Friday, December 18, 2009

DC MARRIAGE EQUALITY


DC Mayor Adrian Fenty signs the marriage equality bill, this morning.

2 reasons why this is the best picture EVER...
1. Because of how freaking happy Fenty looks signing the bill.
2. Because of how many pens are sitting next to him on the desk...just in case the one he picks up doesn't work... 'This bill will get signed damnit - ink to paper.  Done.'
WASHINGTON D.C. FTW!!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

DC Passes Marriage Equality Bill! However...



The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. threatened to cut its city-supported social services, in protest, if the D.C. Council were to pass marriage equality. Those services include homeless shelters, food programs for needy families, and health services.

Go here to tell the Archbishop not to let his wrongful discrimination effect the lives of those in need.
https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=637

In the meanwhile, yay for DC -- let's hope they can keep it up.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Very Serious Problems in Uganda

Secretary Clinton responds to anti-homosexual legislation in Uganda...

As a brief overview, the Ugandan bill:

- increases the penalty for consensual homosexual conduct from 14 years to life in prison;

- limits the distribution of HIV/AIDS prevention information through a provision criminalizing the “promotion of homosexuality;”

- creates a crime of “aggravated homosexuality,” punishing anyone who is HIV-positive with death for having consensual same-sex relations, even if the relations are informed and safe and regardless of whether the person is even aware of his or her HIV status

- exposes anyone in Uganda, including HIV/AIDS outreach experts, to a criminal sentence for not reporting to the government within 24-hours anyone who engages in homosexual activity.

HRC suggests that we text the Secretary at 90822 with the following message...or something like it: “Thank you for condemning the anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda. Please continue to stand up for international LGBT human rights.”

My text message will probably be something more like: "Perhaps if the US would practice LGBT protection in our own country we could set a higher standard for the perception of homosexuality for the rest of the world"... but we'll see, I'm still working on it.

Read more... http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2009/12/secretary-clinton-responds-to-congressional-concern-about-uganda-text-message-her-to-show-your-support/

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

HURRY UP NJ!!


On Monday night, the NJ Senate Judiciary Committee passed the gay marriage bill. New Jersey was the first state to recognize civil unions, and has long been a leader in the gay rights movement. The question now is, can the senate pass this bill before January? At the beginning of 2010, Chris Christie, Republican, will take the seat of Democrat John Corzine. Christie has already said he would veto this bill if it ends up on his desk. That leaves a mere 24 days for the senate to pass this bill and get it to the desk of Corzine.

HURRY UP ALREADY!!

Read the HRC article about this here.

Friday, December 4, 2009

*Shoots Rainbows From Head*

Yes I'm that gay, sometimes at work a full rainbow forms above my head... Happy Friday!



Thursday, December 3, 2009

EPIC FAIL IN NY STATE

After some of the most solid statements and heartfelt pleas for marriage equality in the NY Senate yesterday, we found out that there are still 38 NY Senators who don't understand what their job actually is. 

Dear NY Senators,
Protecting the people you represent should be your number one priority. 

If you feel like reading more here's one of the NYTimes' top stories today... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/nyregion/03marriage.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The Night Meredith Baxter Started Breathing


Alex P. Keaton and I finally have something in common - we both have gay moms! Meredith Baxter came out to Matt Lauer this morning on the Today Show. "I guess I wanted to... say that I'm a lesbian. It was a later in life recognition of that fact." Meredith, who has been previously married to three men, didn't realize she was gay until she was 55. She is currently in a 4 year relationship with a contractor, Nancy Locke. I bet every time she looks at nancy her head is filled with these sweet words...

I bet we've been together for a millions years, and I bet we'll be together for a million more.
Oh it's like I started breathing on the night we kissed, and I can't remember what I ever did before.
What would we do baby, without us? What would we do baby, without us?
And there ain't no nothing we can't love each other through.
What would we do baby, without us? Sha na na na...


Tuesday, December 1, 2009

DC Council Passes Marriage Bill in First of Two Votes

Today the Council of the District of Columbia passed a bill 11 to 2 allowing same-sex couples to marry in DC!   The council must take a second vote, which if successful will send the bill to Mayor Adrian Fenty who will have ten days to approve it...fingers crossed.
Upon his signature, Congress will have thirty legislative days to intervene if they so choose before the bill becomes law.

