Stewart Takes Down Florida Pastor Planning 'Burn A Koran Day'

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My favorite line: "This man is f***ing crazy," Oliver said. "He doesn't represent Christianity any more than "Dr. Laura represents the United Negro College Fund."

The guy is just stupid. I think the media should just stop coverage of this idiot. This will be my last post about him.

AC360 - Pastor Terry Jones Wants To Burn Qurans On 9/11

David Letterman - Ellen DeGeneres Top Ten

Homophobic Church Leads Koran Burning

The church leading the charge to burn Korans on September 11 was the same church that targeted its city's new mayor with a homophobic sign.

The Reverend Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., said members of his congregation are determined to burn copies of the Koran despite reportedly receiving more than 100 death threats, the Associated Press reports.

To counter the move, Mayor Craig Lowe, has declared September 11 Interfaith Solidarity Day in Gainesville. He was targeted by the church with a sign reading "No Homo Mayor."

Tea Party Leader Dumped Over Antigay Comments

A Montana Tea Party leader has been removed from his position, the result of an antigay Facebook post he had made earlier this summer, the Associated Press reports.

Tim Ravndal, the now-former president of the Big Sky Tea Party Association, was dismissed by the group's board of directors after a July 23 post in which he voiced his opposition to marriage equality.

In a likely reference to the 1998 Matthew Shepard murder in neighboring Wyoming, another Facebook user wrote on the post, "I think fruits are decorative. Hang up where they can be seen and appreciated. Call Wyoming for display instructions."

Ravndal replied, "Where can I get that Wyoming printed instruction manual?"

Jim Walker, chairman of the Tea Party chapter, said in a statement, "We continually make it known that we will not tolerate bigoted dialogue, behavior or messages at our functions, our meetings or within our ranks."

Students protest dean's resignation

Some Cathedral High School students cannot believe that Christine Judd, their dean and athletic director, stepped down after 12 years of service on Friday, not even a week into the new school year.

Dozens of students and friends of Christine Judd came out to St. Michael's Cathedral to protest her resignation.

Students told 22News she was forced to resign because she married her same sex partner this summer.

"When I found out she was terminated and I found out why she was terminated, I was outraged and disgusted with the decision that was made. They have people working for them who are divorced, they have people who are using contraceptives, they have students who go to the school who are pregnant, and they don't make them leave, so why should they decide to act on those principles now?" said Martin Boyle, a Cathedral High School Senior.

Springfield Diocese Spokesperson Mark Dupont says Bishop Timothy McDonnell was not available for an interview Sunday.

But Dupont says these students' accusations are just speculation, and this is not a moral issue, but an employment issue.

Judd agreed to abide by school policy, which clearly indicates that administration members must uphold the doctrine and teachings of the Catholic Church.

"She has acknowledged to her credit, that she undertook actions this past summer, which were in violation of an agreement she freely accepted. Casting aside what she did, the nub of the issue is that we ask people to make agreements and we ask people to keep those agreements,” said Dupont.

Some students say they're not angry with the diocese or their religion, but they would like to see some changes.

"If we're going to preach tolerance, we need to practice tolerance and I think the old ways are prohibiting us from doing that. We just think it's time for the church to progress,” said Alexandra Nicolai, a Cathedral High School Senior.

22News spoke with some parishioners coming out of mass and asked them what they think about the diocese's decision.

"I hear them screaming out there and they're absolutely correct. Who are we to judge? That's one of the main things we believe in church. We are not the ones to judge anybody, because God almighty does that," said Tatiana Flores, a parishioner.

At this time, it's unclear if Judd will take any legal action.

Outreach's Plan To Burn Qurans

The Gainesville, Florida-based Dove World Outreach Center announced plans to burn copies of the Quran on church grounds to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but has been denied a permit to set a bonfire. The church, which made headlines last year after distributing T-shirts that said "Islam is of the Devil," has vowed to proceed with the burning.

"We know this is not just the decision of a church. It is the decision of the president and the entire United States," said Abdul Shakoor, an 18-year-old high school student who said he joined the protest after hearing neighborhood gossip about the Quran burning.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul issued a statement condemning Dove World Outreach Center's plans, saying Washington was "deeply concerned about deliberate attempts to offend members of religious or ethnic groups."

General David Petraeus has condemned a Florida church's plans to burn Qurans this week, warning that the scene "could endanger troops" in Afghanistan.

