Architecture Wednesday: The Cresta

The Cresta is one of those houses that stands out in the neighborhood, and one of those houses that is not for the faint of heart, or the shy.

It is a 5,300 square foot single-family residence designed and constructed entirely out of cast in place concrete on a 5,000 sq ft lot in the Lower Hermosa region of La Jolla, California, one of the most exclusive zip codes in the country.

The house’s three stories, one below and two above grade, are accented by floor to ceiling glass and large open expanses to the outdoors.

Due to the extraordinarily small property in an area with typical properties three to four times the size every square foot was important. The exterior room was a key element in creating a home that otherwise would have felt much smaller than it is, and more private that it seems.

While this space creates a void, the building's overall form is kept intact. All four corners remain with walls and roof planes to define the original box of the residence.

Adjacent to the front of the structure a reflecting and swimming pool has been integrated into the overall design of the project for thermal cooling and to create the perception that the house is floating. 

With the large expanses of glass, every bit inside the house is opne to the outside, and it takes on the appearance of a glass jewel box at night.

It's not the house for everyone. but it is quite the house.

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I Like Her! I Really Like Her!!

Sally Field has a gay son, and she’s a proud mother of a gay son. So, in an effort to help the Human Rights Campaign raise $150,000 to combat those ridiculous “religious liberty” — AKA ‘Don’t Serve The Gays — bills around the country, Sally wrote and open letter about her son:

The three things I’m most proud of in my life are my sons, Peter, Eli and Sam. They are kind, loving and productive people. Each with their own list of talents and accomplishments.

Sam is my youngest son, by 18 years, and he’s gay. To that, I say: So what? Growing up, Sam wanted desperately to just be like his older brothers – athletic, rambunctious and even a little bit macho. He wanted to beat Eli at tennis, trounce Peter at computer football and learn everything about every basketball player on the court. But Sam was different. And his journey to allow himself to be what nature intended him to be was not an easy one. When I saw him struggling, I wanted to jump in. But his older brothers held me back. They told me I couldn’t travel that road for Sam. It was his to travel, not mine. I had to wait for him to own himself in his own time. I could make it easier only by standing visibly to the side, clearly loving him, always being there and always letting him know.

Finally, at 20, long after he beat his brothers at tennis and computer games and knew as much as anyone about basketball, Sam was able to stand up proudly and say, “I am a gay man.”

One of the great privileges of my life to have been allowed to be a part of Sam’s journey.

There are people out there – organizations and politicians, strangers who have never even met Sam – who would rather devote themselves to denying his happiness.

Why would anyone want to prevent my son — or anyone’s son or daughter — from having basic legal safeguards like family medical leave, Social Security survivors benefits, or health insurance? It doesn’t make any sense — but it won’t change until people speak out. I’m proud to stand with HRC to add my voice. Will you join me?

Whether you are LGBT yourself, a parent or grandparent of an LGBT child, or just a great person with strong convictions about what’s fair and right, I hope I’ve convinced you to stand with HRC for equality. You’ll be glad you did!’

 I’d only add that if you are a mother, or father, brother, sister, son, daughter, even friend, to a person who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or even questioning their orientation, take a page from Sally field’s book: be there, be supportive, love them.

It’s a hard enough road to travel alone, but when you have support along the way it makes the struggle a bit more worthwhile.

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Mississippi: Where Hate Is Legal

 I was born in Mississippi, but, since my father was in the Air Force, we were transferred to California when I was about six months old. So, while I can say I was born there, I am not from there, which makes me happy now that I read this news.

This week Mississippi “lawmakers” passed the final version of a bill that says state and local governments cannot put a substantial burden on religious practices — meaning people can use their religious beliefs to discriminate against anyone, most notably The Gays.

They saw Arizona’s hate, and raised her one.

Supporters of the Mississippi Hate Bill — which may, or may not be the real name — say the final version of the bill bears little resemblance to Arizona’s failed measure, but opponents say the new law could allow people to cite religious beliefs in taking actions that discriminate against gay people, women or those of different racial backgrounds or faiths.

