NO ON PROP 8 Opens Office in East LA

Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina and Los Angeles Unified School District President Monica Garcia will be attending a grand opening of a campaign office for NO ON PROP 8 in East Los Angeles attended by Latino community leaders on Wednesday October 8th at noon.

VIDEO: CBS Story on Race and Proposition 8

Virus That Causes AIDS May Be 100 Years Old

There's an interesting research finding published in Nature that HIV-1 Type M, the virus that causes most HIV and AIDS infections in the world, has been prevalent in human populations since at least 1908.

Worobey and his colleagues made the discovery while analyzing tissue samples collected between 1958 and 1960 from Kinshasa. One of them, acquired in 1960, contained bits of HIV-1 RNA, the virus's genetic material.

The researchers compared the 1960 virus with the oldest known HIV-1 strain, which was obtained in 1959 and evolved independently of the 1960 variant. They found that the 1960 version was significantly different.

Next the researchers constructed an evolutionary family tree of the HIV-1 virus, made up of both the 1959 and 1960 strains along with more than a hundred modern viral sequences.

Using a mathematical model, Worobey and his colleagues discovered that the 1960 strain must have been evolving for at least 40 years to account for the number of differences from the 1959 strain.

The model also traced the most recent common ancestor of both strains to 1908.

NYT Editorializes Against Proposition 8

The New York Times editorial page has come out strongly against California's Proposition 8.

It is our fervent hope that Californians will reject this mean-spirited attempt to embed second-class treatment of one group of citizens in the State Constitution.

If passed, Proposition 8 would add language to the State Constitution stating that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Supporters of the amendment complain about the “activist” judges who wrote the court decision. But the majority in the 4-to-3 ruling was acting to protect a vulnerable group from unfair treatment. Enforcing the state’s guarantee of equal protection is a job assigned to judges.

It is true that in 2000 California voters approved a ballot measure recognizing only heterosexual marriages as valid. But since then, the public has grown more comfortable with idea of marriage equality. The California Legislature passed a measure to let gay couples marry in 2005, and another in 2007. Both were vetoed by the Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who took the wrong position — that the change had to come either from the courts or through a ballot initiative.

To his credit, Mr. Schwarzenegger is now among those opposing Proposition 8. To his discredit, John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, is in favor of restoring marriage discrimination. Barack Obama opposes the initiative, as do California’s senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats.

Eye Candy: Is He Hot Or Not?

The guys at the Queerty blog have stirred up controversy by posting pictures of this model, Ibrahim Baaith, under the heading "Ibrahim Be Red Hot."

Although they were clearly trying to lament the lack of models of color by spotlighting one of the models from the New York modelling agency called Red Models, which happens to feature models of color.

However, some of the comments on the posting are frankly racist and others point out that Queerty has rarely featured models of color on its blog, although basically every week day they have shirtless pictures of attractive guys featured under the heading "Morning Goods."

What do you think, is Ibrahim hot or not?

Jankovic Beats Venus, Then Petrova For Title

Jelena Jankovic lived up to her new World #1 ranking by defeating Venus Williams in a tough 3-set semifinal 6-7(8) 7-5 6-2 and beating Nadia Petrova 6-4 6-3 in the final to win the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.

It is the Serbian's second WTA Tour title in as many weeks after winning the China Open last week.

Obama Continues To Increase Polling Lead

Serena Loses First Match Back After Grand Slam Title

Serena Willians, 9-time Grand Slam champion, lost her first match back on the women's tour to China's Li Na despite winning the first set 6-0! She lost in the second round of the Porche Grand Prix Open in Stuttgart, Germany 0-6, 6-1, 6-4. Because of this loss, she will lose her World #1 ranking to Jelena Jankovic on Monday October 6.

Venus Williams beat Dinara Safina, the hottest player on tour, 6-4 6-2 to reach the semifinals against Jankovic.

Federer Announces Indefinite Tennis Hiatus

Roger Federer shocked the tennis world this week by announcing that he was withdrawing from next week's Stockholm Open, and going further to say he was unsure when he would play again.

"2008 has been a tough year for me as I was always playing catch up after being diagnosed with mononucleosis at the beginning of the year. I feel fortunate to be healthy again, but I want to remain at the top of the game for many more years to come and go after the #1 ranking again. In order to do that, I need to get a proper rest and get strong again so that I am 100% fit for the remainder of the year or next year. At this point, I am not sure when I will be ready to play again, but I hope to be back at some point before the end of the year. I apologize to the tennis fans in Sweden as I was looking forward to playing in Stockholm again. The country has produced so many incredible tennis players and the tournament has such a great history. I hope to be able to come back at some point in the future."

VIDEO: Homer Simpson Tries To Vote For Obama

Palin Can't Name A Single News Source She Reads

Obama's Huge Poll Lead Increases

$500k Challenge Grant For Hollywood NO ON 8 Donations

Reporter Karen Ocamb bring our attention to a Daily Variety article about a challenge to the Hollywood elite to step up and contribute to the opposition to Proposition 8:

Jonathan Lewis, entrepreneur and political activist and scion of the Cleveland-based Progressive Insurance Cos. fortune, is pledging to chip in $500,000 to defeat Proposition 8 if the entertainment industry does the same.

[...]

