Jasmine Jordan, Michael Jordan’s Daughter, Comes Out

Back on August 29, Michael Jordan’s only daughter Jasmine posted this photograph of herself and girlfriend Tyson-Thomas, former Syracuse Orange basketball star, on Instagram with this caption: 

“This Little Closet Is Holding Me Back.”

As people began to question what she meant, whether or not she was gay, Jasmine confirmed that it is true.

She had previously posted:

“Until love, trust, honesty, respect, loyalty, commitment, genuine happiness and other characteristics or aspects I want in a relationship is defined by one gender then and only then will I discuss my sexual preference.”

Well, of course, welcome out Jasmine, and please accept our copy of The Gay Agenda and the Official Coming Out Toaster Oven.

It’s good out here, but I will ask that you learn that what you have is a particular sexual orientation, not a sexual preference. Think of it like this, some folks have a preference for Air Jordans while others have a preference for Nike. M’kay?

Welcome out!

Read More

Bigot Baker Closes Up Shop

I’ve written about Sweet Cakes by Melissa before — HERE and HERE — that bakery out in Gresham, Oregon that refused to bake a wedding cake when they found out it was a lesbian wedding. They said it was against their religion, but it was also against the law for them to refuse to bake the cake because Oregon has very clear anti-discrimination laws and one of those groups you cannot discriminate against when you operate a public business is The Gays.

So there were news stories — like the undercover reporter who called Sweet Cakes and requested cakes for, among other things, a Pagan Solstice Party, a Stem-Cell Research Party, a Divorce Celebration, and an Unwed Mother Baby Shower cake: all those folks could get cakes, and Aaron Klein, Sweet Cakes owner, would happily make them, but he refused to bake for The Gays.

Well, now the good news: Sweet Cakes by Melissa is closing their doors.

Yippity-freaking-do.

According to the Sweet Cakes Facebook page they are taking their business out of their storefront and moving it into their home because, well, business if off and they can’t afford their shop any longer.

Again … Yippity-freaking-do.

But the owners of Sweet Cakes are still insisting that they are just good religious folks and they’re the persecuted party because they cannot practice their “bigotry masked as religion” in Oregon without facing investigations and fines from the state’s Bureau of Labor and Industries.

Well, I got news for you, Sweet Cakes, you aren’t the victim here. You can be as religious as you want, all you want, wherever you want, but you cannot use your religion to deny goods and services from your publicly-operated business to any group, including The Gays.

No one asked you to endorse a same-sex wedding, attend a same-sex wedding, or even buy a gift for a same-sex wedding. You were asked to bake a cake, for which you would have been paid, for a same-sex wedding, and baking a cake is not an endorsement of anything to which your religion finds offense.

It’s baking, for Christ’s sake … pun intended.

So, goodbye Sweet Cakes by Melissa. Take your slowly dying business home, but please be aware that if you are still operating a business in the state of Oregon and still discriminating against The Gays, you are still breaking the law.

Funny though, had you baked the cake you might have found your business increasing and rather than shutting down, you might have been able to expand because The Gays love a good cake.

Especially on their wedding day.

source

Read More

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The First Justice To Officate A Same-Sex Wedding

Well, knock me over with a feather … boa.

This past Saturday history was made, and don’t be surprised to find out that Brian Brown, Bryan Fischer or Maggie Gallagher’s heads imploded, because Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the first member of the Supreme Court to officiate a same-sex marriage ceremony when married Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser and economist John Roberts at the Kennedy Center.

For her part, Justice Ginsburg seems thrilled to be conducting a same-sex wedding:

 “I think it will be one more statement that people who love each other and want to live together should be able to enjoy the blessings and the strife in the marriage relationship. … It won’t be long before there will be another [performed by a justice].”

Ginsburg, herself, has another wedding ceremony to conduct this month when she officiates at the marriage of David Hagedorn and Michael Widomski.

