I caught this on PageOneQ this morning about the increase in lbgt specific marketing from corporate America.
Last year marked the first time that advertising with gay-specific content comprised more than half of all ads in the U.S. gay and lesbian press, according to an annual report by Rivendell and New York's Prime Access Inc. that reviews 151 individual gay and lesbian titles. Only three years before, gay-specific content comprised just 9.9 percent of all ads in gay and lesbian publications.
Gay-specific content means the ad includes something very gay, like same sex couple walking toward their high-end car rather than just the car itself.
The article goes on, however, to explore the next "walk the walk, talk the talk" issue -- are these companies who want our $$ offering domestic partnership benefits, including sexual orientation and gender identity in their non-discrim clauses and sponsoring LGBT events much like they sponsor hetero events?
So we are in the midst of a watershed moment in LGBT history ... our government is working overtime to restrict our civil liberties while coporate America is desperate for our consumer dollars. So what I ask is whether the mighty whites in charge of these companies are making campaign contributions to the very people elected officials who are deadset on driving us into reeducation camps?
Let's take a look at the Red/Blue spectrum of the corporate sponsors of San Francisco's PrideFest as listed in this article ... courtesy of Buy Blue.org
Bud Light 64% of political contributions went to Republicans, 36% to Democrats
Delta Airlines 57% Republicans, 43% Democrats
Travelocity no data
Comcast 47% Republican, 53% Democrats
Wells Fargo 42% Republican, 58% Democrats
Toyota no contributions
Bank of America 61% Republican, 39% Democrats
MasterCard no contributions
Diet Pepsi 68% Republican, 32 % Democrats
Showtime no data
The answer is yes. To some degree all of the companies who make contributions are supporting the Pro-Corporate American party that wants to kick us to the curb. But that's just business?
My point is that as we become an increasingly consumerized demographic, we have to keep our eyes on the larger prize and refuse to allow them to merely pander to us. Its easy to be seduced by the fact that say Bank of America sponsors your PrideFest to justify our consumer decisions. But look at Coors Brewing -- they hired a LGBT outreach person ... Mary Cheney. All the while their founder was running on a very right wing Republican platform. Should we really buy their beer when they are so obviously pandering to us?
These companies can have their cake and eat it too. The desperate little boycott of Ford led by the American Family Association is having no impact whatsoever according to industry ananlysts who can trace Ford's declining sales to other more significant factors. In fact, Ford recently sponsored the GLAAD Media Awards. Their response to the boycott has been to increase their advertising in Christian oriented magazines --- the AFA isn't having any of that, but I bet all the sheep reading the magazines don't realize it.
Does anyone know if Giant Eagle offers domestic partner benefits?
Paul Fero of Monroeville, Repulican and former candidate for the State House of Shame er, Representatives in 2002, announced that the Rethuglican obsession with homosexual marriage has caused him to convert -- to a Democrat. Proving once and for all that while you may be born a breeder, you choose to be an slavish idiot to a hate agenda.
Fero's writes that his decision is based on the political priorities of the Republicans.
A constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage -- our elected Republican officials believe this is a priority?
This is absolutely ridiculous and I can't take it anymore. The endless positioning to support the conservative base of the Republican Party has truly hit a milestone.
Then he puts forth a clear statement of support
And I support the right for gay and lesbian couples to marry. Marriage shouldn't be about what sex you are but about love, compassion and caring for one another. Those qualities aren't exclusive to heterosexuals.
Fero's opponent in that 2002 election was incumbent Joe Markosek, one of the 20 House Democrats who voted in favor of the original constitutional amendment -- the really bad one as opposed to the hate-light bill that made it through the Senate.
To be fair, if Fero had been elected as a Republican who knows where he would be now -- would he have joined that other convert Mike Divin (opposite direction) in opposing the amendment? No way to tell.
Nonethless, hopefully this is one more vote for Bob Casey and one more sign that the Republican obsession with controlling my bedroom behavior is turning off the real party faithful.
From their myspace bulletin board, comes word that the Square Cafe will no longer be featuring performances of any kind. This Friday's variety show will be the last performance for the summer.
You know this probably sucks for a bunch of other people waaaayyy more than me, but I am majorly bummed. And tonight I was just talking about this whole thing with a bunch of cool dykes. Ah well ....I'm still going on Friday. And I'll be back for waffles ...
In a move that makes one start to contemplate the early onset of dementia, Senator John McCain is all for DADT (PageOneQ).
When asked by [Boston]Edge reporter Peter Cassels his position on DADT, McCain replied, "All the senior members of the military say that it's working." When asked directly if he would vote for Massachusetts Congressman Marty Meehan's bill (H.R. 1059) to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, McCain said, "No."