You know, “Those people.” But look, it’s Mississippi, not the most welcoming place on the planet, least of here in the US:

“We don’t have a lot of good will out there in the country to fall back on when it comes to a record against discrimination.”—Mississippi state Senator David Blount, Democrat

The bill — oh, it’s called the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act because, apparently, up until this week religion was a no-no in the state — was sponsored by Senator Phillip Gandy, a Republican, of course, and a Baptist minister, who decided to infuse his religious beliefs into law. But he isn’t the only wingnuttted asshat down there.

Representative Andy Gipson, another Republican legislator who is also a Baptist minister, says the new bill protects “Christians in the state from discrimination,” although he probably cannot name one single instance of a Christian being discriminated against.

I mean, it’s not like they’re gay or anything.

The Mississippi Hate Bill passed both the House and Senate with comfortable margins, though it was opposed by many, but not all Democrats, and now heads to the desk of Republican, of courses, Governor Phil Bryant, who may or may not be a Baptist minister too, and is expected to sign hate into law.

It’s like I said, you don’t want The Gays in your business, hang a sign on the door; but I certainly hope that a gay-owned business in Mississippi decides to refuse service to a gaggle of Christians, because then I get to see those bigots in the state house get riled up about that.

See, you can’t legislate in this country that it’s legal to discriminate against a person’s religious beliefs, but you can legislate that it’s legal to discriminate a person for their sexual orientation. Religion, though, is a choice, while orientation is not.

I am so glad I got out of that state before it rubbed off on me.

via LGBTQ Nation

Corey Came Out ... Was Kicked Out ... And Found A Real Family To Call His Own

There was a story going around the interwebz last year about a 16-year-old lesbian who was put up for adoption after coming out to her parents. Imagine the shock and awe over that one; it raged throughout social media for a few days before flaming out because it was a lie, a fake, and a so-called parody though, true or not, it wasn’t funny. And yet that actually happened, to a boy named Corey, in 2011.

Corey could be called the perfect teenager, a jock at school, and very popular with the girls, but his home life was entirely different. Corey and his brother were being raised by religious conservative parents and Corey was often beaten by his father, when he wasn’t being fully neglected by both parents.

One of Corey’s father’s favorite things to rail against was homosexuality; he didn’t just believe that gay people were sinners, he said being gay was a sin that would condemn one to Hell; he taught his children that gay people were often killed — by AIDS or violence — before reaching old age.

Father, mother and brother believed that, but Corey felt different because Corey is gay, though he kept quiet and played the game, trying hard to be the athletic son and girl-magnet necessary to keep his parents from finding out. Yet, as most any LGBT person will tell you, keeping that kind of secret day in and day out, gets hard; it gets old, and soon you just need to tell someone so you don’t feel alone in the world. Corey chose to tell a distant relative and, at first, he felt relieved, but every time there was family gathering he feared the relative might spill his secret, so he tried harder to stay closeted; he tried harder not to be gay.

One night, while getting ready to go out to a family dinner, the news was on and there was a story about LGBT rights; Corey reacted with what he called a subtle, positive endorsement and his father exploded, “If any fag lived in this house, I would shoot them in the head with a shotgun!”

Corey was sure that one little slip had confirmed to his father that his son was gay, and he felt sick and scared and even more alone. At the family dinner, he got very drunk, and even sicker, and when he returned home he had a raging fever and chills and a fear of what might happen to him.

Across town, a woman named Mindy was getting ready for bed; her husband and two sons were already asleep, but her daughter Aubrey was on the computer when Mindy walked into the room and saw this on the computer:

 “I am desperate. Things here are so bad, I want to slit my wrists. I am not kidding.”

 “Who IS that?” Mindy asked, and when Aubrey told her that it was her friend Corey, who had taken her to the homecoming dance, and that he was sick but his parents weren’t doing anything for him, Mindy was shocked; “We are going to get him.”

Forty minutes later, at Corey’s house, and after a phone call, he came outside to go with Mindy. It was then that Corey’s father came out and demanded to know what she was doing; Mindy lied, and made up a story about taking Corey along on a family trip to the mountains. Corey’s father let them go.

