National Coming Out Day: MadProfessah is on BoingBoing!

Today is National Coming Out Day and BoingBoing.net, the blog of wonderful things, is celebrating by featuring the stories of scientists and engineers who are out in their fields.

MadProfessah's alter ego Professor Ron Buckmire provides one of the featured stories, which they entitled "Race, Sexual Orientation, Academia--Bringing It All Together."

Go check me out!

WATCH: Mike Signorile Explain Mehlman's Antigay Actions on CNN

Outed Former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman Comes Out

Ken Mehlman, 44, a longtime Republican political operative, protege of the truly odious Lee Atwater and former chair of the Republican National Committee, Political Director in the George W. Bush White House and campaign manager of the 2004 Bush-Cheney re-election effort has finally acknowledged his homosexuality publicly, after being outed by Mike Rogers years ago and in his excellent Outrage (2009) documentary, which just happens to be up for an Emmy award this weekend September 19th.

The impetus for Melhman's revelation (by Marc Ambinder in The Atlantic) was his decision to become involved in a huge fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the sponsors of the Olson-Boies federal lawsuit against Proposition 8.

The reactions to Mehlman's announcement, especially from the LGBT community have generally been vitriolic, with Joe.My.God titling his post "Repulsive Anti-Gay Quisling Homophobic Scumbag Asshat Closeted Former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman Has Come Out" while Dustin Lance Black posted to facebook that it was "an incredible coup for AFER."

I find my thoughts closer to Joe's than Dustin's, which is why I have created the tag "quislings" especially for this occasion. I think Equality California's executive director Geoff Kors gets pretty close to the right response with:

"One of the things I sincerely hope Ken Mehlman has done or will do is to explain to George W. Bush how denying LGBT people equality causes real harm and how the GOP's anti-equality platform and campaigns lead to teen suicides and hate crimes. I hope he explains how bigotry impacted him and that he has asked George W Bush to join his wife Laura in supporting marriage equality. If he can convince Bush to publicly change his position that would be powerful. And I hope he shares with the public how the GOP used animus towards gay people to pass anti-marriage state constitutional amendments, as that will bolster the federal Prop 8 case. What he does to undo the damage he caused can be a part of his legacy and working with AFER to help overturn Prop 8 is a good start. We all have to hope he goes all out and proves he is a talented political strategist -- this time on the side of equality."

What do you think?

Formerly Closeted State Sen. Ashburn (R) Speaks

Patt Morrison (Occidental College alumna and KPCC radio host) spoke with state Senator Roy Ashburn for the Los Angeles Times about his life as secretly gay man voting as a Republican state senator against every piece of LGBT legislation he saw (and Equality California has sponsored and had enacted nearly 50 pieces of legislation since 2002) before being caught driving under the influence from a Sacramento gay bar with an un-named male companion last year.

To his credit, Ashburn came out publicly soon after and has voted in favor of LGBT equality since.

Here's an excerpt from his interview which appeared in today's paper:

Barry Goldwater had a gay grandson and didn't think government had any business in anybody's bedroom. But the recent brand of Republicanism has championed anti-gay issues.

I truly believe the conservative philosophy as embraced by Goldwater: that the government has no role in the private lives of the citizens. In the 1980s, there was a coming together of the religious right and the Goldwater right, sort of a marriage of convenience. It propelled Ronald Reagan to the presidency. Reagan never repudiated that but — this is just my view — I don't think he really embraced it either. In no way do I want to put down people of strong religious convictions; I happen to have very strong religious beliefs myself. But it was a merger of those two, and the religious [right's issues] were about same-sex rules, same-sex marriage, abortion, gun rights, these sort of core, litmus-test issues.

Did you feel uneasy with that combination? You did help to organize and speak at a rally in 2005 against a legislative bill sanctioning same-sex marriage.

How I ever got into that is beyond me. I was very uncomfortable with that, and I told one of my confidantes, "I'm never doing that again." It was not what I wanted to do, it wasn't me, but I helped to organize and lent my name.