Uh huh.
According to the Washington Post, the cost to taxpayers for discharging and replacing gay servicemembers between 1994 and 2003 was $364 million dollars. A total of 9,500 servicemembers were discharged in that time period because they are gay. That's 9,500 able-bodied people with essential skills, talents and training. That includes individuals versed in both Arabic and Farsi -- fired b/c of their sexual orientation. Is that really in the best interest of national security?
Meanwhile, recruitment has tanked, resulting in a lowering of standards, admitting people convicted of aggravated assault, robbery, vehicular manslaughter, receiving stolen property and making terrorist threats. That's truly an Army of One.
Oh yes, and this week the Army announced, for the second time since January, that it has raised the maximum age for recruits. The first bump was from 35 to 40. This week. the new ceiling is 42, for both active-duty Army or the part-time Army Reserve and National Guard.
Why I'm sure the homosexuals have been wrecking havoc throughout the military. What with our "I wanna get married" whining and the whole obsession on retaining custody of our children. Not to mention the fact that we insist on finding treatments and a cure for AIDS.
I was going to make a snide little reference to slaughtering civilians, but then I realized that it is not necessary. The stupidity of this policy and its infringement on our community's self-determination is the point. If homosexuals want to be part of the military, they should be evaluated on their qualifications period.
I think the PG's poser-columnist Catherine Specter is losing her grip. Not only does she continue her relentless campaign to drag unsuspecting yinzerettes back into her 1950's delusional reality, but now she's just rambling incoherently ... who made the decision to give her a column?
First, she makes a bizarre allusion to Darwin out of nowhere in order to make a rather weird point about embracing your gay friends. Right after pointing out that all relationships improve or die. Huh?
Second to bat is a single chick who doesn't want to get married and gives a big feminist shout out to all her sisters in the same boat. Does Specter accept the props? No, she has to get in a little marriage dig. And there's this little gem:
Cat's Call: If you find someone who brings out the best in you, don't let it go just for the sake of staying single.
OK, cause that's what the woman is doing. She's staying single on principle, not because it is a valid life choice. I'm sure if Cat helped her "prettify her attitude" things would be much better in terms of taking down a man, er getting a husband.
Finally, there is this jumble of words that I can only interpret as a desperate cry for help from the author:
DEAR S.I.T.M: Emotions can be too nebulous to define, but the metric is simpler when it comes to relationships. You're either committed or not, and your heart is either in it or not.Youare in the commitment without the emotion. "They" can say what they want, but I say the opposite of love is indifference. Where does that leave you?
Cat's Call: If you only get halfway to anywhere ...
If you only get halfway to anywhere ... you are still somewhere? Its the journey not the destination? Sometimes the road signs are wrong? You are a bisexual? Again, WTF?
I suspect Specter made a pact with the devil to trade her self-respect for a chance to be Pittsburgh's Carrie Bradshaw. Now she's decompensating and soon will emerge as a minor-league Ann Coulter clone ...
Surf on over to see what our good friend and ally David aka Political Junkie has to say about Santorum and the Tribune Review this morning ...one of his strongest blog posts.
According to the Trib, they want a constitutional convention. And guess who supports it? Wingnut grand poobah Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. See what Pam has to say about him
Again, I'm beating a dead horse, but the Democratic leadership better wake up. The Right is not going to leave gay marriage alone. You are going to have respond with a real position on gay civil rights. These folks are relentless and will continue to mobilize against candidates that take a mealy-mouth "position" and win. They have the money, the boots on the ground, and most of all, commitment to their agenda because they believe that they are right. Where are the Dems?
The position of voting FOR amending the constitution to protect marriage from homosexuals is not "a real position on gay civil rights." It is capitulation pure and simple. They want to have their cake and eat it, too. And Tony Perkins is going to continue pushing our regressive Democrats here in Western PA further and further back into a corner until they abandon homosexuals altogether. And he has the $$ to do it.
From Sunday's Post-Gazette comes a little "Aside" by the PG editors putting Rendell's PrideFest visit into the context of the larger movement by PA Republicans AND Democrats to write hate into our state constitution.
SOMETIMES A POLITICIAN will speak out as a matter of principle even though it might offend some constituents (hey, it happens, and it is refreshing when it does). With many lawmakers in full cry to pass an anti-gay marriage amendment that would serve no purpose other that than to write bigotry into the state constitution, the politically smart thing for Gov. Ed Rendell to do last weekend might have been to stay far away from the gay pride march in Pittsburgh. Instead, he was there to kick it off
It would appear that the Post-Gazette editorial board is as politically unsophisticated as me in thinking that the Senate's passage of a the amendment (even in its amended form) by DEMOCRATS and Rethuglicans is not the most stirring sign of support for the homos.
