According to Entertainment Weekly, the big gay movie that changed everything apparently changed nothing.

What a shocker! You remember Brokeback, don't you? Hollywood's first gay romance, written by a heterosexual, directed by a heterosexual, starring heterosexuals...I'm sorry, what was gay about it? Well, now, after two years of waiting for the Hollywood revolution, it turns out that it ain't coming. Kind of like ENDA and the Hate Crime Bill--lot's of talk but no action. Now that's gay! Read more here.

Of course, we can still be grateful to Brokeback Mountain for giving a homophobic America a new and even more fun way to disparage the queer community. Nothing says loser like gay Brokeback.

Knowledge is power and history is knowledge. Some have compared Obama to Jack Kennedy, but Obama's latest passion for ex-gay gospel singers teaches us otherwise. Ironically, I can't find a reason to be upset about pro-gay Obama going all pro-ex-gay, willing to shake his gospel booty next to a profoundly misguided and psychologically-damaged gay man. The gay blogosphere has been all atwitter with this scandal, Obama creatively waffles, now caught between gays and evangelicals--a moronic dilemma of his own amateurish making. But for me the real concern is his Forty Days of Faith all God all the time magical mystery tour. And when you consider that the only thing that stands between queers and equality is all faith, all the time, it would seem that we're now seeing, as Ms. Lauper would say, Obama's "true colors." The other thing that concerns me is how we defile the legacy of Jack Kennedy. Students of history would understand the true cowardice of Obama and most other candidates as well. You can read the truth here. But start with this video and consider the real meaning of American, constitution-centric leadership. Dry and boring history teaches us that there is another way, a better way and that our current crop of Democrats is sadly lacking.

Hold the presses! This just in from the Crazy Christian Right: Kindness is good and Homosexuals are kind. I didn't make this up. It's right on their website, Dingbats For Truth About Homosexuality. Who would know more about homosexuality and truth than these fine folks? They spend nearly all their free time studying us. That's right, in between exorcisms, church pot-lucks, snake-handling and giving away their kid's college tuition to shyster TV evangelists with meth addictions, they are on "the homo" like white on rice. But, they're not just upset about our beloved Dumbledore ...

"The movement is afoot to include positive portrayals of homosexuals and the transgendered in all textbooks from kindergarten on up. I have no objections to textbooks including the important invention or discovery of a homosexual or transgender person so long as their homosexuality or transgenderism is not mentioned."

That's pretty Christian of the Dingbats for Truth. They don't mind that homosexuals are important inventors and scientists, they just don't want anyone to know about it. They won't tell you, but I will. There are so many queer scientists in Los Angeles, they have they're own website, Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Scientists.

Guess what? We're not just good at science! And the Dingbats for Truth aren't the only Christians on the block!

Whenever I post something about High School Musical (like here and here), the world's tweens and teens lash out at me and leave vitriolic comments that are unintentionally hilarious in their utter seriousness, rank naivete, and sheer ferocity. Their anger is born not out of my disdain for HSM (I'm actually a fan and can karaoke to "Bet on It" like a 13-year-old Filipino girl), but out of a gross misinterpretation of my use of the word "gay." I don't use the word pejoratively (look it up, tweens!), but to young America "gay" is still the ultimate insult, one of the most horrible things you can call somebody or something.

When I describe a movie, a character, a dance sequence as "gay," it's a badge of honor--but kids don't see it my way. Behold some nasty comments:

* this article makes me want to punch you in the face.... go f*** yourself.

* don't call us tweenyboopers. or u'll get ur ass kicked by a bunch of tweenyboopers. so shut the hell up.

* when i figure out where you live i'm going to shove my school's flag pole up your ass!!

* Well your gaytarded

(For a more complete list of my favorite angry comments, go to my Bamboo Nation blog.)

Apparently, even those in our own community vilify the word "gay" and wish it to be stricken from colloquial speech. A homosexual college student (I assume he's in college from his e-mail address) posted this comment, referring to a post in which I point out that an HSM character is gay:

Organized religion has perpetrated an outrageous and profoundly hurtful con. And an intimidated American media and a conservative mental health community has played the classic enabler role in underpinning this con leading the American people to actually think there is such a thing as an ex-gay. Ex-gays are simply men and women who have been enabled to return to the destructive and soul-crushing world of the Closet. The only difference is that this "reborn" closet is made of glass and allows us all to look in with horror.

Case in point: an obviously damaged and pathologically troubled Charlene Cothran finds herself standing before an adoring crowd of bigots and fundamentalist fanatics at a recent Americans For Truth About Homosexuality fund-raising banquet proclaiming that "the born gay claim is a vicious lie." Ms. Cothran, overwhelmed by a pathologically homophobic society succumbed to the self-delusions and self-loathing of the closet, albeit a glass closet , and now lives in a world of ignorance and dead souls.

