Marriage Equality Near Veto Proof in New Jersey

As a New Yorker I will tell NJ Families that if you want it, you will find the people to accomplish this for you, just like we did in NY. Politicians are not into fairness.  If they are in power they are into what helps them govern. You can’t govern against what most of the people are asking. It might not be what a particular town wants, but politics that affect a particular state or the whole nation do not go by a majority of a town, but a well being of the state or the nation. adamfoxie*

By Heather Haddon

New Jersey Democrats believe they are within spitting distance of securing enough support to override a veto of same-sex marriage legislation if Gov. Chris Christie chooses not support it.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, one of the bill’s sponsors, estimated the chamber had between 24 and 27 supporters for legislation to allow for same-sex marriage in New Jersey. It takes 27 votes in the 40-member state senate to override a governor’s veto.

“I’m wishing and hoping,” said Lesniak, who also acknowledged that some potential supporters still needed “shoring up.”

Lesniak, a Democrat representing Union County, counted up to 23 Democrats and four Republicans as supporting a gay marriage, but wouldn’t disclose specific names of those he believes would vote to override a veto.

Assembly Speaker Shelia Oliver, a Democrat, has said that she has majority support for same-sex marriage legislation, and that she would work to garner the 54 votes necessary for a veto override in the 80-member Assembly.

Still, Christie noted in a interview with WNYC on Wednesday that the Legislature hasn’t been succeeded so far in passing a same-sex marriage bill, and emphasized that his opposition has been “very well publicized.”

“I think this type of societal change is something we need to do very deliberately and have as much public input as we possibly can,” the Republican governor said.

A new Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found 52% of New Jersey voters favor gay marriage, the first time approval has topped 50%. Support varies by party affiliation: majorities of Democratic (62%) and independent voters (54%) are in favor, while only 35% of Republicans approve, according to the poll.

Last week, Senate and Assembly Democrats announced that they were introducing the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act in their chambers as the first bills of the new legislative session. The Senate Judiciary Committee will take up the legislation on Tuesday. The Assembly is yet to schedule a committee hearing on the bill.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a Democrat, said he wanted a floor vote on the legislation before the budget break, which comes in March. Sweeney previously abstained on the bill when it first came up for a vote in 2010, but he has said he now sees it as a civil rights issue.

In 2003, New Jersey became one of the first states to authorize civil unions for same-sex couples. The bill now under consideration would allow couples with a civil union to “immediately” get a marriage license if they seek one.

http://blogs.wsj.com

The Fox Is Back } 2012 New Interphase

The first thing I would like to communicate to you is a sense of gratefulness that I feel to all the readers of this blog.  As my continued readers know, every year I change the format of the page. We all change in a years time and things around us for sure are in a constant micro and earth size change. As technology advances we need to keep up with how we can improve what we do. This format is not for me but for you reading this. You have many avenues of letting me know your opinion or suggestions. The most obvious one is the comment box at the end of each posting.  As you can see I brought the fox back, that even it never really went away, I want it the attention reflected not on a logo but on readership. Readership is up, even there are some weird days that make me loose some hair. 

 This site is for you and it stays up by you coming and clicking on commercials you like. As long as that stays, I need to stay. My dream would be that went I’m too tired to continue I can pass it on so someone else could continue. "The point" as they say in a playwright or the angle, vision, idea of all of those of adamfoxie* is to keep the gay community and it’s friends and families informed about certain issues that in my opinion we should all know. In between, as the father that tells their children a history lesson, one most give illustrations, humor and sometimes even candy. I try to do that. 

There is a week in which I give myself to make this changes permanent for a year (It has to have a deadline because everything serious in life does), in between I can see how this new interphase works with the commercials, stories  and more important with you. If you like this let me know by commenting or coming in and interacting with the stories and commercials.

Hope you keep me here longer. 

Adam Gonzalez

(at Last…wedding song) Etta James Died Today

(CNN) -- Etta James, whose assertive, earthy voice lit up such hits as "The Wallflower," "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and the wedding favorite "At Last," has died, according to her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon. She was 73.

