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Jun
27
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The different kind of Republican you see above is Dale Gladding. He’s running for Congress in New Jersey, which means he has no shot. The man who currently holds the seat he wants is Rob Andrews, recent victim of Frank Lautenberg in the Democratic Senate primary. Andrews held a Congressional hearing on transgender rights in the workplace, and Gladding wasn’t happy about it.
“While the families of the 1st District are struggling to make ends meet, with gas prices reaching $4 a gallon,” GOP candidate Dale Glading said, “Rob Andrews has demonstrated once and for all how out of touch he is with the people he has failed to represent.”
“We’re not making a statement one way or another about transgender rights,” Tim Saler, Glading’s campaign manager, said. “We’re just saying that if you had a list of things that need addressing right now, transgender rights would not be at the top.”
Are we to assume Rob Andrews is incapable of addressing both gas prices (which he really can’t do anything about) and transgender rights (which he might be able to, by chairing a subcommittee)?
Glading’s campaign manager’s statement is even more annoying. If you’re going to say, “I don’t care about transgender rights,” (or anything similar about any issue) you have to take the criticism that could come with that statement. You can’t say, “Transgender rights are not important,” and also say, “I’m not making a statement on transgender rights.” And Andrews isn’t even running for re-election. And you’re a Republican in fucking New Jersey who is running for a seat which represents, say, Collingswood and Haddonfield (and other towns where lots of gay people live) and you say things that will make no gay people vote for you and, seriously, how fucking stupid are you?
New rule: I don’t want to go on a rant here. But, come on.
Transgender rights hearing earns Andrews praise, pans [Courier-Post]
Image via Dale Glading’s website
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dmac | 10:14 AM | 1 Comment
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May
28
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The Boy Scouts have sued the city for attempting to kick the local council out of its building near the Parkway. For the uninitiated: Those who do their duty to do their best to God and their country also don’t allow gays to do any of that in their little club, so the city decided it was kicking the Cradle of Liberty Council out of its 22nd and Winter building (which the city leases to the Scouts for one dollar a year.)
The Scouts’ lawsuit says the city leases property to about 100 groups with membership criteria for under $2,000 a year, without any attempt to kick them out of their properties.
The lawsuit mentions the Roman Catholic Church of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which the suit says has paid a nominal rent for a church building in Pennypack Park since 1935; Zion Baptist Church, which pays $25 a year to lease three parcels of recreational land for the Clara Baldwin Home for seniors; and Women for Greater Philadelphia and the Colonial Dames of America, which have free perpetual leases for historic mansions in Fairmount Park. “This city allows numerous organizations to use city-owned property and does not necessarily refuse them based on restrictions on membership,” said Center City lawyer Jason P. Gosselin, who filed the suit on behalf of the Cradle of Liberty Council.
City Solicitor Shelley R. Smith said she believes the difference between the Boy Scouts and the other groups that lease city land or buildings is that the other groups do not discriminate in the social services they provide. Smith said you cannot be a Boy Scout if you are openly gay or an atheist: “If we find that these other groups are doing that, we will take the appropriate action.”
You got that, atheists? You gotta get down to the courthouse and file all your complaints against the Colonial Dames of America.
In related news, Congress is having a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts. Up to $3.5 million! Update: And Ron Paul voted for the bill. He secretly loves the federal reserve!
Boy Scouts sue city in building dispute [Inquirer]
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dmac | 10:21 AM | 4 Comments
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May
20
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The oh-so-clever use of “gay” as an insult did not sway us: Gossip Girlfriend is back for one last hurrah. Yes, last night was the season finale, and since Sarah and I can’t plan anything past, say, this weekend, we’re declaring it the end of the feature youse all love so much, Gossip Girlfriend. But not before a recap of last night’s episode!
(Note: If you actually like the show, or hate it, or something, New York pretty much owns the Gossip Girl recap genre; one of the co-writers of NYM’s blog is Jessica Pressler, etc., etc.)
After the jump.
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dmac | 3:06 PM | 0 Comments
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May
7
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The state Senate has decided to table the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, meaning that all that time the senators wasted debating this is, well, still wasted.
House leaders said if the bill passed the Senate it would be sent to the “House State Government Committee,” which apparently not only exists but is chaired by Babette Josephs, who opposes the bill. (She’d no doubt fight extra hard because her district includes the Gayborhood.)
But Vince Fumo knows otherwise! He says the Senate would probably strip the language also banning gays from the “functional equivalent” of marriage (i.e. civil unions). “I think there were enough votes to strip that out and I think that’s what scared them,” Fumo told KYW 1060 “So they needed an excuse, and the excuse was the House. Which is fine with me, any face-saver they want is good with me.”
Fumo would, of course, let them save face while telling the radio station exactly why the bill was tabled.
Pa. Senate Derails Proposal That Would Ban Gay Marriage [KYW 1060]
Yesterday: Same-Sex Marriage Ban Out Of Committee
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dmac | 9:40 AM | 0 Comments
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May
6
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A state senate committee on wasting time yesterday voted 18-8 to send the ban on same-sex marriage to the full senate.
The bill will probably pass in a vote as early as tomorrow, but the AP reports it might not matter: There’s no similar bill in the house, and chances of any bill passing there are slim with Democratic control. (But, boy, wouldn’t it be interesting to see how Speaker O’Brien votes on it!) People rallied against the bill after it went out of committee.
Notorious funnyman/lame duck state senator Vince Fumo noted his fellow lawmakers would also vote for genocide, bloodletting, a flat earth, Zeus and bronze tools.
Pa. Senate set to vote on same-sex marriage ban [AP/Philly.com]
[Photo via AP/Daylife]
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dmac | 2:09 PM | 0 Comments
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May
1
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Okay, so Fumo. Yes, Tuesday he said that Pennsylvania state lawmakers would enact slavery if they had the chance to. (In case you never went to school or are just a moron, slavery is forbidden by an amendment to the Constitution, but whatever.)
Now he’s distancing himself from those comments, saying he was “only exaggerating to make a point.”
“If a majority would vote to approve slavery - as was done once in this country - that wouldn’t make it right,” he said. “I wanted people at the hearing to face the fact that denying human rights to any group, including homosexuals, at any point in our history, including in 2008, is wrong.” The governor said he would veto any slavery bill, anyway. No word if Fumo thinks slavery has enough support to override the veto.
Fox 29 had the bishop who got into the exchange with Fumo; senior pastor Gilbert Coleman was there to testify against gay marriage. He’s surprisingly calm about the whole thing. I guess when you spend all your time hating gays it’s pretty easy to be calm otherwise. Redlasso clip after the jump.
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dmac | 10:14 AM | 17 Comments
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Apr
21
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Photo via Brett Lieberman, Pennsyltucky Politics
Chelsea Clinton was in town Friday night, and boy did she have a fabulous time! And why not: She hit all the gay bars in Center City, along with Ed Rendell and Rob Reiner. She even went to Tavern on Camac and Sisters! (Her pub crawl also included Woody’s and Bump. What, no Uncle’s?)
When Chelsea was little, Rush Limbaugh called her ugly and everybody got mad at him. But nobody’s calling Chelsea unattractive now. “Chelsea, the gays love you,” shouted one gay person. “We love your highlights — you’re gorgeous baby!” said another, which prompted bisexual hottie Anne Dicker to say, “Maybe they’re swingers.” Sadly, Chelsea could not visit the now-closed Club Kama Sutra to find out.
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dmac | 9:16 AM | 7 Comments
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