A lot of people, gay or straight, are probably wondering why you voted even against issues like insurance coverage for same-sex partners.

The best I can do is to say that I was hiding. I was so in terror I could not allow any attention to come my way. So any measure that had to do with the subject of sexual orientation was an automatic "no" vote. I was paralyzed by this fear, and so I voted without even looking at the content. The purpose of government is to protect the rights of people under the law, regardless of our skin color, national origin, our height, our weight, our sexual orientation. This is a nation predicated on the belief that there is no discrimination on those characteristics, and so my vote denied people equal treatment, and I'm truly sorry for that.

It's well worth the read and shows why closeted gay Republicans should be outed as often as possible. It makes a difference.

Ricky Martin Comes Out

Confirming one of the most widely known "secrets" in Hollywood, Ricky Martin revealed on his website (and via Twitter) that he is indeed, gay. Martin, 38, has long-rumored to gay and recently was in the news when he became the father of two kids through surrogacy.

These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed.

What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. The word "happiness" takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution.

I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.

Congrats, Ricky!

Anti-Gay GOP CA St. Sen. Ashburn Comes Out

Anti-gay California State Senator Roy Ashburn who was arrested last week on a DUI minutes after leaving a Sacramento gay bar with an unidentified Latino man has now come out as gay on a radio talk show:

“I am gay. Those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long. It is something that is personal, and I don’t believe I felt with my heart that being gay would affect how I do my job,” Ashburn said.
Asked about his anti-gay voting record, Ashburn said, “I felt my duty, and I still feel this way, is to represent my constituents.”
Radio talk show host Inga Barks wanted assurances that Ashburn would continue to vote in a conservative manner on LGBT rights issues. Ashburn responded, “I believe firmly that my responsibility is to my constituents. I will take a careful look at each measure and apply that standard. How would they vote on this? How would they want me to vote on this,” adding that most people understood what that means.
“I don’t know how else to ask this, but are you going to live this lifestyle now in the district?” Barks asked. Ashburn, who announced he is not running for public office again, said, “I pray to God I can find peace. I want to go back to the senate and work hard for the people of my district…Now you know everything about me.”

Really? Do you always vote the way your conservative district wanted, Senator? How about when you voted for the budget?

Hat/tip GayPolitics.com

UPDATE 03/08/2010 6:20PM

Equality California has issued a statement on Ray Ashburn's acknowledgment of homosexuality today:

Senator Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield) who told listeners this morning on KERN Radio AM 1180 that he is gay.

“We can empathize with Senator Ashburn’s long and difficult journey to admit that he is gay. Equality California looks forward to working with the Senator to use his experience to educate the people in his district on why he deserves the same rights and privileges as a gay man as any other Californian.
“Senator Ashburn said he has voted against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-rights measures because of the preferences of voters in his district, but to date, no legislator has lost his or her seat for supporting Equality California-sponsored legislation. This includes legislators in a number of conservative districts, including in Bakersfield, Fresno and the Salinas Valley.
“Although we question the Senator’s claim that an overwhelming majority of voters in his district support employment and housing discrimination against LGBT individuals – bills he voted against, we are working hard to build support across the state among voters in all districts.”

Senator Ashburn has consistently received a zero percent on Equality California’s Legislative Scorecards since 2004, with the exception of 2007, when he scored 10 percent.

 

Openly Gay Man Nominated For Federal Judgeship

United States Senator of New York Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is making news today with the announcement that he is recommending the first openly gay man for a federal judgeship: Daniel Alter.

From the press release from the Senator's office:

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that he is recommending Daniel Alter to President Obama to serve as a judge in the Southern District federal court. Mr. Alter is a history-making pick, as he is the first openly gay male nominated for the federal court in American history. Schumer laid out several reasons Alter would make an excellent fit for the job. Schumer said that Alter’s stellar legal background, close ties to New York, even-handedness, temperament and demonstrated leadership skills would make him an excellent choice for the Southern District Court. Schumer also said that he is highly capable and very qualified for the position.