It is refreshing to have witnessed some political principle firsthand and to see the PG acknowledge it.
This morning, I dragged my ass out of bed at 7 AM and discovered that we had neither milk nor orange juice. Since we did have coffee, I was cool, but I knew that herself would want to be fed eventually. So I suggested we dine out for breakfast. I admit I was thinking Eat'NPark. But she had the brilliant idea of going to the Square Cafe in Regent Square.
We had been there before to catch the luminous Eve Goodman perform, but only sampled some of the hummus and beverages. So anyway, I called to determine their breakfast serving hours (all day) and lo and behold, guess who answers the phone? Gab Bonesso, the comedy chick we met the other day when we went to see John McIntire perform at the Funny Bone.
Its obviously a cool place to work because Gab, Autumn Ayers and a few other friendly employees all took turns waiting on us (and making us laugh). Let me just tell you that the waffles have this secret ingredient (orange juice) that make them taste like something right out of an episode of The Waltons. Before Grandma had her stroke and she made huge country breakfasts for the entire clan in her tidy little homemade dress ... I bet she put some of The Recipe in those waffles. All we ever had as chez Kerr were the Eggo kind, actually the generic version of Eggos. My grandmother was more of a Shredded Wheat and prune juice for breakfast kind of gal. Since she's 90 now and never had a stroke like Grandma Walton, I guess there's something to be said for Shredded Wheat. But I digress ...
Anyway, being waited on by creative artisty people is much more fun than your typical slack jawed yinzerette with a permanent cigarette droop to her lip and a snarl that makes you think twice before asking for something on the side. Like the chick at Soho last week (PrideFest nonetheless) who accidentally threw honey mustard all over Ledcat and MY PURSE. It was an accident, but it took 13 minutes for her to get us a wet cloth. In the meantime, I unrolled 13 sets of silverware from 5 surrounding tables to use the cloth napkins. Which seemed to displease her. I hope she delivered a baby in that 13 minutes because I cannot imagine what would be more important than removing honey mustard from your customers. So like a good lesbian, I spoke to the manager but to my credit I left her a really big tip b/c I know it was HIS fault for her being harried. But I digress again ....its like 99 degrees up here in the Correspondents computer lair so forgive me.
Anyway, next Friday at the Square Cafe you have the opportunity to catch both Gab and Autumn performing LIVE. and you can have some of the delish hummus. Or a real meal which is what we plan to do ...possibly you can have OJ infused waffles. But I'm not making any promises since i don't actually work there. I am fairly sure you can make it through the evening without being dipped in honey mustard, but then again you might like that so ...
You must, however, promise to laugh at the abortion jokes.
Well the Correspondents are off in pursuit of sno-cones from Gus and Yaya ...
8 PM Friday June 30 Square Cafe --- A Homo-Affirming Business ... be there and be square ... god I sound like McIntire now .... it really is the heat ... or maybe they infused my waffles with mimosas ...
Simon Property Group forced a 10-year old girl in one of its Missouri malls to remove a bandana decorated with smiley faces, peace signs and flowers. The 10 year old had violated item No. 10 on the list of 17 offenses: "failing to be fully clothed or wearing apparel which is likely to provide a disturbance or embroil other groups or the general public in open conflict." (Columbia Daily Tribune)
Simon Property has refused to explain how a smiley face bandana promotes disturbances or conflict.
Christine Moses, director of mall marketing, noted the mall is privately owned and behavior on its premises can be regulated.
"The bottom line is we want to have an environment (conducive) to shopping. Offensive apparel does not fit in with that environment," she said, although she could not say how the bandanna was offensive.
Ironically, the JC Penney store in that very same mall sells ... decorated bandannas.
Here's the best part. Simon officials won't tell us what clothing is acceptable on their private property and what is not acceptable.
Mall officials won?t clarify what clothing and accessories are prohibited.
"The code of conduct is pretty clear, and, you know, I think common sense should prevail," said Les Morris, spokesman for Simon Property Group Inc., which owns the mall.
Given that Simons is the owner of three of our own lovely and talented malls - Century III, Ross Park and South Hills Village, we should probably know.
I'm guessing clothing worn predominantly by teenagers, African-Americans and homosexuals will be high up on that list. Not so much Mom jeans, tee shirts with pot belly stretch marks and Alfred Dunner mix 'n match.
Get that man a toaster! 
This morning, I dragged my ass out of bed at 7 AM and discovered that we had neither milk nor orange juice. Since we did have coffee, I was cool, but I knew that herself would want to be fed eventually. So I suggested we dine out for breakfast. I admit I was thinking Eat'NPark. But she had the brilliant idea of going to the
h/t 
