Obama's Balancing Act On Marriage

Marriage Map

You should check out the timeline of when the bans went into place. In 2004 Ken Mehlman was the chair of the Bush re-election campaign. From 2005-2007, he was the head of RNC. During those two short time spans 23 of the bans were enacted. For the past couple of years, Mehlman has been working to undo that damage or at least prevent it from spreading further.

Maggie Gallagher: Why Gay Marriage Is Worse Than Heterosexual Divorce

Via Andrew Sullivan.

Headline Of The Day

According to the Breitbarters, "many Jews" are going to flee France because they won't have Sarkozy to protect them from Iran's missiles. Or something. And by "many Jews" they mean the 5000 people who attended a street fair hosted by Israel on the day of the election. There are about a half-million Jews in France.

Brian Brownshirt On Joe Biden

"It's always hard to know what Vice President Biden is doing whenever he speaks. He could be launching a trial balloon, or he could just be being Biden with his foot in his mouth again. Whether he realizes it or not, Biden is declaring war on those 30 states in America that have adopted constitutional amendments defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. This is soon to be 31 states when North Carolina, the site of the Democratic convention this August, enacts a constitutional amendment preserving traditional marriage tomorrow.

"What Joe Biden wants—genderless marriage that kowtows to the demands of gay couples—cannot exist alongside traditional marriage. Only one definition of marriage can exist. Joe Biden just made gay marriage a major issue in the presidential contest in critical swing states whose voters have adopted marriage amendments—including Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Nevada. We will make sure that voters in these states, and others, know that if the Obama/Biden ticket is reelected, our marriage laws will be at grave risk." - NOM president Brian Brownshirt.

Petition Of The Day

From Faithful America:

Abusing gay children is NOT Christian. A North Carolina pastor has made national news with a sermon calling on parents to physically abuse gay children. With only days remaining before a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment banning all legal recognition of same-sex unions, Pastor Sean Harris of Berean Baptist Church told his congregants: "Dads, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and crack that wrist. Man up. Give him a good punch."

Once the sermon came to public attention, Harris tried to retract some of his remarks. But for the families of LGBT youth who heard his tirade, the damage has already been done. So we're organizing a short statement assuring LGBT youth that faithful Christians are appalled by Pastor Harris' tirade and that anti-gay violence is never justified by Christian teaching. Can you help us reach 10,000 names so we can release it to the media and show that Pastor Harris doesn't speak for Christianity?

They've already shot past 10,000 names....

Photo Of The Day

AFA's Poll Of The Day

Source.

Brian Brownshirt Vs Freedom To Marry

AP Reports On NC Marriage Battle

The Height Of The Lincoln Tunnel Is 13 FT

Source.

Matt Baume: Marriage News Watch

Clip description:

Civil unions are close to passing in Colorado, but there's only a few days left before the legislature adjourns. We're getting down to the wire on Amendment One in North Carolina. The Prop 8 play is getting new legs as an audiobook. And the guys behind "We Are Young" have some strong words for marriage equality.

Howard Kurtz On Joe Biden

"There is absolutely no question that Biden’s response was cleared by the White House. Vice presidents are not allowed to freelance on talk shows, especially on such a sensitive issue. So Obama was sending out Biden to further mollify the gay community without having to actually take a stand himself. It all seems a bit calculating to me. [Snip] The president would be asking for a headache—and possibly reignite the culture wars—if he openly embraced gay marriage. So he had Joe Biden do it on Sunday morning television instead, hoping to reap the benefits without the political pain." - Howard Kurtz, writing for the Daily Beast.

Perkins Is Pissed At Joe Biden

COLORADO: Hate Group Withdraws Ballot Bid To Legalize Anti-Gay Discrimination

Focus On The Family has withdrawn their application to place an item on the Colorado ballot that would ask voters if it should be legal to discriminate against anybody based on "deeply held religious beliefs." Civil rights groups warned that such a measure would legalize the refusal of housing and employment to LGBT people.

"There's a tangled thicket of regulations that make it difficult to negotiate our way through the process," [Focus vice president Tom] Minnery said. "When you think of a genuine grassroots effort by volunteers, (some rules) are a wet blanket in that process." Minnery said there is pending federal litigation — the Independence Institute, Jon Caldara et al. vs. Bernie Buescher — challenging many aspects of state rules governing the initiative process. It could result in removing some of the worst thorns, Minnery said. Minnery said one drawback in the process as it now stands is that anyone can file a civil lawsuit alleging fraud against ballot-petition circulators if any petition signers falsify information. Colorado Springs-based Focus would consider another attempt at a ballot measure in the 2014 election cycle or look at a legislative push next year, Minnery said. Focus also withdrew a similar measure in 2010.

Religion Is A Virus

Almost literally.

The AFP Newswire is reporting that according to Symantec's annual Internet Security Threat Report, those cruising the Internet are more likely to catch a computer virus when visiting sites dedicated to religious issues than are those that visit porn sites. Also notably, the newswire says that viruses users get from such sites are embedded there by hackers, not the web site owner or anyone affiliated with them. CNET adds that the popularity of pornography on the web has led to sites that have enough money to invest heavily in security measures to prevent or remove malware, thus making them safer for travelers to visit.

