Who is Funding Log Cabin's Ads Attacking Chuck Hagel? - VIDEO

Following the publication of a new full-page ad from the Log Cabin Republicans attacking Chuck Hagel's nomination as Defense Secretary, more voices are chiming in with questions about who might be behind the funding of the group's ads.

Andrew Sullivan was asking the question over the holidays when LCR's NYT ad went up, and got a tepid response.

Now, David Mixner and John Aravosis are scratching their heads.

Writes Mixner:

Can't help but wonder if their funds wouldn't be better spent running a full page ad asking the House Republicans to cease and desist from financing the opposition in the legal battle for DOMA. Or maybe the Log Cabin Republicans can take all their newly discovered wealth and pay for full page ads demanding the Republicans support a trans-inclusive ENDA. Surely we would welcome them using their money to pay for an ad that lists all the Republicans who now support marriage equality?

Nope, they run an ad that omits key information, says Hagel apology is not sincere enough and that this issue is the most important ever for the Log Cabin Republicans. Really, this is what we should be spending our time on? This is how we should be spending tens of thousands of dollars?

Let's be honest here. Someone is using the Log Cabin Republicans for another agenda and financing these ads. The Log Cabin Republicans in order to have credibility must show us who are financing these ads. That kind of money sure hasn't been sitting in their accounts all year long. I promise you that is a fact. Show us the money!

Writes Aravosis:

I will say that I have growing concerns, not about Hagel, but about the gay Republican group Log Cabin Republicans, and whether we are witnessing another gay organization in a payola, pay-for-play, -type scandal that we previously had with GLAAD (and AT&T) and the NGLTF (and gambling interests), where both gay groups weighed in on an issue that didn’t seem to have a terribly gay angle, only to later found out that a not-gay-at-all outside interest was pulling their strings, and undermining our own community and its ongoing credibility...

...What makes Log Cabin’s new-found interest in anti-gay Republicans so curious is Log Cabin’s long-standing disinterest in standing up to anti-gay Republicans.  Log Cabin had no problem defending John Ashcroft, when he was attacked for his anti-gay comments about Hormel.  And Log Cabin had no problem getting in bed with Mitt Romney, when the GOP presidential candidate renounced pretty much every pro-gay position he had previously ever held.

Log Cabin’s tag line on the ad is “Chuck Hagel’s apology: Too little, too late.”  One could use the same tag line about Log Cabin’s sudden interest in standing up to anti-gay Republicans.

Watch LCR interim executive director Gregory T. Angelo on CNN yesterday,
AFTER THE JUMP...

A New Year's Reflection on the Fight for Full Equality

BY DAVID MIXNER

Over the holidays while attending a dinner party, I met a young guest about 25-years-old. As on most occasions, the dinner table conversation consisted of the enormous progress around marriage equality. The young man passionately spoke up and said, "You know if the Supreme Court rules that marriage is a constitutional right then most of our fight is over."

My head jerked up at this statement (and while there will still be much more to do) it was like hearing someone proclaim, "the war is over!"

Couldn't quite shake his statement out of my head because for me 'the war' has raged brutally for my 66 years of life.

In my youth, the stories were of police raids on gay bars, community leaders being disgraced and arrested in parks, LGBT political events broken up by police and families forcing their children to have lobotomies to cure them of being gay. My friend Freddy Davies committed suicide at 16 and my Dad said his family was better off because of it.

It was a time of shame, fear and self hatred. Every institution in our lives — from family to church — thought we were so bad they urged us to lie to them and stay in the closet. Forget the virtue of truth and honesty that was so revered in America. They begged us to keep our shameful secret to ourselves and not visit it on the community or family.

Then, as some of us slowly began to come out in the 1970's and form new community organizations to give us safe places to express ourselves, we found that because of it many of us lost our families, jobs and place in the community. Anita Bryant launched her hate campaign on the ballots in 1977 and 1978 which was stopped by the defeat of Proposition Six (the Briggs Initiative) in California.

When I came out in 1976 people in the Democratic Party mostly abandoned me. Candidates to whom I had contributed returned checks and refused to allow me to endorse them. I helped form the first political PAC called MECLA and we raised a grand total of $40,000 in the first year. When I would ask for a check for the PAC often it would be for $99 because anything $100 or above would have to be reported. Nevertheless, the late 1970's was for the community and me a time of great progress.

The AIDS epidemic stopped us in our tracks.

In the early years, society completed abandoned us and we died in the tens of thousands. Few politicians (Ted Kennedy, Phil Burton, Henry Waxman, etc) spoke up and fought by our side. ACT-UP and new national organizations were formed to fight back and attempt to save our gay brothers' lives. Personally, it was a time of horror as over 300 friends died and I gave at least 90 eulogies. I'd go to funerals of young men on Saturday morning or afternoon and then dancing Saturday night. A good part of my middle age was totally dominated by HIV/AIDS. It was a darkness that is still hard for me to discuss or think about even decades later.

