LGBT Celebrities
Happy Birthday Rachel Maddow Show
Published September 09, 2009 @ 09:31AM PT
How's this for an eye-popping (and we don't mean in a good way) statistic: despite being 51 percent of the population, women only make up 3 percent of clout positions in the media. As the Women's Media Center points out, audiences are hungry to break free from the all-male media mold. Where are they turning?
Well, one place is the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, which celebrates its one year anniversary this month. Maddow, who is also the first lesbian to host a a prime-time news person in television history, has been a progressive star these past 365 days, taking on everyone from Pat Buchanan to the National Organization for Marriage.
And for her part, perhaps no other news show on television has focused as much on LGBT issues has The Rachel Maddow Show this past year. There was her spot with Lt. Dan Choi after he was discharged from the military under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." There was her spot talking about the role of race in last year's Proposition 8 vote. Most recently, she covered the fact that Massachusetts - which became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage - actually has the lowest divorce rate in the entire country. And last week she took Gov. Bobby Jindal to task for trying to label critics of his decision to charge taxpayers for helicopter rides to church as radical same-sex marriage activists.
In other words, the last 365 days of cable television news has been a lot gayer, and a whole lot more interesting with Rachel Maddow on the tube. It also helps that she's probably one of the most prepared journalists out there. Need evidence? Check out the clip below, where she takes on former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge over how terror alerts were politicized during the Bush administration.
So, happy birthday Rachel Maddow Show. Here's looking forward to many more years.
Five Reasons Why Schwarzenegger Should Sign Harvey Milk Day Into Law
Published September 04, 2009 @ 05:46AM PT
For the second straight year, a bill in the California legislature has passed both the State Senate and the State Assembly, pushing forward the creation of May 22 as an annual day to celebrate the life and leadership of Harvey Milk. Milk, of course, is one of the most prominent LGBT politicians in U.S. history, a former San Francisco City Supervisor assassinated in 1978 as his political career was climbing.
Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill naming May 22 as Harvey Milk Day because he didn't think Milk was well known enough outside of San Francisco. That excuse has since flown out the window. But it's not stopping rabidly conservative groups from trying to lobby Gov. Schwarzenegger to veto the bill, and send Harvey Milk back into the closet. It's time to let Schwarzenegger know what we think.
Below are our five reasons why the Governor should sign into law Harvey Milk Day. Meanwhile, please feel free to send a message to the Governor via Twitter - twitter.com/Schwarzenegger - letting him know that signing into law Harvey Milk Day will send a message that people who champion equal rights deserve to be held up as heroes; and not the nutty folks on the right-wing fringes of society who seek to criminalize people like Milk. A few Re-Tweet suggestions:
- @Schwarzenegger: please sign into law the Harvey Milk Day bill and celebrate one of the nation's foremost LGBT heroes;
- @Schwarzenegger: Sign Harvey Milk Day! Stand up for equal rights for all!
- @Schwarzenegger: Please sign into law the bill recognizing Harvey Milk Day. Harvey's a national hero; he deserves to be remembered.
- @Schwarzenegger: It's not a tumor!
OK, forget that last one...but some movie lines beg to be re-tweeted. Here are our five reasons for Gov. Schwarzenegger to sign into law Harvey Milk Day.
1.) If he's good enough for the White House, shouldn't he be good enough for California? Earlier this summer, Harvey Milk was given a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom by the White House, celebrating his convictions and his work for equal rights for all.
2.) Because Cesar Chavez needs company. California already has a day remembering the life and work of Cesar Chavez, one of the leading activists of the past century for labor rights and equal rights. Having a Harvey Milk Day certainly seems compatible with days - like Cesar Chavez Day - already set aside by the state.
3.) Is that your profile rising, or is it just me? Gov. Schwarzenegger's excuse last year in vetoing the bill was that Harvey Milk's profile wasn't well-known enough outside of San Francisco. This year? Not so much. That's what a major blockbuster film that won several Oscars will do for one's profile. Harvey is now seen by a wide majority of the country as an LGBT icon, and certainly a pioneer in the struggle for LGBT rights.
