Gay & Lesbian News: March 2007 Archives

"Project Runway" and the indy film "Quinceanera" were the big winners at the annual GLAAD media awards this year, but it was Patti LeBelle and "Dreamgirl" Jennifer Hudson who took the spotlight.

R&B singer LaBelle received a special achievement award, presented by Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson, for championing gay and lesbian rights and participation in the fight against AIDS.

"I didn't know you were this nice," LaBelle told Hudson at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's 18th annual media awards. "I thought you were a bitch," she joked, noting that she had never met Hudson before their joint appearance.

LaBelle spent most of her acceptance speech praising Hudson, a losing "American Idol" contestant who won an Oscar last month for her debut portrayal of a pop singer in the musical "Dreamgirls."

In a passing-of-the-torch moment that brought a cheering audience to its feet, the pair launched into an a cappella rendition of "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." Hudson appeared astonished by LaBelle's tribute, saying "You are who I idolize."

The GLAAD awards were held Monday night. Other celebrity presenters included Oscar nominee Julianne Moore, "Sex and the City" actress Cynthia Nixon, director John Waters, pop singer Hilary Duff, and former basketball professional John Amaechi, who recently came out as the first openly gay National Basketball Association player. 

HBO's "All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise," about Rosie O'Donnell's groundbreaking gay family cruises won the documentary award.

Rosie gave a nod to tennis legend Billie Jean King, subject of another nominated documentary, saying "if it hadn't been for Billie Jean King, there wouldn't have been a gay movement."

The soap opera "All My Children," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Nightline," along with The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Details Magazine and columnist Frank Rich were also honored.

Staten Island has elected its first openly gay candidate making Matthew Titone the fourth openly gay person to serve on the New York State Legislature.

Titone received 2,888 votes, over 1000 more than his nearest competitor.  As we first told you earlier this week, his victory was really no surprise.

Titone, a democrat, will join Deborah Glick, Daniel O'Donnell and Tom Duane in Albany, all openly gay elected officials. 

New York's Governor Elliot Spitzer is also extremely gay friendly.  He recently appointed Sean Patrick Maloney, an openly gay man, as his first deputy secretary.  Maloney also ran for NY attorney general last year. 

After dating for more than four years, journalist Antonio Medina, 38, and economist Jorge Cerpa, 31, signed documents that officially recognized them as a couple under a banner that read: "Civil Union Law: Your right to choose."

Medina and Cerpa were the first gay couple united under Mexico City's new Civil Union Law. 

The new law grants same-sex couples inheritance rights and social benefits similar to those enjoyed by married heterosexual couples. It reflects a growing acceptance of homosexuality in what has traditionally been a macho society, as well as a willingness by Mexico City - the second municipality in the country to legalise same-sex unions - to join the international debate on gay 'marriage'.

Congratulations to these two and hopefully many more who will become 'husband and husband' under this new law!!

The same people who have banned gays from marching in the New York City St. Patrick's day parade have just banned New York's bravest too!  The fire fighters will still get to march, but they won't lead the parade as they usually do.

The chief organiser of the annual St Patrick's Day parade in New York, which takes place today, has incensed the city's firemen by accusing them of turning up drunk and making the Irish look bad.

Members of New York's fire department - many of whom are Irish-Americans - will no longer be marching at the head of the 246-year-old parade after they were accused of skipping planning meetings, ignoring direction and spending the day getting drunk.

Many New Yorkers revere their firemen - popularly dubbed "The Bravest" - as the heroes of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the city. The slur on their good name has caused widespread anger and prompted interventions all the way up to Michael Bloomberg, the mayor.

Isn't this holiday all about getting drunk?  I thought that was the purpose of this parade.

During his radio address the Mayor said,

"Usually, I march with the Police Department the whole way. This time, I'll try to march with the Fire Department as much of the whole way as I can. My advice to the guy running the parade is: Look, nothing's perfect. Lighten up! You have rules. Rules are there to be guidelines. Don't enforce 'em at this level."

Many members of the New York City council are marching in Dublin to support openly gay city council speaker Christine Quinn who is not welcomed to march in NYC due to her sexual orientation.

Can we ban the whole parade and start over??

Gay rights activists demonstrated outside the Times Square Army recruiting center in Manhattan on Thursday to denounce recent comments made by a senior U.S. military official.

New Jersey's former gay Governor James McGreevey lead members of 'ACT UP New York', an AIDS coalition, and other groups as they protested remarks made by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace.

"He's chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and ironically, his statement was a blessing in so far as it ripped apart the façade of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell', 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' at it's core says gays are second class citizens. If you're truthful as to who you are, you'll be discharged," said McGreevey.

While speaking to the Chicago Tribune Monday, Pace called homosexual acts, "immoral" and said the United States was "not served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral."

Now he is basically eating his words.

General Peter Pace, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, says he regrets saying that homosexuality was "immoral" saying his remarks reflected only his personal opinion. 

General Pace started the controversy by telling the Chicago Tribune that the military should not condone immoral acts, such as homosexual relations.  However, he still really hasn't apologized.

"I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts," Gen. Pace said in an interview.

His remarks sparked protest from a diverse array of people, including gay activists, democrats, and a senior republican senator.

