gay rights

Photo source: Rodney White of the Des Moines Register

Today's a really happy day for everyone. Including penguins.

Also, it makes me giggle that he wants Iowa Governor Chet Culver to "man up" to fix this whole gay marriage thing. Yum!

So I posit this purely anecdotally. But (1) the reduction of spending on domestic prevention initiatives, (2) coupled with a decade of inaccurate testing and (3) the limitations of comprehensive medical coverage under a private system = grounds for a resurgence of this or a new public health epidemic.

And while we're JUST now getting condom ads (that never explicitly mention hetero sex, let alone LGBT sex) aired on US television, South America is inclusive and... damn funny.

Copyranter has typically thorough and witty coverage of Tulipan's print campaign, but the TV spot is phenomenal.

Doree Shafrir, linked via Gawker, did a great piece in the Observer called "The New Old Gays: Remember Those Good Old Tragic, Magic, Diva-Loving Retro-Gays? Swish is Back With a Vengeance! So Gather Round the Piano Bar, From Patti LuPone to Barbra, We’re Taking a Trip to … Xanadu!"
As an addendum to this obscenely useful and marvelous nomenclature, I'd also like to add the "New Grrrl, Old Grrrl" paradigm.
Gloria Steinem finally, begrudgingly endorsed Obama after leading the racist and sexist charge against him, and arguably helping to discredit her favored candidate by highlighting the attitudes of powerful American women of the past that the public hasn't-- nay, couldn't embrace.

Coming right at the heels of my last semi-related post, the CDC announced today that according to a study it's had since October, that, oops! the number of HIV/AIDS infections in this country has been underestimated-- for at least the past 5 years-- by 15,000 people. So that's actually 75,000 cases they just... missed.

This systematic negligence is worse than the administration's reaction to Hurricane Katrina. And the public health and economic implications will be worse too.

For Obama to be seen doing this:

That's Lula from Brazil. The president, signaling his support for a major part of his constituency, and also signaling support for equality for his citizens. This is my concern for the signaling of Kaine as VP. It's a concerted rebuffing to the idea that basic equality measures will not advance in the upcoming Democratic majority Congress and Democratic Executive. And that's atrocious.

The Advocate has a great piece on Cuba and Brazil who have opted for full transgender operation coverage as part of their already nationalized universal health care systems.

Grrrrr! Get your Paws out of USOC's Honey Pot!

Dear NWBears:

Thank you for making me shoot water out of my nose. Your response to the United States Olympic Committee's (USOC) cease and desist letter regarding your upcoming "Big Ass Bear Olympics with Dr. Bob" and other events, was, to put it mildly, fantastic.

Dear Ms. Gross:

You aren't nearly as funny as the bears, I'm sorry.