The glam rocker from "American Idol" said on "The Early Show" that his performance would not have caused as much controversy if he weren't openly gay.20
The morning show canceled the glam rocker's scheduled performance on Wednesday's show because of Lambert's racy appearance on the "American Music Awards" on Sunday night.15
What’s there left to say about Bill O’Reilly? The Fox News harbor of self importance has made a career of preening and doing his best to convince he is looking after our best interests. Getting put out by his trips of fancy is like getting mad at the rising sun. Read More: Withers: O’Reilly is a big old tween
I am not the kind of person who watches the AMA awards. Television and I are in a hate phase of a love-hate relationship. That said, after every top ten radio station was going on and on about Lambert’s video, I had to open the computer and check it out.
My conclusion: If Lambert hadn’t kissed that boy, no one would care about that performance.
Looks like marriage in New Jersey is a no go. There was talk that Democrats, who run both houses of the Legislature, were going to compose a bill for lame duck Gov. Jon S. Corzine to sign; he said a gay marriage bill would get his John Hancock. Well those Democrats are now making the “maybe it’s not time” argument and if not now don’t expect much in the future. The Garden State’s new governor, Christopher J. Christie, has made it clear he’s not for the institution. Read More: Withers: New Jersey pulls back from marriage
Bino Alves was doing the most boring thing in the world. Laundry. It was part of his Saturday routine for three years and there was never trouble walking from the laundromat to his Brooklyn apartment. Unfortunately there was a change this September. A group of black teenagers attacked him. Anti-gay slurs were said and Alves was convinced he would die. Read More: Withers: Vigil for crime victims
Equality California has had a rough go of it over the past few years. First, they were accused of messing up the Proposition 8 campaign, then they were chastised for deciding to wait until 2012 to challenge the marriage ban. But they certainly made the right decision when they chose to accept Miss California’s offer of 30 seconds of free ad time during the televised pageant this Sunday.
The group will be airing a touching little montage of a teenage girl and her two moms. It’s not too cheesy, won’t bring a tear to your eye, but it gets the job done.
The point is not really the ad, though.
Pageants are a phenomenon in all sorts of places where being gay is a serious problem. Beauty contests are important to parts of the country that never are exposed to the issue of homosexuality. We saw this during the first Prejean uproar – people were outraged that the pageant even addressed issues of sexuality at all. And that controversy did raise awareness, but it did so without much control over the message. We had Perez Hilton on our side ( not exactly a veteran gay rights spokesperson) and they had Miss Prejean (a complete dud as far as anyone can tell and certainly after the Larry King incident).
This time, that same audience (and maybe more given the news coverage) will see the issue of gay marriage as presented by a large, experienced advocacy organization. Finally, a spokesperson we can beleive in.
Sunday will be a moment, as in any campaign, where control is taken back, the issue is reframed and the agenda is refocused. If we are going to have that moment, best to have it in front of an audience that is more conservative, more sheltered and less supportive than the general population of San Francisco.
Against the pleadings of my better angels, I’m ending the week on the war of words between Adam Lambert and Out editor Aaron Hicklin. The “American Idol” silver winner and Hicklin are having a minor public disagreement. For the moment I’ll leave alone how Lambert, in his brief career, is suffering from diva-itis or how for the editor manufactured outrage is a boon for sales. The whole thing leaves me tired because once again it shows how much we yearn for heroes when they are useless. Read More: Withers: Sexuality does not make you a hero
Today, a decision was released by the International Association of Athletics Federation that Caster Semeya, the South African runner whose gender identity stirred up huge controversy after her decisive win in the 800m race at the world championships, will be permitted to keep her title and prize money.
It is, without a doubt, the right decision.
But that does not mean that this is a moment to celebrate.
The debate surrounding Semenya’s gender illustrates the real lack of understanding – around the world – for gender identity and the many permutations that exist within the spectrum of male to female.
Newsweek. Oh, Newsweek, Newsweek, Newsweek. What were you thinking? Were the interns in charge when you made the decision? Has the media meltdown forced you to get rid of some of your best minds, people who would have said the cover of Sarah Palin was 17 steps past wrong? Read More: Withers: Defending Sarah Palin
Outing gay ministers of Catholic and other bigoted churches is EXACTLY the same as outing bigoted gay Senators and Congressmen -- and doing so is a Good Thing. Gay ministers...
hey swtmissmelisssa: I've never heard such a shallow and superficial comment in my life. Are you 12 years old or just so immature and narcissistic and insecure that you truly...
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