I Didn't Say It ...

Michael Sam, on Racism, and -isms in general, in the LGBT Community: 

“It’s terrible. People have told me I’m not gay enough, people have told me I’m not black enough. I don’t know what that means. You want to be accepted by other people but you don’t even accept someone just because of the color of their skin? I just don’t understand that at all. How are you saying that, ‘oh, I want people to accept me because I’m gay but I don’t accept you because you’re black, or because you’re white or because you’re Asian’.”

Racism, sadly, exists everywhere, even in the LGBT community because we’re just like everyone else.

Sadly, though, these LGBT racists don’t get the idea that, if we as a community are being discriminated against for being who we are, how can we discriminate against anyone else for being who they are?

Tis a puzzlement.

[photo]

Josh Earnest, White House Press Secretary, on that new law in North Carolina: 

“This Administration is strongly committed to advancing the cause of equality for LGBT Americans and to ensuring that they do not face discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love. Like so many others across the country, we are concerned about the potential harmful impact of this law, especially on transgender youth, and believe it is mean-spirited and sends the wrong message.”

Not much to say here, other than Josh is right, the White House is right.

And, yes, I have a crush on Josh Earnest.

[photo]

Susan Sarandon, a Bernie Sanders supporter, on how she might consider voting for Donald [t]Rump over Hillary Clinton: 

“I think a lot of people are ‘sorry, I just can’t bring myself to [vote Clinton]’…I don’t know [what I’ll do]. I’m going to see what happens. Some people feel that Donald Trump will bring the revolution immediately. If he gets in, then things will really explode. Some people feel that. If you feel it’s pragmatic to shore up the status quo right now then you’re not in touch with the status quo. The status quo’s not working.”

So, if Bernie is the best thing and he doesn’t get it, then the next best choice is [t]Rump?

Siddown Susan. I used to think you were intelligent but this is just ridiculousness.

[photo]

Dan Savage, responding to Sarandon: 

“Can I just say I’m for Bernie, or Hillary, or both. Come November I plan to vote for the Democratic nominee whoever it is, because the lesser of two evils is less evil, and I don’t think Donald will bring the revolution.”

[t]Rump would bring chaos and hate and discord to the country.

The only choice is the Blue one.

[photo]

Anderson Cooper. CNN host and My-Husband-in-My-Head, responding to Donald [t]Rump's claim that he "didn't start" the Wife War with Ted Cruz:

“With all due respect, that’s the argument of a five-year-old. Every parent knows a kid who says ‘he started it.’” 

Snap.

Gosh Randy Andy Cooper is hot.

[photo]

Random Musings

I won’t bore you with all the details of our holiday weekend, except to say that, Oy, times have changed. It used to be, as Eddie Murphy once so famously, and badly, sang, ♫ ♪ party all the time ... party all the time ♪ ♫ but this Memorial Day weekend it went gloriously like this:

Saturday morning: cleaning out the planting beds along the front porch, and raking away any and all dried leaves or weeds upon which The Snake might be hiding. Then, after a few hours and a quick shower, it was groceries. On the way home we discussed what Carlos might be cooking for dinner—Saturday’s are his turn—and I could see he wasn’t into it so … no, I wasn’t gonna cook either … we went to one of our local, and favorite, Mexican restaurants for dinner and ice cold Negro Modelo. Yum!

Sunday: it was housecleaning and yard work, and mowing lawns and yard work and Carlos cooking dinner. Only, once again I could see he wasn’t into it, so I made a cold Potato and Arugula Salad, topped with Lemon Rosemary Salmon and a relish of Cucumber, Fresh Herbs, Tomato, Kalamata Olives and Feta Cheese … along with a pitcher of Margaritas. After dinner was all about relaxation, and watching Gone Girl OnDemand™ with Ben Affleck playing himself, smug and condescending, but Rosamond Pike was one scary bitch, and there was a flash of NPH butt, so, yeah, win-win.

