AFER Joins Federal Marriage Lawsuit In Virginia

AFER, the American Foundation for Equal Rights, is the organization behind the ultimately successful federal lawsuit against Proposition 8 in California in May 2009 which led to the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Hollingsworth v Perry on June 26, 2013. It should be noted that at the time AFER filed its federal lawsuit against Proposition 8, the traditional LGBT legal organizations issued a joint statement declaring the action to be "wrong."

AFER is announcing today that it is joining another federal lawsuit to win marriage equality, and they are doing it in the Commonwealth of Virginia. There's a current lawsuit already filed in Virginia to win marriage equality there called Bostic v. Rainey and the superlawyer team of David Boies and Ted Olson.

From the press release:

Washington, DC – The American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the sole sponsor of the landmark federal constitutional challenge that eliminated California’s Proposition 8 and restored marriage equality in the nation's most populous state, will announce that it has joined the federal legal challenge to Virginia’s ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples, Bostic v. Rainey.  The case, filed in U.S. District Court for Virginia's Eastern District on behalf of two couples, calls the Virginia Marriage Amendment, which prohibits gay and lesbian couples from marrying, unconstitutional because it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, violates Due Process and singles out gays and lesbians for a disfavored legal status, thereby creating a category of “second-class citizens.”

The Bostic case once again joins the bipartisan legal team of Theodore B. Olson and David Boies, who successfully defeated California’s Proposition 8 in Federal Court, to continue the fight for marriage equality.

Virginia has an interesting resonance on the issue of marriage equality because it is the location of the landmark lawsuit Loving v Virginia which the Supreme Court used to strike down all state laws banning interracial marriage and re-affirmed the principle that the right to marry is a fundamental right under the U.S. Constitution.

Virginia is a purple state (Republican controlled on the state level, but has voted twice for Barack Obama for President) and has no statewide protections for LGBT individuals at the state level. If a federal lawsuit against a state marriage amendment can succeed in Virginia then the thirty-five other states which have amendments and bans against same-sex marriage are likely susceptible to lawsuits.

Chris Geidner notes that the Virginia marriage amendment was passed in November 2006 by voters 57 percent to 43 percent and gives the text:

“That only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions. This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage. Nor shall this Commonwealth or its political subdivisions create or recognize another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage.”

Note that this measure not only bans same-sex marriage but it also bans recognition of domestic partnerships as well. Most of the state bans on marriage (20) include similar language.

Eye Candy: Lazar Angelov (reprise)

Lazar Angelov has some of the most amazing abs on the planet. He (and his abs) have been features as Eye Candy before (July 15, 2013). According to the biography on his website, Lazar is from Bulgaria, where he played baseball for 10 years before becoming a bodybuilder and fitness model. Aren't you glad that he found his calling? I am!

Kvitova Beats Kerber To Win WTA Tokyo Title

Petra Kvitova had a very good week in Tokyo, Japan, winning the Pan Pacific Open by defeating Angelique Kerber 6-2 0-6 6-3 in the final, the first WTA title decided between two left-handed players in over 20 years. Kvitova outlasted Venus Williams in the semifinals, winning 6-3 3-6 7-6(2) while Kerber beat Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. It was Venus' best showing at a tournament all year, and she hit a serve at 129.9 mph (209.0 kph) that will not be documented by the WTA as a record due to a technicality.

Kvitova, 23, who is reportedly dating 34-year-old fellow Czech Radek Stepanek, will rise to World #7, making her atleast the third WTA champion the ATP champion has dated in his career. Stepanek married former WTA star Nicole Vaidisova in 2010 but they announced they were getting divorced in June 2013.

QUEER QUOTE: NJ Judge Rules In Favor Of Marriage Equality

Big news out of New Jersey from yesterday. A judge ruled that the state's legally mandated requirement to treat same-sex and different-sex couples equally as a result of 2005's Lewis v. Harris ruling is not being met since after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in U.S. v. Windsor same-sex couples in civil unions are being denied federal benefits.

The concluding paragraph from the ruling is today's Queer Quote:

The ineligbility of same-sex couples for federal benefits is currently harming same-sex couples in New Jersey in a wide range of contexts: civil union partners who are federal employees living in New Jersey are ineligible for marital rights with regard to the federal pension system, all civil union partners who are employees working for businesses to which the Family and Medical Leave Act applies may not rely on its statutory protections for spouses, and civil union couples may not access the federal tax benefits that married couples enjoy.  

[...] 

This unequal treatment requires that New Jersey extend civil marriage equally to same-sex couples to satisfy the equal protection guarantees of the New Jersey Constitution as interpreted by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Lewis.  Same-sex couples must be allowed to marry in order to obtain equal protection of the law in New Jersey.