Ginsburg had believed that she and her colleagues had not been previously asked to conduct a same-sex ceremony for fear it might compromise their ability to hear the issue when it came before the court, but as soon as the decisions came down last June, she was ready to help a same-sex couple say I do.

I say Thanks Justice Ginsburg for standing up, in the courts, and in the weddings, for equality, and, well, the snarky side of me has to giggle when I think of how Justice Antonin Scalia reacted to the news. I’m somewhat certain he raced home, put on a pair of thigh-high silk stockings and a pair of dagger-heeled stilettos, fixed himself a Cosmo and had a good cry.

Just sayin’.

source

Read More

Wentworth Miller Comes Out ... And So Does Lucas Cruikshank

I remember when Wentworth Miller was starring on Fox’s prison Break and there were all sorts of rumors that he was a gay man. Miller declined to discuss his personal life, which, to me, is almost like admitting to being gay but being afraid to say it. Now, though, Wentworth Miller is no longer afraid.

He released a letter rejecting an invitation to a Russian film festival, and says it’s his being gay is the primary reason:

August 21, 2013

Re: St. Petersburg International Film Festival / "Guest of Honor" Invitation

Dear Ms. Averbakh:

Thank you for your kind invitation. As someone who has enjoyed visiting Russia in the past and can also claim a degree of Russian ancestry, it would make me happy to say yes.

However, as a gay man, I must decline.

I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government. The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly.

Perhaps, when and if circumstances improve, I'll be free to make a different choice.

Until then.

Wentworth Miller

Member, HRC

Member, GLAAD

Member, The ManKind Project

First off, of course, Welcome Out, Wentworth. And, again of course, please accept our Coming Out Toaster Oven and a copy of The Gay Agenda as our Coming Out gift.

Secondly, thanks for taking a stand, and a vocal one at that, against the virulently anti-gay laws in Russia. If we all stand together things can, and will change.

I have often said that Coming Out is a personal choice, and that we all do it when we feel we must.

Now is that time for Wentworth Miller and I’d like to say Thanks.

And then add a Welcome Out, and the usual gifts to one Lucas Cruikshank, Nickelodeon actor and star and creator of the popular YouTube series Fred, who also came out of the closet in a Q&A video posted to his channel:

"I'm gay. It feels so weird to say it. My family and friends have known this for like three years I just haven't felt any need to announce it on the internet. I feel awkward!"

You should feel amazed. And open.

Welcome out gentlemen, welcome out.

Read More

Vacation Post: Why Our Straight Wedding Just Got Political

from the HuffPo Gay Voices by Sarah Hankel-Hoffman, wife and straight ally

___________________________________

Sarah Hankel-Hoffman legally wed her husband Jason Hoffman in March 2013, but they will hold a second ceremony and reception Sept. 7, 2013, in Des Moines, Iowa, where it is illegal to practice bigotry and, even worse, immoral.

________________________________

It is our lifetime conviction that all people are created equal, and it is our belief that good people subscribe to the "golden rule" that has resulted in our decision to withdraw our reservation to hold our wedding reception at the Görtz Haus Gallery in Grimes, Iowa, on Sept. 7, 2013.

This measure is in response to the decision by Görtz Haus Gallery owners Betty and Dick Odgaard to turn away two men who wished to hold their wedding and reception at the lovely venue. Jason and I and our family and friends find it impossible to celebrate our nuptials at a place where such hurtful behavior occurred. While Betty Odgaard has stated several times that "there is no hate here," their decision was reactionary and, at the very core, discriminatory. The way they have chosen to run their business is not in line with our morals, what we believe, or what is laid out in Iowa state law.

While Jason and I have not yet secured another location for our wedding reception, we will find a place where, for just a few hours, that "fairytale wedding" moment can occur and we, along with our family and friends, can believe in the power of the goodness of humanity and feel assured that all is right in the world.