Sorta Related: Technorati currently ranks this here website thingy as the nation's #21 top religion blog, right behind the blog of Southern Baptists Convention head Albert Mohler.

TRAILER: True Blood Season Five

Enter the Vampire Meloni.

Buzzfeed Looks At Bryan Fischer

While we here are unfortunately all too familiar with AFA hate leader Bryan Fischer, it wasn't until Mitt Romney's homocon kerfuffle that Fischer became much more known outside the dueling spheres of gay rights and Christian hate groups. Today Buzzfeed gave its readers a look at Fischer's role in the anti-gay movement.

As other conservative leaders have sought to move with the times, Fischer has tacked in the opposite direction, toward strident and unapologetic attacks on homosexuality in particular. And as bluntly anti-gay rhetoric becomes associated with the fringe — with, in particular, the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Churck and its notorious “God Hates Fags” signs — the 61-year old Fischer, may be the last out-and-proud anti-gay conservative still inside the Republican Party tent. Every Republican candidate except Romney visited Fischer’s show this year, and he regularly hosts Republican members of Congress. He has a key speaking slot at the Values Voter Summit every year, and the organization shrugged off Romney’s all-purpose denunciation of Fischer at last year’s summit as a speaker of “poisonous” language. The Grenell issue was illustrative of Fischer’s new, leading role. Other voices on his side were notably more cautious, including even former presidential candidate Gary Bauer, who pointed out that gays were part of the Reagan and Bush administrations and stressed that “our concern is policy.”

Read the full article.

Pastor Sean Harris Returns To Pulpit With A Standing Ovation From His Congregation

As protesters waved signs outside his church, yesterday Pastor Sean "Beat Gay Kids" Harris returned to the pulpit at Berean Baptist Church.

"You guys have been unbelievable this week," Harris told church members before reading from the Bible's Book of Mark, Chapter 9:42-48. "You have been gracious. You have been kind." "We love you, pastor," a man shouted out. Harris removed his glasses from behind the pulpit, his face twisting with emotion. "Let's hear it for the pastor," the fellow shouted again. "We love you, man." At that, members of the congregation stood and applauded in a show of support for their pastor of 5 1/2years. A week earlier, he had told fathers to give their sons "a good punch" if they were showing signs of effeminate behavior. He urged the parents of girls who are "acting too butch," to make them "walk like a girl and talk like a girl and smell like a girl."

Below the local NBC affiliate covers the story.

The young man interviewing Harris in the clip above is Justin Griffith, founder of Military Atheists and Secular Humanists Fort Bragg. Below is Griffith's full video of the interview excepted above by NBC.

Quote Of The Day - Rep. Barney Frank

"Any gay or lesbian person with any self-respect should not be voting for any of the Republicans, including Mitt Romney, who made the degrading comment in one of the recent debates about how he kept Massachusetts from being the Las Vegas of gay marriage, kind of cheapening this very profound thing for us. This is a faker who in 1994, when he was trying to beat Ted Kennedy in a different era, said 'Oh, I’ll be better than him on gay rights,' and of course he’s been outrageous.

"In fact in 2004, when the Massachusetts Supreme Court had ruled in favor of gay rights, there was an effort in the state Legislature to overturn it. Mitt Romney led a fight against a whole lot of legislators who had courageously voted with us to uphold gay marriage, and he tried very hard to defeat them. I think he gave the business I’m in a bad name. He is the most unprincipled, dishonest, intellectually flexible guy I’ve seen. There does not appear to be any public policy to which he’s committed." - Rep. Barney Frank, in an interview with Palms Springs' Desert Outlook.

New From The Obama Campaign

Starting The Day After NC's Vote

Via the Campaign For Southern Equality:

On May 8th, North Carolinians will decide on a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would ban marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. Beginning the next morning, the WE DO Campaign will visit eight counties where more than forty LGBT couples will apply for marriage licenses in their local communities, with clergy, elected officials, family, and community members accompanying them in support. The couples will be denied licenses because they do not meet the legal requirements for marriage in North Carolina, which stipulate that partners must be of the opposite sex. In each community, the WE DO event will also include a Prayer Service for Reconciliation led by clergy. In select counties, couples and allies will conduct a sit-in at the Register of Deeds Office after the denials occur, as a peaceful act of civil disobedience.

Here are the dates and locations.

Secretary Of Education Arne Duncan Endorses Same-Sex Marriage

Reactions below the Think Progress clip.


Human Rights Campaign

"Arne Duncan joins Joe Biden now in embracing civil marriage for committed gay and lesbian couples. Duncan speaking out is particularly important given his role as the nation’s top education official. In supporting marriage equality, he communicates to all students that they deserve an equal shot at the American dream of love, family and equality. There’s no doubt in my mind that the president shares these values and that’s why it’s time for him to speak out in favor of marriage equality as well.”

Freedom To Marry

“Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s announcement this morning adds him to the drumbeat of Obama Administration members coming out in support of the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. Like Vice President Biden, former Presidents Clinton and Carter, former Vice Presidents Gore and Cheney, Laura Bush, and the majority of Americans, Secretary Duncan knows that loving and committed gay couples seek the freedom to marry for the same mix of reasons as other couples: to make a vow to one another, to share life with the person they love, and to protect their families. Standing up for the freedom to marry is not just the right thing to do, it's the right thing politically, and it's time for the President to stand on the right side of history.”

