8: The Mormon Proposition, Carrie Prejean Has Hairdresser Friends & Biblical Justification For Breast Implants, Academy Awards Early Honourees

Reed Cowan, gay and Mormon, has made a documentary about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participation in the passage of Proposition 8, the voter amendment that effectively eliminated the right of gay men and women in California. 8: The Mormon Proposition, narrated by Dustin Lance Black, himself gay and a former member of the Mormon Church, is still in post-production, but a trailer released online attracted attention if only because of the apparent acrimonious relationship that exists between most Mormons and gays, evidenced by the unusually active role the Church played in denying homosexuals the civil right to marry. Based on the trailer, however, the film has been criticized for being too polemic, too eager to neatly divide the debate into right and wrong, left and right, although Cowan insists that he “begged” officials to appear on camera; a request repeatedly denied. The film has no distribution deal as yet, but it is likely to screen at festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Cultural failure Carrie Prejean is questioned and answered in the latest issue of Christianity Today, and announces that she does not hate gay people, saying “I never said that I hated gays. I have friends who are gay. I have hairdressers who are gay. I live in California.” In addition to that nugget of nonsense, Prejean says – straight faced – that there is nothing “wrong with getting breast implants as a Christian,” adding that “I think it’s a personal decision. I don’t see anywhere in the Bible where it says you shouldn’t get breast implants.” Go ahead and read it again.

Saturday, for the first time ever, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science’s awarded the year’s honorary Oscar winners at an event other than the annual Academy Award telecast. The recipients of the 2009 Governor’s Award are Lauren Bacall, iconic actress, cinematographer Gordon Willis, who invented a language of light and dark, renegade director, producer, and writer Roger Corman, and studio executive John Calley. All four are originals, and thankfully, with the presentation to Willis, who’s work in the nineteen seventies remain entire works of art, a correction is made to a man who never earned an Oscar despite his photography in All the President’s Men, The Godfather trilogy, and Manhattan.

Conservative Jason Kenney Conceives A Canada Circa 1950

Largely ignored by most Canadians last week was an announcement Wednesday by Citizen and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney that changes to the country’s immigration guide were being introduced, although change is likely the wrong word, given its implications of progress, because Kenney – a proud bigoted political illiterate – wants to turn the clock back in Canada, way, way back to a time that certainly never ever existed. And, given Kenney’s political aspirations – he wants badly to be prime minister – careful attention should be paid.

The 47 page guide, used by potential immigrants as a study tool for the citizenship exam, was last revised by the Liberal party, but Kenney, a Conservatives, contends his retro-grade rewrites are exemplary not only for prospective citizens, but for “all Canadians, particularly young Canadians, to better know their country,” Kenney adding that he is “frankly more concerned about historical amnesia and civic illiteracy amongst native-born young Canadians that I am about immigrants who become Canadians.”

The Canada Kenney conceives of is one of military might and the monarch, and not of environmental riches and the need to protect that wealth. Also notably absent, a discussion of the nation’s health care, presumably because Kenney, like his colleagues, seem intent on dismantling it.

“When you become a citizen,” says Kenny, whose discomfort and dislike of cultural outside of white heterosexuals is well documented, “you’re not just getting a travel document into Hotel Canada. You are inheriting a set of responsibilities, of obligations as a citizen,” although I’m certain that Kenney would prefer that hotel restricted, open to white hetrosexuals only.

Levi Johnston Playgirl Photo Shoot Completed, Levi Deemed A Twunk, Sarah Palin Book Packed With Untruths, Anti-Gay Beenie Man Bounced, Madonna

Gawker.com reports on the Levi Johnston Playgirl shoot, disseminating Daniel Nardicio’s oddly written press release, reading, as it does, like a parody of an earlier Jay McInerney novel, brimming with breathless details on the photos themselves (there will be full frontal nudity), Sarah Palin’s plan to faux-invite Johnston to Thanksgiving dinner, an estimation that in the gay sub-social spectra Levi would be categorized a “twunk” – an older twink – and mention of upcoming Levis Johnston related merchandise, including a DVD and condoms – which are meant to be ironic in a beyond post-modern way. Gawker rightly points out that the oddest paragraph of the baffling press release is an almost afterthought by Nardicio on Johnston, saying “He’s just a simple guy, thrown into a situation, making the most out of it and seemingly enjoying himself. From my time with him, I’d say his first priority is Tripp.” To echo Gawker’s analysis, the key phrase is “seemingly enjoying himself,” because to me, young Mr. Johnston, a father far too soon, seems a tad sad.

The Associated Press, meanwhile, fact checks Levis’ former mother in law Sarah Palin’s new “book” Going Rogue: An American Life and the results are predictably embarrassing for the pretend maverick.