4.) It's All About the Benjamin's, Baby. Harvey Milk is a man that brings in the money. Look at the success of his movie earlier this year, as well as the success of books about him, like The Mayor of Castro Street. This is yet another way for California to both celebrate a messenger of equal rights, and practice good business sense. After all, as California State Sen. Mark Leno put it, "If there's one thing Arnold Schwarzenegger understands, it's box office." Harvey certainly delivered on that front.
5.) Because it's the right thing to do. LGBT icons shouldn't be collecting dust in the closet. Their lives should be celebrated, and their victories remembered. There's no better time to enact Harvey Milk Day. So please do it, Governor. Don't let the crazies on the right - who are trying to twist Harvey's political image for their own warped agenda - win on this one.
Broadway for Equality
Published August 30, 2009 @ 06:51PM PT
A group of theater folk rallied this past weekend in Central Park with one clear message: it's time for equal rights for LGBT people. The group? Broadway Impact. And they'll be taking their message to Washington later this Fall to support a nationwide gathering for equality.
Organized by Hair actor Gavin Creel, Broadway Impact is organizing 42nd street (and the neighboring vicinty) to support the National Equality March, which is scheduled to happen the weekend of October 10-11 in Washington, D.C.
The National Equality March is being organized by Equality Across America. They're working to get grassroots leaders in all 435 Congressional districts to come to Washington, DC on the weekend of October 10-11 to stand for issues that are near and dear to all of us: Ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, passing inclusive hate crimes legislation and an employment non-discrimination act, and standing for full marriage equality.
Broadway is stepping up to the plate, which should take care of NY's 14th Congressional District. The entire production of Hair will be suspended on October 11 so that the cast and crew can travel down to DC and attend the National Equality March. And if this past weekend's rally in Central Park is any indication, more Broadway folks will be heading down as well.
Oskar Eustis, the Public Theater's artistic director, said that the message of Hair dictates that the production ought to be supporting rallies like the National Equality March. "Hair has never been just a show; its message of change and hope and inclusion is one we try to live, not just preach. This is the moment when we need to recognize the right of all citizens, gay and straight, to have their love and their unions acknowledged by the state," Eustis said. "Peace now! Equality now! Justice forever!"
Rally cries! We look forward to hearing the same message come October 11.
(Photo from http://broadwayworld.com)
A Top Chef for Marriage Equality
Published August 29, 2009 @ 05:31AM PT
Tom Colicchio, the co-host of Bravo's Top Chef, took to the blogosphere this week to talk a little about marriage equality. His comments come in the wake of an episode of the show where contestants were asked to prepare food for a heterosexual wedding in Las Vegas. As several of the LGBT contestants on the show pointed out, Las Vegas, Nevada is one of the states where gays and lesbians can't get married and are denied many of the benefits straight couples receive upon marriage - even if that straight marriage takes place at some casino's Chapel of Love and lasts all of three days (Ms. Britney).
We've long been afraid of Colicchio, but (to quote another Vegas superstar), maybe 'a new day has come.' Just what did Colicchio have to say about same-sex marriage?
"I’m going to go out on a limb and say a few words about same-sex marriage: First of all, part of the problem with the issue is that it is framed by opponents as a discussion of whether gay people should get special rights. This is specious – yes, special legislation or court decisions grant them the right to wed in a particular state, however this is done to ensure that they share equal protection under the law by finally being able to avail themselves of the same rights as everyone else. They are not seeking special treatment, just equitable treatment."
Oh, that's good. But there's more! And this is the type of money line that has us pumping our fist afterward.
"The idea that religious leaders are continuing to shape state law is just wrong. The institution of marriage should be available to all. The idea that you can have a life-long partner and not make decisions for them in a hospital, not share in insurance benefits, not automatically have parental rights unless you are the birth parent, is just flat-out wrong."
Perhaps someone should introduce Tom Colicchio to Monica Hesse at the Washington Post. Lord knows she certainly needs more education on the issue of marriage equality and LGBT issues, after her embarrassing toast to the National Organization for Marriage.