"With Election Day six weeks away, we are concerned that the entertainment industry hasn't stepped up to the plate to fight this unnecessary initiative. We are pleased to see the leadership of Brad Pitt and Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg. Now it's time for the entertainment industry as a whole to take the lead," Lewis said in a statement. "My family and I are issuing a $500,000 challenge to the entertainment industry. We will match the next half-million dollars that entertainment industry leaders contribute. This is an urgent time in the campaign, and we have to act now."

Lewis said that the match also applies to contributions to fight Florida's Proposition 2, an initiative similar to California's Proposition 8.

Apparently openly gay billionaire David Geffena has since contributed another $50,000 to oppose Proposition 8, matching the amount previously contributed by his straight business colleague Spielberg (the two are partners in Dreamworks SKG) to oppose the anti-gay ballot measure.

Exactly 35 days Until Election Day

Please make sure you are registered to vote, and if you live in a state like Ohio that allows it, vote now!

Post Number 2000!

This is my 2000th post on MadProfessah.com. I started continuously blogging in January 2005 after exploring the blogger interface for the first time on March 25, 2003 and rapidly abandoning it soon afterwards. The 1000th post was sometime in 2007. Traffic is up about 50% from last year.

Obama Ad Links McCain On Exorbitant CEO Pay

Obama Takes Huge Lead In National Tracking Polls

From DailyKos comes the data for the four daily tracking polls (rolling averages of data from 3 consecutive days).

                 Obama    McCain MoE +/- RV/LV 

Research 2000:  50 (49)   43 (43)   3     LV

Rasmussen:      50 (50)   44 (44)   2    LV  

Diageo/Hotline: 47 (48)   42 (43)   3.2    RV

Gallup:         50 (49)   42 (44)   2      RV

First Yes On 8 Ad Released

Good As You has embeded the first Yes on 8 campaign ad.

Google Opposes Proposition 8!

Google has officially come out against Proposition 8!

As an Internet company, Google is an active participant in policy debates
surrounding information access, technology and energy. Because our company
has a great diversity of people and opinions -- Democrats and Republicans,
conservatives and liberals, all religions and no religion, straight and
gay -- we do not generally take a position on issues outside of our field,
especially not social issues. So when Proposition 8 appeared on the
California ballot, it was an unlikely question for Google to take an
official company position on.

However, while there are many objections to this proposition -- further
government encroachment on personal lives, ambiguously written text -- it
is the chilling and discriminatory effect of the proposition on many of
our employees that brings Google to publicly oppose Proposition 8. While
we respect the strongly-held beliefs that people have on both sides of
this argument, we see this fundamentally as an issue of equality. We hope
that California voters will vote no on Proposition 8 -- we should not
eliminate anyone's fundamental rights, whatever their sexuality, to marry
the person they love.

Posted by Sergey Brin, Co-founder & President, Technology

NYT Prints Letters To Editor on Obama/Prop 8 Article

The New York Times printed two letters to the editor in response to the article from last Sunday in which I was quoted a number of times that discussed the reality of Black gay lives and the politics of Proposition 8 and Barack Obama's candidacy for President.

One letter is from Alice Huffman, President of the California State Conference of the NAACP and reads:

To the Editor:

Same-Sex Marriage Ban Is Tied to Obama Factor,” a Sept. 21 Political Memo about marriage equality and the voting patterns of African-Americans, does not examine the differences and attitudes among specific demographics of our community.

African-Americans are not monolithically homophobic. I have worked closely with many African-American community leaders and supporters of full rights for gay men and lesbians, including the right to marry in California.

Black voters across this country have repeatedly elected African-American officials who support equality for gay and lesbian citizens. In California, these officials include Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally and Willie L. Brown Jr., the former mayor of San Francisco.

Both blacks and whites have been divided on the issue, and race appears to be less of a determinant than age, gender and party affiliation on black voters’ views on marriage equality.

The news media narrative of blacks versus gays on the issue of marriage for same-sex couples should include the diverse views, values and opinions held in our community.

Alice A. Huffman
Sacramento, Sept. 24, 2008

The other letter is from Sean Cahill, who used to head the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's think tank, the Policy Institute. His letter says:

To the Editor:

Re “Same-Sex Marriage Ban Is Tied to Obama Factor,” which says opponents of the marriage ban are worried that black voters, who are traditionally conservative on this issue, will turn out in high numbers in the November election:

The anti-gay movement has long sought to pit gay people and black people against each other, portraying the two communities as mutually exclusive.

Ironically, the anti-gay policies of the Christian right, such as the attempted repeal of marriage equality in California, pose a disproportionate threat to black same-sex couples.

According to 2000 census data that we analyzed at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, black same-sex couples are twice as likely as white same-sex couples to be raising children. They earn less and are less likely to own their homes. This is especially true of black lesbian couples.

Denying the protections that come with marriage disproportionately hurts the ability of black gay men and lesbians to save money, provide for their children, buy a house or prepare for retirement.

Sean Cahill
New York, Sept. 24, 2008

The writer, who was director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute from 2001 to 2007, is managing director, public policy, at Gay Men’s Health Crisis.

I agree with the sentiments expressed in both letters. It's great to see these issues aired in the national paper of record! Let's hope it continues.

California Youth Speak Out Against Prop 8

Clay Aiken Comes Out

The inevitable (and unsurprising) has occurred.Clay Aiken has announced that he is gay.

