May 5, 2015

Louie Gohmert Sounds The Alarm About Possible Military Takeover Of Texas

Tea party darling Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) on Tuesday demanded that the U.S. military alter a planned training exercise that some conspiracy theorists believe is cover for a possible takeover of the Lone Star state.

Gohmert said in a statement that he understands Texans' concerns that the exercise, dubbed "Jade Helm 15," may be a precursor for martial law. He directed his criticism specifically at what has been reported to be a map of the training exercise, which labels Texas, among other states, as "hostile" territory:



"Once I observed the map depicting ‘hostile,’ ‘permissive,’ and ‘uncertain’ states and locations, I was rather appalled that the hostile areas amazingly have a Republican majority, ‘cling to their guns and religion,’ and believe in the sanctity of the United States Constitution," Gohmert said in the statement.

"Such labeling by a government that is normally not allowed to use military force against its own citizens is an affront to the residents of that particular state considered as 'hostile,' as if the government is trying to provoke a fight with them," he later added.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/louie-gohmert-jade-helm-15

May 5, 2015

Five Big Lies In Rick Santorum & Tony Perkins’ New Propaganda Infomercial

http://www.queerty.com/five-big-lies-in-rick-santorum-tony-perkins-new-propaganda-infomercial-20150505

May 5, 2015

PHOTOS: Gay/Straight BFFs Have Best Prom Ever, Despite Walmart Cake Controversy

Going viral certainly has its upsides.

Jacob and Anthony’s modern day prom bromance had the internet feeling all the feels. Which meant Ellen wasn’t far behind with an oversized check (two, actually).

They picked out some sharp attire:



Took lots of photos, of course:



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And shared a bromantic dance. Watch those hands:



The only hiccup came in the form of (what else?) a minor cake controversy. Anthony’s Aunt went to the Las Vegas Walmart to get a cake to surprise the boys. She wanted it to say “You’re gay, he’s straight, you’re going to prom, you couldn’t have had a better date,” but the store refused to write the word gay in icing. She finally settled on “You matter, prom kings,” which is much less fun than the original.

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A local news station reached out to Walmart to find out what happened. Fox5Vegas reports:

“…a spokesperson said that after investigating the incident, it was discovered that proper management wasn’t contacted. They said nowhere in their store’s policy does it say the word ‘gay’ can’t be written on a cake.”

Why’s it always got to be a cake?

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http://www.queerty.com/photos-gaystraight-bffs-have-best-prom-ever-despite-walmart-cake-controversy-20150505

May 5, 2015

Five Words Of Wisdom From The Man Who Gave Us Outing

Michelangelo Signorile burst onto the scene more than 25 years ago, and the intervening years have done nothing to diminish his fire. Signorile’s public debut came when he disrupted a speech given by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict) by jumping on a marble platform and shouting “He is no man of God,” which, years later, is arguably widely recognized, even by Catholics.

Signorile followed that act by making outing a political tactic, taking on such closet cases as businessman Malcolm Forbes and Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams. Today, outing is much more widely accepted, even by the mainstream press.

A quarter century later, Signorile is still pushing the envelope and making people (appropriately) uncomfortable. In his latest book, It’s Not Over: Getting Beyond Tolerance, Defeating Homophobia, & Winning True Equality, Signorile sounds a much-needed cautionary note about the success of the LGBT movement.

Here are five key points from Signorile well worth keeping in mind as we move into a new era of civil rights.

1. We’re suffering from “victory blindness.”

-snip-

2. Don’t let the opponents of LGBT rights cast themselves as victims.

The religious right is in the process of rebranding itself as the winner of the international victimhood sweepstakes. As Signorile points out, that sets them up for a pity narrative. We can’t for a minute let anyone forget that the homophobes are not the victims. Religious liberty bills are just the latest threat “not just to LGBT people trying to lead their lives but also to all marginalized groups.” We should call those motivations what they are: bigotry.

3. LGBT people and our allies are still uncomfortable talking about the complexity of the community.

Signorile calls this “covering,” a concept he adopted from writer Kenji Yoshino. Covering is when we “tone down a disfavored identity to fit into the mainstream.” Some of covering is related to the closet–does the name Aaron Schock ring a bell?–but not all of it. Consider the freakout when Michael Sam kissed his boyfriend on live television. This simple gesture was considered an in-your-face expression of sexuality by a lot of people rather than an ordinary show of affection. Or think about director Steven Soderbergh being told that Behind the Candelabra was “too gay” by the supposedly liberal Hollywood establishment. The reality of gay life remains too hard for even our friends to accept.

4. LGBT issues should be part of the school curriculum.

-snip-

5. The media has to abandon the “two sides to every argument” approach to LGBT issues.

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full article:
http://www.queerty.com/five-words-of-wisdom-from-the-man-who-gave-us-outing-20150505

May 5, 2015

Fox News Contributor Guy Benson Comes Out Of The Closet, Inspires Nobody

Guy Benson is a 30-year-old Fox News contributor and political editor of the right-wing news site Townhall.com, and he’s just come out of his log cabin closet.