Republican Governor Chris Christie opposes marriage equality and has previously vetoed legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry in New Jersey despite super-majority popular support for marriage equality among New Jersey voters.

If the Governor does not appeal the ruling then same-sex couples will be able to start getting married starting October 21.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Novak Djokovic Engaged To Jelena Ristic

Current World #1 Novak Djokovic, 26, who this week became the 9th player in history to reach 100 weeks at the top of the ATP tour, announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, via twitter earlier this week.

Ristic, 27, now runs Djokovic's charitable foundation and is often seen in his player's box, cheering on her man to victory. With Djokovic's announcement and Murray's multiple public appearances with model gielfriend Kim Sears, will Rafael Nadal's girlfriend (Francisca "Xisca" Perelllo) get a higher profile?

Roger Federer, 32, is roughly five years older than his higher ranked rivals and has been married to Mirka Vavrinek for over 4 years and is now the father of three-year old twin girls Charlene and Myla.

Happy 32nd Birthday, Serena Williams!

Today is Serena Williams' 32nd birthday. The tennis champion also happens to have 32 grand slam titles (17 singles, 13 doubles, 2 mixed doubles).

Happy Birthday, Serena!

POLL: Californians Support Marriage Equality, Marijuana Legalization, Abortion Rights

A new PPIC poll documents California's liberal bonafides on a number of "hot button" issues such as marriage equality, marijuana legalization, health care reform and comprehensive immigration reform.

Majorities of Californians support legalizing marijuana and same-sex marriage and preserving access to abortion—three social issues that have been contentious across the nation. A slim majority of adults (52%) say marijuana use should be legalized—a record high and the first time support has been above 50 percent. A larger majority of likely voters (60%) favor legalization. Democrats (64%), independents (60%), and men (57%) are more likely than Republicans (45%) and women (47%) to favor legalization. Majorities (61% adults, 68% likely voters) also say the U.S. government should not enforce federal marijuana laws in the states that allow marijuana use.

Support for same-sex marriage is also at a record high, with 61 percent of adults and 64 percent of likely voters in favor. Strong majorities of Democrats (76%) and independents (67%) favor allowing gays and lesbians to legally marry, while 53 percent of Republicans are opposed. Although support continues to be higher among young Californians, a majority of those age 55 and older (55%) are also in favor for the first time. Support has increased 15 points among mainline Protestants since May (55% to 70%).

Large majorities (70% adults, 79% likely voters) say the government should not interfere with a woman’s access to abortion. This view is held by majorities across parties, regions, and demographic groups. And 69 percent say the Supreme Court should leave access to abortion the way it is now (49%) or make it more accessible (20%), compared to 27 percent who would like the court to make it less accessible.

 This is not surprising, but it is useful to see in writing just how different from the rest of the United States, California is, despite having nearly 13% of the country's population.

Hat/tip to San Diego Union-Tribune

Sen. Rubio (R-FL) Blocks Black Gay Federal Judicial Nominee

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has proven repeatedly that he is not a friend to the LGBT community but this latest action takes things to a new level. Previously, Rubio had been thought to only be delaying his approval for U.S. district court nominee Bill Thomas but now comes word that Rubio is blocking President Obama's nomination of the very first openly gay, Black man to the federal judiciary, a historic first. Generally, both United States Senators have to agree on nominees for any federal judgeship in their state, and Thomas is nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

The Advocate reports that Rubio has withdrawn his support for the Thomas nomination:

Rubio, a Republican, announced Monday that he would no longer support the nomination of Miami-Dade circuit judge William Thomas to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, citing concerns about Thomas’s rulings in two criminal cases, The New York Times reports. Nominees for federal judgeships need the support of both U.S. senators from their home state in order for the confirmation process to continue. Florida’s other senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, has endorsed Thomas, who would be the nation’s first openly gay African-American federal judge. 

[...] 

Yolanda Strader, president of a Miami association for black lawyers, accused Rubio of playing politics with Thomas’s nomination. “As much as I would like to think that politics has nothing to do with this, it looks as if it does,” Strader told the Times. “It would be unfair to prevent a well-qualified judicial nominee from proceeding with the nomination process because he is an openly gay black male.” Her group is initiating a social media campaign in support of Thomas and may start an online petition to move his nomination forward.

This is pretty heartbreaking as it comes on the heels of the news that the United States Senate had unanimously approved the first openly gay man to a federal appellate judgeship on Tuesday. Hopefully President Obama will find another openly gay Black man to be nominated for a federal judgeship soon as he continues his campaign of diversifying the federal judiciary.

