Living: August 2012
Body Grooming: Two Out of Three Gay Men Agree
Filed by Ed Team | August 31, 2012 4:30 PM |James and Bil were both sent Norelco Bodygroom systems to try out. After a rigorous Bilerico Project study, we can announce that two out of three gay men agree.Read More
Charlotte Is the Place to Be for Democratic Convention [Counterpoint]
Filed by Matt Comer | August 31, 2012 1:30 PM |On Wednesday, Bil penned a short commentary explaining why he's not excited about going to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte next week. It was well-reasoned, but, of course, I couldn't let it go by without a challenge.Read More
Requiem for Joh: El Guano Loco Forever
Filed by Bil Browning | August 31, 2012 11:00 AM |Joh was one of the first "real" Bilerico readers back when it was just me typing out random thoughts on the internet. He loved to bring people together - as he did with our small group of wordsmiths and activists. Read More
Church Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 31, 2012 10:00 AM |Churches don't belong in government matters, regardless of a citizen's devotion. Religion is a personal matter that should remain out of others' lives. Washington state reminded its churches that plus other news you need to know!Read More
The Big Risk & Hope of the 2012 Election: Regardless of Who Wins
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 30, 2012 1:30 PM |What if Americans, in these fractious electoral times, could decide that we love what unites us more than we hate what divides us?Read More
Fighting Back: Motives of Gay Couple Suing United Airlines for Dildo Debacle
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 30, 2012 12:00 PM |When I wrote my post about Continental Airlines taping a dildo to the outside of a gay couple's luggage on Monday, I seriously never dreamed that the story would go viral and that I'd be contacted from everyone from local media outlets to The Daily Mail.Read More
True Love Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 30, 2012 10:00 AM |I believe the central, underlying theme of the sci-fi thriller Cloverfield to be love, true love, kills. Fortunately, nobody else died needlessly after one Chinese suitor nearly did himself in. Signed, sealed, delivered - it's what you need to know! Read More
Treason Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 29, 2012 10:00 AM |A group of soldiers plot to commit treason and it's barely covered. And, when it is mentioned, treason is overlooked. Why are we not paying closer attention to this issue? This and more news you need to know! Read More
Hurricane Christ Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 28, 2012 10:00 AM |By cajoling her congregants into prayin' "around the clock," Rev. Jesten Peters and her Keys of Authority Ministries kept Hurricane Isaac away from the Republican National Convention ... and headed for New Orleans. Come hell or high water, it's what you need to know!Read More
No, Gay Marriage Isn't Legal in California Again
Filed by Bil Browning | August 27, 2012 5:00 PM |There was some excitement in the blogosphere today after Buzzfeed's Chris Geidner reported that a trial judge in California ordered the Prop 8 case closed. Don't get too excited and rush out to buy rings and reserve a florist.Read More
Watch: SF 49ers Say 'It Gets Better'
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 27, 2012 4:00 PM |On the eve of their winning pre-football season game with the Denver Broncos, the SF 49ers released an "It Gets Better" video - the first NFL team to feature multiple players, all of whom are people of color. Read More
The Ring of Resilience
Filed by Jeff Lutes | August 27, 2012 1:00 PM |Yesterday my 8-year old daughter asked me why Chick-fil-A dislikes "Gay and Leslie" people. She gently touched the tattered ring on my finger and said "But I love you and Daddy... and Chick-fil-A is stupid."Read More
Gay Couple Sues United Airlines for Intentional Harassment
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 27, 2012 11:00 AM |The leadership of United/Continental Airlines basically "flipped" the bird to innocent victims and victimized them yet again - even though they claim to be LGBT friendly. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.Read More
Gay TV Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 27, 2012 10:00 AM |How is keeping people from learning about a different group of people through a television show against one's values? Perhaps someone should be rethinking their values and the real threats to the family, plus more news you need to know!Read More
R.I.P. Neil Armstrong
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 26, 2012 5:30 PM |Armstrong was America at its very best. An America that bent itself and its resources on a noble goal. Part of what hurts about Armstrong's passing is that there do not seem to be astronauts waiting in the wings.Read More
Just 'Like' That
