Annise Parker, openly lesbian candidate for mayor of Houston, comes under vicious anti-gay attack in the final days

Don't let them get away with this.  Get involved today.  Live phone bank tonight (Thursday).  Call in from anywhere in the country (toll free number) and make a few calls.

Email us at gayborhoodtimes@gmail.com and we'll get you set up.

It doesn't matter where you live. You can help Annise Parker make Houston the nation's largest city with an openly LGBT mayor!

All Points Bulletin: The Houston Mayoral runoff takes place this Saturday, December 12th and Annise Parker needs you help!



Who is Annise Parker? She is a highly qualified candidate to be Houston's next mayor, and she happens to be an out lesbian. She finished in first place in the November election, but she did not get over 50%, so she has a runoff election against the runner-up, Gene Locke.

Learn more about Annise at these links:
http://www.anniseparker.com/
http://www.victoryfund.org/endorsed_candidates/profile/candidate:320

This race is huge for LGBT people all across the United States. If elected, Annise Parker will become mayor of Houston, the USA's fourth largest city.

Despite the recent setbacks at the ballot box on the issue of marriage equality, openly gay and lesbian candidates have made some real strides this year, including last Tuesday, when Simone Bell became the first openly lesbian African American elected to a state legislature.  On the same night, Alex Wan became the first openly gay Asian American elected official in Georgia when he was elected to Atlanta's City Council.

The race in Houston is tight. The recent Zogby poll showed Annise Parker with a small lead, with a large percentage of voters "undecided."

She needs our help to win this election. Here's what you can do:

If you live in or near Houston, contact the campaign directly by going to the campaign office or by giving them a call.  Annise's "contact us" page with all the details is here.

If you do not live in the Houston area, you can still phone bank from home. To get more info, email us here at the Gayborhood Times and we'll pass you info on to a phone bank coordinator.  Our email address is gayborhoodtimes@gmail.com (Include your name and phone number, as well as a Twitter or Facebook ID if you have one, and we'll get you all set up.)  The system is easy-to-use and we'll provide you with all the info you need to get started. All you need is the script we give you and a telephone with touch tone capability.

Adam Lambert and Elisabeth Hasselbeck set to lock horns on Thursday's episode of "The View"

Thursday, 11 AM on ABC...set those DVRs.  Adam Lambert has pre-taped an episode of "The View," and word on the street is that it is a pretty interesting exchange.  The ladies of the view talk about the upcoming show in the clip below.

The Gayborhood Times is looking for guest posters. Let us share your wisdom with our audience!

If you have been following The Gayborhood Times on Twitter or Facebook, you probably realize that we tend to repost news articles and YouTube videos, but not much else.  Most of our time is committed to promoting the site so we can grow our audience.

But now that we have a significant audience, things are about to change.  First, we're just days away from migrating to a new .com domain of our own.  It will be a lot shorter to type in and it will help us establish greater credibility than just being on the .blogspot.com domain.  Second, we're looking to add fresh, original content to the site.

Despite the good following we have established, The Gayborhood Times doesn't really make money.  Perhaps a few dollars per day from Google Ads, but we haven't really tried to monetize our traffic.  Our first priority is to make a top-notch site for activists and interested parties.  If money comes later, so be it.  If it doesn't, but we can still make a difference for the cause, that's fine too.  I guess that's my roundabout way of saying that we're not paying for content.  At least not yet.

But how do we take it to the next level? That's where you come in.  We're looking for writers to submit original content - opinion articles that are interesting to read and have some supporting documentation, LGBT-themed poetry or short stories, and/or "Letters to the Editor" of The Gayborhood Times.

Have something interesting and/or compelling to say? Let us distribute it for free and build your profile in the online LGBT community.  We'll link back to your Twitter and Facebook profiles from the article, and we'll distribute it online through our Twitter account (nearly 1000 followers and growing) and our Facebook account (nearly 6000 fans and growing).

All we ask is that you submit your content to gayborhoodtimes@gmail.com and, once we inform you that we have selected and published your content, we ask that you "tweet" and/or post a link to the article on your Facebook profile.  Then we'll spread the word about the post on our end.

Portia De Rossi schools Elisabeth Hasselbeck on the importance of the word "marriage" on The View

Portia De Rossi was on The View on Friday morning and the issue turned to marriage.  Elisabeth Hasselbeck didn't understand why it needed to be called "marriage." Portia nailed it right on the head.  Watch the video to see how she handled it.

