The “Gay” Year in Review

By James (BestGayBlogs)

For many, this is probably their number 1 issue for 2009. From Iowa, to Maine to Mexico City and DC, it has been a roller-coaster ride for marriage equality in 2009. I’ve written much about this subject over the year as well, even though at one point, I made a conscious decision to stop writing about it. Truth is that there is no way to write about what is happening for GLBTQ America and not talk about marriage equality. But there were 4 other issues that received more hits or attention on my blog, placing this at #5 for me.

To start, let me set the record straight for anyone who doesn’t know this: I fully believe that all same-sex couples deserve the same rights as straight couples, and so I’m all for Marriage Equality, but I don’t believe it is the single most important issue facing us as the whole collective of GLBTQ communities, nor do I think passing marriage laws will substantially change life for most GLBTQ’s overnight. For me, non-discrimination laws at the local, state and federal level, an end to DADT, and the cultural shifts needed to allow gay teens to come to terms with themselves are more important than the right to get married. I believe that because the legal institution of marriage is so enmeshed with the religious institution on marriage, it is going to be a very long and challenging battle, and I think in the mean time, there are other ways to protect our relationships and our families. I’d rather achieve some rights, a bit at a time, rather than hold out for full marriage and have nothing until that happens.

More at: Thomas C Waters!

Top 5 gay TV moments in 2009

Adam Amel Rogers over at Change.org scanned his DVR for the best gay TV moments of 2009.

"Knocking on doors, phonebanking and contacting legislators are all important, but perhaps the most powerful method of advancement is through entertainment media," says Adam Amel Rogers over at Change.org.

Adam studies the impact of entertainment on society at the University of Southern California Annenberg Norman Lear Center. He scanned his DVR for best gay TV moments of 2009. Here are his top 5 gay tv hits.

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NJ Votes Today

The same-sex marriage bill has cleared a hurdle in New Jersey, passing a state Senate committee by a slim margin. It’s an historic step, but it could be a much tougher battle for the full senate.

Thirteen lawmakers sent bill 1967, a proposal that would let gays marry, out of committee. It is the farthest any bill like this has ever gone.

The path to a full vote to let homosexual couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples came after passionate pleas from conservatives.

The State Senate Judiciary Committee heard six hours of testimony Monday. Then, by a vote of 7-6, approved sending the measure on to the full Senate to vote on Thursday. (today)

Read more at: Focus On The Rainbow!

Georgia Elects First Black Lesbian

Georgia voters made history Tuesday night by electing the first openly lesbian African-American state legislator in U.S. history.

Simone Bell, who won a runoff election to represent district 58 in the Atlanta area, will become the second openly LGBT member of the Georgia State Assembly, following Representative Karla Drenner, also from Atlanta.

“The historical aspect of this was never my goal. In fact, someone only brought that to my attention midway through the campaign,” Bell told The Advocate of the milestone. “But it does mean a lot to the communities, and it’s humbling that I stand on the shoulders of greatness.”

More at Advocate.com

Challenging “Tradition”

With its December issue, Unzipped magazine defies the view of traditional family with its in-your-face cover, a take on Norman Rockwell’s famous Saturday Evening Post work Freedom From Want. The portrait, which features a gay-for-pay star as Dad, a drag queen as Mom, and the adult industry’s only monogamous real-life couple, is as American as apple pie. Or good sex…or even the GOP!

For decades the right wing has criticized as unhealthy and un-American any notion of a family that didn’t fall into its own narrow-minded conservative definition. But that claim was turned on its head last November when the American people elected a mixed-race son of a single mother to become president of the United States.

“Yes, our December cover is a bit camp,” said Rick Andreoli, Executive Editor of Unzipped Media, “but the underlying themes are not. No one should dictate what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes, and certainly no one should be denied the privileges of marriage simply because they may not conform to a narrow-minded model of what a vocal minority feel is acceptable.”

December’s issue of Unzipped tackles stereotypes as straight man Chris Rockway divulges how he became a top-tier gay-for-pay porn star, the Jarics (Aden and Jordan) reminisce about their wedding day alongside loving and supporting family, and professional illusionist Shannel challenges everyone’s view of a drag performer’s life as she talks about the gay community’s own hang-ups with gender roles.

This portrait of the modern gay community is thought-provoking, complex, loaded with sexiness, and a far cry from the demonized, hell-bound portrait that the right wing paints on a daily basis. Americans are more than just one color, one creed, and one orientation. Unzipped celebrates the diversity of Americans and most especially American values that are oftentimes in direct opposition to what the right wing likes to call “family values.”

The December issue of Unzipped will be available at newsstands on November 24. For subscriptions or more information visit www.Unzipped.net

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J. Davy Kirkpatrick’s photography career essentially began on February 13, 1988, when he shot a grad school friend who was a long-distance runner and interested in modeling. Both of them liked the results, and that emboldened him to start asking various other athletes – other runners, cyclists, and bodybuilders – if they’d be willing to pose for his camera, too. Things snowballed (in a good way) from there. He spent his early days shooting in southern Arizona, but his photography career really took off once he moved west to Los Angeles in late 1994.

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