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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Isaiah and Charles: What was good for one should be good for the other

In January of last year I thought Jasmyne Cannick went too lightly on Isaiah Washington. At the time I thought his homophobia went too far and that he should have lost his gig on Grey's Anatomy. My feelings weren't strong enough at the time to write about it, but at the time I thought that her defense of his actions was wrong.

Now, over a year later, I realize that Jasmyne was right. Looking at events in a broader context is made possible, in part, by time (If you somehow missed the story you can be brought up to date here). A lot can happen in a little over a year. Since the original Grey's Anatomy brouhaha, Jasmyne has become a press secretary for a US Congresswoman (she gets politics), traveled to Sierra Leone with Washington (she certainly knows him better than I) and has introduced us to Shirley Q. Liquor, a racist, sexist pig from Los Angeles. It's impossible for me to look at the drag performer and wonder: How can we slam Washington and then condone behavior like white drag queen putting on Blackface and mocking Black woman? In a world like this it's easy to see why Jasmyne would come to Washington's defense.

Jasmyne says it best:
And while Isaiah Washington was unable to escape the wrath of gay America, Charles Knipp’s blackface minstrel show continues to be rewarded by gay Americans to the tune of $90k annually.

Imus may have called Black women "nappy-headed ho's," but it’s Knipp who routinely tries to bring that image to life onstage as Shirley Q. Liquor when she tries to recollect the names of her "chirrun" with his skit "Who Is My Baby Daddy? Cheeto, Orangello, Chlamydia, and Kmartina...”

I blame gay America, from the political leaders to the club owners, for turning a blind eye to Knipp’s blatantly racist routines that in his words are performed mostly for “gay men, their moms and rednecks.” We are the reason that his racist act continues to go nearly undetected on the race radar.
Jasmyne has nothing to be sorry for, but her apology is here.


You can help! Contact Charles Knipp's booking agent and say 'Enough.'
Diva Central Inc.
7510 W. Sunset Blvd, Suite 1445
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Phone:(323) 864-1933
DivasandDjs@aol.com
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Warning: Really humid summers...

Of course, when you're working for Larry... isn't every day HOT?

By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Tonight's plan...

On tonight's gay agenda: Watch Sara Whitman and Marti Abernathey fight it out while watching the debate. Sara and Marti will be live blogging over at Bilerico... It should be fun...

By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Monday, February 25, 2008

This should end the questions...

They asked, he told.

By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Thursday, February 21, 2008

An unfortunate subject

There is no better McCain expert on our side than Cliff Schecter. If you are not familiar with Cliff you can see his Republican Sexcapades archive here. Cliff is busy wrapping up his book, The Real McCain. The book is coming out in May and promises to reveal more about the GOP nominee than we've ever known before.

Thanks to Cliff for sharing this letter that was sent to McCain supporters YESTERDAY! Of course it was written before his latest little mess in the NY Times, but you have to love the subject line: "The Hard Part."

And if that is not enough, McCain even bolded the lines:
I want to specially thank my online supporters for your hard work. and...
But as I said last week, now comes the hard part.
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Of course...

...They won't deny it, now will they?

McCain's official response to the story does not even deny he had an affair with her. I bet it kept the lawyers up all night to come up with this one:
ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today issued the following statement by Communications Director Jill Hazelbaker:

"It is a shame that the New York Times has lowered its standards to engage in a hit and run smear campaign. John McCain has a 24-year record of serving our country with honor and integrity. He has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists, and he will not allow a smear campaign to distract from the issues at stake in this election.

"Americans are sick and tired of this kind of gutter politics, and there is nothing in this story to suggest that John McCain has ever violated the principles that have guided his career."
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Equal time

A bit more on the post below. I had mixed thoughts about posting it. In the end, I realized that a site with far more hits than me combined with the fact that over a quarter of a million people saw Sinclair's video, I thought it a safe bet that I would not exactly be breaking new ground.

Immediately, as happens in politics, I was accused of hiding a pro-Hillary agenda. I'm not sure why people find it necessary to assign a divisive reason to everything. Could it be that I simply thought that it was a story of interest and that after ignoring it for months, decided that a dding a $100,000 reward made it newsworthy?

I'd like to think I have the power to drive such a story, but let's get real here. This blog was never about building huge traffic numbers...and the number of people who watched Sinclair on video is over 100x my daily traffic.

On a related note, and for those of you thinking I am promoting Hillary here, take a look at this great piece of Obama video. We've heard candidates mention gay issues, but I don't recall one specifically calling out the use of gays for scapegoating. Good for Obama for speaking up.

By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

This could be intresting

I do not condone what Larry Sinclair is doing. Why would he feel it necessary to allege that Barack Obama had sex and did drugs with him? I have no idea. I do know this, $100,000 is a big motivation.

