The Washington Blade is the first LGBT+ publication to be given a permanent seat in the White House briefing room!
A new comedy pirate show from HBO is coming in March, and it looks fun (and has Leslie Jones)!
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series finally has a name: The Rings of Power
The famously celibate, and chose his own name after the saint renowned for speaking with animals, says not having kids and instead raising animals is selfish. I just cannot.
I was all excited about the great outreach the Pope was doing, and then the Vatican reminded us all that Atheists are going to hell.
An idiot Idaho sheriff is dropping his BSA charter because “sodomy is against the law.” While it is true that law is still on the books in Idaho, that law has been rendered void by the Supreme Court.
More about the Oregon bakery who won’t bake a cake for a lesbian wedding. Their version of City Paper called and was able to order cakes for Pagan ceremonies, divorce parties and even stem cell/cloning celebrations. The bakery claims it didn’t act with an anti-gay animus, just faith principles, but I’m not seeing it.
I spent Friday night watching the house floor of the Illinois legislature. Their marriage equality bill failed, and this was the tearful ending of the night. The bill however, in a surprise move, has been extended until August 31 by the Speaker, giving it a new chance.:
Alright, let’s see what we have today. First up, for those enjoying the fourth season of Arrested Development, or in case you want to get caught up, there are two great summaries of the ongoing jokes here and here, and a good article at Nerve about what you learn about love from AD.
This is very scary, ice tsunami:
Wil Wheaton explains why it’s awesome to be a nerd. Check it out here.
I will never ride this (also because it’s in Texas):
I’m not a huge fan of the Pope, or the Catholic Church, but this new pope has made some good in-grounds. Including his comments here. Fun fact though: a crazy bigoted former coworker who is on his way to seminary, is freaking out because in his own mind, you can only go to heaven via the Catholic Church. You know, ignore the pope, his boss, because he doesn’t hate the same people he does. Sigh.
In case you’ve forgotten that public transportation is important, to everyone on the round, check this out.
Google Glass from the perspective of a two year old:
And in sad equality news, a baker has denied a cake to a lesbian couple for their wedding. For those curious, just substitute, say, “African American” before couple and see if it’s still bigoted, and illegal. Hint: it is.
This has been floating around, and it’s awesome. Sad that it needs to be posted, but awesome:
Alright, let’s see what we have today. First up, Run For Your Lives is coming up. I did it last year as a zombie and it’s a great time, if you want to join me as a zombie (or meet up afterwards at the party), let me know:
Robyn Miller talked about Myst at this year’s GDC. A good friend was at the talk and sent me notes right after it ended and I am forever jealous. Forever.
I saw this on Facebook, and giggled. You know, since I’m five:
So far, I’ve been as impressed as I can be with the new Pope. He’s even reached out specifically to the Church of England, and it rumored that he will be the honorary chair of the 2018 Lambeth Conference (although honestly, those are contentious enough as it is, it may cause a lot of added drama). Guess we’ll have to see what the new Archbishop of Canturbery will do as well.
The man who is Virginia’s attorney general, and running for Governor, is arguing that sodomy should remain illegal in their state. And just so you know, even though anti-sodomy laws have been struck down by the Supreme Court because they were only used to invade the privacy and prosecute the LGBT community, it technically is any non procreative sex. Strangely, he won’t answer any questions about his own sex life when asked, you know, just to see if he’s complying with the laws he’s fighting to keep on the books.
And lastly, awesome video showcasing music from the Legend of Zelda:
I’m taking this as a sign that I would be a good parent. Because I still have my parent’s set (and it goes away after we’ve been drinking, we’re not stupid)
You can tell the haters are really reaching for straws, when they’re attacking random swaths of all kinds of people: for adopting children. And just remember, NOM is a certified hate group, hopefully this will make some other people notice.
So, my thoughts on the new pope: it’s awesome that he took the name Francis, as he’s one of my favorite saints. Also cool that he’s a Jesuit, although I think that I always heard they had the sterotype of buying lots of land and making lots of money, which is the opposite of Pope Francis, who rode the bus to work! Now, just like the other 114 cardinals, he still hates the LGBT community, women and you know, anyone who’s different, not that I expected anything different though. More importantly, the new Archbishop of Caneterbury is enthroned on Thursday!