VIDEO: Openly Gay NY State Senator Tom Duane on Marriage Equality Vote

In my opinion, his speech sums up everything.  Please post your comments below.

Marriage Equality bill fails in NY Senate. Gays and Lesbians remain 2nd class citizens in the Empire State.

This post is a work-in-progress. Still developing...

The NY State Senate voted 24 Y, 38 N (Ds 24-8 in favor; Rs 30-0 against) and defeated the marriage equality bill in New York state. This comes at a time when there was great optimism that New York state would pass the bill and send it to Gov. Paterson's desk for his signature.

Supporters claimed to have enough votes to secure passage of this landmark legislation. This was clearly not the case. Gays and lesbians will continue to be second-class citizens in the Empire State.

FULL ROLL CALL (from TimesUnion.com)
Eric Adams (D) — YES “This is about love.”
Joseph Addabbo (D) — NO
James Alesi (R) — NO
Darrel Aubertine (D) — NO
John Bonacic (R) — NO
Neil Breslin (D) — YES
John DeFrancisco (R) — NO
Ruben Diaz (D) — NO “Sen. Smith, it is better to keep your word.”
Martin Malave Dilan (D) — YES
Tom Duane (D) — YES
Pedro Espada (D) — YES
Hugh Farley (R) — NO
John Flanagan (R) — NO
Brian Foley (D) — YES
Charles Fuschillo, Jr. (R) — NO
Martin Golden (R) — NO
Joseph Griffo (R) — NO
Kemp Hannon (R) — NO
Ruth Hassell-Thompson (D) — YES
Shirley Huntley (D) — NO
Craig Johnson (D) — YES
Owen Johnson (R) — NO
Jeffrey Klein (D) — YES
Liz Krueger (D) — YES
Carl Kruger (D) — NO
Andrew Lanza (R) — NO
Bill Larkin (R) — NO
Kenneth LaValle (R) — NO
Vincent Leibell (R) — NO
Tom Libous (R) — NO
Elizabeth Little (R) — NO
Carl Marcellino (R) — NO
George Maziarz (R) — NO
Roy McDonald (R) — NO
Hiram Monserrate (D) — NO
Velmanette Montgomery (D) — YES
Thomas Morahan (R) — NO
Michael Nozzolio (R) — NO
George Onorato (D) — NO
Suzi Oppenheimer (D) — YES
Frank Padavan (R) — NO
Kevin Parker (D) — YES
Bill Perkins (D) — YES
Michael Ranzenhofer (R) — NO
Joseph Robach (R) — NO
Stephen Saland (R) — NO
John Sampson (D) — YES
Diane Savino (D) — YES
Eric Schneiderman (D) — YES
Jose Serrano (D) — YES
James Seward (R) — NO
Dean Skelos (R) — NO
Malcolm Smith (D) — YES
Daniel Squadron (D) — YES
William Stachowski (D) — NO
Toby Ann Stavisky (D) — YES
Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) — YES
Antoine Thompson (D) — YES
David Valesky (D) — YES
Dale Volker (R) — NO
George Winner (R) — NO
Catherine Young (R) — NO

We will be editing this post to add more. Please leave your comments below. Gay rights activists may have lost this particular battle, but the war will be won over time.

"Family Ties" Mom is, in fact, 'family'

For seven years, Meredith Baxter, who played the mother on the 80s TV hit, "Family Ties," has been keeping a secret. She's been dating women. She finally came out on The Today Show today.

From The Today Show site:

Now, Baxter, who played the devoted hippie mom constantly butting heads with her conservative kids on “Family Ties,” is making a public admission.

“I am a lesbian and it was a later-in-life recognition,” she told Matt Lauer on TODAY. “Some people would say, well, you’re living a lie and, you know, the truth is – not at all. This has only been for the past seven years.”

See the video and read more at The Today Show site.

Openly gay councilman and state legislator elected tonight in Georgia!

Simone Bell, an openly gay African-American woman, will be nation's first openly lesbian state legislator when inaugurated. Alex Wan, an openly gay Asian-American candidate, has won the election to fill the Atlanta City Council District 6 seat on Tuesday night.

Bell captured 56% of the vote with all precincts reporting. With 100% of precincts reporting in Atlanta, Wan captured 60% of the vote against his opponent, Liz Coyle.