Man to take polygraph to prove he had gay sex, did cocaine with Senator Obama:
Larry Sinclair, the man who claims to have done cocaine and fellated Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), will be paid $10,000 to take a lie detector test to prove it.

If the test indicates he is telling the truth, the amount will jump to $100,000. The payment and reward are being offered by political commentary website WhiteHouse.com (not affiliated with WhiteHouse.gov).

"My motivation for making this public is my desire for a presidential candidate to be honest," Sinclair, of Duluth, Minnesota, tells right-wing publication WorldNetDaily. "I didn't want the sex thing to come out. But I think it is important for the candidate to be honest about his drug use as late as 1999."
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Monday, February 18, 2008

Bush judge likes to do drag

Not that drag is bad. But it does seem that closeted GOPers are doing it more than the gay boys. Here's the latest from one of George's buddies.
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Sunday, February 17, 2008

Howie mulls a retirement fund


Howie Klein, the blogger at DOWN WITH TYRANNY mulls the creation of a retirement fund for sex workers who come forward with information about the anti-gay closet cases. I don't have enough to set that up, but I do have some folks interested in setting up a reward fund for information leading to the exposing of a member of Congress as a closeted anti-gay hypocrite.

I'll be working out the details -- I'll get some input from Howie -- and post the information soon.
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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I think this is pretty cool

It has absolutely nothing to do with this blog, but I liked it.

By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Saturday, February 16, 2008

No "endorsement" here

I think it's kind of funny how bloggers, both left and right, debate if it's appropriate for bloggers to "endorse" candidates. I can't imagine making a decision based on which candidate this blogger or that blogger "endorsed."

I could tell you who I voted for on Tuesday. But does it really matter? Nah. While Hillary and Barack supporters will tell you that each is better on gay stuff, reality is such that if either of them said the same things about woman, Blacks or Jews, they would never be elected president. Imagine Hillary not promising to immediately lift a ban on women serving in the armed forces. Imagine Barack saying we'll have a separate (but equal) institution of civil unions for Blacks. Yeah, right.

Aside from all that, my friend Susie is a big Hillary fan and after reading some of the attacks against the NY Senator she wrote a rather brilliant parody of one of my favorite musicals.
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Ohhhh Love these ads

These ads are gettin' fun!
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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About that Ethics report

I'll be on the Ed Schultz Show today at 2:30pm ET to chat about the Senate Ethics Committee report on our toe-tapping friend from Idaho. You can listen here.
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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More love from self-described Democrats...

If this doesn't make the gay Jews feel all warm and fuzzy inside... I don't know what will...

Down With Tyranny: Reactionary "Democrats" using anti-Semitism and homophobia to stir up divisiveness in Memphis:
"Rev." George Brooks of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, far from Cohen's congressional district, has admitted that he is responsible for the vicious and divisive anti-Cohen propaganda hit piece. There is an August 5 primary coming up that pits Cohen, one of Congress' most outstanding progressive freshmen, against Nikki Tinker, a reactionary supported by the odious Harold Ford Machine and the DLC.
Let's see if Harold Ford condemns this hate.
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Senate committee attacks gay man, leave hetero alone...

So, what Larry Craig did brought discredit upon the Senate? I don't disagree with that. The question I would like to have answered is "Why are you letting Vitter off the hook?" Apparently, the Senate is OK with paid female hookers and not OK with no-cash man on man sex.

PageOneQ via AP: Senate Ethics Committee Says Idaho Sen. Larry Craig Acted Improperly in Men's Room Sex Sting:
The Senate Ethics Committee said Wednesday that Idaho Sen. Larry Craig acted improperly in connection with a men's room sex sting last year and had brought discredit on the Senate.

In a letter to the Republican senator, the ethics panel said Craig's attempt to withdraw his guilty plea after his arrest at a Minneapolis airport was an effort to evade legal consequences of his own actions.

Craig's actions constitute "improper conduct which has reflected discreditably on the Senate," the letter said.
Craig is bummed out and has no problem "disagreeing" with the truth, or so says Mr. I Am Not Gay:
In an e-mailed statement, Craig told The Associated Press he disagreed with the ethics panel's action.

"While I am disappointed and strongly disagree with the conclusions reached by the Senate Ethics Committee, from the outset I have encouraged the committee to act in a timely fashion and they have done so. I will continue to serve the people of Idaho," he said.
Everytime Craig says "Idaho" I think, "No, actually YOU-da-ho!"
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

No comment



What is wrong with Elaine Chao?
Visit our advertiser, ShameOnElaine, and find out!
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Sunday, February 10, 2008

From the inbox...

I get email:
Date: Feb 8, 2008 11:07 AM
To: contact_tips@blogactive.com

If McCain gets the GOP nod, who do you see as his running mate? I’d pay very close attention to Charlie Crist (R-Governor of Florida).

