Loud and Queer

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What did you do today? Did you lie on your couch, nursing an awful hang-over from yesterday’s Sunday Funday? Or, did you honor the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. by volunteering or performing a day of service?  Which?

Or, did you watch the GAYEST show on Earth? Cause gurrrllllll, President Barack Obama had the biggest, gayest inauguration EVER!

First off, he was the t first president to include the LGBTQ community in his inaugural address.Can you believe that?

Calling equality “the star that… guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall,” Obama hammered away his dedication to LGBTQ rights:

It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.  Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.

Zounds! That is going to really get the conservative christians up into a complete tizzy!

The day’s faggotry  also included  performances by Beyonce and Kelly Clarkson!  Now, my grandfather is CONVINCED that Beyonce is Obama’s sister, and I am convinced that Clarkson is a lesbian. Who is the small-mind there?  To completely turn this into a Pride Day, members of the Gay and Lesbian Band Association will be marching in the Inaugural Parade!  Yee-ha!

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On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal  published a sad tale about two University of Texas at Austin students (I’m not going to give Google anohter notch at their name, although if you need to know it is in the original article) who were outed  to their fundamentalist fathers as a result of a privacy boo-boo on Facebook.  (I don’t normally read the WSJ – but the current boyfriend is a SMARTY!)

Both students had joined UT’s Queer Chorus, and the chorus president added them to a Facebook discussion group. The prez didn’t know that it would bypass their individual privacy settings and share the information with their parents. Whoops!

The disclosure prompted one of the student’s fathers to call her, threatening to stop paying her car insurance and demanding that she go on Facebook and renounce both the chorus and homosexuality.

“To all you queers. Go back to your holes and wait for GOD,” the girl’s father wrote on his own Facebook page. “Hell awaits you pervert. Good luck singing there.”

The father of the other student (pictured), didn’t talk to him for weeks. And his mother — who knew he was gay —  is worried about how the disclosure might affect her business selling insurance.

“Every kid in this town now knows,” the mother told The WSJ. “I am sure that I have lost clients, but they are not going to tell you why. That is living in a small town.”

Don’t let my flip tone fool you. I have nothing but sympathy, empathy, and concern for these kids. Honestly, if they need a place to crash – come visit me. I will shelter you.  This kind of family homophobia is awful.  I feel your pain.

But, let this be a cautionary tale to all of us. Don’t fuck with FACEBOOK! Don’t blame them either! Be careful what you do, say, and post! And get those privacy thing-a-mabobs working!  Seriously.

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Dear Chris Kluwe

I am not one of those gays who likes football.

Sure, I go to Superbowl parties, I date boys who love football, and during one ill-advised month I even attempted to be the star player of a gay flag football team.  But, I’m not a football fan.

So, I had never heard of you, or Brendon Ayanbadejo.  Until yesterday.

I read your amazing, thought-provoking, hysterical, and extremely well-written (Big words and swearing, always a touchdown!) letter to that moron from Maryland, Emmett C. Burns (I refuse to use his honorific title.) Your defense of marriage equality, pro-LGBTQ stance, and serious devotion to freedom of speech, brought tears to my eyes. And, due to several botched plastic surgeries, I rarely cry.

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I then Googled you to high hell. I watched videos, followed you on Twitter, liked you on Facebook, and did the best I could to completely get inside your helmet.  I even debated looking for your band’s licks on iTunes. (I’ll do that tomorrow.)

Like many other gay men, I’ve never thought of the NFL as a bastion of tolerance or understanding. I – incorrectly – assumed that most jocks were stupid neanderthals. You and Brendon Ayanbadejo‘s courageous stance has made me think differently about footballers. Hopefully, your words have also helped people thing differently about me.

I am sure in the days and weeks ahead, you might get some flack from haters. Some of them might be on your team, in your family, or just bozos on the street. That sucks. Still, it wouldn’t be exaggeration to say you brought a lot of joy to people, made your wife and daughters proud, and earned the respect of millions of Americans.  I’d even dare say, that you might have saved a few lives.