For the most part, this decision was fairly easy to make. We made it the moment that we first heard about the Odgaards' position that gay marriage is inferior to heterosexual marriage. While Jason and I immediately felt that moving forward with our reception at Görtz Haus Gallery was unacceptable, we did pause for thought. The invitations had gone out just two days earlier. What about our family and friends who will be coming, some from long distances, and some of whom don't know the area and will have difficulty getting around without a tediously drawn map created by the best local graphic designer (my sister, Tierney Millhollin, of course)? Should we just suck it up and march forward? Should we take the advice of Donna Red Wing at One Iowa and "gay it up"?

Jason and I both had some consultation with family and friends, and long ago, before this current controversy, we decided that we do not want wedding gifts. You see, Jason and I are both in our 40s. This will be our first time (and likely our last, because we don't believe in "pop-culture law" marriages, which Betty Odgaard seems to think include gay marriages). We have a house full of stuff. So we decided almost 18 months ago that instead of registering for new matching towels or a pair of electric nose trimmers, we would select three organizations to receive donations from our guests. We have our passions! So we selected the Pet Project Midwest, Iowa Public Radio (because we're kind of geeks) and -- get ready for it -- One Iowa.

It was after that decision, and out of a love of art and all things eclectic, that we chose the Görtz Haus Gallery as our reception site. It was also a somewhat personal decision, as one of my mother's dear friends (rest in peace, Diane Foster) used to show her artwork there. We booked it nearly a year in advance, and I paid not only the advance deposit but the full lump sum for the space reservation. (To be fair, the Odgaards have indicated that they will give me a refund.) We've spent hours planning and arranging our perfect day there. It would have been so easy to just shrug our shoulders and look past the Odgaards' refusal to host a gay wedding, but I thought of all the times I had had the opportunity to volunteer and go out in support of gay rights and all the resources that I could have provided to one event or another but came up short on either time or money. This had to be my penance. I'd take it.

So this is our stance. We stand in solidarity with all those who have had to fight for equal rights or hide because it was too dangerous or scary to be who they really were. This is for all the other injustices that came before the 21st century. This is our one small contribution, but it's a big one to us. In the end, our actions are not just about standing up for gay rights but about standing up for human rights, as Americans and as Iowans. It's about the basic tenet of "do unto others and you would have them do unto you."

We give our sincerest thanks and love to our parents, family and friends.

Read More

Mormon Steve Young And His Wife Come Out As LGBT Allies

So, Steve Young? Former San Francisco 49er quarterback and highly visible member of the Mormon Church? Where do you stand on LGBT equality?

Let’s say he doesn’t exactly stand with his church.

Back in 2008. Steve Young and his wife Barbara placed "No on Prop. 8" yard signs in front of their California home, a highly significant move considering how much time, and more importantly, money—upwards of $20 million—the Mormon Church had sunk into passing Prop H8.

Back then, Barbara Young explained that she had placed the sign in her yard because she has a gay brother, but her husband, Steve, stayed silent on the matter.

Until now.

Both Steve and Barbara Young are being more vocal on LGBT rights, and have agreed to be the keynote speakers in Salt Lake City at next month's convention of an LGBT Mormon group, called "Affirmation."

The Young’s released a statement thorough the Salt Lake City Tribune confirming that they will be speaking, and adding that this is "where they hope to lend their voices to the healing work of making our families, our society and our church more welcoming places for our LGBT brothers and sisters."

And this might be just the right time, as evidenced by many members of the church now changing their stance on marriage equality, but it always helped to have someone with a level of fame take that same stand.

The march goes on ….

source

Read More

North Dakota US Attorney To The LBGT Community: 'As long as I'm in this position, you will have an ally.'

At last week’s 13th Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota Pride Celebration, Timothy Purdon, North Dakota's U.S. attorney, stepped up last week and told members of the LGBT community that they will have a friend in government as long as he's the top federal prosecutor in the state. Purdon delivered his speech in front of what he said was his largest audience since President Obama appointed him to the post in February 2010:

"It was fantastic. To have the opportunity to come here and talk to people who are passionate about civil rights and the Department of Justice's role in that is a privilege."