Press Release Of The Day

From hate group leader Bradlee Dean.

While trying to avoid the ramifications of allegedly slanderous reporting, Rachel Maddow in a desperate attempt to remove all scrutiny, has recently motioned to dismiss a $50 million defamation lawsuit filed against her by Christian student advocate and radio show host Bradlee Dean. Many news sources, backed by public opinion, have condemned the television host's actions, suggesting she should print a retraction and take ownership of her malicious reporting.

In Dean's Opposition to her Motion to Dismiss, attorney Larry Klayman uncovers Maddow's desperate attempt to cover her tracks by filing for dismissal, conveniently placing major emphasis solely on her first report in 2010 on Bradlee Dean. However, Klayman commented: "Maddow and MSNBC clearly defamed my client. Maddow went way over the line, particularly in her second broadcast, by claiming that Dean and Republicans like then-presidential candidate Michele Bachmann are 'bloodthirsty' and want to see more gays and lesbians killed. This was outrageous and harmful and for this, Maddow and MSNBC will be held legally accountable."

Maddow's motion to dismiss calls Dean's lawsuit a SLAPP action.

A strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) is a lawsuit that is intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition. The typical SLAPP plaintiff does not normally expect to win the lawsuit. The plaintiff's goals are accomplished if the defendant succumbs to fear, intimidation, mounting legal costs or simple exhaustion and abandons the criticism.

And yes, Bradlee Dean's lawyer is THAT Larry Klayman.

Obama Isn't Christian, Part 98

Olympics Hopeful Comes Out

Olympics hopeful Josh Dixon wants to be the first out American gymnast in the history of the games. Outsports reports:

The Stanford grad took a big step toward that goal at the U.S. Men’s Qualifier on Saturday in Colorado Springs, finishing second overall out of the 72 competitors. He also tied for wins in two events: floor exercise and high bar. It was a game-changing come-back performance for Dixon, who tore his Achilles tendon last spring. Now Dixon is talking about his personal life and sexual orientation publicly for the first time. Like charging at the vault, he’s coming at it at full speed.

Read the full article.

Chad Griffin On Joe Biden

"Only in Washington and in politics could someone attempt to parse the words of what the vice president of the United States said on Meet the Press today. His words speak for themselves -- and they send an incredibly important message outside Washington to the young LGBT teenager hearing the vice president of the United States talk about his belief in marriage equality and the fact that he or she can grow up and have the same dreams and aspirations as their friends, their colleagues, their parents." - Incoming HRC president Chad Griffin, speaking to Metro Weekly.

Final Clip From Protect All NC Families

"A chorus of voices have arisen over the past few months to warn North Carolinians of the harms of Amendment One. Watch this video, share it, and vote AGAINST Amendment One on Tuesday, May 8th." Zach Wahls, Bill Clinton, and Gov. Bev Purdue all make an appearance.

Final North Carolina Poll

Source.

AFA Reacts To Joe Biden

Government In Your Vagina

Pro-Gay Socialist Wins In France

Did Joe Biden Just Accidentally (On Purpose) Endorse Gay Marriage?

This morning on Meet The Press Vice President Joe Biden appeared to come out in support of same-sex marriage. Think Progress has the quote:

Look, I am Vice President of the United States of America. The president sets the policy. I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual men marrying women are entitled to the same exact rights. All the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly I don’t see much of a distinction beyond that. [...] I think Will & Grace probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody has done so far. People fear that which is different and now they’re beginning to understand.

Already there's some backtracking.

Human Rights Campaign

We are encouraged by Vice President Biden's comments, who rightly articulated that loving and committed gay and lesbian couples should be treated equally. Now is the time for President Obama to speak out for full marriage equality for same-sex couples.

Stonewall Democrats

We are proud of Vice President Joe Biden for his strong statement in support of giving our relationships the dignity and respect they deserve. On the heels of Mitt Romney's reprehensible treatment of his only gay staffer in the midst of an onslaught of attacks from the bigoted wing of the GOP, the Vice President's statement underlines the contrast between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to LGBT equality. While not a direct endorsement of marriage equality, the Vice President's statement is promising. What we really need now is for President Obama to take a stand in support of the freedom to marry and bring to bear the full weight of his Administration to make it reality.

Freedom To Marry

"I’ve known Vice President Biden since interning for him in the Senate in 1976. The personal and thoughtful way he has spoken about his coming to support the freedom to marry reflects the same journey that a majority of Americans have now made as they’ve gotten to know gay families, opened their hearts and changed their minds. President Obama should join the Vice President, former Presidents Clinton and Carter, former Vice Presidents Gore and Cheney, Laura Bush, and so many others in forthright support for the freedom to marry." - Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom To Marry.

GLAAD

"Today, Vice President Biden took an important step toward joining former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, former Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney, and a growing majority of Americans who support marriage equality for their gay and lesbian friends, family and neighbors,” said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. “It is significant that Vice President Biden spoke about the importance of Will & Grace in his journey toward acceptance, since we know that the media plays a key role in helping people understand that denying any loving couple the chance at happiness and security that comes only through marriage is not only hurtful, it's downright un-American.”