Speaking before this modern version of a Ku Klux Klan rally, born again into the Closet, Ms. Cothran betrayed and humiliated her spiritual core and humanity.

After perusing some of the blog comments of late, I feel we have been woefully inattentive to the many irrational religious fanatics and the just plain fanatically stupid, who visit us here at Queersighted. This is supposed to be a place of inclusion and tolerance, and yet no one has formally embraced them into our little queer enclave. We didn't exactly invite you, but since you're here, welcome to the neighborhood!






Of course I'm not going to hand out sex toys, that's just crude. People who like to perch on the moral high ground, don't want anything to do with sex toys! I'm talking about a Queer Welcome Wagon! The original Welcome Wagon was the marketing brainchild of Thomas Briggs, who borrowed the idea from the Conestoga wagons that greeted westward travelers with food and water. Instead of offering food and water, Mr. Briggs offered women an opportunity to welcome new residents to their neighborhoods with gift baskets and coupons donated by local businesses. Occasionally, a local car dealer would even offer a new car emblazoned with a company logo to a lucky new area homeowner.

Unlike those pesky spam penis enlargement emails we've all received over the years, Welcome Wagon always offered a warm and personal touch, a smiling face and a gift basket. I know I would be much more receptive to penis enlargement supplements if they were being offered to me by smiling neighbor ladies bearing gift baskets.

I admit that I'm somewhat angered by several of the insulting comments and very rude emails that I've received in response to my Barney Frank post--so my blood pressure is already high and my temper at the moment is hot. I say this because FOX News just jumped on my last nerve.

So I find myself wondering why it is that we so easily go after each other's throats, but so quickly climb into bed with the enemy every chance we get? While we were gutting Barney Frank, FOX News was once again gutting us and Khadijah Farmer in particular. For many months I have called for a boycott of all things Murdoch including the FOX network and The New York Post. My pleas have mostly been met with silence, and yet the rush to tear into Barney Frank over principle has been fierce. But where are all of you hypocrites when it comes to FOX and The New York Post?

Sure, it's easy to slam tireless and heroic Barney, but give up Page Six, American Idol or any of the other crap shows that depend heavily on the support of the gay audience? All of these Murdoch products pour millions of dollars into Murdoch's anti-gay monster machine. Our noble gay community will take a stand on ENDA in terms of devouring Barney Frank and his supporters--even though ENDA is a bill unlikely to pass because we, as a community, are too self-indulgent and self-absorbed to deliver the kind of activism and civil disobedience that would drive Congress to positive action. But boycott our guilty pleasures even though they are openly funding the crusade to drive us back into the closet? We'd love to but not if means giving up our fun.

Thousands of queer Americans have attacked one of our few influential leaders, Barney Frank, with emails, calls and letters. Hundreds of gay advocacy groups have done the same. But with regard to Murdoch and Fox? Silence.

For some of you--the more naive and neo-natal in particular--it may be difficult to imagine how a deranged medical quack and psychopathic bigot can successfully position himself as an expert science witness in the American court system and an expert science source for many of our mainstream journalists. But such is the case with Paul Cameron of the Family Research Institute. Every credible professional organization you can imagine has either condemned or officially listed the FRI as a hate group and pseudo-scientific sham organization. Does this matter to Evangelicals, our courts or many state and federal politicians? Nope, not a bit. Apparently in Bush America, the only credentials you need to be considered an expert are homophobia and a passion for dishonesty in the name of Jesus.

It's one of those quirky little things about Bush America--the don't-waste-my-time-with-facts society.

For those of you familiar with "Dr." Cameron's despicable antics, he's back, like a recurring cancer. For those of you who have never heard of Paul Cameron, Mr. Cameron is to medicine and science what salmonella is to chicken eggs and human morbidity and mortality.

His latest and possibly most disgusting act of perversion? He's pushing another pathologically delusional pseudo-scientific study that demonstrates (to complete idiots) that male homosexual teachers are most likely to sexually abuse their students. At least that's what Cameron and his colleagues want the media, the courts and the legislatures to believe so they fabricate research, twist numbers, ignore facts and publish their own pseudo-medical journals--and courts and politicians eat it all up like insatiable maggots in a dumpster. (I'm having trouble disguising my rage and disgust and I hate writing about this, but you need to know and be armed when somebody tosses this mud in your face.)

The Central Christian Church of Wichita, Kansas, is so excited by its upcoming Clay Aiken Christmas concert that the former American Idol contestant gets an enthusiastic mention on the front page of the church's website. "Clay has an incredible voice as well as a heart to use it for the Lord," the site declares. "You won't want to miss this exceptional concert!"