Following furious protests, the promoters of Auckland, New Zealand’s Big Day Out concert festival have cancelled the appearance of anti-gay Jamaican reggae performer Beenie Man, although promoter s insist that they were aware that “the controversial nature of Beenie Man and his previous lyrics that have caused offence with the Gay and Lesbian and wider community, the producers understood that the artist had renounced these sentiments and no longer express those views,” adding that the decision to cancel his appearance would be “divisive amongst our audience members and would mar the enjoyment of the event for many.”

Madonna, meanwhile, continues being beyond charitable, visiting the slums of Brazil’s capital city, Rio de Janeiro, intent on creating a children’s charity in the homeland of her current boyfriend Jesus Lutz

Prince Harry Gay Kiss, Donal Og Cusack Wonders Why More Athletes Don’t Come Out, Will Young, Tom Brady Irons, Chad White Nudes, Candy

21 year old Rocky Bennett happened upon royal red headed rascal Prince Harry a Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England bar, Liquid, the Prince and other pilot trainees unwinding after a long day, and Bennett, gay, offered to buy Harry a beer in exchange for a kiss, and the third in line to the throne obliged. Bennett says that “he went up to him and told him I would love to buy him a drink, if he gave me a kiss, Harry just burst out laughing, threw his arms around me and kissed me on the left cheek, Bennett adding that he is “not going to wash” his face for at least a month.

Donal Og Cusack, the iconic Irish hurling, says of his matter of fact coming out that “there was no torment or agonising. Once I knew what I was, I just got on with life, got on with hurling.” Cusack, a brave and brilliantly honest man, whose biography Come What May was recently published, says that he doesn’t “understand myself why it seems to be more difficult for sports people to come out than for people in other walks of life, but hurling and football exist in every corner of Ireland and there must be a hell of a lot of teenagers and men and women who struggle with this more that I have. If a hurler from a small village in Cork can do it, maybe it isn’t so hard after all.”

Will Young, openly gay Pop Idol star, releases a greatest album which contains the hit Hopes and Fears, the video for which featured Young as a pregnant man, and he talks about his singing career, acting, and the very bigoted Nick Griffin.

More from inside the December GQ magazine Men of the Year issue, including an intense Chris Pine, the trio of hotness that is True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgard, Ryan Kwanten, and Stephen Moyer, and a blissfully domesticated Tom Brady, ironing, with arms of steel.

Four fiercely fabulous photographs of Chad White, in black and white, White in the nude.

Candy is the new self-described “first fashion magazine ever completely dedicated to celebrating transvestism, transexuuality, cross dressing, and androgyny, in all its manifestations,” the debut limited edition out now – only one thousand have been printed - featuring work from fashion photographers Terry Richardson and Bruce Weber, and appearances from a myriad of male model magnificence.

CANDY 1 from Luis Venegas on Vimeo.

Rhode Island Governor Now Open To Domestic Partnership Law, D.C. Council Defies Catholic Church, Chris Pine GQ Man, Zachary Quinto Walks Noah

Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri, Republican, mere days after vetoing a bill that would have afforded domestic partners the right to make funeral decisions for one another, met with a gay rights advocacy group and said he is now willing to support a domestic partnership legislation in the State that would mimic the one recently passed and approved in Washington State, informally known as the everything but marriage law. Carcieri, whose decision Wednesday to veto a bill that would have allowed same sex partners to claim the remains and make funeral plans for their deceased partners was roundly deemed callous, now says he now comprehends the problems faced by same sex couples who by law are forced to exist outside the parameters presented by a legally recognized relationship.

As previously posted, the Catholic Church Washington D.C. archdiocese threatened to withhold the part if plays in providing local social services if the City Council passed legislation approving gay marriage. Thankfully, Council has chosen to defy the Church, and for the right reasons, members in unison saying that allowing the Catholic Church to author law would set a dangerous precedent. Council member Phil Mendelson said “allowing individual exemptions opens the door for anyone to discriminate based on assertions of religious principle. Let’s not forget that during the civil rights era, many claimed separation of the races was ordained by God.”

A preview of the upcoming December edition of GQ magazine celebrating its Men of the Year in multiple covers, including Barack Obama, Chris Pine, and one Tom Brady.

Chris Pine’s Star Trek co-star Zachary Quinto walking out and about Friday in his Sliver Lake neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California, with his adorable adopted dog Noah, who seems to have secured a brand new blue bandana.

