06/02/2006
Bush to reiterate support for the Federal Marriage Amendment on Monday. Spokesman: "The president firmly believes that marriage is an enduring and sacred institution between men and women and has supported measures to protect the sanctity of marriage." The Amendment stands little chance of passing, but he'll take any opportunity to kiss his conservative base's ass at a time when his poll numbers are crap and the Iraq war continues to reveal atrocities committed by American troops.
Construction fetishists unite: More Anderson Cooper stalking. "We're gonna get into what's called the Mancage."
Human Rights Watch calls on Russia to investigate violent actions against peaceful gay rights activists by nationalists and Orthodox Christians last weekend: "At both sites police at first seemed to allow the skinheads and others free rein to assault lesbians and gays. When police finally intervened, they forced the two groups closer together, aggravating the violence. They failed totally to protect people peacefully trying to exercise their rights."
Prince William, honorary President of the Football Association, makes a surprise pre-World Cup to the English football team: "I wanted to send a good luck message to them direct. I wished them luck and asked them to bring the World Cup home for us. They said they would. I am sure they will do very well."
CNN struggles to shed light on gays in the Middle East: "Most gays and lesbians in the region would only agree to speak to us anonymously. It took months to find willing participants. Often, we would meet in hotel lobbies and film interviews in silhouette, hiding identities and distorting voices."
Spidey's adventures in spandex.
Canada: Toronto schools ask teachers about their sexual orientation, and British Columbia government agrees to add gay and lesbian issues to their curriculum: "I think it shows how we're leading in a lot of areas," Attorney-General Wally Oppal said of the plan. "The idea is to teach the students more about diversity. By that I mean ethnicity, racism, gender issues, issues relating to sexual orientation."
Posted 9:40 AM EST by Andy Towle in Anderson Cooper, Canada, Crime, Elsewhere, Gay Marriage | Permalink
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Just got taken to another web page altogether - ITT? with a link to 'go back to Towleroad'.
NOT COOL.
Posted by: jim | Jun 2, 2006 10:09:48 AM
Anderson almost expressed some regret during his one hour long "interview" by Larry King (he took no calls) that because of his celebrity status he can no longer be "out there" as much. He also insinuated that he deals with some stalkers, but that mostly he lives his life like most New Yorkers, taking the subway to work, etc. I can't help but think of what a tremendously powerful statement it would have made if he were as open about his sexual orientation as other TV personalities have been, flaunting their heterosexual family life. He didn't hold back on the tragic details of his father's death and his brother's suicide, but about his own personal life he was extremely circumspect, and disappointing. Having said that, I understand why he feels the need to keep holding back, and I remain a fan of his excellent work and I wish him continued success. Hopefully his book will be a best-seller, and he will one day be the most popular, most open-gay, trailblazing celebrity in TV news.
Posted by: Lavi Soloway | Jun 2, 2006 10:33:00 AM
Ironic how Bush's stand on the FMA is the political equivalent to a rim job to his conservative base. He's trying to keep gay people apart and yet he can't get his face out of the religious right's ass.
And yeah, I agree with Jim. That ad that you jump to is really confusing and annoying. I'm all for cyber capitalism, but that's a bit out of the realm.
Posted by: MT | Jun 2, 2006 10:42:02 AM
"Tragic details? What's tragic is when a young closeted gay kid has to sit terrified in his own living room listening to HIS father or HIS brother say something about "fucking fags" as they turn off Anderson's show because some courageous guest like Chad Allen is talking about being proudly, openly gay. What's tragic is that same kid fearing that if his father does find out he'll kick him out of the family home, throwing his clothes behind him, joining the tens of thousands of homeless gay teens in America. What's tragic is that same kid walking the hallways of his high school or middle school as if the floor were thin ice over a deep, dark river, wishing he could somehow pass through invisible, praying that this won't be another day someone will spit "Queer" at him, another day someone will shove him into his own locker while all the other kids laugh, another day they'll push him to the floor of the gym class locker room and urinate on him, another day when he's too afraid to complain to the school for fear they'll call his parents or do nothing at all, another day he tries to slip back into the house without running into anyone who could still smell the piss on his jeans before he can wash them, gazing longingly yet again through the window at the tree with the rope swing in their backyard, imagining himself hanging there, finally at peace, the slurs silenced, the torment ended, the thought never to pass through his mind again as he sits in front of the famous man on TV with the grey hair and laughing blue eyes, "Why can't someone like that be gay?"
Posted by: Leland | Jun 2, 2006 11:23:08 AM
Leland: I really do hate to say it, but your callous dismissal of the circumstances surrounding the deaths in Mr. Cooper's family strike a familiar chord: I refer to similar statements made by my friend Matthew Schooler regarding Coretta Scott King's death. I seem to recall you being indignant that he could be so cruel and insensitive. The reason I hate to say that is that I have come to truly like Matthew and I am afraid that I'm starting to take a less dim view of you, too. Damn! I hate liking people with whom I disagree.