The New York Times takes notice.

Mr. Biden prefaced his remark in his NBC interview by saying, “The president sets the policy,” and his aides later indicated that the views he expressed were his own. The White House immediately suggested on Sunday that the vice president had articulated no change in the administration’s official position on same-sex marriage. But gay rights advocates said that Mr. Biden’s remarks seemed to convey unmistakable support for their biggest cause. “Trying now to walk this back will only hurt them,” said Richard Socarides, a political strategist who advised President Bill Clinton on gay rights issues. “You can’t clarify an answer as direct and candid and expansive as the one he gave.” He added: “We know where Biden stands. It’s a welcome development.”

Christian TV Slams Dan Savage

We need get the real dirt on Miss Flaming Thing, who interviews Matt Barber in this clip.

UNSHOCKING: Prosperity Gospel Televangelists Are Ripoff Artists

Here's just a little of what the New York Times says about televangelists Paul and Jan Crouch.

Mr. and Mrs. Crouch have his-and-her mansions one street apart in a gated community here, provided by the network using viewer donations and tax-free earnings. But Mrs. Crouch, 74, rarely sleeps in the $5.6 million house with tennis court and pool. She mostly lives in a large company house near Orlando, Fla., where she runs a side business, the Holy Land Experience theme park. Mr. Crouch, 78, has an adjacent home there too, but rarely visits. Its occupant is often a security guard who doubles as Mrs. Crouch’s chauffeur. The lavish perquisites, corroborated by two other former TBN employees, include additional, often-vacant homes in Texas and on the former Conway Twitty estate in Tennessee, corporate jets valued at $8 million and $49 million each and thousand-dollar dinners with fine wines, paid with tax-exempt money.

Here's the part you may find the most infuriating.

Ms. Koper and the two other former TBN employees also said that dozens of staff members, including Ms. Koper, chauffeurs, sound engineers and others had been ordained as ministers by TBN. This allowed the network to avoid paying Social Security taxes on their salaries and made it easier to justify providing family members with rent-free houses, sometimes called “parsonages,” she said.

In case you're wondering why Mr. and Mrs. Crouch maintain separate side-by-side luxury mansions in multiple cities, I remind you of this.

In September 2004 the Los Angeles Times reported that in 1998 Crouch paid Enoch Lonnie Ford, a former employee, a $425,000 formal settlement to end a wrongful termination lawsuit. At that time it was reported that Crouch had had a homosexual encounter with Ford. TBN officials acknowledge the settlement, but contested the credibility of Ford who is a convicted felon.

Cyndi Lauper's Derby Hat

And it wasn't the biggest.

FRANCE: Polls Favor Gay-Friendly Socialist In Today's Presidential Election

Fascist National Front leader and third place finisher Marine Le Pen refused to endorse Sarkozy, leading many to believe that Socialist Francois Hollande, who supports same-sex marriage, will win by five or six points. We'll know how today's runoff election turned out very shortly. Meanwhile here's some raw video of the two finalists making their votes this morning.

Since Children Choose To Be Homosexual, They Obviously Deserve To Be Punched

And when he said "punch," Pastor Sean Harris actually meant "teach with the love of Christ." Everybody believe that?

Marriage Opponent And Former NY Sen. Hiram Monserrate Is Going To Prison

Convicted Friday on felony charges of campaign finance improprieties, former NY Sen. Hiram "Slasher" Monserrate has become the second Democrat from his chamber to be sentenced to prison this year. Last month former Sen. Carl "Closet Case" Kruger was sentenced to seven years for corruption and bribe-taking. Both senators were part of the notorious "Democratic Eight" who bucked their party leadership and sank marriage equality in 2009.

A crooked pol who avoided prison time for beating his girlfriend won’t catch the same break for swindling city taxpayers. Disgraced ex-state Sen. Hiram Monserrate pleaded guilty yesterday to corruption charges yesterday in a deal that calls for him to spend 21 to 27 months behind bars. Monserrate, 44, admitted scamming more than $100,000 in City Council “slush” funds approved by Speaker Christine Quinn to help fund a failed campaign for higher office while he served on the council in 2006. Reading from a prepared statement, Monserrate said he got the city to fund a nonprofit known as the Latino Initiative for Better Resources and Empowerment, or LIBRE. The group got about $300,000 in public money during 2005 and 2006, ostensibly so it could work with “churches, civil- rights organizations and community organizations . . . to counsel and assist individuals to secure their legal rights.”

RELATED: And about to make it a prison hat trick for Senate Democrats is former NY Sen. Pedro Espada, who is currently on trial for embezzling as much as $14M in public funds from a Bronx health clinic. Espada, you may recall, hijacked the entire New York Senate in the summer of 2009, temporarily joining the GOP in a wild-eyed bid to become the Majority Leader.

