2013 CINCY: Serena Williams- Victoria Azarenka Final

At the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Serena Williams will face Victoria Azarenka in Sunday's final. Serena defeated defending champion Li Na 7-5 7-5 in a very tight semifinal match which featured 12 breaks of serve. But that was just the warm-up for the clash between Jelena Jankovic and Azarenka which turned into a 3-set serving disaster that included an astonishing 23 breaks of serve and a combined 20 double faults. Vika eventually prevailed 4-6 6-2 6-3.

Today's final will be a reprise of last year's US Open final which was won in dramatic fashion by Serena despite Azarenka leading 5-3 in the 3rd set and this year's Doha final which was won by Vika 7-6(6) 2-6 6-3.

Serena won last week in Toronto and is playing well this summer, having only lost three times this year and won her 2nd French Open title. That being said, she did not look that good against Li Na and clearly had some kind of abdominal injury which hampered her ability to hit her serve as fast as she wanted. She has clinched the US Open Series title one week early and is eligible for up to $1 million in bonus prize money if she defends her title in New York.

Azarenka defended her major title in Australia earlier this year and knows that she has the game to defeat Serena, even though she has only ever done it twice in fourteen meetings. Her only other win was in the final of the 2009 Miami title when Serena was injured.

I believe Serena will win the match, but it will not be easy. If she really is injured enough so that she can't get free points on her serve that will make it a long day at the office. She has a much better return of serve and a better serve (when not injured) than Jankovic so that will make this a much tougher match-up for Vika. That being said, the fact Serena has never won this title before and that she is playing one of the few people who ha beaten her all year should make it an interesting match. That being said, there's a reason why Serena sports a 12-2 head-to-head versus Azarenka (7-2 on hard courts and only 3-2 in finals). MadProfessah's pick: Serena.

Homophobes File Referendum on Transgender Student Rights Bill

Here we go again. Just last week Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 1266, the School Success and Opportunity Act, into law. SSOA basically put into effect statewide the policy of the state's largest school district, LAUSD, which allows transgender students to participate fully in activities using the gender identity that they feel is most appropriate. Massachusetts and Colorado already have similar statewide policies.

Most people think this was a historic move forward to advance the rights of transgender students. Of course, that is not how the homophobes see it. They have filed paperwork to put theis historic civil rights law up for a referendum, meaning that it would not go into effect immediately if they are able to file 500,000 signatures with the Secretary of State within 90 days. Then there would be a vote during a statewide election in 2014 on whether the measure would go into effect at all or be effectively repealed.

Equality California executive director John O'Connor responded to the move:

"This is a predictable move by fringe groups that oppose all pro-equality measures and that historically have lacked the capacity to successfully execute similar efforts. AB1266 is an historic civil rights bill ensuring all students have the opportunity to participate and succeed in schools, including transgender students. EQCA and our partners will remain vigilant about monitoring the situation."

It should be remembered that there were also people who wanted to put the FAIR Education Act up for  a vote of the people of California, and they failed (twice!) to do so. The FAIR Education Act was a law that amended the state Education Code to insure that information about LGBT people in all California public schools has to be "fair, accurate, inclusive and respectful."

Now it looks like the homophobes are starting to realize that they are most certainly going to lose the war over marriage equality (California's fight over Proposition 8 ended with a whimper on Wednesday August 14) they are changing their focus to the T in LGBT rights, narrowing in on challenging the very concept of gender identity itself.

This is the hyperbolic language they are using on their temporary website to publicize their attempt to overturn the Transgender Student Rghts Bill:

Governor Jerry Brown just signed into law AB 1266 which would allow boys and girls to share the same school locker rooms, showers, restrooms, sporting programs, and school activities, based on the student’s gender identity, rather than his or her actual biological gender. 

Gender identity refers to a person’s subjective opinion of ones gender, which may or may not correspond to the person’s biological sex. But no matter the student’s gender identity, imposing this drastic and intrusive law upon all students is foolish and irresponsible. 

This bill will go into effect in Jan. 2014 unless we stop it.

One of the main reason that the heterosexual supremacists are going after AB 1266 is that the polling on it is pretty tight, with a June 2013 survey indicating 43% support and 46% opposition to the then pending legislation.