Comparing the Obamas and McCains

Which one is the elitist again? The McCains have 8 houses, a private jet, 13 cars while the Obamas have 1 house and 1 car. You decide!

Eye Candy: Italian Rugby Team In D&G Underwear

Hat/tip to TowleRoad for these images of members of the Italian Rugby Team (Sergio Parisse, Denis Dallan, Ezio Galon, Andrea Masi, Gonzalo Canale) in underwear designed by Dolce & Gabbana. Ahh, this brings back good memories of my trip to Milan, Florence, Turin and Bololgna earlier this year!

Another Gay Survivor

Thanks to the boys at Queerty, we have the skinny on Charlie Herschel, a 29-year-old, openly gay lawyer who will be appearing on the 17th season of CBS' television series (and MadProfessah favorite) Survivor.

Herschel is a graduate of the University of Pennslvania and a first-year associate at one of the Top 10 law firms in the world, Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

As the Above The Law blog notes, lawyers have done well on Survivor before, with Yale Law School grad Yul Kwon having won the million bucks just a few seasons ago. Above The Law also has some interesting shirtless shots of Charlie, curiously posed with several "babes in bikinis" but points out that his officla CBS bio says that "Charlie is a gay, single man."

Many gay men have appeared on the show, and Richard Hatch and Todd Herzog have both won the Ultimate Survivor title as openly gay men.

Obama Versus McCain in September National Polling

Hat/tip to asahopkins at OpenLeft.com.

Spielberg Matches Brad Pitt's $100k Donation to NO ON 8

Director Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw on Monday donated $100,000 to assist in the fight to defeat the anti-gay marriage amendment called Proposition 8 on the November 4th ballot.

I doubt that it is coincidental that Sid Sheinberg, the former head of MCA/Universal who gave Spielberg his first job in Hollywood over 30 years ago, was honored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force the day before at the Los Angeles Leadership Awards at a brunch Beverly Hills Hotel (attended by MadProfessah and the Other Half.)

Also honored at the brunch were the openly-gay creative team behind the movie Milk: Oscar-winning producers Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and director Gus Van Sant. Bruce Cohen was married to his partner by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa earlier this summer and is the co-chair of the NO ON 8 finance committee. No less a luminary than L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center CEO Lorri Jean credits him with getting the Spielberg donation.

Latest figures have the Yes on 8 campaign having raised nearly 18 million dollars, with the No On 8 campaign trailing by over 5 million dollars at about $12.5 million.

Design For Obama

Joe.My.God hooked me up to this cool site called Design for Obama where artists have submitted some amazing posters to inspire people to support Obama. Here are a few of my favorites:





Which do you like?

New Law To Improve Federal HIV Anti-Discrimination Imminent

At Brooklyn Law School Professor Nan Hunter's blog, Hunter of Justice, comes word about an interesting development in HIV/AIDS anti-discrimination law. Apparently, the U.S. House has taken action on the ADA Amendments Act which modernizes and improves the American With Disabilities Act (S. 3046), the most important federal law prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities, including people living with HIV and AIDS.

This is a huge step forward for all disabled persons, including people with AIDS and HIV. Among the many barriers erected by some federal judges for HIV patients has been a narrow definition of "disability," such that HIV infection did not meet the standard of limiting a major life activity unless the plaintiff could prove that he or she was prevented or severely restricted from having children.

In a floor statement during yesterday's debate, Rep. Tammy Baldwin emphasized the importance of the bill to people with HIV, citing cases in which the current interpretation of the statutory language has blocked anti-discrimination protection. See Carrillo v. AMR Eagle, 148 F. Supp. 2d 142 (D.P.R. 2001); Gutwaks v. American Airlines, 1999 WL 1611328 (N.D. Tex); and Blanks v. Southwest Bell Communications, 310 F.3d 398 (5th Cir. 2002). Baldwin's full statement appears in the Congressional Record for September 17 at H8297-8298.

The ADA Amendments Act corrects this problem by specifically listing "functions of the immune system" as an example of what Congress intended to cover when it passed the ADA in 1990 and what will now be explicitly covered under the new language.

President Bush has announced that he will sign the legislation.

Topalov Wins Super GM Tournament and Regains #1 Ranking

Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria placed first at the Grand Slam Final Masters tournament in Bilbao, Spain, winning 150,000 Euros (over US$200,000) by winning 4 games, drawing 5 and losing only once (+3). World Champion Viswanahan Anand had one of his worst tournament in years, placing last with 8 draws and two losses (-2) in a field of six super Grand Masters. Danish wunderkind, 17(!)-year-old Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian tied for second place, with Carlsen having beaten Aronian both times they played in the double round-robin tournament. The other competitors were Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine and Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan.

By winning the tournament, Topalov will return to the top of the World Chess Federation rankings, which he had previously led from April 2006 until March of last year, when Anand reached #1 for the first time. Prior to March 2005, Garry Kasparov had been World #1 for nearly a decade.

Anand's poor performance may be due to the fact he was trying to hide whatever he has been preparing for his World Championship title bout with Vladimir Kramnik next month in Bonn, Germany with 1.5 million Euros at stake. Interestingly, Kramnik and Anand have played 125 times with Anand winning 19 games, losing 15 and drawing 91(!) times.

