'Glee' Casts Chord Overstreet To Be Chris Colfer's Boyfriend

BY ON TOP MAGAZINE STAFF 
PUBLISHED: AUGUST 25, 2010

The buzz on the Internet is that Chord Overstreet will play Chris Colfer's
boyfriend on Fox's musical comedy hit Glee.

We say buzz because it's not official, but Jane Lynch, who plays sharp
 tongued coach Sue Sylvester and recently married her wife in 
Massachusetts, dropped strong hints Monday that Overstreet and Colfer,
who plays gay student Kurt Hummel, are headed for a liplock when the show returns for its second season in the fall. (Glee showmaster Ryan Murphy has previously criticized ABC's comedy hitModern Family for censoring affection between its gay characters.)

Kurt's boyfriend has already been cast, Lynch told celebrity network E!, and
 he's a “good-looking kid” who's “tall, boyish with straight blond hair
and big fat, pouty lips.”

“Of course that describes new cast member Chord Overstreet to a tee!” Greg Hernandez of GregInHollywood.com exclaimed at his celebrity blog.

The iCarly alum has been cast to play the role of jock Sam Evans in season two.

Twenty-year-old Colfer, who is openly gay, has been nominated for an
 Emmy for his portrayal of Kurt.

http://www.ontopmag.com

Wyoming Couple Go It Alone In Challenging Gay Marriage Ban

BY CARLOS SANTOSCOY 
PUBLISHED: AUGUST 25, 2010

A Wyoming gay couple is going it alone in challenging the
 state's law that bans gay marriage, the AP reported.

David Shupe-Roderick, 25, and Ryan W. Dupree, 21, are
challenging the state's ban after the Laramie County Clerk's
 Office refused to issued them a marriage license.

The two men say they are representing themselves because
they cannot afford to hire an attorney.

“I kind of know some about the law, and I know how to
research things,” Shupe-Roderick told the Casper Star Tribune.
 “If I have to do this on my own, I will, because it's a cause I believe in.”

On August 13, the couple asked U.S. District Judge
Alan B. Johnson to end the restriction.

A spokesman for Governor Dave Freudenthal, a Democrat, said
Tuesday that the administration would defend the law vigorously.

Unlike California's high-profile Proposition 8 challenge, plaintiffs
 in Wyoming won't have two highly regarded constitutional lawyers,
Ted Olson and David Boies, to argue their case or the benefit of a
deep-pocketed Hollywood-backed group, the American Foundation
for Equal Rights, which was formed specifically to support the lawsuit.

The social conservative group WyWatch Family Action, which supports
 putting a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in the
 Wyoming Constitution, decried the lawsuit.

“We just don't believe that a federal judge should be determining
the definition of marriage,” the group's Becky Vandeberghe said.

A 2008 WyWatch Family Action commissioned poll of 509 registered
 voters found a large majority (74%) of respondents support a
constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. However, the poll
relied heavily on the opinions of registered Republicans, who,
on average, are more likely to oppose marriage equality. According
to a New York Times poll, 63 percent of Wyomingites oppose gay marriage.

 http://www.ontopmag.com

Is the GOP Dropping The Fight Against Gay Rights?

August 25, 2010 by James Hipps 

I ran across a very interesting post on The Frum Forum that talks about how some GOP members, many prominently so, are dropping their anti-gay stances and are actually starting to support equality for the LGBT community.

According to the post:

The list of conservatives supporting gay equality is growing – from the many Republican appointed judges who have ruled in favor of various gay rights cases, to GOP Solicitor General Ted Olson, Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and even the ultraconservative former Vice President Dick Cheney. Nowadays Margaret Hoover of Fox News sits on the board of GOProud alongside conservative Grover Norquist; and even Elisabeth Hasselbeck has come out in support of gay marriage rights.

A growing list of conservative writers and activist have endorsed various gay causes as well. Philip Klein at the American Spectator and talking head Mike Gallagher oppose “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and pundit George Will has remarked that with changing attitudes and demographics, “homosexuality will soon be a non-issue in the military”.

Te post concludes by pointing out some of the more obvious reasons for the shift, including an overall shift in public opinion and the fact that opposing gay rights contradicts the GOP’s stance of increasing personal freedoms and liberties by creating a smaller government.