Petraeus told The Wall Street Journal Monday that Pastor Terry Jones' September 11 stunt could ignite violence from Taliban forces already versed in harnessing American headlines as propaganda:


"It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort," Gen. Petraeus said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community."

Hundreds of Afghans railed against the United States Monday and called for President Barack Obama's death during protests about Dove World Outreach Center's plans to burn the Islamic holy book on Sept. 11.

The crowd in Kabul, numbering as many as 500, chanted "Long live Islam" and "Death to America" as they listened to fiery speeches from members of parliament, provincial council deputies, and Islamic clerics who criticized the U.S. and demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country. Some threw rocks when a U.S. military convoy passed, but speakers shouted at them to stop and told police to arrest anyone who disobeyed.

Slur Costs Aussie Swimmer Her Jag Deal

Australian competitive swimmer Stephanie Rice has been dumped as the face of luxury car brand Jaguar after she called the South African rugby team “f*ggots” on her Twitter account, Australia’s Herald Sun reports.

“We wish Stephanie success for the future,” said Kevin Goult, general manager of Jaguar Australia when confirming that the company had discontinued its relationship with Rice.

Rice, who tweeted “Suck on that f*ggots” after watching Australia’s Wallabies beat South Africa on Saturday, later apologized for the comment and said she understood why Jaguar made the decision it did. “I did not mean to cause offense and I apologize,” she said Sunday.

Openly gay Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham took to his Facebook page Monday morning to defend Rice, writing: “I know a lot of ppl are upset by what Steph Rice said. I agree, it was offensive & very thoughtless, but being friends with her for 2yrs, I know she is not homophobic. She meant no malice, & she has apologized for her careless comment posted in the excitement of the moment. That’s enough for me to forgive a friend."

Hampton's Antigay Cowboys Rant

Sports commentator and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Hampton issued an apology for making an offensive statement about the Gulf Coast region, but did not apologize for a homophobic remark about the Dallas Cowboys.

Hampton said, regarding this Thursday's game with the New Orleans Saints, that the Minnesota Vikings "need to go down there and hit that town like Katrina," according to the Dallas Observer.

"It was a spur-of-the-moment comment intended strictly as a metaphor for the storm-like intensity I believe the Vikings will bring to their rematch with the Saints, and it simply never occurred to me that anyone could read anything more than that into it," Hampton said in a statement Monday on Pro Football Weekly.

However, the statement that went unaddressed was his homophobic remark about the Cowboys.

"The Cowboys think they are Clint Eastwood; they're more of the Brokeback variety, if you know what I'm talking about," Hampton said.

Rachel Maddow on AZ Gov Jan Brewer's Epic Fail

GOP leaders, activists are set to attend high-profile LGBT events

Republican strategists, politicians and donors are flocking to some high-profile fundraising events to benefit groups such as the Log Cabin Republicans and the fight for marriage equality. The Log Cabin event will include appearances by top party committee chairmen, even though they are not supportive of many legislative agenda items favored by the LGBT community. "It would be irresponsible of me to not seek common denominators or common points of interest to build relationships with our conservative colleagues," said LCR Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper

The Top 10 Closeted Conservatives

When Ken Mehlman crawled out of the closet last week he dragged a legion of filthy dust bunnies along with him. For years, Mehlman was the mouthpiece -- and brain trust -- of the political party that built its reputation around the defamation and marginalization of LGBT Americans.

Mehlman's announcement got us thinking about how many right-wingers turn out to be gay. It's almost like watching the magic mirror segment on Romper Room. One name after another after another of Kenny's conservative fellows have tumbled out of the closet.

Here's a list of the most scandalous hetero-cum-homo revelations we could think of:

10) California state Sen. Roy Ashburn. The pseudoheroic baton of homo honesty was passed to Mehlman last week from Ashburn, his reluctant predecessor. Unlike Mehlman, Ashburn didn't discover the courage to be honest until after being arrested for drunk driving following Latino drag night at a gay bar in Sacramento. Similar to Kenny, Ashburn has a strong record of acting against the interests of his fellow gays.

9) Former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig. Craig was arrested for soliciting a penis pacifier from an undercover cop in an airport bathroom in Minnesota. Craig still clings to his heterosexuality even though he pleaded guilty to the charge of soliciting sex from a police officer. He famously said, "I am not gay" and no one really believes him.

8) The Rev. Ted Haggard. Haggard was forced to resign from his evangelical ministry after it was revealed that he had a sexual relationship with a male massage therapist for three years (and used a little crystal meth with him, too). Ted's admission of his man-on-man action is somewhat unique because he now says he has been fixed and no longer has homo urges. His wife must be thrilled.

