London Chaplain: Tattoo Gays with Sodomy Warnings

Reverend Peter Mullen, the Chaplain to the London Stock Exchange, is under fire for suggesting that gays be branded with sodomy warning tattoos:

Said Mullen: "It is time that religious believers began to recommend ... discouragements of homosexual practices after the style of warnings on cigarette packets. Let us make it obligatory for homosexuals to have their backsides tattooed with the slogan 'SODOMY CAN SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH' and their chins with 'FELLATIO KILLS'."

Mullen also called for the banning of gay pride parades, and wrote a poem mocking the recent blessing of the union of two gay priests by Reverend Martin Dudley.

The Evening Standard reports: "The poem begins: 'The Bishop of London is in a high huff, Because Dr Dudley has married a puff; And not just one puff - he's married another: Two priests, two puffs and either to other.' The ceremony, which took place in the summer, was roundly condemned by the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, as a breach of Church of England rules."

The Bishop of London called Mullen's marks "highly offensive" and gay rights group Stonewall UK is calling for Mullen's resignation.

Gay men should have sodomy warning tattoos [evening standard]

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Gov. Jindal to Reauthorize Discrimination Against Gays in Louisiana

Louisiana residents will once again face the threat of being fired from their jobs for being gay or lesbian when Governor Bobby Jindal allows a 2004 executive order made by former Gov. Kathleen Blanco to expire this Friday:

"We are not going to renew it and that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody. The reason for allowing the order to lapse is that I don’t think it is necessary to create additional special categories or special rights. We are firmly and strongly committed to fair treatment of all of our people and certainly don’t condone discrimination in any form."

Blanco's order added sexual orientation to a list of areas covered by discrimination laws, including race, religion, gender, national origin, political affiliation and disabilities.

Said Baton Rouge businessman and former state Revenue Department secretary Joe Traigle in a statement: "Jindal, for the sake of economic development in Louisiana, should reissue the non-discrimination executive order so that the sign below Louisiana can again read ‘everyone welcome.’"

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George W. Bush and Colin Powell Actors Arrested in Bar Fight

Actors Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright, in Shreveport, Louisiana to play George W. Bush and Colin Powell in Oliver Stone's W, were arrested in a bar fight in downtown Shreveport over the weekend:

"According to Shreveport Police patrol report, officers were called to the Stray Cat bar in the 200 block of Travis Street just after 2 a.m. to deal with a rowdy patron. As more officers arrived, several other patrons at the bar, including Brolin and fellow actor Jeffrey Wright, 42, tried to impede the officers, the report said. In all, the report named 10 officers called to the ruckus. Brolin, Wright and four other people were charged with interfering with police, a misdemeanor. Brolin was booked into the city jail, and posted $334 cash bond to be released."

Brolin also plays Harvey Milk assassin Dan White in Gus van Sant's upcoming biopic Milk.

Mugshots of the other arrestees, including Wright, AFTER THE JUMP...

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GOP Senate Candidate in Louisiana Drops Out Over Lewd Conduct

At what point does this officially qualify as an epidemic?

Republican state senate candidate Joey DiFatta has reportedly dropped out of the race in Louisiana following revelations that he was stopped not once, but twice, for lewd conduct suspicion. In the first, a "Peeping Tom" incident, DiFatta was issued a misdemeanor summons for spying on a man in a stall at a Mervyn's department store at The Esplanade mall. The man whose privacy he allegedly violated eventually withdrew his complaint.

In the second, DiFatta was caught pulling a Larry Craig in a stall at at Dillard's at Lakeside Shopping Center, according to the Times-Picayune:

"The deputy inside the stall, Detective Wayne Couvillion, responded by tapping his foot, and DiFatta reached under the partition and began to rub the deputy's leg, the report states. The detective asked DiFatta, 'What do you want?' according to the report, and he replied, 'I want to play with you.' DiFatta also used a hand signal to indicate that he wanted to engage in sex and used language that indicated the same, according to the report. Conley, who is now the Kenner city attorney, confirmed the report's authenticity Thursday. The incident did not culminate in an arrest because the deputy in the bathroom with DiFatta terminated the investigation after several children entered the bathroom, the report states."

Said Di Fatta: "If I had done something wrong, I would have been arrested. I was not. I will deny that I was involved in any activity of that nature."

DiFatta is a Councilman for St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans. According to DailyKos, DiFatta was a member of the Republican State Central Committee from 1996-2004, is married with two sons and three grandchildren, and pledged to "defend our conservative values from attacks by extreme liberal groups" as part of his campaign.

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Gay Rights: A Look at Two Young Americans

I missed this profile on William Sleaster (above), the Concord High School student who challenged John McCain on gay rights last week (some of which can be seen in the clip below). Sleaster made headlines when he followed up his questioning by telling McCain, "I came here looking to see a leader. I don’t."

Sleaster told the Concord Monitor: "It may have been disrespectful, but he discriminates against me and my people. If he walked in there to Tide Pride (the school's LGBT support group) Monday morning and started dropping sexual slurs, we wouldn't shake his hand and say, 'Thanks for coming.' That's why I didn't shake his hand and say, 'Thanks for coming.' I regret nothing...Going into it, I was looking to be impressed. I was looking for him to be the leader type," Sleaster said. "But he didn't show that at all. He seemed very weak. He didn't have any good ideas at all."

