Readers,

This will be my final post on QueerSighted, so I want to say farewell. Thanks for reading my rants and raves, thanks for all the insightful comments and for your emails agreeing or disagreeing with the goings on here at QueerSighted.

I'm not yet sure where you can find me next, but meanwhile you can keep up with me on my MySpace page. Until I have a new gig to tell you about, I'll use that to talk about the new-new stuff I want friends (you) to know about -- like these:

Great New Movie
'The Walker': While the overall film by legend Paul Schrader is somewhat weak, watching Woody Harrelson as a gentlemanly gay escort to Washington, D.C. society ladies is worth the price of admission, especially when the company he keeps includes these three actresses: Lauren Bacall, Lily Tomlin and Kristin Scott Thomas. Delish.

Great New Book
'Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You,' by Peter Cameron: This is the best thing I've read all year and is possibly one of most well-written coming-of-age novels ever. It's driven by a sophisticated, urban, 18-year-old postmodern gay New Yorker who hates nearly everyone as he wrestles with being a misfit. Protagonist James is so awkward and such a smart ass that you will fall in love.

Great New CD
'The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter,' Josh Ritter: At the risk of saying "greatest" again, there's no other way to describe the song writing abilities of this man. His new album bears this out, as have all the others that precede it. Also check out NPR's podcast of 'All Songs Considered' on iTunes to listen to the live-concert recording of his recent Washington, D.C. appearance at the 9:30 Club. If you listen to that concert, Josh will gain another fan-for-life. I'm sure of it.

Great New Show
'Dirty Sexy Money' (ABC): If you aren't watching it, start watching the most fun new TV show of the season. A team of gays is the brains behind this oddball dramedy featuring the Darling family, headed by actor Donald Sutherland. The Darlings are super rich, super screwed up and super entertaining. 'Six Feet Under'-alum Peter Krause plays the family lawyer whose job it is to clean up after them all. It also features a transgendered character, respectfully treated by the show and played by transgendered actress Candis Cayne -- who gets to make onscreen sexy time with co-star William Baldwin.

Great New DVD
TLA Video is just releasing a shiny gem starring old-fashioned sissy-galore Paul Lynde in his 1976 'Paul Lynde Halloween Special.' For sissies and the men who love them (like Richard Rothstein).


Again, it's been a pleasure.

Gayly forward,

Kenneth Hill
MySpace: www.myspace.com/gayesteditorever
Email me at: KenHill@aol.com

Let's lighten things up on this fine Friday, shall we? There's so much to love this week!

Don't you love it when the military accidentally recruits gays by placing more than 8,000 job listings on a gay networking website? "Whoops!" doesn't quite capture the sound of high-ranking officials crapping their pants when they found this out.

Don't you love it that Lance Bass wanted Britney Spears to be his fag hag? But nooooo, they haven't talked since that fateful night when Lancey-poo invited Britney to his bed--only to clobber her by coming out.

Don't you love it that Lance wants Justin Timberlake to be gay as much as we all do? "We thought Justin was gay because he told us he wanted to do a gay part in a movie," Lance told GQ magazine. I don't know about you, but that still gives me hope. Maybe Justin can team up with Daniel Radcliffe, who wants to go gay too! Who would top? Who would bottom? The possibilities are endless!

I love animals, in fact, I got my BS in Zoology and I have two rescued cats, and a rescued Chihuahua. You can bet your bottom dollar that when I heard the most recent story about Ellen Degeneres and her dog-rescue fiasco, it really got my blood boiling.



Ellen and her girlfriend, Portia de Rossi, adopted Iggy (a Brussels Griffon mix) from Mutts and Moms (affiliated with Paws Boutique), a dog adoption agency . Unfortunately, Ellen's cats were queens of the roost and didn't give the dog such a warm welcome home. Despite Ellen's efforts to integrate the animals, her cats were just not having it. Ellen decided to do a good deed and give Iggy to her good friend and hairstylist, a woman who is married, with

The gay community is outraged that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 43, a bill that would have allowed same-sex couples to marry in California. Indeed, small protests in opposition to Schwarzenegger's decision were held in different parts of the state earlier this week--including in my own home, where I subjected myself to nude self-flagellation like that albino monk in The Da Vinci Code movie.

