Category: Uncategorized

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Delaware: Marriage equality bill to be filed with state legislature today

A marriage equality bill will be filed with the Delaware state legislature today:

Gov. Jack Markell and Attorney General Beau Biden planned to join lawmakers Thursday in Wilmington to announce the filing of the legislation.

Crafting of the bill has been led by members of the gay rights group Equality Delaware.

Markell has pledged to sign the bill if it passes the General Assembly, where it has the support of Democratic leaders in both chambers.

In 2011, Markell signed a bill authorizing same-sex civil unions in Delaware, effective last year.

Currently, Democrats hold a majority in the state House 26-15; and in the state Senate, Dems outnumber GOP 13-8.

In addition to Gov. Markell, Attorney General Beau Biden, all three members of Congress (U.S. Sens. Chris Coons and Tom Carper; Congressman John Carney) and John Fluharty, (openly gay executive director of the Delaware Republican Party, are among those who support marriage equality in Delaware.

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Glee: Guilty Pleasure (on occasion)

So, spent the evening catching up on GLEE episodes. Yeah, I still stay in touch with the show when I have some time.

The most recent episode was about ‘guilty pleasures.’ And I realized watching the show that GLEE itself is a guilty pleasure of mine.

True, very true, the stories and characters aren’t nearly as quirky and fresh as they used to be.

BUT I still like how the show integrates some of my favorite music and often reinvents those songs. Like the one above.

I laughed out loud at how gay and 70s the ABBA song was performed. At the very least, they are having fun with the music.

So, yeah, GLEE is still a guilty pleasure for me. Not as great a show was it once promised to be, but they still serve up some fun music and visuals every now and then.

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Wicked fans – Mika and Kristin Chenoweth sing “Popular Song”

Guess who popped up and dueted with Mika at his show in NYC on his “Popular Song?”

Oh, yeah, Miss “Wicked” Glinda herself, Kristin Chenoweth.

From Next Magazine:

As part of his intimate North American tour to support his new album The Origin of Love, out singer Mika played Le Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village last night. He had a little (about five feet) surprise for the audience though, when he brought out Kristin Chenoweth to help him sing his “Popular Song” which samples “Popular” from the musical Wicked.

Chenoweth originated the part of Glinda on Broadway (and sang the song) in the show, which Stephen Schwartz specifically gave Mika permission to sample on his new album.

Listen to the original track by Mika here.

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France: Adoption article for same-sex couples passes in marriage equality bill

As the marriage equality bill is being debated and voted on article by article, tonight the French Senate approved the portion of the bill that guarantees adoption rights to same-sex couples.

Anti-gay groups had been hoping this aspect of the bill would be their last stronghold.

Happily, they were wrong.

From Le Monde:

Après l’adoption de l’article 1 du projet de loi sur le “mariage pour tous”, ouvrant la voie au mariage homosexuel, le Sénat a donné son feu vert, mercredi 10 avril, à l’adoption par des couples de même sexe. Les débats ont été monopolisés par les sénateurs de droite, qui ont affirmé à nouveau que l’adoption de ce texte ouvrirait la voie à la procréation médicale assistée (PMA) et à la gestation pour autrui (GPA) puisque, selon Gérard Roche, “il n’y a pas assez d’enfants adoptables”.

Here’s what Bing translator says that means:

After the adoption of article 1 of the draft law on “marriage for all” paving the way for same-sex marriage, the Senate gave its go-ahead Wednesday, April 10, to adoption by same sex couples. The debates were monopolized by the right senators, who said again that the adoption of this text would pave the way to the assisted medical procreation (PMA) and surrogacy (GPA) since, according to Gérard Roche, “there not enough adoptable children”.

In any case – Vive la France!

Forward!

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Marriage equality passes in Uruguay

Blabbeando shares the news that Uruguay gave final approval to marriage equality tonight after its House voted 92-71 to pass the bill.

President José Mujica says he intends to sign it.

This brings the number of countries that offer marriage equality to 12 as Uruguay joins The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina, and Denmark.

Three countries – Brazil, Mexico, and the U.S. – offer marriage in parts of each respective country.

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Montana: House votes to repeal sodomy law

From Think Progress: “Just now, the Montana House held its third and final vote on SB 107, a bill to repeal the state’s unconstitutional sodomy law.

“The final vote was 64-36, meaning there were still 36 lawmakers who believes that gay sex should remain criminal under law.”

The Montana Senate voted to repeal the ban in January by a vote of 41-9.  Barring a veto from the governor, the law should soon be history.

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Washington: Florist being sued for discriminating against gay couple

So, here’s how I got the story:

A couple of months ago, Baronelle Stuzman, a Washington state florist, told longtime customers, Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed, that she refused to do business with them — or “participate in the wedding,” as she called it — because she believed as a Christian “that marriage is between a man and a woman.”

