Archive for the 'Sexuality' Category

McCain’s “Fan Club” Ad Crosses A Dangerous Line

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Barack, Gender, McCain, Media, Memes, Race, Sexuality, Video

Not only has McCain’s latest celebrity attack ad gotten goofier, it’s also starting to reveal the particularly distasteful “white women like the black guy” tactic that Republicans have used in the past to scare voters away from African American candidates.

First, let me once again point out that McCain is just plain lying that Obama will [...]

August 11th, 2008 | Permalink| 7 Comments »

First Gay Marriages Happening In California

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in California, Marriage, Sexuality

And fittingly, the very first one was performed for a couple how had been together 15 years and helped start this movement in California.
Here’s their story from the LA Times:
In Los Angeles County, longtime partners Diane Olson and Robin Tyler were the first and only same-sex couple to obtain a license Monday. [...] Olson and [...]

June 17th, 2008 | Permalink| 10 Comments »

New York’s Gay Marriage Provision To Set Off Firestorm?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Law, New York, Religion, Sexuality

Bravo to Governor Patterson for saying New York should recognize gay marriages from other states, but this has obviously made A LOT of social conservatives angry and they’re not going down without a fight.
First, Patterson’s reasoning…
Paterson issued a memo earlier this month saying that gay New Yorkers who marry where it is legal will have [...]

May 30th, 2008 | Permalink| 15 Comments »

Gay Marriage Ban Overturned In California

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in California, Law, Marriage, Religion, Sexuality

Well done…
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The California Supreme Court has overturned a ban on gay marriage, paving the way for California to become the second state where gay and lesbian residents can marry.
The case involved a series of lawsuits seeking to overturn a voter- approved law that defines marriage as a union between a man [...]

May 15th, 2008 | Permalink| 18 Comments »

Gay Divorce Proving Complicated

By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in Law, Massachusetts, Sexuality

Gay couples who married in Massachusetts but live in other states are having trouble getting divorced. It seems, early on, Massachusetts allowed out-of-state couples to get married there but currently does not allow gay divorces unless the couple establishes a year of residency in the state. Since other states do not permit gay marriages, they [...]

April 15th, 2008 | Permalink| 8 Comments »

Fred Phelps Going Down?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Kansas, Law, Military, Religion, Sexuality

The guy who first became famous for picketing the funerals of gay men and women, and then moved on to American soldiers, is in trouble with the law…again.
But this time it might actually hit him where it counts.
From Topeka Capitol-Journal:
A federal judge in Maryland on Thursday ordered liens on the Westboro Baptist Church building [...]

April 5th, 2008 | Permalink| 58 Comments »

Huckabee Equates Homosexuality With Pedophilia & Bestiality

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Huckabee, Religion, Sexuality

Yup. He did. And you can’t tell me that it isn’t expected.
Maybe somebody should tell Huckabee that he’s running for President of the United States, not President of the Southern Baptist Convention.
From Beliefnet:
QUESTION: Is it your goal to bring the Constitution into strict conformity with the Bible? Some people would consider that a kind of [...]

January 17th, 2008 | Permalink| 19 Comments »

Did Hillary Plant CNN/YouTube Debate Question?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Debates, Hillary, Military, Republicans, Sexuality

By now you’ve probably heard that the biggest news about the CNN/YouTube debate wasn’t the candidate’s answers, but Retired Brig. Gen. Keith H. Kerr and his question about the “Don’t Ask. Don’t Tell.” policy.
Folks, the question itself was poignant. There’s no doubt about that. All over the world, gay men and women are allowed [...]

November 29th, 2007 | Permalink| 2 Comments »

Make Marriage Private

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Religion, Sexuality

This NY Times editorial asks a question i’ve been asking for a while: why is the state involved with marriage in the first place?
Why do people — gay or straight — need the state’s permission to marry? For most of Western history, they didn’t, because marriage was a private contract between two families. The parents’ [...]

November 26th, 2007 | Permalink| 6 Comments »

Larry Craig Back In…Maybe?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in General Politics, Sexuality

More weirdness from the Craig camp…
U.S. Sen. Larry Craig says he might reconsider his decision to resign if he clears his name in his arrest for disorderly conduct in a restroom sex scandal.
That’s why Craig chose his words carefully during his resignation speech Saturday in Boise, according to a voice mail message he mistakenly left [...]