But after noticing how some conservatives and the religious right are covering the story, I think we would be remiss if we didn't recognize and applaud the legislative strides that were made last week in California. Progress is sometimes best measured by how upset the opposition is. And it's about time I put my whips away and my robe back on.

While CitzenLink (an offshoot of the ultra-right Focus on Family organization), for example, notes on its website that Schwarzenegger's veto is "a victory for traditional marriage," the group denounces the governor for passing "several bills detrimental to California families."

Mona Passignano, a spokesperson for Focus on the Family Action (another branch of Focus on Family), said that those other bills "will likely have a devastating impact on churches and Christian families in the state for years to come." This sentiment is echoed on similarly themed websites on the Internet.

The governor actually signed seven LGBT-friendly bills into law last week, after they were all passed by the Legislature:

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.

Editor's Note: Today we have two essays about the most hotly debated issue in the GLBT community right now: the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, aka ENDA. The details are somewhat complex (they're explained further below), but boil down to whether to pass a stripped-down version of ENDA that could probably pass in the House now but would not include transgendered people, or holding out for a bill that includes everyone, meaning the "T" in GLBT, even if it means that the bill might be dead out of the gate due to a lack of Congressional support.

That's a simplified description of the situation, but each of these positions is argued more thoroughly and eloquently on QueerSighted today for your consideration.

First, guest blogger Chai Feldblum shares her views on why ENDA should keep the "T" in GLBT. Feldblum is a professor at Georgetown University Law Center, and a well-respected strategist within GLBT activism. She was one of the primary attorneys who drafted and negotiated the provisions of ENDA from 1992 until 2002, and we're lucky to have her voice on QueerSighted today.

QueerSighted writer Richard Rothstein writes in favor of a bill that can be passed in the House now, even if it means that transgendered protection will have to be excluded and revisited separately in the future. His essay is posted below this one, or you can click here to read 'Barney Frank Lives in America, Not Oz.'

After you've heard the arguments, tell us in the comments: What strategy do you support?

LET'S STOP THE TRAIN WRECK

By Professor Chai Feldblum

QueerSighted Guest Blogger

About two weeks ago, Congressman Barney Frank took a unilateral action that set into motion a potential train wreck for the LGBT community and for the Democratic party. Let's hope cooler heads can still prevail; that we will all take a collective deep breath; and perhaps we can still head off this train wreck.

Enough is enough. At the risk of upsetting my tens of fans, I can no longer lie. Io non sono omosessuale! I'm not gay! There. Basta. It's out. Finally.

I've never been gay. And under no circumstances could I imagine ever being gay in the future. It's not a choice I would make. Why would anyone? It's unnatural and almost beyond reasonable comprehension.

Yes, indeed, I have spent the last 18 years of my life researching the gay lifestyle in order to better understand it. And in the interests of credible and indisputable research, I have worked diligently until reaching a statistically significant sampling--approximately 1,500 men with whom I have engaged in just about every permutation and variation of gay sex imaginable. Science be served. I have swallowed. I have explored every orifice available and allowed the same to be done to me. I have rope burns, customized leather goods and imported German sex toys that have set me back some serious Euros. (As an aside, rimming chairs can be converted into nifty lawn ornaments once you've completed your research. Sadly, I don't have a lawn.)

So, there you have it. I'm not gay.

I had fully intended to continue my research as a faux fag for many years to come, but I've been inspired by the Roman Catholic Church to come out and stand proud as an openly straight man researching gay sex so that I can better help real gay men and women walk into the light. After all, if you haven't waged the battle of teeth and breath control, how can you possibly understand the awfulness of homosexuality?

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.)

So as we were all heading off for a lovely autumnal weekend, a very confused Terminator ran off to the local 7/ll for a quart of milk, a copy of Variety, some Depends and to veto the California same sex marriage bill. One can't be completely sure that he meant to do that, but Arnie's not terribly clever at multi-tasking.