Once back at her own home, Mindy was horrified by Corey’s appearance; shivering and shaking, his skin blue, she knew he had pneumonia. He wouldn’t be going home any time soon; Mindy, Aubrey and Dale, who awoke the next day to find Corey asleep on the couch, took care of Corey over the next few weeks, and yet, not once, did Corey’s parents call to ask about their son.

Eventually, though, free from pneumonia, Corey did go home, and stayed silent and closeted, until one day he decided to confide in his mother; he figured that since his father was just as hard on her, she’d keep his confidence. She didn’t; she instantly called Corey’s father at work and he came home:

“He was yelling and screaming about how a fag was living in his home and he can’t believe the devil was in his presence. I locked myself in my room when my brother came home. The first thing my father did was tell him about how his brother was nothing but a worthless fag.”

Corey ran to his room where he stayed for hours while his parents and brother beat at the door and called him names. Late in the night they gave up, and Corey escaped to a bathroom with a locking door, where he sat all night, a bag of clothes at his feet, until he was sure his family had finally gone to sleep, and then he ran.

He went to Aubrey’s house, but now it wasn’t just Aubrey and Mindy who helped; Dale, and Aubrey’s brothers, Andrew and Mason all stepped up as they had during his illness; they made Corey a part of their family. They didn’t know yet that he was gay, all they knew was that he needed a home.

When Corey did come out to them, it didn’t seem to matter; the family, also religious and conservative, discussed the situation, and as a family, decided Corey should stay. Dale described what happened next:

“Initially we set Corey’s bedroom up in our basement. We gathered what we could since he didn’t bring anything with him. His first bedroom in our home was made of walls with moving blankets tacked to the ceiling. There was a bed, a nightstand, an old dresser and a box fan. That kid was so freaking happy. I think that moment really made Aubrey, Andrew and Mason appreciate what they have. Made me cry to see Corey with next to nothing and be happy about it.”

But it wasn’t easy, that first year. Corey’s family made a lot of noise about another family talking their son, and many members of the community stood alongside Corey’s father. Andrew, Mason and Aubrey were taunted at school for having a gay ‘brother,’ and some of Mindy and Dale’s family and friends turned their backs to them. But Corey stood strong with his new family, and that inspired them to remain firm.

And then there was a court date. Corey’s new family had documented all the events leading up to their request to adopt him and they gathered in the courtroom, waiting for Corey’s birth parents to appear; they never did. They were not going to contest the adoption, they weren’t going to do anything but give their 15-year-old-son away; to a family that loved him, and more importantly, wanted him.

For Corey, Mindy, Dale, Aubrey, Andrew and Mason, that day became known as “Gotcha” day; a family got Corey, and he got them. Aubrey and Andrew became advocates for Corey and LGBT rights, and 11-year-old Mason even created a rainbow freedom art project dedicated to his new big brother.

Mindy described the events of the past three years:

“I want the world to know that Corey is a beautiful human being. I want them to know that any pain we went through or will go through is worth it. Why is it worth it, because love is the most powerful force. I want the world to see Corey’s pain and know it is not necessary. Sexuality is such a small part of who we are. First and foremost Corey is a loving, genuine, caring, intelligent human being. Who he is attracted to and who he marries is of little significance. I’m certain his partner will be as kind and loving as himself. Isn’t that what this world needs? I want the world to know that standing up for people who can’t stand up for themselves is vital to our survival. Standing up for what is right is not always easy, but it is always right. Our family fell in love with Corey for Corey…his sexuality did not change who he was. I also want the world to know that we are a family. I want people to understand that genetics are just science. Families are built from unconditional love. “

And Dale tells another story; of seeing Corey’s birth father around town:

“He knows how to put on a front. He smiles and acts like nothing is a big deal. He says, ‘Thanks, appreciate what you are doing for my boy.”

And Dale responds, quietly, to himself:

“I have news for you. He is not your boy. He’s my son.”

Is this what religion does? It makes parents into animals when they realize they have a gay child? Is that love, to turn your back on your own family just because they come out? This story might seem far-fetched, you know, the gay kid with the religiously delusional parents who finds love and acceptance with his new family; it’s kinda like a Lifetime movie. But the fact remains that many LGBTQ youth are run out of their homes by their so-called loving parents simply due the fact that they are LGBTQ.