Follow the story as it unfolds...
http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2009/12/dc-council-passes-marriage-bill-in-first-of-two-votes/

Gay-bashing woman humiliated for wearing hideous skirt

A corduroy skirt-wearing gay-hater was the spark that caused an impromptu gay-loving street protest. Chris Pesto is the student (left) who started the reverse protest. The lady looks very sad, and even more dykey. And here is where I wuss out, and paste some wonderful text from another website. :)

"I decided that because this woman thought it was okay to make me feel uncomfortable in my home, I would retaliate and make her feel just as uncomfortable, if not more.

This woman was wearing a ankle-length corduroy skirt, which, as we all know, is a fashion nono. So, in order to make her feel uncomfortable, I stood next to her and held a sign that said Corduroy skirts are a sin! I don't think I have ever drawn so much attention in my life. SO many people asked to take a picture with me, I got laughs, high fives and there were the few that even cursed off the woman standing behind me.

As I drew interest to what was going on with myself and the woman with the hateful sign, I started to draw a crowd that stood with me in support. Before I knew it I had 100+ people holding signs for gay rights asking people to honk their horns to support. I was interviewed by a news station, and more than 5 student organization papers, and the post standard of syracuse.

I never expected anybody to come stand by me and support and I appreciate it so much that everyone came! It meant so much and it proved to those ignorant people that we aren't afraid, and we will put up a fight.

I'm proud that Syracuse has such a homosexual friendly community."

Monday, November 30, 2009

Cyber-Dyke Sales You Don't Want to Miss



1. The Complete L Word Series On DVD! Only $146.49 at amazon today!

2. This amazing hat reading "Sorry I missed church, I was busy practicing witchcraft and becoming a lesbian."

3. Itty Bitty Titty Committee on DVD.
4. This HRC t-shirt!
5. A Subaru Outback

6. A rainbow flag

7. A stay at the Inn at Cook Street in Provincetown

8. A Rosie Cruise

9. Rainbow suspenders

10. A subscription to The Advocate or Curve Magazine

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers, brought to you by Katy's Kakes!  For those of you who don't know... our very own Pine Cone has started making amazing cakes - check out her turkey cake and visit her website!!

Looks like a real turkey, totally not though... it's actually cake.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The Muppets Do Queen, Because They're The Muppets...

I don't really think I need a justified reason to want to post this video here.  Enjoy!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Adam's AMA Crotch-tastic Performance

Did Adam Lambert hump too many faces, grab too many crotches, or creepily make out with someone for a few seconds too long?

HRC Buyers Guide

Black Friday is just around the corner, and The Human Rights Campaign Fund is your source for gay-friendly retailers.
590 companies were rated on a scale of 0 through 100 based on anti-discrimination protections, domestic partner benefits, diversity training, transgender-inclusive benefits, and external practices.
Some of the top rated retailers are Barnes & Noble, Target, Sears, Starbucks, and Apple. At the bottom of the list are Walmart, Radio Shack, Saks, and Blockbuster.
Click here to download the entire list.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Great Prize Pack & Great Music

Brendan Benson, of Raconteurs fame, and Cory Chisel, a brilliant new musician, are on tour together right now.  If you're looking to check out some chill new music I would recommend you start here.  http://www.brendanandcory.com/
If you happen to live in any of these places you should try to make it out to a show:













In addition to their great music and tour dates, they are giving away a signed guitar... and let's face it, I know you don't care that it's signed, unless you're a huge fan...  But why would you pass up the chance to win a free guitar?

Also, Brendan and Cory have hand picked a vinyl prize pack, some of their favorite titles...
http://www.brendanandcory.com/ check it out and enter.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Lesbian Loves Cats

So did Abe Lincoln, and lesbians love him too. But do you know why cats are so cool? Well, click here and find out for yourself.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Justice on a Federal Level

I've heard so many of my friends say this issue needs to be addressed on a Federal level... the time is now for everyone to do their part.