7) George Rekers. The self-proclaimed expert on homosexuality -- as well as a founder of the Christian ultra-conservative Family Research Council -- was caught traveling with a young male escort he hired to act as his luggage-lifting companion. The escort, Lucien, admitted to doing much more than lifting luggage. Rekers, like Larry Craig, still denies accusations of lusting for the scent of a scrotum on a hot day. Although George likes to think of himself not only as straight, but also as being just like Jesus!

6) Rep. Mark Foley. Foley, a six-term Congressman from Florida was caught sending lewd and lascivious instant messages to teenage pages. Foley not only resigned his seat, he also came out of the closet and told the world that he is as gay as the day is long. Interestingly enough, a few years before getting caught drooling over teenagers, Foley said accusations that he was gay were "revolting and unforgivable."

5) Michael Huffington. After a cutthroat campaign against Dianne Feinstein for the California Senate seat she won, Republican Huffington announced (first to his wife, Arianna, their daughters, then to Esquire magazine) that he loves wieners and he hates politics before vowing to never run for office again.

4) Gov. Jim McGreevey. Okay, our token Democrat. The former Governor of New Jersey was married -- twice -- mostly to maintain the image of an electable heterosexual, ass-grabbing, titty loving man among men. He also had a hot, sexy affair with a man on the state's payroll, whom he'd hired. Talk about horny! When wasn't Jim McGreevey ejaculating?

3) Roy Cohn. A rabid, vicious, heartless attorney who worked with Sen. Joe McCarthy in helping to rid the FBI -- and Hollywood -- of communists in the 1950s, Cohn was not-so-secretly gay. Although responsible for investigating and accusing many people of being communist or homosexual, Cohn never admitted that he, too, craved sex with men. He died of AIDS in 1986. Watch Al Pacino portray Cohn in Tony Kushner's Angels in America to gain an understanding of how the closet works for men like Cohn.

2) J. Edgar Hoover. The longest-serving head of the FBI had a lifelong relationship with an associate director of the FBI named Clyde Tolson. Hoover never discussed his relationship with Tolson but they were constant companions. Tolson was not only Hoover's heir but he also received the flag that was draped on Hoover's coffin at his funeral. A film about J. Edgar Hoover directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Dustin Lance Black (who wrote screenplay for Milk) is in production to be released in 2012.

1) We are saving this slot for the next closet case. The next morally superior, hypocritical, Republican (or not), wickedly conservative (because he's got to prove he's not one of them gays) to come out ... and you know its going to happen.

Charlie ... Charlie ... come out, come out, wherever you are...

Patrick Connors is an uppity fag who likes wieners and carries his own luggage (and vice versa).

Vanity Fair's Sarah Palin Profiler: 'The Worst Stuff Isn't Even In There'

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The author of the blistering Vanity Fair profile on Sarah Palin says he wanted to write a positive piece, but was shocked by what he learned as he researched his story.

"The worst stuff isn't even in there," Michael Joseph Gross said on "Morning Joe" Thursday. "I couldn't believe these stories either when I first heard them, and I started this story with a prejudice in her favor. I have a lot in common with this woman. I'm a small-town person, I'm a Christian, I think that a lot of her criticisms of the media actually have something to them. And I think she got a bum ride, but everybody close to her tells the same story."

In the profile, Gross paints Palin as an abusive, retaliatory figure with an extreme ability to lie.

"This is a person for whom there is no topic too small to lie about," he said. "She lies about everything."

Asked about Palin's political future, Gross said it depends on what the media lets her get away with.

"If we decide to let her keep lying and getting away with it, she's gonna still be around," he said. "But if we start returning to the standard that a politician has to talk with people, and a politician has to tell the truth, then she's outta here, because she can't stand up to that."

Gross added that he takes exception to criticisms that he wrote a "hit piece" against Palin.

The author of the blistering Vanity Fair profile on Sarah Palin says he wanted to write a positive piece, but was shocked by what he learned as he researched his story.

"The worst stuff isn't even in there," Michael Joseph Gross said on "Morning Joe" Thursday. "I couldn't believe these stories either when I first heard them, and I started this story with a prejudice in her favor. I have a lot in common with this woman. I'm a small-town person, I'm a Christian, I think that a lot of her criticisms of the media actually have something to them. And I think she got a bum ride, but everybody close to her tells the same story."

In the profile, Gross paints Palin as an abusive, retaliatory figure with an extreme ability to lie.