Hutcherson: I'm The Gayest Guy I Know

"I am the gayest guy I know. My frustration is that some groups have taken words and symbols away from the Church and from society in general. When I say I'm 'gay,' what I mean is that I am happy, that I am joyful and that I love people. That is precisely what a Christian ought to be so in my opinion we just need to be as gay as we can. Dan Savage (a pro-gay activist) says he is gay. He's not gay, not anywhere close. Yeah, he may be a homosexual but he certainly doesn't appear to be happy or joyful when he stands up in front of a classroom and uses profane language. Nope, nothing gay about that." - Pastor Ken Hutcherson, joining the chorus of liars.

PREVIOUS MESSAGES OF GAY LOVE: Hutcherson says that if you are gay, God will murder you. Hutcherson says that the only reason he played football was so he could hurt white people legally. Hutcherson says gay people are going to marry horses. Hutcherson says gay men are going to marry little boys. Hutcherson says the governor of Washington is like Lincoln's killer because she signed the marriage bill. Hutcherson says Christians are so oppressed, they are "the new Negroes."

RELATED: Hutcherson led the failed Referendum 71 attempt to repeal Washington's "everything but the name" domestic partners law, which was upheld by a slim majority. You may also recall that Hutcherson has led walkouts at public schools in protest of the Day Of Silence and that he issued a bizarre threat should DOMA ever be overturned. In 2010 Hutcherson officiated at Rush Limbaugh's fourth marriage.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #100

1950's All About Eve, starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Celeste Holm, Marilyn Monroe, and George Sanders.

There's A Moon In The Sky

And it's called the super-moon. Source.

Bill Clinton Robocalls Against North Carolina's Amendment One

Is Barack Obama....

The #7 search item that brought folks to JMG this week was "Is Barack Obama circumcised?" Which is what led me to noticing the above....

Person-Beast Marriage Is Coming

Quote Of The Day - Orson Scott Card

"The left is at war with the family, and they want control of our children's education. That's what those signs on the lawns are about. I'm not making this up – it's already happening wherever the left has complete control of education. Parents in those places are already forbidden to opt out of sexual and gender propaganda. And with the teachers' unions absolutely under the control of the extreme left, don't kid yourselves: Legalizing gay marriage will make the false claims of the gay lobby the established religion of the American school system.

"If there were even a shred of science behind the absurd claims about gender and sexuality coming from the left, there might be a case for allowing this to happen. But there is no science behind it. In fact, the scientific evidence we have points in the opposite direction: Same-sex attraction is not a strait jacket; people's desires change over time; gay people still have choices; a reproductive dysfunction like same-sex attraction is not a death sentence for your DNA or for your desire to have a family in which children grow up with male and female parents to model appropriate gender roles." - Science fiction author and NOM board member Orson Scott Card, writing for North Carolina's Greensboro Times.

RELATED: In 2008 Card called for Christians to overthrow the United States government should gay marriage become widely legal: "Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage, and help me raise my children in a society where they will expect to marry in their turn."

Mailed To All Of NC's Catholic Homes

Details.

Nate Silver On Amendment One

Statistics guru Nate Silver reports the poll numbers:

The most recent poll was conducted by Civitas Institute, a conservative think tank whose poll results have generally shown little partisan bias in the past. That survey polled Democratic and Republican primary voters separately, but projected that the measure would win by 16 percentage points when it combined the results. An April poll by Public Policy Polling, which conducts polling for Democratic clients but whose surveys also have a track record of nonpartisanship, had the measure prevailing by 14 points.

Silver points out that support for the ban nosedives when voters understand that it also outlaws civil unions. Our side has failed miserably in making that point very clear.

Bryan Fischer: If Somebody Like ME Can Push Romney Around, What About China?

Kellogg's To Catholic League: Drop Dead

Last month I reported that Catholic League blowhard Bill Donohue is chasing down every Daily Show advertiser to demand they cease sponsoring Jon Stewart's "anti-Catholic bigotry." (Donohue is furious because Stewart superimposed a manger scene over a nude woman's crotch.) Here's the response Donohue just got from Kellogg's:

"We understand that our customers come from a variety of backgrounds, experiences, lifestyles, and cultures and we respect their individual decisions to choose the television programs that they deem acceptable for themselves and their families. Consumers speak most loudly when they vote with their remote control and change the channel or turn off the TV if a program does not fit their personal criteria.”

Bolding is mine. Snork! Donohue says he's now calling for a boycott of Kellogg's too. Good luck with that.

Slaggie: Help! I'm Being Oppressed!

"[Dan] Savage has a clear vision for America: It will be a place where, in order to remain respectable citizens, Christians (and others with traditional moral views) will simply have to drop not only Leviticus, but Genesis, and oh by the way, Jesus' own words in Matthew 19. Christian moral understanding of sex, gender and marriage will simply have to change, Savage asserts. Why? Because he and others say so. To do otherwise is to be mean to him and other gay people. Our very existence, our identity as both good Christians and good citizens is an offense to him." - Maggie Gallagher, writing for Townhall.

Christian TV On Billy Graham's Ads

Just In From Dan Savage....

HURRAY! The back story is over here. I told Dan they should make this a pay-per-view event and let each side sell tickets to benefit their cause.

More From Billy Graham's Daughter

Ban the gays! Or else God herself will kill the fuck out of you.