Join the more than 17,000 people who are already demanding that President Obama and Attorney General Holder act now to prevent future ballot measures designed to take away LGBT rights by asking the federal court to rule that Proposition 8 and similar measures violate the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Click the link to sign the petition:
http://www.eqca.org/enough  

There Really Isn't Liberty and Justice for All

With a little bit of malice in his voice, a young boy from Arkansas refuses to say the pledge of allegiance until gays can marry. When chided by his teacher, he replied, "with all due respect, go jump off a bridge." This boy is amazing.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Mormom Church Supports Gay-friendly Ordinance

The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints* is being praised by gays and lesbians for its open support of a local ordinance banning discrimination in housing and employment. The ordinance passed unanimously Tuesday night, making Salt Lake city the first city in Utah to adopt this kind of protection for gays and lesbians.
This is a far cry from the almost $200,000 donation last year to the Yes-on-8 campaign, but the Mormon church isn't changing its position on gay marriage. The church reveals in a statement that it is still, "unequivocally committed to defending the bedrock foundation of marriage between a man and a woman." They do believe, however, that fairness in where a person lives and works does not have anything to do with marriage.
Should a step in the right direction be praised, or should we be holding out praise until we get the full recognition of equality that we demand?

*The official Mormon church news website includes a "Style Guide note", which asks that the complete name of the church is used in the first reference. I obliged.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Ellen and Portia on Oprah

Ellen and Portia were on Oprah yesterday to talk about Ellen's December issue cover of O magazine. They also, as everyone does with Oprah, had a deep conversation about their relationship. Ellen looked like she might cry every time Portia opened her mouth. Oprah gave them a chance to make a great argument for gay marriage on primetime TV. They got to explain that being married feels different than dating, saying, "It feels like you're home. There's an anchor. There's a safety."

Monday, November 9, 2009

The Sanctity of Marriage


This one comes from Stacy. Thank you Stacy.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Y yo feet are stompin?

The theme of this weekend is PUMP UP THE JAM. Before every activity, you have to ask yourself, does this pump up the jam? If yes, then proceed. If no, then do not proceed.

Do these dances.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Garden State Equality

Many are regrouping after some serious setbacks in state elections yesterday.  There were a few 'upsets' by conservative republican candidates and Maine made the horrific decision to repeal marriage equality...

On a more positive front, Garden State Equality release television commercials last night, displaying persistence in the campaign to gain marriage equality in NJ. Take a look...


Friday, October 30, 2009

Happy Halloween...


Advertising Equality

This is rather refreshing after yesterday's post about an organization advertising inequality.

The GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising honors individuals and projects in the advertising and marketing industries for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Click here for this year's nominees!  And happy Friday!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Barking up the wrong tree...

As you may have seen recently, an organization for the 'preservation' of 'family' has had their advertisement plastered on our fantastically gay blog, Lesbian. The Know. 
I just felt as though I needed to address this openly because it really grinds my gears to see it.

Their message is completely lost on all of our readers and I actually find it amusing that they have chosen to spend their ad dollars buying gay keywords.  What's the logic behind that...?  Yea, we show our ads on gay websites... perhaps they'll give us money or change how they feel about equality.

Yea right.

I urge all of you web surfers to click on ads like this.  Click on them a few times.  As many times as your heart desires... they may not disappear immediately but I will tell you that each click costs that organization money, and over time you could cost them a lot.  It's kind of like a reverse donation... 

xo

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy

More Kid Creole and The Coconuts - I really hope that you enjoy this one.


KID CREOLE & The Coconuts - Annie ( I`m Not Your D… - MyVideo

Welcome to the Lifeboat Party, Child

Kid Creole and the Coconuts ladies and gents... This changed my life.  The end.

Tegan and Sara: Behind the Behind the Scenes

Rosie and Angelina, Sittin' in a Tree


Rosie O'Donnell has been hinting about her rocky relationship with partner Kelli Carpenter on her blog. Her reasons for being upset are big; she didn't know Kelli had a facebook page. Gasp! If I ever found out my wife had a facebook page that I didn't know about I would...well, poke her? Joking aside, I'm sure they are having real relationship issues, and I wish them the best of luck resolving them.
The real meat and potatoes of this story is about Angelina Jolie. Finally, we get to the good part. According to Rosie, "She gave me her phone number. We talked on the phone two or three times, but that was that. There was a tentative plan to have dinner that never came through."
Brace yourself, because it gets worse. "I was a little afraid of her. She's scary in a sexual kind of way. I have dreams about her a lot still." Did you just picture what I pictured?
Thankfully, that dinner date never happened. We could be saying Angelosie, or Rangelina in the blogosphere. Still, it might have worked out well. With Rosie's cruise lines, it would have been very easy to pop over to Africa to pick up another adopted child or two. Maybe Rosie's talk show would never have left the air if she could name drop Angelina Jolie like Ellen does with Portia. And Brad and Jen could have stayed together. Ahh, a girl can dream.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Ellen-Z