Purdon's speech followed a parade led by a handful of same-sex couples who were legally married in neighboring Moorhead, Minnesota, after that state’s marriage equality law went into effect. Sadly, while Minnesota was enacting equality, just across the border the North Dakota Legislature was rejecting a bill to protect the LGBT population from housing discrimination.

That action caused Purdon to speak up and speak out, and admit that North Dakota has much work to do in order to "ensure equality, opportunity and justice" for its citizens, regardless of identity or sexual orientation.

"The Red River of the North is a great river. It is a powerful river. But it's not a magic line that gay Americans cross and gain rights and lose rights as they go back and forth. And it shouldn't be."—Timothy Purdon, referring to the river that separates North Dakota and Minnesota

Purdon then talked about growing up in west-central Minnesota, attending first a small high school and then a junior college in North Dakota. He went onto to a four-year college and law school. He worked in private law practice for 16 years before "winning the lottery" with his appointment as U.S. attorney.

"I did what most Americans take for granted. I tried to take advantage of the American dream, but I wonder if that journey would have been the same if I had been born a gay American. I wonder if my gay brothers and sisters always catch those breaks. My heart wants to say yes ... but my head says maybe not."

Purdon ended the speech with a comment from "my boss," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, about the Justice Department's refusal to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court and its commitment to end discrimination:

"As the face of the Department of Justice in North Dakota, I will make you this promise: I will continue to work hard on these issues, to work hard to make sure that the civil rights of every North Dakotan, native or non-native, gay or straight, are protected. As long as I'm in this position, you will have an ally."

That’s what we need, more politicians, lawmakers, legislators, judges, attorneys, and just every day people to stand up as an LGBT ally.

Thanks, Mr. Purdon, for taking that stand in North Dakota.

The march goes on ….

source

Read More

Anton Krasovsky Comes Out .... On Russian Television!

One of the good things—if that can be said—about Russia’s new, ridiculous, violent, anti-gay laws is that it spurs people to speak out against them, to speak up. And while it may be easy for an American runner to vocalize his views on Russia’s new law, and it might be simple for a Swedish athlete to paint her nails an LGBT-friendly rainbow, it’s harder for those who live in Russia to speak up, to say something.

But it’s happening.

Anton Krasovsky, a Russian TV host, decided to come out on live television, and he was almost immediately fired for doing so.

“I’m gay, and I’m just the same person as you, my dear audience, as President Putin, as Prime Minister Medvedev and the deputies of our Duma.”— Anton Krasovsky

Krasovsky aired his admission on the Kremlin-backed KontrTV back in January, and though his announcement initially brought a “storm of applause” by the audience and the show’s staff, Krasovsky was fired that very night.

The next day, his presence, name photos, programming notes, had been completely erased from the network’s website, and all of his corporate accounts and his email were blocked. He kind of joked about the swiftness with which he was erased, saying, “[It] takes them half a day to put up a banner when I ask them to, and here we had such efficiency.”

And the video of his coming out has also completely disappeared from the internet—an almost impossible task in this day and age—but one can never underestimate the power of the Kremlin, I guess.

But, for me, and I’m sure for a lot of Russians, both LGBT and LGBT-friendly, Krasovsky's coming out was an amazing and brave decision for one living in homophobic Russia. While being gay is not against the law in Russia, there have been attacks on openly gay Russians, arrests, kidnapping, and a slew of propaganda from the government that homosexuals seek to indoctrinate children; it’s so bad that just the mention of the word gay can get a man, or woman, arrested.

In Krasovsky’s case, it has made him a bit of a hero and a beam of light for those LGBT Russians in hiding. When he appeared on CNN to discuss why he would risk everything, including his life, by coming out, he simply said:

“Because somebody should do it. I decided it was time to be open. It was time to be open, for me.”

It’s that simple, and that difficult.

So, welcome out Anton, and thanks for taking a brave and public stance, which could have been dangerously, and even deadly.