Crackpot Hate Group Leader Bradlee Dean Calls Dan Savage "Mentally Ill"

This may just be the most hypocritical reaction yet, when you consider the news story from March in which Dean's group verbally abused LGBT people to an audience of high school kids. They all ran WEEPING from the room! (Not really, but spread that.)

An Eastern Iowa superintendent is doing major damage control after an unexpected message in a school assembly. The band Junkyard Prophet and a group known as You Can Run But You Cannot Hide was invited to speak at Dunkerton High School Thursday morning. Administrators thought the group was speaking about provocative lyrics in music and making good choices. But then, the subject matter turned to potentially offensive opinions on homosexuality and abortion. Students say the assembly started well. The band played some great music and most students agreed with their message. ”They were a rock band, and they talked about music that had bad influences on kids,” said high school junior Kenzley Ricklefs.

But then things took an unexpected turn. The group switched their message from music, to negative opinions about the gay, lesbian, and transgendered community. ”They started talking about homosexuality, and that’s when I really got offended,” Manahl said. “I got a little emotional. I wanted to walk out. But I’m like — keep your calm, listen to what they have to say.” Then they split into smaller groups — girls, boys, and teachers. The guys got a lesson in the constitution and Christianity. “We work hard to teach tolerance in our classrooms,” Superintendent Jim Stanton told students at a second assembly Thursday afternoon.

Dean's group was added this year to the SPLC's list of certified hate groups. He is suing Rachel Maddow for $50M after she quoted verbatim his opinion that foreign Muslims are being more moral than American Christians when they execute homosexuals. Here's today's clip about Dan Savage.

NEW YORK CITY: Bloomberg Budget Cuts $7M From Homeless Youth Services

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's just-issued budget reveals massive cuts to programs that serve the city's burgeoning homeless youth population. The $7M annual budget reduction means as many as 160 youth shelter beds will be eliminated.

Ali Forney Center founder Carl Siciliano reacts:

"These cuts create an even bigger crisis for the LGBT teens who are thrown out of their homes and forced to endure homelessness on the streets of our city. The LGBT community needs and demands political leaders who will protect our children. Instead, Mayor Bloomberg has proposed eliminating more than half of their shelter beds. The Ali Forney Center, and all those who work with and care about LGBT homeless youth, will not be silent in the face of this decision, which offends us as a community and needlessly puts our young people in harm's way.”

Siciliano has called on the mayor to restore the funding.

The Slate Nails The Savage Flap

Slate writer Amanda Marcotte gets to the root of it:

The American right is undertaking a huge project of trying to put right-wing politics beyond criticism by shouting "religious bigotry" any time someone gets in the way of their political agenda. If they can create a consensus that it's somehow off-limits to criticize teaching that gay people are subhuman as long as you wrap it up in religion, that gives them a huge political advantage. Taken far enough, merely stating out loud in public that you don't believe gay people are evil could be cause for the fainting couches to be pulled out and accusations that Christians are being oppressed. Sounds ludicrous? Well, consider that we're currently debating whether or not it's oppressing Christians to accurately state what's in the Bible. Anyone who is actually supportive of gay rights shouldn't be playing along with this feigned umbrage. It won't stop until opposing anti-gay actions is considered completely off-bounds on the grounds that it's an attack on religion.

Bingo.

Douchebag Of The Day - Matt Barber

"They used to arrest middle-aged perverts who get their jollies from talking dirty to children. Today, they get a television show, a nationally syndicated column, a lecture circuit and multiple visits to the Obama White House. You know: 'Forward.' The irony is palpable. Dan Savage, sex columnist and founder of the LGBT anti-bullying 'It Gets Better' campaign, has been outed. Not as a homosexual. He's out and proud in that regard. In fact, Savage pushes his 'anything goes' brand of sexual anarchy on kids worldwide. MTV has even given the sex-obsessed radical his own show, 'Savage U' — a moral-relativist platform from which to corrupt the kiddos. Creepy stuff. No, Savage has finally managed to publicly discredit himself as the anti-Christian bigot and bully he's always been. Never again will this guy be taken seriously as an anti-bullying crusader." -Liberty Counsel spokes-pig Matt Barber, writing for the hate group Renew America.

NOTE: In the above-linked piece, Barber joins the lying liars who continue to claim that the "walkout" of Savage's speech was a student-led spontaneous mass exodus of weeping girls and not the staged departure of two dozen smirking kids pulled by the strings of Focus On The Family.

KENTUCKY: Guilty Pleas In First-Ever Federal Anti-Gay Hate Crime Prosecution

Two of the teenagers charged in the nation's first-ever federal anti-gay hate crime case pleaded guilty today in a Kentucky court.

Alexis Leeann Jenkins and Mable Ashley Jenkins, who goes by Ashley, pleaded guilty to one charge of kidnapping and one charge of aiding others in causing bodily injury to Kevin Pennington of Letcher County because he is gay. The convictions are the first in the nation under provisions of the federal law covering crimes of violence motivated by a person's actual or perceived sexual orientation, according to U.S. Attorney Kerry B. Harvey. The two face possible life sentences. The circumstances of their pleas, however, could indicate they plan to cooperate with prosecutors in hopes of getting lesser sentences.

