Friday Gay Blogging

It's not just here that marriage is happening: The government of Argentina has undertaken legislation to legalize same-sex marriage.

And in Greece, the mayor of the island of Tilos officiated at the first same-sex weddings.

The latest poll now shows that 60% of Americans say the government should not regulate same-sex marriages. This seems to be consistent with the trend over the past few years, but I'll wait a bit before I start celebrating, if you don't mind. (Timothy Kincaid has some observations on the most recent polls that would be good to keep in mind.)

Reality Check: Via Queerty:

There’s a battle going on for America’s soul. At the root of this conflict lies a profound divergence of worldviews. The Christian worldview is anchored in reality, whereas secularism does not respect reality’s constraints.

Who knew?

Suddenly, VP picks are a gay issue:

This post by Steve Clemons sort of sums up the reaction in the gay-and-gay-friendly community to the news that Sam Nunn is being considered by Obama as a running mate.

So despite my sincere respect for many of the good things Sam Nunn has done, I also think it is important for those whispering about the possibility of putting Nunn in the VP slot on the Obama ticket -- or in Obama's cabinet -- to realize that this blog and many others will not stand for someone who still harbors long standing, institutionalized discriminatory views against gay men and women, particularly in the arena of national security when we should be applauding any who want to serve this country.

It's time for us to be asking Sam Nunn what his views on gays in the military now are -- and he should tell us.

Given Obama's ambivalence about gay rights -- and I say this focusing mostly on his attitude toward same-sex marriage, which to me is unacceptable (and I realize that attitude is purely emotional, but it's a gut reaction to hearing about "my beliefs" from candidates) -- adding Nunn to the ticket would make it really hard to swallow unless I could be convinced of a major about-face. (As for Obama, I realize he wants to repeal DOMA, repeal DADT, and mouths the standard "I don't believe in discriminating against anyone" platitudes at the drop of a checkbook, but somehow I don't get a sense of real acknowledgment, you know what I mean?)

And on the other side of the aisle, Michael Rogers has this to say about possible McCain VP pick Charlie Crist (quoting from the Broward New Times):

When I got Rick Calderoni, the bar's well-known owner, on the phone, I expected him to stonewall me about it.

He didn't.

Calderoni, who is gay, confirmed that Crist came into his bar quite often and that the two of them became friends.

Getting to the point, I asked him if he knew Crist to be gay.

"Yes," he answered bluntly. "I just wish he would come out and admit it. That would be a great thing if he did."

I asked Calderoni if he was certain that Crist is gay. He told me that Crist socialized with a gay clique of friends but conceded that he'd never actually seen Crist become intimate with another man.

Politics does strange things to people's heads. I once dated a guy who was really pretty fabulous -- smart, funny, sexy, all in the right proportions. He wanted to go into politics and was way in the closet, and broke it off when he found out that his cousin and I worked for the same company -- never mind that she was in another office and I barely knew her. He was afraid that I might inadvertently out him.

At any rate, there's a certain ironic symmetry to this: two people being mentioned as possible VP picks for opposing tickets each offend a major constituency for reasons that are mirror images. You have to wonder, sometimes.

Shelter is out on DVD. I strongly recommend it -- it's a wonderful film. (I've got a review going up at Green Man Review, someday.)

To cap off the day, before I go respond to the comments at the post at GayPatriot that I mentioned yesterday, some nice things. First, this:



Sweet, no?

And then a post from Joe Brummer highlighting a significant change in his life. I envy him: I seldom feel that I'm in a position these days to take control of my life that way, although I'm better off than I was ten years ago. I have little money, but I'm doing things I love and supporting myself with a job that I enjoy, and I'm all around happier.

And it's starting to show.

TTFN