She died from complications from leukemia with her husband, Artis Mills, and her sons by her side, De Leon said.

She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, and also suffered from dementia and hepatitis C. James died at a hospital in Riverside, California. She would have turned 74 Wednesday.

" This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends and fans around the world," De Leon said. "She was a true original who could sing it all -- her music defied category.

"I worked with Etta for over 30 years. She was my friend and I will miss her always."

 2008: Etta James at 'Cadillac Records'

Was "At Last" your song for your wedding's first dance?

The powerhouse singer, known as "Miss Peaches," lived an eventful life. She first hit the charts as a teenager, taking "The Wallflower (Roll With Me, Henry)" -- an "answer record" to Hank Ballard's "Work With Me, Annie" -- to No. 1 on the R&B charts in 1955. She joined Chess Records in 1960 and had a string of R&B and pop hits, many with lush string arrangements. After a mid-decade fade, she re-emerged in 1967 with a more hard-edged, soulful sound.

Throughout her career, James overcame a heroin addiction, opened for the Rolling Stones, won six Grammys and was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Despite her ups and downs -- including a number of health problems -- she maintained an optimistic attitude.

"Most of the songs I sing, they have that blue feeling to it. They have that sorry feeling. And I don't know what I'm sorry about," she told CNN's Denise Quan in 2002. "I don't!"

Through it all, she was a spitfire beloved by contemporaries and young up-and-comers.

"Etta James is unmanageable, and I'm the closest thing she's ever had to a manager," Lupe DeLeon, her manager of 30-plus years, told CNN in admiration.

British songstress Adele named James as one of her favorite singers, along with Aretha Franklin.

"If you were to look up the word singer in the dictionary, you'd see their names," Adele said in an interview.

Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles to a teen mother and unknown father. (She suspected her father was the pool player Minnesota Fats.)

Her birth mother initially took little responsibility and James was raised by a series of people, notably a pair of boardinghouse owners. But she was recognized from a young age for her booming voice, showcased in a South Central Los Angeles church.

In 1950, her mother took her to San Francisco, where James formed a group called the Peaches. Singer Johnny Otis, best known for "Willie and the Hand Jive," discovered her and had her sing a song he wrote using Ballard's tune as a model. "The Wallflower," with responses from "Louie Louie" songwriter Richard Berry, made James an R&B star.

Her signing to Chess introduced her to a broader audience, as the record label's co-owner, Leonard Chess, believed she should do pop hits. Among her recordings were "Stormy Weather," the Lena Horne classic originally from 1933; "A Sunday Kind of Love," which dates from 1946; and most notably, "At Last," a 1941 number that was originally a hit for Glenn Miller.

James' version of "At Last" starts out with swooning strings and the singer enters with confident gusto, dazzlingly maintaining a mood of joy and romance. Though the song failed to make the Top 40 upon its 1961 release -- though it did hit the R&B Top 10 -- its emotional punch has long made it a favorite at weddings.

James' career suffered in the mid-'60s when the British Invasion took over the pop charts and as she fought some personal demons. But she got a boost when she started recording at Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Her hits included the brassy "Tell Mama" and the raw "I'd Rather Go Blind," the latter later notably covered by Rod Stewart.

She entered rehab in the 1970s for her drug problem but re-established herself with live performances and an album produced by noted R&B mastermind Jerry Wexler. After another stint in rehab -- this time at the Betty Ford Clinic -- she made a comeback album, "Seven Year Itch," in 1988.

James mastered a range of styles -- from R&B and soul to jazz and blues -- but she was always one step behind the popular genre of the day, said Michael Coyle, a Colgate University professor who has written about jazz and R&B and reviews records for Cadence Magazine.

"She never really got her moment in the sun," Coyle said.

But James soldiered on, and by the end of her life she had made so much meaningful music that she was considered a living legend. "By the mid-'90s, she's survived so long that people start to look up to her," Coyle said.