Of course, we'll be sending you a copy of The Gay Agenda and the Coming Out Toaster Oven.

Welcome out.

Read More

Darren Young Comes Out

World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] wrestler Darren Young was walking though LAX last week when a photographer asked if he thought a gay wrestler would be successful in the WWE.

His answer came as a surprise.

"Absolutely. Look at me. I'm a WWE Superstar and, to be honest with you, I'll tell you right now, I’m gay, and I'm happy. Very happy."

The stunned cameraman told Young he had no idea, to which Young replied:

"I guess if you want to call it 'coming out,' I really don't know what to say it is. I'm just letting you know that I'm happy [with] who I am, I'm comfortable with myself, and I'm happy to be living the dream ... Some people might not like it. Some people will like it. I'm here to please myself. I'm here to be happy ... I'm hoping to make a difference. It's very important to me to make people understand that someone’s sexual preference shouldn’t really matter. It should be about the person."

Now, Darren Young is the first openly gay wrestler actively participating in the, well, sport.

A representative for the WWE said the wrestling organization is proud of Young for coming out.

"WWE is proud of Darren Young for being open about his sexuality, and we will continue to support him as a WWE Superstar. Today, in fact, Darren will be participating in one of our Be A Star anti-bullying rallies in Los Angeles to teach children how to create positive environments for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation."

Naturally, HOMO HQ will b sending Darren a copy of The Gay Agenda—and, Darren, please take note that begin gay isn’t a ‘preference’ but an orientation—along with the Coming Out Toaster Oven.

Welcome out, Darren, welcome out.

SIDENOTE: Look, here’s my skeptical side, and I’m hoping I’m wrong. But, wrestling, while a sport, is also a show, and every wrestler is a certain type, a certain character. So, skeptical me just hopes that Daren Young is being honest and that he is actually gay and not just show-boating a new character to draw attention to the, well, sport.

If he is, then bad on him; if he isn’t, then good on him.

source

Read More

Good News Friday: ♫ ♪ Ding Dong Prop H8 Is [officially] Dead ♪ ♫

After the Supreme Court sounded the death knell for California’s Prop H8 last June, the wingnuts out there in The Golden State foot-stomped, head-snapped, and law-suited all over the place trying to keep the thing alive, but earlier this week, the California Supreme Court refused to revive Proposition 8, effectively unplugging it from lifer support and ending the last remaining legal challenge to same-sex marriage in California.

After meetings in closed session, the court rejected arguments by the ludicrously named ProtectMarriage, the original sponsors of H8, that only an appellate court could overturn a statewide law.

After a federal judge in San Francisco declared Prop H8 unconstitutional in 2010, and state officials then refused to appeal, ProtectMarriage tried their hand at it, but the US Supreme Court ruled in June that initiative sponsors have no right to defend their measures in federal court.

Snap.

Still, in their challenge to the court, ProtectMarriage argued that a single judge lacked the authority to overturn a state constitutional amendment, and they also argued that Judge Vaughn Walker’s injunction applied to two counties at most and that state officials had overstepped their authority by ordering county clerks throughout California to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Alas, California officials countered that the ProtectMarriage challenge was a veiled attempt to persuade a state court to interfere with a federalcourt’s order in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

After that federal appeals court lifted a hold on Walker’s injunction, same-sex couples began marrying in California, and ProtectMarriage went back to the US Supreme Court the very next day to foot-stomp and head-snap that the appeals court acted prematurely because the high court’s decision was not even final.

The Supreme Court basically said to ProtectMarriage, ‘Bugger off.’

But they refused, and instead went to the California Supreme Court, asking the justices to halt the marriages immediately while considering the legal arguments, and then that court told ProtectMarriage to, well, ‘Bugger off.’

It’s over, it’s done, it’s dead.

California is a land of Marriage Equality and, um, ProtectMarriage?

Bugger off.

source

Read More

Orlando Cruz Is Getting Married

It was big news last fall, and good news, too, when boxer Orlando Cruz came out as a gay man, and thus becoming the first openly gay male professional boxer.