"This is a person for whom there is no topic too small to lie about," he said. "She lies about everything."

Asked about Palin's political future, Gross said it depends on what the media lets her get away with.

"If we decide to let her keep lying and getting away with it, she's gonna still be around," he said. "But if we start returning to the standard that a politician has to talk with people, and a politician has to tell the truth, then she's outta here, because she can't stand up to that."

Gross added that he takes exception to criticisms that he wrote a "hit piece" against Palin.

Prop 8: Court Won't Force Schwarzenegger, Brown To Defend Gay Marriage Ban

A California court has refused to order Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown to appeal a ruling that overturned the state's gay marriage ban.

The 3rd District Court of Appeal on Wednesday denied a conservative legal group's request to force the officials to defend voter-approved Proposition 8.

Presiding Justice Arthur Scotland did not explain why the appeals court turned down the request filed two days earlier by the Pacific Justice Institute.

The institute now plans to take the matter to the California Supreme Court, Chief Counsel Kevin Snider said Thursday.

"We are disappointed that the appellate court showed indecisiveness in trying to prevent a constitutional crisis," Snider said. "They didn't want to deal with it."

The institute maintains the attorney general and governor have the duty to uphold all laws, including those passed by voters.

Brown has said he cannot defend Proposition 8 because he thinks it is unconstitutional; Schwarzenegger has chosen to remain neutral.

Drag Sue Sylvester Leads Glee 'Vogue' Flash Mob in Sydney

Shoppers at Sydney's Queen Victoria Building were surprised last week to find themselves in the middle of a flashmob performing Madonna's "Vogue" (the Glee version), led by legendary Sydney drag queen Joyce Maynge (in her best Sue Sylvester) track suit.

Miss Universe Jimena Navarrete Supports Marriage Equality

Andrés Duque at Blabbeando translates an interview with the recently-crowned Miss Universe, Jimena Navarrete of Mexico. Navarrete is asked her opinion about same-sex marriage:

"I believe that every person in this world has the right to profess the beliefs they have and I am in agreement. We have to respect what each human being decides to do with their lives, no? Clearly, there are limitations, of course, also, as there also are with heterosexual couples, no? Better said, there are limitations for any of the two - if they are heterosexual or homosexual - but I believe we have to learn to be respectful because they are people who are the same as us. There is no difference. And I don't believe it's just to discriminate somebody based on the gender they prefer, no? Based on the partner they choose to select, if it's a man or a woman. The truth is that I am absolutely against discrimination and, well, what can I say. I have many friends who are homosexual and I adore them. And they are equal folk: There is no reason we should want to set them aside, there is no reason why we shouldn't let them enjoy what they want to enjoy with their partner."

As you may recall, the Mexican Supreme Court recently declared Mexico City's marriage equality law constitutional and ruled that all Mexican states must recognize same-sex marriages.

Should Obama Be Worried About Growing GOP Support for Gays?

Should Obama be concerned about the growing number of Republicans that are to the left of him on gay marriage and similar issues? Perhaps, writes Sam Stein in the HuffPost:

...a prominent Democratic consultant got in touch with the Huffington Post to make the case that the Obama administration risks losing the gay rights community (or at least depressing their votes) with its tepid embrace of their priorities.

"I think they have been put in a tough place by these conservatives and they should be," the consultant said. "There are a whole group of people who are to the left of them on gay rights. And they are Republicans. It should make them feel uncomfortable."

LBGT voters are not, of course, monolithic. And on a host of other fronts, they are repulsed by the GOP's policies. Talk about abandoning Obama and the Democrats, in some respects, has been driven more by a desire to scare the party into action than sincere intent to vote Republican.

But that doesn't mean it's impossible for an electoral shift to take place or that there aren't those in the GOP who welcome siphoning off the LBGT vote.

Adds Steve Emeldorf, an aide to former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, who is fundraising with Mehlman in support of same-sex marriage:

"There has always been this libertarian segment of the Republican Party who thinks the government ought to get out of your life, and that group has, for various reasons, become more emboldened. Maybe ten years ago they were scared of this issue, but as it becomes more acceptable the libertarians are like, yeah, this is our philosophy. You had the most conservative vice president in the history of the world [Dick Cheney] with a lesbian daughter who over the last couple years has signaled he is for gay rights and marriage," Elmendorf added. "And if you have this guy who is the icon of the right wing there... It sort of snowballs."