Writer and LGBT youth advocate Cathy Kristofferson:

“Youth who come out to their parents are rejected by those parents at a rate of 50%, with 26% immediately thrown out of the house to become instantly homeless and many following soon after as a result of the physical and verbal abuse … Empowered by the gains in equality and acceptance with the heightened visibility the adult gay community has welcomed of late, youth are emboldened to come out at ever-younger ages while still reliant on parents who are a flip of the coin away from rejecting them.”

Listen to a podcast of Corey telling his story HERE

Marcus Juhlin Comes Out ... Mitch Eby, Too

I didn’t know they played American football in other countries, but I know now because in Sweden American football is very popular, and one of its stars, twenty-two-year-old Marcus Juhlin, has come out as gay.

“I was inspired by Michael Sam.” — Marcus Juhlin

And yet he says he also did it for all boys and girls who feel that they don't belong or fit in, and he hopes that his coming out can help and inspire other people by taking this brave step. And if the reaction from his team is any example, he’s made a bold step. In fact, Juhlin’s team — the Carlstad Crusaders — and other teams in the league, have all announced support for Marcus and his decision to come out.

Juhlin came out to his mother two years ago on New Year's Eve, calling her a few hours after midnight saying, "I like guys."

Simple as that.

So, welcome out Marcus, and here’s hoping you inspire others the same way Michael Sam did for you. And please accept as our Coming Out Gift from HOMO HQ, the obligatory coming Out Toaster Oven — complete with a European adapter plug — and copy of the Gay Agenda.

Welcome out, Marcus, welcome out.

Mitch Eby, a Junior and defensive end for the Chapman University Football team, had a secret to tell and wasn’t sure how. Then he read about Willamette University kicker Conner Mertens, who came out as gay last January and the two began talking.

At first Eby, who was only out to one person, and Mertens talked football, but the conversation eventually turned to coming out, and Eby talked about his fears; and he listened as Conner Mertens told about his own coming out to his team, in which a teammate read a letter from Mertens without him being present. But Mitch Eby wanted to tell his team himself, though he first told his head coach, and his roommates, who were also teammates, and then he told the team:

“I am ready to share with you all that I am gay. … It has taken me years to accept myself for who I truly am, so it's irrational to expect everybody to unconditionally accept me right away. However, the one thing that I hope that I can count on from each of you, my teammates, is your respect. Your respect as a friend, your respect as a teammate, and your respect as a man.

"Being gay may be something that defines me, but it does not limit me. It is such a small part of who I am. I am the same person you all know, no different than before. I'm still the kid that is obsessed with pretty much anything having to do with sports, I'm still the kid that some of you love to call stupid nicknames like ‘mom' and ‘hot dog,' and I'm still someone who will continue to go out there every day and push myself and push my teammates to be the best football team around. I am your teammate, I am your classmate and I am your brother. And I know that my brothers will continue to stand by my side, no matter what."

By the time he finished the team was applauding his coming out, and so as the racket died down, Mitch Eby asked one more question:

"So how about some pizza?"

Which, as we all know, can be reheated in a Coming Out Toaster Oven, been in a college dorm, while sitting down to read The Gay Agenda.

Welcome out, Mitch, welcome out.

Marcus Juhlin

Mitch Eby

Who Do I Hafta F**k To Get A Decent Senator For South Carolina? Part Three: Senator Kevin Bryant

Down here in South Carolina, where it’s not the heat, it’s the stupidity, and where we are trying to take the ‘duh’ away from Flori-duh, comes the story of a South Carolina state Senator, who apparently doesn’t have a single active brain cell in his head.

But let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

Earlier this year eight-year-old Olivia McConnell wrote her state representatives to suggest that since South Carolina doesn’t have a state fossil — and before you ask, no, Nikki Haley doesn’t count — and she thought we should have one.