Linda Rondstadt has an Eight-Letter Word for Homophobes
Published August 27, 2009 @ 10:22AM PT
Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight, there's a 1970s-80s musical superstar advocating for equal rights for LGBT people. And her name is Linda Rondstadt.
Rondstadt, who is currently the Artistic Director for the San Jose Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival, spoke with PlanetOut about why she works for equal rights for LGBT people, why marriage equality will be a reality across the country very soon, and why LGBT people are a gift for families. In fact, Rondstadt has an eight-letter word for people who think that LGBT pose a threat to children or families: Bullshit.
Rondstadt also said that at its best, the LGBT population in this country has taught us all a thing or two about community.
"Some of the strongest community that we know in this country is in the gay community, because they’ve had to band together to survive emotionally," Rondstadt says in the interview. "I’m not so sure this country understands or values that."
Interestingly enough, Rondstadt was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009 by the Silicon Vallery Group, Hispanic-Net. The award honors the work that Rondstadt is doing with a new social venture arts enterprise housed at the Mexican Heritage Corporation.
And speaking of, Rondstadt talks about how to make inroads in Latin@ communities on the issue of same-sex marriage. Part of that includes making sure that sexual orientation, and issues pertaining to LGBT rights, remain central in her programming Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival.
The interview is well worth the read, if not to catch up on what an historical ally is saying about LGBT rights, but to learn more about how art, multiculturalism, and equality are all coming together to work for change.
Reba McEntire: Don't Hate on Same-Sex Marriage
Published August 23, 2009 @ 08:08PM PT
Another celebrity joins the side of equal rights, with country superstar Reba McEntire saying that when it comes to the issue of same-sex marriage, people shouldn't judge. Seems like pretty simple advice, albeit one that might challenge some of Reba's listeners. After all, country music fans are far more likely to vote for conservatives than progressives.
McEntire will be interviewed in the upcoming issue of Out Magazine, becoming the second country music star to be featured in the mag (behind Martina McBride). For McEntire, it's a Biblical principle not to judge LGBT folks.
"I just try not to judge. Don't judge me, and I won't judge you. And that's what it says in the Bible -- 'Don't judge.'"
Perhaps McEntire might want to share those thoughts with a few Lutheran pastors who blame tornadoes on homosexuality, or a couple of evangelicals from Illinois who like to compare LGBT people to Nazis.
McEntire goes on to say that her principle of 'non-judgment' carries over to same-sex marriage, throwing a shout-out to her gay friends. And her straight ones, too. Because the issue isn't about religion, it's about love.
"Keep an open mind. That would be my voice. I have gay friends. I have a lot of straight friends. I don't judge them. I take them for what they are. They're my friends, and I can't defend my feelings for them, other than I like 'em," said McEntire. "I have gay friends who have partners, and I see where they would want to get married. I understand why. So, I can't judge that."
Very cool to see prominent straight allies - especially ones who might be challenging a portion of their audience - take a public step in support of marriage equality.
David Letterman Pauses for a Marriage Equality Riff
Published August 20, 2009 @ 09:15AM PT
Kudos to David Letterman for taking advantage of Donald Trump's appearance on his show this week to champion the issue of marriage equality. The audience's reaction to Letterman's comments? Widespread applause.
Trump was on the show promoting the Miss Universe pageant. Tangentially tied to the Miss Universe contest is the Miss USA pageant, where earlier this year Carrie Prejean (otherwise known at the time as Miss California) went on to proclaim that opposite marriage is morally superior to same-sex marriage. Letterman asked Trump what he thought about the brouhaha involving Carrie Prejean, and Trump provided a bit of strange fodder by saying that the only reason people jumped down Carrie Prejean's throat for her marriage comments was because she's so "beautiful."
Or, in other words, nobody gave a damn that Carrie Prejean thought that gays and lesbians should be relocated to a second class status in this country. Rather, they just didn't like her because she was too pretty.
If that sounds a little crazy, it's because it is. Thankfully, Letterman didn't let the moment pass without getting a marriage equality riff in. "Anybody who wants to get married ought to be able to get married." Cue widespread applause, and cue a little 'eating of the crow' so to speak by the Donald.
Check out the clip below.