I would never be so rude as to call the governor of California an "idiot". However, I don't agree with other gay voices who are this morning calling him a hypocrite and a bigot simply because he vetoed the gay marriage bill passed by the California State Legislature.

Clearly The Terminator is confused--which is very different from being an "idiot." The Republican party has insisted that the decision on same sex marriage should not rest with activist judges in the courts because the United States Constitution rests law-making power with elected representatives and not via popular vote and it was a popular vote five years ago in California that determined that the constitution was wrong and that civil rights and equality did not apply to gay Americans but under the constitution law-making power and determinations on civil rights rests with the legislatures which actually then passed a law approving same sex marriage but it is, as the Constitution says, up to the courts to determine the constitutionality of laws so The Terminator vetoed the same sex law constitutionally passed by the state legislature because he wants the determination to be made by the courts even though his party says the courts shouldn't be making such decisions rather such decisions should be made by lawmakers as outlined in the constitution.

Are you confused? Well, imagine how a brain ravaged by decades of steroids and fantasy role-playing both on the silver screen and with that insatiable Kennedy girl, gets all bewitched, bothered and bewildered in attempts to understand same sex marriage and the constitution.

Arnie is not an idiot, but how can he be anything other than terribly confused? However, his party, the Republicans--you've heard of them, I suspect? They're appearing every other Thursday in the men's room at Chippendales on the Vegas Strip--are counting on the notion that we're all idiots. And for the most part they seem to be right. The majority of Americans are idiots. What other explanation can there be for the widespread acceptance of the convoluted perverse logic that the GOP keeps using to block equality for all Americans?

Marriage discrimination inspired one of the most mainstream public figures in the country to come forward for equality this week: Jeanne Phillips, aka 'Dear Abby.'

Phillips, who offers advice through her widely syndicated column, said, "I believe if two people want to commit to each other, God bless 'em. That is the highest form of commitment, for heaven's sake."

Abby (as she prefers to be called), the daughter of the original 'Dear Abby,' made the comments to a reporter in relation to a "Straight for Equality" award she's to receive from GLAAD. Abby says she isn't planning to devote a column to her statement about gay marriage -- which is too bad. She has a strong record for addressing gay issues in a positive way in the advice she doles out to everyday Americans who read her, however, making her a powerful and respected voice in raising awareness of gay issues to the mainstream.

In the AP article about this which ran on AOL (and which has more on the story here), a poll shows some interesting but not too surprising reactions to Abby's gay-friendly stance: Readers were split fairly evenly on her comments, with a slight majority in favor of her position that gays should be allowed to marry.

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.

If you were to believe the Okeechobee County School Board in Florida, gay-straight alliances on high school campuses are a hotbed of salacious activity and a forum for explicit discussion about dirty, nasty gay sex--because, as you know, that's what gay-straight clubs are all about: your peers pressuring you to have same-sex intercourse and lots of it.... Okay, well, the board didn't say all those things exactly, but I can read between the lines.

When a student met administrative resistance after she tried to form a gay-straight alliance at Okeechobee High School, the ACLU filed a lawsuit on her behalf. Earlier this year, a judge ruled that the club could meet until the case is settled, which won't be until at least March.

In a preemptive strike to ban any future gay-straight groups on campus, the school board decided this week that from now on any clubs based on sexual orientation are not allowed. Superintendent Patricia Cooper stated in a memo that the policy change would "assure that student clubs and organizations do not interfere with the School Board's abstinence-only sex education policy."

Her statement makes me roll my eyes for so many reasons.

With Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger expected to veto a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in California, a multimillion-dollar television ad campaign will be launched this week, one that is meant to push buttons and appeal to the emotions--in the hearts of straight people. The TV commercial, which will air in major California markets, shows a bride on her wedding day, as she heads to the alter where her handsome groom awaits. On her way, she encounters a series of obstacles--debris in her path, a guest tripping her with a cane--until she falls to the ground and the screen reads: "What if you couldn't marry the person you love?"

Take a look at the commercial....

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.