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04/19/2007


Disneyland Tokyo Opens Its Doors to Gay Wedding Ceremonies

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The Magic Kingdom just got a little more magic in Japan, the Taipei Times reports:

Tokyo Disneyland said this week it would allow gay couples to hold ceremonies on its grounds, although same-sex weddings have no legal status in Japan.

Disneyland’s decision came to light after Koyuki Higashi, a 27-year-old woman, inquired about marrying her female partner, identified only as Hiroko, at the resort. Higashi was initially told she would be able to marry her partner provided they were dressed “like a man and a woman,” she wrote on her blog. Staff at Disneyland, which attracts about 14 million visitors a year, were apparently concerned about how other visitors would react to the sight of couples both dressed in wedding dresses or tuxedos.

A spokeswoman for Milial Resort Hotels, a subsidiary of Tokyo Disney Resort, later said there had been a misunderstanding, telling Higashi and her partner they could dress how they pleased, although they would not be able to exchange vows in the chapel because of “Christian teachings.”

The park is now accepting all applications for same-sex wedding ceremonies.


The Year In Review

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Watch AFTER THE JUMP as Talking Points Memo does the year in 100 seconds.

Continue reading "The Year In Review" »


Occupy Wall Street Goes Global

2011-10-15_134411Today's maybe the biggest day yet for Occupy Wall Street, with events breaking out in 87 countries, including Andorra, Luxembourg, Iceland, and Senegal. Senegal!

According to CNN, the protestors' demands are typically, hearteningly anarchic. In South Korea, a protestor expressed solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street Movement, claimed to have no particular beef with the leadership in Seoul, and suggested his demonstration seeks redress for "economic problems worldwide." In Indonesia, an honest-to-goodness Communist named Rudi Daman declaimed a harsher message at a protest outside the American embassy in Jakarta:

We wanted to show that the American regime, its system of imperialism needs to be destroyed.

Yikes. Think that'll get quoted on Fox?

Happily, most protestors, even on the other side of the globe, seem to have tenderer feelings towards the United States. And despite the world's grim economic situation, seemingly inevitable slide towards geopolitical instability, and generally frowny outlook on just about everything ... doesn't there seem to be something kind of giddy about these protests? Something ... jubilant? Hopeful, even? Lookit all those smiles breaking out at Occupy Tokyo, AFTER THE JUMP... 

Continue reading "Occupy Wall Street Goes Global" »


News: Hiroshima, Gay Jurors, Jason Bateman, Ames Straw Poll

Hiroshima  road As Japan and the world mark the 66th anniversary of the Hiroshima A-Bomb, and in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said he would work toward ending nuclear power in his nation: "I will reduce Japan's reliance on nuclear power, aiming at creating a society that will not rely on atomic power generation."

 road Uniformed members of the Dutch Army, in which gays and lesbians have been serving openly since 1974, were finally allowed to march in Amsterdam's Gay Pride festival.

 road Elsewhere in gay pride news, police say about 35,000-50,000 people showed up for the annual event in Stockholm.

 road The fight for gay jurors: "Trial lawyers should be barred from dismissing potential jurors because of their sexual orientation, defense attorneys argued Thursday in a case that, if successful, could extend constitutional protection from discrimination to homosexuality along with race, creed and gender."

Teen-wolf-too-original-1  road China's state media blasts United States for credit downgrade and overall economic nightmare, saying U.S. must "come to terms with the painful fact that the good old days when it could just borrow its way out of messes of its own making are finally gone."

 road Say so long to Wisteria Lane; ABC axing Desperate Housewives after season eight.

 road Rise of the Planet of the Apes dominates Friday box office with $19 million, while new comedy The Change Up crept to fourth place with $4.6 million.

 road In related news, Jason Bateman, co-star of The Change Up, was on NPR's Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me to talk about Tarzan star Cheeta and the upcoming Arrested Development movie -- yes, it's coming -- and the classic movie Teen Wolf Too.

