Category: Uncategorized

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President Obama: Boy Scouts of America should end ban on gays

President Obama today stated that he believes the Boy Scouts of America should end its ban on gays in the organization.

From CBS News:

President Obama responded with a simple “Yes” when he was asked on Sunday by CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley whether the Boy Scouts of America should open their organization to openly gay members.

His reason? “My attitude is that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does, in every institution and walk of life.”

“The Scouts are a great institution that are promoting young people and exposing them to opportunities and leadership that will serve people for the rest of their lives,” Mr. Obama continued, “And I think nobody should be barred from that.”

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This is why I’m pulling for the Baltimore Ravens

So I haven’t followed the sports handicappers to see who thinks who should win.

BUT – Brendan Ayanbadejo’s courageous support for equal rights for all (plus SF 49ers Chris Culliver’s thoughtless anti-gay statements this week) makes it clear who I would like to see win this year’s Super Bowl.

Plus, the Ravens have cooler costumes.

Go Brendan! Go Ravens!

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Vanessa Williams explains why Super Bowl National Anthem performances are pre-recorded

Currently in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, the fab Vanessa Williams spoke with Yahoo News’ OMG about singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in 1996, explaining why artists pre-record the song then lip-sync live at the event:

“Whitney [Houston] had done hers before me and the network wants you to pre-record, so you pre-record with your orchestra,” the former “Desperate Housewives” star explained. “You lay down the track. Then when it’s time to perform you lip sync, because you’ve got flyovers with the jets, you’ve got pyrotechnics behind you and you want to make sure that the sound is consistent. And that’s what the network asks of you. So, there’s no ‘Can she sing it? Can she not? Is it live or is it not?’ There’s no way you’re gonna get a live orchestra on the field at the same time and that’s part of what they want as a network.”

Easily one of my favorite rendition’s of our anthem, Vanessa’s performance also honored the astronauts of the Challenger space shuttle, which had exploded 10 years earlier, killing all aboard. “It was one of the highlights of my life,” she says. “And when you walk out on that field, it’s a sea of color and people. It’s surreal and an honor too!”

Hit play to enjoy Vanessa’s 1996 Super Bowl performance:

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France: 1st article of same-sex marriage bill passes with ease

We’re on our way! Vive la France!

From the BBC: The French National Assembly has approved the most important article of a bill to legalize same-sex marriage.

Deputies voted 249-97 in favor of marriage as being an agreement between two people – not just between a man and a woman.

President Francois Hollande’s Socialists and their left-wing supporters backed it, opposed by many opposition UMP and centrist MPs.

Correspondents say the ease with which the article passed suggests the bill as a whole will pass. Another key measure expected to pass would allow gay couples to adopt children.

Opinion polls suggest that around 55-60% of French people support gay marriage, though only about 50% approve of gay adoption.

All articles of the bill must be debated one by one, in a voting process that should take several days.

Then the entire bill goes to the French Senate, and hopefully to the French president for his signature. It’s possible that France could make marriage equality a reality by Valentine’s Day.

(via JMG)

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Hawaii: Lone GOP state senator concedes marriage equality will probably pass this year

A constitutional amendment passed in 1998 gave Hawaii’s legislature the power to define marriage which currently only applies to heterosexual couples.  But Senator Sam Slom, Hawaii’s only Republican state Senator, says that could soon be changing.

Same-sex marriage proposals are introduced every year and have always failed, but Senator Slom believes Senate Bill 1369 has the support to pass this legislative session– though he plans to vote against it.

“Same sex marriage probably will pass this year. You’ve got a preponderance of Democrats who support it in both Houses (44 out of 51 House Reps are Democrats,  24 out of 25 state Senators are Democrats), you’ve got the Congressional delegation, you’ve got our Governor!” said Senator Slom.

Senator Slom says he’s voting against the bill because he has concerns about the rights of religious organizations who do not want to perform or recognize same-sex marriages.

“To me, I don’t care if gay people want to get married but to force other people to do things or to subsidize certain activities– that I oppose,” said Senator Slom.

Senate Bill 1369 has been referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.  If it passes as written, same-sex couples could legally marry in Hawaii by January 2014

The evil forces at the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage are already panicking.

More at Hawaii News Now.