Friday as Democratic lawmakers and gay rights advocates suggested that the Republicans in the state Senate were deliberately delaying a vote on whether to legalize same-sex marriage in New York.”
“It was a marked change of tone from proponents of gay marriage, and it seemed to indicate that their collaborative relationship with the Republicans, in whose hands the fate of the measure rests, had begun to fray.”
“It’s outrageous,” said State Senator Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat. “We were sent home last night without really any explanation.”
Krueger and other Democrats inferred Republicans are stalling on the issue because they fear gay marriage will pass if the vote is put onto the floor.
Sen. Dean Skelos had indicated that he would have vote on the issue this session.
I think it’s going to get ugly is they don’t have this vote…
Well, apparently the current cast is out after the upcoming fifth season.
TMZ reports MTV will be replacing the original cast with new, less expensive folks after the fifth season airs.
But don’t think the ‘originals’ are going anywhere. Several seem to have spin-off series.
Yeah. I guess….
Matt kicks in at the 1:11:00 mark.
“Sharing the bill on the mega-episode of Swish Edition with Lynda Carter, we chat with Broadway star / pop singer, Matt Zarley.”
“This was one silly conversation that we all really enjoyed. We play his new single “WTF” first (see the video below) then get into it ALL including “what semi-famous gay brother of a very famous actor that plays a superhero” he had a fling with, how he found the bears and otters for his “WTF” video, why he likes pop over Broadway, and much more. You’ll dig this guy, he’s a trip and a real good sport.”
For those who haven’t seen it yet – here’s Matt’s new video:
I know it’s only 7:30am on Friday, but I’m pretty sure this will be my favorite pic of the day anyway…
NY Times editorial: “As we wrote this editorial on Thursday evening, we were still waiting for the New York State Senate to do what it should have done long ago — end a basic inequality under the law by allowing same-sex couples the full right to marry. The solution is obvious: Pass a clean bill that allows all adult New Yorkers to marry whomever they choose to marry, without unneeded exemptions for religious-affiliated organizations.”
“Gov. Andrew Cuomo introduced a good bill, which was promptly approved by the Assembly. In the Senate, the measure seemed to be only one vote shy of passage, but Republicans have kept it from the floor.”
There may be a late vote on marriage equality for NY state tonight.
for those of you outside of NY, you can watch the live feed here.
And keep your fingers crossed…
Officer X is a young, gay military officer who is currently serving on active duty despite the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on open service. He is a pilot and regularly flies throughout the world both in and out of combat. Follow him on Twitter @TIMEOfficerX or email him TIMEOfficerX@gmail.com
Here’s an excerpt of his latest post called “Blackmail.”
If I were to point to a single person it would be former Army Sgt. Tracy L. Cooper-Harris. Of the dozens of first-hand accounts I’ve read of troops serving under DADT, hers is the hardest to read. When she was found to be a lesbian by a few of her co-workers, they blackmailed her to perform sexual favors for them in exchange for the honor of continuing to serve her country. “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” provided a framework that allowed her to be systematically raped:
“I had a choice: report these men for “sexual harassment/cohesion” and end my military career or submit to their demands. Despite the military’s “zero tolerance” policy on sexual harassment, it doesn’t apply to those forced in the closet under DADT. I was sexually blackmailed and just a teenager.”
Her story struck a chord within me, as I once received a similar ultimatum. It was one of the most stressful times during my senior year of college when a fellow student found out about me and tried to blackmail me for sexual favors and even started stalking me via Facebook.
I refused to humor him, but he continued to persist. He became so obsessed that I received a message from him saying he would report me to my commander if I didn’t do as he said. I was alone and had nobody to turn to in order to ask for help. My heart raced. “This guy is a god-damned terrorist” is all I could think of. That very thought reminded me of how our government and military deal with terrorists, and I refused to let myself be his victim.
Read more at time.com
Entertainment Weekly has debuted three covers for its latest True Blood issue, featuring Joe Manganiello with Anna Paquin which riffs on Grant Wood’s classic painting “American Gothic”.
I understand Alexander Skarsgard and Stephen Moyer are also featured on their own versions of the cover, however, want to guess my favorite?
Check out this Lady Gaga mash-up that was created in honor of Senator Jim Alesi, the first NY state Republican senator to come out in support of the marriage equality bill, and his remarks at the rally yesterday.