Hat/tip to The Advocate

Williams Beats Azarenka. VENUS Williams!

Wow! Unsurprisingly, a Williams sister beat World #2 Victoria Azarenka in Japan yesterday. The surprise is that it was Venus Williams who did it, and the score was 6-2 6-4. Even more surprising comes the remarkable news that Venus has now never lost to Azarenka, and this was their third meeting. Azarenka has been feeling sick for the last three days and was clearly not at her best:

Azarenka talked about her physical condition afterwards in her post-match press conference.

"I haven't been feeling well the last few days and haven't been able to practice," Azarenka said. "It has been very frustrating. But I got out there for the people. Everyone was waiting a long time for this match, so there was no way I wasn't going to go out there. I appreciate people coming out and paying for the tickets - they should see the players play. And I tried my best. I did whatever I could do today.

"But you have to be at your best to play against a top player like her. So all the credit to her."

Williams scored her first win over a Top 2 player since beating Dinara Safina at Wimbledon in 2009.

"I don't think Victoria was feeling her best - hopefully she'll be feeling better and ready for Beijing - Lord knows I know what it's like not to feel great," Williams said. "But other than that, obviously it's great to win today, but the tournament's not over, it just started, so I have to continue playing well now."

Williams and Azarenka's other two meetings came at the Olympics in 2008 (Williams won, 63 62) and Dubai in 2010 (Williams won, 63 75). Williams improves to 3-0 in her head-to-head against Azarenka.

World #1 Serena Williams is not playing in the Pan Pacific Open (and probably will skip the entire Asian swing) but will most likely return to the WTA Tour just to play the WTA Year End Championships in Istanbul next month, where she is the defending champion.

Serena turns 32 years old on Thursday. Two weekends ago she beat Azarenka to win her 17th major title at the 2013 US Open.

Hat/tip to the Daily Bagel

NY-18: Openly Gay Congressional Candidate Sean Eldridge Announces

Sean Eldridge is the male spouse of Chris Hughes, the openly gay co-founder of Facebook who bought The New Republic last year and was the architect behind Presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign website BarackObama.com in 2007. Eldridge has been rumored to want to run for Congress from New York State for quite awhile. Eldridge is 27 years old and probably best known in LGBT circles as the former Political Director of Freedom To Marry, the campaign to win the freedom to marry nationwide

Bizarrely, if elected, he would be the second, not the first openly gay guy named Sean who is a Congressman from New York. Sean Patrick Maloney was elected in 2012 to represent the 18th Congressional District of New York. There are currently 7 openly LGBT members of Congress, 6 in the U.S. House and Wisconsin's U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin.

This week Eldridge indeed announced that he is running to represent the 18th Congressional District of New York, in a curious video where he mentions his family (but not the fact that he is married to a man) and touts his supports for abortion rights and small business. It's not clear if this would count as "straight-washing" but it does appear a little odd to this openly gay viewer.

Then again maybe we are now living in a world where the fact that you are gay will not be brought up or of interest to the general public during a political campaign. I seriously doubt it. After all, he is running against a Republican incumbent Congressman (named Chris Gibson).

With his husband's hundreds of millions of dollars at his disposal Eldridge should be able to make the race for the 19th District competitive, at the very least.

Hat/tip to BuzzFeed

First Openly Gay Federal Appellate Judge Approved (Unanimously!)

Todd Hughes made history today as the first openly gay person to be approved by the United States Senate to become a federal judge on a federal appellate court, just one level below the United States Supreme Court.

HRC (Human Rights Campaign), the country's largest LGBT political advocacy organization, sent out a press release:

WASHINGTON – Today the United States Senate by a vote of 98 to 0 confirmed Todd Hughes to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, making him the first openly-gay person to serve as a federal appellate judge.  President Obama nominated Hughes, who is currently a Deputy Director in the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice, in February and his nomination was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in July by a voice vote.

"Judge Hughes is a remarkably qualified jurist who has served his country tirelessly, and today that commitment to service made history,” said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) president Chad Griffin. “As an openly gay man takes to the federal appellate court bench for the very first time, barriers to achievement for the next generation of LGBT young people are crumbling every day.”

HRC urged President Obama to nominate Hughes and has strongly supported his confirmation by the Senate.  He has served at the Justice Department for nearly thirty years and is a recognized expert in government pay and personnel law, whistleblower claims, international trade litigation and veterans’ benefits claims. He has personally argued over 50 cases before the Federal Circuit in multiple areas of the court’s jurisdiction, including appearances before the en banc court.

