Bill Clinton Heckled at Netroots Nation; Answers on DADT, DOMA

Blogger/activist Lane Hudson stood up and interrupted Bill Clinton's keynote last night at the Netroots Nation conference in Pittsburgh, asking, "Mr. President, will you call for a repeal of DOMA and Don't Ask, Don't Tell? Right now?"

Clinton responded to Hudson that he ought to go to one of the health care town halls. "You'd do really well there." But Hudson did get the answer he wanted, and more on DOMA.

Answered Clinton, when interrupted again: "You wanna talk about ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’, I’ll tell you exactly what happened. You couldn’t deliver me any support in the Congress and they voted by a veto-proof majority in both houses against my attempt to let gays serve in the military and the media supported them. They raised all kinds of devilment. And all most of you did was to attack me instead of getting some support in the congress. Now, that’s the truth."

Clinton went on to explain why he signed DOMA: "We were attempting at the time, in a very reactionary congress, to head off an attempt to send a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage to the states. And if you look at the Levin referendum much later in 2004, in the election, which the Republicans put on the ballot, to try to get the base vote for President Bush up, I think it’s obvious that something had to be done to try to keep the Republican congress presenting that."

Clinton's entire answer and transcript, AFTER THE JUMP...

Hudson discusses why he stood up and interrupted Clinton on the Huffington Post. "...it became clear there would be no questions. As I sat in the audience thinking about how Netroots Nation is about celebrating the most open forum of discussion ever to exist, it occurred to me that we were nothing more than a captive audience being talked to. One way communication was NOT what we were there to celebrate and advance."

News: Wanda Sykes, Baker's Dozen, Anti-war Rally, Matthew Rhys

Blogger Lane Hudson reports from the anti-war rally in DC over the weekend: "The most striking thing that I noticed was the diversity of people present. Young and old, rich and poor, all kinds of races and cultures, and liberals and moderates. Heck, maybe there were even a few Republicans present! (I did see a fur coat!) These are the faces of our progressive movement. We are like herding cats, yet we always manage to come together for a cause. Not everyone there had the same opinions on the war. We didn't all agree with every speaker. But, we all agree on one thing. We need a change of course on Iraq policy."

Thieves aren't the only ones targeting the sought-after graffiti of street artists like Banksy. Now, vandals are after it too: "The passion for destruction is a creative passion. We are all capable of manifesting our desires directly, free of representation and commodification. We will continue manifesting ours by euthanizing your bourgeois fad."

Clay Aiken caught on webcam again?

AfterElton talks to Matthew Rhys of Brothers & Sisters about his gay character Kevin. Recently, his co-star, actor Jason Lewis, told Extra that kissing a man onscreen was "scary". Does Rhys feel the same? "I don't think it's ever really problematic. I just think if you're fortunate enough to be confident and secure in yourself, and you know it's a role you play, I don't see where the problem lies, really. Actually, my first theater job was a gay part with a lot of kissing it in it. So, I wouldn't say it was a hurdle really, but I got over that really early on. You realize there's nothing to it."

Happy two-year anniversary to our friends Josh & Josh.

Prince Harry back with his regiment.

Wanda Sykes on Ellen: "Gay is the new black."

The New Year's Eve Baker's Dozen assault — the latest: "At midnight the partygoers formed a circle in the dining room with the Baker's Dozen members, who were dressed in blazers, ties and khakis. They locked arms and sang 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' Fairman recalled the uninvited guest being annoyed and announcing, 'This is the gayest s -- I ever heard. What a bunch of fags.' 'I think he was envious of these boys who were talented, likable and having a good time. I think that's why it all started,' she said."

Lane Hudson, Blogger who Exposed Mark Foley, Speaks

In his first public interview since the Mark Foley scandal broke, blogger and former HRC employee Lane Hudson tells the Washington Blade that though he knew his efforts to expose the Congressman's interaction with pages might have political implications, they were in no way meant as a sort of "October surprise" meant to influence the November elections.

Said Hudson: "[Such accusations] only [serve] to distract from the real issue here. And the real issue is that there was a predator in Congress who, over the course of his 12 years of service, was continuously seeking out pages with unethical, immoral and inappropriate intentions. And now he’s not there. And anyone who wants to say anything different is endorsing the idea that these activities should have continued."

Hudson expresses his frustration over the willful ignorance by certain members of Congress of Foley's inappropriate advances. In fact, Hudson himself had contact with Foley as an intern at the White House under Bill Clinton in 1995. Soon after meeting Foley at a bar with other interns, the congressman made email contact. Hudson says "it was nothing explicit, nothing very salacious" though he admits to being somewhat naive at the time.

Hudson says he's not surprised he was fired by HRC and doesn't hold it against them as he understands what the linking of his blog to HRC computers meant to the organization. He also insists his efforts were not motivated by partisan politics but by a desire to expose the corruption he witnessed and heard about from others: "It disappointed me hugely that the gilded halls of Congress, one of the longest, continuously operating governments in the world, allows stuff like this to happen. And I wanted to do something about it."

Gay blogger sought to protect pages [washington blade]