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 26, 2012 4:00 PM |Short of carpet-bombing your Facebook timeline, the damage to one's image isn't so easily undone after an online split. Even so, that hasn't stopped us from pairing off with each other as social media further smudges the line separating privacy from publicity. Read More
How a Celebrity Is Created
Filed by Bil Browning | August 26, 2012 2:30 PM |Celebrity is entirely subjective, I've learned. It waxes and wanes and, for the most part, it has no basis in reality.Read More
Days of Shirley Jackson
Filed by Paige Schilt | August 26, 2012 11:30 AM |I remember the day I became obsessed with Shirley Jackson. It was summer, I had a deadline, and I was supposed to be watching my six-year-old son and his friend.Read More
Raging Granny Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 26, 2012 10:00 AM |Oh me, oh my. Those hats! The kazoos! Meet the "Raging Grannies." They're a gaggle of good ol' gals with a song in their hearts for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akin. Zippity-Do-Dah! It's what you need to know!Read More
Cucumber, Tomato, & Arugula Salad with Roasted Eggplant [VAAB]
Filed by James Holmes | August 24, 2012 2:00 PM |I have a confession - I'm not a huge fan of salads. That's right. I am vegan, and I don't like salads. It does happen. However, I am rather pleased with this one that I threw together on Tuesday. Read More
'Naughty' Sex Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 24, 2012 10:00 AM |Straight people have more 'inappropriate' sex than gay people, so why is it that we are condemned for having sex? And, how those American society's feelings about sex damage society? This and more news you need to know! Read More
When the Rape Debate Hits Home
Filed by Mark Segal | August 23, 2012 5:30 PM |My friend Jan was raped. The trauma was so great that she ended up taking her own life. This week I've watched the "debate" about rape unfold in the news thanks to a mindless, ignorant, ideological congressman from Missouri.Read More
Nebraska Police: Lesbian 'Hate Crime' Attack Was Staged
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 23, 2012 4:30 PM |Last July I wrote about an incident in Nebraska in which a lesbian told police that three men broke into her house, bound her wrists, and carved the word "dyke" into her skin. Now police say the incident was apparently staged. Read More
Red Ribbons & Mosquitos
Filed by D Gregory Smith | August 23, 2012 3:00 PM |West Nile will probably not become the epidemic that AIDS did. Because mosquitoes don't discriminate. They bite everyone.Read More
Sweetmeats Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 23, 2012 10:00 AM |Farmer Joseph Watson of Mayfield, Ky. couldn't afford the crippling price of corn. But, the Southern farmer had a sweet idea. Why not treat his 1,400 corn-fed cattle to candy? Surely enough, they ate it up. Hungry? Here's what you need to know!Read More
Dan Savage's Debate with Brian Brown: Video
Filed by Bil Browning | August 22, 2012 4:30 PM |The video of Dan Savage debating NOM's Brian Brown has hit the web and you know you want to watch it. Who won?Read More
Harry vs William: Crown Jewels on Display
Filed by Bil Browning | August 22, 2012 12:30 PM |Pictures hit the web last night of Prince Harry partying naked in Vegas and they're well worth the ogle. But does it compare with the photos we published in 2008 of Prince William where you can see his royal dangly bits?Read More
Perfect Body Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 22, 2012 10:00 AM |We know gay culture pushes certain body ideals onto gay men but how does one address the issue? Read one approach and its critique and let me know your opinion plus more news you need to know!Read More
Prof. Robert Oscar Lopez Explains Support for Regnerus Study
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 21, 2012 1:30 PM |On Aug. 14, I posted a piece entitled "Cal State Professor Supports Controversial Gay Parents 'Study'." Here is Prof. Robert Oscar Lopez's response. Read More
Drunk Monkey Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 21, 2012 10:00 AM |If you're looking for a swinging party, stop by the Georgia Health Sciences University labs, and meet a couple of real "party animals." Hold the banana-flavored vodka! It's what you need to know! Read More
Phyllis Diller Dies at 95
Filed by Bil Browning | August 20, 2012 6:00 PM |Phyllis Diller has died at home at age 95. She's the first female comedian I can remember - and I loved her.Read More
The Bread Heel Parable
Filed by Bil Browning | August 20, 2012 11:00 AM |An old man and old woman have been married for forty years.They love each other in every way. The years have been kind to them and between them there is only one hidden resentment. Read More
Immigration Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 20, 2012 10:00 AM |Can immigration save the US economy or will the issue never be brought up because both parties fear working together? This and other exciting news you need to know!Read More