However, one thing they don’t point out, which I feel is noteworthy, is the fact the GOP’s is not comprised of stupid people and they’re very good political strategist.

The way I see it, there’s a very good chance that the Democrats may maintain control of the House this November, which the GOP machine is looking to take over.  Like any organization, they are looking to grow and prosper and here’s the opportunity. While at one time it may have been beneficial to a Republican to be anti-gay, not so much anymore with the changing public attitude. They also see the contempt that many from the LGBT community have for the Democrats and President Obama for not doing what they consider ‘enough and fast enough’ for the LGBT community. That is a golden opportunity waiting to be seized. I think the flailing GOP sees there are plenty of bloggers and gay activist who will be more than willing to throw support and dollars towards any GOP candidate perceived as gay friendly while they brew their blend of coffee and throw the Obama Administration and the Democratic party (which in reality is the only reason we’ve made progress towards equality and inclusion) under the bus.

So even though I believe that yes, some GOP’ers are starting to recognize how being anti-gay really goes against their party’s intent, I’m more inclined to believe it’s about opportunity. The opportunity to gain party momentum from a very politically active segment of the population. Understanding that we live in the United States of Amnesia, I’m sure it will be easy for the Republicans to lure some sheep over to their side of the fence, but I for one, haven’t forgotten who are allies, and enemies have been.  I won’t be eager to follow.

http://www.gayagenda.com

A Marine, His Religion, and His Roommate

In an interview yesterday, Marine Commandant General James Conway asserted that — given their machismo and religious beliefs — his Marines should not have to share quarters with another Marine that is openly gay without their consent. He stated that, "in some instances we will have people that say that homosexuality is wrong and they simply do not want to room with a person of that persuasion because it would go against their religious beliefs."

Perhaps it's time to applaud Gen. Conway's care and recognition of the religious beliefs of the brave men and women serving our nation. I believe such precedence may do more to assist other faithful and macho Marines as well. As Gen. Conway points out, "[the Marines] recruit a certain type of young American, a pretty macho guy or gal, that is willing to go fight and perhaps die for their country." If we don't take care to honor the religious concerns of our macho Marines, who will fight or die for America?

What I am left wondering, however, is if we should force our pretty Macho Marines to share quarters with someone of other persuasions as well, like those who are black, Latino or Asian? Maybe the presence of a Muslim Marine is objectionable to one just trying to live macho-y without being openly confronted by someone that they find religiously objectionable.

Seriously, who could sleep, play video games, or clean their weapon when they have to live with someone objectionable to them? Policies that force a servicemember to hide their identity and lie as much as possible only serve to strengthen the cohesion of our fighting forces. Just imagine: you're trying to enjoy your down time in your room, in walks your roommate, and they just can't relate with your desire to only mate with someone of the opposite sex. Who could live with that, let alone focus on their wartime mission? You would have to spend all day and night praying that they don't end up persuading you, too.

Perhaps the General should conduct a complete and thorough study on how a macho Marine could be "persuaded" to be gay in the first place. If the Commandant of Machismo believes that a Marine being open about who they are is so unwanted or disastrous, maybe he should make this study his top priority before he retires. We wouldn't want this problem to weaken the tenure of the next Commandant, do we?

On the other hand, maybe he should consider the persuasion of Colin Powell, John Shalikashvili, Wesley Clark, hundreds of other U.S. military leaders, and the 25 countries around the world (including our NATO allies) who have absolutely no problem with openly gay servicemembers. Something he might be capable of doing, since Gen. Conway's did state that if "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is repealed by Congress and the President, he'll follow the law immediately and without hesitation.

Photo credit: isafmedia

http://gayrights.change.org

Jay Breneman is an Army veteran, having served for 6 1/2 years, with 3 years overseas, including two tours in Iraq.

The Architect of the Bush/Cheney '04 Campaign, About to Come Out of the Closet?

UPDATE: The Atlantic article mentioned below is now available online. Here's Mehlman's statement: "It's taken me 43 years to get comfortable with this part of my life," Mehlman said. "Everybody has their own path to travel, their own journey, and for me, over the past few months, I've told my family, friends, former colleagues, and current colleagues, and they've been wonderful and supportive. The process has been something that's made me a happier and better person. It's something I wish I had done years ago." It's official.