Hopefully they won't even get enough signatures to qualify the referendum, but this is probably also about activating the conservative base in California for the 2014 statewide elections, since currently the Republican party has basically zero power in all three branches of California government.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

Celebrity Friday (bonus): Madonna Turns 55 Today!

Today is Madonna's 55th birthday!

2013 CINCY1/4-FINAL: Federer-Nadal XXXI, Djokovic-Isner, Berdych-Murray

 

Exciting times at the last big tennis tournament before the final Grand Slam of the year starts on August 26th in New York City. At the 2013 Western & Southern Financial Open in Cincinnati the quarterfinals are set and they feature the world's top 4 players and five major champions! These clashes are led by meeting number 31 between 17-time major champion Roger Federer and 12-time major champion Rafael Nadal. Nadal famously leads their head-to-head 20-10, including two relatively easy wins at two ATP Masters 1000 tournaments this year (the Rome final and the Indian Wells quarterfinals).

Nadal is currently having some of the best results of his career, and is at 50-3 for the year, having reached 10 finals so far and won 8 of them, including last week in Montreal. In fact, Nadal is 13-0 on hard courts which is usually his least successful surface. Unfortunately, Federer is having one of his worst years on tour having won only one title and has a relatively pedestrian 32-10 win-loss record for the year. Unless Federer has an incredibly serving day I don't see how he wins this match with his arch-nemesis who knows he has a winning game plan; it is simply a bad match-up of playing styles. However, at least on hard courts Federer has a chance of winning, since they have split their previous dozen hard court meetings 6-all. However, Nadal is undefeated on hard courts for the year and last week outplayed World #1 Novak Djokovic to win a final set tiebreaker in the Rogers Cup semifinals. MadProfessah's prediction: Nadal in 2 sets.

The other quarterfinals feature other marquee showdowns, such as Djokovic versus 6'10" John Isner. Isner has played every single week of the US Open Series summer hardcourt season and has been getting good results. However, Djokovic has reached the final of the Cincinnati ATP Masters four of the last five years (losing every time) and would really like to set up another clash with the winner of the Federer-Nadal match to keep his quest to win every single ATP Masters shield alive. MadProfessah's prediction: Djokovic in 3 sets.

Andy Murray is playing in his second tournament after winning Wimbledon earlier this summer and faces Tomas Berdych, an excellent hard court player who also happens to be the only resident of the ATP Top 10 not to have won a title in 2013. Berdych leads his head-to-head with Murray 5 to 4 and has 39 wins on the year. I think the tall Czech wants this one a bit more than the Brit. MadProfessah's prediction: Berdych in 3 sets.

The last quarterfinal is between Juan Martin del Potro and Dmitry Tursunov. Tursunov took out David Ferrer the round before and is playing in his first quarterfinal at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament while del Potro is a grand slam champion who won a hard court tournament just two weeks ago. MadProfessah's prediction: del Potro in 2 sets.

Celebrity Friday: WWE Wrestler Daren Young Comes Out

Interesting celebrity news today! A professional wrestler named Darren Young, has apparently decided to publicly reveal that he is gay. Young, 29, is the first WWE Superstar to be out to the public as a gay man.

Young, a 29-year-old New Jersey native, is not the first openly gay wrestler in the history of the company. In the past, a few wrestlers have chosen to come out within the confines of the locker room, but have kept their sexual preference from the public. 

Orlando Jordan, a former WWE talent, portrayed an openly bisexual character during a 19-month tenure with competing Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that began in 2010. 

He is also bisexual in real life. 

Young, whose real name is Frederick Rosser, wants to inspire others within WWE who fear coming out will prove detrimental to their personal and professional lives. 

“I’m hoping to be able to make a difference,” he said. “It’s very important to me that people understand that someone’s sexual preference shouldn’t really matter. It should be about the person.

Apparently, responses to Young's announcement have been positive with WWE Champion John Cena explicitly giving his support.

Good for him! You can support Young's decision by connecting with him on Twitter at DarrenYoungWWE.

FILM REVIEW: Elysium

While I was in Los Angeles for my wedding anniversary last week The Other Half and I saw the movie Elysium, the follow-up film from Neill Blomkamp, who directed District 9. Elysium was one of my most highly anticipated films of summer 2013 because I was so charmed by Blomkamp's debut work.

