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Starbucks CEO defends marriage equality support to applause

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, at the company’s annual meeting in Seattle, defended his company’s support of same-sex marriage to a disgruntled share holder.

From KPLU:

At the company’s annual meeting Wednesday, shareholder Tom Strobhar suggested that the boycott had indeed bled the company of value.

“In the first fill quarter after this boycott was announced, our sales and our earrings — shall we say politely — were a bit disappointing,” he said.

CEO Howard Schultz shot back that the decision to back gay marriage was not about the bottom line, but about respecting diversity. He said the company had delivered a healthy return last year, boycott or no.

“If you feel, respectfully, that you can get a higher return than the 38 percent you got last year, it’s a free country. You can sell your shares of Starbucks and buy shares in another company. Thank you very much,” he said, to loud applause from the audience.

Excuse me while I run to Starbucks to buy something…

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To the US Supreme Court – “History is Watching”

From GetEqual.

Text of the video:

Since the birth of our nation, people held down by prejudice and discrimination have always moved slowly but inevitably toward justice and equality.

And throughout our history, the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States have been called upon to issue the critical rulings ensuring that our founding principles of justice and equality are delivered to those long denied them.

After centuries of injustice, countless generations lived in closets, through the watershed of Stonewall, the rise of Pride, the fight AGAINST AIDS, the fall of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, and the demand that our relationships and our lives be shown the respect they deserve, the great weight of history has brought us to the doorstep of the Supreme Court. An unstoppable TIDAL wave is about to sweep over OUR NATION as our history and THOSE OF OUR JUSTICES WILL come together, forever united.

Major civil rights decisions are the most famous in the history of the court. The justices that MAKE the inevitable ruling of national marriage equality will secure their legacy’s forever. We have brought to your doorstep and laid at your feet your opportunity to craft one of the defining decisions of civil rights law for our republic, and with it, to define your legacy in history. If you let this opportunity slip away by ruling anything less than full national marriage equality, you will only be giving some future court the recognition for having done it. You have in your hands the power to bring to fruition decades of a people’s struggle for equality, and with it the opportunity of a jurist’s career to forever mark your name in our evolving understanding of the Constitution AND OUR COUNTRY’S PROMISE OF LIFE, LIBERTY & PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS FOR ALL.

Our equality will come. The only question is who will deliver it.

Equality is waiting…
History is watching…

For more info go to www.lighttojustice.org

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NY Times: American Academy of Pediatrics supports same-sex marriage

The New York Times is reporting today that the nation’s most influential pediatrics group has announced it’s support for marriage equality and full adoption rights.

From the Times:

The academy’s new policy statement says same-sex marriage helps guarantee rights, benefits and long-term security for children, while acknowledging that it does not now ensure access to federal benefits. When marriage is not an option, the academy said, children should not be deprived of foster care or adoption by single parents or couples, whatever their sexual orientation.

The academy’s review of scientific literature began more than four years ago, and the result is a 10-page report with 60 citations.

“If the studies are different in their design and sample but the results continue to be similar, that gives scientists and consumers more faith in the result,” said Dr. Ellen Perrin, a co-author of the new policy and a professor of pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Read the full article at the New York Times.

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Tina Fey revives Sarah Palin impression – Inside The Actor’s Studio

Tina Fey brought back her impression of the former half-term governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, for James Lipton on Wednesday night’s Inside the Actors’ Studio, and Lipton quizzed the Mama Grizzly on several topics, including same-sex marriage.

Said Fey’s Palin on gun control: “You know, Jimmy, I believe that if everybody had guns, then there would be fewer guns in the stores.”

On same-sex marriage: “Well, the Bible says it’s gross.  Marriage is meant for people who wear different kinds of swimsuits.”

Check out the whole clip.  Love, love, love Tina Fey!

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Elizabeth Hasselbeck heading to CNN?

According to Page Six that could be where Hasselbeck ends up after being voted off “The View” island:

“Amid all the buzz over her impending departure from “The View,” Elisabeth Hasselbeck is already being courted by other networks. We hear CNN honcho Jeff Zucker is interested in seeing her join his cable channel. A source told us, “They’re definitely interested.”

Although “The View” creator Barbara Walters denied on-air that Hasselback was on her way out, after news reports were leaked saying she’s being axed, Page Six revealed she’s being pushed out of the ABC daytime talk show…

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2013 Broadway Backwards highlights

Broadway Backwards features show tune standards performed by the opposite gender for whom they were written. From the producers:

Broadway Backwards, the once-a-year celebration of the LGBT community, brought down the house March 18, 2013, while raising a record-setting $347,060 to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.

The sold-out show left the audience cheering after unforgettable performances by an array of Broadway’s best, including Brian Stokes Mitchell, Karen Ziemba, Josh Young, Stephanie J. Block, Anthony Warlow and Tituss Burgess, who delivered a stirring recreation from Dreamgirls.

Look for this year and previous year’s events on DVD at this link. EAch of the DVDs feature fab and fun performances through the years from different events. (I participated in the 2010 Gypsy of the Year edition).