And now there’s better news: Orlando Cruz has proposed to his longtime boyfriend José Manuel in a video posted to his Facebook page:

I wanted to tell you how much I need you and how much I miss you. I know you are a person that means a lot to me and that supports my career and respects it which is very important, but above all you are always there giving me that push that I need. Now more than ever that I have an important fight coming up for the World Championship. I want to tell you that you are a very special person in my life. I am a little nervous, but I want to tell you and share with your friends and my friends if you want to marry me. I want you to be part of my life and me be part of yours.

And, because this is the age of social media, José Manuel responded with his own Facebook video:

I want to say yes. I accept marrying you because I love you and adore you. Yes, I do want to marry you because I love you, I love you, I love you very much. We will keep going forward and you will see how happy we will be. I love you papi from my heart.

Congratulations to the happy, and handsome, couple!

source

Read More

Ken Cuccinelli Gets A Sodomy Smackdown From SCOTUS ... And He Probably Loved It

Ooh snap.

Last week U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts denied a request by Virginia Attorney General, the virulently anti-gay and yet same-sex obsessed, Ken Cuccinelli that a lower court ruling overturning Virginia’s sodomy law be put on hold while the Supreme Court decides whether to hear Cuccinelli’s appeal; Roberts, acting on behalf of the full court, did not issue an explanation for his denial.

It was just dee-nied.

Cuccinelli had asked the Supreme Court to put a stay on the Fourth Circuit Court’s ruling shortly after he filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to hear his appeal; SCOTUS is expected to decide later this year, or early next year, whether to hear the case, and if it decides against hearing it, the Fourth Circuit Appeals Court ruling remains in place.

And Cuccinelli gets pissy.

It all started when the Fourth Circuit overturned a felony conviction by a Virginia judge in the case of William Scott MacDonald, a 47-year-old man accused of soliciting oral sex from a 17-year-old woman. Although no sex took place, MacDonald, had been charged with soliciting someone to commit a sexual act that his attorneys argued was no longer illegal.

The Fourth Circuit Appeals Court agreed with his attorneys, ruling 3-1 that the 2003 Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas invalidated the Virginia Crimes Against Nature law as unconstitutional, thereby preventing it from being enforced.

Cuccinelli, who likes to shove his head into everyone’s sexual business because he’s obsessed with other people’s sexual activities, had argued the Lawrence decision did not apply to sexual relations between an adult and a minor—for the record, the age of consent in Virginia is 15—and he has stated in political ads for his campaign to become Virginia’s next governor, that the outdated, unconstitutional, none of your damn business, sodomy law is needed to protect children from sexual predators.

He seems to forget that there are already laws, even in Virginia, that allow for the prosecution of adults who engage in sex with minors.

Ken Cuccinelli. Same-sex sodomy obsessed gubernatorial candidate approved this message.

ALLEGEDLY.

source

Read More

Good News Friday, For The 'T' In LGBT: In DC It's Now Easier For Transgender People To Get A New Birth Certificate

I like some good news on a Friday and this certainly qualifies.

Last month, the Washington DC Council passed the country's most liberal policy for updating birth certificates for transgender Americans — one that transgender activists hope becomes a national model—and Mayor Vincent Gray is expected to sign it next week.

This new measure eliminates the requirements for surgery and a court order that previously made it too expensive and inaccessible for most transgender people to complete a legal transition. Plus, even after surgery, the transgender person’s birth certificate wasn’t reissued, it was simply amended.

Kaprice Williams — who transitioned from male to female when she was fifteen — has been waiting four years for a new birth certificate. While this had not been much of an issue — Williams has yet to have gender reassignment surgery — a recent job interview went badly because Williams’ paperwork revealed she is transgender. Now, however, she can get that new birth certificate.

