11/24/2008
News: Burundi, Ted Haggard, New York, Blood, Savannah, Chris Brown
Regulator: New York insurers must recognize same-sex couples married out-of-state.
East African Republic of Burundi criminalizes homosexuality.
Real life butt bandit arrested in Nebraska.
Disgraced pastor Ted Haggard wants the spotlight back: "While his exact plans remain unclear, Haggard is unmistakably making himself a public figure again, nine months after his former church said he walked away from an oversight process meant to restore him." And he wants money.
Beyoncé brings her "Single Ladies" to the American Music Awards. No Shane Mercado cameo though.
Eric Bana is Nero.
Spire to be placed atop Trump tower in Chicago.
Daniel Radcliffe talks about his man parts and the 'David and Goliath' effect.
Stunning and sad screenshot of messages left by observers of the kid who killed himself over his webcam last week.
NASA: First test of 'interplanetary internet' successful: "...human intervention is still required to schedule communications sessions for orbiters and landers...A new method would automate and streamline this process by sending data through an interplanetary 'internet'. Just as data is sent from one point to another on the internet via a linked network of hubs, or nodes, spacecraft scattered throughout the solar system could be used as nodes to transmit data through space."
Bill to eliminate discrimination against gays in taxes, social security and health approved by Australia's senate: "The bill will go to the House of Representatives for final approval this week, along with another bill to allow a person to benefit from their same-sex partner's superannuation. This bill passed the Senate last sitting week. The bills come on top of changes already enacted to grant gay people access to the federal family law courts on property and spouse maintenance matters after a relationship breakdown."
Sarah Lawrence College upholds ban on bloodmobile over FDA's anti-gay policies.
Savannah Morning News profiles local couple of 34 years, John Naylor and David Grice, who were married under the wire in California.
A Q&A with Sam Trammell of the just-finished (for this season anyway) True Blood.
The Boston Globe
Chris Brown wants to duet with Madonna. Kathy Griffin to return to D-List for fifth season: "It’s going to be more celebrity oriented. [It's] the way that American Idol sort of started as a singing contest and then every week you expect to see the mentors. I have some really good guest stars coming on the D-List this year.” SURVEY: 80% of South Africa's populace homophobic. "The study, conducted by Ben Roberts and Vasu Reddy, found that between 2003 and 2007 more than 80% of the population consistently felt that sex between two men or two women was always wrong. It also found that gays and lesbians were characterised as 'un-African' and that intolerance towards homosexuality was prevalent."
Posted 2:51 PM EST by Andy Towle in Africa, Australia, Beyoncé, Chicago, Daniel Radcliffe, Discrimination, Eric Bana, Gay Marriage, Georgia, Harvey Milk, Kathy Griffin, Madonna, Nebraska, New York, News, South Africa, Space, Ted Haggard | Permalink
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That's a real shame. When I was a kid, I lived in Burundi for two years with my parents. Sad news.
Posted by: Freddie | Nov 24, 2008 3:22:49 PM
Silly Burudi. Now all those gay vacation dollars will go to Latvia.
Posted by: Derrick from PHilly | Nov 24, 2008 3:27:02 PM
Andy, The "A The Boston Globe" link does not work.
Posted by: sam | Nov 24, 2008 5:25:27 PM
Africa has to blame somebody for the shithole of a country they live in and it may as well be "the gays". Fuck them! They can bask in their intolerance and stupidity and POVERTY because no gay person that values their life is going to visit a country that hates them. Idiots bordering on subhuman.
Posted by: SFshawn | Nov 24, 2008 5:38:05 PM
That's the link:
http://blogs.nypost.com/popwrap/archives/2008/11/true_blood_fina.html
And the text is:
Q&A with Sam Trammell of the just-finished (for this season anyway) True Blood.
Posted by: Chris | Nov 24, 2008 5:42:09 PM
SFshawn:
Burundi has tourism?
Posted by: Chris | Nov 24, 2008 5:44:48 PM
"Africa has to blame somebody for the shithole of a country they live in and it may as well be "the gays". Fuck them! They can bask in their intolerance and stupidity and POVERTY because no gay person that values their life is going to visit a country that hates them. Idiots bordering on subhuman."
Africa's not a country, it's a continent.
I don't think that gay guys visiting Burundi would lift the country out of poverty and we need to think up better threats than withholding our tourist dollars from countries we haven't even heard of, let alone weren't going to visit in the first place. And calling any group of people, esp. Africans subhuman (considering the history) is dicey. I think the beliefs in that country are pathetic, but I don't think they're subhuman.