I got my own show
I get to be bossy
I got a hot wife
Her name is Portia de Rossi!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Charlize Theron Kisses a Woman for Charity

Charlize Theron made out with a female stranger for charity, earning a whopping $140,ooo!
When the bidding stalled at $37,000, Charlize yelled out, "For fucks sake, you can do better! I've got tits for God's sake!" She then offered up a 7 second kiss for $130,000 to a male bidder, but a female upped the bid to $140,000, and earned a 20 second kiss with Charlize. See for yourself.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Bat-Dyke


Last November, The DC Comics "Batman Detective" series killed off Batman, leaving Gotham City without a protector. He will likely be back in the future, but for now, he's being replaced by BatWoman - a red-headed lesbian badass in knee high stiletto boots.
Kathy Kane is her alter ego, and she's billed as, "a lesbian socialite by night and crime-fighter by later in the night". She began her reign this past June, and is still hard at work in Gotham city. Check out the DC Comics website for more information.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Fantastic Fall...New England Nostalgia

Took a Dunkin' Donuts break today at work...just really needed some coffee and needed it to be from DD.  Of course after getting there I needed a pumpkin flavored treat too.


Happy Fall.

A Case for Gay Rights

Monday, October 19, 2009

Texas Judge Throws Out Same-Sex Marriage Ban


Earlier this month, District judge Tena Callahan, a democrat, ruled that the Texas ban on gay marriage violates the Constitution. It came into question when two men who were married in Massachusetts tried to get a divorce in Texas.
Attorney General Greg Abbott has intervened, arguing that if gay marriage isn't recognized in Texas, it cannot be dissolved. Callahan says that her court "has jurisdiction to hear a suit for divorce filed by persons legally married in another jurisdiction." In March, 2003, a Texas court granted the dissolution of a civil union, only to reverse that decision shortly after Abbott challenged it. If this ruling stands, it would certainly break from all previous decisions.
The two men seeking the divorce are arguing that the state "is obviously confused or worried that the court, by granting this divorce, would somehow open the floodgates for same sex marriages to occur in the state. A divorce clearly ends a marriage."
I think it absolutely will open the floodgates. Any discussion of gay marriage is good discussion, whether it's supportive or not. Allowing the idea to grow stale will cause people to forget. It's important to keep reminding the nation that marriage is important to us, that we will not back down, and that we will continue to fight for equal rights until we have them.

Clementine


I just picked up the new Curve Magazine, and WHAT!? Clementine Ford is Cybill Shephard's real daughter? AND she's really gay? AND she's dating Linda Perry? Everyone probably already knew that, except me.
She was outed by Diva UK Magazine with a cover reading "Clementine Ford Comes Out", however she did not, and there is no mention of it in the article. It was the attention of that article that caused her to come out of the closet for real, and eventually open up about her relationship with Linda Perry (since when does Linda Perry look exactly like Ani?).
It must have been weird watching her mother kiss other women on the show. It was weird for me, and she isn't my mother.




Thursday, October 15, 2009

Franz Liszt Would Be So Proud...

I just have to post this because I'm shocked at how many people still don't know and love the new Phoenix record...  I know it's hard to search for on the internets but really...this is something you don't want to miss.  I promise you if you give it a chance it'll be one of your top 10 albums of the year.  That's a pretty serious promise. 

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The Gay Storm



-December 16th, 342 - The first laws against homosexual marriage were implemented by Contanstinius II and Constans of Rome, however they only pertained to marriage between men.

-390 - Valentinian II, Theodosius I, and Arcadius made homosexuality illegal, and those convicted of it were publicly burned alive.

-529 - The Christian Emperor Justinian I decided that famine, earthquakes, and pestilence existed because of gay sex. Funny, I saw a video about gays causing storms recently...

-693 - In Iberia, King Egica of Hispania and Septimania demanded that the Church issue a statement declaring that homosexuality would be punishable by castration, exclusion from communion, hair shearing, 100 lashes, and banishment into exile.

Steve Vai - Where the Wild Things Are

So, you may now know this but Steve Vai (fellow Berklee Grad) has a new CD/DVD out called 'Where the Wild Things Are'.  Yea fellow Berklee grad, as in he actually graduated.  Oh and he enjoyed his time there, or at least that's what he told me when he stopped by the office today to say hi.  He also told me a story about busking in Copley Square while he was in college back in the 1970's and how he would never make a single penny!  Can you believe it!?  Steve Vai couldn't make any money busking on the streets of Boston and now look at him. 