Emmy Awards: MadProfessah's Results

MadProfessah posted my Emmy predictions on Sunday. I ended up going 4 for 10 in the main categories. The Supporting Actor/Actress categories basically kicked my butt. In green are the winners who I predicted in advance, with the winner in red the ones I didn't predict. I'm very sad about Dianne Wiest winning over Chandra Wilson---Ms. Wiest has two Oscars already! I am happy about wins for Damages but also shocked that Michael Emerson of Lost didn't win.

DRAMA SERIES:
"Boston Legal," ABC
"Damages," FX
"Dexter," Showtime
"House," Fox
"Lost," ABC
"Mad Men," AMC
Should Win: Lost
Will Win: Mad Men.

COMEDY SERIES:
"Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO
"Entourage," HBO
"The Office," NBC
"30 Rock," NBC
"Two and a Half Men," CBS
Should Win: The Office
Will Win: 30 Rock

ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
James Spader, "Boston Legal"
Should Win: Hugh Laurie.
Will Win: Hugh Laurie.

ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Sally Field, "Brothers and Sisters"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit"
Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
Should Win: Glenn Close.
Will Win: Glenn Close.

ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "New Adventures of Old Christine"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"
Should Win: Tina Fey.
Will Win: America Ferrara.

ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men"
Should Win: Steve Carell.
Will Win: Alec Baldwin.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"
Kevin Dillon, "Entourage"
Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Rainn Wilson, "The Office"
Should Win: Rainn Wilson.
Will Win: Rainn Wilson.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Ted Danson, "Damages"
Michael Emerson, "Lost"
Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages"
William Shatner, "Boston Legal"
John Slattery, "Mad Men"
Should Win: Michael Emerson.
Will Win: William Shatner.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal"
Rachel Griffiths, "Brothers and Sisters"
Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy"
Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment"
Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy"
Should Win: Chandra Wilson.
Will Win: Chandra Wilson.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Kristin Chenoweth, "Pushing Daisies"
Amy Poehler, "Saturday Night Live"
Jean Smart, "Samantha Who?
Holland Taylor, "Two and a Half Men"
Vanessa Williams, "Ugly Betty"
Should Win: Amy Poehler.
Will Win: Vanessa Williams.

Villaraigosa and Garamendi Show Up To L.A. NO ON 8 Kickoff Event

Earlier in the week I noted that Republican State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner had taken the first step in his run for the Governor's office in California in 2010 and mentioned his likely Democratic opponents. However, in that (relatively long) list I neglected to include Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi.

Garamendi was one of the few politicos who showed up to the kickoff event of the Los Angeles No On Prop 8 campaign on Saturday at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Ed Gould Plaza. Scheduled to speak were Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, State Controller John Chiang, State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas and West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem Abbe Land.

However, only the two Mayors showed up, with a special surprise guest in the Lieutenant Governor. They both gave a full-throated defense of their positions in favor of marriage equality and their opposition to Proposition 8.

The 2010 Gubernatorial Primary should be very interesting indeed. It would be amazing if Gay Marriage is not an issue at all--what will LGBT voters make decisions on? Who was there first supporting the community on marriage (Gavin Newsom) or who has the most effective vision for the state of California as Governor (T.B.A)?

The Government Asks For $700 Billion--Here Are The Conditions

There's a great post on DailyKos from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on some principles which should be followed in the rush to give a 700 billion dollar blank check to the Bush administration to "bailout" the troubles United States financial services industry and save the economy.

In my view, we need to go forward in addressing this financial crisis by insisting on four basic principles:
(1) The people who can best afford to pay and the people who have benefited most from Bush’s economic policies are the people who should provide the funds for the bailout. It would be immoral to ask the middle class, the people whose standard of living has declined under Bush, to pay for this bailout while the rich, once again, avoid their responsibilities. Further, if the government is going to save companies from bankruptcy, the taxpayers of this country should be rewarded for assuming the risk by sharing in the gains that result from this government bailout.
Specifically, to pay for the bailout, which is estimated to cost up to $1 trillion, the government should: a) Impose a five-year, 10 percent surtax on income over $1 million a year for couples and over $500,000 for single taxpayers. That would raise more than $300 billion in revenue;
b) Ensure that assets purchased from banks are realistically discounted so companies are not rewarded for their risky behavior and taxpayers can recover the amount they paid for them; and
c) Require that taxpayers receive equity stakes in the bailed-out companies so that the assumption of risk is rewarded when companies’ stock goes up.
(2) There must be a major economic recovery package which puts Americans to work at decent wages. Among many other areas, we can create millions of jobs rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and moving our country from fossil fuels to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. Further, we must protect working families from the difficult times they are experiencing. We must ensure that every child has health insurance and that every American has access to quality health and dental care, that families can send their children to college, that seniors are not allowed to go without heat in the winter, and that no American goes to bed hungry.
(3) Legislation must be passed which undoes the damage caused by excessive de-regulation. That means reinstalling the regulatory firewalls that were ripped down in 1999. That means re-regulating the energy markets so that we never again see the rampant speculation in oil that helped drive up prices. That means regulating or abolishing various financial instruments that have created the enormous shadow banking system that is at the heart of the collapse of AIG and the financial services meltdown.
(4) We must end the danger posed by companies that are "too big too fail," that is, companies whose failure would cause systemic harm to the U.S. economy. If a company is too big to fail, it is too big to exist. We need to determine which companies fall in this category and then break them up. Right now, for example, the Bank of America, the nation’s largest depository institution, has absorbed Countrywide, the nation’s largest mortgage lender, and Merrill Lynch, the nation’s largest brokerage house. We should not be trying to solve the current financial crisis by creating even larger, more powerful institutions. Their failure could cause even more harm to the entire economy.