Monday: clearing vines and overgrown shrubs along the fences; yes, more yard work. But the best part was seeing Carlos, knee-deep in vines and shrubs and dried leaves and thinking, “That’s where the snakes might hide.” Luckily, no slitherers. But we cleaned up the mess, trimmed a holly tree down from an incredible mass into something pretty and manageable, and the Carlos finally made one of his delicioso pastas for dinner … with more margaritas.

Like I said, who knew I would spend one of the best weekends ever doing yard work? Not me … but things change I guess and spending the weekend with my own personal Mexican Gardner, and Chef, well, was just what I needed.

Good news for Michael Sam … he’s finally gonna play football, though he’ll be playing for the Canadian Football League, and the Montreal Alouettes.

He was signed to a two-year deal, so congrats to him, as the first openly gay football player ever, who finally gets to do what he loves.

[photo source]

Okay, so the Hot Men Alert™ ...

First up, British actor Sam Reid, whom we caught in the movie Belle—which, thankfully wasn’t some Beauty and the Beast crap, but a British film based on a true story about a mixed race girl being raised by the parents of her white father in England, with a back story about slaving and slave ships. A good story, as are most British films for me, made all the better by Sam Reid.

We also watched a sci-fi/hacker/alien/Area 51 film called The Signal which was a good pick, made all the better by Brenton Thwaites, who has, at least in this film, a little Colin Farrell thing going on … and y’all know how I feel about Mr. Farrell.

Yum.

On the Duggar front comes more hypocrisy … go figure.

Back in 2002, during his campaign for the US Senate, Jim Bob Duggar said that he thought incest should be punishable by death.

I guess that was before he knew there were incestuous things happening in his own house when his son would sneak into his sister’s rooms at night and molest them, and so he probably changed his mind about it later.

Asshat.

PS  Jim Bob lost the election, so there is that silver lining.

[photo source]

Okay, so we all know Gaga will be on American Horror Story: Hotel when it debuts in October, and I’m, well, fine with that — though I’ll miss Miss Lange.

Plus, we have Matt "My-Husband-In-My-Head” Bomer appearing next season so the hotness factor will be high.

Especially when you add in fellow openly gay actor-slash-hottie Cheyenne Jackson. Plus, we'll get Angela Bassett, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, Chloe Sevigny, and Wes Bentley — who’ve all appeared in seasons’ past.

But, another dreamboat has been signed on:

Max Greenfield, of Fox’s New Girl — a show I’ve never seen … Zooey Deschanel … I just can’t with her — but Max is hot, handsome, kinda nerd cute.

Sheesh, Matt, Cheyenne, Wes and Max — it’s a dark-haired dreamboat-fest!

Make room in the GOP Clown Car for a little Frothy Mix …

Yup, Rick Santorum, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and failed Presidential candidate in 2012, not to mention anti-LGBT loon, has announced that he is once again vying for the White House.

Let the crazy begin … as in when he said on GMA that not only is he against any kind of immigration reform, but he wants less legal immigration into this country; he wants less of them coming here to live with us.

Now, I loathe Santorum, and think he’s the lowest of the low, but I will give him credit because, when he was asked about this Duggar business — Josh Duggar supported him for president — Santorum became the first GOP candidate for president, and one of the few republicans in general, to say he was sickened by what happened and that his concern was only for the girls.

So, yeah, he gets minor props for that, though he’ll never be president.

And, joining him in the GOP Clown Car is Republican George Pataki, who served as Governor of New York from 1995-2006.

In announcing his bid, he made sure to tout his leadership during the September 11 attacks.

Yes, vote for Pataki because fourteen years ago he did something good.

Um, but, as Janet Jackson might say, Mr. Pataki, ♫ ♪ what have you done for me lately ♪ ♫?

[photo source]

Maybe the rains have washed away the bigots in Texas because just yesterday an anti-gay marriage amendment finally died in the Texas Senate, joining more than 20 other pieces of anti-LGBT legislation that failed to pass this year. 