“Daniel Alter couldn’t be a more perfect choice. He is a brilliant attorney who possesses the knowledge, balanced views and temperament required of a federal judge,” Schumer said. “His outstanding leadership skills, his commitment to justice, and his extensive experience make him an exceptional choice for a position on the federal bench. I’m proud to nominate Daniel Alter. Period. But I am equally proud to nominate him because he is a history-maker who will be the first openly gay male judge in American history.”

Alter is a graduate of Columbia College and Yale Law School. As a young lawyer, Mr. Alter clerked for the Hon. John M. Walker and the Hon. Guido Calabresi, who both served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

The sexual orientation of federal judges has been in the news recently with the San Francisco Chronicle reporting over the weekend that U.S. District Court judge Vaughn Walker, who just happens to be conducting the most important gay rights case (on the federal constitutionality of California's Proposition 8) of the decade (century?) is openly gay.

There are currently 875 federal judges under Article III of the United States Constitution and exactly two are known to be openly gay or lesbian: Vaughn Walker and Deborah Batts (who is also Black).

Human Rights Campaign Joe Solmonese released a statement:

“Daniel Alter is eminently qualified for a position on the federal bench. America is taking a step forward towards equality by evaluating an individual based on his accomplishments and without regard to his sexual orientation. We commend Senator Schumer for his historic recommendation, and look forward to the President’s nomination.”

Federal judgeships are lifetime appointments and have been a flashpoint with Republicans in the past. It should be interesting to see how long it takes the Alter nomination to get through the Senate, and how long it takes the Obama administration to formally initiate the process.

I'm also curious if this will encourage any other federal judges to come out. After all, 2 out of 875 federal judges being gay or lesbian is a statistically unlikely number.

SF CHRONICLE Outs Prop 8 Federal Judge

The San Francisco Chronicle has published a story revealing to the general public an open secret that many of us have already known: Vaughn Walker, the federal judge conducting the federal trial into the unconstitutionality of Proposition 8 known as Perry v. Schwarznegger, is gay:

The biggest open secret in the landmark trial over same-sex marriage being heard in San Francisco is that the federal judge who will decide the case, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, is himself gay.

Many gay politicians in San Francisco and lawyers who have had dealings with Walker say the 65-year-old jurist, appointed to the bench by President George H.W. Bush in 1989, has never taken pains to disguise - or advertise - his orientation.

They also don't believe it will influence how he rules on the case he's now hearing - whether Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure approved by state voters to ban same-sex marriage, unconstitutionally discriminates against gays and lesbians.

[...]

Many San Francisco gays still hold Walker in contempt for a case he took when he was a private attorney, when he represented the U.S. Olympic Committee in a successful bid to keep San Francisco's Gay Olympics from infringing on its name.

"Life is full of irony," the judge replied when we reminded him about that episode.

And did he have any concerns about being characterized as gay?

"No comment."

Shortly after our conversation, we heard from a federal judge who counts himself as a friend and confidant of Walker's. He said he had spoken with Walker and was concerned that "people will come to the conclusion that (Walker) wants to conceal his sexuality."

"He has a private life and he doesn't conceal it, but doesn't think it is relevant to his decisions in any case, and he doesn't bring it to bear in any decisions," said the judge, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the Prop. 8 trial.

"Is it newsworthy?" he said of Walker's orientation, and laughed. "Yes."

He said it was hard to ignore the irony that "in the beginning, when (Walker) sought to be a judge, a major obstacle he had to overcome was the perception that he was anti-gay."

In short, the friend said, Walker's background is relevant in the same way people would want to know that a judge hearing a discrimination case involving Latinos was Latino or a Jewish judge was ruling in a case involving the Anti-Defamation League.

Walker, by the way, didn't seek out the Prop. 8 case - it was assigned to him at random.