The full text of Sanders' statement can be read here. I'm glad to see some people are standing up and saying "Whoa, nelly!" before they accede to a Bush administration request to spend another $700 billion (the same amount spent on the Iraq War to date.)

NO ON PROP 8 Begins Airing TV Ads

Eye Candy: Jameson Arasi

Hat/Tip to the boys at Queerty for these shots of Jameson Arasi.

MadProfessah Quoted (Thrice) in NY TIMES!

In an interesting piece in The New York Times about the electoral impact increased turnout in California in the African American community for the Obama-Biden ticket could have on the passage or failure of Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage amendment this November, yours truly is quoted repeatedly:

Could Senator Barack Obama’s popularity among black voters hurt gay couples in California who want to marry?

[...]

To blunt that possibility, gay leaders and Proposition 8 opponents have been sponsoring casual events at restaurants in traditionally black neighborhoods in Los Angeles, meeting with black clergy members and recruiting gay black couples to serve as spokespeople on panels and at house parties and church events.

“This is black people talking to black people,” said Ron Buckmire, the board president of the Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition, a gay rights group in Los Angeles. “We’re saying, ‘Gay people are black and black people are gay. And if you are voting conservative on an antigay ballot measure, you are hurting the black community.’ ”

First off, the reporter Jesse Mckinley did quote me correctly here. Cringingly, I did not use the adverb "conservative[ly]" in the above quote, but it still gets the message across. However, the reporter did get some things wrong. Elsewhere in the article he mentions the Let California Ring
commercials that have been running throughout California which end with the tag line "What If You Couldn't Marry The Person You Love?" and labels them as "opponents" of Proposition 8. The Let California Ring campaign is a public education campaign about marriage equality and has no position on the ballot measure.

But, wait, there's more!

The black community has long had a conflicted relationship with gay men and lesbians, Mr. Buckmire said, equal parts homophobia and denial.

“For too long, black people seemed to think there were no gay people around, especially black ministers,” Mr. Buckmire said. “They’d say the most insanely anti-gay things, and then the choir would come up and the choir is 50 percent gay.”

Still, the tendency of black voters to oppose gay marriage extends beyond religion. Patrick J. Egan, an assistant professor of politics at New York University who has studied black voting patterns on same-sex marriage, said black voters consistently polled much lower than white voters on approval for same-sex marriage, about 16 percentage points, even when religion was not a factor.

Here I am paraphrased reasonably correctly, although I don't know if I would say the relationship between the black community and gay people is "equal parts homophobia and denial" although those are definitely significant aspects of the relationship. However, I would also include indifference and religiously-inspired disdain.

The line about the Black ministers is a great one, but it is doubtful that I actually said it. The quoted version makes it seem like I know from personal experience what black ministers say and have intimate knowledge of LGBT choirs. As an agnostic/atheist I am offended by the suggestion that I would be in a Black church!

Anyway, being quoted (three times!) in the "paper of record" is pretty exciting. I guess my 15 minutes of fame start now. Tick, tick, tick.

Emmy Awards: MadProfessah's Predictions

The 2008 Emmy Award nominations were announced in July and MadProfessah made his picks public then. This time I'll post who I think should win, in addition who I think will win.

DRAMA SERIES:
"Boston Legal," ABC
"Damages," FX
"Dexter," Showtime
"House," Fox
"Lost," ABC
"Mad Men," AMC
Should Win: Lost
Will Win: Mad Men

COMEDY SERIES:
"Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO
"Entourage," HBO
"The Office," NBC
"30 Rock," NBC
"Two and a Half Men," CBS
Should Win: The Office
Will Win: 30 Rock

ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
James Spader, "Boston Legal"
Should Win: Hugh Laurie.
Will Win: Hugh Laurie.

ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Sally Field, "Brothers and Sisters"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit"
Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"
Should Win: Glenn Close.
Will Win: Glenn Close.

ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "New Adventures of Old Christine"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"
Should Win: Tina Fey.
Will Win: America Ferrara.

ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men"
Should Win: Steve Carell.
Will Win: Alec Baldwin.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"
Kevin Dillon, "Entourage"
Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Rainn Wilson, "The Office"
Should Win: Rainn Wilson.
Will Win: Rainn Wilson.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Ted Danson, "Damages"
Michael Emerson, "Lost"
Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages"
William Shatner, "Boston Legal"
John Slattery, "Mad Men"
Should Win: Michael Emerson.
Will Win: William Shatner.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal"
Rachel Griffiths, "Brothers and Sisters"
Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy"
Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment"
Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy"
Should Win: Chandra Wilson.
Will Win: Chandra Wilson.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Kristin Chenoweth, "Pushing Daisies"
Amy Poehler, "Saturday Night Live"
Jean Smart, "Samantha Who?
Holland Taylor, "Two and a Half Men"
Vanessa Williams, "Ugly Betty"
Should Win: Amy Poehler.
Will Win: Vanessa Williams.