And Olivia decided that she needed a legitimate reason to suggest this besides liking fossils, so she came up with three:

1. One of the first discoveries of a vertebrae fossil in North America was on an South Carolina plantation when slaves dug up wooly mammoth teeth from a swamp in 1725.
2. All but seven states have an official state fossil.
3. “Fossils tell us about our past.”

And she sent her reasons in a letter to South Carolina State Representative Robert Ridgeway and state Senator Kevin Johnson, both Democrats, asking them to sponsor a bill to officially make the Wooly mammoth — and again, not Nikki Haley — our state fossil:

“Please work on this for me. Your friend, Olivia.”

Ridgeway liked the idea, saying it showed the children of the state how government works, and how they can have a say-so in what happens here. So, Ridgeway and Johnson filed two bills to make the Wooly Mammoth the official state fossil.

The bill passed the House with overwhelming support, but then it hit the state Senate where Senator Kevin Bryant, a Republican, pharmacist and self-described born-again Christian who once likened President Obama with Osama bin Laden, who helped block funding for a rape crisis center, who calls climate change a “hoax,” and blocked evolution, EVO-freaking-LUTION, from the state’s science standards — saying “I don’t have a problem teaching theories. I don’t think they should be taught as fact.” — proposed amending the bill, a legislative government bill, to include three verses from the Book of Genesis detailing God’s creation of the Earth and its living inhabitants, including mammoths.

See, God made mammoths and that should be in the bill.

 “I think it’s a good idea to designate the mammoth as the state fossil, I don’t have a problem with that. I just felt like it’d be a good thing to acknowledge the creator of the fossils.”—Kevin Bryant

And when Bryant’s proposed amendment was ruled out of order by Lt. Governor Glenn McConnell, on a technicality — it introduced a new subject — Bryant then submitted a more on-topic amendment, describing the Columbian Mammoth “as created on the Sixth Day with the beasts of the field.”

So, for now, the bill is on hold, and Olivia McConnell is getting a lesson in South Carolina state politics:

It’s not the heat, it’s the stupidity of folks like Bryant and Fair, the two biggest fossils in the statehouse.

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Lindsay Ep 4: Pole Dancing Is Not Community Service

When we last left Lindsay and Lindsay Lohan, she had been told by the Great and Powerful O, to cut the “bullshit” and don’t “fuck it up.”

Who does O think she is, RuPaul. Because gurrrrrrrl …. Anyway, after her cuss-out of Lohan the younger, O sat down for a chat with Dina who nearly peed herself because Oprah Winfrey was in her house. But O ignores that and instantly questions Dina on her parenting skills and choices … She asked if Dina had any regrets about letting her 19-year-old daughter, who was making about $7 million a movie, head out to LA and live by herself.

Naturally, Dina, her eyes darting hither and yon, deflecting as usual, said no. She was a single mother :::sniff::: she had three other children to pimp out raise :::sniff::: plus Lindsay was sending big checks back to Dina’s Long island manse :::sniff::: And Lindsay was dating a club manager and that’s bad news and she had friends who were bad news and she was appearing all over magazines drunk and panties-less in public, crashing cars, carrying cocaine,, but you know, Dina had other things to worry about.

And as they talked about Lindsay's downward spiral into drug and alcohol addiction, Dina dabbed her eyes, wiping away tears that weren’t really there. But she just knows, she knows, that Lindsay will turn it around this time.

And the Oscar goes to ….

But then O calls Granny Lohan into the room, who can only say that Lindsay is beautiful and should have won an Oscar for The Parent Trap.

Oh, it’s a tie for the Best Actress Oscar, Mama and Granny Lohan!

Luckily, O’s had enough of the Lohan clan and she is hoisted back into her SUV and whisked away; in the very next instant, Lindsay is fleeing Chez Dina, sliding into her SUV and saying, throatily, “Let’s get outta here.

And so we return to the apartment that Oprah is paying for — well, the production company that O hired to shoot this reality show docu-series is paying for — and we find the place littered, LITTERED, with clothes. And we find Assistant Two, Hollie, struggling to put together the clothes racks and hangers that the production company has paid for so Lindsay can have all her things with her.