Someone needs to dive into this guy’s background. Has this “well groomed” man ever been married? I see quite a large Closet in the Gov’s manse in Tallahassee.
And I reply...
From: BlogActive
Date: Feb 10, 2008 9:33 AM

I can absolutely 1000000000% guarantee that Charlie Crist will not be running for VP...

By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Fun at Creating Change

Greetings from Detroit and the NGLTF Creating Change conference. There are over 1,500 LGBT activists gathered from all corners of the country. Local, statewide and national leaders are here and the fun meter is hitting the red zone...

Here's some of the fun folks I've seen around the conference....
Sean Strub and National Center for
Transgender Equality Executive
Director Mara Kiesling

Jeff Prior of the Alliance for Justice
Comedian Kate Clinton.

Former NGLTF Executive Director
and Arcus Foundation Executive Director
Urvashi Vaid and Bilerico's Bil Browning.

Me and Mara Kiesling

Creating Change director
Sue Hyde with Alexis Anderson
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Wednesday, February 06, 2008

All fixed...

Raise your hand if you are surprised that Ted Haggard decided to bail on his 'ex-gay' program. I'm sure James Dobson and Tony Perkins are just so disappointed in Teddy.

PageOneQ: Scandalized pastor Ted Haggard officially leaves New Life Church
New Life Church announced founder and former senior pastor Ted Haggard's official departure Tuesday night.

In November of 2006, Haggard resigned his leadership of the National Association of Evangelicals and tentatively let go of his post at the Church after Denver escort Mike Jones went public with accounts of his encounters with Haggard, which included gay sex and the acquisition and use of methamphetamines.

Haggard would soon after confess "sexual immorality," lodge a solemn apology and later, in January of 2007, enter a "restoration program" in Phoenix. After three weeks with "handlers" backed by Focus on the Family, Haggard would emerge with a proclamation that he had become "completely heterosexual."
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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Tuesday, February 05, 2008

It works...

The Larry Craigs of the world are easy ongoing targets. Despite an arrest in an airport sex sting, he still doesn't get it. And while he tries to change people's thinking by attacking "homosexual activists" and "radicals," his legacy -- in history and punchlines -- will long outlive him.

When warranted, however, our community is very forgiving...in fact, welcoming, even loving. It's in our nature. "Outed" politicians like Jim Kolbe and Steve Gunderson, both GOP former members of Congress, are well respected in the gay and political worlds. Kolbe, who recently left office, enjoys an LGBT fan base from both political parties. Gunderson now serves as head of the prestigious Council on Foundations.

Current elected officials are also coming around. Closeted gay Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and Charlie Crist, Florida's closeted Republican governor, has said the effort to amend the state's constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman is a waste of time and money. I suspect that as election day approaches, he will flat-out oppose the amendment -- stay tuned.

And then there's Dan Gurley. I really admire this guy now.

I felt a lot differently about Dan in the fall of 2004 when he was serving at the Republican National Committee as both the National Field Director and Deputy Political Director. In my original post about Dan, I wrote about fliers issued by the RNC that were so homophobic that I could not understand how any self-respecting gay man could hold such a job.

After my report on Dan he left the RNC; the big tent is actually more like a pup tent. And that was the end of the story. Or so I thought.

The following May, Dan spoke to Jake Tapper for a GQ article and, although he didn't profess to me my greatest fan, I really admired him for standing up and allowing his story and photograph to be run in what is one of the world's most recognized men's magazines. (The picture of Dan is from the article.)

Again, I thought it was the end of the story. Well, until I started to poke around in something totally unrelated, that is. I admire the folks at Equality North Carolina. They're a good team and they work incredibly hard on the goal of equality for all. I was showing a leader from another state group the NC site when I clicked on the about us section and a listing of the group's Board of Directors. Among those on the page: Dan Gurley.

Is Dan Gurley still a Republicans? Is he now a liberal Democrat? Does it matter? Not to me. What I do know is that the bricks on the road to equality can be laid by Democrats, Republicans, Independents and anyone else who wants to help pave the way. Having someone with Dan's experience and political connections on the board of a statewide group is exactly the kind of forward thinking our groups need to do.

I hope some day to meet Dan Gurley. I don't think we'll agree on everything, but I would tell him that having worked as a fund raiser for many years that his board service is among the community's most important work.

People who do bad things deserve to be called out and condemned. People who do good things should be praised and thanked. Thanks to Dan Gurley for his service to our community...It's nice to have him on board in this important struggle.
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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An extra delay...and we're off and runing...

It took me an extra couple of days to get back in touch... I can't get into all of the details, but down the everyone will say "Ahhhhhhhh... THAT's what he was up to?"

I'm going to be back blogging on a regular basis...

Thanks so much... next post: more proof on why this works.
By: Michael Rogers | permanent link
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