However, his second film is not as well-received by critics (66% favorable) or audiences (70% favorable) as his first (critics 90%, audiences 79%). This is unfortunate, because Blomkamp is working with a bigger budget and bigger stars (Oscar winners Jodie Foster and Matt Damon). The star from District 9, Sharlto Copley also appears in Elysium, as one of the key bad guys in the piece. Copley is a quirky actor, and his casting as Kruger is one of the weak aspects of the film. He simply does not convey the sense of menace as one would expect in a summer blockbuster villain; he's more like the weird, homeless guy in the subway you want to avoid not because you're afraid of him, but because you're just grossed out or uncertain about the guy's boundaries.

There are other problems with the film as well. While it's great to see Jodie Foster working in films (especially after her infamous Golden Globes speech this year where she said she was quitting the business), her Delacourt is a corrupt, elitist bureaucrat with ice in her veins who is willing to do "whatever it takes" to defend her society's morally bankrupt way of life. But, the film doesn't do a good job of really exploring or explaining Delacourt's motives. Is it just a lust for power? One would hope that there is a more complex motive for Delacourt's action than the typical desire for control. Plus, what going on with her accent? (It sounds vaguely European mixed with South African). Copley's Kruger also sounds South African, which is not surprising to those of us who recognize him from District 9, but there's no explanation why a violent and unhinged mercenary has a South African accent.

I must say that generally the use of language is one of the strongest aspects of the film. Damon's blonde, blue-eyed Max is shown speaking fluent Spanish in his orphaned, youthful past and in his squalid, hellish present. This Spanish in a sea of brown bodies and faces is juxtaposed with Delacourt's smooth French in the well-manicured, very civilized (read: White and upper-class) on Elysium. Elysium, as we know from the trailers, and very early on in the movie, is a floating habitat that the select super-rich have created and retreated to, leaving a desperate and destitute Earth to the multitudinous, teeming hordes. The use of language as a proxy for class is deployed skillfully and quickly illustrates the bifurcated nature of life in the future that we the audience are going to be experiencing in Elysium.

The central tension in Elysium is whether our main character, Max (Damon) is going to be able to figure out a way to Get Up There (to Elysium) in order to have a chance of getting access to near-miraculous machines which can fix basically any health problem. The plot to get him up there ends up with Max having information uploaded into his brain that could potentially completely change the balance of power between Earth and Elysium. The fact that there are millions (if noy billions) of people on Earth who do not have access to basic necessities of life (food, water, shelter, health) while a coddled few have access to all these in addition to miraculous health care is a clear commentary on current political debates going on in America and elsewhere. However, as Alyssa Rosenberg cogently argues, the sharp political wit that was so present in District 9 doesn't make much sense in Elysium and ultimately disappoints viewers who were excited by the visionary nature of that film.

I don't want to reveal too much of the plot twists except to say that all though the action doesn't always make sense (Blomkamp apparently has a tenuous grasp on the Newtonian laws of motion and other aspects of physics which can be distracting) it is always compelling. A friend of mine who saw Elysium at a preview described it as "a cross between Jason Bourne meets Terminator 150 years in the future."

Title: Elysium.
Director: Neill Blomkamp.
Running Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout.
Release Date: August 9, 2013.
Viewing Date: August 9, 2013.

Writing: B-.
Acting: C+.
Visuals: B+.
Impact: A-.

Overall Grade: B (3.0/4.0).

California Supreme Court Denies Attempt To Revive Prop. 8

As expected, the California Supreme Court has denied requests from heterosexual supremacists to revive Proposition 8 and halt civil marriages by same-sex couples in the Golden state. In a terse order issued on Wednesday afternoon, the Court ended any last remaining legal challenge to marriage equality in California.

The Los Angeles Times explains why marriage equality is here to stay in California:

A federal judge in San Francisco declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional in 2010, and state officials refused to appeal. ProtectMarriage did appeal, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that initiative sponsors have no right to defend their measures in federal court. The decision left in place the ruling by retired Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker.

