Checking in on Haiti a year after the devastating quake with nothing more than an iPhone.
Man says he felt “respected” by the military after the death of his Marine husband: “'They were always polite, but there was this moment of hesitation,' Ketterson recalled. 'They said they’re going to need something in writing from a blood relative. They asked, ‘Are you listed on the death certificate?’ ‘Do you have a marriage license?’...'From that moment on, I was next of kin. They were amazing.'”
Miley Cyrus is a bad influence.
Invisibility could soon be a reality.
Madonna's "W.E." not premiering at Cannes.
Geologist claims that not all dinosaurs become extinct: He says "he found as proof that a pocket of long-necked herbivores called sauropods survived for hundreds of thousands of years after all the other dinosaurs."
Matthew Morrison belted out a few tunes on stage at the Grove in LA yesterday.
Adam Lambert celebrates his 29th birthday in West Hollywood.
Conservative MP Nigel Evan on what sparked his own coming out: "I went to a diversity talk by Gareth Thomas the rugby player, who talked about his own sexuality, and I thought 'Hold on, if this iconic rugby player can make it known that he's gay, what's keeping me back?'"
John Boehner defends his crying: "I wear my emotions on my sleeve."
Meditation can change the brain: "The researchers report that those who meditated for about 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had measurable changes in gray-matter density in parts of the brain associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress."
Britney Spears was a bridesmaid at her assistant's wedding in Miami this weekend.
Al-Jazeera is the latest to get censored by the Egyptian governemnt
There's a lot more about the heartwarming story of the husband of theMarine Pilot John "Rip" Fliszar on the US Naval Academy LGBT Alumni Association website at http://usnaout.org/1101fliszar
Posted by: Steve CH | Jan 30, 2011 5:29:16 PM
Thanks so much for posting the story about Marine pitot, and Naval Academy grad, John Flizsar. You can find out more about LGBT alumni from the Naval Academy at www.USNAOut.org
Posted by: Joe Soto | Jan 30, 2011 5:29:19 PM
Andy, I'd like to add a news story.
"The new imam at the Ground Zero mosque and cultural center believes people who are gay were probably abused as children..."
Then he compares us to animals.
Story here: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/gz_imam_gay_flay_K8wAYsyKlADqlz8Et5CuTP
Commenters, are you all on board with Islamic homophobia?
Posted by: Max | Jan 30, 2011 5:33:35 PM
Adam Lambert is hotness!!! Sizzeling hotness! Playgirl please!!!!
Posted by: laura | Jan 30, 2011 5:39:26 PM
@Max: Andy ran a post about the bigoted imam several days ago. And I doubt any Towleroad reader is "on board with Islamic homophobia," any more than we're on board with "Christian" or "Jewish" homophobia. Homophobia is homophobia and religious bigotry is religious bigotry, no matter who it's coming from. He is rightly being called on his statements.
The military husband story, in addition to showing human decency all around, is encouragement for the future in the military and, most importantly, shows both the legal and symbolic importance of the word "marriage." "Marriage" is understood in a way that CUs never will be--not all people will be treated as decently as this husband, but this story reinforces the need for full marriage equality.
Posted by: Ernie | Jan 30, 2011 5:52:19 PM
Some folks have been invisible for a long time.
Posted by: Natira | Jan 30, 2011 6:27:43 PM
What's the difference between the Imman and the Rev. Fred Phelps? One practices six blocks from 'Ground Zero'- where civil liberties are only valid for some people.
Posted by: Rodney Wollam | Jan 30, 2011 6:31:48 PM
Thanks for the story on the Marine and his husband. It's nice to hear about people behaving with decency for a change.
Thanks also for the Adam Lambert birthday photos, but the better story is that he raised $250,000 on his birthday for Charity Water, an organization that provides clean water to communities in need.
Posted by: IAN F | Jan 30, 2011 6:54:12 PM
Rodney, that's the point, isn't it? But all the head-in-the-sand, Mosque-loving, LGBT liberals who support the Ground Zero Victory Mosque would take the exact opposite position if Fred Phelps wanted to build a church there. Bank on it.
Ernie, I didn't see the earlier post.
Posted by: Max | Jan 30, 2011 8:30:08 PM
@Max: You can read the story you refered to on Towleroad (from 3 days ago) and the discussion on it here:
http://www.towleroad.com/2011/01/my-entry/comments/page/1/#comments
Posted by: GV | Jan 30, 2011 8:49:03 PM
On dinosaurs... while most dinosaurs certainly went extinct, we've learned so much about them in the past few decades that it's becoming increasingly clear (to me, anyway) that they were so closely related to birds as to suggest that dinosaurs, as a whole, evolved as much as they went 'extinct.' If you want to know what a velociraptor looked like, imagine a big turkey with teeth and a giant tail.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Velociraptor_dinoguy2.jpg
This isn't to suggest that dinosaurs were birds, strictly speaking, but that's clearly what they evolved into over the years.
Posted by: Ryan | Jan 30, 2011 8:53:08 PM
GV, thanks. I missed that one.
I'm actually surprised to see most of the comments were anti-Imam. Gays are learning. Of course, some left-wing lunatic had to show up to call us all "Islamophobic queers."
Have you noticed that a lot of the criticism in the comments is still crouched in this "all religions are the same" nonsense? It's as if (most) liberals are incapable of bringing themselves to say anything critical of Islam without criticizing every other religion along with it. But this is not the case when they screech and spew about Christianity. Why is that?