The Texas GOP, knowing that they don’t have time to take up the amendment hastily introduced a non-binding resolution in opposition to marriage equality … which is basically just a letter saying We hate gays.

Oh Texas … 

[photo source]

I Didn't Say It ...

Michael Sam, after dancing an emotional rumba set to Kinky Boots ballad "Not My Father's Son", on his own father’s refusal to accept him as gay:

"I haven't talked to my father since February 2014. I said this in a previous interview. Time will heal all wounds, and I know eventually I probably can forgive my father and speak to him...I know that deep down he loves me. I just need to be patient."

It’s a shame some parents missed the lesson in unconditional love.

[photo source]

Ted Cruz, on what he would do if elected president … stop laughing … he says he can be president … stop laughing:

“Every one of us is concerned about the Supreme Court’s gay marriage decision likely coming in June. The first thing and I think the most important thing every one of us can do, is pray. Lift up in prayer [but] if the court tries to do this it will be rampant judicial activism. It will be lawlessness, it will be fundamentally illegitimate.”

First off, I have extreme issues with any politician who says the first thing we can do is pray.

And then he says if he’s president … stop laughing … he will press for a constitutional amendment that would clarify the power of state legislatures to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Okay, now you can laugh. Ted Cruz? President? Bwahahahahaha.

[photo source]

Lindsay Lohan, on Los Angeles, that place she just said she’d never return to:

“I don’t need to see it all over again. The last time I went to LA it was my friend’s birthday and we went to this karaoke place. It was the same people, the same faces, nothing had changed. It felt very un-evolved.”

Translation: my dealers have all moved to London because I’m their biggest client.

[photo source]

Dan Savage, on Rand Paul’s assertion that he is no RINO, no Democrat-lite, but a new teabagging Republican:

"Rand Paul is a different kind of Republican! Rand Paul has all sorts of new ideas! New ideas like, um, opposing same-sex marriage, backing the 'Life Begins at Conception Act' … which would make abortion illegal … and keeping marijuana illegal. Rand Paul also has a big new idea about climate change: it's not happening and Paul opposes efforts to regulate carbon emissions! Rand Paul wants to increase defense spending by $190 billion! He opposes Obama's nukes deal with Iran, and he fully backs the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision that allows unregulated and unlimited contributions to flow into campaigns! Rand Paul also supports the Supreme Court decision that gutted the Voting Rights Act! Paul opposes all gun control measures, has pledged to repeal Obamacare, and wants to use drones to police our border with Mexico and increase the number of deportations. Rand Paul isn't like all of those other Republicans who want to do all of the exact same things Rand Paul wants to do."

Is that what anyone really wants in 2016?

[photo source]

Rand Paul, snapping at Today Show co-host Savannah Guthrie, after she presented him with a list of items on which he has flip-flopped:

"Why don’t we let me explain instead of talking over me? Before we go through a litany of things you say I’ve changed on, why don’t you ask me a question: 'Have I changed my opinion?' That would be a better way to approach it. You’ve editorialized.”

Actually, Rand, she made a list, and then you editorialized.

Looks like Dan Savage is right … again … same old Rand the Republican.

[photo source]

President Barack Obama, in response to a “We The People” petition asking the government to ban all LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, AKA Leelah’s law:

“Tonight, somewhere in America, a young person, let's say a young man, will struggle to fall to sleep, wrestling alone with a secret he's held as long as he can remember. Soon, perhaps, he will decide it's time to let that secret out. What happens next depends on him, his family, as well as his friends and his teachers and his community. But it also depends on us — on the kind of society we engender, the kind of future we build.”

Fierce advocate.

[photo source]

Look! Up in the sky! It's a plane: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

After Michael Sam came out as gay he spoke about the closeted football players who reached out to him, and said they didn't "have the same courage" to come out before staring their NFL journey like he did.