Eye Candy: Terrence Robinson

Are you ready for some football? :)

Conservative San Diego Paper Opposes Prop 8

From blogger/journalist Rex Wockner comes the news that the local conservative newspaper in San Diego, the San Diego Union-Tribune, has come out strongly against Proposition 8, although the same editorial page had previously opposed marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.

Proposition 8 would repeal the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry. It stipulates, by a one-sentence amendment to the state constitution, that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Our guess is that even voters who may have reservations about gay marriage will be reluctant to repeal a right that now exists as a matter of law. To do so would smack of singling out a particular group for discrimination, a move that offends many Californians' sense of fairness.

Supporters of Proposition 8 make two arguments. The first is that, for thousands of years, marriage has been defined as between a man and a woman exclusively. Considering how Californians historically have been wide open to change, this appeal is not likely to carry much force.

The second argument made by supporters is that children should be raised solely by a father and a mother, not by two fathers or two mothers. Yet the debate over child-rearing is entirely beside the point, because Proposition 8 is about marriage only. It would do nothing to prevent gay couples from adopting children or from having children through artificial means. Indeed, all Proposition 8 would do is ensure that the children of gay couples would be raised in households where the parents were unmarried. Would that be a healthier situation for children?

In the past, this page has advocated civil unions for gay couples rather than marriage. But our thinking has changed, along with that of many other Californians. Gay and lesbian couples deserve the same dignity and respect in marriage that heterosexual couples have long enjoyed. We urge a No vote on Proposition 8.

Woo hoo! It's really starting to look like a consensus of California opinion-leaders who oppose Proposition 8.

TPM Take On Sarah Palin as "Earmark Reformer"

Latest Field Poll Shows Prop 8 Losing 55% No, 38% Yes

The Field Poll released its latest poll (pdf) on Proposition 8 yesterday and there continues to be good news: 55% of likely voters say they intend to vote NO to the elimination of the rights of gay and lesbian couples to marry, while 38% say they will vote YES. This is a change from last month when the numbers were 51%-42%.

The poll analyzed the impact of the change in the ballot summary by Attorney General Jerry Brown to straightforwardly describe that, if passed, the measure would ban gay marriage, not simply "Limit Marriage" as the original circulated ballot language stated.

Among the 70 percent of likely voters who already were familiar with Proposition 8, the modification appeared to make little difference. Among those who knew about the amendment, 56 percent said they opposed it when they heard the original wording and 53 percent opposed it they were given Brown's revised version.

But among the 30 percent of those surveyed who were not previously aware of the measure, the ballot language appeared to matter. Within that subgroup, 42 percent of the respondents said they were inclined to vote 'no' with the original summary, a share that climbed to 58 percent under the new wording.

[...]

"It's not surprising given the attorney general's latest attempt to influence the elections. We were expecting it would affect the numbers by a few percentage points," [Yes On 8 spokeswoman] Kerns said.

At the same time, she said the Yes on 8 campaign's internal polling shows voters to be much more evenly divided and the initiative's backers expect support to pick up once they start airing television commercials later this month.

Kerns also disputed the Field Poll's accuracy, noting that in the weeks before California voters considered a gay marriage ban in March 2000, the company found support for it topping out at 53 percent. The measure—one of two marriage laws the Supreme Court overturned as unconstitutional—passed with more than 61 percent of the vote.

It is true that the Field Poll under-estimated the heterosexual supremacist vote by at least 8 percentage points in 2000, and I really expect that the ballot measure will fail by a nail-bitingly close margin. DONATE NOW TO STOP PROPOSITION 8!

Poizner Announces Run For California Governor

California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, a Silicon Valley businessman who has previously spent vast sums of his private fortune to further his political career, announced the creation of an exploratory committee for the 2010 Gubernatorial Republican primary nomination.

Previously, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced his exploratory committee for Governor. Other Democrats expected to run are Antonio Villaraigosa, California Attorney General Jerry Brown, California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell and possibly U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein

VIDEO: Obama Airs 2-Minute Ad On Economy

Los Angeles NO ON PROP 8 Kick-Off Event SAT morning!

Karen Ocamb Exposes LGBT Celebrity Absence in Prop 8 Fight

Openly lesbian reporter Karen Ocamb published an article in this week's IN LA Magazine called "Mega A-Gays Missing in Fight Against Prop 8" which exposes the lack of financial contributions from high profile, openly gay or lesbian celebrities to the campaign to defeat the November constitutional amendment that would eliminate the right to marry for same-sex couples in California.

Her piece is a must read, and the list of celebrities is a Who's Who list of some of the top celebrities (gay or straight) in America. She starts by talking about talk show host Ellen Degeneres very public wedding to actress Portia de Rossi but then goes on to say that:

So while their visibility as openly LGBT celebrities and entertainment power players is important, their financial absence from the specific fight to save the fundament right of same-sex couples to marry is hurting.

Also missing (as of Sept. 10) from the rolls were: Rosie O’Donnell, whose Feb. 27, 2004, marriage to Kelli Carpenter was nullified; Sir Elton John, who tied the civil partnership knot with partner David Furnish in England; rock star Melissa Etheridge, whose domestic partnership/wedding to actress Tammy Lynn Michaels Sept. 22, 2003, was celebrated in In Style magazine.