Jambalaya with Summer Squash & Okra [VAAB]
Filed by James Holmes | August 19, 2012 1:10 PM |In my CSA shares over the last few weeks I've been receiving lots of okra - which I love. So when I received peppers last week and had a back log of squash, it was time for Jambalaya. Read More
Supermarket Sweep Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 19, 2012 10:00 AM |Mayor Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo of Marinaleda recently rallied union members to raid the supermarkets of neighboring towns for the hungriest residents of Spain's Andalusian region. Get out your coupons! It's what you need to know! Read More
When Dogs Have Wings
Filed by Bil Browning | August 17, 2012 4:30 PM |How do you make a dog fly? Give a poor starving mutt a warm bed, some loving arms to hold her, and a little bit of food and her heart will soar with nary a thud to mark it's previous crashes.Read More
The 4.5 Million Dollar Apology
Filed by Bil Browning | August 17, 2012 11:30 AM |Former Michigan assistant attorney general Andrew Shirvell found out the hard way exactly how much an apology is worth - $4.5 million. Read More
The Arts Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 17, 2012 10:00 AM |The arts and humanities are the bloodlines of culture but some in this country seek to cut them off while others abroad respect them. Find out how plus many more news you need to know! Read More
Walter Wasn't There Anymore
Filed by Bil Browning | August 16, 2012 5:30 PM |My parents got divorced when I was young; Dad walked out on Mom on my tenth birthday. Walter was an older man who lived across the country lane on land that used to be a soybean field. Shortly after the divorce was final, she married him.Read More
Pee Wee Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 16, 2012 10:00 AM |Organizers for the Pee Wee Football Association of Mesquite, Texas are reluctant to let a 6-foot-1, and nearly 300-pound, twelve-year-old into their huddle. So, after three weeks of getting Elijah Earnheart's hopes up, they cut him. Put me in Coach! It's what you need to know!Read More
Coming Out on the Inside
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 15, 2012 4:00 PM |"Do you know what a size queen is?" You might imagine this exchange taking place at a gay bar, a party, or even an awkward Thanksgiving dinner. Instead I overheard this in the most unlikely of places: a jail.Read More
I Was an Easton Mountain Virgin
Filed by Father Tony | August 15, 2012 3:00 PM |Easton Mountain is a magical place in the woods where gay men (and sometimes women) reconnect with their bodies, minds and spirit.Read More
After Aurora: The Shooting I Remember [Part 4]
Filed by Terrance Heath | August 15, 2012 1:00 PM |I don't want to write about the Wisconsin shooting, the Aurora shooting, or any other shooting right now. I want to write about the one I was present for - the moment I looked down the barrel of a gun. Read More
Multi-Lingual Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 15, 2012 10:00 AM |Speaking different languages can help us better understand other cultures, but is it worth it to study in college? Or, should our education's foreign language education get a facelift? This and other news you need to know!Read More
Chick-fil-A Conspiracy Theories [Open Thread]
Filed by Bil Browning | August 14, 2012 5:00 PM |I'll admit. I laughed long and hard over this story. Chick-fil-A versus Adam Lambert now, eh? What's left for everyone's favorite anti-gay boogeyman now? What other nefarious deeds has the chicken shack committed?Read More
RaiseAChild Seeks Info to Help LGBT Kids in Foster Care
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 14, 2012 4:00 PM |Rich Valenza, Founder and President of RaiseAChild.US, says they are now working with the Southern California Foster Family and Adoption Agency to find workable solutions to some of the issues facing LGBT self-identified youth in the foster care system.Read More
Cal State Professor Supports Controversial Gay Parents 'Study'
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 14, 2012 12:00 PM |Perhaps you know Cal State Northridge bisexual professor Robert Oscar Lopez - and hence might understand why he wants to cozy up to the antigay National Organization for Marriage. Read More
War Paint Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 14, 2012 10:00 AM |Nine Nobel Peace Prize Laureates recently assaulted NBC's addition of "Stars Earn Stripes," a commando-inspired, celebreality TV competition, for glorifying war as a spectator's sport. Brace yourself! It's what you need to know!Read More
Watch: Women Who GLSEN Against Bullying
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 13, 2012 4:00 PM |On Sunday, Aug. 5, filmmakers Renee Sotile and Mary Jo Godges covered a fundraiser in Malibu where stars and politicos talked about bullying, bisexuality and President Obama.Read More
Did Anderson Cooper's Boyfriend Cheat?