And while this is going on, actress and celebrity well-being “expert” AJ Johnson has arrived with eight or nine bags of groceries to make a small breakfast for Lindsay because Lindsay cannot hang up her own clothes or cook for herself. It’s 10AM and Lindsay’s sleeping. First Assistant Matt heads in to wake her up because, you know, Lindsay cannot wake herself up. nor can she handle the parking tickets she gets because she leaves her car, possibly paid for by the production company, on the street all night; she's under the assumption that if you leave the first ticket on the car all night, she'll be fine. Matt assures her that is not the case, but he'll pay the tickets so Lindsay can .... can ....

Get out of bed. Finally, La Lohan appears and talks about how she needs a routine because a routine will keep her on the straight, er, sober and narrow, and yet she seems to feed on no routine whatsoever, except that Matt is happily running the show again as Solo Assistant Matt because he’s fired Brit Hollie for drinking wine in front of Lindsay. Of course, we have no footage of that, or of the firing, or of Hollie leaving so …. Yeah.

So, in an effort to get healthy, stay healthy, and sober, and take control of her life, Lindsay takes a pole dancing class. I guess that downward spiral might end at stripper? Which might well happen, because sober coach Michael is winding up his thirty days of “helping” Lindsay use the tools she learned at her seventh rehab stint and have a fabulously sober and non-chaotic life!

And with that Lindsay gets whisked off to do a sketch on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It appeared to be a cheesy rip-off of some SNL valley girl skit from the 80s, with the au currant Miley Cyrus reference. It was high-larious … I kid.

And then, because Lindsay needs to balance out her fabulous return to the screen, a la Fallon, she next heads to the Duffield Children’s Center  in Brooklyn to complete her thirty days of court-ordered community service. Now, I’ll stop and give her props because she was really fun with the kids, and playful with the kids, but did she have to go dressed as a hooker. Seriously, I think one of the kids asked if Lindsay ever worked her block.

And, naturally, she complained about her other stints at community service — most notably her time at the LA morgue — because it wasn’t fun, and she wasn’t giving back and there were dead people there and it was more of a punishment. 

Hmmm, wonder if that’s why it’s court-ordered community service?

But this day was fun and she was hugged by the kids as she leaves and the director of the center seems genuinely pleased with how Lindsay worked with the kids. However, as soon as her time was done, after Lindsay says she cannot wait to come back, she turns away quickly, runs to her car, while saying, “I’ll keep in touch.”

Um, LiLo? This isn’t a friend you might call later in the week for lunch. Again, this is court-ordered community service, so, yeah, you’ll keep in touch and be there, right? Right? Hello?

Once more at home, Lindsay and AJ create a Life and Career board for Lindsay to set goals, the first of which is being back onset because that’s where she belongs, where she feels most comfortable, and happy, and is not at all a troublemaker; unless you check out her recent appearance on Two Broke Girls or Glee or what Paul Schrader had to say about her antics on The Canyons or the messes she made all over LA — the car crash and the walking out on a hotel bill and the ER rush — during the filming of the craptastic Liz and Dick. Yeah, working is what keeps her sober.

Lindsay says she wanted a role in The Avengers, but her manager didn't push for her and they "went with an unknown" for the part. She says she’s the only one who works to get her roles, and that very few agents and production companies want to see her at all. See last paragraph for the myriad of reasons why, though don’t bother looking for one place where Lindsay says any of it is her fault.

It’s her manager, and her agent, and, apparently, Penelope Cruz who gets in the way.

And it’s right there that AJ suggest that maybe Lindsay might have some responsibility in this, and Lindsay gives her that, “Butch pleased, I’m Lindsay Lohan” look. Still, AJ convinces her that maybe if she finishes this reality show docu-series and shows up and isn’t late and isn’t a total mess, maybe, just maybe, some producer will decide she’s ready for her close-up again.

If not, there’s always the pole.

Or a dental emergency. One of her veneers came off because she got “weirdly hungry” and ate, and she needs it fixed but her LA dentist always sedates her — with Valium and propofol and assorted other drugs — when she has work done and she wants sedation this time, too; even when asked if it might be detrimental to her sobriety, she wants sedation because, you know, it wears off, like an eight-ball wears off.