Me and Steve 10.13.09
My hair is ridiculous I know...

Bill Maher's New Rule: Another Solution

Thanks Bill Maher.  I decided to just put the whole thing here.  You can read it on The Huffington Post if you click here or just read it on Lesbian. The Know...

New Rule: Everyone deserves equal rights. That's why they're called "equal" and "rights." Tomorrow night President Obama will speak before a gay rights group, and on Sunday there will be a massive gay rally in Washington, or as I call it, the Million Mo March. Which makes this weekend the perfect time for Obama to announce he's repealing "don't ask, don't tell" and committing to a full-throated endorsement of gay marriage. One, because it's the right thing to do and two, because it will throw the conservative base into such a frenzied, pants-shitting panic that they'll drop all that BS about death panels and socialism and let us all get some actual work done.

But of course that's not going to happen. I can tell you what the president is going to tell his audience tomorrow: How much he supports them. How much he agrees with them. And how he wishes he was President so he could help them out. But here's the thing about being president. There isn't a lot you can do without either Congress, Oprah or Goldman Sachs behind you. But there is one thing the president can do with the stroke of a pen: He can let gays serve openly in the military. It's called an executive order. Harry Truman wrote one in 1948 for blacks in the military, and that was that.

"Don't ask, don't tell" has always been bad policy that was made out of a bullshit political compromise. You know, like you're doing now with health care. It never made sense to begin with: "Here in the Army we're all about honor. And trusting the man next to you. Now lie to my face about your sexuality, Johnson, or I'll report you behind your back." But forget all the good arguments for repeal, like because it was promised to us in the campaign or because it gets lonely on a submarine. Do it because it'll make Rush Limbaugh explode like a bag full of meat dropped from a helicopter. Do it because it'll make Sarah Palin go rogue in her pants.

Because here's the thing about today's conservatives: they're not bright. They can't keep a lot of ideas in their head at once. And by "a lot" I mean "two." If we can get them all worked up about fighting the gay menace, it will siphon away all that crazy, right wing, town-hall energy from all the other big issues they've been fighting. The tea-baggers don't know what the word "socialism" means. But they do know what the word "gay" means, because their hairdresser explained it to them once, and they don't like it. They will be drawn to it like a moth to a flamer. Bush was practically re-elected on a promise to keep boys from kissing. Which is ridiculous, because if you want to stop gays from having sex, wouldn't you let them get married?

But seriously, the sheer rage of the tea-baggers can be so easily redirected that some times I wonder if Rush doesn't just spin a giant wheel of hate every morning to come up with ACORN! William Ayers! Birth certificate! It's like faking throwing a stick for the dog. "War on Christmas." "Obama's talking to school children." And "gay" is the easiest stick to throw.

Health care and the environment are complicated, but it's not hard to keep track of the places that God allows you to put your pee-pee. I mean, you can count those places on one hand. And that hand isn't something you should be using either. A year ago, if you had asked your average wing-nut neighbor what he thought about health care reform, he would have shrugged his shoulders and gone right back to eating his Moon Pie. But he's pissed-off about it now, why? Because it's in their nature to be pissed-off. They have a pre-existing condition called the Conniption Fits. The tea-baggers have taught us all an important lesson in modern politics: If you want to be taken seriously, act like a fucking loony-tune.

In fact, let me explain how the right-wing mind works: wing-nuts get up in the morning, get their "news" from Fox or Drudge, and then spend all morning drinking coffee and getting all worked up about whatever Fox and Drudge tell them to get worked up about. "Mexicans - Grrr! Socialism - Grrr! Van Jones - I don't know who he is, but sure... Grrrrrr!" By the time Rush comes on at noon, they're ready to just start demanding we build a wall around Andy Dick. And when Glenn Beck shows up at five, they're seeing red - right through the blue from the Viagra.

But while Glenn is busy explaining to his viewers that when he cries it's a butch thing, Obama and the Democrats can sweep in under the gaydar and pass real health care and real climate change bills. This is how we fight fire with Fire Island. When Obama speaks tomorrow, he should not only revoke "don't ask, don't tell," but also change our military's slogan to "An Army of Buns." And starting next year, gay busing. Yes, if there aren't any gay families in your community, we'll bring them to you. Your field hockey team can thank us later.