Filed by James Holmes | August 13, 2012 2:30 PM |A UK tabloid stalked down Anderson Cooper's boyfriend and snapped a picture of him kissing another man. The public has responded in one of two ways - "How dare anyone cheat on Anderson?" or "Gay man = open relationship." Read More
Secession Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 13, 2012 10:00 AM |Would the South's secession improve this country? Maybe and maybe not. Til that day, boys and girls from North and South here are some more news you need to know!Read More
Telling the Whole Story [Comment of the Week]
Filed by Bil Browning | August 12, 2012 6:30 PM |A commenter stopped by my post, "Best Chick-fil-A Infographic Yet," that highlighted the states where it would be legal for the homophobic chicken chain to fire gay or lesbian employees for their sexual orientation. He points out one glaring omission: right to work states.Read More
Readin', Writin' & Runnin' Into Trouble
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 12, 2012 5:00 PM |Mainstream media are hyping bullying by giving it the "Shark Week" treatment - but LGBT students are still at-risk. Virtual schools see the latent talent beneath their tears though. They're from the Internet, and they're here to help, or are they?Read More
Black Pastors Bought by Anti-Gay Groups
Filed by Viktor Kerney | August 12, 2012 3:30 PM |It's been very interesting to watch these so-called godly men interact with these type of organizations. It's also interesting to see how easily they can be bought and sold into a hate-filled game.Read More
Is It Ever Okay to Call Someone a Pansy?
Filed by Kergan Edwards-Stout | August 12, 2012 2:00 PM |Last night found my son's team on the field, in the middle of a drill, when one of the assistant coaches yelled, "What are you? A bunch of pansies?"Read More
Why Gay History Should be Passed Down
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 12, 2012 12:30 PM |How did you learn about gay history, literature, film, art? Did someone teach you or were you on your own? Maybe we should start handing down our histories and teaching the new generations why our lives are so comfortable now. Read More
Baby Beluga Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 12, 2012 10:00 AM |Hold the bananaphone! Global troubadour Raffi Cavoukian, or simply Raffi to us Millennials, isn't about to let the Twitterverse besmirch the reputation of his beloved "Baby Beluga." Call me Ishmael. It's what you need to know!Read More
Power, the Male Gaze, & the Catch-22 of Trans Gender Presentation
Filed by Drew Cordes | August 10, 2012 4:30 PM |When a trans woman begins presenting as female, the sudden increase of those stares is palpable. It can signal anything from sexual attraction and not recognizing she's trans, to the person reading her as trans and wanting to hurt her. Read More
Equal Under (Whatever)
Filed by E. Winter Tashlin | August 10, 2012 12:00 PM |Proselytizing sometimes strikes me as the spiritual version of what the kink/BDSM community calls "involving bystanders in your scene," but I try to be sympathetic towards those who are called to or required by the dictates of their religion to do so. Read More
Atheist Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 10, 2012 10:00 AM |Christians aren't the ones being persecuted in the United States, atheists are. This and other important news you need to know!Read More
Olympic Heroes 2012
Filed by Terrance Heath | August 09, 2012 4:30 PM |The Guardian is asking readers, "Which Olympians have inspired you most so far?" I don't know the stories of most, but I have to go back to my post about Whitney Houston to choose from among the stories I do.Read More
The Beauty of Sadism
Filed by Drew Cordes | August 09, 2012 12:00 PM |When chatting with sex partners about likes and dislikes I'm often asked, "Do you like pain?" This is a vexing question. I think it's too simply put. Read More
Dexamethazone: Sex 'Normalization' of Intersex Babies in Utero
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 09, 2012 11:00 AM |Pregnancy is a time when joy can turn to panic in the blink of an eye, and wanting a "normal, healthy baby" can leave families with difficult choices. Read More
Weiner Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 09, 2012 10:00 AM |Executives at Trojan Vibrations felt cocksure that their latest, and largest, giveaway - pedaling 10,000 freebie vibrators - couldn't possibly flop, until it did. Stop that Pleasure Cart! It's what you need to know. Read More
Compassion for the Boy Who Cried Wolf
Filed by D Gregory Smith | August 08, 2012 4:30 PM |Bad judgment is a hallmark of humanity. But so is compassion.Read More
A Chorus Line: Marvin Hamlisch Helped Shape My Childhood
Filed by E. Winter Tashlin | August 08, 2012 1:30 PM |Mr. Hamlisch's music was a tapestry on which the lives of the characters were woven in the air of my room as I quite literally played the tape to death. Read More
B-612 Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 08, 2012 10:00 AM |I loved The Little Prince when I was younger but I took so much more from it as a grew older. Find out what children's literature can teach you, and other stories you need to know!Read More
White House Social Sec Jeremy Bernard Pops Home Briefly [Photos]