I am actually glad that this story is being published. It is newsworthy that the judge is gay, and if reporters can come up with enough sources to be confident of printing that fact, they should write a story about it. Being gay is not something to be ashamed about.

Now, being appointed to the federal bench by a Republican President, that is not something I would want very many people to know about!

Obama Speech at HRC Gala

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

New Head Of Disney Studios Openly Gay

Interesting pick up from Kevin Broderick over at LA Observed who noticed that the Los Angeles Times columnist Patrick Goldstein discusses the sexual orientation of Rich Ross in his blog for the paper. Ross, who was recently named to head Walt Disney Studios after longtime studio head Dick Cook was fired a little over two weeks ago, has a male partner of over 20 years and is comfortably out. Ross becomes the first openly gay head of a Hollywood studio, although rumors have long swirled around Diane Von Furstenberg's husband (Barry Diller).

Maybe a sequel to Kirby Dick's Outrage is in order on Hollywood?

MOVIE REVIEW: Outrage

At Netroots Nation in Pittsburgh I saw the documentary Outrage, directed by Kirby Dick (who made the acclaimed This Film Is Not Yet Rated) and starring Mike Rogers of PageOneQ and Michelangelo Signorile of The Gist.

Both Mike and Michelangelo are most well-known
for their involvement in the controversy about revealing the homosexuality of closeted homosexuals.

Mike Rogers outed U.S. Senator Larry Craig in October 17, 2006 several months before the Senator was arrested in a men's bathroom at the Minneapolis Airport.

Michelangelo Signorile is well-known for being the features editor at OutWeek magazine in the early 1990s, eventually outing celebrities such as David Geffen, Malcolm Forbes and Liz Smith, among others.

The movie Outrage is riveting. Using devastating actual audio and video footage of Larry Craig, Governor Charlie Crist and Rep. Jim Mcrery. Craig and Crist are actually shown on camera answering questions about whether they are gay or not. It is left up to the audience to evaluate the truthfulness of their responses.

Several LGBT activists appear as talking heads to show righteous outrage at the hypocrisy of closeted Republicans who actively worked against the needs of the broader LGBT community, or who were in positions of power to help and through inaction caused great harm to continue. Elizabeth Birch, Rodger McFarlane, Hilary Rosen, Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin, Jim Kolbe and Andrew Sullivan are just some of the members of the community who rain down scorn upon closeted homosexuals.

One curious aspect of the film is the attention it spends so much of its time on James McGreevey, the former governor of New Jersey who announced that he was "A gay American" and promptly resigned his post, and divorced his (second) wife. McGreevey is used to demonstrate the positive mental health aspects of politicians coming out of their own accord, but the more problematic aspects of McGreevey's story are not included in the film.

All in all, Outrage is required viewing for any gay person who is interested in LGBT politics, the debate over the ethics of outing and the media's role in both.

MPAA Rating: R [See Full Rating] for some language and sexual references. Running Time: 1 hour, 29 minutes.

OVERALL GRADE: A.

ACTING: N/A.
IMAGERY: A-.
PLOT/WRITING: A.
IMPACT: A.

CA-10: Victory Fund and HRC Endorse Anthony Woods

The nation's largest LGBT advocacy organization, Human Rights Campaign, has endorsed Anthony Woods in the Tuesday September 1 primary election for the 10th Congressional district of California.

The Victory Fund has also endorsed Woods, as has MadProfessah.

From the press release (courtesy Pam's House Blend):

"The Human Rights Campaign is proud to endorse Anthony Woods, a veteran of the Iraq war and steadfast advocate for our community, to become the next U.S. Congressman from California's 10th district," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "Anthony hasn't just shown his support on issues of LGBT equality, he's lived them -- especially the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' Anthony's support of marriage equality will also be important as we work to repeal Proposition 8, which stripped marriage rights away for California's same-sex couples. There is no doubt that Anthony will be a role model for LGBT youth, and we applaud his continuing service to our country."

