I Didn't Say It ...

Colin Farrell, on the size of his friend Ewan McGregor's penis:

"I don't think Ewan is as proud of his penis as most men who are as well hung would — or should — or could be. I think that's the greatest demonstration of his innate humility, that he doesn't wear it like a badge of honor."

Just the idea of sitting around chatting penis size with Colin Farrell — who need not worry about the issue — would be a fun way to spend an afternoon! I’ve seen Colin’s package and, well, yeah, he ain't got nothing to be ashamed of!

Andy Cohen, on Watch What Happens Live, scolding the Beverly Hills Housewives for the way they refer to their gay friends:

"Even though some of your friends might be gay which is great, they are not 'yours'. You do not own them. We are not cattle. We are not purses. And the next time you feel like saying 'my gays' replace it with 'my blacks' and see how that turns out!"

Bravo, no pun intended, Andy.

I, too, Heard that on the show this week and thought, “Wait! I’m an accessory for a self-indulgent rich bitch?”

Oh.Hell.No.

Marco Rubio, anti-gay Republican Senator from Florida, on the federal government's monitoring of private citizens in the name of fighting terrorism:

"This year, a new Republican majority in both houses of Congress will have to extend current authorities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and I urge my colleagues to consider a permanent extension of the counterterrorism tools our intelligence community relies on to keep the American people safe."

Typical Republican.

Be on the lookout for “them.”

Jared Polis, openly gay Democratic Congressman from Colorado, calling on the US Intelligence Community to begin twenty-four hour per day monitoring of Marco Rubio:

"If Senator Rubio believes that millions of innocent Americans should be subject to intrusive and unconstitutional government surveillance, surely he would have no objections to the government monitoring his own actions and conversations. Senator Rubio is asking for American technology companies to ‘cooperate with authorities,’ so I believe he will have no objection to authorities being given access to his electronic correspondence and metadata.  Maybe after his 2016 strategy documents are accidentally caught up in a government data grab, he’ll rethink the use of mass surveillance."

Polis is on to something; if the GOP wants to keep tabs on everyone, and access all their info, let’s start with the GOP.

Madonna, instructing an interviewer that she'll make him shoot tequila if he asks her dumb question:

"If you ask me a stupid question, and I'm going to be the judge of that, you're going to drink a shot of tequila. If you ask me an amazing question that sets my world on fire, I'm going to drink a shot of tequila."

I think maybe she tried to get the guy drunk so he’d spin a positive review of her last album … which is sinking faster than Kathy Bates on a life raft in a cold Atlantic sea.

James Franco, tooting his own horn, again:

“Lee Daniels says that gay rights are the civil rights of our era, so I like doing a movie like Milk or Interior Leather Bar where I can bring themes and ideas I've been engaged with, and do it in such a way that those ideas are pulled into the mainstream more. I feel like that's my place: I can in some ways lend myself and say that these are important issues of equal rights, though on the other hand, I'm very much about preserving this queer kind of space of defying identity and defying labels. I think there are a lot of those themes in this movie as well.”

James Franco doesn’t do anything for any other reason than to attract attention to James Franco.

‘Nuff said.

Gay On Board

Jared Polis, a Colorado Democrat who last year became the first openly gay non-incumbent elected to Congress, took his place Friday on the U.S. Air Force Academy's supervisory board.

He is thought to be the first openly gay member serving on an oversight board at any service academy.

The supervisory board reports to Congress and the Pentagon on how the academies are doing, including recommendations for change, such as ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Polis opposes the military's ban on gay and lesbian servicemembers and has twice proposed, then withdrawn, amendments to undo DADT. The appointment, made by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, has veterans on both sides of the DADT debate wondering if it's a signal that change is coming.

Oh, change is coming, and it's long overdue my friends.

Tricia Heller, a Class of '87 Air Force Academy graduate who flew C-9 jets for the Air Force before the leaving the service four years ago and coming out: "We're all reading the tea leaves here. I'm not saying 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is going away. We can't say that. But this is a good sign."

Heller is now an attorney, and one of about 70 members of the Blue Alliance, an alumni group of gay and lesbian Air Force Academy graduates, plus some straight alums who want to end the ban on gays in the military.

On the flip side, and there always is a flip side.