Hughes graduated from Duke University School of Law and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert B. Krupansky on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.   

The Federal Circuit is based in Washington, D.C. and, uniquely among federal appeals courts, has nationwide jurisdiction in a variety of subject areas, including international trade, government contracts, patents, trademarks, certain money claims against the United States government, federal personnel, veterans' benefits, and public safety officers' benefits claims.

Hughes becomes the eighth openly-gay federal judge with a lifetime appointment to the bench, including seven federal district court judges who were nominated by President Obama: Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro, Pamela Ki Mai Chen, Michael Fitzgerald, Michael McShane, Alison Nathan, and Paul Oetken.  They joined Judge Deborah Batts of the Southern District of New York, who was nominated by President Clinton in 1994 and took senior status in 2012.

Another historic first! Amazing to think that from 1992 to 2011 there was exactly one openly gay federal judge who had been approved by the Senate. Two years later, there are eight! Do you think an openly LGBT Supreme Court justice is possible within your lifetime?

Tennis Tuesday: Murray Out For Rest Of Season After Back Surgery

World #3 Andy Murray announced that he will be undergoing "minor surgery" on his back that will cause him to miss the rest of the season but should allow him to return in time for the Australian Open in January 2014.

Interestingly, Murray's absence should provide an opportunity for Roger Federer to have a better end of the season than he has so far. Only time will tell but it can't hurt that one of the few people ranked higher than he is will no longer be competing for the next two months.

EYE CANDY: Simeon Panda (3rd time!)

Wow.  I think I have a new favorite Eye Candy model, and his name is Simeon Panda. Simeon has appeared as Eye Candy twice before (on June 11, 2012 and August 6, 2012). He is a British bodybuilder listed as 6-foot-1 and 234 pounds. He is also pretty active on many social media platforms such as: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

There are three amazing pictures of Simeon posted here but there are even more that he regularly posts himself.

Enjoy!

2013 EMMYS: Analysis of the Winners

There were lots of surprises at the Emmys this year. In a repeat from last year I again had four of the Top 10 categories match what I wanted to win: Modern Family, Claire Danes (Homeland), Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom) and Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory).

However, there were lots of first time winners, such as Merritt Weaver from Nurse Jackie and Tony Hale from Veep (two shows that I watch occasionally). There were bg snubs in that Game of Thrones had 17 nominations and zero wins and Mad Men had a slew of nominations which also didn't win anything.

Outstanding Comedy Series:

"30 Rock" (NBC)

"The Big Bang Theory" (CBS)

"Girls" (HBO)

"Louie" (FX)

"Modern Family" (ABC)

"Veep" (HBO) 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:

Jason Bateman, "Arrested Development"

Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"

Matt LeBlanc, "Episodes"

Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"

Louis C.K., "Louie"

Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:

Laura Dern, "Enlightened"

Lena Dunham, "Girls"

Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"

Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"

Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:

Adam Driver, "Girls"

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family"

Ed O'Neill, "Modern Family"

Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"

Bill Hader, "Saturday Night Live"

Tony Hale, "Veep"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:

Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory"

Jane Lynch, "Glee"

Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"

Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"

Merritt Weaver, "Nurse Jackie"

Jane Krakowski, "30 Rock"

Anna Chlumsky, "Veep"

Outstanding Drama Series:

"Breaking Bad" (AMC)

"Downton Abbey" (PBS)

"Game of Thrones" (HBO)

"Homeland" (Showtime)

"House of Cards" (Netflix)

"Mad Men" (AMC)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series:

Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"

Hugh Bonneville, "Downton Abbey"

Damian Lewis, "Homeland"

Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards"

Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"

Jeff Daniels, "The Newsroom"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series:

Vera Farmiga, "Bates Motel"

Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey"

Claire Danes, "Homeland"

Robin Wright, "House of Cards"

Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"

Connie Britton, "Nashville"

Kerry Washington, "Scandal"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:

Bobby Cannavale, "Boardwalk Empire"

Jonathan Banks, "Breaking Bad"

Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"

Jim Carter, "Downton Abbey"

Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"

Mandy Patinkin, "Homeland"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:

Anna Gunn, "Breaking Bad"

Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"

Emilia Clarke, "Game of Thrones"

Christine Baranski, "The Good Wife"

Morena Baccarin, "Homeland"

Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men"

2013 EMMYS: Final Predictions, Hopes and Analysis

The 2013 Emmy awards will be given out today on live television (on CBS), providing recognition of the best achievements in television for the last year (since September 2012). The full list of Emmy nominations is here. Last year I analyzed the 2012 Emmy nominations and in the top 10 categories only 4 of the winners were what I had hoped. Last year one of my favorite shows, Homeland was a big winner and this year my favorite show Game of Thrones has a record 17 nominations.

