Sunday Funday Finds Support, Sweaters Increasingly Available for Gay People

Hi! We are going to talk about sweaters today. In this very post. Sweaters are like hugs that you give yourself via wearing a sweater. Everybody likes to be held, which is good since everybody wants to wear a good sweater, too. Plus, the only thing better than a sweater is the presidency, right?

Happy Sunday Funday. Let’s be warm and filled with sunshine.

DOMA Repeal Goes Bipartisan

The repeal bill for DOMA in the House of Representatives has officially shored up support from the other side, with Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s blessings (in the form of a cosponsorship) on the legislation. She announced her support on Friday:

“I voted against the constitutional amendment defining marriage [in 2006] so I’m pleased to cosponsor the repeal of DOMA and work with my colleagues on marriage equality,” said Ros-Lehtinen, who represents Florida’s 18th district, which includes South Beach, most sections of Miami, and the Florida Keys. 

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen was described by New York Representative Jerrold Nadler as a “a tremendous ally in the world’s struggles for freedom and against oppression and discrimination:”

“She is widely recognized as a champion of human rights and human dignity,” Nadler said. “And her support reminds us that the march to repeal the discriminatory DOMA is not a partisan issue… The drive to end DOMA is — and must be — a collective, nonpartisan effort that unites Americans behind a simple push for equality.”

Gay Candidate in the Lead to Be Irish President

A new poll shows Ireland Senator David Norris leading the race for the Irish Presidency. Norris, who is openly gay, recently re-entered the race and lead the poll with 27 percent of voters, with his closest competitor at 18 percent.

And look! He’s so cute:

It’s Sweater Season: Where Are Your Sweaters?

Do any of these scenarios sound commonplace to you?

+ Going to find your favorite pair of heather-green DKNY panties in a pile of boyshorts, to no avail, then crying softly with your dog in your arms
+ Digging through your clean laundry you haven’t put away each morning to find the Hanes white v-neck, instead of the Fruit of the Loom one you borrowed from someone else
+ Searching hopelessly for your favorite ironic sweater in a bin of ironic sweaters


Microchip technology may end this battle for trendy date clothing for the rest of your life. In the meantime, though, stick with having a “favorite clothes” load of laundry that you always put away. No excuses.

DADT Movie Night

Now that DADT is a thing of the past that we can laugh at, ha ha ha, it’s time to curl up with your girlfriend and watch a gay-friendly military film. You know, like the kind with Bill Murray or something. Plus, The Advocate compiled a list of gay-friendly flicks for you of this very kind. No excuses!

Adam Lambert Honored By PFLAG

Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, which is the original ally organization, recently announced they will be honoring Adam Lambert and his mother. They are honoring them at “The LA Event,” a gathering to support PFLAG National. It’s being held today! And in Beverly Hills.

Adam and his mother are obviously being honored for their adorableness:

In June, Leila Lambert showed her support of the organization by marching in the Gay Pride Parade with PFLAG alongside Ellen DeGeneres’ mother. Adam proudly tweeted a photo of his mom marching saying:

“Look how sweet! My beautiful mother Leila marching in the Gay Pride Parade for www.pflag.org”

Lambert was also nominated for his work to promote gay rights and gay equality with younger audiences.

Willow Smith’s Album Almost Ready

Willow Smith blew you away in 2010 and made you do the “hair whip” too:

And her full-length album still isn’t out.

But! The waiting is soon to end, according to her producer, Ronal Jackson. Willow is on the way. And something tells me it’s gonna be fierce:

Jackson explained that Willow will feature a range of influences from several different genres of music.

“Willow is kind of a combination of what ‘Whip My Hair’ was,” he added. “Willow isn’t just an pop star, she isn’t just an urban artist, she’s very international. A lot of her music has a very big influence of everything from rock to pop to hip-hop.”

Burning Man

Dude, what the fuck is Burning Man and why would anyone go? Slate explains. And for the record – there’s a desert, some naked chicks, and thousands of other people. Oh, and a real-life burning man.

Rihanna Found Love

Rihanna’s new single, “We Found Love,” is full of warm sunshine and good black-and-white album art. And it’s finally here!

Nicki Minaj is Gonna Call You Soon

Nicki Minaj has joined other notable celebrities, including Trey Songz and Wiz Khalifa, in the “Get Schooled” campaign, which focuses on keeping kids in high school – and helping them successfully graduate.

What this means is, you can register at the campaign website for a wake-up phone call from Nicki herself, you know, to make sure you get to school – and she’ll surprise you on the day she chooses.

Could anything be better? No. (I am aware this will be a robocall. But what if it isn’t? What if everything becomes perfect and Nicki Minaj and I become friends?)

Lesbian Comics

Lesbians are allowed to be funny now. The big shocker is that the people you thought were funny all along were probably lesbians. Either way, here’s an article from ScreenJunkies about some notable lesbo-funny-people and what they’re up to. Ellen’s in it, so you have to read it. Obviously.