Former congressman, and board member, Robin Hayes of North Carolina, who supports the ban: "This is not the direction I would choose. This is certainly a topic of discussion, but to be perfectly frank, I don't think sexual orientation should be criteria for the diversity we're working for."

Sexual orientation not a criteria for diversity? Ass. Hat.

The irony here is that, if Jared Polis were not a congressman appointed to the board, but rather a student at the Air Force Academy, he would have been kicked out for being gay.

Count Us In

Gay US representatives Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank and Jared Polis, along with 48 other congressional members, recently sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget director Peter Orszag asking that the 2010 Census count same-sex married couples rather than altering their status.

See, last year, the Bush regime--citing the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions--declared that lawfully married same-sex couples who marked “married” on their census forms would have their status changed to “unmarried partners” in the final count.

Now, congressional members are calling on Orszag to reverse course.

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts its survey every 10 years, and during the last census, no state had legalized same-sex marriages. Now, however, we have the great states of Iowa, Vermont and Massachusetts; meanwhile, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire have approved marriage-equality laws that will be in effect by the time of the count. And let's not forget that there are some 18,000 same-sex marriages currently in question in California that are reportedly unlikely to be annulled by the state supreme court even if Prop H8 is upheld.

The thing about the census: if you don't count us, we don't count.

A Moment In History To Be Recognized

Yesterday Democratic Representatives Jerrold Nadler of New York, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Barney Frank of Massachusetts, and Jared Polis of Colorado introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to recognize the 40th anniversary of Stonewall.

Stonewall is our Montgomery Bus Boycott. It is the LGBT community's rallying cry that enough is enough....enough was enough. And it should continue to be our rallying cry today in the on-going, decades long struggle for equality for all Americans.

On June 28, 1969, during a climate of fear and terror against the LGBT community in New York City and nationally, the New York Police Department conducted a raid of the Stonewall Inn, a bar in New York’s Greenwich Village frequented by the LGBT community. Bruised, shocked, angry and fed up, patrons of the bar organized spontaneous demonstrations outside the bar and onto the streets of New York City. Protests continued during the next few days. This watershed moment is the symbolic genesis of the gay rights movement in the U.S.

Jerrold Nadler: “The events at Stonewall 40 years ago had a profound effect on how LGBT Americans came to see their struggle for equality. Stonewall catalyzed gay Americans--and those who support their rights--into putting gay rights on the forefront, out in the open, unafraid and unapologetic. We have come very far in the battle for LGBT rights and acceptance since Stonewall, but we still have a ways to go. Together, we will keep fighting.”

Tammy Baldwin: “Stonewall was a moment in time that sparked a movement. We honor all those who stood their ground at Stonewall as we carry on their quest for full and equal rights for all Americans.”

Barney Frank: “As we move ahead in the movement for legal equality, it is important to remember those who had the courage to fight hard when things were much tougher."

Jared Polis: "With President Obama, the Democratic Congress, and the nation at our side, we are facing an incredible, historic opportunity for change for the LGBT community. But we cannot go forward without being mindful of where we’ve been. Stonewall brought the gay rights movement to the forefront of American culture and gave rise to the vibrant and politically active LGBT community that we have today. Our job now is to pick up where they left off and to provide equal rights for all Americans.”

Take Note, Pelosi

Representative Jared Polis, the newest openly gay member of Congress is considering introducing an omnibus LGBT rights bill in the U.S. House. Yeah, Nancy, the new guy doesn't seem to want us to wait like you do (see HERE).
Polis is looking at the possibility of introducing a bill with "several aspects of the equality agenda" and believes other lawmakers would be interested in his ideas for LGBT legislation.

He would like this omnibus legislation to tackle hate crimes, employment non-discrimination and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell;" the proposed measure would also contain a clause requiring the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships legalized by states.
Polis emphasizes that no bill has been introduced and no decisions have been made about the provisions the bill might contain, and is quite aware that any new legislation containing language regarding marriage rights is a "'more difficult battle."

Juan Ahonen-Jover of eQualityGiving.org, who supports the introduction of this new legislation, said ""We think, as Martin Luther King said, that a right delayed is a right denied. So therefore, it's very important that we take leadership to introduce equality in all of our federal legislation. What the community wants is no more rights but no less rights than everybody else has."