 road CJ de Mooi, a British television personality and president of the English Chess Federation, says he was barred from presenting awards at a chess tournament because he was wearing a t-shirt with the equality message, "Some People Are Gay, Get Over It." "An arbiter approached me saying she had 'personal reservations' about me wearing a Stonewall t-shirt when presenting prizes to juniors. It was apparently inappropriate for me to wear something mentioning 'sexuality' in such an environment," de Mooi wrote in a statement.

 road The gay population in Washington State has grown 50 percent over the past ten years, and those couples are itching for equality.

 road Thirty-one American soldiers, more than 20 from the elite SEALTeam 6, and 7 Afghan security officials killed in Afghanistan helicopter attack.

 road Filmmaker and photographer Jim Goldberg focuses on singer Robyn, giving fans "an unrestricted view of the sincere ambition behind her career" through a Super 8 lens.

 road The Missouri Research & Education Network, which supplies computer software to the Show Me State's school system, will no longer censor non-sexual LGBT sites after receiving complaints from the ACLU and the Freedom to Read Foundation: "The groups told MOREnet it was illegally censoring LGBT-related websites through its software while allowing access to websites that condemn homosexuality or oppose LGBT legal protections.

CalderoneGaga  road Pro-civil unions Republican presidential candidate Gary Johnson won't participate in symbolically important Ames Straw Poll. From his campaign's statement: "We simply cannot and will not buy into an event that has been granted far more status in the nomination process than it should have."

 road Lady Gaga's male drag persona, Jo Calderone, makes an appearance for cover of new single, "You and I."

 road Finally, full length picture of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Thoughts on the goggles?

 road Meanwhile, the first picture of Rihanna for the upcoming Battleship movie just came out, and she has a big gun.

 road About 4,600 Nevada households are led by two women, and an estimated 4,724 are run by two men, an 87% total increase since 2000.


A Ride on the World's New Steepest Roller Coaster: VIDEO

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The new Takabisha roller coaster has a 141-foot drop and a 121-degree free-fall. It's at Fuji-Q Highland amusement park in Japan.

Take a ride on it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Continue reading "A Ride on the World's New Steepest Roller Coaster: VIDEO" »


News: Survival, Mike Huckabee, Westboro, Gay Television

RussellDavies  road Rudolf Brazda, possibly the last gay Holocaust survivor, just published a new book outlining his ordeal. "People need to know that we homosexuals were persecuted by people who themselves were also gay," said the 98-year old.

 road Homophobic conservative Mike Huckabee isn't running for president, but he still plays a formidable role.

 road Russell T. Davies, creator of Queer as Folk, Torchwood and the Doctor Who remake, is working on a new Showtime series about gay men. It is called Cucumber, which sounds promising.

 road Here's a reason to relocate to Cambridge, Massachusetts: the city council approved a stipend for married LGBT public workers who pay federal taxes that heterosexuals don't have to pay.

 road Glee actor Darren Criss jumps for joy. And why shouldn't he?

 road Eagle co-owner Robert Kelley reacts to the APD dismissal of six officers over the 2009 raid on his bar: “I feel like I've been punished for doing absolutely nothing wrong while these people are getting a little letter stuck in their file saying everything is OK."

 road Westboro Baptist Church continues protesting at soldiers' funerals.

 road A species of stick insect is facing extinction after 1.5 million years of asexuality. Coincidence?

WillKateHollywood  road About 1,618 couples have filed for civil unions since Illinois' new law went into effect last month.

 road The leftist International League of People's Struggle reiterated its support for LGBT rights. Homophobic Representative Steve King will love that.

 road Ordination of clergy in same-sex relationships officially begins for the Presbyterian Church here in the States. Remarked one pastor on the historic move, “The Presbyterian Church is best when we live in unity amongst diversity... This will truly give the church equally to all ordain people.”

 road Will and Kate look right at home on Hollywood's red carpet.

 road So does Jason Bateman.

 road Another strong earthquake struck Japan today. No injuries have been reported, thankfully.

 road New Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says defeat of al-Qeada is "within reach." Wonderful, but that won't end terrorism.

 road Former football player Akil Patterson knows the relief of coming out.





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