Posted by: Max | Jan 30, 2011 9:08:34 PM
Max, I haven't particularly noticed what you refer to, but if it is true, I'd imagine it's because:
There is a lot of blatant Islamophobia in America, and it is often perpetuated by people who argue that "Islam = violence." Sadly, even the (otherwise mostly) astute Bill Maher argued that Islam & the Koran advocate violence. He says this in one of the Special Features in his "Religulous" DVD. To say, the least, I was shocked when I heard that from him. Islamic societies are incredibly diverse and many Muslims are peace-loving and do not live under or follow the teachings of conservative sharia law. There are gay and lesbian Muslims (shock!). And there are Muslims who love their queer brothers, sisters, and neighbors. And there are resistance movements within Islamic theocracies who are advocating and strategizing for civil rights and for secular governance. In school, I had the pleasure of becoming good friends with a Muslim classmate and her family, who were as sweet to me as one could ever hope for (she and I used to check out guys together all the time, to boot).
The virulent Islamophobia takes on another ugly dimension when you consider that it is used to "otherize" brown nations around the world, particularly those the US is currently invading or has mentioned the desire or potential of invading. It sure is easy to invade and kill a people when you believe their religion is hell-bent on destroying your civilization and killing you. So I'd say that: erroneously (or maliciously) painting an entire community of faith as violent & the geopolitical ramifications of Islamophobia are what inspire a lot of anti-Islamophobia criticism.
Posted by: toby | Jan 30, 2011 9:59:39 PM
Don't be so sure, Max. The thing about being a liberal is we fiercely believe rights guaranteed us in the Constitution apply to ALL of us - no matter where you are (Overland Park, KS or Ground Zero) or what your beliefs may be (Christian or Muslim).
I'll stand for your right to be hateful as long as air courses through my body.
Posted by: Rodney Wollam | Jan 30, 2011 10:37:01 PM
Toby, no need to imagine. Just go read the comments on that other thread. Most all criticism of Islam is wrapped up in a neat little "all religions are the same" package of boiler-plate nonsense. They are not all the same.
Posted by: Max | Jan 30, 2011 10:49:46 PM
@Max:
I don't see on what basis you are saying that "most all" critical comments on the other thread say anything like "all reliions are the same."
In fact, I have many times seen the odd commenter say in a thread about a bigoted Christian leader that "all religions are BS" or some such idea, resulting in other commenters stating that their own church does not subscribe to bigoted views and should not be lumped in with those who hold them.
Lonnie's comment about "Islamophobic queers" was probably the most volatile and went on to make statements about gays that others found offensive. Your reference to him as a "liberal" seems to be baseless. He has in other threads insisted readers should not vote for Democrats and has equated them, ridiculously, to "Nazis."
Overall, it seems as if you've approached the thread with prior assumptions.
Posted by: GV | Jan 30, 2011 11:09:41 PM
It warms my heart that this man and his husband got the dignity...and respect that they both deserve!! I know it it is not about any money with...just acknowledge that he and his hubby WERE FAMILY and loved each other and he served his country!
Posted by: shannon | Jan 31, 2011 1:57:57 AM
Yes, John Boehner wears his emotions on his sleeve - and his brains up his ass.
Posted by: dommyluc | Jan 31, 2011 7:49:21 AM
@Max, you're incredibly full of presumptions, including your initial incorrect presumption that Towleroad, being that boiler-plate Islam-loving liberal blog, wouldn't cover bigotry from an imam. You accuse us liberals of having narrow views without recognizing the simple-minded narrowness of your own.
The truth is the imam's statements about gay people are very much in line with the ignorance expressed by any number of religious figures. The roots of homophobia are common and not particularly unique over different religions. Saying that doesn't imply that there are no differences in how that homophobia is expressed or that Islamic violence isn't an issue. And supporting a group's right to build a religious center hardly implies endorsement of their religious views. You're practicing the same kind of facile conflation you find so reprehensible in others.
Posted by: Ernie | Jan 31, 2011 11:08:54 AM
Has no one realized there is no link to the first item?
Posted by: Rodney Wollam | Jan 31, 2011 1:45:14 PM
@Toby: I'm not an Islamaphobe, but I have read the Koran cover to cover and have studied it extensively. There truly are - technically speaking - passages that do advocate violence (even call for death) against non-believers if one does prosthelytize and the intended recipient of your message turns his back on you. (Much like the Bible has passages that are equally archaic about stoning for various crimes in the OT.)
The passages are there, but it's up to each to interpret it as they feel fits. I don't mind anyone practicing any kind of religion, but the moment they try to FORCE ME to believe practice it as they do, that's when they cross the line.
Posted by: johnny | Jan 31, 2011 1:53:12 PM
If Boehner really wore his emotions on his sleeve, he'd snarl a lot more.
Posted by: BobN | Jan 31, 2011 2:20:49 PM
Sorry to quibble but the club where Adam Lambert celebrated his birthday is H.Wood on Orange Ave. in Hollywood, a couple of miles east of the city of West Hollywood.
Posted by: Jon Ponder | Jan 31, 2011 2:36:30 PM
Johnny: As you noted, the Bible contains tons of violence and barbarism--just as the Koran does. To say that violence in the Koran means that all Muslims are violent or Islam is a violent religion is just as disingenuous as saying the same thing about the Bible, Christians, and Christianity. Many people in these groups are not fundamentalists and they do not follow the archaic prescriptions of those texts.
Posted by: toby | Feb 1, 2011 12:48:19 AM
Hey "Toby" you seem to know an aaaaaaawful lot about Islam. Why don't you go live over in the ISLAMIC KINGDOM of Saudi Arabia for a spell and then come back(IF you come back alive)and tell us all how your experience as a GAY male went. I'm just dying to hear exactly how "open" and "embracing" these poor, discriminated against moslems are.
Posted by: evolutionisfact | Dec 15, 2011 7:14:18 AM