In 1988, Randy Klose, Duke Comegys, David Wexler and I decided we had to elect a Democrat for President. With our friends' contacts and our own, we figured we could bundle over a million dollars for Governor Dukakis which would be a historical first for the LGBT community. We were told by his staff point-blank that they could not accept such a large amount of LGBT-identified money and they turned the donation down.

In 1992, the LGBT delegates had to threaten a public walkout at the Convention just to force Bill Clinton to include the word 'gay' in his acceptance speech. It took every political chip we had to have him speak at the Hollywood Palace to an all LGBT audience and the staff opposed it to the end. Ironically, it was a turning point for him. His "I Have A Vision" Speech" generated thousands of volunteers and millions of dollars from the community for his campaign.

While in the end 1992 was an incredible political year for LGBT Americans, we would still face great obstacles even from a LGBT-friendly President. While he made a number of key appointments, President Clinton was also responsible for two of the most horrible pieces of legislation directed at the LGBT community. His team was the architect of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell' (DADT) which ended up destroying over 14,000 careers. He followed that with the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which we are currently fighting in the courts and is a major barrier to marriage equality today.

Outraged over DADT, a group of us were arrested in front of the White House to protest the coming horror of the policy. While the President received a stunning amount of support from the community, those arrested were shunned by the Democratic Party. In fact, I was personally attacked by many for getting arrested. However, as the Quakers say, we have to give witness to great evil even if that evil is supported by popular opinion.

Even in the past 10 years, some top level LGBT activists were urging candidates to exercise caution on supporting marriage equality. Some of our national organizations and many leaders, into 2012, were urging President Obama to not take a stance on same-sex marriage until after the election. It was very frustrating to be fighting the battle for marriage equality and to hear other leaders urge him to take a pass.

During this time I personally realized that the community could never make progress if we gave our allies permission to not support us. Even if our friends became uncomfortable for advocating for full equality, it was not our job to make them comfortable as a criteria for our freedom. A true representative can never advocate partial freedom, separate but equal, or counsel patience in the face of horrific oppression.

Over a lifetime, I have lived in fear as a gay man, survived a horror and darkness that I never dreamed could exist, found the strength to stand with my community, learned not to live to please others, and witnessed great progress.

Who knows? 'The war' might soon be over!

What I do know personally is we have already won in so many ways. There are LGBT dances in high school and college, we are getting married, we are creating families, there are weddings at West Point, soldiers serving their country openly, fewer people dying of AIDS, and our young will be mostly be spared a tough, bitter and at times brutal journey that had to be taken to get to this moment in our history.

That is a good reason for me to celebrate and say to you all with deep passion, tears and joy - Happy New Year.

You can visit David Mixner online at his blog at DavidMixner.com.

Maryland Marriage Equality Update with Martin O'Malley and Michael Steele: VIDEO

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley appears in a new ad for Question 6 in Maryland.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

And David Mixner reports on some ugly campaigning from the GOP there:

In Maryland millions of voters will go to the polls tomorrow to vote marriage equality up and down. It is very close.

On the same ballot is a statewide version of the "Dream Act" and a measure to build another casino in Maryland. Besides marriage, I am huge supporter of the Dream Act and until yesterday couldn't have cared less about the casinos.

That is not the case any more.

This weekend former GOP National Chair Michael Steele sent out a slate to all Republicans (it was NOT the official Republican slate) and asked them to vote yes for the casino and AGAINST marriage equality and the Dream Act. This slate was financed by interests from the casinos.

The love you and then hurt you approach simply won't work for us anymore.

Every LGBT voter in Maryland, every supporter who cares about our rights, and every person who believes in honesty and decency should - when they go to the polls in Maryland tomorrow -  vote NO on the casinos and YES for marriage equality and the Dream Act.

The LGBT community must not be jerked around anymore and I urge you to send a powerful message. If you live outside the state but know Maryland voters call them and pass on the message.

David Mixner To Equality-Minded Voters: 'Let's Get This Job Done'

Well aware that some voters are sitting on the laurels, either expecting President Obama to win or not caring about domestic policies, legendary activist David Mixner today implored voters to get out next month and cast their ballot for the commander-in-chief.

Reminding readers that all the GOP leadership has said they're committed to banning marriage equality from coast-to-coast and reminding us that inclusive laws could very well be passed or upheld in four states - Maine, Minnesota, Washington and Maryland - next month, Mixner writes, "Never have we as a community been so close to full equality and never have we been so close to losing it all in this election."

From Mixner's post:

No matter how we would want the world to be this morning, it makes no difference. Our lives, our future and our freedom are at stake in this election. Don't play with it. Don't be high and mighty about it. Don't blame someone else about it. As a dear friend always reminds me, "It is what it is".

Just do what the courageous and noble LGBT community have always done in the times of adversity. Fight back. Fight hard. Ignore the odds. Show others how it is done. Most importantly take this nation to a new place in its politics, hearts and values.