James was portrayed by pop star Beyonce in the 2008 film "Cadillac Records," about Chess. After Beyonce sang "At Last" at one of President Barack Obama's 2009 inaugural balls, James lashed out: "I can't stand Beyonce. She had no business up there singing my song that I've been singing forever." She later told the New York Daily News she was joking.

Earlier this year, news reports revealed that the singer's estate was being contested in a legal struggle between her husband, Artis Mills, and son Donto James. (Donto and her other son, Sametto, both played in her band.)

Over the years, James had her share of health problems. In the late 1990s she reportedly weighed more than 400 pounds and required a scooter to get around. In 2003 she had gastric bypass surgery and dropped more than half the weight, according to People magazine.

However, until her latest issues, James maintained a steady touring schedule and appeared full of energy even when sitting down -- as she sometimes did on stage, due to bad knees and her weight battles.

Even while sitting down, James gave it her all on stage, singing as though possessed, caressing every note like a long-lost love. If that seemed a little much to critics, well, the legendary singer had a show to put on, she told Quan.

"They said that Etta James is still vulgar," she said in the 2002 interview. "I said, 'Oh, how dare 'em say I'm still real vulgar! I'm vulgar because I dance in the chair?' What would they want me to do? Want me to just be still or something like that?

"I gotta do something.” 

Perry Drops Out to go Back to His Texas Sausages

Sausages? Yes but we already posted on that and how much he enjoys his closeted Texans BF’s. Instead we’ll go civil and post from the wonkette the following article:

Rick Perry finally dropped out of the Republican race Thursday, and endorsed Newt Gingrich because it’s just more fun that way. He will now return in shame to Texas to command-in-chief his Burundi-sized army and obsessively read over all his old emails to Jesus for clues about why Jesus dumped him and maybe whatever else Rick Perry used to do besides dare to dream about the presidency, troll eBay for bulk hair products, probably. Was it something he said?

Perry will be announcing his decision at a press conference in North Charleston at 11AM this morning, the day of the candidates’ final debate in South Carolina and two days before Saturday’s primary. Like his good pal and Words With Friends partner Jon Huntsman, who dropped out Monday, Perry is not doing so hot in South Carolina polls … at all, despite his now long-expired potential appeal to social conservatives there. His slim-to-invisible standing in SC carried over from New Hampshire andIowa, where he placed sixth and fifth respectively. Nothing too complicated here: it was the gaffes, which led to unfortunate W. comparisons, to which the public apparently wisely remarked, “Too soon.”

Things went from bad to worse this week when Perry said Monday that he believed that Turkey, a U.S. ally, is run by “Islamic terrorists.” He then proceeded to spend all week backing up his claim, unable to divorce the fact that he was once stationed in Turkey as an Air Force pilot from the fact that he fundamentally does not understand what’s going on there. Oops, indeed.

By LIZ COLVILLE 
http://wonkette.com

Do You Know Brandon Quinn? Let me Show You

 Born Brandon Quinn Swierenga, the 6’1″ stud was born in Aurora Colorado. Prior to appearing on “Against The Wall”, Quinn guest starred on numerous shows including “The O.C.”, “Charmed“, “The Vampire Diaries” and “Entourage” to name a few. For those curious to know more about his personal life, he’s married and has one daughter. He met his wife Rachel Catudal in Montreal, Canada where he briefly lived. Even though he’s taken, it doesn’t mean we can’t lust after him and admire his sexy body which you can see in all its shirtless glory below.  

  

Yet another photo that brings out X-Rated thoughts. A little action on the beach if you ask me.

Jude Law Settles } 1 in 36 Getting Comp From MURDOCH for Hacking

 Actor Jude Law, 39, is among the 36 names receiving a settlement from mogul Rupert Murdoch's media empire to compensate for the massive phone hacking scandal that rocked the U.K. last year.