"Anthony Woods is an exciting candidate with a tremendous record of accomplishment. He's also running an impressive campaign. Anthony has assembled a solid campaign team that understands what it will take to win this extremely competitive race. We need more leaders like Anthony Woods in the U.S. Congress, so we are proud to endorse him," said Chuck Wolfe, president of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. "His will be an authentic voice not only for the people of California's 10th Congressional District, but for the millions of Americans for whom the promise of equality remains unfulfilled."

"I am honored and proud to earn the support of Human Rights Campaign and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund," said Anthony Woods, candidate for California's 10th Congressional District. "They're working to make sure America lives up to its promise of equality under the law, which is something I'll fight for in Congress."

Celebrity Friday: Julian Breece and Aaliyah Williams

MadProfessah was at the Cornerstone Event in Los Angeles for the Point Foundation last night in Hancock Park. I ran into former Point Foundation Scholar Julian Breece, the writer/director of the brilliant short The Young and Evil which was one of the best things I saw at the Fusion LGBT People of Color Film Festival this year along with the film's producer Aaliyah Williams.

VIDEO: Trailer for "Outrage"

The movie "Outrage" directed by Kirby Dick is being released nationally tomorrow. It is about outing closeted politicians who are secretly gay but support anti-gay policies and legislation. MadProfessah has been a longtime supporter of outing, way back in the days of Michelangelo Signorile and Michael Goff and OutWeek magazine from the early 1990s.

Gay Is NOT 'the New Black'!

Here is a brief preview of my talk entitled Gay Is Not The New Black, prepared for delivery at Bowdoin College in Maine on Friday April 10 2009 at 3:30pm in Beam Auditorium.

Gay Is NOT The New Black! OR "My Bad, Is The President Still White?"

Last year's campaign to amend the California constitution to say that “Only a marriage between a man and a woman shall be valid or recognized” was the nation’s most expensive ballot measure fight on a social issue in history: a combined 83 million dollars was spent on both sides. Proposition 8 passed by 600,000 votes out of 13.4 million cast, 52.3% to 47.7%, on November 4th 2008, the very same day that Barack Obama was elected the very first African American President of the United States. Early exit polls indicated that 70% of African American voters had voted Yes on Proposition 8. Later analysis revised this number down to 58% of African Americans voters supporting a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, but a racially tinged firestorm in the LGBT community had already been ignited. On November 15th hundreds of thousands of Americans marched in parades protesting the passage of Proposition 8 in dozens of cities. Many of these protesters correctly (and incorrectly) made analogies between their actions and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, carrying signs with slogans like “Gay is the new Black.” As one of the 18,000 couples who were married while the practice was legal last summer and one of the leaders of the only Black LGBT political advocacy organization in Los Angeles County, I have a unique perspective on how issues of race and sexual orientation are portrayed and debated in the wake of the passage of Proposition 8 and will use this piece to discuss why I think Gay is NOT the new Black.

When (predominantly white) gay people say that "Gay is the new Black" they are invoking a common saying from the fashion world to send the message that discrimination against gay people is the same as discrimination against Black people. This is such a thoughtless exaggeration that it enrages African Americans and increases the divide between the two groups, causing people like myself who are both Black and Gay to become even more invisible. It is natural for LGBT activists to want to associate themselves with the successful Black civil rights movement and it is true there clearly are parallels between some of the legal discriminations that African Americans faced in the past (federal ban on serving in the military, state bans against marrying interracially, no laws banning employment or housing discrimination, et cetera). However gay people were never enslaved or murdered openly without legal recourse in great numbers and it is simply frivolous to attempt to equate the two experiences of being Black in America to being Gay in America.

The multiple reasons why electing a non-white American President resonated with so much of the country (and the world) was that such an important break from the past reveals how far the country has come from its shameful mistreatment of people of color. Barack Obama's success eloquently illustrates that race is still a central dividing line in American life while Proposition 8's passage is simply another example that the rights of minorities should never be subject to the whims of a tyrannical majority.