"I'm glad to finally get this so I can move on with the rest of my life. These are basic needs, and you can't do too much without proper credentials."— Kaprice Williams

Nationwide, only 24% of transgender people can have the gender changed on their birth certificates because of restrictive laws, and the lack of a correct birth certificate creates a myriad of problems when enrolling in schools or applying for jobs.

But this new policy — which passed unanimously — means people will now have their gender recognized, rather than having birth certificates, and other documents, saying you aren’t who you say you are. The new policy will grant new birth certificates to transgendered people who provide a statement from a licensed healthcare provider that they have undergone "appropriate treatment" for a gender transition; the measure also exempts them from a requirement to advertise a concurrent name change for three weeks in a local newspaper, effectively outing them.

Still, we have a long way to go in this country; of the 47 states that allow a gender change on birth certificates, only four have dropped the surgical transition standard and, of the rest, about half issue a new birth certificate and half simply amend the old one.

Next up is California; in 2011, the state reduced its standard for securing a court order to a physician's statement that the individual had received appropriate treatment, and now Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, a democrat from San Diego, is sponsoring a bill similar to Washington's.

"Transgender people are entitled to have their official documents and their legal name reflect their true identity without a burdensome and expensive process that endangers their personal safety."—Toni Atkins

It’s yet another step in the process for our transgender brothers and sisters as they fight for equality, and fight to be recognized for who they are, not what it says on a piece of paper. 

via The LA Times

Read More

Same-Sex Married Couples To Get Military Benefits

Department of Defense officials estimate there are some 18,000 same-sex couples in the active-duty military, National Guard and the Reserves, though it’s unclear how many of those are married.

But, those who are married could get health care, housing and other benefits by the end of this month under a proposal being considered by the Pentagon; earlier plans to provide benefits to unmarried same-sex couples may be reversed.

A Defense Department memo from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the department might instead provide up to 10 days of leave to military personnel in same-sex relationships so they can travel to states where they can marry legally.

If implemented, this new plan would reverse an earlier plan to have the same-sex partners of military members sign a declaration form in order to receive limited benefits, such as access to military stores and some health and welfare programs. Hagel says the recent Supreme Court decision ending DOMA to legally married same-sex couples eliminates the need for such a plan:

"As the Supreme Court's ruling has made it possible for same-sex couples to marry and be afforded all benefits available to any military spouse and family, I have determined, consistent with the unanimous advice of the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that the spousal and family benefits far outweigh the benefits that could be extended under a declaration system.”

In the memo, Hagel says the department intends to treat all married military personnel the same and "make the same benefits available to all military spouses, regardless of sexual orientation." But, recognizing that same-sex couples are only allowed to marry in a limited number of states, Hagel said the provision allowing service members to travel to states where the unions are legal is a way to help overcome those challenges.

I can just hear those anti-marriage equality folks now, spouting off about these ‘special rights’ that same-sex military couples have, getting 10 travel days to go get married where its legal.

So, I have a solution for them: work to have marriage equality become the law of the land in every single state and there’ll be no need for the additional travel days.

See how that works out?

via The Associated Press

Read More

The Little Town That Could, And Then Did

Collegedale.

It sounds like a town in a comic book, you know, but it’s a real pace in Tennessee, and starting today it has become the first city in Tennessee to offer benefits to same-sex spouses of its government employees.

A wee town; in Tennessee.

Of course, as happens, it didn’t come about without some joyful and noise and some disheartened weeping, after the meeting at Collegedale City Hall last Monday night, but the fact remains that this town is talking a stand toward equality.

Resident Dolly Fillman worries that the new policy is “condoning same-sex marriage,” when it’s really condoning equality.

See, for Collegedale Detective Kat Cooper, the new policy means her wife can finally have insurance coverage: “It is such a huge weight off our shoulders. We don’t have to constantly worry about health expenses or sudden emergencies. It’s hard to explain how much this means to us.”

It means equality.

Kat Cooper started this fight to change the policy after she was denied family health coverage for her wife, Krista; the women were married in Maryland last spring.