Let's get the job done.

Of all the "this election is about a choice" messages going around right now, Mixner's may be one of the most blunt, and the most right.

(photo: rex wockner)

News: Romney's 13%, Dave Mustaine, Lauren Conrad, Influential Victorians

Mitt Romney claims he pays at least a 13% tax rate. From the GOP presidential hopeful: "I did go back and look at my taxes, and, over the past 10 years, I never paid less than 13 percent... Every year, I paid at least 13 percent, and if you add in, in addition, the amount that goes to charity, the number gets well above 20 percent."

A shirtless Stephen Amell gets me even more excited for the CW's Arrow.

84% of New Yorkers couldn't give a hoot whether or not our next mayor is gay or lesbian.

Whet your appetite for British period drama with the Downton Abbey season 3 trailer.

One trick pony Rick Santorum will try to rally conservatives against marriage equality in Washington State.

The Ukrainian Moral Commission has decided that Spongebob Squarepants is gay and therefore unfit for television.

Thoughts on the late Gore Vidal's legacy: "It is difficult to overstate the courage Vidal demonstrated in publishing 'The City and the Pillar' in his early years as a writer. At that time, homosexuality was both a crime and, in the eyes of the medical establishment, a debilitating 'disease' — as well as the great American taboo. But honesty, both intellectual and moral, was an innate Vidal quality all his life — he always said and wrote exactly what he thought, no matter what the cost.

Local governments are using eminent domain to help rescue residents from underwater mortgages. Could this be just the tool needed to turn solve the nation's property-related problems? From NBC News: "Critics say seizing individual properties would benefit only the homeowners who gets a break on their loan balance. But proponents counter that local mortgage seizures would serve the public good because they would help boost local housing markets and speed economic recovery."

Anderson Cooper is still on vacation with Kelly Ripa as rumors continue to swirl that he booted boyfriend Ben Maisani after Maisani kissed another man.

Congratulations to Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott! A Google-derived algorithm decided they are the most influential Victorian novelists.

Great Britain is pretty "disappointed" after Ecuador granted Wikileaks leader Julian Assange political asylum.

As part of their effort to oust Colorado House Speaker Frank McNulty, the Republican who single-handedly squashed civil unions there, the group Fight Back Colorado is asking readers to pick the lawmaker's next profession: Chick-fil-A jockey; spin class instructor, because of all the spin he puts on his hateful politics; or undertaker, "because he killed the civil unions bill—and 30 other important bills in the process".

Jodie Foster has Kristen Stewart's back.

Cheyenne Jackson sits down with David Mixner to discuss a variety of topics, including his forthcoming Broadway show alongside Henry Winkler: "In my Broadway play coming up [The Performers], I have some dialogue and some costumes that are gonna take some real cojones to say and wear without some initial embarrassment. But that's why I do what I do. Cuz if something scares you, it means you should do it. Again, thank you Oprah."

A new report that will shape the next decade of scientific research "emphasizes the need for research to better understand the sun, how it interacts with Earth and other bodies in the solar system, and the origins of potentially harmful space weather..."

Former reality star Lauren Conrad took down this video of her destroying books because it rightfully upset people.

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine claims President Obama staged recent mass shootings, including the one in Aurora, Colorado, so that he can destroy gun rights.

Let us not play the blame game with the FRC shooting.

Socarides, Mixner and Newsom All Celebrate Obama's Gay Marriage Support

It is pretty safe to say that almost all Americans have by now heard about -- and discussed -- President Obama's support for gay marriage. And you can be sure that longtime allies have something to say about the news.

Richard Socarides, a former aid to President Clinton and currently one of the most outspoken proponents of equality, took to the New Yorker to offer his thoughts, writing that Obama has adjusted himself to a new American reality.

While [Obama's decision] was a useful electoral strategy, changes in public opinion and in the culture have created a new reality. Obama’s political advisers badly underestimated the extent to which the marriage issue would remain at the forefront of the national discussion—and the determination of those of us who work to keep it there.

So while this is an important moment in civil-rights history, it is also an important moment in political history—in which the lesson, for the gay community and, perhaps, for anyone advocating for change, is that words are important, but we have to insist on action from our friends.

Meanwhile, legendary activist David Mixner told BuzzFeed that Mr. Obama's support will have "enormous impact" on state-based marriage decisions. "His words and his actions will have enormous impact across the nation in many states," he said. "It could influence referendums in Washington, Maryland, and Maine."

Mixner also said he's surprised by Obama's decision to announce before the election, but that timing is not the most important element here. "The whole purpose of working all these years to reach this moment for me is to change minds, not to punish people on their timing, but to celebrate when you reach a mutual point of enlightenment."

Gavin Newsom, the former San Francisco mayor who is now California's Lieutenant Governor and also a long-time equality advocate, said that Obama's announcement proves the president's salt.

"He’s become, once again, the president we elected," Newsom said on Current's The Young Turks. Do you agree?