GAY STUFF: Queer Blog Review

Going through the blogs, here's what's being chatted about...

THIS ONE IS UPCOMING AND IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW, much thanks to the Service Member's Legal Defense Network for putting it out there: On July 23, the House Armed Services Committee will hold the first hearing on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" since 1993. (GayNewsBlog)

Elizabeth Dole makes a sick attempt at renaming a bill regarding HIV/AIDS relief to third world countries after Jesse Helms (Joe.My.God., Bilerico, Towlerod, Trevor Hoppe), who may or may not have once done drag once in front of a video camera -- where's the freaking video??? (Queerty, Pam's House Blend -- both have video of the call into the Michelangelo Signorile show!) This is, of course, after Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) tried to roadblock the vote. (GayPolitics.com)

HIV Travel Ban is repealed -- YEA!!!! Now, HIV Positive folks may travel into the country. (Joe.My.God., Towlerod)

Kent Snyder, Ron Paul's openly gay campaign manager, dies and leaves a $400,000 medical bill due to lack of insurance coverage. Thanks, Ron Paul, the least you could have done was care for the people who work for you. To help raise money for the family to relieve them of the debt, please visit their website. (Joe.My.God., Bilerico, GayNewsBlog)

Casper van Dien is naked in Starship Troopers 3 -- like Queerty, I didn't realize there were sequels -- but the pictures are nice and NSFW. (Queerty)



This one has been circulating for a while: the state of South Carolina is really, really, really pissed after a print advertisement purporting that "South Carolina is so gay" to increase the LGBT tourism there was approved. The image is below and from the link. (Queerty, LGBTTravelNews, Trevor Hoppe)




The CA Supreme Court ruled that Prop 8 -- the anti-gay marriage initiative, AGAIN -- will remain on the ballot in November, again asking the voters to decide pro- or anti-gay marriage. Let's hope it's worded right and it's a simple yes or no, as opposed to the convoluted bullshit we had to go through a few years ago. (Bilerico, Towlerod, Pam's House Blend)

The 2010 census will not count gay married couples, even if they are legal in the home state due to the 1996 (?) Federal Defense of Marriage Act (GayPolitics.com, Trevor Hoppe). Assholes. This is one of those things that you look back and go, "Wait, I thought the Clinton's liked the gays?"

Adamantly anti-gay Alabama Attorney General (hell, yea, assonance) was kicked out of his house after his wife found him in bed with a male staffer. Poor man, looks like he won't be running for governor, nor is he welcome on John McCain's leadership committee anymore. Funny what happens when you're a hypocritical dick. (GayNewsBlog) Meanwhile, Catholic school principles are getting caught in gay threesomes in empty buildings. Geez, people, find a better place to fuck around! (GayNewsBlog, FoxNews, MediaWizz)

John McCain sticks his foot in his mouth about gay adoption and then tries to pull it out. Is he for it or against it? I guess we'll never know! But, with Charlie Crist (GAYGAYGAY) a possible VEEP candidate, and the state of Florida explicitly banning gay people from adopting, I doubt he'll come and say "Gay people can be good parents, too." (Family Equality Blog, GayNewsBlog and GayNewsBlog)

Massachusetts Senate approved a bill to repeal the 1913 law that says that you cannot be married in the state if your marriage is not legal in your home state. The bill was originally created after MASS was the first state to allow miscegenation -- interracial marriage -- but now is being used to block gay couples from marrying there. (GayNewsBlog, Huffington Post, Trevor Hoppe, Pam's House Blend)

WHEW!!! It's been a really gay week!!!!

GAY STUFF: Ric Weiland and his $65m donation

Ric Weiland, 1953-2006

This is strange. I had originally penned this saying that this is the third high profile LGBT related death in the last week, but that is not true. Ric Weiland, one of the first five employees of Microsoft and a major investor in PlanetOut (the largest LGBT corporation in the world -- owner of things like Gay.com), actually died in June of 2006 of a gunshot wound to the head. It is reported that he suffered from clinical depression, and the death was ruled as a suicide.

What made news was that, yesterday, Mr. Weiland left $65 million to LGBT and HIV/AIDS related causes ($65m of $160m total bequeathed of his estate), thus making it the largest single donation to LGBT-related causes ever, according to the CNN report. Nineteen million alone went to the Pride Foundation, a funding source for other LGBT organization in the US Northwest. Other beneficiaries included AMFAR, GLSEN, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Lambda Legal, Parents Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the Servicemember's Legal Defense Network, and the Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Seattle's local ASO.

All the usual contenders, in other words. Except... no Human Rights Campaign??? $65million would have paid for that nice building they have, wouldn't it???

Regardless of the drama, it is sad that Ric is gone, and I sympathize with his surviving partner, Michael Scaefer. But...

...thank you, Ric. Thank you for remembering.