And when they get out there on Sunday, Gay Nation also needs to do everything in their power to scare the hell out of right-wing homophobes. I want to see you guys rollerblading down the Mall in nothing but a speedo and a nun's habit, holding a sparkler in one hand and a penis popsicle in the other.

sell the vatican...FEED THE WORLD!


Thanks Sarah...

Friday, October 9, 2009

Ellen's Hair

Ellen's hair got really amazing this season. Am I wrong? No, I'm not. Now I want to cut all my hair off. And have Ellen's same face shape. And wear vest and blazers. With sneakers. And get gay married - oh wait I already am. And have a day time talk show. And change my name to Katy Dereallynice. One joke too far? Yes, yes it was.

Was (Not Was) - Walk The Dinosaur

I'm going to interrupt gay history month again with quite possibly one of my favorite childhood memories...because it's Friday and because I am excited to visit Boston this weekend and see my Darlings.
Major labels suck and have disabled embedding of this video but believe me it's totally worth being redirected to YouTube.


Happy Friday peoples.

Romo-sexuals


With the rise of the Roman Empire came the first recorded gay marriages. What, you say? They first gay marriages weren't performed in Massachusetts in 2004? Well then, the first gay marriage was certainly in California, 1964. Wrong again? Yep.
The first gay marriages were recorded sometime around 27 A.D., during the reign of Augustus of Rome. In 54 A.D, Nero became Emperor, and was reported to have married at least 2 men. The first, a boy named Sporus, was castrated by Nero in an attempt to make him a woman. They were married with all the usual ceremonies, including a dowry and a bridal veil. The second man Nero married was his freed slave, Doryphorus. In their relationship, Nero was the 'bride', going so far as to imitate the cries of a virgin on her wedding night. Gross. I'm sorry I typed that, but it's true.
In 218 A.D., Elagabalus began his reign as Emperor. He married an athlete named Zoiticus in a public ceremony in Rome. He was said to be very fond of being called the Queen of Hierocles, and went so far as to offer vast sums of money for a doctor who could perform a sex change operation on him.
And this ends our early period of gay tolerance.Aside for a few exceptions, the next 1500 years of history are very homophobic.

Monday, October 5, 2009

a homo history lesson

|
| - 435 B.C.E. Aristophanes publishes a series of satires that ridicule effeminate men and transvestites. It was perfectly okay to be a big homo, but you just had to be really manly about it. In fact, he didn't much like anyone who was effeminate, including women. Maybe the bull dykes were ok in his eyes?
|
|
| - 385 B.C.E. Plato publishes his Syposium, which argues that love between males was freaking great, and love with women was lustful and only for reproduction.
|
|
| - 350 B.C.E. Plato publishes Laws which completely contradict his Symposium; Homos are bad this time, and only straight people are responsible citizens.
|
|
| - 338 B.C.E. Thebes had it's own army made up of only gay male couples. The theory was that lovers would fight more fiercely and cohesively than strangers.
|
|
| - 326 B.C.E. Alexander the Great, a homo, conquers the Western world and establishes gay-friendly Hellenistic kingdoms.
|

Sunday, October 4, 2009

WTF, Why Shane...Why??

We interrupt gay history month to bring you this special report...
A member of The L Word has survived the season finale and is now sharing her acting skills in the ER...



I'm not going to give you false hope, watching this video will mostly likely not make you want to tune in to CBS at 9PM tonight.  Unless of course you're curious to see if Kate will be playing a lesbian doctor.  Fingers crossed ladies...

Friday, October 2, 2009

Sappho of Lesbos


In today's installment of gay history, we bring you the story of Sappho, the ancient Greek poet of love. Born somewhere around 630BCE, Sappho is known as the first female poet of importance. She was wildly popular during her time, but sadly her ten books of poetry have since been lost. All that remains are fragments and references to her poetry by others.
Sappho ran a school for young women, and there is speculation that she had romantic feelings feelings for many of them, as evidenced by her poetry. She was not, however, strictly attracted to women; much of her writing was about men.
She lived in Mytilene on the island of Lesbos, which is where the modern world lesbian was derived. It did not take on it's meaning of homosexuality pertaining to women until the 19th century. The word Sapphic was derived from her name as well.