Read more about Simone Bell at her web site, SimoneBell.com. Read more about Alex Wan at his web site, AlexWanForAtlanta.com. Both candidates were endorsed by The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

Meanwhile, the race for Mayor of Atlanta was shaping up to be a nailbiter. With nearly all ballots counted, Kasim Reed has an edge of less than 800 votes and has declared victory over his opponent, Mary Norwood, who has not yet conceded. Both candidates are widely seen as gay-friendly.

View results updated LIVE at the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Openly gay assemblyman could become Speaker of California's state house?

Wow! This would be awesome!

First-term Assemblyman John Perez, an ally of organized labor and cousin of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, has launched a campaign to capture the Assembly speakership, and many members of the house are quickly rallying behind his bid.

Perez entered the race after a number of his Assembly colleagues mounted an effort to draft him as a speakership candidate. Capitol sources said if Perez is able to secure a majority of his caucus, the vote on a new speaker could come by next week, when the Assembly reconvenes to vote on education legislation.

One of those involved in the Draft Perez movement was Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. Huffman told Capitol Weekly Tuesday, "I believe John now has the votes. I think it's over."

Read the full article at Capitol Weekly, the newspaper of California government and politics.

Gay marriage news from New Jersey & Washington DC

A couple of news stories on the marriage equality front on Tuesday:

New Jersey: Over 200 prominent Garden State Democrats demand a vote on gay marriage before the end of the lameduck session in January. This is critical because this is the last chance before supportive Governor Jim Corzine leaves office. His successor, Gov.-elect Christie has pledged to veto any such effort. Read the full story at NorthJersey.com.

Washington, D.C.: On an 11-2 vote, the city council passed the first of two votes required to allow same-sex marriage. Councilmembers Marion Barry was among the two dissenters. Not sure why we should listen to his view of morality anyways. Read the full story at The Huffington Post.

Adam Lambert: "People aren't used to seeing a sexual gay man on TV"

Among the people who weren't thrilled with Adam's Lambert's controversial American Music Awards performance: His dad.

"My dad was like, 'Maybe you should apologize, Adam,'" he says on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tuesday "I was like, "You know, dad, I don't feel like I did anything wrong. It just wasn't maybe the right judgment call. It's a taste thing more than an obscenity thing. I think it's just a taste level.'"

Read the full article at US Magazine.

Sweden to end ban on blood donations from gay men

STOCKHOLM (AFP) – Sweden will lift its ban on gay blood donors as of March 1, 2010, but will restrict donations to gay men who have not had sex with a man for a year, national health authorities said Tuesday.

"Men who have had sex with men will no longer be permanently barred from donating blood," the National Board of Health and Welfare said in a statement released on World AIDS Day.

Sexual orientation will no longer determine whether a person can give blood. Instead, people who have engaged in "sexually risky behaviour" can be barred as donors for one year.

Read the full article at Yahoo News.

AIDS Silence - David Kaufman's excellent article on Huffington Post

David Kaufman had a great article on the Huffington Post today about the sweeping-under-the-rug of HIV/AIDS issues.

Take a looksie by clicking here.

UNAIDS condemns criminalizing being gay

The United Nations’s Joint Program on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS, released a statement on Tuesday calling for nations to stop criminalizing the LGBT community.

According to the organization, 80 nations still have laws that criminalize gay sex. The organization claims that such laws not only violate human rights, but also undermine effective HIV treatment.

“The human rights of people living with HIV, men who have sex with men, lesbians and transgender people must be fully respected,” UNAIDS stated in a press release on their website. “Where they have been able to access HIV information, prevention and treatment and avoid discrimination, these populations have become a force for health and community empowerment.”

Read the entire article at The Advocate.

Philippines bars LGBT political party from election participation

The Philippines Commission on Elections (Comelec) has blocked the LGBT group Ang Ladlad from registering as a political party. Comelec claims the group is a threat to the nation’s youth.

"We are not condemning the LGBT, but we cannot compromise the well-being of the greater number of people, especially the youth," the commission said

Read the rest of the article at The Advocate.

Judge in Argentina Puts Brakes on Gay Marriage

Updating an earlier story...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — An Argentine judge put a hold Monday on another court's decision to permit the first gay marriage in Latin America, but supporters of the couple said they would try to go ahead with the ceremony anyway.

The official court Web site said national judge Marta Gomez Alsina ordered the wedding blocked until the issue can be considered by the Supreme Court.

Read the entire article from the AP at Huffington Post.