Unlike my annual Oscar predictions, for the Emmys I usually just say which ones I wanted to win, not which ones I thought would win. However, this year I have decided to put in bold who I want to win and in italics who I think will win. We will know how well I did by 8pm PDT tonight! Openly gay Neil Patrick Harris is hosting the Emmy awards for the second time.

The interesting things to look for are whether comedy powerhouse Modern Family can continue its unbeaten string of winning this category or will voters finally acknowledge  the most watched comedy on television, The Big Bang Theory. Hip shows like Louie, Girls and Veep also have a (small) chance of upsetting the 3-time champ in this category.

The other thing to look for is whether a show that is not even broadcast on television, the Netflix show House of Cards starring 2-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey and an eye-popping $100 million production budget will be acknowledged, or will Homeland repeat its stunning success from last year, stopping the run of Mad Men. That show has prevented Breaking Bad from winning a Best Drama Series Emmy and since it is currently at its zenith in attention with its final episode set to air next week, will voters reward it, or wait until next year? I'm hoping that my favorite, HBO's Game of Thrones is recognized for its excellence this season.

Here are the nominations in the Top 10 categories for Drama and Comedy. Bold picks are ones I hope win and Italic picks are the ones I think will win. Bold italics is when they coincide :)

Outstanding Comedy Series:

"30 Rock" (NBC)

"The Big Bang Theory" (CBS)

"Girls" (HBO)

"Louie" (FX)

"Modern Family" (ABC)

"Veep" (HBO) 

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:

Jason Bateman, "Arrested Development"

Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"

Matt LeBlanc, "Episodes"

Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"

Louis C.K., "Louie"

Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:

Laura Dern, "Enlightened"

Lena Dunham, "Girls"

Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"

Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"

Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:

Adam Driver, "Girls"

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family"

Ed O'Neill, "Modern Family"

Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"

Bill Hader, "Saturday Night Live"

Tony Hale, "Veep"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:

Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory"

Jane Lynch, "Glee"

Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"

Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"

Merritt Wever, "Nurse Jackie"

Jane Krakowski, "30 Rock"

Anna Chlumsky, "Veep"

Outstanding Drama Series:

"Breaking Bad" (AMC)

"Downton Abbey" (PBS)

"Game of Thrones" (HBO)

"Homeland" (Showtime)

"House of Cards" (Netflix)

"Mad Men" (AMC)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series:

Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"

Hugh Bonneville, "Downton Abbey"

Damian Lewis, "Homeland"

Kevin Spacey, "House of Cards"

Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"

Jeff Daniels, "The Newsroom"

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series:

Vera Farmiga, "Bates Motel"

Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey"

Claire Danes, "Homeland"

Robin Wright, "House of Cards"

Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"

Connie Britton, "Nashville"

Kerry Washington, "Scandal"

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:

Bobby Cannavale, "Boardwalk Empire"

Jonathan Banks, "Breaking Bad"

Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"

Jim Carter, "Downton Abbey"

Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"

Mandy Patinkin, "Homeland"

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:

Anna Gunn, "Breaking Bad"

Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"

Emilia Clarke, "Game of Thrones"

Christine Baranski, "The Good Wife"

Morena Baccarin, "Homeland"

Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men"

SATURDAY POLITICS: Will The Next Mayor of Long Beach Be LGBT?

Robert Garcia	Gerrie Schipske

There is an electoral campaign underway to become the next Mayor of Long Beach, the second largest city (of 99!) in Los Angeles County, seventh largest in California and 36th largest nationwide. There are two prominent LGBT candidates running for Mayor of Long Beach: Vice-Mayor (and City Councilman) Robert Garcia, 35, and City Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, 62. Garcia has represented District 1 since 2009 and Schipske has represented District 5 since 2006. If either is elected in April 2014 they would be Long Beach's first Mayor who is openly LGBT. Long Beach is considered to have a relatively large fraction of the population that is LGBT and according to official census data about 1% of all city households are same-sex couples.

From Garcia's campaign website:

Dr. Robert Garcia was elected Vice Mayor of Long Beach by a unanimous vote in July, 2012, becoming the youngest person ever to hold that position. He was first elected to the Long Beach City Council in April of 2009, and re-elected to a full four-year term in April 2010 to serve the citizens of the First City Council District.

Robert is also a California Coastal Commissioner.  He was appointed by the California State Senate Rules Committee in January of 2013, and in that role serves as one of 12 commissioners tasked with protecting the California Coast and overseeing all development up and down the state.