Well, since no good deed goes unpunished, a bisexual NFL player, speaking anonymously, has pushed back against Sam and his comments:

"As a bisexual man, I just feel like Michael Sam does not speak for all gay men. He has his own opinion ... but DON'T say that we don't have the courage to come out. It's totally wrong. Just speak for yourself. No one else."

Wait. So this closeted gay athlete is angry at Michael Sam for saying closeted gay athletes don’t have the courage to come out before going pro, and yet he’s saying this anonymously while staying in the closet?

Honey, you just proved Michael Sam’s point.

Coming out is a process, and everyone does it at their own pace and time, but you are doing exactly what Michael Sam was talking about.

Now, take a seat, back in the closet again.

I Didn't Say It ...

Will Smith, on fame:

“I have the spirit of desire to make people’s lives better. Being famous is such a gift for me because small things make people’s lives brighter. You just shake somebody’s hand. You just smile and write your name and people will talk about it for the rest of their lives.”

Wow. So, y’all. If you’re walking down the street and you see Will Smith and he smiles at you, then he’s done an amazing thing, given you an amazing gift that you will share for the rest of your life.

Asshat.

Michael Sam, on his fiancé Vito Cammisano:

"During those times where I felt like I was weak I had one person to tell me that there's no one in the world who can do what you can do. I think you were meant to do this - and this was Vito … Vito has been with me for a long time and actually it is because of Vito I am here tonight to talk to you guys. He is the only one who made me comfortable to be who I am, to be comfortable in my own skin. I owe him everything. … I didn't want to be ashamed of myself when I come home and I see Vito and look him in the face and lie to myself - and I was like 'Vito I'm  gay to you but only in closed doors but I'm not gay to the world'. I manned up and a couple days ago we celebrated my first anniversary of me being comfortable with who I am and I'm proud of myself. I have no regrets."

Just another example of how coming out takes away the shame and the regret and allows you to be yourself, live yourself, love yourself.

Jeb Bush, distancing himself from the foreign policy disasters of his father and brother:

"I love my father and my brother. I admire their service to the nation and the difficult decisions they had to make. But I am my own man, and my views are shaped by my own thinking and own experiences. Under this administration, we are inconsistent and indecisive. We have lost the trust and the confidence of our friends. We definitely no longer inspire fear in our enemies. Each president learns from those who came before, their principles, their adjustments. One thing we know is this: Every president inherits a changing world, and changing circumstance."

It’s kinda funny that he wants us all to know that he’s running for president like his father and brother, because of the Bush family’s so-called sense or service, and then he wants us to forget what lousy presidents his father and brother made.

All of which leads me to think that he’s a hypocrite just like the George’s, and, well, we don’t need any more Shrubs in the White House.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Courth justice, saying the US is ready for nationwide marriage equality:

“The change in people’s attitudes on that issue has been enormous. In recent years, people have said, ‘This is the way I am.’ And others looked around, and we discovered it’s our next-door neighbor — we’re very fond of them. Or it’s our child’s best friend, or even our child. I think that as more and more people came out and said that ‘this is who I am,’ the rest of us recognized that they are one of us.”

RBG rocks!

Chris Carmack, Nashville actor, on why playing closeted gay character Will Lexington is humbling”:

"It's not just about gay or straight; it's a very universal theme about a guy who feels like he has to sacrifice happiness in order to achieve his dream. I hope it exposes an audience that may feel uncomfortable with the subject to a really great story that opens up dialogue. I know it has for me. I don't have any expectations that this character will change the world, but for those people for whom it opens up a little compassion and understanding, I think it's a very important role." 

All it takes to start a movement is a conversation.

I Didn't Say It ...

