what have you done for me lately?

democratic national committee treasurer andrew tobias provides a list of 42 accomplishments of the obama administration and the democratic congress toward lgbt equality.

the procedural whimper

gail collins gets it right on don't ask, don't tell.

grampa has the gayest hissy fit ever

this is a crazy person who needs to go home and go to bed.

the courage of the u.s. senate

spencer ackerman asks a friend his thoughts about today's senate vote on don't ask, don't tell. a friend who is gay. and serving in the navy:

"Before I joined the Navy, I never would have thought that a bunch of drunk straight Sailors hitting on overweight lesbians in the gay bar on Neil Road in Singapore had more personal courage than the United States Senate."

52% want me to be able to marry

andrew sullivan finds a silver lining in the latest associated press poll that shows rampant distrust of government and institutions:

While distrust of most institutions has grown, and Americans are in a foul mood, the latest AP poll found that 52 percent now favor full civil marriage rights for gay couples, and 58 percent support the same rights in every respect as heterosexual couples. President Obama, and those Democrats who do not have the balls to repeal DOMA, let alone the GOP base, are now in a minority in opposing marriage equality.

don't ask, just call

call your senator tonight, or tomorrow morning. call.

obama honors mama

an excerpt from the president's proclamation honoring mothers and mother's day:

"Whether adoptive, biological, or foster, mothers share an unbreakable bond with their children, and Americans of all ages and backgrounds owe them an immeasurable debt.

Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by two parents, a single mother, two mothers, a step-mom, a grandmother, or a guardian. Mother's Day gives us an opportunity to celebrate these extraordinary caretakers, mentors, and providers who have made us who we are. As we honor today's mothers, we also reflect upon the memory of those who have passed, and we renew our commitment to living the values they cultivated in us."

they're not a bunch of pussies

Senior Pentagon leaders on Friday warned Congress not to tamper with the ban on gays serving openly in the military until they can come up with a plan for dealing with potential opposition in the ranks.

"Our military must be afforded the opportunity to inform us of their concerns, insights and suggestions if we are to carry out this change successfully," Gates and Mullen wrote to the panel's chairman, Missouri Democrat Ike Skelton.

yes, let's take a poll. put out the suggestion box.

the commander in chief can send our young men and women into war, send them to kill, but he can't order them to serve alongside an openly gay person? bullshit. the military is not made up of wimps. these are strong, smart, dedicated soldiers who obey orders. and they'd obey this one.

no bearing on a member's ability to perform

60% of iraq / afghanistan vets say don't ask, don't tell repeal is not a big deal.

treated with dignity and respect

from the aclu of pennsylvania:

The Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee today voted against legislation to amend the state constitution to ban same sex marriage. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania hailed the vote as a victory for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in the commonwealth.

"The efforts to embed discrimination against LGBT people into our constitution have failed for a third time," said Andy Hoover, legislative director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, citing failed attempts to pass similar legislation in 2006 and 2008. "This committee today recognized that LGBT people are our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends, and our family members and that they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect."

(hat tip pam's house blend)

quote of the day

"I'm not sure that [soldiers on the ground in the field care one way or the other if their comrade in arms are gay or lesbian.]

You heard Gen. Powell who was the chairman when [Don't Ask, Don't Tell] was implemented, had a big hand in that, who said that yes, indeed, the earth has revolved around the sun a number of times since that period 15 months ago. You have heard a variety of anecdotal input. We have experienced certainly in the CIA and the FBI -- I know, I served, in fact, in combat with individuals who were gay and who were lesbian in combat situations.

Frankly, you know, over time you said, hey, how's this guy shooting or how is her analysis or what have you?"

– general david petraeus
centcom commander

guess who's, uh...not coming to prom.

what do you do when a lesbian wants to bring her girlfriend to prom, and one of them is actually gonna wear – i hope you're sitting down – a tuxedo? well you cancel prom of course.

JACKSON, Miss. – Constance McMillen didn't believe her Mississippi school district would really call off her senior prom rather than allow her to show up with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo. On Thursday, a day after the Itawamba County school board did just that, the 18-year-old lesbian high school senior reluctantly returned to campus to some unfriendly looks, she said.

"Somebody said, 'Thanks for ruining my senior year.'" McMillen said.

The district announced Wednesday it wouldn't host the April 2 prom.

parents, please: do everything you can to keep your children from coming into contact with scary lesbians. don't let your children see lesbians on television, don't let them read about lesbians in books, and for god's sake don't let them see lesbians dancing together in formal wear.

UPDATE 1:20 am – constance has gone viral.

(hat tip b.t.ryback)

husbands and husbands

see, it's not all that difficult to understand.


(hat tip towleroad)

gay parents? pack your pencil case.

it's doubtful the catholic church will ever recognize gay marriage, but now a catholic school in denver won't even teach the kids of gay parents.

A pre-school student at a Catholic school in Boulder, Colorado will not be allowed to return next year because the child’s parents are lesbians living together, which the Denver Archdiocese calls a violation of the school’s beliefs and policy.

the denver archdiocese says it's only following official school policy – "parents living in open discord with catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment." how many other parents are in "discord" with catholic policy?

love the sinner, hate the sin ...and punish the children? the archdiocese in washington d.c. certainly seems to understands that.

is joe lieberman the gays' new best friend?

this is good. but even a broken watch is right twice a day.

six impossible things before breakfast

Alice laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one can't believe impossible things."

"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

the district of columbia today becomes the sixth place in the united states to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples (a mandatory waiting period prevents those couples from actually marrying until march 9.) same-sex marriage (soon to be known as just "marriage") is legal in connecticut, iowa, massachusetts, new hampshire and vermont.

new york, rhode island, and maryland all recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. oregon's coquille indian tribe also permits same-sex couples to marry.

snake oil harry

harold ford received a rather unpleasant reception wednesday night when he spoke to the new york chapter of the stonewall democrats, one of the largest gay political organizations in the state. in 2004 ford voted for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, but now says his positions have evolved, and pledged to to fight for marriage equality should he run against new york senator kirstin gillibrand.

brotherly love

even alec baldwin must think his brother stephen is a dick, right?

priorities people, priorities

seriously, what's more important here?

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington has ended its 80-year-old foster-care program in the District rather than license same-sex couples, the first fallout from a bitter debate over the city's move to legalize same-sex marriage.

piss off the catholic archdiocese and they'll take stuff away from the kids. then again – catholic archdiocese, kids – maybe that's a good thing.

it's called "grasping at straws"

allowing gays to serve openly in the u.s. military would endanger the troops by offending the people of the muslim countries where we are fighting.