Other producers and directors not on the list include Paul Colichman (here!TV) Greg Berlanti (Brothers & Sisters), Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives), Bryan Singer (Superman Returns), Joel Schumacher (Batman & Robin), and Gus Van Sant, though Bruce Cohen, who produced Milk, directed by Van Sant, was recently married and did contribute. Max Muchnick (Will & Grace) also contributed, as did David Geffen, partner in DreamWorks, who gave $50,000, and Bryan Lourd, managing partner of Creative Artists Agency who contributed $5,000.
Top individual donors are philanthropist David Bohnett ($600,000), David Maltz, of Cleveland ($500,000), James Hormel ($150,000) and Gene La Pietra ($100,000).

Among companies and foundations that contributed monetarily and “in-kind,” Equality California is the largest contributor at $4 million (EQCA’s annual budget is $1.5 million). The Human Rights Campaign has contributed $2 million (with a budget of $40 million); the ACLU, $1.5 million; National Center for Lesbian Rights, more than $500,000; the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, $250,000; Gill Action Fund, $350,000. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has contributed $257,000 (with a budget of $9 million), but has 90 percent of its field staff working in Southern California for the fight. (Full disclosure: IN magazine contributed $20,000.)

It will be interesting to see if Karen's article and Brad Pitt's recent donation of $100,000 will shame (and, yes, that is the right word!) others who have the financial resources to contribute monetarily (and proportionately!) to the fight to prevent Proposition 8 from being the first instance in the history if the United States of a right previously granted to a minority being eliminated by a vote of the majority.

Hot Straight Guy Donates $100k Against Prop 8

Brad Pitt, one of the stars of the current #1 movie in the country, the Coen Brothers' Burn After Reading, has announced that he is donating $100,000 to support the fight to defeat California's anti-gay ballot measure Proposition 8.

Shockingly, Pitt is the first A-list celebrity to publicly donate to the campaign to prevent the elimination of the right to marry for same-sex couples in the state of California.

He said in a statement:

"Because no one has the right to deny another their life even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn’t harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8."

Variety reported that openly gay billionaire David Geffen has donated a mere $50, 000 and openly gay agent Brian Lourd has donated $5,000.

Obama Regains Lead in National Polls

Arnold Plays Chicken With California

Governor Arnold Scwarznegger has announced that he will veto the budget that was recently passed by the California legislature, and vowed that if the legislature enacts the budget over his veto he will "examine closely" the hundreds of bills on his desk awaiting his signature to become law and will likely veto all or most of them.

This is bad news for the several bills that Equality California has managed to pass that advance LGBT equality this year.

VIDEO: Obama Hits McCain On Equal Pay For Women

VIDEO: Obama Hits McCain on Economic Ignorance

Obama Ad Slams McCain For Dishonest Campaign Ads

VIDEO: Palin-Clinton Skit on SNL

Obama Raised $66m in August; $77m on Hand Sep 1

The Obama for America campaign released some preliminary details of its fundraising totals for the month of August: a record $66 million. The Democratic presidential candidate ended the month with $77 million on hand.

From The New York Times:

David Plouffe, the Obama campaign manager, said a half-million new donors signed up to give money to Mr. Obama. He said the campaign’s bank account had $77 million at the end of last month.

“The 500,000 new donors to the Obama campaign demonstrate just how strongly the American people are looking to kick the special interests out and change Washington,” Mr. Plouffe said in a statement, adding that more than 2.5 million people have now made contributions to the campaign in the last 19 months.

Mad Professah is attempting to raise $1000 for Obama by October 1. Please donate now!

Former NBA Star Kevin Johnson Opposes Prop 8

Sacramento mayoral candidate and former NBA player Kevin Johnson announced his opposition to Proposition 8, the ballot measure that would eliminate the right to marry for gay and lesbian couples.

Johnson is running for mayor of Sacramento against incumbent Heather Fargo. In June, Johnson placed first in a non-partisan primary election and is in a run-off on November 4, 2008.

MOVIE REVIEW: Tell No One (Ne Le Dis A Personne)

The French film Tell No One (Ne Le Dis A Personne) has been getting some of the best reviews of the year.

It is a fascinating crime thriller, based on a novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. The plot is incredibly intricate, and the cast is superb. The main protagonist is played by Francois Cluzet (Dr. Alexandre Beck), who looks like a young Dustin Hoffman. His wife is played by Marie-Josée Croze and the British actress Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient) plays Beck's sister's lesbian lover (with impeccable French).

The film is the only summer release that I went back and saw a second time. It is simply that good.

The plot is intricate, but the direction is so expert that one is never lost or confused, just amazed and entertained as the story unspools. In addition, the use of music to deepen the emotional impact of pivotal scenes (U2's "With or Without You" and Jeff Buckley's "Lilac Wine" are especially poignant) is particularly noticeable during a second viewing.

Another interesting aspect of the film is its intimate look at how real French people live their lives right now (in Paris). The film depicts a French pediatrician, a gangster, a ghetto (banlieue), and several police officers going about their daily business. It is fascinating to see a contemporary European slice of life, so matter-of-factly portrayed. This is just one of the many significant features of the film that strengthen its connection to the viewer.