Michael Sam, in GQ Magazine, on coming out:

“If I had it my way, I never would have [come out] the way I did, never would have told it the way I did. I would have done the same thing I did at Mizzou. Which was to tell my team and my coaches and leave it at that. But since I did tell my team, word got out.  ... But the recruiters knew, and reporters knew, and they talked to each other, and it got out. If I didn't have the year I did, nobody would have cared. But I did have that year. And a lot of people knew. Someone was gonna ask me, 'I heard you told your team a secret.…' Well, I was comfortable with who I was, and I wouldn't have denied it. And then I wouldn't have been able to control the story. But I have no regrets. Some people can argue that I had the potential to go higher in the draft. But I think everything happens for a reason. It looks good to see me in the position I'm in now, because I can show the world how good I am and rise up the ranks. I'm at the bottom now. I can rise up, show I'm a football player. Not anything else. Just a football player."

As I like to say, he isn't a gay football player, he's a football player who is gay.

Amy Schumer, on Joan Rivers:

"I only met Joan Rivers once, but I carried her with me for as long as I can remember. The first time I heard Joan was in the move Spaceballs. She was brash and hilarious and just hearing the voice coming from that gold robot put this crazy idea in my head: that I could use my voice, too. When I filmed my first standup special in 2007 I had to fight to get a joke past the censors. The joke was, 'I'm at the age where my friends are having kids and the way they tell me that they’re pregnant is by taking us all out to brunch and saying, 'You guys? I'm keeping this one.' And I thought I was pretty edgy for doing such a dark joke in what is still an unforgiving time for women who exercise their right to choose. It wasn't until a year later that I watched a clip of Joan on The Tonight Show and she was doing a joke of a similar nature. She spoke of a friend of hers who'd gotten fourteen appendectomies in Puerto Rico ... I laughed out loud. The truth and the pain and the way she said it cut like a knife. When she performed that joke on television it was the early 70s. Think about that. She stuck her neck out at a dangerous time; she couldn't even say the word abortion on television. Now, I’m not going to say how big of balls she had to say that joke on the air, because she has taught us time and time again that having balls has nothing to do with it ...Joan was the bravest of all.  Joan always got blasted for being mean, but she had the guts to make fun of herself more than anybody. ... I loved a lot of funny women ... Gilda, Carol Burnett, and Lucy, too, but I spoke up in class ... because of that first voice I heard coming from that golden robot. She wasn't just a woman or a person. She was a comic, and wanted to be treated as such. I'm sure this speech would annoy her. She didn't want to be given credit for aspiring women. She wanted to be known as a great comedian. And, she was." 

Yes, she was. I like to consider myself a little like Joan because I say what’s on my mind, and I will make that joke that some might think inappropriate. But it’s my mind, my mouth, my joke.

Thank Joan for that.

LeAnn Rimes comparing herself to her stepson:

“I was super-driven as a kid. Even though I was on the road a lot, the teachers would give me homework and I would get it all done. I look at my 11-year-old stepson Mason, and I’m like, ‘I signed a record deal when I was your age. You’re still fumbling with tying your shoelaces.’”

And y’all thought Cinderella have a Wicked Stepmother.

By the way, there are no known photos of LeAnn tying her own shoes because they don't make lace-ups for cloven hooves.

Linda Harvey, “ex-gay” wingnut, on a Christmas gift for your favorite teen or college student struggling with their sexuality:

“If you were wondering what to get your teen or college student for Christmas, how about giving them the gift of common sense and morality? This is the way many people have described my book, Maybe He’s Not Gay: Another View On Homosexuality. Same-sex relationships are not what anyone was born for yet there are reasons why people get there and even more reasons why they can leave those feelings behind.”

Linda? Honey? Nutjob? By the time your youngsters get to be teens or college students they know they’re gay, they’ve probably had some gay experiences, and your little Hate Book won’t change that.

Maybe you should take a seat now.

Robbie Rogers, openly gay soccer star, on being a role model:

"I realized that just by playing and being on the soccer field, that's a symbol right there, and that can encourage and give people hope. It was really those kids inspiring me that was kind of like my final decision — I need to sack up, I need to go back into soccer.'" 

The very kids for whom he is a role model, were role models to him for returning to soccer after coming out.

That’s progress.