Hold onto your hat, grab onto your knickers, and prepare to be thrown for a loop. Because if the rumors are true, then Ken Mehlman, the architect of the Bush/Cheney '04 re-election campaign and one of the GOP officials who helped orchestrate anti-gay ballot measures across the country ... is about to come out as a gay man.

Man, we all have baggage in our past. But Mehlman's might take the cake.

Mike Rogers, who writes over at Blog Active and starred in a documentary about closeted GOP politicians, Outrage, is breaking the story. According to Rogers, Mehlman is planning on coming out of the closet in an article in The Atlantic. Mehlman will couple it with a fundraising appeal, apparently, for marriage equality.

Though official confirmation from Mehlman is still up in the air, Rogers has been reporting on Mehlman for close to six years, and has noted multiple times that while Mehlman was plotting an anti-gay political strategy with the national GOP, he was in his own personal life completely and totally gay.

So how should the gay community react to this? Is Mehlman the latest Republican Party official to turn over a new leaf when it comes to gay rights? Or is he a man that has had such an unforgivable past, that even his coming out of the closet and supporting marriage equality can't undo the harm that his political work has done to the LGBT community?

It's quite the question. Mehlman, as one of the key pieces to the Bush/Cheney '04 re-election campaign, is responsible for helping put in office one of the most anti-gay Presidential administrations this country has ever seen. President Bush killed hate crimes legislation, showed disdain for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, threatened to write into the U.S. Constitution a ban on gay marriage, and gave federal dollars to people like Maggie Gallagher, the quintessential advocate for hating on LGBT people.

Gulp. This isn't going to be good.

Take a look at the headline that Joe Jervis at Joe.My.God used in describing Mehlman's impending announcement to the LGBT club: "Repulsive Anti-Gay Quisling Homophobic Scumbag Asshat Closeted Former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman Is About To Come Out."

And that may be as good as it gets for Mehlman, at least in the short-term.

Mike Rogers, for his part, is even more direct. He wants Mehlman to publicly apologize for working to elect a President who wanted to enshrine discrimination against LGBT people into federal law.

"I want to hear from Ken that he is sorry for being the architect of the 2004 Bush reelection campaign. I want to hear from Ken that he is sorry for his role in developing strategy that resulted in George W. Bush threatening to veto ENDA or any bill containing hate crimes laws," Rogers adds. "I want to hear from Ken that he is sorry for the pressing of two Federal Marriage Amendments as political tools. I want to hear from Ken that he is sorry for developing the 72-hour strategy, using homophobic churches to become political arms of the GOP before Election Day."

I want to hear that from Mehlman, too. But I'm guessing that hell will freeze over first, or that Danielle Staub will have a number one song on Ryan Seacrest's American Top 40 before that happens.

Man, if social conservatives thought that Ann Coulter's appearance at a gay GOP event was enough to cause Armageddon, just wait until they get a load of this. Indeed, I'm not quite sure how I feel about Mehlman yet, and it probably makes sense to wait until the Atlantic's article breaks before really coming to a conclusion on Mehlman's decision to open up the closet door.

But definitely this says one thing: the GOP has a gay problem that's becoming as wide as the Grand Canyon. Will they become a party big enough for LGBT people to be involved, or will they fall back into the arms of social conservatives -- those same social conservatives that Mehlman, as architect of the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign, was all too willing to embrace a few years back.

Photo credit: YouTube/Meet the Press

http://gayrights.change.org

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.

Marine Corps Commandant Conway Reiterates: Marines Should Not Have To Share Quarters With Gay Troops

By Igor Volsky  

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway

NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski is reporting that Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway has reiterated his position that if Congress repeals Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Marines who “don’t want to room” with openly gay soldiers should be allowed to live separately:

On a different, but related subject, Conway suggested that if the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” law is repealed, the Marines may consider allowing Marines not to share quarters with homosexuals.
Conway said the Marines may make such housing arrangements “voluntary” to accommodate any “moral concerns.” He said many Marines are “very religious” and because of their moral concerns “don’t want to room” with homosexuals.
But Conway stressed that if the law is repealed, the Marines would take the lead in implementing it. “We cannot be seen as dragging our feet. We’ve got two wars to fight. We’ll implement it and move on,” said Conway.