And, even better than the fact that Collegedale has changed its policy is the news that, of the five-member commission, all but one voted for the change. The lone ‘No’ vote was Mayor John Turner, who said he voted for the 74 people who had reached out to him opposing the policy: “That’s what we’re supposed to do as elected officials, represent the people of our district.”

True dat, Mayor, but, um, aren’t you supposed to represent all of the people?

The idea that Collegedale was planning this vote brought all kinds of people from out of the woodwork, and even from out of town.  Signal Mountain mother Juliet Jackson made signs urging people to “speak up for traditional marriage” and said, “I feel like the conservative voice isn’t heard. We’re bombarded by the other side. A disagreement is not hatred. … I think we should be able to respect one another.”

Respect me when you work to deny me equality? Tell me how that actually works Juliet.

But, not all conservatives had a dim view of the fight for equality. Neil Lane, a Collegedale resident who calls himself a Christian, said he was ashamed that people would take a stand against “just plain fairness.”

“The pulpit should be saved for the church,” he said.

Kat & Krista Cooper

Still, both sides were heard from during the debate that preceded the vote, but Kat Cooper stood up and talked about her struggle to have her marriage treated like other employees:

“It should be of no importance to my employer if my lifelong commitment is made to a man or a woman — both are equal. Small ripples can precipitate huge waves. In this case, a great opportunity lies in your hands.”

Another resident, Jeff Walton agreed with Cooper’s description, but admitted that “waves” would be detrimental, though he said, “Collegedale can look forward. Show them you are not a backwater little town.”

Well, you might be a backwater little town, but you’ve made a big splash, both in Tennessee, and around the country.

The march goes on ... from Collegedale.

source

Read More

Ben Whishaw Comes Out .... Raven-Symoné, Too

Ben Whishaw has always been one of those actors who value their privacy, and rarely, if ever, has spoken about his personal life. But sometimes the news is so good you want to shout it from a rooftop.

Whishaw is out and proud, and has entered into a civil partnership with his partner, Australian composer Mark Bradshaw.

The two men met on the set of Jane Campion’s 2009 film Bright Star, where Whishaw played John Keats and Bradshaw composed the score. Whishaw was last seen as the quirky, nerdy tech wizard in the last Bond film, Skyfall.

Whishaw’s sexual orientation has been the subject of internet debate in recent years, sparked by an interview he gave to Out magazine last year while playing a homosexual character in an off-Broadway play, The Pride. When asked whether it was important for young gay people to have positive role models, Whishaw replied: ‘I feel in my heart that it’s important, but I don’t quite know yet the way to go about that. Maybe that’s the transitional thing I feel I’m in the middle of at the moment.’

Now, however, he wants to share the news: he’s a gay man.

And as such, he will be receiving a copy of the Gay Agenda as well as the obligatory Coming Out Toaster Oven.

Welcome out, Ben; I found you delicious in Skyfall and wondered about you ….

Welcome out.

Raven-Symoné has been dodging questions about her sexuality for a few years now because, well, it’s no one’s business. Last year, the National Enquirer printed a story saying she was gay, and Raven responded:

“I’m living my PERSONAL life the way I’m happiest. I’m not one, in my 25 year career to disclose who I’m dating. And I shall not start now. My sexual orientation is mine, and the person I’m dating to know. I’m not one for a public display of my life. However that is my right as a HUMAN BEing whether straight or gay. To tell or not to tell. As long as I’m not harming anyone. I am a light being made from love. And my career is the only thing I would like to put on display, not my personal life. Kisses!”

But now, I guess since the DOMA Death and the Prop H8 Smackdown, Raven is ready to tell the world, by Tweeting:

She says she’s not getting married anytime soon, but “it is great to know I can now, should I wish to.”

Welcome out, Raven.

And, as soon as we get the presses back up and running here at HOMO HQ, we’ll be sending a copy of the Gay Agenda—which is simple: equality—along with the Coming Out Toaster Oven.

It doesn’t matter when, or how, or where, you come out, it just matters that you do.

Welcome out.

Read More