"Immortal Aphrodite of the shimmering thone, daughter of Zeus, weaver of wiles, I pray thee crush not my spirit with anguish and distress, O Queen. But come hither if ever before thou didst hear my voice afar, and hearken, and leaving the golden house of thy father, camest with chariot yoked, and swift birds drew thee, their swift pinions fluttering over the dark earth, from heaven through mid-space. Quickly they arrived; and thou blessed one with immortal countenance smiling didst ask: What now is befallen me and why now I call and what I in my heart's madness, most desire. What fair one now wouldst thou draw to love thee? Who wrongs thee Sappho? For even if she flies she shall soon follow and if she rejects gifts, shall soon offer them and if she loves not shall soon love, however reluctant. Come I pray thee now and release me from cruel cares, and let my heart accomplish all that it desires, and be thou my ally."

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Khnumhotep & Niankhkhnum


Welcome to Gay History Month! For the entire month of October, we will be posting about important events in gay history. Check back often for updates! Now let's head waaay way back to the 24th century BCE.

Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum are considered to be the first recorded same-sex couple in the history books. The tomb of these two was discovered in 1964 by an Egyptologist named Ahmed Moussa in the necropolis at Saqqara, Egypt. It is very rare to find men of equal status buried in the same tomb.
They were royal servants, and shared the title of Overseer of the Manicurists in the palace of King Niuserre. In their joint tomb, they are marked as "royal confidants". In wall paintings found in the tomb, the two are seen holding hands, and posing with their arms around each other. In the most prolific, they are embracing with their noses touching, in the most intimate pose allowed in Egyptian art. Nose touching was considered a form of kissing.
Niankhkhnum means "joined to life", and Khnumhotep means "joined to the blessed state of the dead". Combined, they names can be translated as "joined in life and joined in death".
The tomb was opened to the public in 1990, and has since become a huge gay tourist attraction.

Happy Birthday T-Pain!


September 30: The great rap artist T-Pain celebrates his 26th birthday today.
T-Pain was born in Florida, the "T" is for Tallahassee.  T-Pain has released three auto-tune laden hit albums, his second, "Epiphany," features the number one single "Buy U A Drank."  T-Pain is also featured on the cult classic, "I'm On A Boat".

Also, if you are one of the powerful and magical owners of the iPhone and you haven't downloaded T-Pain's auto-tune app yet...you're crazy.  Do it now.

Emily and NEYO

I recently downloaded the Celebrity Playlist podcast from itunes, which had an episode by the Indigo Girls. The podcast asks celebrities what their favorite 10 songs are, and in this episode both Emily and Amy contributed 10 songs. Amy's list included some folk, rock, and (of course) Prince.
Emily, on the other hand, couldn't have picked songs farther away from what I had expected. Her list included MIA, Sia, Rihanna, NeYo, Public Enemy, and some new rap I had never heard of. It made me immediately feel like everything I have ever assumed about Emily is wrong, and it probably is. I was compelled to do a little research on Ms. Emily, and here's what I found.
Emily is the co-owner of Watershed restaurant in Decatur, Georgia.
The menu is upscale southern food, including fried catfish with hush puppies, okra pancakes with yellow squash and cucumber salad, and pimento cheese sandwiches. For desert they serve warm cookies and milk, which I imagine would be the best milk and cookies ever.
Aside from the restaurant, Emily has co-written a book with her father Don, a theology professor at Emory University, called A Song to Sing, a Life to Live: Reflections on Music as Spiritual Practice.
She also scored the short film One Weekend a Month, which is perfectly gorgeous and delicate. She certainly has another career option if she every gets tired of touring.

But seriously though, she loves NEYO, and that makes me love her. How wonderful would it be to run into her at a Neyo concert?

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Wyclef Jean Goes to College

Grammy winner Wyclef Jean is going to college to further his education.  I know you're wondering which college exactly - well I'll tell you, or I'll let him tell you...

"I am enrolling in Berklee College in Boston to get my bachelor's degree in music!" -Wyclef Jean

Imagine sitting next to him in ear training class...

In addition to going back to school Wyclef will be releasing an album on Nov 10 (and guess who get's to work on it...me).

Friday, September 25, 2009

The Funniest Protest Signs of '09

You MUST read these protest signs. They make me love americans again. Here's one to wet your whistle (and I promise to never say that phrase again, but you have to promise read the signs. Deal?). Huffington Post: Funniest Protest Signs of '09.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Paul Abdul pokes fun at Ellen

Paula Abdul danced her way into The VH1 Divas show, doing a pretty spot-on impersonation of Ellen. Was it a jealous attempt at revenge, or simply a good humored joke?

