I Didn't Say It.......

New Zealand speed skater, Blake Skjellerup, coming out of the closet:

"The first real issue was that I was there [at the Olympics] to compete--to focus on my skating--and to not have the focus on my sexuality. We are not yet at the point in society where being gay sportsperson is not a big deal. If I was asked during any of my twenty-something interviews at the Olympics whether I had a boyfriend or a girlfriend--in the same sentence--I would have replied honestly, but I may have replied hesitantly....Gays are too often given a stereotype. Back when I was 18, and becoming serious about my sport and my Olympic goals, if I could have seen an athlete like myself out there--with whom I could relate to--my journey would have been a lot easier. Johnny Weir meets a specific stereotype, I meet a specific stereotype and Gareth Thomas meets another. Being gay is just like any other personality trait: it’s multifaceted. I can’t personally relate to Weir or Thomas, and nor will many other young gay athletes out there. But maybe some of them will see something in me to relate to. The more types we provide, the more we’ll appeal to people [who are struggling with their sexuality.]"

Sandra Bullock, on why she won't be making any movies any time soon:
"All I know is that I want to be able to enjoy being a mom. Doing all the things moms get to do, outside in the sun, in the world. The career will have to wait for a bit. I don't want to step into that world until I can find out what room I left my armour in. You need tough skin to be in this business. I don't have tough skin right now and I don't want it."

Madonna, on taking some time off from her music to focus on her upcoming movie, W.E.:
"I haven't really been focused as much as I should be on the music part of my career, because the movie has consumed every inch of me. Between that and my four children, I don’t have the time or energy for anything else...[and]...it's weird. I don't have a record deal right now with anybody. I don't know how I'm going to get my music out the next time I make a record."

Demi Moore, on :::yawn::: staying youthful:

"I would say that a lot of sex helps. It's the endorphins! But there's more than that, it's also sharing a quality life with someone. I know I have someone who loves me for who I am and who I'm not. He loves me for my imperfections and that makes me feel so happy....I've aged, I don't look the same as I did in my 20s and 30s. But you've got to make the most of what you have."

Susan Boyle, on plastic surgery:

"I would like to have my teeth done. But that would be it. I don't want to change too much of myself. I won't be looking like Barbie any time soon."

Congressman Patrick Murphy, on the fight to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

"After my three years in Washington, I think when folks tell you to walk away, that’s usually a sign that you’re getting close. So we have to keep working, people need to call their members of Congress, their Senators. Obviously, the letter was a setback, but I know we’re on the right side of history here and we’re going to keep fighting till we get this done this year...I said from the get-go that just because change is hard it doesn’t mean it can’t happen. We have a bi-partisan bill to repeal 'don’t ask, don’t tell' in the House of Representatives. We have Republican support, we have Colin Powell now on board, we even have Dick Cheney calling for repeal. We need to keep fighting."

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network head Aubrey Sarvis. on Obama, DADT, and the protests:

"In his State of the Union message President Obama said repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was the right thing to do. But Friday evening President Obama did the wrong thing, and in doing so he and Secretary Gates delivered a devastating blow to getting repeal done this year. Their joint political decision showed a lack of respect for our LGBT service members who are on the frontlines every day risking their lives for our safety.

As a result of the Commander in Chief's decision to defer to Secretary Gates' wishes and timeline, gay service members will continue to be treated as second class citizens, and any sense of fairness may well have been delayed for yet another year, perhaps for another decade. The President did not sound like a fierce repeal advocate. He sounded like someone who wants to have it both ways. And that is not leadership. That is politics as usual."

Five LGBT Allies

Sometimes it's hard to tell the gay-friendly from the homophobes--yes, I'm talking switch-hitter Tim Pawlenty, for one. And then you have the blatantly homophobic, anti-gay, anti-equality Jim DeMint from the great :::cough cough::: state of South Carolina who gets physically ill at the idea of homosexuality; and then we also have Queen Of The Asshats, Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, who believes that the LGBT community is a bigger threat than terrorism.

Still, we do have Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank and Jared Polis taking up our issues in Congress, but, um, they kind of have to, being gay themselves. So, who else is there? Are there are any gay-friendly heteros in office willing to stand up for us and against the likes of Bachmann and DeMint?

We do....and here are five of them that deserve our thanks, our time, and our support:

Number Five:

Senator Tom Harkin, who did what a handful of Senators did this year: he publicly stated that he regretted his vote on the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. Harkin joined Senators Arlen Specter and Chris Dodd in denouncing their vote for DOMA. But Harkin had a sense of eloquence in his comments, and it didn't hurt that they came right on the heels of Iowa's Supreme Court ruling that the state’s constitution required the recognition of same-sex marriage.