Jess Dugan’s Totally Gay Art Piece

Jess Dugan’s series “Coupled” profiles gay people who are happily committed to other gay people through photographs:

I began photographing for Coupled in 2006, at which time gay marriage was a major political issue in Massachusetts and around the nation. I had the opportunity to use a 20-by-24-inch Polaroid camera, which is very rare because there are only five of these cameras in existence in the world. With my other projects, I always take my camera to my subject, but in this case, because the camera is so big, I had to bring my subjects to the camera. This limitation caused me to embrace the studio fully, posing each couple against the same bold red backdrop and creating images that focused exclusively on the people in them. Because the composition, lighting, and background are the same in all 20 images, it really forces you to look closely at the people as individuals. 

I wanted to photograph queer couples as an affirmation of their relationships and of queer identity. It is important to make honest and positive photographs of queer people because it allows viewers to connect with our community in a way they might not otherwise do. I am asking viewers to look at real, beautiful queer couples as individual people, not as a demographic or political issue. I believe strongly in the power of art to influence social change, and I also believe that education can be the most effective on a personal level. 

BABY OTTERS.

The best kind of ZooBorn.

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Carmen

Carmen spent six years at Autostraddle, ultimately serving as Straddleverse Director, Feminism Editor and Social Media Co-Director. She is now the Consulting Digital Editor at Ms. and writes regularly for DAME, the Women’s Media Center, the National Women’s History Museum and other prominent feminist platforms; her work has also been published in print and online by outlets like BuzzFeed, Bitch, Bust, CityLab, ElixHER, Feministing, Feminist Formations, GirlBoss, GrokNation, MEL, Mic and SIGNS, and she is a co-founder of Argot Magazine. You can find Carmen on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr or in the drive-thru line at the nearest In-N-Out.

Carmen has written 919 articles for us.

34 Comments

  2. David Norris had to withdraw from the race in August due to controversy regarding statutory rape of a 15 year old boy in Israel. He publicly stated several times that he will not be returning to politics. I think the whole thing is very unfortunate and sad, since the incident in question happened so long ago…it’s every gay politician’s worst nightmare.

  3. That GIF of those girls doing the hair whip will make excellent artillery for the animated GIF war I’m having with my brother.

  4. It’s nice that Ros-Lehtinen co-signed and all but with a Tea-Party led House the DOMA Repeal isn’t going anywhere. It has to happen thru the Supreme Court…

  5. oooh bill murray was in my dream last night!! (he said i was cool because i got a lot of air after hitting a speed bump on my bicycle).

    and i just had a huge conversation about burning man with someone yesterday- it sounds so much more special than what i imagined!

  7. Oh. Darn. When you said “Lesbian comics” I thought you meant like drawings-and-text-bubbles-on-paper-(or-a-screen) comics. :(

    • There are lots of lesbian drawing and text bubble comics! Girly; Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space; Yu+Me Dream; Khaos Komix has lesbian, gay and trans characters…. and most of those artist’s sites have links to other great webcomics with gay characters.

  8. I wish it was sweater season, I just want to be able to wear my hoodies is that really too much to ask.

    Slate can explain all it wants, but nothing about Burning Man is appealing to me.

    • I have a feeling it won’t be sweater or hoodie season here in Texas anytime soon. It’s 103 today.

      I’ve had just about enough of Willow Smith. And her parents.

      I went to the local regional equivalent of Burning Man, called Burning Flipside. This is the description from the site:
      Burning Flipside is a regional art and music festival inspired by Burning Man. It is a place for radical self-expression and an experiment in temporary community building. It is a place of acceptance, inclusiveness, and respect. It is organized entirely by volunteers. The art and entertainment is created solely by participants. There are no spectators. There are no concession stands. No cash transactions are permitted at Flipside. Even bartering is discouraged. This is a sincere experiment in creating a gift economy. If you need something, ask for it. If you have it, gift it! This is a Leave No Trace event. There are no garbage cans. Participants pack out what they bring into this private event.

  11. So, when I read this headline, I thought there were special gay sweaters being made. and then i wondered if there was ever a time when sweaters weren’t 100% gay or hipster, which in my mind are the same thing, because i am constantly accused of both, and i’m guilty of both. and whatever.

    Sweaters are gay. always.

  14. i was going to comment on screen junkies WHY ISN’T JULIE GOLDMAN ON THIS LIST and then I realized that would make me one of the commenters that I hate

  16. Adam Lambert went back to Burning Man this year (he’d gone a couple times in the past before going on Idol), here he is this time with his boyfriend Sauli in their finest Weho club meets Road Warrior looks. Love them.

    http://i55.tinypic.com/2yzd5j9.jpg

    Also, Adam and his Mom gave the cutest speeches at the PFLAG event. Lulz at Adam describing how his Mom did cartwheels when he came out. Adorbs.

    http://youtu.be/xZut6b0IDXk

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