Because adding Batman is awesome:
E. L. James, the “author” of 50 Shades of Grey, is publishing a writing guide. Excuse me as I go throw up.
Awesome note from a dad to his son. It popped up in my newsfeed at work and I teared up a little bit:
This of course, comes after Rob Portman, sitting Senator from Ohio comes out for Marriage Equality. You know, when it affects his son. Yes, we’re happy that he’s supporting equality, but you should be able to see the need for equal rights without it personally affecting your immediate family.
Sooooooo, at the big conservative political gathering last week, there was a real life, true racist walking around. Now to be fair, there are crazy people everywhere, but it’s fun to point this out.
Some big news from the BSA: Both Train and Carly Rae Jepsen have cancelled their concerts at the National Jamboree because of the membership ban. Jepsen has been welcomed by the Canadian Scouts (she’s Canadian, by the way), and the world jamboree is a joint effort by the scouts of the USA, Canada and Mexico (but hosted here in WV), but here’s the bigger question: Did anyone at national even watch the “Call Me, Maybe” video to the end? The guy Carly is drooling over is gay. You’d think that would have tipped them off that she’s interested in equality.
Also in BSA news, petitions were delivered to the National Geographic channel, asking them to cut “Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout,” or at least put a disclaimer before it. Personally, I don’t really care either way, I can’t imagine it’s going to get great ratings, only based on the fact that I don’t think Nat Geo is included in many cable packages (but I may be wrong).
As Conclave approaches, I have a new candidate I want to support:
First up, if you use Chrome, check out this really fun map of the cosmos.
Here’s what I just don’t get about those who stockpile guns. I can’t imagine living life so scared of the world. And that’s what the NRA does, convince people to be afraid. And just a reminder, the NRA represents the gun makers, and works to make them money. So making the public afraid enough to stockpile guns is their goal.
Yes, I’m excited, considering Benedict continued to hide child molesters and defend them in court (see: Australia, L.A., et. al.). But I can’t imagine the next pope is suddenly going to drop the homophobic, misogynistic, anti-sex views. I’m not holding my breath. Corporate Hallucinations covers it here.
And this happened the day it was announced:
The other big news is Orson Scott Card being tapped to write a new Superman series. Card, is a very outspoken homophobic bigot (as well as hating the Jews, you know, for being Jews). He’s entitled to his opinion, and I’m entitled to not buy his comics. That’s how it works, although you’ll probably notice that the far-right complains and claims they are being harassed and victimized when the center/left does anything they disagree with. However, when someone like Card, who has been quoted saying that it should be illegal to be gay, gives tons of money to hate groups like the FRC and NOM (and is a member of their board), it’s a bit beyond his opinion and more like a crusade on his part. So excuse me as I try to protect myself. Anyway, the Gutters covers it here.
If this was a Holocaust denier or a white supremacist, there would be no question. Hiring that writer would be an embarrassment to your company. Well, [Orson Scott] Card is an embarrassment to your company, DC. And of all the characters Card could have been hired to write, you give him Superman? The character that taught me to lead by example? To do the right thing, even when it was hard? To keep going, even when it seemed hopeless? What an insult. Kids are killing themselves. They are killing themselves in a climate of intolerance and homophobia publicly fostered by people like Orson Scott Card. You don’t have to contribute to this. You shouldn’t. You mustn’t.”
In case you missed the story, a group of parents and students in Indiana wanted a “traditional Prom,” because the idea of seeing same-sex couples walk in holding hands is so repulsive to them. The school has nothing to do with it, although one of the teachers has said on camera that gay kids “serve no purpose.” The community, a local church and the school are reaching out to all kids, and you can read about the whole ordeal here.
Alright, let’s see what we have today. First up, an amazing story from the world of soccer. Fans were shouting racial slurs at a player, so the entire time left the pitch.
This is an awesome job. The benefits are pretty amazing:
I think I linked to it before, but the House GOP killed the Violence Against Women Act because this year, it added three extra groups: immigrants, Native Americans and the LGBT community. So yes, they can agree to protect women if they’re white and straight. But otherwise, nope.
And finally, game companies *cough SONY cough* have added to the EULA that you can no longer be part of a class-action lawsuit. Unless you send them a letter opting out of that part. Here’s a website that will do the grunt work for you, pass the word.