Freed, 43, pointed out that they never asked her to “participate” in their wedding — just to sell them flowers FOR their wedding. The couple has been buying flowers from the shop for nine years.

In any case, Stuzman hugged her gay customer and merrily went on her way.

Now, she’s now being sued by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the SeattlePI reports:

Ferguson said he sent a March 28 letter to owner Barronelle Stutzman asking her to reconsider and supply flowers to customer Robert Ingersoll.  Through an attorney, Stutzman declined to change her position.
“As Attorney General, it is my job to enforce the laws of the state of Washington,” said Ferguson.  “Under the Consumer Protection Act, it is unlawful to discriminate against customers based on sexual orientation.  If a business provides a product or service to opposite-sex couples for their weddings, then it must provide same sex couples the same product or service.”

The AG’s office s asking that a $2,000 fine be imposed for every violation in a complaint filed in Benton County Superior Court.

I think it’s important to reiterate that this legal action is not about marriage equality.   The law being cited and sued under, the Consumer Protection Act, was passed years before Washington’s recent marriage equality law.  The same suit could be filed if someone decided they didn’t want to serve African Americans or Catholics.

Of course, the anti-marriage equality folks are already touting this as a “gay marriage” issue.

From the National Organization for Marriage: “Like clockwork, those who disagree with gay marriage are being fined and forced out of the public square — by the state-imposed redefinition of marriage.”

And from Tony Perkins at Family Research Council:

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Bipartisan deal emerges for background checks on gun sales

Sen. Joe Manchin (L) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R)

I know many folks were hoping for sweeping changes to gun control laws, but this may be as good as it gets this time.  And it would be a shame to have nothing addressed after the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook.

West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania presented their proposal today, just a day before the Senate is slated to take up gun control issues.

From MSNBC:

Toomey, unlike several members in his party, said he didn’t believe expanding background checks was akin to gun control.

“I’ve got to tell you candidly, I don’t consider criminal background checks to be gun control,” the GOPer said at a press conference Wednesday explaining the deal. “I think it’s common sense. If you pass a criminal background check, you get to buy a gun, no problem.”

While the compromise doesn’t include universal background checks, which is being pushed for by President Obama and is  favored by 90% of Americans, it does expand background checks to cover gun shows and online sales of firearms. Failure to comply would be classified as a felony.

Gun sales between friends and acquaintances would be exempt.

I think these are the right two guys to bring this forward since Pennsylvania and West Virginia are serious “gun” states.  Plus, the two senators here are more moderate members of their parties.  I think if anyone is going to help get ANYTHING done on common sense gun policy, it will be these two guys.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has already filed a cloture motion to move forward on a gun control bill Thursday.

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UFC fighter Mike Mitrione suspended for transphobic rant

Suspended UFC fighter Mike Mitrione

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has suspended one of its fighters after he went on a transphobic rant against transgender fighter, Fallon Fox.

In an interview with The MMA Hour on Monday, mixed martial artist Matt Mitrione went on a tirade against Fox, whom he repeatedly referred to as a man. Fox transitioned ten years ago but came out as a transgender woman earlier last month after facing pressure from a reporter.

When host Ariel Helwani asked Mitrione, “Why do you hate Fallon Fox so much, and why do you keep calling she a ‘he’?”, he responded:

“Because she’s not a he. He’s a he,” he said. “He’s chromosomally a man. He had a gender change, not a sex change. He’s still a man. He was a man for 31 years. Thirty-one years. That’s a couple years younger than I am. He’s a man. Six years of taking performance de-hancing drugs, you think is going to change all that? That’s ridiculous.

“That is a lying, sick, sociopathic, disgusting freak,” he continued. “And I mean that. Because you lied on your license to beat up women. That’s disgusting. You should be embarrassed yourself. And the fact that Florida licensed him because California licensed him or whoever the hell did it, it’s an embarrassment to us as fighters, as a sport, and we all should protest that. The woman that’s fighting him, props to you. I hope you beat his ass, and I hope he gets blackballed and never fights again, because that’s disgusting and I’m appalled by that.”

The UFC acted swiftly and decidedly, issuing the following statement later that day:

The UFC was appalled by the transphobic comments made by heavyweight Matt Mitrione today in an interview on ‘The MMA Hour.’The organization finds Mr. Mitrione’s comments offensive and wholly unacceptable and – as a direct result of this significant breach of the UFC’s code of conduct – Mr. Mitrione’s UFC contract has been suspended and the incident is being investigated. The UFC is a friend and ally of the LGBT community, and expects and requires all 450 of its athletes to treat others with dignity and respect.

(via Pink News)