Today a US District Court judge ruled that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell violates the First and Fifth amendments, and issued an injunction to stop the military from further discharges. We also had no idea this was even happening today.
The official record of this one day when a bunch of stories on Google News made it seem as though the world cared about us, like we were real people. We have no explanation.
Happy Labor Day, we got you these infuriating screencaps of the Department of Defense’s “online inbox” to survey soldiers on a “possible repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” It’s a good thing you have the day off because all we feel able to do is “lie in bed and mourn the soul of America.”
This week we learn that sometimes, things on the Internet that are too funny to be true aren’t actually true. We will survive this. Also, good gay advice columns, nebulous news on Beth Ditto and Nicki Minaj, and also good news for people who aren’t Brits but want to be and are also persecuted for their homosexuality!
Surprise! An extremist right-wing group is trying to strong-arm Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger into defending Prop 8! But nobody has stronger arms than Arnold, don’t they know that? Also: international gay news including gay adoption in Australia and your Gay Republicans update.
Remember how Elena Kagan was confirmed as the third woman currently on the Supreme Court? I know, it’s been easy to forget about. Maybe she can still save the day for women as far as SCOTUS is concerned, though, just by checking “female” on her tax forms!
The Pentagon has agreed to meet with a group of partners of gay servicemembers and discuss the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal in addition to listening to the opinions of straight soldiers’ partners. One small step for mankind, amirite? (amirite?) Furthermore, Ken Mehlman being gay is NBD ’cause apparently the GOP doesn’t care about same-sex marriage anymore anyhow? Also the (conservative) guys raising money for our rights have historically raised money for anti-gay candidates. Oh yeah and Roger Ebert loves gay people.
How has the coming out of former Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman rocked your world? Or, uh, has it not? Also, a meta-discussion of Judge Walker’s sexual orientation, terrible/TERRIBLE videos on DADT, a new book on conservative vs. liberal families, and a titillatingly bizarre gay espionage murder.
Prominent Republican official and former George W. Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman has come out as gay, saying that “It’s taken me 43 years to become comfortable with this part of my life… It’s something I wish I had done years ago.”
Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter have gone rogue on the Hatred of Gay People issue, and other conservative groups are Very Upset about it. What goes into the making of a conservative who just kind of feels whatever about gays? We check Google News, look at the Jennifer Keeton case (we won!) and make an informed report – and consider the possibility that maybe The Facts sometimes win.
We never really saw any reason to spend energy caring about Ann Coulter, and even hearing that she was going to speak at Homocon 2010 didn’t entirely convince us otherwise. But then getting to read her bickering emails with Joseph Farah was so satisfying that we’re kind of getting ‘into’ her! I wonder if she likes Tegan and Sara. Also, a run-down of other conservative ladies doing and saying the DARNDEST THINGS and, to help your recovery lap, Rachel Maddow looks really good as she covers the exit of US Combat Troops.
Evidence suggests that Cheyenne Williams was not attacked by her three best friends in an alleged hate crime on April 16, 2010. A judge has acquitted one of the three teens and the other acquittals are expected tomorrow. Is this the result of a homophobic court system, or is it possible that Cheyenne Williams was lying about the attack?
The stay on same-sex marriages in California has been extended at least until December. Take a deep breath and hold on tight.
So the National Organization for Marriage has had this Summer of Marriage tour happening for a while now, which is like the Summer of Love except the exact opposite. Bigots vanquished by adorable precocious children! NOM embarrassed and stood up by Maggie Gallagher! Gays win activism!
Rachel Maddow is getting tired of waiting for this Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal, and she wants President Obama to know it. Also, Target’s still not back in gays’ good graces, the future of Prop 8 and musings on the reasons why the h8ers hated the trial so much, as well as an alert on the latest crazed commie pinko homosexual Obama appointee who will bring the end times upon us.
11. Are You There, Marriage? It’s Me, Disenfranchised Gay Person
California gay couples can now get married starting on August 18! Walker denied the (permanent) stay of his decision in the Prop 8 trial.
Costa Rica’s solution to Prop 8 was to not let voters pass one — an attempt to have a voter referendum banning civil unions was shot down by the nation’s top court. We support this policy, and want everyone to learn a lesson from our friends and neighbors in Latin America.
Katherine Miller sent a letter to her commanding officers, announcing her withdrawal from West Point because of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. She’ll be attending Yale with an LGBT scholarship in the fall.
The mainstream media is catching on to the fact that PFC Bradley Manning of Wikileaks fame is gay. The New York Times wonders whether Manning’s childhood and teen years as a gay man were part of what led him to release thousands of pages of classified military documents – we wonder whether it might not be a little more complicated than that. What does it mean to betray a country that treats you as a second class citizen?