He is a member of the public policy and communications faculty at the University of Southern California, and has taught Communication Studies at both Cal State Long Beach and Long Beach City College. Robert's passion for education led him to pursue a Doctorate in Higher Education, which he was awarded in 2010 after publishing his dissertation on California's Master Plan for Education.

Robert also holds a Masters Degree in Communication Management from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies from California State University, Long Beach.

In 2007, Robert co-founded and launched the Long Beach Post, a Long Beach based media website and newspaper. Today, the Long Beach Post has over 80,000 online subscribers, and a print edition of over 25,000 copies.

From Schipske's campaign website:

Gerrie was elected in 1992 to the Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees where she focused on expanding vocational training programs and implementing the "seamless educational system" with LBUSD and CSULB. As President of the Board she guided the start of district elections.



She was elected to the Long Beach City Council in 2006 and re-elected with over 64% of the vote in 2010.

​
Gerrie is an adjunct faculty member at CSULB and has taught graduate and undergraduate courses on public administration, intergovernmental relations, human resources management, healthcare law and California government. She also teaches at the Senior University at CSULB (OLLI).
​
Gerrie has written three books on the history of her hometown: Rosie the Riveter in Long Beach; Early Aviation in Long Beach; and Early Long Beach. The books are available from Arcadia Publishing and local bookstores.

​
​Gerrie and her partner, Flo Pickett, have been together 33 years and raised a son and two daughters. They are Grandma and Nana to a wonderful 3 year old girl.

It appears as if the fight to be Mayor of Long Beach recently got more complicated when former Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal (who used to represent District 1) announced recently that she was entering the mayoral race. Former NFL player Damon Dunn who is also a City Councilman has raised the most money so far.

MadProfessah will be following this local race with interest!

Hat/tip to Karen Ocamb

Transgender Teen Voted Homecoming Queen At SoCal High School

An interesting LGBT landmark occurred in Southern California yesterday. A 16-year-old transgender girl named Cassidy Lynn Campbell was voted homecoming queen at a local Southern California high school.

Cassidy Lynn Campbell broke down in tears Friday night when she learned that she had been crowned homecoming queen. 

The senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach was born male but told The Times she always felt like a girl. In high school, she began taking hormone blockers and estrogen injections prescribed by an endocrinologist and made the transition to living as a girl. 

She decided to run for homecoming queen, in part, to make a statement. 

"If I win it would mean that the school recognizes me as the gender I always felt I was," Cassidy, 16, told The Times before the election. 

"But with all the attention, I realized it's bigger than me," she said. "I'm doing this for the kids who can't be themselves."

She may be the first but will almost certainly not be the last transgender homecoming queen. As I've said before, the more people realize that gender is not a binary phenomenon, the more progress will be made for LGBT equality, so I see this as a big step forward for LGBT rights.

Hat/tip to Wonder Man

Hawaii Gov. Calls Special Session On Marriage Equality For Oct. 28

Hawaii is generally on lists of states that are likely to be next to enact marriage equality (along with New Mexico, Oregon, Illinois and New Jersey). The state took a big step forward in this direction recently when Gov. Neil Abercrombie called a special session of the Hawaii legislature dedicated to the consideration of marriage equality legislation. The special session is set to begin October 28.

The Hawaii Reporter reports:

Hawaii already has a reciprocal beneficiaries law and a civil unions law, but Abercrombie wants a special session to pass a gay marriage bill now.

“The decision to call a special session is based on doing what is right to create equity for all in Hawaii,” Abercrombie said in a statement Monday. “The merits of holding a special session include the opportunity for the Legislature to focus squarely on this important issue, without having to divert attention to the hundreds of other bills introduced during a regular session.”

After learning two weeks ago he didn’t have the votes in the House from his own Democratic party members, Abercrombie released a draft of his proposed gay marriage bill to show his office is “doing its due diligence” and “being transparent.”

Abercrombie also continued to meet with House Democrats — 44 of the 51 House members — behind closed doors, and now believes he has the votes he needs.

If the bill passes and is then signed into law by Gov. Abercrombie, same-sex couples could be getting married by Thanksgiving!

Queer Quote: Famous NYC DJ "Mr. Cee" Comes Out

Mr. Cee is a very famous dee-jay on one of New York City's hit radio stations, HOT-97. There have been rumors about his sexuality because he had been repeatedly arrested for soliciting transgender prostitutes.

Last week the story came to a head when he resigned suddenly from his position and then rescinded that resignation the next day. Then this week he came out as a gay man (although he never actually says those words in the video) by recording a PSA for AIDS Healthcare Foundation.