Bible-Believing Bigots Foment Violence Against LGBT People in Rural Pennsylvania Town

Check out this archaic assemblage of bigots at Coudersport, Pennsylvania's public library at a presentation meant to counter the screening of Out in the Silence, a documentary by filmmaker Joe Wilson about what it's like to be LGBT in a rural Pennsylvania town (Wilson's subject was Oil City, PA, his hometown, two hours away).

Wilson had screened Out in the Silence a month before the presentation you're about to see here, to a standing room only crowd and faced fierce opposition from the local Tea Party and Dr. Robert Wagner, who speaks in this video.

Behind Wagner, is Diane Gramley, President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Family Association, and a resident of Oil City who plays a central role in Wilson's film for opposing Wilson and his partner's same-sex marriage announcement in the local paper.

During Wagner's presentation, called "A Bible Believing Christian's Response to OUT IN THE SILENCE", he discusses his feelings toward transgender people:

"I'm gonna put a ball bat in my car, and if I ever see a guy (transgender individual) coming out of a bathroom that my granddaughter's in, I'm gonna use the ball bat on him...In the good old days, before 'she-males' existed, they just called such people perverts."

When Wilson discusses the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer and his views that gays should not be allowed to hold public office, he receives a round of hearty "amens" from the crowd.


Here's the trailer to Out in the Silence:

Ohio Tea Party Survey To Candidates: Reject Gay Rights, Let God Deal With Climate Change

After soliciting input from the GOP base, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) announced that “the long-awaited Republican manifesto” will be released after lawmakers return to Washington in September. One part of that base that has been particularly vocal and influential is the Tea Party. But while some Republicans view the Tea Party as toxic to the GOP, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has fully embraced the Tea Party’s input, stating that members “represent the same values, concerns” of “tens of millions of other Americans” and that “we should listen to them, we should work with them and we should walk amongst them.”

If Boehner “walked among” Tea Party members in Erie County, OH, they may provide interesting insight for his new “manifesto.” As the Guardian’s Leo Hickman reports, a local Ohio newspaper the Sandusky Register obtained an email sent out last week by a local Tea party group called The Freedom Institute of Erie County. According to the email, the Tea Party group is creating a “Conservative voter guide” on the positions of candidates seeking office in upcoming elections in order to “rate, recommend, and endorse candidates” based on how they answer 15 questions. While such surveys may be fairly “mundane,” it’s the questions outlining the group’s priorities that provide, as Hickman puts it, “a hearty serving of insight with a side order of jaw drop”:

Now let’s hear those 15 questions.

1. The Right to Life is a Constitutional right, therefore innocent human beings should have legal protection from conception until natural death. If you hold any exceptions please state them.
2. The regulation of Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere should be left to God and not government and I oppose all measures of Cap and Trade as well as the teaching of global warming theory in our schools.
3. Marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman, any other type of Union is not marriage.
4. Children should not be placed into foster homes where the parents are homosexual, bisexual, or transgender.
5. Parental consent should be required for sex education that teaches more than direct abstinence.
6. The second Amendment to the Constitution [the right to keep and bear arms] should not be weakened in any way.
7. Only US citizens should be allowed to vote and a photo ID should always be required to vote. (The Mexican government requires a photo ID and fingerprint).
8. I oppose Ohio’s State Income Tax.
9. I oppose the Obama Health Care Reform and would like to see more affordable healthcare through a competitive, open, and transparent system.
10. I oppose the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy of the military and believe that all same sex partners should be banned from combat duty in the military because of the propensity to transmit blood-borne diseases in the theatre of battle.
11. I support a law that will allow the people to place on a ballot all collective bargaining agreements of all government associations, unions, and guilds, for their expressed approval. Defeat of such an agreement would mean government workers would not be immune from the free market system.
12. I oppose card check for voting to implement a Union as this could give unions an unfair intimidation tactic to implement unionisation.
13. I am not an economic pacifist. I believe that we need to protect our economic borders in order to ensure free and fair trade. Tariffs should be used to stop the wealth and jobs of Americans from leaving her borders.
14. The Federal Reserve as it is currently conceived needs to be abolished or at the very least audited.
15. I advocated moving our currency to a debt-free supply-side labour-based currency.

Armwrestling With Arnold on Prop. 8

A conservative legal group has demanded in court that California state officials defend Proposition 8 on appeal.

The Sacramento-based Pacific Justice Institute argued in a petition filed on Monday in the California court of appeal that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown abdicated their responsibilities by refusing to defend the anti–marriage equality ballot proposition — one that was ruled unconstitutional this month by U.S. district court chief judge Vaughn R. Walker.