Posted by: JT | Jun 2, 2006 11:35:25 AM
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't read Leland's post (which is excellent) as a dismissal of AC's family tragedies. Instead, I read it as opportunity for AC to avoid other tragedies (albeit not in his family), an opportunity that AC was to cowardly to embrace.
Posted by: Kyle Childress | Jun 2, 2006 12:34:53 PM
Thank you, Kyle, not simply for agreeing with me but understanding what one has not said, and that gift so often missing among the broadbrushers here—nuance. There was, indeed nothing in my post that dismissed their deaths, but I am very callous to the implication I smell that some think those deaths are more tragic than those of others simply because they involved a guy they find attractive. And in no case does sympathy for those losses give him a pass for his pointless cowardice about being gay [one guess why no phone calls were allowed]. And isn't it rather callous of him to, point of fact, be making moeny by retelling the stories of those tragedies here and yon, [while defending not aswering "The Question" with the laughable "I never talk about my private life."] or did I miss some announcement that he's donating book profits to charity as Brangilina are from pictures of their baby?
I might be able to squeeze out a drop of respect for him if—even still publicly closeted himself—he were the reporter from CNN doing stories on gays in the Mideast [who, unlike for him, staying in the closet is a matter of life and death] or the gay bashings in Moscow. Now THAT would be a contribution, shining the bright light that comes with his celebrity on that medieval ugliness. Forget Waldo, where's Anderson? The "Man Cage" photo first amused with the thought of him playing "Construction Guy" in a new iteration of the Village Peeps, but then one notices how small he is beneath that hat. That sums up AC, a little, little man, whom true greatness will obviously never fit.
Posted by: Leland | Jun 2, 2006 1:10:12 PM
Leland, et al.: I'm not saying all of those things aren't tragic. I am saying that I hope one day soon Anderson presents himself as a self-assured, gay man instead of hiding that part of himself. When that day comes, and we can all hasten it through our own personal activism, growing our communities' institutions, and our own personal behavior (treating each other with respect and kindness), those other tradgedies will hopefully be rare. I want Anderson to be open about his true identity, and I want it yesterday for all the same reasons you do, but there is no reason to minimize what he has endured. I am critical of his choice to remain closeted (and to explicitly avoid taking viewers calls!) when he could make a positive impact on the lives on many persons, but I am not despairing yet. In time, Anderson, and other high profile but closeted gays and lesbians will probably come out. If we work together to create a better world for LGBT individuals, we would foster more acceptance of the gay Anderson Coopers *and* acceptance of those desparate, isolated, persecuted gay teens, while simultaneously lessening the present, understandable need we have to see him stand up and be counted as one of us.
Posted by: Lavi Soloway | Jun 2, 2006 1:28:09 PM
Leland, I just wanted to add, for what's it's worth, that you are right about nuance. But I don't think Anderson's family tragedies are more compelling because he is an attractive celebrity, but because they were the deaths of two close family members in ways that obviously had a tremendous impact on him.
Posted by: Lavi Soloway | Jun 2, 2006 1:43:55 PM
Bull crap! "Nuance" my ass! Leland, you need to get your own blog instead of trying to inject your advocacy for gay and lesbian youth into every discussion...ok, that's a bit hyperbolic.
Posted by: JT | Jun 2, 2006 1:56:55 PM
You know it’s an election year when the Republicans are talking about gay marriage.
Their plan to amend the Constitution has no chance of passing. It is for political purposes only. They want to force Democrats to vote against it so their opponents can beat them over the head with that in November, and they want to try to take the focus off Iraq, Katrina, Scooter Libby, and the $8 trillion in deficits.
Perhaps Republicans should worry less about gay marriages and more about straight divorces and the effects they are having on our children. If they want to have a Constitutional amendment about marriage, they should be sure to include a provision providing heavy sanctions for everyone who breaks their marriage vows. But they won’t do that because so many of them are divorced two and three times.
Republicans see political advantage in beating up on gay people: whether by refusing to classify murders like Matthew Shepard’s as hate crimes, or refusing to include gay people in the long list of citizens protected against being fired simply for being who they are, or refusing to allow them to serve their country even when they have the precise Arab language skills that might have prevented 9/11.
The hearings this week are not about protecting marriage from the likes of Ellen DeGeneres. They are about protecting Republicans.
THAT's what this weeks hearing are about. Protecting Republicans, not marriage.
Posted by: me | Jun 2, 2006 5:27:06 PM
Definition of the GOP (commonly referred to as the Republicans):
A political party comprised of pay for play corruption, incompetent cronyism, pandering hypocrites and hate-mongering religious bigots, A Party which espouses a conservative political agenda most notable for it's irreconcilable, contrarian ideology, infantile blame shifting, financial irresponsibility and practical incompetence.
Posted by: Robert In WeHo | Jun 3, 2006 7:19:29 AM