At the end of the film all of the seemingly disparate strands of the mystery are tied together in a very neat knot and the audience is left with a feeling of awe and appreciation at a well-executed film. (It will be released on DVD on October 15th, 2008.)

IMAGERY: A-.
PLOT: A+.
ACTING: A.
IMPACT: A+.
OVERALL GRADE: A.

George Takei To Marry Partner of 21 Years Today

Former Star Trek castmember George Takei will be marrying his longtime partner Brad Altmant this weekend in Los Angeles.

Takei, 71 and Altman, 54, were the first gay couple to obtain a marriage licence in West Hollywood on June 16.

At today's wedding, Nichelle Nichols (who played Communications Officer Uhuru on Star Trek) will be the "best lady" and Walter Koenig (who played Commander Chekov) will be the "best man." William Shatner who played Captain James T. Kirk was invited but never responded so he is not expected to attend.

Eye Candy: Olympic Decathlon Winner Bryan Clay

America Bryan Clay won the Gold Medal in the Decathlon at the Beijing Olympics. And he's phyne!

VIDEO: McCain Lies

Feinstein Opposes Prop 8 AND (Maybe) Endorses Marriage Equality

The following statement by California's senior United States Senator Dianne Feinstein has just gone out on the Internets...

“Proposition 8 would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. I oppose it as a matter of equality and fairness.

The right to marry is fundamental. It provides social stability, economic equality, and the ability to make decisions for a spouse in a time of crisis.

If Proposition 8 were to pass, not only would it eliminate the right to marry for gay and lesbian couples, but it would also create a complicated legal quagmire for those who have exercised this right under the California Constitution, as adjudicated by the Supreme Court of the State.

The views of Californians on this issue have changed over time, and as a State, I believe we should uphold the ability of our friends, neighbors, and co-workers who are gay and lesbian to enter into the contract of marriage.

I urge Californians to oppose Proposition 8.”

There had been a notable lack of comment from the Feinstein camp on the California marriage decision, Proposition 8 and marriage equality in general. It's good to see that she has come out publicly in favor of the good guys, but, I for one will not vote for her again (I didn't vote for her in 2006) not even if she runs for Governor in 2010. I want to see a real progressive champion as Governor, like Gavin Newsom or Antonio Villaraigosa.

Video: Why Sarah Palin Won't Be Vice-President

Eye Candy: Adrian Peterson

Hot damn! Are you ready for some football? These shots of Adrian Peterson from Muscle & Fitness magazione were scanned in by Mad Professah fave Rod 2.0.

6 Episcopalian Bishops Unanimously Oppose Prop 8

The top Episcopalian bishops in California held a press conference to announce their united opposition to a November ballot measure that would eliminate the right to marry for gay and lesbian couples.

The bishops argued that preserving the right of gays and lesbians to marry would enhance the "Christian values" of monogamy, love and commitment.

"We believe that continued access to civil marriage for all, regardless of sexual orientation, is consistent with the best principles of our constitutional rights," said the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

Bruno, flanked at a news conference by fellow clergy members and gay and straight couples, added: "We do not believe that marriage of heterosexuals is threatened by same-sex marriage."

The statement was signed by The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus (Bishop of California), The Rt. Rev. Barry L. Beisner (Bishop of Northern California), The Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno (Bishop of Los Angeles), The Rt. Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves (Bishop of El Camino Real), The Rt. Rev. Jerry A. Lamb (Provisional Bishop of San Joaquin) and The Rt. Rev. James R. Mathes (Bishop of San Diego).

09/11/2008: 7 Years Later

VIDEO: John McCain Gets BarackRolled

US OPEN 2008: Federer Wins 13th Major Title

27-year-old Swiss Roger Federer won his 5th consecutive US Open (and 13th major title over all) by defeating Andy Murray 6-2 7-5 6-2 relatively easily in 1 hour, 51 minutes in a rain delayed Men's Final on Monday afternoon in New York.

Federer silenced critics as he played tennis reminiscent of what we had been seeing routinely from 2004 to 2007 by repeatedly blasting his forehand into the corner of the courts. Twice during the match Federer won at least 6 games in a row (from 2-2 in the first set to 6-2 2-0 in the second and then again from 5-5 in the second set to 5-0 in the third set. The result was really never in doubt. Curiously, Federer fired only 3 aces (and no double faults) thanks to Murray's even more curious (but effective) tactic of receiving serve yards behind the baseline. However, the World #2 also came to the net 44 times, converting 70% of the time.

All in all, the Women's Final won by Serena Williams was longer, more dramatic and more interesting tennis, as the overnight ratings seem to confirm, which are the highest in 6 years for the only grand slam final broadcast in prime time, when Serena beat her sister Venus.

US OPEN 2008: Serena Poses With US Open Trophy In Times Square

VIDEO: Obama Ad Calls Mcain-Palin "Liars"

Eye Candy: Matt Woods

Hat/tip to the boys at Queerty for this early morning Eye Candy!

Wade and Noah Get Married!

So, contrary to previous reports on this blog, the very fine Jensen Atwood will be appearing in Noah's Arc: Jumping The Broom after all, continuing his portrayal of Wade, the boyfriend (and husband?) of lead character Noah, played by Darryl Stephens.

The film is in theaters Friday October 24.