Tom Harkin: “We all grow as we get older, and we learn things and we become more sensitive to people and people’s lives. And the more I’ve looked at that, I’ve grown to think differently about how people — how we should live. And I guess I’m at the point that, you know — I’m to that point of live and let live.”

Number Four:

Congressman Earl Blumenauer, of Oregon, who also blasted the Defense of Marriage Act. Blumenauer also issued a statement regretting his original vote for DOMA, going so far as to say he not only regretted the vote, but felt it was the worst vote he ever cast in his entire political career. Blumenauer vowed to lobby his fellow legislators in efforts to overturn DOMA.

Earl Blumenauer: “I will work to make sure that my colleagues who once, for whatever reason, joined me in supporting [DOMA] take this opportunity to correct their record and eliminate an injustice.”

Number Three:

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who has, well, for lack of a better term, come out strongly as one of the Senate’s biggest supporters for equal rights. Hers is one of the loudest voices in the Senate for ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell and has called the battle for marriage equality the civil rights battle of today’s generation. Gillibrand even tried to exert some pull with the New York State Senate in their [failed] marriage equality vote, and supports a fully inclusive version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Number Two:

Congressman Patrick Murphy is the first Iraq war veteran to serve in Congress and is one of the loudest and strongest voices on ending DADT. He seems to be making it one of his goals, even touring with the Human Rights Campaign’s “Voices of Honor” tour, calling attention to how eliminating gays and lesbians from the U.S. Armed Forces not only smacks in the face of equality and freedom--the very principles that our military stands for--but also threatens our national security.

Patrick Murphy: “‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ clearly isn’t working for our military, and it hinders national security and military readiness at a time when America is fighting in two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. My time in Iraq taught me that our military needs and deserves the best and the brightest who are willing to serve -- and that means all Americans, regardless of their orientation.”

Number One...and we have a tie:

Congressman Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania has emerged as a fighter for LGBT equality. He says that one of the fights that keeps him going in politics is the battle to end the only form of institutionalized discrimination still legal in the U.S.--that of discrimination against LGBT people

Joe Sestak: “How can we demand that the 65,000 of our troops who are estimated to be gay act dishonestly and conceal information from their comrades and commanders? No one who serves in defense of liberty should be forced to live a lie. I cannot imagine denying equal rights to anyone I served with. How can anyone say, we fought and served together, we depended on one another, we risked our lives for this country, but back home you shouldn’t enjoy the rights that you defended?”
Congressman Jerrold Nadler also works tirelessly to get rid of DOMA, going so far as to introduce the Respect For Marriage Act that would dismantle DOMA. Nadler’s reason for introducing the Respect for Marriage Act: he wants to send DOMA “into the history books where it belongs.”

So, there you have five straight allies of the LGBT community. These are just some of the politicians who deserve our time, our support, and our donations, They understand equality; they understand marriage; they understand freedom and respect.

And they deserve ours.

list from change.org

A Straight Hero For Gay Rights

Congressman Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, the straight...not that there's anything wrong with it...Iraq war veteran helming the House bill to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” expects the legislation will be on President Obama’s desk “in a short matter of time”.
Murphy has 168 co-sponsors for legislation that would repeal DADT, as well as several commitments from party leadership that the bill will come to a vote. He said that the considerable anger directed at President Obama for failing to address the subject sooner was understandable but ultimately misplaced:
“President Obama has clearly said he wants to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” Murphy said. “He has instructed as Commander in Chief his Secretary of Defense and chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff to be prepare to implement the policy but he has respect for the legislative branch, a co-equal branch, and said, ‘Guys, I want a bill on my desk. And when it comes on my desk I’m going to sign it to repeal this.’”

Let's hope he's right.

DADT DOMA News

Massachusetts is suing the federal government over a law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

State Attorney General Martha Coakley filed the lawsuit Wednesday in federal court in Boston. It says that DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, interferes with the right of Massachusetts to define marriage as it sees fit.

Martha Coakley:

"DOMA is a law that codifies discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Because of this law, individuals in same-sex marriages often pay more in federal income taxes, are not eligible for surviving spouse benefits from the Social Security Administration and, if they are employed by the federal government, cannot obtain healthcare coverage for their spouses."

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Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, a former West Point professor and Iraq War vet, is the lead sponsor of legislation to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

"Our president, President Barack Obama, has stated that If Congress can get a bill to his desk repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, he will sign it into law. It is now our job, and my job specifically, to quarterback this through the Congress of the United States to do just that. I can not tell you today how long it's gonna take. All I can tell ya is that paratroopers don't quit, and paratroopers get the job done. To remove honorable, talented and committed Americans from serving in our military is contrary to the values that our military holds dear."