MadProfessah will probably not be posting oo much this weekend as I enjoy the pleasures of Maine.

Celebrity Friday: Keith and Kevin Hodges

Fellow Black gay blogger Darian clued me in to the work of Keith and Kevin Hodges, straight African American twins who have posted a video on their Youtube channel which discusses homophobia and coming out issues from a straight Black (and phyne!) perspective.

Check out their stuff--and their videos too!

Is Roger Federer Gay? Apparently Not!

World #2 Roger Federer confirmed earlier this week that he and his longtime companion/girlfriend/fiancee Mirka Vavrinec are expecting their first child this summer. The 13-time Grand Slam champion insisted (impending) fatherhood will not alter his motivation to play tennis:

“I think it’s not going to really disturb my mind-set on tennis a whole lot. I’ve always made sure that my schedule is (arranged with time to) get away from tennis a little but and then come back when I’m ready to play again.

“If it does something to me, I think it’s going to motivate me to play for a long time.”

[...]

"I’ve been thinking about something like this happening for the last two or three years.

“For me, this is not a massive shock. But when it does happen (and) your girlfriend-wife is pregnant, it definitely changes your mind-set. All of a sudden you’re hoping everything goes well, whereas before you’re just joking about it. From that respect, I’m excited that the baby comes out healthy and everything goes OK. Other than that, it’s just happiness. And all the people around me, all the people I talk to, everybody is like, ‘Wow, it’s such great news.’

“It’s a nice time. And yeah, the baby is due in summer. Summer is a big word, yeah. I’m not going to say anymore.”

So apparently Roger Federer is not gay. I never really thought that he was. From the above quote, apparently he and Mirka have been eschewing birth control for "two or three years." Interesting.

So which do you think comes first, a child or his 14th major title? (And which do you think he wants more?)

Celebrity Friday: Wanda Sykes Profiled in The Advocate

Wanda Sykes has a profile written by reporter Ari Karpel in the latest Advocate magazine, which is now a monthly. There are some interesting tidbits into the newest members of the Out Celebrity pantheon which include Ellen Degeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, T.R. Knight, Rosie O'Donnell and Sir Ian McKellen (notice anything in common between these bold-faced names? Yup, they're all white.)

Happily, the author doesn't repeat "the zombie meme" when he discusses Proposition 8 and Black people in the article:

On November 4, still riding high on the joy of their recent nuptials, Sykes and Alexandra were lifted even higher at the news of Barack Obama’s victory. But just a few hours later, like so many progressive Californians, they experienced emotional whiplash as it became evident that Prop. 8 had passed.

As an African-American in a week-old marriage, it stung Sykes even more when reports started coming in that black voters had overwhelmingly sided with the antigay measure. (Initial reports that 70% of African-Americans voters supported Prop. 8 have recently been debunked; a National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute study has shown that a more accurate number is 57%–59%.) She said it felt as if her family was being attacked. “Like, hey I’m sitting here living my life and suddenly the government -- the people, really -- walked in the door to our living room and said, ‘No, you’re not allowed to do this.’ And that’s frightening.”

At first, the comedian says, she felt guilty and wondered if she should have been more outspoken. “I mean, I wrote the checks and signed the petitions and did all that, but could I have done more?” Then she realized that, for her, doing more would mean one thing: coming out publicly. It was a wake-up call, she says. “Now I have to be in your face.” So, that night, she and Alexandra discussed it. “I said, ‘This is what I feel I have to do,’ and she was totally supportive. She was like, ‘OK, let’s do this.’” The next morning, Sykes called someone she’d met years before but barely knew -- out gay actor Doug Spearman (Noah’s Arc), who is African-American and who, as Sykes remembered, served on Equality California’s board of directors.

“I had no idea Wanda was gay,” Spearman says today. “But she is a huge hero of mine—as an actress, as a comedian, and as a working black person.” Perhaps that’s why he didn’t believe it really was Sykes who’d left him a voice mail that morning. “I thought, Somebody’s playing a little tricky trick on me.”

