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Sherry Vine does it again.

This is an amaaaaazing Lady Gaga parody! Sherry takes aim at closeted politicians in this one. It's so so good. Watch.

The Trevor Project + Mraz + Me and My Peeps.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a benefit for an amazing organization called The Trevor Project. The organization's main goal is to help lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth who are in crisis and considering suicide. The group runs a prevention helpline that takes calls 24/7. They also offer online support to young people through their web site. In addition to the work they do for teens at risk, they also provide guidance and assistance to parents and guardians of these teens. My dear and dedicated friend Jason, invited me to the event as a guest. Jason was asked to sing at the event and he absolutely rocked it out. The performance was stellar and brought the room to it's feet. Seated at my table was my parter RJH, my longtime friend Ashby, Jason, his manager Patrick and the utterly fabulous Rachel Harris. Just to my right was a table filled to brim with yumminess ~ Kelly Ripa & her husband Mark Consuelos, Trevor Award Winner and honoree of the night Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty star Ana Ortiz, Ally Sheedy (who introduced Jason's performance!). A special treat for me was also watching the uber-talented and brilliant Dustin Lance Black (writer of the award-winning film MILK) give special awards to three youths who are doing amazing work in their communities. The night was truly special.  We got to really talk to Rachel Harris  who was thoughtful, lovely and every bit as charming and funny as you would expect. She coincidentally sat at the table next to us while I was out to dinner two nights before at my local favorite restaurant! Who knew we'd be hanging out a couple days later? New York is so strange and fabulous. I was so thrilled that Jason had asked me to attend. The Trevor Project is doing incredible work and is saving lives day after day. There were some very touching speeches by those who have been helped personally by The Trevor Project which brought a tear to my eye. I'm so thrilled to the extent that my friend Jason is lending his voice to LGBTQ community and their causes. Jason doesn't have to do any of this but he does with such willingness, compassion and love. He inspires me and I'm sure countless others with his thoughtfulness and commitment. To learn more about The Trevor Project, PLEASE visit their website. They are a tremendous organization with a tremendous heart. Watch FOXNY's coverage of the event below.

Truth.

He put a ring on it...after 64 years.

Via one of my favorite blogs, joemygod.blogspot.com, comes a truly inspiring story of devotion and love. I hope RJH and I will be telling a similar story when we reach Bob & Henry's age. xo.

Happy Pride Weekend, NYC.

A film by Ira Sachs.

The following is a somber little film made up of exterior shots of the last residential addresses of a slew of talented and ingenious New York City artists who died of AIDS. The video is simple yet quite moving. I hope you'll take a second to watch.

Jason gives a damn...

I'm so proud and happy to call Jason a friend. Lending his voice in such an amazing way speaks volumes to the type of person Jason has become. Watch Jason's plea for the GIVE A DAMN campaign. Jason, along side many others, speak out for Marriage Equality. See more videos HERE.

Cynthia Nixon fights back.

Double duh.

A little Ru for the soul...

RuPaul's Drag Race just premiered yesterday and from what I hear it's better than ever. The goal of RuPaul's show, beyond being utterly fabulous, is to find the next superstar drag queen. Matthew @ Boy Culture featured the following little glimpse into the show and RuPaul's perspective on this season. It's delicious. Watch. 

Quoted.

"Many wonder when their president will show the same kind of concern for the constitutional rights of gay American service members as he has for enemy combatants held at Guantanamo Bay. Many wonder what the administration's willingness to treat gay Americans as second-class citizens says to Uganda and other countries that are considering laws that would subject gays to imprisonment and even death. Gay Americans have been among the president's most ardent supporters. Their enthusiasm, and that of their families and friends, could be crucial in this year's elections. The president's action—or inaction—on Don't Ask Don't Tell will be noticed. An increasingly frustrated bloc of gay voters—angry over marriage setbacks in California, Maine, New Jersey and New York and emboldened by Ted Olson's and David Boies's high-profile effort to declare unconstitutional laws that prohibit gay marriage—are growing impatient for equality. As Mr. Olson said in federal district court in San Francisco recently, discriminatory laws serve only to label gay and lesbian persons as different, inferior, unequal and disfavored."

– Richard Socarides ~ Attorney and former senior White House adviser on gay rights to Bill Clinton, speaking to the Wall Street Journal about President Obama and his continued delay in repealing the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy after promising to do so throughout his campaign.

Dreaming still...

I think if he were alive today, Martin Luther King, Jr. would have spoken up for the Gay Men and Women in America who are fighting for Equal Rights. The quote below rings as true today as did when it was uttered from his mouth more than 30 years ago. It seems someone is always fighting for Equal Rights - it's the players in this tug of war that change.

