Welcome to Gaymerica

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This is the most honest, heartfelt plea you'll read all week, and he's absolutely right about the issues at stake. Mitt Romney has "joked" about concentration camps for gays in the past, though he later dismissed the comments as immaterial and imprecise. But now we finally have a single, simple decision. A vote for Mitt Romney is a vote against every Gaymerican.

Now we'll see if the rest of the country agrees.

Please support if you can. Without legal protections, our relationships are viewed as invalid, and this is part of why queer rights and marriage rights are so important. Spread the word. Thirteen more days remain to pledge.

I'm not really sure how many people didn't already know that Anderson Cooper is gay before he formally "came out". I do hold that if we're sending reporters to war zones, to countries where they routinely kill people for being gay, that it's not the worst idea to remain closeted.

So--for that reason and many others--Anderson Cooper's quiet announcement was a larger step forward than many might think:

I've also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.

Yes, there is. Cooper remains a journalist with strength and integrity, and this is just another facet that demonstrates that.

The Rainbow Cookie of All Evil, apparently. Reading through the comments is both heartbreaking and baffling--heartbreaking because there's still so much anger and rage about gays in America, and baffling because--seriously, people. It's a rainbow goddamn cookie. How the hell can you get upset about a cookie, of all things?!?

This may be one of the best things I've ever read regarding homosexuality and acceptance:

I like the phrase, “responsible information”. I would offer to you that irresponsible information would be things like, ‘go on a mission and it will go away’ or ‘get married and your wife will fix it’ or ‘fast and repent and pray and serve and you will be made whole’.

I feel a responsibility to tell you that our gay loved ones ARE whole.

I feel a responsibility to tell you that your sexuality does not go away.

I feel an acute responsibility to tell you that marriage does not ‘fix’ a homosexual.

This. This this this. This is what we need to hear from straight people. Hells, this is what we need to hear from straight Mormons, instead of "you're evil and we'll pay people to make you go away".

There is no universe, no time, no place where this statement is okay. This is never okay. THIS WILL NEVER BE OKAY TO SAY.

And this, paired with the earlier shoot-first, walk-away later video, and the revelation that another bright light has been snuffed in Oakland...Well, it's been a depressing day.

Is anyone surprised to find out that they're against it?

"That's how we deal with it around here."

Again, do any of us think if he'd seen a gay couple walking hand in hand, when he had his gun out, he wouldn't have fired off a round at them? Even as "a joke"?

There are some really messed-up people in the world.

This is just more proof that living in Florida makes people crazy. For once, I'm actually proud of EA Games--they're standing their ground, and refusing to remove same-sex relationship content from their games.

Because they're right--this has nothing to do with "protecting children"; some of the games mention clearly state they're not appropriate for children! Florida Family Association, shame on you. (Of course, considering the other causes they're standing behind, it's not surprising. They're just unhappy, shrill, bigots reaching out and bullying better people.

It's official--Miss Canada has been forced to step down because of a little-known Miss Universe pageant rule that states all contests must be "born female".

She started hormone therapy before puberty (and yay for the doctors who are doing that, because it makes transition SOOOO much easier), and had her full conversion surgery at the age of nineteen. Since then, she's been a model and an activist, and personally, I think she's as qualified as any other female resident of Canada for this pageant. Why the hell is this coming up now?