Gays and Mormons face off in SLC Kiss-In protests

Kiss-In protest by the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City

Have you heard about the Kiss-In protests in Salt Lake City? That's what I call a passionate protest...

By Kevin Lynch
Examiner.com

The Mormon Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has an image problem, and it's causing internal friction among church leadership and congregations.

Insiders say the church's support of Prop. 8 has bred dissent among members and left families divided. According to the AP, some members have quit or stopped attending services, while others have appealed to leadership to stay out of the same-sex marriage fight.

Today is the National Kiss-In, a protest of the church's handling of a gay couple on July 9th who kissed on a public-like plaza that happened to be the private property of the church. The couple was detained and arrested for trespassing, but the charges were later dropped.

However, that hasn't stopped the Kiss-In movement from spreading. First there were Kiss-Ins in Salt Lake City on the plaza where the couple was arrested. Now there are Kiss-Ins all over the country. The point of the Kiss-Ins is to show the Mormon church that it does not have the right or the power to prevent a loving same-sex couple from showing affection in public.

Observers say the church's heavy-handed intervention into California politics will linger and has left the faith's image tarnished.

Kate Kendall, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said, "What I hear from my community and from straight progressive individuals is that they now see the church as a force for evil and as an enemy of fairness and equality." Kendell grew up Mormon in Utah, and added, "To have the church's very deep and noble history telescoped down into this very nasty little image is as painful for me as for any faithful Mormon."

Church spokeswoman Kim Farah told reporters, "It's too easy for those whose agenda is to change societal standards to claim there are great difficulties inside the Church because of its decision to support traditional marriage. In reality the Church has received enormous support for its defense of marriage."

But many disagree with Farah. Lifetime Mormon Linda Stay, whose ancestors were early Mormon converts, said she was doubly transformed by Prop. 8. She and her husband, Steve, finally quit the church — along with 18 other family members and a few close friends — and became gay right activists.

With the gay rights fight far from over, some believe Prop. 8 could continue to frustrate the church's image for years to come, much like polygamy and keeping black men out of the priesthood did in the past.

Source: Examiner.com

Adam Lambert comes out, signs record deal

"I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I'm gay."

There. Adam Lambert finally said it in his highly anticipated Rolling Stone cover, which is great because that means no more "keep speculating" stories.

The American Idol runner-up reveals that he put off the topic of his sexuality for so long because he just wanted to make sure he came out in the coolest way possible...

"Right after the finale, I almost started talking about it to the reporters, but I thought, 'I'm going to wait for Rolling Stone, that will be cooler,' " he says in the issue out this Friday. "I didn’t want the Clay Aiken thing and the celebrity-magazine bullshit. I need to be able to explain myself in context."

Wise move. Celebrity magazines don't let you get as creative with the crotch snakes and butterflies on their covers.

He also explains why he didn't come out while the show was airing, especially after photos of him in drag making out with dudes started to surface:

"I was worried that [coming out] would be so sensationalized that it would overshadow what I was there to do, which was sing. I'm an entertainer, and who I am and what I do in my personal life is a separate thing. It shouldn’t matter. Except it does. It's so confusing."

And after all the explanations are through, he declares: "I'm proud of my sexuality. I embrace it. It's just another part of me."

Lambert was raised in San Diego and currently lives in Los Angeles and confesses that the recent controversy over Proposition 8 is something that hit close to home. "This civil rights movement is near to my heart... I'm not asking to get married in your church, but you don't have any right to tell me I can't do it."

Lambert--who has been dubbed "Glambert" for his show-stopping outfits, heavy guyliner and black nail polish--quickly earned the favor of the judges on "Idol" and amassed a huge following because of his stellar voice and enigmatic stage presence.

As for the rest of his American Idol experience, something a psychedelic trip on "certain funguses" at Burning Man inspired him to pursue, two kinda awesome things have come from it.

First, he figured out he likes himself: "I'm finally checked in to my self-worth for the first time in my life, and the fact that it has coincided with Idol is so sweet."

And second, he signed a record deal, which is almost as shocking as his Rolling Stone announcement. 19 Entertainment and RCA Recordings announced today that they signed Lambert, whose debut record is expected this Fall.

"I'm thrilled that we've come to a creative and collaborative partnership and look forward to developing a really exciting album," Lambert says in a press release. "We are 100 percent on the same page and are all anxiously awaiting the start of the recordings. It's going to be ridiculous! Get Ready!!!"

A record deal and Rolling Stone cover on the same day? It's like he told the music mag, "Now I'm in a waking dream."

Sources: E! Online, ExtraTV
Copyright © 2009

Fairytales can come true

Sergio Garcia was crowned prom queen on May 23 at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. "You don't have to be a certain gender to accomplish things," said Garcia, adding that he identified more with being a queen. (Photo by Liz O. Baylen, Los Angeles Times via AP)

An openly gay teen was voted prom queen at Los Angeles' Fairfax High School in a campaign that began as a stunt but ended up spurring discussion on the campus about gender roles and teen popularity, the Associated Press and Los Angeles Times reported earlier this week.

Sergio Garcia, 18, was crowned queen May 23 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, AP reported. "I feel invincible," he said in his tiara and charcoal-gray tuxedo. Yes, he wore a tiara.