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 07, 2012 5:30 PM |Everything that was said by anyone at the party Courage Campaign founder Rick Jacobs and his documentary filmmaker husband Shaun Kadiec threw for Jeremy as he returned home to LA for a few days this weekend was off the record!Read More
The Day My Partner's Father Disowned Him
Filed by Viktor Kerney | August 07, 2012 2:30 PM |My partner is fine now. He just wants people to see what hate can do to others.Read More
Teaching Bigotry to Boys
Filed by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer | August 07, 2012 11:00 AM |I have great memories of my time in Boy Scouts. My family was not religious, and this was the first time I'd encountered such explicit rules for living an ethical, moral life. I took the oath we recited at each meeting seriously.Read More
Celebration Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 07, 2012 10:00 AM |LGBT Ugandans learn to play the hand life dealt them to their advantage, and teach a true appreciation of gay pride. Now let's march on with what you need to know! Read More
Help Needed: Film Producer JD Disalvatore Has Breast Cancer
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 06, 2012 2:00 PM |JD Disalvatore is a ubiquitous fixture in the Los Angeles LGBT activist and filmmaking communities, hard to miss with that shock of white hair and trademark tie. Now she's battling breast cancer - and she needs your help.Read More
The Sexiest Internet Meme of the Week
Filed by Bil Browning | August 06, 2012 12:30 PM |You can have your badass Hillary Clinton sending texts meme. I'm voting in favor of the "unnecessary chyron placement" meme that's currently sweeping Facebook.Read More
Total Recall Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 06, 2012 10:00 AM |How is America's relationship with history and politics similar to Total Recall? This and many more insights you need to know!Read More
The Meat of the Issue
Filed by Mark Segal | August 05, 2012 2:30 PM |There's a bigger danger at stake - one the media, our straight allies nor Chick-fil-A are discussing, and one that journalists and elected officials should have researched by now.Read More
Wizard Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 05, 2012 10:00 AM |"Mummy porn" peddler E.L. James deals a killing curse, slaying the Harry Potter series. Oh My Rowling! It's what you need to know.Read More
Homage to Gore Vidal
Filed by Jesse Monteagudo | August 03, 2012 4:00 PM |In addition to his contributions to historical fiction and political commentary, Gore Vidal wrote some of the most important works of American literary works dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people. Read More
LA City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl Diagnosed with Cancer
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 03, 2012 12:30 PM |Wednesday afternoon, on Aug. 1, openly gay Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer. Read More
Homonymous Marriage Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 03, 2012 10:00 AM |What is it like to have the same name as your partner and how do you decide what to do in that situation? This and many more stories you need to know!Read More
Waffle Fries at the Fag Chicken Inn
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 02, 2012 2:30 PM |Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day wasn't people standing up for the right to free speech - it was a mass endorsement of Cathy's views. The staggering numbers who showed up is a reminder that a lot of the country still despises us. Read More
Watch: Bible-Thumping at Chick-fil-A in Hollywood
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 02, 2012 1:30 PM |Former Arkansas governor and Fox News host Mike Huckabee is clucking with glee over the perceived success of his 'Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.' "It's gone beyond anything I could have imagined."Read More
A Castaway Priest: Fr. Bernard Lynch
Filed by Father Tony | August 02, 2012 12:30 PM |Found innocent of sex abuse but banished by a New York cardinal because he was out and proud, Fr. Bernard Lynch tells Bilerico's Father Tony Adams that he now faces new reprimands. Read More
Disclosing Anti-Trans Dating 'Preference'
Filed by Tobi Hill-Meyer | August 02, 2012 11:00 AM |A while ago I floated the idea of writing an advice column. I have so many projects going on that I ended up letting this one slide. But I recently got one letter that I simply had answer. Read More
Southern Gentleman Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Joseph Gentile | August 02, 2012 10:00 AM |Brotherly love blanches when a Republican congressman and his gay brother rebel against each other online. Pour yourself a mint julip. It's what you need to know!Read More
Out & Back: Top Two (Sort of Gay) Olympic & Sports Highlights
Filed by Patrick J Hamilton | August 01, 2012 12:30 PM |One, a crack athlete going public with her orientation. The other, a crack athlete of another, racier sort.Read More
'Sup Ain't Sexy
Filed by Bil Browning | August 01, 2012 11:00 AM |Lookin'? Hawt. There's nothing like a hookup app to spawn fascinating conversations.Read More
Fencing Injustice Edition [What You Need to Know]
Filed by Rodrigo Ugarte | August 01, 2012 10:00 AM |Is there any justice left in sports? For a South Korean Olympic fencer there certainly wasn't any. This and other surprising tidbits you need to know!Read More