The settlements handed out to victims total hundreds of thousands of dollars paid by Murdoch's company on the basis "that senior employees and directors ... knew about the wrongdoing and sought to conceal it by deliberately deceiving investigators and destroying evidence," according to a statement issued by the lawyers of the hacking victims, reports The New York Times.

Though many details of the settlements have not been released, it was disclosed that Law received approximately $200,000 in damages, while his ex-wife, fashion designer Sadie Frost, received $77,000 and his assistant, Ben Jackson, got $40,000. Other recipients were Welsh rugby player Gavin Henson, former model Abi Titmuss, former British Deputy Prime MinisterJohn Prescott, television personality Ulrika Jonsson, singer Dannii Minogue, Princess Diana's former lover James Hewitt, and 28 others.

Lawyers point out that these settlements only cover "a fraction of potential victims," and that the final figures for the Murdoch team could run into tens of millions of pounds.

uinterview.com.

Washington State Senate } One Vote Shy for Marriage Equality

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Supporters and opponents of gay marriage plan to descend on Washington’s capitol on Monday when House and Senate committees are scheduled to take public testimony on legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry.

It now appears sponsors in the state Senate are just one vote shy of passage.

Twenty three Washington state senators signed onto the same sex marriage bill – including two Republicans. The measure needs 25 votes to pass in the Senate.

Now, Senator Jim Kastama says he’ll cast a “yes” vote. The swing district Democrat says it’s a tough vote for him. Gay rights supporters applaud his announcement, but Kastama says he has childhood friends who may never forgive him.

“This decision is a deeply personal one. Unlike some of my colleagues in liberal districts, I will not return home to cheers and handshakes,” Kastama said.

In 1998, Kastama voted for the state’s Defense of Marriage Act. He says his thinking on the issue since then has evolved. Kastama is a candidate for Secretary of State.

In the Washington House, it appears gay marriage backers have the votes they need for passage. Meanwhile, several major Northwest businesses have sent a letter to Governor Chris Gregoire endorsing same sex legislation. They include Microsoft, Group Health and Nike.

By Austin Jenkins  
http://www.kplu.org/

Australia } Jackie O Suffered Homophobic Foot in Mouth vs Ellen D

Radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O can't seem to stay out of trouble. Picture: Supplied

TAKING inspiration from her perennially polarising co-host Kyle Sandilands, Jackie O suffered foot-in-mouth syndrome yesterday, drawing the ire of gay rights groups following a homophobic on-air remark.

Discussing the topic of middle names just after 6am on her Sydney breakfast show, the mother-of-one said she no longer likes her middle name Ellen because it "sounds a bit lez".

A clear reference to famous US comedian and openly gay chat show queen Ellen DeGeneres, it was no surprise the comment quickly put O in the firing line of gay and lesbian rights advocates and once again surrounded the radio program in controversy, four days into their new radio cycle.

It also comes less than two days after the Jenny Craig organisation yanked a major sponsorship deal with the Kyle and Jackie O Show.

"Comments that equate a person's sexual orientation in a derisory way send a harmful, broader message that that sort of ridicule is acceptable, and that is something we actively try and speak up against and challenge," said Senthorum Raj of Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby.

"Generally we need to be more careful."

Yesterday's slip-up adds to an already long rap sheet for the on-air duo, who have managed to shed advertisers by the dozen since Sandilands' infamous "fat slag" attack on a female journalist last year.

A rep for Southern Cross Austereo yesterday told Confidential that Jackie O wished not to comment any further.

The Daily Telegraph 

Gay NYkers Make a Movie } Welcome to New York Indie Go-Go Video

These are Sean David and Steven Tylor O'Connor. Two friends who met in New York City via Facebook through a mutual friend. Sean needed help casting a film he was producing and Steven volunteered to help cast the project because of his experience working at CBS/ Paramount and NBCUniversal. They've been close friends ever since.

