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President Obama referenced the LGBT community’s struggle in his inaugural address tonight, mentioning both his dedication to equality in America and, specifically, to making sure LGBT service members receive fair treatment.
In his speech, the President remarked that it America’s duty to fulfill the promise that “if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead—no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love.”
In an address that covered gun violence, climate control, voting rights and women in combat, Obama promised to “ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their families – gay and straight.”
The President also urged the House to give the thumbs up to the version of the Violence Against Women Act that the Senate approved today, one that includes provisions for LGBT victims as well.
Our cause was clearly on the minds of the First Family and congressional Democrats tonight: Tracey Hepner, co-founder of the Military Partners and Families Coalition, sat with First Lady Michelle Obama, while Kelly Costello and her wife, Fabiola Morales, were invited as guests of Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the lead sponsor of the Uniting American Families Act.
Hepner , who works for the Department of Homeland Security, is married to the Armed Force’s first openly gay general, Army Brig. Gen. Tammy Smith.
Costello and Morales, who is Peruvian, are a binational same-sex couple and when Morales’ student visa expires next year, she will have to leave the U.S., even though Costello is pregnant.
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Together for almost 2 years :). Valentines Day is going to be amazing!
Today, the bubbly host of VH1′s Big Morning Buzz chatted with openly gay Weeds alum and Scandal star Guillermo Diaz about being naked and wearing a “ding-a-ling sack” on set. While the “ding-a-ling sack” served to protect his privates (and his pride), the Latino beefcake opted to go commando and bare all for those tedious NSFW closeups. Woof!
Also mentioned: anal probing and getting high on the set of Half Baked. Totally meta, brah.
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Surrounded by nature while celebrating 11 years together….. Looking to another 100 years of bliss
The first excerpts form Obama's State of the Union address have been released, including this nugget:
rr“It is our generation’s task, then, to reignite the true engine of America’s economic growth – a rising, thriving middle class.
It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country – the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love.
rIt is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it encourages free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and opens the doors of opportunity to every child across this great nation of ours.”
rWe'll see what else the speech has in store at 9 pm EST.
Diana Medley, the Special Ed. teacher at Sullivan High School in Indiana, has been all over the news for her remarks about gays and her support of students who want a prom that is heterosexual only.
rWhat Medley to WTWO:
rDiana Medley is a special education teacher in town. She doesn't believe anyone is born gay. "I believe that it was life circumstances and they chose to be that way; God created everyone equal," said Medley.
r"Homosexual students come to me with their problems, and I don't agree with them, but I care about them. It's the same thing with my special needs kids, I think God puts everyone in our lives for a reason," said Madley.
"So the same goes for gays? Do you think they have a purpose in life?"
"No I honestly don't. Sorry, but I don't. I don't understand it. A gay person isn't going to come up and make some change unless it's to realize that it was a choice and they're choosing God," said Medley.
rNow, the principal from Billy Madison, played by longtime SNL writer James Downey, has something to say to her in this mash-up.
rWatch, AFTER THE JUMP...r
r(via reddit)
rrr
President Obama delivers the 2013 State of the Union address. The program should start just before 9 pm ET.
rWatch LIVE, AFTER THE JUMP...r
r
The Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act this morning and, for the first time in two decades, the revised version of the routinely-revised act will include special provisions for gays and lesbians, immigrants and Native American women.
The White House also supports the bill, claiming the government grants it provides to state and local authorities directly influenced a 67% decline in intimate partner violence between 1993 and 2010.
If reauthorized by the House, the new law would provide service to LGBT victims of domestic violence regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, include the LGBT community in larger grant programs, and provide funding for programs that assist in providing LGBT outreach in underserved populations.
But support from the White House and a majority vote in the Senate doesn’t hold weight in the GOP-controlled House, which could likely act as a stronghold against passing the bill into law. A few House douchebags are still hung up on VAWA’s inclusion of the LGBT community, but a provision regarding Native American women and tribal court procedure is expected to take priority in House discussions.
Not all hope is lost! Seventeen House Republicans have already sent a letter to Speaker John Boehner, begging the GOP top dogs to follow the Senate’s precedent and swiftly approve the new bill.
Swift action in the House? We’ll believe it when we see it!
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All shook up
25 lascivious "Harlem Shake" videos.
Gay-free prom sought because gays "have no purpose in life."
Madonna's hydrangea prankster sneaks into Grammys.
French Nat'l Assembly passes marriage equality.
Gay serial killer in NYC?
Facebook "Bareback" page has 20,209 likes.
"Does staring at men in the gym make me gay?"
Another "litany of left-wing proposals."
Senate passes Violence Against Women Act.
Marco Rubio supports violence against women?
AP: "Husband" and "wife" are restricted terms.
Puerto Rican Eagle Scouts return badges over anti-gay policy.
Your hunk of the day, Justice Joslin.
Do you seek Justice?
Drag legend Jackie Beat makes a living ripping people a new one, but now she needs two new ones...we're talking about hips here. Since Jackie has no health insurance and is facing a $50,000 bill to have both hips replaced, a veritable who's-who of Downtown denizens is banding together for a once-in-a-lifetime (unless the new hips wear out, too) benefit called Hip Hip Hooray: A Bone-A-Fit for Jackie Beat.
Republicans probably think this is how it should always be done. Anything but universal health care!
The March 3 benefit features Debbie Harry, Joan Rivers, Sherry Vine, Parker Posey, Murray Hill, The Glamazons, Lady Bunny, Frank DeCaro, The World Famous Bob, Formika, DJ Miss Guy and Fred Schneider—get tickets here before they go the way of Jackie's worn-out body parts.
We can rebuild her!
Lady Gaga has postponed both her Chicago shows, her Detroit stop and a Hamilton, Ontario, show due to a battle with "a severe inflammation of the joints." On Twitter, she says:
"I hope you can forgive me, as it is nearly impossible for me to forgive myself. Im devasted [sic] & sad"
Gay soldiers may have won the right to serve openly in the military, but groups in dissent are still stirring the pot and have proven they’ll literally take this issue to their graves.
In a memo released yesterday by an Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Defense reports the implementation of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is “essentially completed.” The announcement also published a list of “20 educational, survivor, and travel and transportation benefits” that are now open to same-sex spouses of service members, one of which includes the honor of being buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
The American Family Association is enraged at the thought of gay couples eternally lying in the hallowed grounds of Arlington, and posted a call-to-action on their website accusing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta of “exposing the military to open homosexuality, which presents an unacceptable risk to good order, discipline, morale and unit cohesion.”
The Association—which prides itself on promoting “traditional values”—has urged people to contact members of Congress to let them know they’ve “allowed the security of our nation to be endangered by focusing on social experimentation.”
We’re not sure how a lifeless body could present an unacceptable risk to good order, but then again, the American Family Association is just that.
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