The two agreed to be charged by way of a document called an information — as opposed to an indictment, which would require a grand jury to approve the charges — and pleaded guilty the same day the charges were filed. Their attorneys, Robert Michael Murphy of Lexington and James Hibbard of London, declined comment on whether the women, both 19, will cooperate in prosecuting two others charged in the case. Both women are to be sentenced in August.

The two women were accused of luring a gay man to a planned lethal beating by their two male accomplices. The victim escaped into the woods during the attack and survived. The two men have pleaded not guilty and face life in prison.

Gap Goes Gay

GAP has is totally hoping that One Million Moms takes notice.

Beastie Boy Adam Yauch Dead At 47

Multiple Grammy Award winning Beastie Boys member and social activist Adam Yauch has died of cancer at the age of 47. Yauch, also known as MCA, had been in treatment for cancer since 2009.

The rapper was diagnosed in 2009 after discovering a tumor in his salivary gland. Yauch sat out the Beastie Boys' induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, and his treatments delayed the release of the group's most recent album, Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2. The Beastie Boys had not performed live since the summer of 2009, and Yauch's illness prevented the group from appearing in music videos for Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2. Yauch co-founded the Beastie Boys with Mike "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horowitz in 1979. The band started off as a hardcore punk group, but soon began experimenting with hip-hop. The band broke big with their first proper album, Licensed to Ill, in 1986, and further albums Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head and Ill Communication cemented the band as a true superstar act.

SUNDAY: Pastor Sean Harris Protest

Facebook page is here.

NORTH CAROLINA: Woman Arrested For Stealing Pro-Gay Marriage Signs

Every day NOM screams wildly inflated stories and outright lies about their campaign signs, but never ever do they mention the abuses of OUR signs by theft, by urine, by SHOTGUN. Here's the latest:

A Moore County woman has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and removing three lawfully placed political signs after she was spotted last month removing signs against a controversial ballot initiative on marriage in North Carolina. Heidi Thompson, 44, of West End, was arrested Wednesday, after a motorist reported seeing a woman and her daughter pulling up the signs April 18 on Morganton Road in front of the Country Club of North Carolina. Thompson said Thursday that she was driving home after picking up her 13-year-old daughter from school and removed them after signs supporting the marriage measure had disappeared from her yard at least two dozen times. "I didn't feel like I was stealing signs at the time," she said. "I just looked at it as picking up trash along the side of the road."

Sign thief says: "I know it's making me look like a bad parent, but we've taught that it's not right for men to be married to men and women to be married to women, so we stopped and picked them up."

IOWA: Ousted Pro-Gay Judges To Receive Kennedy Profile In Courage Award

Just in from Freedom To Marry...

Three years after the unanimous Iowa Supreme Court decision affirming the freedom to marry, three former justices ousted in a retention election following the ruling will receive the prestigious 2012 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Monday, May 7. Caroline Kennedy will present the award to former Iowa Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices David Baker and Michael Streit at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. “Former justices David Baker, Michael Streit, and Chief Justice Marsha Ternus showed tremendous courage when they joined a unanimous court in upholding the freedom to marry for all loving, committed couples in Iowa, and, again, when they honored the bedrock American value of an independent judiciary by refraining from political campaigning even as they faced an unprecedented moneyed campaign mounted against the court by anti-marriage shell-groups,” said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry.

Amazing.

#1 Thirty-Five Years Ago Today

Thirty-five years later the song (arguably) still most closely associated with Grace Jones is her first chart smash, I Need A Man, which spent two May 1977 weeks atop Billboard's disco report before being shoved aside by Marvin Gaye's epic, Got To Give It Up. An early version of the track was first released in 1975, reaching a limp #83 on the U.S. pop singles chart. But in 1977 Jones signed with Island Records, who had her rerecord the single for re-release. The rest, as we oldsters know, is gay disco history. Below is a murky yet fascinating film of Jones performing I Need A Man at her legendary show at NYC's Roseland Ballroom - complete with a live caged tiger, wedding gown, and men in jockstraps. "And NOW ladies and gentlemen.....heeeeeeere's Grace!"

Op-Ed Of The Day

From the Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina:

On Sunday, the pastor of Fayetteville's Berean Baptist Church preached about why his flock should vote for Amendment One. Many have heard and seen his shouted exhortations about "squashing like a cockroach," the first signs of gender-variant behavior in children. Fewer have seen his searing denunciation of transgendered persons as "an affront to God." Voting for Amendment One, he declared, was their Christian duty. To do otherwise, would be "S-I-N. Sin." It would give aid and comfort to homosexuals and open the door to same-sex marriage.

The pastor preached for an hour, barking almost every sentence like a military order. I have counseled at least three GLBT young adults who have attended this church. They all said they heard similarly hateful messages there, which not only drove them away, but also pushed them into depression and self-harm, even suicide attempts. [snip] The homophobia and transgender bashing unleashed in this local church to boost Amendment One are like throwing lethal lighted matches in every direction of our tinderbox society. By Monday, facing criticism for his violent tirade, the preacher insisted that all the talk of punching and cracking wrists of children was just a joke. But I'm not laughing. Are you?

Google Nods To Keith Haring

Today would have been Keith Haring's 54th birthday.

God Returns NOM Blogger's Wallet

Anthony is the patron saint of douchebag closet cases. Obvs!