In its challenge before the state’s highest court,  ProtectMarriage argued that a single judge lacked the authority to overturn a state constitutional amendment.  The group also contended that Walker’s injunction applied to two counties at most and that state officials had overstepped their authority by ordering county clerks throughout California to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

State officials countered that the challenge was a veiled attempt to persuade a state court to interfere with a federal judge’s order in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Same-sex couples began marrying in California in late June after a federal appeals court lifted a hold on Walker’s injunction. ProtectMarriage went back to the U.S. Supreme Court the following day, arguing the appeals court acted prematurely because the high court’s decision was not even final. The Supreme Court refused to intervene.

Then the group went to the state Supreme Court, asking the justices to halt the marriages immediately while considering the legal arguments. The seven-member court unanimously rejected the request for a “stay” or hold.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris issued a statement reacting to the news of Proposition 8's demise:

“Once again, equality and freedom triumph in California. The California Supreme Court has denied the Proposition 8 proponents’ latest attempt to deny same-sex couples their constitutional right to marry. I applaud the Court’s decision and my office will continue to defend the civil rights of all Californians.”

Hat/tip to Chris Geidner of BuzzFeed.

CINCY 2013: Sloane Stephens(17) Beats Sharapova(3)

Sloane Stephens came back from a set down to earn her first win against 4-time major champion Maria Sharapova 2-6 7-6(5) 6-3 in the 2nd round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Tuesday. It was the young American's second Top 5 win of the year (and of her career). Thanks to excellent results in the majors, the 20-year-old American is now ranked 17 in the world and is expected to enter the Top 10 by the end of the year.

It was Sharapova's first match with living legend Jimmy Connors as her coach and her first match since losing in the 2nd round of Wimbledon on Wacky Wednesday when 7 former #1's were bounced from the tournament on the same day. Sharapova made many more errors than winners, finishing with 62 unforced errors to just 16 winners. It was Stephens first win in 4 meetings with Sharapova.

On the men's side of the tournament Roger Federer won his first match as a 32 year old, defeating Philip Kohlschreiber in a surprisingly close 6-3 7-6(7). Federer has returned to his regularly sized racquet after trying out a larger head size in two summer clay court tournaments where he lost to two unheralded players in Gstaad and Hamburg. He had lost to three players outside the top 50 in a row and has fallen to #5 in the ATP rankings. However, he is the defending champion at the ATP Cincinnati Masters and hopes to gain enough confidence here to do well in New York at the US Open in two weeks.

Federal Judge Rules NYPD's Racial Profiling Policies Illegal

Whoa! Good news on the civil liberties front out of New York City. Yesterday a federal judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in the case Floyd v. City of New York, declaring that the NYPD's controversial "stop and frisk" policy is unconstitutionally violating the Fourteenth and Fourth Amendments. This was a huge victory by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR):

In her thorough, 198-page ruling, Judge Shira Sheindlin found the NYPD’s practices to violate New Yorkers’ Fourth Amendment rights to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures and also found that the practices were racially discriminatory in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. To remedy the widespread constitutional violations, the judge ordered a court-appointed monitor to oversee a series of reforms to NYPD policing practices and also ordered a Joint Remedial Process which will solicit input from a variety of stakeholders, including New York communities most directly affected by policing. The court’s ruling follows a 10-week trial that concluded on May 20. The class action lawsuit, Floyd v. City of New York, was brought by the Center of Constitutional Rights (CCR), and the law firms of Beldock, Levine, and Hoffman and Covington & Burling, LLP. 

Said CCR Senior Staff Attorney Darius Charney, “This historic victory is the result not only of our 14 years of litigation, but of decades’ worth of efforts by activists, grassroots and legal organizations, and affected communities. The NYPD is finally being held to account for its longstanding illegal and discriminatory policing practices. The City must now stop denying the problem and partner with the community to create a police department that protects the safety and respects the rights of all New Yorkers.” 

In 2011, the NYPD reported a record 685,724 stops -- a 600 percent increase since Raymond Kelly took over as NYPD Commissioner in 2002. Eighty-four percent of those stopped were Black or Latino, and 88 percent of the people stopped were neither arrested nor received summonses. Despite the stated purpose of the policy, weapons and contraband were recovered less than 2 percent of the time.