I'm pregnant! It's not yours...


Time for some more lolz.  As always Ellen brings them...
all night long. (all night)
all night long. (all night)
all night long. (all night)
all night long. (all night)
all night long. (all night)
all night long. (all night)
...alright you get the idea...

Lesbian de-motivation


That's right kids. Lesbian lizards...err...having sex?...is very serious business.



Wednesday, September 23, 2009

No Moleste!


Just because... well because it's Tig.  And it's hump day.  And we all need to laugh.  The end. Period. Are you scared?

Monday, September 21, 2009

Juliette Lewis & the thetans...

So, went to see Juliette Lewis play The Fillmore in NYC this past Saturday. First of all she's a rockstar. As Elspeth has pointed out, clearly Peaches and WonderWoman had a baby in vetro... and named her Juliette Lewis. Secondly, I find this whole odd connection between Scientology and amazing musicians to be quite startling... 
Perhaps thetans are phenomenal entertainers...perhaps... in that case I wish more artists would go get themselves audited.  Anyway, not to shamelessly promote but Juliette has a new CD out called, Terra Incognita, and well...it's really good, because she's a Scientologist. hah. 

J Lewis crowd surfing at The Fillmore, NYC 9.19.09

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Bonny and Read: Lesbian Pirates


Ahoy readers! In light o' national natter like a pirate day, I brin' ye a tale o' true lesbian love.

Anne Bonny is perhaps the most famous of all female pirates. Her adventures begin when she and her husband, John 'Calico Jack' Rackham, moved to an island in the Bahamas. New Providence was a British-controlled island, known to be a haven for pirates. It was here that Anne met her new best friend Pierre Bouspeut, who was most certainly gay. Pierre ran a coffee shop, was a hairdresser, but was most notably a dressmaker.
Anne and Pierre got word that a richly laden merchant ship would be sailing by New Providence. They procured an abandoned ship, covered its sails in turtle blood, and put a dress-making dummy on the front of the ship. Then, they set sail for the merchant ship. When the crew saw the demonic ship approaching, the were so terrified that they willingly gave up all of their cargo. After this first pirating success, Anne, Pierre, and Calico Jack made a career out of it.
After many years of pirate adventures, the King of England offered pardons to all pirates who would give up their lifestyle and agree to reform. The three eventually agreed, and made a home in the countryside of New Providence. This is where Anne meets Mary Read, also known as 'Mark'.
Long ago, Mary's mother dressed her as a boy to claim insurance on her deceased son, Mark. Mary took a liking to this cross dressing, and began to live as Mark on her own accord. She joined the army as a foot soldier, and eventually signed on to a merchant ship as Mark Read. That ship was overtaken by pirates, whom she was persuaded to join. She was later pardoned by the king, and sent back to New Providence to make a new life.
Anne and Mary were fast friends. They soon re-formed their pirating crew, where the two were hardly ever apart. At this time, Calico Jack was still under the assumption that Mary was 'Mark', a male. Jack became jealous of the close friendship shared between the two. One day, he burst into the cabin to find Mary stretched out on Anne's bed, not fully clothed and clearly a woman.
Mary and Anne remained inseparable until they were captured by Captain Barnet, who sent them to jail. Both women pretended to be pregnant in order to avoid the death penalty, which worked like a charm. Unfortunately, the two did not escape and live happily ever after as wife and wife. Mary died of pneumonia in jail, and it seems Anne completely disappeared, never to be seen again.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

POP QUIZ!

So you think you remember all the characters of the L word? Including their first and last names? Take the quiz!

Write down your answers on a separate piece of paper. NO CHEATING! Then put your answers in a comment. Please and thank you for playing. The winner receives a free 3 full minutes of me thinking nice thoughts for you.
1. Karina Lombard 2. Eric Mabius 3. Dallas Roberts 4. Cybill Shephard 5. Marlee Matlin 6. Daniela Sea

7. Sarah Shahi 8. Erin Daniels 9. Leisha Hailey 10. Mia Kirshner 11. Jennifer Beals 12. Laurel Holloman

13. Rose Rollins 14. Katherine Moennig 15. Eric Lively 16. Pam Grier 17. Rachel Shelley 18. Janina Gavankar (who knew?)