Which nicely segues into a shot of a newspaper article about Lindsay being out in the clubs, and an explanation that Lindsay likes the night  life, she loves to boogie, on the disco-go-round, and she can do all that and hang out in bars with people who drink and not be tempted at all, well, maybe  a little,.

But, um, wasn’t Hollie just booted for drinking in front of LiLo? Apparently that was different because it wasn’t in a club at 4AM.

And finally, we end, with Lindsay doing yoga while her sober coach, Michael, packs his bags to go back to LA. With cameras on him, Michael is asked if Lindsay is still sober, and he cannot answer; he breathes in and out, and hems and haws, and finishes by saying he won’t discuss Lindsay’s sobriety.

Makes you wonder, though, that if she was sober, he’d very clearly say 'Yes.'

Next week: The rest of Lindsay's "stuff" comes to clutter the apartment ... Dina throws Lindsay under the Chardonnay Bus ... Lindsay cops to drinking. 

Do I hafta get Oprah back out there?

WTF? Rashida Jones

Rashida Jones is a very funny woman, so maybe she chose this look for the laughs?

I mean, how else do you explain that it looks like some sort of 1980s version of Mrs. PacMan on a dress. i keep expecting parts of it to start moving and eating other parts of it.

Seriously. Tilt.

He Can't Go To New Beginnings Because He Has Two Moms

I can understand why people don’t like The Gays; I mean, we’re evil, right? And we’re asking for the special right to be treated like everybody else. We’re bringing down traditional marriage, and we’re worse than terrorists. We sent hurricanes to New Orleans and earthquakes to Haiti. We rape children or, when we’re not doing that, we indoctrinate them into our “lifestyle.”

And the new thing, if you listen to the likes of Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham, is that we are the spawn of Satan. Man, it can’t get any lower than being Stamen’s offspring, can it?

But what I cannot understand is why these, hypothetically, toothless, mindless, cousin-f**king, backwoods, Baptist-loving, Catholic-preaching, low-lives want to take their hatred of The Gays out on innocent children.

Tracy and Dawn Keller are a same-sex couple living in Bedford, Texas — I know, it’s Texas but still you have hope — who wanted to enroll their son into a Montessori school. So, as a couple, these women toured the facility and asked all the right questions and told all their truths, even knowing that not all people accept them as a couple, as a family.

But they wanted their son, Landry, to attend the New Beginnings Montessori School in Bedford, and during the tour they asked the tour guide, a teacher at the school, the typical questions. They wondered if the school had any particular religious affiliations and were told it did not. They told the teacher that Landry obviously had two moms, and asked if that was going to be an issue and were told that also was not a problem.

An hour later, back at home, their phone rang.

It was the director of new Beginnings, Shamain Webster, calling to tell them that they would not be accepting Landry as a student because, yes, he has two moms. Webster actually said to the couple: “We are not going be able to enroll Landry in our school because it’s against my religion, and we don’t live that way.”

Naturally, the women took their story to the news media, because they had been told that there were no religious constraints on their application, and no problems with being a same-sex couple. And when the local station called Webster at New Beginnings to confirm the story, Webster confirmed that, as a private school they can turn away anyone they want, for apparently any reason.

But then the story went further, because the owner of the school — who is, ironically enough, Shamain Webster’s father — got wind of the story, and told the media that he does not share the same beliefs as his daughter, and that Landry would be more than welcome at New Beginnings. He asked that the Keller’s submit an application, but they have decided to try other schools.

"It's obvious this is not a place for him. It’s not like we’re out to advertise, or anything like that... we just want some place that’ll welcome us just like everybody else." — Dawn Keller

I feel like I should find it sad that this happened, but it just makes me angry, This Shamain Webster person is a bigot and a homophobe, who using religion to deny The Gays equality, when she is, in fact, denying a child, an innocent, the right to attend that school.

I’m glad the Keller’s turned them down, because even if Landry was accepted there’s no telling how someone like Shamain Webster would have treated the boy.

And he deserves to be treated like any other child in the school, in whatever school he attends.

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