As Joe Biden would say, this is a B.F.D!

MadProfessah Visits U.S. Dept of Interior

Some colleagues and I went on a tour of the murals in the historic Department of the Interior (18th and C streets). The picture is me in front of one of a series of four murals depicting "negro contributions" to the Arts, Science, Religion and Education.

UNC System Passes Ban on Gender-INCLUSIVE Student Housing

North Carolina is quickly gaining a reputation as the most regressive state in the Union, giving Texas a run for its money! Another indication of bad public policy being established in the Tar Heel state is that the University of North Carolina system just passed a ban to prevent gender-inclusive housing being established at any of its 17 campuses. What the heck?

The text of the new policy is:

The constituent institutions shall not assign members of the opposite sex to any institutionally owned and operated dormitory room, dormitory suite, or campus apartment unless the students are siblings, parent and child, or they are legally married. This policy applies to housing assignments beginning with the fall 2013 semester.

The Daily Tar Heel reports:

UNC-Chapel Hill had planned on instituting a gender-neutral housing pilot program in the fall. The program, which would have included 32 spaces in Carmichael Residence Hall, Craige North and Ram Village, was approved by the UNC Board of Trustees in November.

BOG Chairman Peter Hans said he thinks there are other ways to ensure student safety in on-campus housing than gender-neutral accommodations.

“Our board wants every student to be safe and comfortable and included,” Hans said. “The board believes there are more practical ways to achieve that goal than assigning young men and women to the same campus suite.”

So it is clear that the motivation for this is to preserve traditional gender roles and enforce heteronormativity among students. There is an assumption that all the students must be heterosexual, which is just ludicrous, especially if you analyze the sexual orientation data for the college-age cohort. What is also somewhat amusing is the unintended consequences of adopting this policy. Insisting that only members of the same sex are able to be roomed together at UNC-controlled residential spaces will almost certainly increase same-sex sexual activity, even though the intention was most certainly to try and reduce opposite-sex sexual activity through  misguided belief that keeping sexes apart will do so.

Also, it is well-known that single-sex environments are more homophobic and heteronormative, as the imputed homosexuality of the participants leads to more rigorous policing of heterosexual-only behavior and strict controls on gender expression. This will lead to bad outcomes and bullying of gender non-conforming and students questioning or exploring their sexuality who live in these housing spaces.

One immediate consequence of the policy change is to negatively impact what housing choices UNC campuses will have to accommodate their transgender students

Campus Pride has been following this story and called the move "dangerous, reckless and unsafe":

Campus Pride was in attendance at the meeting where UNC students were not allowed on the agenda. Nor did the UNC Board of Governors hear any research related to how the ban negatively impacts campus safety.  Based on Campus Pride national research conducted by Dr. Sue Rankin, “trans-spectrum students are already an at-risk population.”  She also writes, “The Campus Pride 2010 State of Higher Education report was one of the first national studies to examine the climate on college campuses. The study involved more than 5,000 LGBTQ students, staff, and faculty and found that almost a quarter of the LGBTQ respondents and about one third of the trans-identified respondents had experienced harassment or violence on campus because of their sexual or gender identity.”

According to Campus Pride, the UNC Board of Governors clearly do not have the safety of all students in mind in passing this policy to ban Gender-Inclusive housing, “Banning gender-inclusive housing on the seventeen UNC system campuses does not serve the safety of any student. It is a dangerous, reckless and unsafe to take such a broad sweeping action,” said Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride. “Research shows that LGBT students experience heightened rates of harassment and discrimination at our colleges and universities, including in campus housing. Students should not have to feel unsafe or be fearful where they eat, sleep, and live on campus.”

Despite the ban passing, Campus Pride is continuing its work supporting students in the UNC system and creating necessary resources to support the expansion of Gender-Inclusive housing across the country.   This week Campus Pride launched its Trans Policy Clearinghouse which is the most up-to-date resource of its kind with trans campus policy and safety issues.  

Hat/tip to Campus Pride for publicizing this. I suspect it will not be the first such public policy change among public University systems, especially those in red states.