However, the National Enquirer (c'mon, you read it in the checkout line too!) and a TV station--KSN, the NBC affiliate in Wichita--have managed to obtain a very interesting letter that the church drafted in July. Apparently, in a preemptive move, the church prepared a document that denies that Clay Aiken is gay. You see, just in case anybody inquiried about the singer's sexuality, they would have a letter ready to go in order to assuage people's fears--because, you know, when people decide whether to go to a concert or not, they need to be assured that the performer is not a homo. I mean, people don't want to catch a gay singer's cooties.... WHAT?!

According to KSN, the letter affirms Aiken's Christian beliefs, states that "he doesn't drink, smoke, swear, or womanize," and cites a Rolling Stone article in which Aiken clearly asserts that he is not gay. Whew! Crisis averted!

If you're going to f**k with a queer, the last place you'd want to do it is in the gayest of all gayborhoods and just a swish, pirouette and grand plie around the corner from Stonewall Inn. You'd have to have one serious death wish, n'est-ce pas? Oh, and, of course, you want to do it during Pride.

By now, most of us are well versed on the case of Khadijah Farmer, a lesbian, who on June 24, 2007, after the Pride Parade down 5th Avenue, couldn't resist one of the world-famous frozen magaritas in 14 flavors differentes served in the 24 oz souvenir Hurricane Glass that gives the Caliente Cab Company restaurant about its only reason for staying in business.

At some point the lady in question entered the women's restroom. Caliente's bouncer burst in and threw her and her friends out of the restaurant because he thought she looked too masculine to be in the women's restroom. Even photo ID confirming her gender failed to dissuade the bouncer from giving Farmer the old 86. Farmer, of course, is suing for discrimination. And although there are no federal laws to cover this kind of service denial and harassment, this is New York City and boy are there laws and girl are they clear.

The New York City Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of gender - including appearance, behavior, and expression - and sexual orientation. Similarly, the New York State Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of sex and sexual orientation.

Who would have or could have imagined a lawsuit for sexual orientation discrimination in 2007 in Greenwich Village, New York City? Caliente, welcome to the neighborhood and Ms. Farmer's lawyers.

But the latest development in the story is enough to caliente the cockles of my heart. A collaboration of five activist groups, the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Transgender Health Initiative of New York, the Queer Justice League, Gays and Lesbians of Bushwick Empowered and Make The Road New York are pooling their resources and members to stage what I hope will be a gay activist's dream and a homophobe's nightmare. Yes, you ivory tower advocates, a real, honest-to-goodness take to the streets demonstration--and just around the corner from Stonewall.

Tuesday, October 16, 5:30 P.M. And if you attend because of this post, seek me out and I'll give you a shot from my flask. (Happy Hour is Happy Hour.)

I grew up in North Carolina, the daughter of a beloved father who had attended Duke University. I went to the Duke basketball games every weekend as a child and to this day, I watch Duke basketball whenever there is a televised game. Part of loving Duke is hating the University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. Hate is a strong word, but It's what we do in the Tar Heel State. Remember Jesse Helms?

I mention my upbringing because the Log Cabin Republicans have launched an ad campaign against Mitt Romney, and when I saw the ad, I felt like I was watching a UNC vs NC State basketball game. I was oddly compelled to root for someone, and yet, I don't care for either of them.



I first saw Log Cabin's 30 second anti-Romney ad last week in Tim Grieve's "Killing him with kindness" post on salon.com. The ad is also available for viewing on the Log Cabin Republican's website. (www.ivelostmygaymind.com)

The heated debate about whether or not Piedra Vista High School in Farmington, New Mexico, should allow the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance is over for now. QueerSighted reader Marshall e-mailed me within minutes of the school board's unanimous decision to let the club meet. But this is a bittersweet victory at best.

The board faced a tough choice. They couldn't just outright ban the club because they would be in violation of, you know, the law, and would face legal action by the ACLU. So they had to either remove all clubs from campus or allow the group to meet, much to the dismay of many in the community.

According to the local paper, The Daily Times, the school board's decision to allow the club wasn't really born out of a desire for tolerance and understanding. Are you ready to get queasy? Board Deputy Secretary Mike Isaacson said, "The choice to ban all clubs would eliminate any benefit we as a school board are currently contributing back to the community. Banning all clubs means we would ban all community access to the schools, which would include churches, the Boy Scouts, Special Olympics, Little League practices, powwows, etcetera. It would be unfortunate to let a small group of students, who believe they need to join this club, eradicate all the good we've been able to achieve by allowing the public to use our facilities."

Reading that quote again makes me want to throw up, really. Isaacson seems to suggest that there is no value to having a Gay-Straight Alliance, a group meant to promote tolerance at a high school that seems to need it. Just take a look at video clips of Piedra Vista students arguing against the club. One angry girl declares, "I don't want to be hanging around a whole bunch of queers." And an upset boy asserts, "If gay people want to be gay, they should go and get their own place to be gay!"