In a book he coauthored called End of Discussion: How the Left’s Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun) [editor’s note: gag], Benson writes, “Guy Here. So, I’m gay.”

In an interview with Buzzfeed ahead of the book’s release, he said, “Gay rights is not something that dominates my attentions or my passions,” maintaining that his gayness is less of a cultural identifier as it is purely biological.

And there’s certainly something to be said for that position. Nobody is one thing, least of all their sexuality. But that argument does start to weaken when, as a man who happens to be gay, Benson chooses to champion those who directly oppose a group that, like it or not, he counts himself a member of.

“That may seem incongruous, that may seem counterintuitive to a lot of people,” he said. “But the issues that I care about most undergird the reasons why I’m a conservative and have been forever and will be a conservative moving forward.”

more
http://www.queerty.com/fox-news-contributor-guy-benson-comes-out-of-the-closet-inspires-nobody-20150504?

May 5, 2015

Being Part of a Lesbian Family in the Deep South Still Means Living in Limbo

By Jordan G. Teicher

When Carolyn L. Sherer started photographing lesbians and their families in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2011, many chose not to show their faces. They were scared, they said, of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in other ways. Other people she asked to participate in her series, “Living in Limbo,” refused to be photographed at all. But Sherer, who is a lesbian, was determined to make members of her community in Birmingham seem less invisible, in part because she hoped that letting others see them would help them become fully recognized and protected citizens.

Sherer started by making portraits of a few people she knew that were most comfortable being photographed. Once the Civil Rights Institute endorsed the project, other organizations jumped on board, and, ultimately, interest grew so much that she had to start turning subjects away. She was looking to create a “mosaic” of the community, encompassing women with and without kids, as well as women representing different socioeconomic and racial backgrounds.

“My wife and I have been together since 1979 and it’s been very painful to me that my family hasn’t been acknowledged as a family unit. So that’s why I wanted to explore what a family is, what a family looks like. I wanted it to be about relationships and how people relate to each other in front of the camera,” she said.

Sherer invited participants to her studio, where they were free to choose their own outfits and their own poses. Using a handheld camera, Sherer moved about the space as her subjects interacted with one another and changed their positions; the shoots became “a sort of dance.”

more + photos:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2015/05/05/carolyn_l_sherer_photographs_lesbian_families_in_the_deep_south_in_her_series.html?

May 5, 2015

Ben Carson’s Amazing Ego

“Ben Carson, who formally announced his run for the presidency Monday, is a brilliant surgeon, gifted storyteller and charismatic speaker. But modesty is not among his talents,” Dana Milbank reports.

“The retired Johns Hopkins professor’s launch video, nearly five minutes long, positions the aspiring Republican presidential nominee right alongside Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr… The video moves on — to an American flag, the Declaration of Independence, a church, and then the seated stone figure of Lincoln, enthroned at his memorial on the Mall.”

Politico: Carson’s home field disadvantage

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http://p.feedblitz.com/r3.asp?l=104855648&f=17571&u=37190363&c=4941013

May 5, 2015

Grayson’s Girlfriend Wants His House Seat

As Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) “mulls a Senate campaign to the consternation of national Democrats, his girlfriend is quietly preparing her own bid to succeed Grayson in the House,” Politico reports.

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http://p.feedblitz.com/r3.asp?l=104856835&f=17571&u=37190363&c=4941013

May 5, 2015

Sanders Could Be Blocked from New Hampshire Ballot

Source: PoliticalWire/WMUR



Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) “long has been close to the Democratic Party. He has won the endorsements of top national Democrats in some of his elections. Even as an Independent he caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate. Earlier this year he was named by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid as the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee,” WMUR reports.

“But when it comes to filing to appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot, none of that may matter. Here, it’s the state law that counts and the state law requires party registration.”

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Read more: http://p.feedblitz.com/r3.asp?l=104860570&f=17571&u=37190363&c=4941013

May 5, 2015

Mike Huckabee Joins Republican Presidential Race

Source: New York Times



Mike Huckabee, who excited evangelical voters in his first presidential race in 2008 and retains much of their good will, announced on Tuesday that he will again seek the Republican nomination, despite a crowded field of rivals for his natural base in the party.

A former Southern Baptist pastor and Arkansas governor, Mr. Huckabee is returning in hopes of once more dominating among social conservatives, but he is acutely aware he needs broader support to avoid the snares of last time, when he ran dry of money and failed to appeal much beyond the South.

“I announce that I am a candidate for president of the United States of America,” he said to a crowd of cheering supporters.

It was no small detail that he declared his candidacy in Hope, where he was born. Its fame as the hometown of an even better-known Arkansas politician, Bill Clinton, highlights a major theme of Mr. Huckabee’s 2016 pitch – that he is well suited to be the Republican nemesis for Hillary Rodham Clinton, if she becomes the Democratic nominee, because Mr. Huckabee spent years in state politics triumphing over what he calls the “Clinton machine.”


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/06/us/politics/mike-huckabee-running-in-republican-presidential-primary.html?