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.

  - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quoted.

"Shouldn't there be safeguards against the majority voting on the rights of a minority?" Lynch wonders. "If people voted on civil rights in the 60s, it would have never happened. It took somebody like [President] Lyndon Johnson going, 'F all of you! I'm going to do this.'" She pauses for a moment, then says, "Obama won't do it. He's a huge disappointment to me."

- Jane Lynch, GLEE Actress and Gay Activist speaking to The Guardian about President Obama.

Kevin Aviance gives us 'MORE'...

Britney's GIMME MORE to be exact...






This month is National Drag History Month. Logo explains the month long fiesta by saying:
January 2010 marks the second annual celebration of National Drag History Month! This month-long event salutes the richness of drag culture and pays tribute to the courageous queens & kings who have fought for equality while inspiring, educating & entertaining us all.

Work!

This one is dedicated to the NY Senate ~ Love Stevie & Lily.

WTF just happened with the NY Senate today? Another vote against basic equality on the record. With such impassioned speeches and honest moments I had a hope things were going to turn out better. This afternoon, I was saddened (but not shocked) by the voting outcome. It's not over. I know that. I only have one song to dedicate to them. A lovely song from Ms. Lily Allen.



Look inside, look inside your tiny mind 
and look a bit harder 
cause we’re so uninspired 
so sick and tired 
of all the hatred you harbor

so you say it’s not okay to be gay 
well I think you’re just evil 
you’re just some racist who can’t tie my laces 
you’re point of view is medieval

Fuck you, fuck you very very much 
cause we hate what you do 
and we hate your whole crew 
so please don’t stay in touch

fuck you, fuck you very very much 
cause your words don’t translate 
and it’s getting quite late 
so please don’t stay in touch

do you get, do you get a little kick out of being small-minded? 
you want to be like your father 
it’s approval you’re after 
well that’s not how you’ll find it 

do you, do you really enjoy living a life that’s so hateful 
cause there’s a hole where your soul should be 
you’re losing control of it 
and it’s really distasteful

Fuck you, fuck you very very much 
cause we hate what you do 
and we hate your whole crew 
so please don’t stay in touch

Fuck you, fuck you very very much 
cause your words don’t translate 
and it’s getting quite late 
so please don’t stay in touch 

Look inside, look inside your tiny mind 
and look a bit harder 
cause we’re so uninspired 
so sick and tired 
of all the hatred you harbor

Fuck you, fuck you very very much 
cause we hate what you do 
and we hate your whole crew 
so please don’t stay in touch

Fuck you, fuck you very very much 
cause your words don’t translate 
and it’s getting quite late 
so please don’t stay in touch

Give me more Aviance!!

Erickatoure Aviance works it out in her pumps. Mmmmmm, k?


Please note there is a slight delay before it plays. Patience, girl!

Drag Queen Flash Mob! Work!

me, my guy & nyc.

Another reason to love Dolly...

Another reason to LOVE Gaga.

I love her even more now. It's not because she is saying something that is so ground breaking but because she is saying something at all! Lady Gaga is doing more than any young pop music star right now and I fully appreciate her support and love. Watch her speech from the National Equality March that took place yesterday in DC. Lady Gaga always says bless God and the Gays but I'm saying we should bless Gaga as well. XoXoX.

40 Years - Pride marches on...

The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. They are frequently cited as the first instance in American history when gays and lesbians fought back against a government-sponsored system that persecuted homosexuals, and they have become the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world. 
American gays and lesbians in the 1950s and 1960s faced a legal system more anti-homosexual than those of some Warsaw Pact countries. Early homophile groups in the U.S. sought to prove that gay people could be assimilated into society, and they favored non-confrontational education for homosexuals and heterosexuals alike. The last years of the 1960s, however, were very contentious, as many social movements were active, including the African American Civil Rights Movement, the Counterculture of the 1960s, and antiwar demonstrations. These influences, along with the liberal environment of Greenwich Village, served as catalysts for the Stonewall riots.

Very few establishments welcomed openly gay people in the 1950s and 1960s. Those that did were often bars, although bar owners and managers were rarely gay. The Stonewall Inn, at the time, was owned by the Mafia. It catered to an assortment of patrons, but it was known to be popular with the most marginalized people in the gay community: transvestites, effeminate young men, hustlers, and homeless youth. Police raids on gay bars were routine in the 1960s, but officers quickly lost control of the situation at the Stonewall Inn, and attracted a crowd that was incited to riot. Tensions between New York City police and gay residents of Greenwich Village erupted into more protests the next evening, and again several nights later. Within weeks, Village residents quickly organized into activist groups to concentrate efforts on establishing places for gays and lesbians to be open about their sexual orientation without fear of being arrested.