September 5th, 2007 | Permalink| 1 Comment »

Gay Marriage Coming To Iowa

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Law, Sexuality

That’s the ruling from a judge yesterday. He ruled that the ban on prohibiting gays from getting married is unconstitutional.
DES MOINES, Iowa - Less than two hours after a judge struck down Iowa’s decade-old gay marriage ban, two Des Moines men applied for a marriage license as bride and groom, and county officials said they [...]

August 31st, 2007 | Permalink| 1 Comment »

Should Larry Craig Have Been Arrested?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Law, Sexuality

That’s the question floating around the blogosphere today, and I think the people who’re asking it kind of have a point.
First, we have this from Volokh’s Larry Carpenter about Minnesota law:
From the arrest report, here’s what Craig allegedly did: (1) put a duffel bag at the front of his stall; (2) peered through a crack [...]

August 28th, 2007 | Permalink| 4 Comments »

Can A Dem Be Larry Craig’s Replacement?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, General Politics, Sexuality

Let’s just say Larry Craig resigns over this whole bathroom affair and Idaho has an election in 2008 to find a real replacement. Do Dems even have a shot in the traditionally hardcore conservative landscape of Idaho politics?
The Rothenberg Political Report says it’s highly unlikely. Why? because Craig was thinking of retiring anyway…leaving Repub Lt. [...]

August 28th, 2007 | Permalink| 1 Comment »

HIV Cure On The Horizon?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Science, Sexuality

Interesting news…
CHICAGO (AFP) - In a breakthrough that could potentially lead to a cure for HIV infection, scientists have discovered a way to remove the virus from infected cells, a study released Thursday said.
The scientists engineered an enzyme which attacks the DNA of the HIV virus and cuts it out of the infected cell, according [...]

June 29th, 2007 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

Quote Of The Day

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Legislation, Quotes, Religion, Sexuality

“Despite dire predictions, there has been no adverse societal impact from this decision and most people now express little concern about same gender marriage.”
- Massachusetts State Senator Gale D. Candaras (D), who voted for a same sex ban in January, but changed her vote this week.

June 15th, 2007 | Permalink| No Comments »

Time To End “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Military, Sexuality, The War On Terrorism

Why? Well, if for no other reason than it’s seriously hindering our ability to fight the WoT.
From the NY Times:
The lack of qualified translators has been a pressing issue for some time � the Army had filled only half its authorized positions for Arabic translators in 2001. Cables went untranslated on Sept. 10 that might [...]

June 9th, 2007 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

The Internet Hurting Pornography?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Money, Sexuality, Technology

Because it’s so readily available, pornographers are finding it harder to make a profit.
From the NY Times:
The online availability of free or low-cost photos and videos has begun to take a fierce toll on sales of X-rated DVDs. Inexpensive digital technology has paved the way for aspiring amateur pornographers, who are flooding the market, while [...]

June 2nd, 2007 | Permalink| No Comments »

White House Endorses Same Sex Couples?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Sexuality

Americablog has an interesting find regarding Mary Cheney and her partner’s new child. The official White House site has a photo of Dick and Lynne Cheney holding the child, with this caption…
Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne Cheney, welcomed their sixth grandchild, Samuel David Cheney, Wednesday, May 23, 2007. He weighed 8 lbs., [...]

May 29th, 2007 | Permalink| 2 Comments »

The “Problems” With Rudy

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 Election, Abortion, Sexuality

He’s splitting the GOP in two because of his views on abortion and gays.
From the WSJ:
“If the party nominates a social liberal like Giuliani, there’s not only the potential, but there’s an inevitability of a split,” says John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, a politically active social-conservative group. “Republicans will learn if [...]

May 17th, 2007 | Permalink| 3 Comments »

Victory Is Coming Sayeth The “Lords” To The Hordes

By Daniel DiRito | Related entries in 2008 Election, Abortion, Elections, Religion, Sexuality

In the wake of the 2006 midterm elections little has happened to predict how Republican voters will ultimately respond to the strong Democratic showing. I suspect that it would be difficult to make definitive conclusion as to what led more voters to back Democratic candidates across all regions of the country. No doubt opposition to [...]

May 17th, 2007 | Permalink| 1 Comment »