ROGERS CUP 2013: Rafa and Serena Win Titles

At the Rogers Cup in Toronto (women) and Montreal (men), Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams ended the tournaments victoriously. World #1 Serena did not drop a set all week long, although she came very close to doing so in her semifinal against Agnieska Radwanska on Saturday, eventually prevailing 7-6(3) 6-4. Serena beat Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-0 in the final and has now won 8 titles in 2013, the most in any year during her storied career. She looks very good going into the US Open in two weeks where she is the defending champion.

Nadal was probably even more impressive as he made his 10th final in 11 tournaments (his only miss this year was his shocking 1st round loss at Wimbledon to Steve Darcis), routing Milos Raonic in the final 6-2 6-2 to win his record 25th ATP Masters title. However, much more significantly than winning the title was the way he won his semifinal showdown with World #1 Novak Djokovic: playing aggressive hard court tennis, displaying superior mental toughness to go up 6-0 in the 3rd set tiebreak and eventually win the match 6-4 3-6 7-6(2). Nadal has reached the US Open final twice (splitting matches with Djokovic). It's surprising to say, but 2-time champion Andy Murray may be a bigger threat to Nadal in New York than the Serbian World #1. It's also true that there are other players outside the Top 4 who could give Nadal problems on hard courts, but not if he played the way he played against Djokovic on Saturday night. Th question is will the Spaniard have that opportunity?

CA Gov. Signs Transgender Student Bill Into Law!

For Immediate Release

CA Governor Brown Signs Historic Transgender Student Bill into Law

(San Francisco, CA, August 12, 2013)—Today, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the historic School Success and Opportunity Act into law, ensuring that transgender youth have the opportunity to fully participate and succeed in schools across the state. Assembly Bill 1266—which goes into effect on January 1, 2014—was authored by Assemblymember Tom Ammiano and passed the California State Senate and Assembly earlier this summer. The law is the first of its kind in the country. It requires that California public schools respect students’ gender identity and makes sure that students can have equal access to all school activities, sports teams, programs, and facilities.

“I’m so excited that California is making sure transgender students have a fair chance to graduate and succeed,” said Calen Valencia, an 18-year-old transgender student from Tulare. “I should have graduated this year, but my school refused to give me the same opportunity to succeed as other boys. Now other transgender youth won’t have to choose between being themselves and graduating high school.”

Co-authored by Senators Mark Leno and Ricardo Lara and Assemblymember Toni Atkins, the bill is backed by a coalition of leading organizations, including National Center for Lesbian Rights, ACLU of California, Gay-Straight Alliance Network, Equality California, Gender Spectrum, Transgender Law Center, statewide teacher and parent organizations, and dozens of other organizations.

The new law builds on a national movement to end discriminatory practices and ensure transgender youth have the same opportunity to succeed as other students. Massachusetts and Colorado have statewide policies in line with AB 1266, and the Colorado and Maine state human rights commissions have held that state law requires schools to respect students’ gender identity. Additionally, many school districts across the country have adopted policies that ensure no student is left out, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest school district.

California law already prohibits discrimination in education, but transgender students have been often discriminated against and unfairly excluded from school facilities and physical education, athletic teams, and other school activities. This exclusion negatively impacts students’ ability to succeed in school and graduate with their class. For example, physical education credits are required to graduate, but transgender students often do not have the support they need to fully participate in the courses.

The supporting organizations are truly appreciative of Gov. Brown’s efforts to protect LGBT Californians and ensure all students have the opportunity to excel in our public education system. From his support to ban harmful sexual orientation change efforts to his leadership on marriage equality to his signing of AB 1266, Gov. Brown has sent a powerful message to LGBT youth letting them know their state and their government fully support them. In so doing, he is not only changing, but also saving lives.

Said NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter: “We are grateful to Governor Brown for his longstanding commitment to ensuring that all California students are able to attend school without discrimination or harassment. By signing AB 1266, he has made that commitment real for transgender students, who will now have the same opportunities to participate and to succeed as other students.”

View from the 42nd Floor in Manhattan

This is the view from the 42nd floor of a building in midtown Manhattan, near West 57 and Madison Avenue.