Sleaster says that some of his views crystallized after coming out to his classmates last February as bisexual: "It was a good thing to do, to come out like that. Then I knew the whole don't ask thing, the policy, was very flawed. Pretending your sexuality is something it's not is very difficult to do. Even liking both sexes, you can't just pretend you like one. It's very hard to do."

He even understands why he was scolded for his strong words to McCain: "I believe (what the teacher did) was proper. They wanted us to shake the candidate's hand. They wanted to make sure I didn't make Concord High look bad. I understand why they might have been worried."

The need for young people like Sleaster is made ever-apparent by the rising Fundie youth in Louisiana.

Contrast Sleaster's perspective with that of Louisiana State University student wingnut Michael Denton (right), whose school paper yesterday published an opinion piece a hate piece he wrote called "America needs to stand against homosexuality" which basically spews the talking points of the worst of the right-wing Evangelical bigots:

Writes Denton: "America needs to grow in self-confidence on this debate. The homosexual argument is illogical; sexuality is obviously meant for reproduction. Any sexual activity that is opposed to life is intrinsically disordered. Yet we continue to refuse to stand up for ourselves, allowing courts, school boards and speech codes to dictate political correctness to us. There are few greater debates in America today. The gay marriage issue threatens marriage and the family, which are the very foundations of society. Unless America decides to stand for something in this case, we'll continue to fall."

Denton is very concerned about the "homosexual movement": "They know they can't win in elections. Despite all of their efforts to convert us, an August 2007 CNN poll still shows 57 percent of Americans opposing gay marriage. So they ignore the democratic process and rush to friendlier courts. To top it all off, they're using sex education programs to jam their views down the throats of school children. They're not looking for debate; they're looking for victory at any cost."

As much as we think youth is on our side in the gay rights debate (and I still believe it is, as a general trend), bigoted slugs like Denton will still rise from the spawn of the worst kind of Bible Belt bigots. I'm just grateful folks like Sleaster will be around to take 'em down.

The teen who challenged John McCain [concord monitor]
America needs to stand against homosexuality [the daily reveille]
(thanks, Zeke and Peter)

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GOP 'Protector' of Marriage David Vitter Found on DC Madam's List

Another "marriage protecting" hypocrite exposed.

After the posting of 13 years of records by Deborah Jeane Palfrey (aka the "D.C. Madam") which revealed the name of Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter, Vitter has issued a statement apologizing:

"This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible. Several years ago, I asked for and received forgiveness from God and my wife in confession and marriage counseling. Out of respect for my family, I will keep my discussion of the matter there — with God and them. But I certainly offer my deep and sincere apologies to all I have disappointed and let down in any way."

Think Progress notes that in 2005, Vitter promoted his platform "protecting the sanctity of marriage":

"This is a real outrage. The Hollywood left is redefining the most basic institution in human history, and our two U.S. Senators won’t do anything about it. We need a U.S. Senator who will stand up for Louisiana values, not Massachusetts’s values. I am the only Senate Candidate to coauthor the Federal Marriage Amendment; the only one fighting for its passage. I am the only candidate proposing changes to the senate rules to stop liberal obstructionists from preventing an up or down vote on issues like this, judges, energy, and on and on."

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News: Al Gore, Donatella Versace, Sperm, Howard Dean

Former NBA player John Amaechi's appearance on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" has been moved up to this Sunday at 9:30am ET.

Al Gore planning day of Global Warming concerts around the world that would dwarf Live Aid: "Organisers of the event, scheduled to take place on 7 July, hope to amass a worldwide television audience of two billion people in order to present the message about global warming. The series of co-ordinated concerts in seven cities - London, Washington DC, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town and Kyoto - is expected to be announced today by the former American vice-president Al Gore, who is now a figurehead of the campaign against climate change. Promoters of the event, which will be branded "SOS", yesterday promised that the line-up of artists - likely to include U2, Coldplay and the Scissor Sisters - will "dwarf" those amassed for Live Aid and its successor, Live8. Venues for the London event are still being discussed but the shortlist includes Hyde Park and the new Wembley stadium." Gore has also teamed up with Richard Branson to offer a $25 million prize to inspire innovators in the private sector to compete in combating climate change.

Fundraiser for gay hip-hop Homorevolution Tour to go down this weekend in Long Beach, California. Organizer Deadlee: "I enjoy the political side. I want to be a revolutionary in homo rap. Homo rap is fresh. It comes from a different place. There's a struggle in it. Coming out is still tough for a lot of blacks and Latinos. There's still a lot of hate at us for being gay."

Howard Dean still not winning LGBT hearts and minds.

Anna Nicole: Death of a pop culture icon takes media by storm.

Teri Hatcher caught in liplock with George Bush the elder.

Donatella Versace tells Hillary Clinton to ditch the pantsuits: "I can understand (trousers) are comfortable but she’s a woman and she is allowed to show that. She should treat femininity as an opportunity and not try to emulate masculinity in politics. I admire her for her determination, which will hopefully take her to the White House."

Amsterdam Pride to feature canal boat for 11 to 16-year-olds: "A 14-year-old Danny Hoekzema came up with the idea and has conducted an Internet campaign to drum up support for his campaign, and says he has already found around 10 participants for the 30-place boat. Gay Pride organizers had said that it would be kept well away from more 'provocative' boats parading along the Dutch's city's canals and that the youngsters would be joined by their parents on board." Academic support threatened...

World's largest sperm sighted in Louisiana.

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