In it he says:

“The decision I made this week to open up about my sexuality has definitely been the most difficult thing that I have ever had to do in my life. But I felt like this was the time for me to do it personally and professionally. For me, I felt worried about how my family would be affected, how my coworkers and my friends and even my fans would be affected by this decision because in this hip-hop community of ours, it’s not cool to be gay.”

This excerpt is today's Queer Quote and the Mr. Cee episode is a fascinating check in on the evolution of hip-hop's treatment of homosexuality. Combined with Macklemore & Lewis's hit music video "Same Love" (which literally has tens of millions of views on YouTube) it shows that the notion that homosexuality and hip-hop are antithetical to each other is changing, and that is a good thing!

hat/tip to TowleRoad

Harry Potter Spin-Off Film Announced!

Apparently there are going to be some more Harry Potter related movies coming out in the future! The Insider Hollywood gossip blog Deadline reports that J.K. Rowling has inked a deal with Warner Bros. to produce a new series of films set in the Harry Potter universe, based on the title of one of the textbooks  Harry Potter used in Hogwarts, ("Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them" by Newt Scamander).

From the press release:

Warner Bros. Entertainment today announced an expanded creative partnership with world-renowned, best-selling author J.K. Rowling. At the center of the partnership is a new film series from Rowling’s world of witches and wizards, inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and the adventures of the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander. The announcement was made by Kevin Tsujihara, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment. 

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will be an original story and will mark Rowling’s screenwriting debut. It is planned as the first picture in a new film series. Set in the wizarding world, the story will feature magical creatures and characters, some of which will be familiar to devoted Harry Potter fans. 

“Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for seventeen years, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world,” said Rowling. “The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, seventy years before Harry’s gets underway.”

Interesting!

Hat/tip to Wonder Man

September 17, 1787: Happy U.S. Constitution Day!

Today is the 226th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution. The Constitution is the central document at the core of our constitutional democracy and is one of the key reasons why advances have been made in recent years towards full equality for LGBT citizens.

Take a moment and think about the Constitution today!

First Openly Transgender Billionaire Identified

James Pritzker has announced a name change to Jennifer Natalya Pritzker

Forbes magazine is the primary source for information about the world's billionaires and recently they have identified a milestone: the existence of the first openly transgender billionaire, Jennifer Natalya Pritzker.

Jennifer Natalya Pritzker, formally known as James, is one of 11 billionaire members of the extended Pritzker family on the FORBES list. They sold a majority stake in industrial conglomerate Marmon Holdings to Warren Buffett‘s Berkshire Hathaway  for $4.5 billion in 2007 and continue to control publicly-listed Hyatt Hotels. The heiress has an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion. 

[...] 

Pritzker is a retired Army lieutenant colonel with 11 years active duty, followed by 16 years in the U.S. National Guard. Earlier this year, she gave $1.35 million to the Palm Center to create the Transgender Military Service Initiative. The goal of the project is “to sponsor state-of-the-art scholarship on transgender military service, and to enhance the quality of public dialogue.”

As far as I can tell, there are only three known openly gay billionaires: David Geffen ($5.5b), Peter Thiel ($3b) and Jon Stryker ($1.2b). Regardless, this is an interesting milestone representative of the diversity of the LGBT community. "We are everywhere, indeed!"

EYE CANDY: Mike Colter

Mike Colter is a popular African-American actor who is probably best known right now for his guest starring appearances on CBS's The Good Wife as Lemond Bishop. He also has had a recurring role opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar on CW's Ringer and appeared in the Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby. Colter has one of the sexiest shaved heads in the media and his IMDB bio lists his birthday as August 26, 1976, which means that he is currently 37 years old. That bio lists his height as 6'3" and on Ringer his character's weight was listed as 208 pounds.

Although he is not showing as much skin as the typical Eye Candy model, as I've said before "hawt is hawt" and that's basically the only qualification for appearing here. If you have suggestions for other guys you think are "hawt," please send them by email or provide links in the comments!

2013 US OPEN: Tournament Review

Now that the 2013 US Open has been concluded and some time has passed I would like to take some time to review the tournament as a whole. The winners were Rafael Nadal (men's single title) and Serena Williams (women's singles title). The two have a lot in common, since they both also won the French Open this year (in a strange quirk, they each defeated the reigning Australian Open champion in their respective championship matches) and they are leading their tours in matches won and titles claimed. They each won several warm-up tournaments going into the US Open, and thus earned an extra $1 million bonus check for leading the US Open Series. Williams, 32, now has 17 major titles (21 finals) and she is being acknowledged as the greatest of all-time (G.O.A.T.), while Nadal, 27, with 13 major titles (18 finals) is being mentioned more frequently in that context as the current G.O.A.T. Roger Federer's abilities appear to be slowly diminishing with age.