MadProfessah is in Noo Yawk

Queer Quote: Australian PM Makes Marriage Equality Campaign Pledge

Tony Abbott (left) and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd 

Kevin Rudd is the current and former Prime Minister of Australia. He won back his old job recently when Prime Minister Julia Gillard was forced out by internal Labor Party politics heading into national elections, which are set for Saturday September 7th. Rudd debated Coalition Party head Tony Abbott in their first debate of the electoral campaign last night and although Rudd had previously opposed marriage equality, toward the end of the debate he made a campaign pledge to legalize marriage equality if his party wins the election.

Rudd's statement supporting marriage equality is today's Queer Quote:

Kevin Rudd said "[recognising same-sex relationships is] a mark of decency to same-sex couples across the country who wish the same loving, caring relationship that, for example, I have had with Therese my wife now for the last 32 years, and for that to be formalised."

His opponent declined to join him in endorsing marriage equality, despite the fact that he has an openly lesbian sister citing instead that the Australian federal parliament had voted down a measure to enact marriage equality last September. The conservative Coalition leader said that passing marriage equality would not be a priority for his government.

Regardless of what happens in the September 7 Australian election, the next ambassador to Australia from the United States is going to be openly gay John Berry.

Hat//tip  to Joe.My.God

Djokovic-Nadal XXXVI: Nadal Wins, Will Face Raonic

Rafael Nadal edged 2-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup 6-4 3-6 7-6(2). Nadal is unbeaten in hard courts in 2013, having won Indian Wells earlier this year. He will face Canadian Milos Raonic in the final of the ATP Canadian Masters tournament, his 36 ATP Masters final, and hope to extend his record total of ATP Masters titles to 25 on Sunday.

Nadal extended his head-to-head advantage over his Serbian rival to 21-15, and ended a streak of 5 hard court losses. After playing in 11 straight finals, the two have now played in two semifinals this year and Nadal has won both times.

WATCH: New Episodes of Homeland Starting 09/29/13

One of the best shows on television is Homeland. It won the Emmy award for Best Drama Series and is up for that award for its second season as well (competing against the third season of my favorite show Game of Thrones for that honor). Homeland will be returning for its third season on September 29th. It airs weekly on Showtime.

Homeland is actually third on my list of favorite shows last year, behind Game of Thrones and Walking Dead. I would say that both Walking Dead and Homeland had less successful seasons than the seasons before. For 2013, I would probably put The Good Wife ahead of Walking Dead with Game of Thrones as the clear favorite to keep the top spot. This trailer for the third season of Homeland looks encouraging though!

WTA ROGERS CUP 2013: Serena v Aggie, Li Na v Sorana

Serena Williams has already won 7 tournaments this year and is hoping to win an 8th at the WTA Rogers Cup in Toronto this week. In order to do this, she will need to get through Agnieska Radwanska in the semifinals and then either Sorana Cirstea or Li Na in the final. Defending Rogers Cup champion Petra Kvitova lost to Cirstea in a tough 3-set match, while last year's finalist Li Na beat Dominika Cibulkova. Serena followed up her win over Kirsten Flipkens by dispatching  Magdalena Rybarikova. Flipkens had beaten Serena's sister Venus on Tuesday in 3-sets but could not repeat that result against the World #1. Serena has lost a total of 10 games in 3 rounds (6 sets) of play this week and looks as sharp as she has all year. She has only lost 3 times all year (to Sloane Stephens in Melbourne, to Victoria Azarenka in Doha and to Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon).

Djokovic-Nadal XXXVI: Rogers Cup semifinals

The ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Canada is going on this week and is now at the semifinal stage. The four remaining players are Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic and Vasek Popisil. The first thing to note is that half of the Big Four are not in that past sentence: Roger Federer mysteriously did not play the tournament and Andy Murray was upset by Ernests Gulbis. The second thing to note is that Djokovic and Nadal are meeting for the 36th time on the ATP tour, with the Spanish 11-time champion leading 20-15 overall but the Serb leading 11-5 on hard courts. Djokovic is the defending champion at the Rogers Cup; yours truly saw him defeat Richard Gasquet in person at last year's tournament in Toronto. The thing to note is that Raonic and Popisil are both Canadian, so there will be a hometown favorite in the final (almost certainly Raonic) facing the winner of Djokovic-Nadal XXCVI, whom I expect to be Djokovic.