RUSSIA: First Activist Fined For Violating Ban On "Gay Propaganda" In St Peterburg

The first person to be fined under St. Petersburg's ban on "gay propaganda" is renowned activist Nikolai Alexeyev.

A St. Petersburg court handed down its first conviction under the city's new anti-gay law on Friday, ordering a leading gay activist to pay a 5,000-ruble fine for his picket against the law. The district court ruled that Nikolai Alexeyev had promoted homosexuality among minors by picketing City Hall with a sign reading, "Homosexuality Is Not a Perversion" on April 12. As proof of its verdict, the judge read out statements from several people who had expressed concern to the court that Alexeyev's actions might harm their children, Interfax reported. Alexeyev denied wrongdoing in court, saying, "I do not know what it means to promote homosexuality, and I do not admit my guilt." He said his protest had aimed to show that homosexuals have the same rights as other people.

Alexyev plans to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

The Avengers Plus One

Billboard Of The Day

Andrew Sullivan points us to a new campaign by wingnuts intent on making villains out of anybody who believes global warming is real.

The billboard series features Ted Kaczynski, the infamous Unabomber; Charles Manson, a mass murderer; and Fidel Castro, a tyrant. Other global warming alarmists who may appear on future billboards include Osama bin Laden and James J. Lee (who took hostages inside the headquarters of the Discovery Channel in 2010). These rogues and villains were chosen because they made public statements about how man-made global warming is a crisis and how mankind must take immediate and drastic actions to stop it.

Berkeley Ridiculously Automated Dorm

Party mode at 3:00.

Romney Finally Addresses Grenell Flap

Romney says he didn't pick Grenell because he's gay and that he's sorry that Grenell is gone.

(Via Think Progress)

"Ex-Gays" Cancel Conference

The "ex-gay" industry has been rocked to its core this year. First the head of its most infamous group announced that not one person had ever actually been "cured." Then the researcher who authored the most widely cited "ex-gay" study recanted his findings and apologized to the gay community. So maybe it's not surprising that nobody wants to attend an "ex-gay" convention.

In what seems like the logical extension of the recent trend, Exodus International has decided there were not enough people interested in attending their Love Won Out conference scheduled for later this month to justify the expense. Conference attendance has been trending downward, with their last conference bringing in barely 400 people. This is down from nearly 1000 in Exodus’ headier days. In November, XGW reported on a secret meeting held by Exodus president Alan Chambers to come up with ways to rebrand the organization in the wake of social and financial collapse. Since then events have occurred which seem to validate that scenario. The cancellation of this conference, the first time we know of since either Exodus or Focus on the Family held the event, appears to provide more evidence of their decline.

As everybody here doubtlessly knows, "ex-gay" therapy is a con job, a scam, a cash-cow designed to separate self-hating homosexuals from their money. It's sort of brilliant, really. You're never "cured" so you just have to keep paying and paying and paying. It's like Jenny Craig, but without the delicious cardboard aftertaste.

DNC Uses Frothy's Words Against Mittens

AFA Versus Campell Soup

The American Family Association is now gunning for Campbell Soup due to their sponsorship of Philadelphia's Equality Forum, which takes place this weekend.

The American Family Association of Pennsylvania's Diane Gramley [left] says the company has "tainted its clean-cut image." "Equality Forum is a homosexual event that glorifies same-sex 'marriage,' is going to have a panel discussion on how homosexuals can adopt, and it also is going to be talking about how the homosexual activists can go into schools to give the message, 'gay is okay,'" Gramley details. The forum is also "working towards getting transgenders into the military" and on how transgendered people can work to be better understood by the public. Diane GramleyBut the AFA of Pennsylvania president says those aspects are contrary to Campbell's image. "When I think of Campbell's Soup, I think of the Campbell's Soup kids with their advertisement that portrays a pro-family, a family-friendly company, which is what they want to portray to the public," she suggests.

Feel free to write Campbell yourself and thank them for supporting civil equality.

Romney And Satan: Sitting In A Tree

"Romney thinks Jesus is a created being, the spirit brother of Lucifer. Christians believe that Jesus is the Second Person of the Godhead, God eternal. Mormons also think men become a God. This is considered evil by Christians. Romney brought homosexual sin to schools in Massachusetts. Scripture teaches that voting for non-Christians causes economic decline and removes freedom. If you love Jesus Christ for dying for your sins, you won't betray Him by voting for Romney or Obama. God says Obama and Romney are 'accursed'. - Pastor Steven "Jazz Hands" Andrew, calling for real Christians to vote for Ron Paul.

College Kids Against Amendment One

Church Sign Of The Day

Source.

Brown Vs Savage: Pistols At Dawn

"Let me lay down a public challenge to Dan Savage right here and now: You want to savage the Bible? Christian morality? Traditional marriage? Pope Benedict? I'm here, you name the time and the place and let's see what a big man you are in a debate with someone who can talk back. It's easy to make high-school girls cry by picking on them. Let's pick on someone our own size! I'm here, any time, any place you name, Dan Savage. You will find out out how venal and ridiculous your views of these things are if you dare to accept a challenge." - NOM president Brian Brownshirt, taking his faux outrage to a new level.