Perhaps it is that kind of hate that motivated some students to build enough courage to form a Gay-Straight Alliance in the first place. It's nice to know you have allies when you're facing that level of vitriol on a daily basis, whether it is spoken out loud or not.

Can an entire American political party be based on homophobia? It would seem so. No, smarty pants, not the Republicans. They have a whole array of other issues to focus on: Iraq, terrorism, Islam, Shiism, Sunniism, Iran, the Koran and that 700-mile-long wall along the U.S.-Mexican border that will save us from an epidemic of mothers with starving children intent on destroying our economy.

No, we're talking about an entirely new third party. Of course, single issue parties aren't new. We already have the Green Party, for example. And many of our older readers may remember the Mugwumps, but this new third party will have numbers and financial clout that will make it a force to contend with.

So while many of us were horrified when our most powerful military leader, General Peter Pace told Congress that queers are immoral, light bulbs went off for the evangelicals. An idea was born. President General Pace. After all, if you have the courage and moral fortitude to take a very public stance against abominations, you've got the right stuff for leader of the free world.

As you've likely heard by now the Evangelicals are disgusted with the Republican offerings for 2008. George W. Bush set the bar way too high, almost as high as an axle in a trailer park. Giuliani? Does drag. Romney? Christian wannabe.

Under the divine guidance of Dr. James Dobson, 50 of America's leading vermin Evangelical leaders convened last week to discuss the formation of a fundamentalist Christian political party that would take on the misguided Republicans and the queer-loving Democrats.

But where to turn? Jesus' main bitch, Jimmy Dobson was rolling naked in his $138 million annual income (he likes to be paid in cash) wondering what to buy next. A private jet? A new $39,000 wardrobe for his wife from Chico's? The White House? And Jesus gave him the answer. Right there on the old telly, General Peter Pace instructing Congress that homosexuals are abominations.

An important thing happened in the gay world today: The New York Times told the shocking story of what happens when homophobia collides with gay men and lesbian as they grow old and begin to navigate health care systems for the elderly. It's not a pretty story, and it's one that has barely been told.

What is particularly heartening is that the Times chose to put this story and a photo on the front page of the print edition. The article is also the second most-emailed story on their Web site today.

NYT reporter Jane Gross uncovers the hardships that many of the estimated 2.4 million GLB folks over 55 face, from discrimination in health care facilities by both staff and non-gay residents, to real-life health consequences like depression and suicide that can result when there are no gay safety nets in place to help an older population that is often unable to defend itself against anti-gay people and institutions.

The article does explore some successes where programs and facilities have made room for, or been created especially for, gay seniors. These are still the exception, however.

There are useful links and resources on the Times' site for this story, but the most moving thing is a slide show narrated by Fred Riley and Emile Dufour, a gay couple who have been "together for two decades and married in 2004. But their default position, should they need nursing care," the article says, "will be to hide their gayness, as they did for half a lifetime, rather than face slurs and whispers."

"As strong as I am today," Mr. Riley said, "when I'm at the gate of the nursing home, the closet door is going to slam shut behind me."

Read the entire NYT article here, and click the image below to see and hear Fred and Emile's story.

Comedy is surely a subjective thing. I never found America's Funniest Home Videos funny in the least, and yet it was one of the most popular shows on television for years. It had the word "funny" right in the title, but to me, it was just a series of unfortunate accidents caught on tape and set to wacky music. Subjective.

For years I did stand-up and never mentioned the fact that I was gay. My generic, gender neutral material was funny enough to get me work, but after about 12 years of doing jokes about my grandmother, lunging tweezers and stupid Southern people I couldn't stand stand up anymore. I quit.

The most fun I ever had as a stand-up was when I was working for RSVP cruise lines. My idea of heaven is being on a cruise ship stage with an audience full of happy, tanned, gay men. RSVP knew I was gay and their audience knew I was gay, but they didn't hire a gay comic. They hired a comic who happened to be lesbian. I was not so lucky with the Dinah Shore entertainment organizers. They politely told me I wasn't "lesbian enough". So I'm a lesbian who isn't lesbian enough working on a cruise ship full of gay men doing straight stand up. I am a queer queer. Sorry, a QQ.



I quit doing stand-up because I couldn't be myself. I couldn't be gay and funny and get enough work to pay my bills. Remember, I wasn't gay enough for the lesbians. I've actually had lesbians walk out on my show. Why? I do a Powerpoint presentation called "Debunking Gay Myths and Stereotypes", and the first slide that appears is, "Lesbians are humorless". I stand there for a few moments looking confused and then say, "I got nothing" and move to the next slide. Some lesbians are furious over this, but to me, a lesbian comedian, it's hilarious on a number of levels.