In 2010, Sean and Steven produced "A Fairy Tale" starring Sherry Vine with Michael Aronowitz which has been screening all of the world in film festivals as far away as Brazil. After the overwhelmingly positive responses to "A Fairy Tale" Sean and Steven started planning their next project and thus "Welcome to New York" was born.

With your generous donation, Michael, Sean and Steven will be able to shoot "Welcome to New York" on location in New York City.   www.indiegogo.com/wtny

Microsoft in Washington State } In Support of Marriage Equality Legislation

Seattle

     

Posted by Janet I. Tu

Microsoft has made public its support of legislation in the state House and Senate that would allow gay marriage in Washington state, signing on to a letter to legislative leaders with other prominent Northwest companies, and posting an entry about the company's position on its official blog.

My colleague, Andrew Garber, wrote about the short letter signed by the six companies including Microsoft, Vulcan, NIKE, RealNetworks, Group Health Cooperative, and Concur.

Microsoft elaborated on its position in a blog post today written by its General Counsel Brad Smith. He raised economic and business-competitiveness reasons for the company's stance, saying:

As other states recognize marriage equality, Washington's employers are at a disadvantage if we cannot offer a similar, inclusive environment to our talented employees, our top recruits and their families. Employers in the technology sector face an unprecedented national and global competition for top talent. Despite progress made in recent years with domestic partnership rights, same-sex couples in Washington still hold a different status from their neighbors. Marriage equality in Washington would put employers here on an equal footing with employers in the six other states that already recognize the committed relationships of same-sex couples - Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. This in turn will help us continue to compete for talent.

Microsoft made a similar argument when it joined some 70 corporations in supporting a challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

Microsoft has been involved in other gay rights issues before, as in 2005, when a bill banning discrimination against gays and lesbians failed by a single vote in the state Senate and Microsoft's lack of support for the bill was criticized, and last year when it and other tech companies were put inthe middle of an e-commerce culture war.

seattletimes.nwsource.com

Gay Parents } Are Their kids Less Happy Than Kids from Straights?

Two young protesters with their mothers during a gay rights rally in Hollywood

MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images.

By J. Bryan Lowder

Over on the Washington Post’s parenting blog, Janice D’Arcy took on Rick Santorum’s recent assertion that being raised by same-sex parents “[robs] children of something they need, they deserve, they have a right to” by way of pointing to a new study which shows that, in fact, having two mommies does nothing of the sort.

The main findings of the paper, “Quality of Life of Adolescents Raised from Birth by Lesbian Mothers: The US National Longitudinal Family Study,” are pretty straightforward. Psychologist Loes van Gelderen and his colleagues show that, within their sample, there are no significant differences in the self-reported quality of life between teens of lesbian moms and their straight counterparts. (If you want more info on the sample makeup and method, check out D’Arcy’s post or read the whole paperhere [PDF].) Moreover, the researchers found that within the lesbian-parented group, other factors—such as knowing the sperm donor, being stigmatized by peers or having their mothers separate—did not significantly impact the teens’ quality of life.

While I’m not at all surprised by the central result (which confirmed on a great deal of previous research), I find some of the ancillary claims intriguing. Specifically, the study found that, in cases of divorce, almost three-quarters of lesbian parents retain joint custody, “whereas 65% of divorced American heterosexual mothers retain sole physical and legal custody of their children.” The authors speculate that the wellness of their sample group might relate in part to this continuation of shared parental responsibilities.

On a similar note, one might well expect that the hate speech and other discrimination many children of same-sex parents are likely to encounter in their communities would lead to a lower assessment of their quality of life, but lesbian mothers’ particularly close relationship with their children seemed to help train them to deflect such bullying, possibly even leading them to be stronger, more empathetic social actors in general.

This is all good news for those gay couples looking to adopt; without the canard of pseudo-science, social conservatives like Rick Santorum will have little else to lean on aside from outright bigotry.

Slate.com

If you are interested in more info on this topic (e.g. on how gay fathers fit in), check out this great literature survey [PDF] by the Australian Psychological Society.