Conway of course came under intense criticism in March when he told Military.com he will insist that the Marines have the option of not living alongside gay servicemembers. “But I would not ask our Marines to live with someone who is homosexual, if we could possibly avoid it. And to me, it means we have to build BEQs [Bachelor/Base Enlisted Quarters] that have single rooms,” he said.
The Pentagon has tried to distance itself from Conway’s words. In July, after some interpreted the Pentagon’s suggestion that the military might use the results from the DADT survey to make “adjustments to facilities themselves,” Pentagon spokesperson Geoff Morell told me, “no one is considering ’separate but equal’ bathing or living facilities for you know, gay and straight troops. That’s just not ever a consideration.”
Indeed, should Conway’s request be granted, the United States will become the only nation (of the 25 that have dropped the ban) that segregates its servicemembers on the basis of sexual orientation. As Larry Korb argues in this report, “the militaries of Great Britain, Canada, and Israel amply demonstrate that lifting the ban on openly gay service will not require the U.S. military to provide separate housing, shower, or other common-use facilities for gay and lesbian service members.” In fact, even General Carl Mundy, commandant of the Marine Corps from 1991 to 1995 and an opponent of a repeal, has predicted that segregating the forces “would be absolutely disastrous in the armed forces. …It would destroy any sense of cohesion or teamwork or good order and discipline.”

UPDATEConway said he doesn't believe there will be additional money to build separate baracks but suggested starting off with a voluntary system as "the best way to start without violating anybody's sense of moral concern or a perception on the part of their mates":

"Well, I think, as a commander, you try to satisfy the requirements of all your Marines. And if the law changes and we have homosexual Marines, we'll be as concerned about their rights, their privileges, their morale, as we will Marines who feel differently about that whole paradigm." He added that local commanders will be required "to assist us in making sure that every Marine is provided for and is focused on the fight at hand."                 

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org

1. pete Says:

   ---

   That is a seriously skinny head.
   August 24th, 2010 at 1:37 pm

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2. kevinbgoode Says:

   ---

   They shouldn’t have to share their quarters with evangelicals, who are people who specifically selected a “religious” belief which requires them to proselytize and recruit others regardless of interest in that faith.
   If the military is going to play the paranoid segregation game (as if no soldiers ever showered with gay peers in high school gym classes when they were younger) they need to start moving these right-wing evangelicals into quarters so they can “practice” their “religion” among themselves.
   August 24th, 2010 at 1:43 pm

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3. Mark Says:

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   Doesn’t this guy realize that “his” marines are already sharing quarters with gays? What’s worse, knowing somebody is gay or sharing quarters with a closet case? This whole debate is completely ridiculous.
   August 24th, 2010 at 2:09 pm

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4. Ohg Rea Tone Says:

   ---

   This guy received his education at the primate facility at the Omaha Zoo. He has trouble with self-identification. He failed the basic mirror test. ………
   http://thefiresidepost.com/2010/08/24/inside-the-minds-of-rednecks-and-consequences/
   August 24th, 2010 at 2:16 pm

   ---

5. K in VA Says:

   ---

   Jeez, all these years, I thought I was a lesbian.
   Now I find out I’m a “whole paradigm,” and I’m not happy about that.
   August 24th, 2010 at 3:45 pm

   ---

6. Corey Mondello Says:

   ---

   THEY PROBABLY ALREADY ARE COMMANDER SH&T HEAD.
   August 24th, 2010 at 5:06 pm

1 pic=2 Sharpeis

Graham Prays Outside Pentagon After Being Barred

 

In view of REv Graham comments about President Obama, " Born A Muslim and having the Seed." We decided to go back to an incident back in May of this year when The Rev. decided to crash into the Pentagon. I suppose our readers know about what he (The Rev) thinks of the LGTB marriage and equal rights issues. AF

WASHINGTON (May 6) -- Evangelist Franklin Graham went to the Pentagon this morning to pray, unbowed after Army officials told him he couldn't come inside to lead today's National Day of Prayer service because of his comments about Islam.

Graham, his wife and three others prayed for about five minutes outside the Pentagon before visiting the nearby 9/11 Memorial and answering reporters' questions. He thanked President Barack Obama for issuing a National Day of Prayer proclamation and for instructing the Justice Department to challenge a federal court ruling that declared the event unconstitutional.