Buenos Aires Approves Gay Marriage, Australia, Fred Phelps Protests Gays Jews, Cheyenne Jackson, Kathy Griffin, Daniel Radcliffe Denies Pot Smoking

An Argentine judge in the capital city of Buenos Aires ruled this week that a homosexual couple could marry. The decision to allow Alex Freyre and Jose Maria Di Bello to wed is a profound precedent that could lead to a county-wide ruling legalizing gay marriage. Judge Gabriela Seijas said in her ruling that the “law should treat everyone with the same respect according to their singularities, with the need to understand or regulate them. Late Friday, Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri said that he fully supports same sex marriage and that the city will not attempt to overturn the ruling.

An Australian Senate inquiry into a same sex measure received a record number of submissions – more than 26,000 – but reports suggest that over half the submissions are against the bill which would amend the country’s Marriage Act. The inquiry is to release its final findings on November 26th.

Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church congregation are suddenly seriously busy, the WBC set to protest a performance of The Laramie Project put on by the Albany High School in Albany, New York. The WBC has circled the November 20th performance as the one it intends to picket. The school was motivated to mount The Laramie Project as a retort to the Church’s appearance eight months ago in Albany, when they protested while on their way to Plattsburg, New York. Aaron Moore, an 18 year old senior who plays the part of Matthew Shepard in the play about the murder of the openly gay college student, targeted because he was gay, beaten, and left, tied to a fence to die in Laramie, Wyoming, said that he hopes the play fills the WBC “with love, with the knowledge that this is our world. This is how it’s going to be and this is how it’s going to stay.”

The Westboro Baptist Church appear to be abandoning hating homosexuals for hating Jews, according to reports, the group visiting a number of New Jersey synagogues in October on a tour through the Garden State, spreading the news according to Margie Phelps that “Jews have been carrying the water for the homosexual agenda,” as well as announcing that “Jews killed Jesus.”

Cute Cheyenne Jackson, currently starring on 30 Rock on multi-episode storyline, admits he has a “talent crush” on Alec Baldwin.

Kathy Griffin is going gay for an upcoming guest role on Law & Order: SUV, playing a lesbian activist on an episode set to air February 10th.

According to reports, Daniel Radcliffe was so smoking high at a recent party that he let a fellow party-goer draw on his face with a marker - there are pictures as proof - but through a spokesperson, Radcliffe, who is on record vehemently against recreational drug use, denied the reports.

Bert Chapman And Purdue University Pervert Free Speech

Bert Chapman, the professor at Purdue University who authored a blog article that presented the economic case against homosexuality on October 27th, will not face disciplinary sanctions, according to the University. Chapman, whose apparent argument is that the financial costs for AIDS research and treatment should not be a factor in debates over gay and lesbian equality, defended his stance, saying that “as a conservative Christian, I firmly believe the homosexual lifestyle is morally wrong, and my blog posting sought to emphasize there are economic and public policy implication to widespread and open acceptance of this lifestyle.” Purdue University, exercising a retro-risk management response, said through spokesperson Jeanne Norberg, that “there are many things on the Internet that would be offensive to a lot of people but protected by the First Amendment. The best response is to speak up, which is exactly what our students and some faculty are doing.” Chapman, the University, and his defenders, all argue that the matter is one of free speech, and Chapman is entitled to express his opinions protected in part by the American Constitution. As if to underscore Chapman’s right to express his views, both he and Purdue point out that a disclaimer appears underneath his work, saying the words are his own, and in no way reflect the opinions of his employer, and that he used a server outside the one provided by the University.

Should Chapman restrict his opinion? Absolutely not, he, as is anyone else, is entitled to express a point of view, regardless of whether it is right or wrong, so long as it is not an invitation to commit acts of violence against any individual or group. Although, when you read the entire post, two things are apparent. One, that Chapman would be thought of as an academic seems unlikely using even the loosest definition of the word. There is little logic in the thoughts of the professor, no cohesive argument. His argument is not one of economics, but of religion, couched in a debate of financial loss. And that he regards being gay a lifestyle, a choice, doesn’t bolster contentions that the man deserved tenure, only inviting speculation that Purdue’s standard of what constitutes scholarly is set seriously low.

Two, his words are violent or at the very least a call to commit acts of violence against a very specific group – gay men and women. Chapman begins by saying that “to defend traditional sexual morality against the encroaching threat of homosexuality and other aberrant forms of sexual expression, we need to do more than cite Bible verses.” Bert Chapman did not merely write an opinions piece; he authored a call to arms, a sounding of an alarm that heterosexuals must, at all cost, defend themselves from “the high economic costs of sexually deviant behaviour.” Bert Chapman contributed to the many manifestos that are used to enact overt and covert harm to gay men and women in the United States and the world daily. Bert Chapman is cunning, however accidental, and that he be defended by corrupting the conceit of free speech is perhaps a bigger crime that what he wrote.