Posted by: Charles | Nov 24, 2008 5:55:13 PM
Holy crap! Did you all check out the link to the and comments after the survey article about 80% of South African populace homophobic? No surprise there but man is there some hate filled people in SA. There's just not a reason in the world to be in that country. Sounds more ignorant and intollerant than the good ol' USA by an exponent.
Posted by: Hoppybeer | Nov 24, 2008 6:24:45 PM
The shithole of a continent then! Gay folks visiting south africa would certainly benefit their economy but when 80% of the population hates your guts then there isn't much incentive to visit? I do think they are subhuman if in 2008 that is their belief system.
Posted by: SFshawn | Nov 24, 2008 6:27:52 PM
And yet, for all their homophobia, gay marriage is LEGAL in South Africa and they put equal protection for homosexuals into their constitution over 10 years ago. We can't say any of that, so we shouldn't be so quick to condemn them. It takes much longer to change minds than to change laws.
Posted by: Suzie | Nov 24, 2008 8:59:55 PM
What's up with that Savannah chick?
Posted by: Jason | Nov 24, 2008 9:01:00 PM
That "Savannah Chick" is a man.
Posted by: Buffy | Nov 24, 2008 10:30:22 PM
As a South African, who loves this blog, and my country, I'd like to comment on some of the comments here. SUZIE is correct. Our constitution has had equal protection for gay for almost 15 years now. For many years before civil unions became legal (2 years ago) we were afforded all the same rights as married couples without needing to marry. My late partner was American and we moved here in 2002. I could not stay in the USA because of your archaic laws against same-sex couples. In 2002 I felt proud to be able to tell my partner that he could immigrate to my country solely based on our relationship. Even though we had no civil union or marriage between us, we could still split our income tax liability, get joint health insurance, etc., and were considered for all legal purposes as spouses. I have travelled extensively through the US and have been subjected to anti-gay attacks no less than 4 times. This has never happened to me in South Africa. I am sure there are many people in South Africa that do not approve of my lifestyle, but by-and-large we are left to live our lives rather peacefully. The problem we are encountering now, predominantly is hate crimes against black lesbians. This has more to do with misogynistic culture, in areas of extreme poverty. Black lesbians are being raped as means of "curing" them. We are attempting to overcome this grave problem.
So, I am not saying there aren't any problems for gays in South Africa today, we do have our crap to deal with, but please do not act holier than thou when clearly you have far greater problems with civil rights for gays. The gays here were given rights, without having to fight for them, largely, by a heterosexual government that understood that their fight for equal rights as black people translated to a prize of rights for all groups of subjugated people. Under apartheid, gays were just as maligned as anyone else affected by that regime.
Come visit our beautiful country. You will be pleasantly surprised. And if you happened to meet that special guy, you'd actually be able to stay and live together. Happily ever after.
Posted by: south african | Nov 25, 2008 12:13:08 AM
Not only Palin doesn't know much about Africa ...
Look at a world map, it is the large thing south of Europe with 22 % of earth's land area. There are over 50 countries. And it's the origin of the human species.
Posted by: Chris | Nov 25, 2008 5:17:43 AM
SFSHAWN,
I was anticipating your comments. If the Africans are "bordering on sub-human", then what about Eastern Europe and the Baltics and Ukraine and Russia: they aint crazy about gay folks either.
...and now that I think about it--what about Mississipi, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, the Fabulous Carolinas, Georgia, etc... some anti-gay spots right here in the good ol' USA!
How 'bout a trip to exotic Tallahassee--of course Sunday morning we'll have attend an evangelical service on the success of banning gay marriage in the great state of Florida.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Nov 25, 2008 11:31:33 AM
Thx to Derrick, you couldn't say it any better...to Buffy, I know what you mean!!
I'm gay from Burundi living in liberal Toronto (Canada)..I'm out to my parents who live in Burundi(part-time) and I was outraged by this law that will criminalize homosexuals..If it passes with the senate approval...This means I could be arbitrary arrested and put in jail when I visit my country of birth and childhood..Up until now, Burundi was a very "liberal" country but the new president is a born-again christian..Which basically explains where we're headed..I've been following this closely on the phone, my friends back home have been working diligently with Human Rights Watch and some foreign representatives to stop that law from passing..The burundian gay diaspora is also getting ready to write to the senate...
I must say that I find strange some comments on this board written by some American gays..Look! I visited some very conservative parts of America where being who I am (Black and gay) was just a double death sentence, but I didn't think that americans were subhumans as some guy called africans here..and by the way, the born-again churches largely funded by americans are so involved in this....
One Love!!
Posted by: Etienne | Nov 25, 2008 4:54:18 PM