But Graham did not back down from the views about Islam -- that it is an "evil" religion -- that got him booted in the first place.

Cliff Owen, AP

The Rev. Franklin Graham speaks with reporters Thursday after praying in a Pentagon parking lot.

"Muslims don't agree with the Christian faith so we have honest disagreements," he said, adding that he is "not out crusading" against Islam and has only spoken out when questioned by reporters. Noting that the Pentagon has held Ramadan services, he said, "I don't complain about those and they ought to have Christian services."

Graham was asked by Pentagon reporters how he would feel if his son Edward, an Army captain now serving in Afghanistan, was wounded in combat and only a Muslim chaplain were nearby to pray with him. "Look, we're human beings," Graham said. "I would be thankful that someone cared enough to reach out to my son, regardless of what the person's faith was."

Graham then left the Pentagon reservation for a congressional prayer service on Capitol Hill sponsored by the same Colorado-based group that originally organized the Pentagon event. Three dozen members of Congress wrote, unsuccessfully, to Defense Secretary Robert Gates urging him to re-invite Graham to the Pentagon observance.

Given the publicity surrounding the Pentagon event, Army officials might not be blamed for praying this day would be over after the Military Religious Freedom Foundation complained that Graham crossed a line by sharply criticizing Islam. 

The son of famed evangelist Billy Graham was to lead a prayer service inside the military headquarters today that was sponsored by the Christian National Day of Prayer Task Force (NDPTF). But Army leaders decided Graham, who also said Muslims were "enslaved" by their religion, was way off-message at a time when U.S. troops are trying to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan. The prayer task force, which remained a sponsor of the Capitol Hill prayer service and hundreds of others across the country, pulled out of the military event.

Army Col. Thomas E. Preston, a Protestant chaplain and executive director of the Armed Forces Chaplain Board, filled in for Graham as the main speaker at the morning Pentagon prayer service. The program also included prayers from Catholic, Jewish and Muslim chaplains, who were hastily added to the program after the NDPTF dropped out. 

Graham had hoped to pray inside the Pentagon today and personally appealed to Obama during a meeting last month at his father's North Carolina home. The president, who prayed with the ailing elder Graham, reportedly said he would "look into it."

But the president apparently has had other things on his plate.

"President Obama is proud to observe the National Day of Prayer and signed a Day of Prayer proclamation," said White House spokesman Shin Inouye when asked if the president had interceded on Graham's behalf. "He also recently hosted many Christian leaders at the White House for a celebration of prayer at Easter time."

When it became clear earlier this week that the president had taken no action, Graham sounded offin an interview with USA Today. If Obama didn't intervene, "it will be a slap in the face of all Christians," he said. In remarks to the conservative website Newsmax, he accused the government of restricting his "religious rights" and warned of a growing "secularization."

Compared to other presidents, Obama isn't much of a church-goer. But the president hasn't shut out religion, preferring a more ecumenical approach than Graham, who told USA Today that "mainstream evangelicals" have gotten little respect from this White House.

Obama's National Day of Prayer proclamation made no mention of a specific deity, a stark contrast to the "statement of faith" by the NDPTF requiring event planners to sign to be listed on its website. Whereas Graham, an honorary chairman of the task force, this week mocked Hindu beliefs, Obama has observed that religion's festival of Diwali. He has also hosted a Ramadan dinner and Passover seders. And he has met Pope Benedict XVI. 

Obama is to meet with his national security team on Afghanistan and Pakistan today. No prayer day events are listed on his official schedule.

A new Gallup Poll shows most Americans either support or are not bothered by the annual National Day of Prayer. When asked whether promoting Christian prayer should be a major goal of the events, 62 percent said yes.

While a majority of Americans aren't bothered by Graham's sectarian preferences, Michael Cromartie of the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center said Graham should apologize for his comments about Islam.

Noting that his father had apologized for anti-Semitic remarks he once made, Cromartie said Graham should, "realize the majority of Muslims around the world are not violent and do not want to kill innocent people, and acknowledge that many people misrepresent Christianity in ways that are more than a little embarrassing to followers of Christ. He should stop playing the victim, be more humble, and repent of past mistakes."

http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org

Andrea StoneSenior Washington Correspondent