All funds go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

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110 members of Congress ask President Obama to issue executive order as ENDA stopgap

Last year, 72 members of the House of Representatives wrote to President Obama asking him to issue an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating in the workplace based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Today, 110 members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama asking for the same action.

In lieu of the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, those members of Congress are asking the President to at least put in place a stopgap measure to end workplace discrimination against members of the LGBT community.

From the Advocate:

On Wednesday 110 Congress members wrote, “We remain committed to passage of the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would ban employment discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. However, you can take action today to help prevent these types of unfair labor practices and to lay the groundwork for passage of ENDA.”

At least 16.5 million Americans would be protected under the proposed executive order, according to the Williams Institute, as federal contractors are one of the largest employer subsets in the country. But currently, it is legal to fire people on the basis of their sexual orientation in 29 states, and legal to fire people on the basis of their gender identity or expression in 34 states. Because of this, approximately 43% of LGB people, and 90% of transgender people have experienced some sort of workplace discrimination.

“With a majority of American workers living in states that have not passed laws granting LGBT employees legal protections from workplace discrimination, an executive order will provide broad protections that will level the playing field,” the Congress members wrote.

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Kickstarter: Accidental Bear Queer Music Benefit Tour

My buddy Mike Enders over at Accidental Bear is raising funds for a summer music tour featuring LGBTQ acts.

Money raised from the tour will go to help raise awareness about suicide in the LGBTQ community. But Mike puts it much better than I. Watch the video above and please consider donating.

From the Kickstarter page: Queer Music Benefit Summer Tour 2013 will be unlike anything happening right now and so important. Suicide rates among LGBTQ people are a much higher than straight folks. Let’s together detach the stigma attached to Mental Health Issues and talk about it. This is our chance to make a difference! No more sitting on the side line and waiting for some else to do it. This is our time!

The importance of funding the Tour:

When this kickstarter is funded it will make it possible for the show to go on and we’ll be able to make money to help out all of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters! All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to organizations listed below as well as sponsor donations. This is our chance to show how much we care!

Benefitting from the summer tour:

LA: Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center / Mental Health Services
SF: The Stonewall Project
Portland, OR: Q Center
Seattle, WA:  Pride Foundation
NYC: Ali Forney Center (AFC)

Click here to donate.

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New Music: Megan Hilty – “No Cure”

Guess who I got to interview today?  After discovering her debut CD, I got a call to interview the fab and fun Ms. Hilty.  I’ll be sharing the interview soon…

Super nice and charming. We chatted about her new CD “It Happens All The Time” released March 12.

Check out the whole album at Amazon and iTunes.

Or head over to Target for their “exclusive” version with two additional songs.

Bonus – here’s an acoustic version of Megan’s song “No Cure”

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Michelle Shocked sees 10 of 11 upcoming concert dates cancelled due to anti-gay rant

Michelle Shocked’s rant on Sunday night has had the predictable effect of seeing 10 of her 11 upcoming concert dates cancelled:

March 23 at McCabe’s in Santa Monica
March 28 at Moe’s Alley in Santa Cruz
March 29 at HopMonk in Novato, CA
April 24 at the Palms Playhouse in Winter, CA
April 25 at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland, OR
April 26 at Meanders Kitchen in Seattle
April 27 at Cozmic in Eugene, OR
May 3 at eTown Hall in Boulder, CO
May 5 at S.P.A.C.E in Evanston, IL
June 23 at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival

The one U.S. date not canceled at this writing is the Harmony Bar in Madison, WI.  When phoned for a response,  a person answering the phone responded, “I won’t know a damn thing until the boss comes back in eight days.”

(via Billboard)

UPDATE

Michelle Shocked made this statement today to CNN:

“I do not, nor have I ever, said or believed that God hates homosexuals (or anyone else). I said that some of His followers believe that. [I was] predicting the absurd way my description of, my apology for, the intolerant would no doubt be misinterpreted. The show was all music, and the audience tweets said they enjoyed it. The commentary came about ten minutes later, in the encore. I’m very sorry: I don’t always express myself as clearly as I should. But don’t believe everything you read on Facebook or Twitter. My view of homosexuality has changed not one iota. I judge not. And my statement equating repeal of Prop 8 with the coming of the End Times was neither literal nor ironic: it was a description of how some folks – not me – feel about gay marriage.

“Folks wonder about my sexuality, but denying being gay is like saying I never beat my husband. My sexuality is not at issue. What is being questioned is my support for the LGBT community, and that has never wavered. Music and activism have always been part of my work and my journey, which I hope and intend to continue. I am damn sorry. If I could repeat the evening, I would make a clearer distinction between a set of beliefs I abhor, and my human sympathy for the folks who hold them. I say this not because I want to look better. I have no wish to hide my faults, and – clearly – I couldn’t if I tried.” 

I’m guessing having a large number of concerts cancelled could be an incentive to address the issue – days later.

Not sure I buy the sincerity of the non-apology.  Practically the whole audience walked out and they are the ones who misunderstood?

Sure.