However, here are my Top 5 Memorable Moments from the 2013 US Open:

5. Carla Suarez Navarro Outlasts Angelique Kerber In A Tough 4th Round 3-Set Match. On the middle Sunday of the tournament I attended the US Open in person and was treated to a surprisingly thrilling women's match between World #8 Angelique Kerber and Carla Suarez Navarro on Louis Armstrong Stadium. Although it was scheduled at the same time as the most hyped match of the tournament (the rematch between the two top Americans Sloane Stephens and Serena Williams) was going on it ended up being the more compelling contest. The Suarez Navarro-Kerber match was a slug fest with ricocheting momentum shifts over nearly three hours, culminating in a final set tiebreak that was eventually won by the more fearless, aggressive player, which (and this was the main surprise) was the lower ranked Spaniard, not the higher ranked German.
4. Richard Gasquet beats Milos Raonic and David Ferrer to reach his second major semifinal.Frenchman Richard Gasquet is not known for his steely competitive spirit despite his excessive talent. He has long been heralded as the future of tennis (on the cover of tennis magazine well before puberty!) and his lack of major success at the major events is a major disappointment for French tennis. But more recently Gasquet has been showing a lot more resolve of late, and his ascendance into the Top 10 of men's tennis is the result. But even with that background, no one would have expected Gasquet to win back-to-back 5-set matches against two players he had 1 win against out of 10 matches (huge-serving Milos Raonic of Canada and fatigue-inducing David Ferrer). But Gasquet showed that he is fit enough to stay out on court long enough with anybody and has the firepower on both wings (including the too hastily dismissed one-handed backhand) to trouble most residents of the Top 10.
3. Stanislas Wawrinka takes out Andy Murray and throws a scare into Novak Djokovic.The player who had the most impact on the men's side of the draw, besides the eventual champion Rafael Nadal was the Swiss #2 Stanislas Wawrinka. Wawrinka ended the run of World #5 Tomas Berdych in the 4th round despite the fact that the Czech champ was playing excellent tennis. He followed up that improbable result by handily dismissing the defending champion and World #3 Andy Murray in straight sets in the very next round. Then, most improbably, he took on World #1 Novak Djokovic and showed that he truly believed he could win that match, and was up 2 sets to 1 at one point before he succumbed in the end. We know now that there was basically no one who could have defeated Nadal the way he was playing, but in some respects I would have liked to have seen Wawrinka give it a try!
2. Tommy Robredo confirms the diminution of Roger Federer by handing him a straight sets 4th round loss.This was the most heartbreaking moment of the tournament for me. It was the best of times, because I was able to finally see Roger Federer compete on a big stage, close up. It was the worst of times, because Federer proceeded to lose in straight sets to an opponent he had beaten ten consecutive times before. This was the match that confirmed for most people that the end of the "Federer era" had indeed been reached, and that the Swiss Great's best tennis was clearly in his past and not his future. This was not only a moment that impacted this major, but its significance will reverberate through every major played for the next few years in which Federer appears.
1. Serena Williams wins her 2nd major final of the year despite blowing huge lead in 2nd set.In some respects the women's side of the draw was uninteresting because from the very beginning of the tournament everyone expected the top 2 seeds to be playing in the final and that is precisely what happened. And then, despite horrific playing conditions, we ended up getting one of the most dramatic women's finals ever, even more dramatic than last year's final, but with a similar result: Serena Williams settling down and reeling off a consecutive string of games to win the set and the championship match. Last year Serena was down 3-5 when she was able to win 4 games in a row and win 7-5 in the 3rd while this year she won the last 5 games of the match, running away with it after 1-all in the 3rd set. This happened despite the fact that she was up a set and 4-1 (double break!) and had somehow managed to blow a huge lead and actually lose the second set by having her serve broken twice in succession. When Serena lost the 2nd set tiebreaker I was convinced that she would not be able to win the match if Azarenka was able to keep the match close like she had in the first two sets. However, it turned out that Azarenka was unable to maintain her high level of play and this helped Serena be disrupted out of her low level of play, which ultimately resulted in her winning her 17th major title.

Now that the major tennis tournaments of the year are completed the only important question is who will be the year-end #1 players on the tour and in both cases it is clear that that will be Nadal and Serena as well. However, the rest of the year is also an opportunity for other players to make their moves up the rankings to set themselves up for increased success in 2014 and beyond.