The group filed the petition on behalf of Joshua Beckley, a senior pastor at Ecclesia Christian Fellowship in San Bernardino. It is asking that state officials formally file an appeal notice of Walker’s decision before a September 11 deadline.

Republicans Donate for Marriage Equality

Ken Mehlman isn't the only Republican raising funds for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

According to an invitation for the fund-raising event he's cohosting, other notable Republicans attending to support legal efforts to overturn Proposition 8 and legalize marriage equality include campaign strategist Steve Schmidt, attorney Ben Ginsberg, and former New Jersey governor Christie Todd Whitman.

As Ben Smith at Politico points out, the event is at the home of Paul Singer, the hedge fund manager who has been a strong Wall Street presence in Republican politics.

Tea Party Leader Dumped Over Antigay Comments

A Montana Tea Party leader has been removed from his position, the result of an antigay Facebook post he had made earlier this summer, the Associated Press reports.

Tim Ravndal, the now-former president of the Big Sky Tea Party Association, was dismissed by the group's board of directors after a July 23 post in which he voiced his opposition to marriage equality.

In a likely reference to the 1998 Matthew Shepard murder in neighboring Wyoming, another Facebook user wrote on the post, "I think fruits are decorative. Hang up where they can be seen and appreciated. Call Wyoming for display instructions."

Ravndal replied, "Where can I get that Wyoming printed instruction manual?"

Jim Walker, chairman of the Tea Party chapter, said in a statement, "We continually make it known that we will not tolerate bigoted dialogue, behavior or messages at our functions, our meetings or within our ranks."

Former McCain Campaign Manager Schmidt Says Gay Marriage a Conservative Issue

Former John McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt, a co-host of Ken Mehlman's Perry v. Schwarzenegger fundraiser in September, talks to Sam Stein at the Huffington Post about growing conservative support for marriage equality:

"There is a strong conservative case to be made in favor of gay marriage. Marriage is an institution that strengthens and stabilizes society. It is an institution that has the capacity to bring profound joy and happiness to people and it is a matter of equality and keeping faith of one of the charters of the nation, the right to live your life. More and more conservatives are saying that opposition to gay marriage would not be a litmus test for membership in the GOP. And more conservatives are making the case that no more do you want big government conservatives in the bedroom than big government liberals telling you how to live your life."

You may recall that Schmidt made headlines in September 2008 for a speech to the Log Cabin Republicans thanking them for their support of McCain (despite McCain's slate of anti-gay positions . This was followed up by Schmidt's full-on endorsement, in April 2009, of marriage equality at a speech to the same group.

But here's something I wish someone would ask Schmidt about — this bit from a 2005 GQ profile of blogger Mike Rogers by Jake Tapper:

"'Ken Mehlman is not gay,' insists Steve Schmidt, a senior official of the Bush campaign and a friend of Mehlman's, who refers to Rogers as a 'bottom dweller.'"

One wonders what definitive (but wrong) knowledge Schmidt had to make such an assertion about Mehlman, who was working hard to destroy (with anti-gay marriage initiatives and hateful rhetoric) the cause that Schmidt now seems to be championing.

Texas Appeals Court Rejects Judge's Ruling Allowing Gay Divorce

The Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas today reversed an October 2009 decision by District Judge Tena Callahan allowing a same-sex divorce, with instructions to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction, the Dallas Morning News reports.

In her 2009 decision, Callahan ruled that "the state prohibition of same-sex marriage violates the federal constitutional right to equal protection" and ruled that two men married in Massachusetts in September 2006 could divorce in the state.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and Governor Rick Perry expressed angst over Callahan's ruling.

Said Abbott at the time: "The laws and constitution of the State of Texas define marriage as an institution involving one man and one woman. Today's ruling purports to strike down that constitutional definition – despite the fact that it was recently adopted by 75 percent of Texas voters."

Added Perry: "Texas voters and lawmakers have repeatedly affirmed the view that marriage is defined as between one man and one woman. I believe the ruling is flawed and should be appealed."

Abbott appealed. Arguments were heard in April.

Today the court rejected Callahan's ruling: "Same-sex marriages or civil unions are prohibited by a voter-approved amendment to the state Constitution and the Texas Family Code. The appeals court said today that the trial court wrongly ruled that those provisions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment."

Tasmania to Recognize Marriages

The parliament of Tasmania approved a law to recognize same-sex marriages and civil unions registered in other Australian states or countries.