November 2008 News Archive (Page 6)

Here are some excerpts from my friend Serena Freewomyn's blog post at the Bilerico Project:

You cannot divorce religious practices from their historical context. The Mormon Church was not founded to practice polygamy. Polygamy started as a response to a pressing social problem. The Mormons were driven out of New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois before they wound up in Utah.

The governor of Missouri actually issued an extermination order against Mormons, and many Mormon men were killed during this period. While the Mormons were going across the plains on foot, a lot of people died.

When they finally got to Utah, many of the remaining men were sent off to fight in the Mexican-American war in order to prove their loyalty to the US government. This left a lot of women and children without a male head of household to provide for them.

Men were asked to support multiple households, and that's why there is a history of polygamy in the Mormon Church. The practice officially ended in 1890.

I've seen pictures of protesters outside of Mormon temples holding signs mocking Mormons and their "special underpants." If 10,000 people showed up outside of a synagogue with signs mocking a Jewish belief, such as wearing a yarmulke or a prayer shawl, people would label that as anti-Semitic. The Mormon temple is a place of worship that is just as sacred to them as a synagogue is to a Jew or a mosque is to a Muslim.

Mocking someone's core beliefs does not elevate the level of discourse or open the possibility for a compromise to be found.

Hailey, a social worker who lives in Anaheim, agrees. "These protests need to be directed at the courthouse or city hall. And think of the position this puts gay Mormons in, especially if they're still active in the church.

They're going to choose church over the gay community. And then you've lost their support, and their votes."

Please stop your ignorant attacks on Mormons and their religious beliefs. If not for yourselves, please think of your gay Mormon brothers and sisters who have no community that accepts them right now.

I'm very proud to have S-Dawg as one of my dear friends. Thanks for this very insightful and important post!! :) When I think of a Mormon, a gay person does not come to mind. Gay Mormons have been overlooked and we all need to work together instead of against each other. In fact, with all the funds Mormons contributed in support of Prop 8 and similar laws, the LGBTQ community obviously needs their support. We should all reach out across the aisle and sing Kumbayah as we make smores and gossip together. Most important, some gay stylists could make polygamist wives fierce with a good eyebrow waxing, tanning lotion and mini-skirts.

pictures: source, source, source

Children have an inherent sense of what's good and what's bad. I dunno when this pic was taken, but that's a smart ass baby!

Meanwhile,

Apparently, the Bush administration vowed not to create any new regulations after November 1st, but now he and his cronies are trying to instill new laws that would allow individual practitioners to define abortion in their own terms, which means they could refuse basic forms of birth control.

Check out THIS website to stop the under-the-radar hypocrisy before it's too late!

omg

In today's domestic abuse files, Suge Knight is getting served for his August brawl with his boo.

Knight, 43, faces two felony charges of possession of a controlled substance and one count of misdeameanor battery after the Aug. 27 attack in Sin City. Knight, the founder of Death Row records, began fighting with his girlfriend of three years, Melissa Isaac, as they drove away from a strip club, cops say.

Suge punched Melissa in the head, in retaliation/ revenge she jerked the steering wheel after he gave her a good hook, causing the Escalade to kiss the curb. She then jumped outta the SUV and tried to run away from her 6-foot-4 a-hole boyfriend. The police reported that Suge was wielding a knife as he kicked his girlfriend in the head. He was also in possession of ecstasy and hydrocodone.

Suge was previously locked up for assault charges in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Uh... can the three strikes law apply to Suge? The man is danger. My ex BFF watched him beat a man to the point where he was within inches of his life before she busted out a gun and threatened him to stop. You hear that folks? I know people who will eff up my ex boyfriends and crushes if I'd like. :) Anyway, I remember how Suge's crew member was hitting on me at the American Music Awards cause I had my girls out. I ran. Literally. That was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

What weirds me out is that, yes, "karma is a bitch," but you know no one will even give Suge a dirty look while he's incarcerated because that will be the kiss of death. He probably gets massages and gourmet meals when he's locked up.

source, source

I was lucky enough to be channel surfing when I caught TRL's finale. The show was probably only half an hour in before I started watching it. I haven't watched a full episode of TRL in years, but I find this to be incredibly sad. TRL was just huge.

The interviews were ridiculous but original, the screaming was annoying but always entertaining, and it was the best platform for mainstream artists to gain exposure and fans. I even voted a few times. This is tragic, but I have an inkling that MTV will bring it back. Btw, what the eff is an inkling?