After the Stonewall riots, gays and lesbians in New York City faced gender, class, and generational obstacles to becoming a cohesive community. Within six months, two gay activist organizations were formed in New York, concentrating on confrontational tactics, and three newspapers were established to promote rights for gays and lesbians. Within a few years, gay rights organizations were founded across the U.S. and the world. On June 28, 1970, the first Gay Pride marches took place in Los Angeles and New York commemorating the anniversary of the riots. Similar marches were organized in other cities; today Gay Pride events are held annually throughout the world toward the end of June to mark the Stonewall riots.


{All text gratefully taken from Wikipedia}

Hot in Paris.

Paris based artist Reead has just released a new track called Baby. However, it's not the track that getting all the attention. It's the video. I don't even have to go in to WHY it's getting talked about. The screengrab below is telling enough. Is it the weather that's hot or is it just me? Check it.

Thanks Andy.

These people have no soul.

California Supreme Court ruled today to uphold the gay marriage ban however they will allow 18,000 previously married couples to remain as they were. What kind of $&@% is that?! While I'm happy for those couples I'm still puzzled as to how that makes sense. How should that make these couples feel knowing that the state they live in actually doesn't support their marriage and is only allowing it as part of some loop hole. It's soooooo WRONG! I am not shocked by this news - simply saddened. I was so hopeful that after all the effort that was put forth following the ruling in November that the Supreme Court Members would listen and reverse the absolutely hateful and bigoted ruling in California. Instead, they have set a dangerous precedence that cannot be ignored. Proposition 8 has opened the door for a simple majority of voters to strip away the rights of an unpopular minority. It is amazing to me that with such talk of a division between Church and State that this was ever even able to make it to the high court because a morally and ethically repressed religious group had enough cash to make it so. It makes me sick to my stomach. It's making my head hurt to even continue. Read all about it here.Thanks to WOW for the shot.

Amanda - In Technicolor!

The always bizarrely lovely Amanda Lepore has just released the new video for her track Cotton Candy. I love Amanda. Love HER! The video, directed by Bec Stupak, also features Cazwell. Yum.

Rachel Maddow speaks to Judy Shepard.

I totally love Rachel Maddow. I've been watching her show non-stop now and downloading her video blogs. I think she is brilliant and always spot on. Check out this fantastic interview with the mother of the late Matthew Shepard. Judy was on the show to talk about the passing of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act, which she has been campaigning for over the past 10 years. She also spoke about that wicked Republican Virginia Foxx from North Carolina. Watch.


Visit matthewshepard.org today.

It's not a choice.

This is such an awfully tragic story. An 11-year-old Massachusetts boy named Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover hanged himself this week after enduring constant bullying, threats, and name calling which included daily taunts about being gay, despite his mother's weekly pleas with his school to address the problem. My heart goes out to this mother. I know that there are people who think that being gay is a choice but that could not be further from the truth. We are responsible for our words. We are responsible for each other. Watch. 

Ten years is too long.

It's been over ten years since the young and vibrant young man Matthew Shepard was murdered at the hands of two ruthless individuals. He was killed for being gay. Congress has the chance to vote very shortly on hate crime bills that are long overdue. The following video is a touching clip of Matthew's mother, Judy, speaking out about the legislation. Watching this video breaks my heart. I'm sure even after all these years her heart is still as broken as before. It's time we did more to lend a hand. Watch the following clip and also visit the HRC site where they tell you how you can help. They have even created a letter for you to utilize to get the message out to your congressional representative. Not sure who that is? CLICK HERE! I'm making this easy for you! You can mail your rep and let him or her know that you support the Matthew Shepard Act. Do it, please. What do you have to lose?

RuPaul - Cover Girl (Put the Bass in Your Walk)

Did you catch any of RuPaul's Drag Race?? Oh, girl - it was a barrel of sequined fun. Click HERE to see the winner. Since the show just ended last week, I decided to post a lil' RuPaul treat. This is the video to her first track off her album Champion. Again, fun. That's just what she does. Watch.

Some truth in a different form...

This is awesome.

Dustin Lance Black on Oprah.

Forgive me for another Oprah clip but girlfriend keeps interviewing the people that I'm loving at the moment. This past week she spoke with Milk writer Dustin Lance Black. It was a lovely lil' interview that you must watch. xxo.