[...]

Sykes was scheduled to perform at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas the weekend of November 15, when post–Prop. 8 rallies were planned at city halls and statehouses across the country, and she intended to attend the local demonstration with friends. She’d gone to marches in Los Angeles in the days immediately following the election, but no one paid much attention to her. Las Vegas was a different story, though. Just when Sykes thought the speeches were over and people were preparing to march, one of the event’s organizers announced, “There’s a rumor Wanda Sykes is out there.” So, as she’d done thousands of times before, Sykes jumped onto the stage. Only this time, she told no jokes and used no profanity.

“It was from the heart,” she says today of her speech. “I just said what I said; I don’t really talk about my sexual orientation. I wasn’t in the closet, but I was just living my life. Everybody who knows me personally knows I’m gay. And that’s the way people should be able to live their lives, really. We shouldn’t have to be standing out here demanding something we automatically should have as citizens of this country.” She ended the impromptu presentation with a statement of pride: “I’m proud to be a woman, I’m proud to be a black woman, and I’m proud to be gay. Let’s go get our damn equal rights.”

By the time she’d returned to her hotel room, news that Sykes had come out of the closet was on the CNN crawl. “I was like, Damn, whatever happened to ‘What happens in Vegas…?’”

It's a great profile, you should head on over to Advocate.com and read the whole thing now!

Iceland To Name Lesbian Prime Minister!

Johanna Sigurdardottir will become the first openly gay or lesbian leader of a modern country on Saturday when she is named the Prime Minister of Iceland.

Sigurdardottir, 66, is currently the social affairs minister and once was a flight attendant and union organiser.

Now she is the consensus pick of the two main parties forming the next parliamentary governement as well as the most popular politician in her financially distressed country.

Ms Sigurdardottir has two grown-up sons. She entered politics via the labour movement, was first elected to parliament in 1978 and was given her first ministerial office in 1987. She will be Prime Minister of a minority caretaker government composed of her Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Greens, with outside support. It is only expected to hold office for two or three months, until fresh elections are called.

"In opinion polls Johanna has repeatedly been chosen as the most popular politician in Iceland," said the government source. "She is a good choice, because one of the problems the government is facing is lack of trust. Getting Johanna to become Prime Minister was a way of saying trust is an issue. Politicians want a fresh mandate from the electorate and, before they get it, they need to rebuild trust. Choosing Johanna is a way of saying, 'Let's bridge this gap, let's have peace to be able to implement the emergency measures'."

[A] poll in November [that] gave Ms Sigurdardottir a 73 per cent approval rating, she was the only minister to improve on the previous year's score.

"She is often described as the only politician who really cares about the little guy," wrote Icelandic journalist Iris Erlingsdottir in a blog this week.

She did stand for the leadership of her party back in 1994 and lost badly, but in her concession speech she predicted "my time will come". And some 15 years later, it truly has.

(When) do you think that America will have an openly gay President?

Obama Appoints Highest Ranking Gay Person Ever

Barack Obama has apparently decided on John Berry currently director of the National Zoo to become the head of the Office of Personnel Management, the highest ranking appointment of an openly gay person ever.

Many LGBT activists are still annoyed that Obama has not appointed an openly LGBT person to his Cabinet, although as one activist mentioned, it is very possible that Obama thinks that he has already done so, since it is very possible he has more information about his sexually ambiguous Homeland Security Secretary designate Janet Napolitano than the rest of us have!

Joe Solmonese, head of the Human Rights Campaign has issued the following statement, applauding the appointment:

The selection of John Berry to head the Office of Personnel Management, making him the highest-ranking openly gay official ever, is a meaningful step forward for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. In his new role, John will make critical decisions regarding the implementation of fair workplace policies for millions of federal workers. We congratulate him on his remarkable achievements and look forward to his continued leadership for the LGBT community and the nation as a whole.