Robert Gates, defense secretary, commented:

"I think personal opinion really doesn't have a place here. What's important is that we have a...statute that governs 'don't ask, don't tell'. That's the policy of this department and it's my responsibility to execute that policy as effectively as we can. As long as the law is what it is, that's what we'll do."

The Service members Legal Defense Network, a group that supports lifting the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, said Gen. Pace's comments were ­"outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful to the 65,000 lesbian and gay troops serving in our armed forces".

How do such stupid people get such powerful positions??

Cyndi Lauper

Lauper said that she believes more Americans would be supportive of equal rights for gays if they knew the discrimination they faced.

The tour will kick off in Las Vegas on June 8 and end in Los Angeles on June 30.

One dollar from each ticket sold will go to benefit the Human Rights Campaign.

From gay porn star to Marine Corporal, that's the story for Matt Sanchez, also known in the gay porn world as Rod Majors or Pierre LaBranche.  His story came out this week, and in a day of "don't ask, don't tell" this could change how right-wing conservatives look at their boy wonder.

Cprl Sanchez told bloggers this past week that he is glad this has all come out in the open, but he pledges his past is somewhere he'll never go again.

"I've moved forward a lot and this past stuff is not something I want to drag into my future," Sanchez, 36, now a student at Columbia University, told blogger Joe.My.God.

"Boyfriends: 0; fiancées: 2; wife: 1. I'd say I'm pretty bad at being gay," Sanchez said.

So basically it is ok to act gay and take it up the butt, and as long as you aren't really gay then you can serve in the military and become a Republican poster boy.  Interesting how that works, isn't it? 

The Human Rights Campaign is firing back at right wing servant, Ann Coulter, after she used the word "faggot" while referring to Presidential candidate John Edwards.

As we told you earlier, some papers have already dropped the column.  Now, the HRC is asking you to write the big wigs at Universal Press to encourage them to drop Coulter all together.

Send a clear message to Lee Salem, Executive Vice President and Editor, Universal Press that providing a platform for Ann Coulter to spout anti-gay rhethoric by syndicating her column  must stop now.

Those interested are asked to send the text below in a letter to Mr. Salem

I respectfully write to you today asking that you no longer provide a platform for a person who has proven she will flippantly use hate speech for a cheap laugh.

As the largest independent newspaper syndicate in the world, you have a responsibility to the American people, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans, not to become a platform for this type of shameful discourse.

Please put a stop to her hateful speech by no longer carrying Ann Coulter as a syndicated columnist.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.

You can send this letter directly from the HRC website.  Looks like this could be the first step to banning the "F-Word."

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton told the Human Rights Campaign in an unplublicized speech that she wants a partnership with gays if elected president.

Clinton also said she opposes the ``don't ask, don't tell'' policy pertaining to gays in the military that was instituted during Mr. Clinton's presidency.  Before that, gays were stictly prohibited from serving in the military at all.

This is the first effort from any Democratic presidential candidate to reach out to the LGBT community.  Republican contender Rudy Guiliani, on the other hand, openly supports gay marriage.

Get more Gay & Lesbian News while you're here at GaySocialites.com

George Michael will be the first artist to play in the new Wimbley stadium. 

Gay George will take the stage on June 9th to mark the end of construction after 7 years of work to build a 90,000 seat stadium.

Georgie has marked some memorable performances at Wembley including Live Aid in 1985, Wham's farewell concert with Andrew Ridgeley in 1986, the Nelson Mandela concert in 1998 and the Freddie Mercury tribute concert in 1992.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn won't be marching in the Big Apple's St. Patrick's Day parade as usual out of protest.  I admire Speaker Quinn for refusing to participate in the parade, because its organizers refuse to allow gay and lesbian groups to march. 

This year, Speaker Quinn will march in Dublin Ireland's parade.  Quinn is an Irish-American and is the first openly gay council speaker.  She was personally invited by officials in Dublin.  She along with other city council members will join the lord mayor of Dublin, the speaker of the Lower House of the Irish Parliament, and Dublin City Council members for the celebration.

"My participation in Dublin's parade is also an opportunity to march openly as a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community, something we have not been able to do in New York City," Quinn said in a statement Sunday. "I hope my participation in the Dublin march will send a message about the importance of inclusion."

Other city officials like Mayor Bloomberg have also been known to snub the parade for this same reason. 

Get more Gay & Lesbian News while you're here at GaySocialites.com

I HEARD that Mexican Catholics are all in an uproar over one of their highly popular boy banders coming out of the closet.  I'm surprised anyone ever thought he was straight.  One look at Christian Chavez, and you know he's a 'mo... gaydar or no!  

Chavez is one of six members of a Mexican pop band called RBD.   It's like the equivalent of Lance Bass coming out in America, really. 

He came out after a gossip blog released pictures of Chavez in a commitment ceremony with his male partner in Canada.

I HEARD that Catholic priests were encouraged to work homosexuality into their sermons today at churches across the tiny country.

Fuck that!  The gay "disease" is coming, Mexico.  Brace yourself.  Before you know it you'll be a fabulous little country.  AHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Get more Gay & Lesbian News while you're here at GaySocialites.com