While I’m not a California resident (yet), I think it’s very important that we do what we can to defeat Proposition 8. If you’re a California voter, vote NO. If you’re out of state, do what I did and make a donation. Every little bit helps. Check out the PSA Samuel L. Jackson did for the movement after the jump.
Since I spent a considerable amount of time blogging election-related stuff during the Dem’s convention last week, it only seems fair that I pay some attention to election-related stuff on the GOP side, right? Um. Yeah. Okay.
Anyway, as if it was going to be a big surprise or something, the Log Cabin Republicans officially endorsed the McCain/Palin ticket. I think a bigger surprise came four years ago when they actually didn’t endorse anyone for president. They actually recognized in 2004 that their party’s candidate was not good for the LGBT community at large.
Um, neither is the candidate in ‘08. Just sayin’.
It’s like the Bear411 debacle all over again.
On its website recently, Out magazine published an article whose headline asked, “Has Manhunt Destroyed Gay Culture?” The article describes Jonathan Crutchley, one of Manhunt’s founders, as a “liberal Republican,” a title he finds insulting.
For the benefit of those of you who don’t know, Manhunt is a gay hook-up site. A quick glance at the site’s homepage, adorned with aesthetically pleasing men in various states of undress, could probably tell you that, though.
So anyway, one link leads to another and someone dug up info that Crutchley made a sizable contribution to John McCain’s presidential campaign. To the tune of $2,300. As in the maximum donation allowed by law.
Please humor me while I channel George Will. I thank you in advance for this.
“Well.”
It’s not that I have a problem, per se, that Crutchley donated money to the candidate of his choice. After all, every American is entitled to do so within the letter of the law, at least per my understanding.
Rather, what I see here is a conflict of interest. Here we have a website that is popular among gay men, whether they admit it or not. To access features of convenience — among others, the abilities to block members, perform an advanced search, or access the mobile version — one must pay a fee at regular intervals: weekly, monthly, or quarterly. A portion of the money collected was apparently diverted to fund the campaign of someone who would do more harm to the LGBT community at large than his opponent. As a result, Manhunt’s patrons — the left-leaning ones, at least — are played for fools.
Now that all this has come to light, people are calling for a boycott, encouraging people to drop their accounts, etc., in the hopes that it will hit Crutchley where it hurts — the purse.
We’ve seen this before; we know the outcome. Like Bear411 before it, Manhunt will continue to thrive whether we like it or not. After all, you don’t have to watch Titanic to know the boat sinks in the end — unless you visit Bizarro World.
Regardless, those of us who feel strongly enough to do so should go ahead and delete our accounts. (Yes, this includes me.) He may have the right to donate to McCain’s campaign, but we also have the right to refuse to help his endeavors.
It’s just as well. The return on my monthly $12 investment is poor at best. I’d rather spend it on beer at a crowded bar. At least then I’d stand a better chance at getting felt up.
During yesterday’s hearing on the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT)” policy, Elaine Donnelly probably did more to convince lawmakers it should be repealed than anything else.
And she was arguing to keep DADT in place.
Donnelly treated the panel to an extraordinary exhibition of rage. She warned of “transgenders in the military.” She warned that lesbians would take pictures of people in the shower. She spoke ominously of gays spreading “HIV positivity” through the ranks.
Her arguments caused eyes to roll and — I imagine — tempers to flare. In response to her later statement that she respects the service of gay veterans, Republican Representative Chris Shays of Connecticut* pointedly said, “How do you respect their service? You want them out.”
She was totally pwned.
Good thing I caught this one before GLBT Pride Month came to a close: the Gay 10 Commandments. Among them, “Thou shall participate in the political process” and “Thou shall learn and understand Gay History.”
The vanishing leather scene of New York City.
In light of a recent Washington Post column, Michael at the New Gay makes an interesting point on why marriage equality is important:
We humans have a lot of potential for doing great things in this world. Unfortunately, many of us can’t focus completely on contributing to our society in general if we aren’t getting our own personal needs met. From the natural biological need for companionship and for procreation to the simple economies of scale that kick in when two people are working towards a common goal, people function better when they work as part of a team. [ed.: emphasis mine]
In some ways, this makes a lot of sense. Generally speaking, the LGBT community is quite focused on obtaining equal rights on all fronts — marriage, workplace, etc. — so other things that could arguably take priority fall by the wayside. At the same time though, focusing completely on these goals does contribute to the betterment of society. Based on the emphasized sentence above, I get the impression Michael doesn’t see it that way, but it’s entirely possible that I’m taking it out of context.
Here’s a timeline for you.
→ Last month: the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announce they’re going to honor Guy Baldwin with the “Leather Leadership Award.”
→ Yesterday: The so-called Concerned Women for America condemn the action with the following:
Slavery Advocate Honored with Support from the DNC
The Democratic National Committee has put its support behind the honoring of Guy Baldwin, a sado-masochism advocate, by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Matt Barber, CWA’s Policy Director for Cultural Issues, and Peter LaBarbera, President of Americans for Truth, condemn this action which occurred during Black History Month.
Huh?! A slave in the erotic sense and a slave in the sense of people from Africa who were forced into the Americas by boat are the exact same thing now?
And where’d the DNC thing come from? That’s a fly ball outta left field if there ever was one. Wow, the depths these peoples’ heads reach in their asses amazes me. (CWA link via Joe. My. God.)
The annual Mid-Atlantic Leather is this weekend; I haven’t been able to partake in the sights due to work commitments and a persistent cold. Joe shares one of the sights he witnessed.
I spend about an hour every morning catching up on my blog feeds through Google Reader. Here are some items that I thought were interesting or at least worth mentioning.
Yeah, this list skews a little Apple-heavy. I can’t help it. There’s a keynote in less than 40 minutes.
