Tag Archives: gay

Comedy in DC
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More art Congressional Republicans should censor while they’re at it

Photo courtesy of
‘The Darwin Sisters, Censored’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

No doubt you’ve heard by now that some Congressional Republicans have been making a fuss over a Portrait Gallery exhibition that deals with gay and lesbian identity in the arts. One installation has been removed already, and no word yet if additional works will be taken down from the exhibit.

I know that our good and patriotic elected representatives, having solved all other problems facing the United States in these times of global strife and economic upheaval, will be anxious to root out any other lurking homosexual undertones in our publicly-funded art while using our plentiful surplus tax dollars to promote good old-fashioned American values, like censorship, for example.  So allow me to make a few suggestions about dirty, offensive works of public art that should have their funding examined right away. Continue reading →

Downtown, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Wedding Bells

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Today is the day that many gay couples in the District have been waiting for: wedding day.  DC has processed the first batch of marriage license applications that were filed last week and will begin issuing said licenses today. Around 150 couples should have the document in hand by this evening, allowing them to marry when they see fit.  A few couples have opted to make today the day they and are tying the knot at various institutions around the city.

The Daily Feed
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Election board to discuss anti-gay marriage ballot initiative

Photo courtesy of
‘Capital Pride Parade’
courtesy of ‘spiggycat’

Friday’s DC Register has an announcement about  a scheduled public hearing by the Board of Elections and Ethics. On October 26th they’ll meet and listen to input on a proposed initiative, “Marriage Initiative of 2009.” It’s the usual anti-gay marriage boilerplate: an effort to put in the DC code the text “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in the District of Columbia.” The board will have to decide if this is something that actually can go on the ballot as an initiative and if it’s appropriate.

Personally I  think the issue is a simple one: do you think civil rights should be up for popular vote? My vote is no, and I, like a lot of people, would expect that anyone who gets to sit in the front of the bus or at the lunch counter would agree. However that’s not the case and WaPo had an interesting article in this weekend’s edition about the stark difference in opinion on gay marriage when you view answers in the District along racial lines. It’s worth a read.

If you want to speak at the Election board hearing you can find contact information in the public hearings section of the Sep 18th DC register.

The Daily Feed
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A selective kiss-cam

Photo courtesy of
‘kiss’
courtesy of ‘quigley_brown’

WaPo’s got the story today about the Washington Mystics’ no-kisscam policy. Personally I think the lack of that hideous time-killer is a selling point, but it’s fairly obvious why some people would be a little peeved by it. I will say, to Verizon Center’s credit, that I have never seen them engage in the obnoxious practice of showing two dudes for the “oh hah hah they will not kiss because they are straight isn’t their discomfort FUNNY” during the kisscam.

I once told someone who came with me to a Florida Panthers game that he should be warned – if they pull that crap on us I’m gonna kiss him. “You can bet enough people will whine that they’ll never do it again.”

Thanks but no thanks for proving me wrong, Mystics.

The Daily Feed
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Protests and forward-looks

Photo courtesy of Me

DSC_5133, courtesy of Me

I went to the Prop 8 Protest on Dupont Circle last night and took some pictures. To my eye there were just shy of 300 people, which I think is pretty good for a drizzly night on short notice. NBC 4’s count of “several hundred” was pretty imprecise but doesn’t conflict with my estimate.

Shooting was a challenge, given the poor light and cruddy weather, though there were many people taking shots. After-dark outdoor protests aren’t real media-friendly, but that didn’t stop a number of locals from standing on the edge of the fountain and talking. Council member Phil Mendelson was among them, as was DC For Marriage’s Michael Crawford.

Photo courtesy of Me

DSC_5110, courtesy of Me

Despite the impetus of the event being the California Supreme Court ruling much of the talk was oriented on the future and marriage equality in the DC area.

Which brings me to this: As a “straight ally” on this issue I have just one request. From this point forward can we please stop putting “Prop 8” in the rallying names of these events and have “marriage equality” or “spousal rights” events instead? We’re not in California and are not CA constituents. Florida’s Amendment 2 passed on the same day, so why keep titling these things for California’s particular flavor of folly?

The Features
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Gettin’ Hitched

Photo courtesy of
‘happy birthday, Amanda!’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

I’m going to be [even more] scarce around these parts for the next week, as my darling fiancée and I are tying the knot tomorrow afternoon. Any of you with magical anti-rain powers can consider this your official last-minute invitation to the wedding. The rest of you, I’m afraid, will have to settle for being in our thoughts. If you want to feel like a part of the event, you can head over to Georgetown Cupcake and get yourself a chocolate&vanilla or a vanilla&chocolate, which are what we’re serving in lieu of cake. Watch this space for a review about how well the cupcakes handle a three hour drive to Ocean City.

If anyone expresses an interest I may write a little about our venue searching from last year and some of our experiences making this happen, but before our big day I wanted to take a minute and write a little about the situation and options for same-sex couples looking to partner up in our area, or for straight couples who, for whatever reason, need to protect themselves without marrying.

And if you’re a long-term partnership, gay or straight, you do need to protect yourself. I won’t belabor the point beyond saying that last year I saw two different people lose their young and otherwise healthy partners to a fatal aneurysm. Loss can come unexpectedly and ignoring the possibility doesn’t make the inevitable consequences go away.

Continue reading →

All Politics is Local, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The Hill
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A Marriage Equality Protest, this Saturday

There seems to be a sizable across-the-nation protest shaping up for this weekend. In our area it’ll be in front of the Capital, of course, but there are sites listed in Baltimore and Richmond as well. Here’s hoping the 2,500 maybe-attending folks listed on the DC protest’s Facebook page will brave the rain and make some noise.

1:30pm Nov 15th
U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool:
100 Constitution Ave NE
Washington, DC 20002