And don’t forget Mr. Kluwe – us gays never forget our friends. We are like the Jews. You might not be a “cockmonster“, but all of us “cockmonsters” will be looking out for you for the rest of your life. Ever thirsty? Walk into a gay bar. Ever need some extra cash for a new swimming pool? Publish a shirtless calendar. (In fact, why wait on that?)

Thanks again!

Dick

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The Russians! It is always the Russians!  First Red October, then Amerika, then vodka. (Okay – vodka is great!)  The Russians are always causing us freedom loving Americans problems! Their new target, not Captain America – Madonna!

During her Aug. 9 concert in St. Petersburg, Madonna asked fans to raise their hands in support of gays and lesbians. Cause Madge knows who pays for all her plastic surgery!

Sadly, it is illegal to promote homosexuality to minors in St. Petersburg, and the author of the law has pointed out there were kids as young as 12 at the concert in question. Or just well-moisturized twinks, and we know those Russian winters aren’t kind on your skin…

Nine activists have now filed a suit against the pop star, her concert’s organizer and the hall where it was held. They’re asking for damages totaling 333 million rubles, or about $10.5 million.  Their complaint includes a video taken of the concert that depicts Madonna allegedly stomping on an Orthodox cross and telling her audience to raise their pink armbands in support of the gay community.  Sound like MDNA!

Madonna also made headlines by supporting Russian band Pussy Riot earlier this month. Its three members—Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Maria Alyokhina—were sentenced Friday to two years in jail for “hooliganism” after staging a protest show at a Russian Orthodox cathedral in March.

I say we send in Hilary Clinton to fix this stuff up!

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Last night I literally sat on the edge of my couch, groping myself and chain-smoking while watching the British Men’s Gymnastic team overcome 88 years of misery to win a medal.  88 years!  What a dry spell!

Louis Smith, Max Whitlock, Daniel Purvis, Sam Oldham and Kristian Thomas earned their place in the history books after a breathtaking performance.  Just BREATH-FUCKING-TAKING!

Britain scored a total of 271.711 to take the bronze medal having originally been awarded silver before a Japanese appeal.  Those Japanese! Always so tricky!

(An inquiry into the score of world all-around champion Kohei Uchimura’s pommel horse routine saw Japan claim silver and Britain downgraded to bronze, with China retaining their gold medal.)

However, the result exceeded all the expectations of the British team, who qualified for the final in third place but believed the gymnastics powerhouses of the USA and Russia would keep them from grabbing some bling.

“It still feels a bit surreal to be honest,” the Liverpool-born Purvis said. “When we were standing there and it came up in second we were like ’Oh my God we’ve done it’. I’ve worked so hard over the years. Going through those hard days and pushing yourself when you don’t really want to. It’s days like this where it’s just worth everything.”

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So as you might know – I kinda travel a lot during, Pride Month. Global slut, that is me! And I just found a delicious new super-gay service that is going to help me get around!  Ladies and ladies, meet Fagabond!  A site that gives the on-the-go LGBT community reason to celebrate.

The new travel-planning website features a booking widget powered by Travelocity and gives the LGBT-focused lowdown, including destination descriptions, nightlife picks, must-try restaurants, fabulous events and more, for 20 of the country’s top LGBT cities. Users can also find travel deals and sign up for the e-newsletter.  What more can you ask for?
“Fagabond is five years in the making, and we’re thrilled with the final product,” said Fagabond co-owner Mike Sheridan. “While the descriptions and headlines are tongue-in-cheek— we want people to actually enjoy the planning stage—the content is informational, accurate, and compelling for a gay person mapping out their next getaway.”
Fagabond’s other co-owner (and, our insiders whisper Mike’s LOVER), Jim Werner, added, “Our goal for users is in the tagline: ‘Same Sex. Different Travel.’ It’s where the gay community can find the information that will help them choose their destinations, plan their trips, and book their stays—all for gays, all by gays, and all in one place.”
Both boys agree that what sets their LGBT travel website apart from others is the booking capability provided by Travelocity. Who doesn’t love that damn gnome! Users can reserve their hotels, flights, cars, and attraction tickets—all without leaving Fagabond. In the coming months, the website will continue to grow, with LGBT news, events, and more city profiles, plus upcoming partnerships.
And tell everyone you heard it here… An Exclusive Deal:

Now through July 31, travelers who book their trips on Fagabond will receive $25 off their total. This exclusive deal is available only to those who use the Travelocity widget on Fagabond to reserve their hotels. To qualify, the stays must take place by December 31, 2012.

The Featured Destinations:
•    Asbury Park •    Austin •    Boston •    Chicago •    Fort Lauderdale •    Key West •    Las Vegas •    Los Angeles •    Miami •    New Hope •    New Orleans •    New York •    Ogunquit •    Palm Springs •    Philadelphia •    Providence •    Provincetown •    Rehoboth Beach •    San Francisco •    Washington, DC

So go over and check out the fagalicious fun fun fun at Fagabond.com!

Country music diva-ette Carrie Underwood has come out in support for queers getting hitched — and at least one conservative political group is saying, “Good for her.”

Underwood, who’s playing the London’s Royal Albert Hall this month, expressed her opinion to the Independent, a British paper.

“As a married person myself, I don’t know what it’s like to be told I can’t marry somebody I love and want to marry,” Underwood said. “I can’t imagine how that must feel. I definitely think we should all have the right to love, and love publicly, the people that we want to love.”

Raised a Baptist and known for hits including “Jesus Take the Wheel,” the singer said she and hubby Mike Fisher, who plays for the NHL’s Nashville Predators, now attend a nondenominational, “gay-friendly” Christian church. Underwood’s gay-lovin’ outlook is right in-line with singer, Broadway star, and gal-pal-of-Jesus Kristin Chenoweth, WHO I LOVE!

“Good for her,” said Jimmy LaSalvia, co-founder and executive director of GOProud, an organization that bills itself as “the voice of gay conservatives and their straight allies.”

Not all minds, however. As noted by the Washington Post, some commenters were less than supportive of Underwood in a heated discussion on the Taste of Country website, citing the Bible and saying they’d lost respect for the singer.

So guess what YOU need to do – my gay little friends. You send those fingers over to iTunes and start buying some Underwood sweet love songs! Show the world that being tolerant, loving, and honest are the kind of qualities we want to see in our singers!

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Billionaire investment banking mogul and super-rich guy Paul Singer is setting up a brand new super PAC to support Republicans… with a rainbow twist.

Hedge fund rainmaker  Singer is one of the GOP’s most sought-after donors, and he has also been a driving force in New York State’s push for gay marriage. Along with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Singer has used his financial resources to nudge Republican legislators in the direction of supporting same-sex unions, giving an incentive for them to buck the party line where the political down side might otherwise be too great.  Singer, who has a gay son, turned his attention toward gay-rights issues more than a decade ago and has been giving generously to various gay-rights initiatives EVER since. He said that marriage equality in particular commanded his attention when the lawyers David Boies, a Democrat, and Theodore B. Olson, a Republican, joined forces for their ongoing legal challenge to Proposition 8, the 2008 California voter initiative banning same-sex marriage in that state.

Now, Singer tells the New York Times’s  that he’s going to bankroll a super PAC that could accomplish the same goal on the federal level.  (For those of you who failed Poli-Sci like me, a PAC is a “political action committee” – and they can raise and donate big, big bucks.

This new group of freedom fighters will be called the American Unity PAC, and Singer is kicking it off with $1M to primarily support Republican candidates in congressional races. He’s quoted as saying that he feels there are GOP candidates out there who are either “on the fence” about gay marriage or are hiding their support for it, and part of his goal is, “helping them to feel financially shielded from any blowback from well-funded groups that oppose it.”