A queen with no king, since Proposition 8 banning gay marriage in that state was upheld by the California Supreme Court Tuesday.

It was all fun and games until a few days before the coronation, when he gave a speech that won over some cynics and led to an ovation and his unlikely victor, according to the report.

"At one time, prom may have been a big popularity contest where the best-looking guy or girl were crowned king and queen. Things have changed and it's no longer just about who has the most friends or who wears the coolest clothes," Garcia told a gymnasium full of seniors, AP reported.

"I'm not your typical prom queen candidate. There's more to me than meets the eye."

Well...he's right. For one, there's a penis somewhere in there not meeting one's eyes, and that's definitely atypical. According to the report, Garcia assured the crowd he wouldn't wear a dress on prom night. Darn!

"I will be wearing a suit," he said. "But don't be fooled, deep down I am a queen." Ha! Good for him! Although I would've loved to see him in a prom gown...

Garcia said he the fliers advertising the prom and the election didn't specify the queen must be a girl and thought the role would suit him better than prom king. I don't wish to be a girl," he told the LA Times. "I just wish to be myself."

The school has long been a haven for students who would be considered outcasts at many schools, AP reported, noting that one of the members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers attended that school.

Senior class president Vanessa Lo said she and many other students were initially against the idea but were won over by Garcia's speech and became convinced he wasn't just an attention-seeking clown, according to the report.

Long live the Queen!!!

Source: The Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, USA Today

Copyright © 2009

Factbox: gay marriage, civil unions in the U.S.

Photo source: flickr.com

Reuters published this factbox earlier this week after California upheld Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage. It's interesting info, plus I thought I might as well have it here for future reference.

The following is a look at laws on gay marriage and same-sex civil unions in the United States after California's supreme court backed a ban on gay marriage.

* The first-same sex marriages in America took place in Massachusetts in 2004, a year after the state's highest court ruled that a ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional.

* Connecticut became the second U.S. state to legalize gay marriage when its supreme court overturned a ban on same-sex marriage on October 10, 2008. Local authorities began issuing marriage licenses on November 12.

* California began marrying gay and lesbian couples in June 2008, a month after the state Supreme Court ruled that barring same-sex marriages was unconstitutional. But that was reversed on November 4 when Californians voted in support of a proposition to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

* Iowa became the third state to legalize same-sex marriage when its supreme court issued a unanimous ruling on April 3 that said a gay marriage ban violated the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples.

* Vermont followed suit on April 7 when lawmakers overrode a governor's veto of a gay-marriage bill, making the New England state the first in the country to legalize gay marriage with a legislature's vote.

* The District of Columbia city council voted on May 5 to recognize same-sex marriages performed in states where those unions are legal, although gay marriages cannot be conducted in the city itself.

* Maine's governor signed a bill on May 6 that cleared the way for the rugged state to become the sixth to legalize gay marriage. But the law could be delayed or even voided before it is due to take effect in September if opponents gather enough support for a statewide referendum on gay marriage.

* The New York State Assembly passed a bill on May 12 to legalize gay marriage but it faces an uncertain future in the state Senate, where Democrats hold a slim majority.

* A bill that would have made New Hampshire the sixth U.S. state to authorize gay marriage stalled unexpectedly on May 20 because of concessions to religious groups opposed to such unions. The bill has been sent to a committee where lawmakers from both chambers will try to resolve their differences.

* Forty-two U.S. states have laws explicitly prohibiting such marriages, including 29 with constitutional amendments restricting marriage to one man and one woman, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group.

* New Jersey permits same-sex civil unions that grant largely the same state rights as married couples -- from insurance coverage to tax benefits and hospital visiting rights -- but lack the full legal protections of marriage.

* Hawaii and Washington each offer gay couples some legal rights as partners.

* The patchwork of laws has caused some unusual complications. Rhode Island's top court, for example, ruled in December 2007 that a same-sex couple married in Massachusetts could not legally divorce in Rhode Island, saying the state's family court did not have authority over same-sex marriages.

* The U.S. Supreme Court has not taken a case on gay marriage, leaving states to decide the issue. But eight same-sex couples who married in Massachusetts and three gay widowers filed a lawsuit on March 3 seeking access to federal protections and programs granted to straight married couples.

(Compiled by Jason Szep in Boston; Editing by Bill Trott)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

Bigotry triumphs in California

Photo: Los Angeles Times

I’m not gay, but I’m for equal rights–for EVERYONE.

Shame on California.

Shame on the close-minded, self-righteous, self-centered, pseudo-spiritual, arrogant, hypocritical so-called “Americans” who cite Freedom for their sins (and atrocities) while crushing the freedom of “The Others.”

Here's the thing: I don't care who anyone wants to marry. It's none of my business. And whom I choose to marry is none of anybody's business as far as I'm concerned. It's that simple. Those who claim it is their business...that the future of this country depends on gays not being allowed to get married...are, in my opinion, extremely insecure individuals who, evidently, need to force their views and opinions and lifestyles on others in order to justify theirs.

So what if I'm in love with a cactus and want to marry it? Mind your own business.

Copyright © 2009