John Moynahan is pictured here with his mother Bridget. The baby is gorgeous! I just want to pinch John's cheeks and kiss his forehead. Uh, am I being too graphic? Ha. This site is not safe for babies.

source

Kelly Osbourne, 23, is engaged to her 18-year-old model boyfriend Luke Warroll, so says his Facebook.

According to a Sunday newspaper, Luke yesterday changed his online relationship status to ‘engaged to Kelly Osbourne'.

His profile page has been inundated with congratulatory messages from friends and family.

Relative Nicola Worrall wrote: ‘I'm pleased for you both xx', while former babysitter Claire Merchant added: ‘Wow, you've come a long way from the little boy I used to love babysitting for'.

Luke is thought to have had the stamp of approval from Sharon Osbourne at a lunch meeting in July, but it is unclear what her reaction is to news of an engagement.

There's just something about fame that makes ya want something stable, and marriage is seen as an institution that provides stability. Sigh. They'll break up by 2010.

Good luck and congrats!

I do! Lindsay's jealous.

I'm so in love with Scarlett's magazine cover picture. Beyond sexy.

Scarlett Johansson tells December's Allure she doesn't know why Lindsay Lohan doesn't like her.

"I really don't know that person. I only met her, like, three times," says the actress, 23, who lost the lead role in The Parent Trap to Lohan when she was 13.

Lohan famously scrawled vulgar words about the actress on a Big Apple bathroom stall 2½ years ago.

"That's what I heard," Johansson says of the incident. "I don't know what the motivation was behind that. I remember it was something really vulgar. I mean, shockingly so, like, 'Whoa, what, who are you?'"

All I remember is seeing Lindsay mention Scarlett on a few occasions saying that Scarlett gets adult, good roles while she doesn't. Bitch is bitter. Lindsay's just a party girl with a fading career, and when she does get roles she's a diva. That's her choice.

Samantha Ronson blogs about Lindsay Lohan being the victim of Peta's senseless attack when a Peta protester threw flour all over her in Paris. I'd go for something sticky personally, but that's just me. Actually, I couldn't agree more with what Sam says. Peta sucks.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Flour Pour

There is a fine line that distinguishes the difference between exercising our freedom of expression and offending others, for example the debate regarding freedom of speech vs. hate speech.... i feel that this principle should apply to protestors also. It's a pity that some groups feel the need to assault people as opposed to fighting with words.

I don't wear fur, but I don't think I have the right to ATTACK those who do. No one has that right.

PETA should focus their efforts on educating people on what they believe are injustices instead of seeking press via harassing those in the limelight.

I received an apology too many days late from the PETA folks (the blog removal was too little too late) and today I'm pissed at the bag of flour thrown on Lindsay last night. Not because I got powdered down, but because the girl who threw it acted like an animal herself. I take that back, it's an insult to animals to group her in with them, my dog is FAR more civilized than that person.

I would have more respect for them if they didn't use other people to get their point across. Lindsay, Mary Kate, Ashley Olsen, Anna Wintour and the rest of the targeted celebrities aren't the problem, I'm pretty sure they're not the only ones wearing fur, in fact, they should be appreciated by PETA for giving them a target. If it weren't for them, who would get them press?????

Comedian Wanda Sykes says the passage of a same-sex marriage ban in California has led to her be more outspoken about being gay.

"You know, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation. I didn't feel like I had to. I was just living my life, not necessarily in the closet, but I was living my life. Everybody that knows me personally they know I'm gay. But that's the way people should be able to live their lives," she said.

Sykes, who is known for her feisty and blunt style, said the passage of California's Proposition 8 made her feel like she was "attacked."

"Now, I gotta get in their face," she said. "I'm proud to be a woman. I'm proud to be a black woman, and I'm proud to be gay."

Sykes' appearance at the Las Vegas rally surprised organizers. She was in town performing at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

When I heard that Wanda's gay, I was like, huh?! Which is kind of funny how it's surprising to find out some people are gay or lesbian. It's something we don't really think about. We pretty much assume someone is straight unless they fit into a LGBTQ stereotype. Banning same-sex marriages affects so many people that we know are gay or lesbian, and so many others that we just don't know their sexuality, like all the guys who dumped me after I put out - I'd like to think that they're gay.

AP