Tomorrow is the National Day of Protest. There are a lot of questions about what's going on and, fortunately, there are also a lot of answers out there. Towleroad has the most extensive Prop 8 information online, including:

The State Supreme Court has asked Attorney General Jerry Brown to reply by Monday to lawsuits challenging the legality of Prop 8, suggesting the court is taking them very seriously: "The filing the court requested from Brown's office will not address the ballot measure's validity, but will focus instead on the initial questions of whether the justices should accept the suits for review - and, if so, whether they should suspend Prop. 8 while they decide the case, said the state's lawyer, Christopher Krueger, a senior assistant attorney general. Suspending Prop. 8 would allow same-sex marriages to resume."

USA Today: After passage of Prop 8, support for same-sex marriage grows.

L.A. Times: Boycott talk spreads...

And go to Join the Impact for any questions you have about protests in your city -- times, locations, etc. You'll also find pdfs of all kinds of signs and banners that you can download and print out, like the one at the top of this post, created by Shepard Fairey, the designer of the iconic Obama posters.

I have to thank Paula Deen for being so deviously brilliant with her Lady's Brunch Burger recipe. She knew exactly what she was doing when she invented it. She knew exactly what kind of person would and should be eating her non-delicious, non-nutritious, 1200-calorie Lady's Brunch Burger. Well, Paula, in your wicked name, I am passing along your vision.

Today's recipient!

The award goes to a famous lesbian. Why would The Lady's Brunch Burger Award go to one of our own? Let's see: For appearing on national television arguing, effectively, against gay marriage by saying that she's not all that "fired-up" about the word "marriage" and maybe she'll be "kicking herself later." For writing, on her blog www.hollywoodfarmgirl.blogspot.com:

"i don't care what word they want to keep precious to themselves... 'marriage'... that's okay... it doesn't take away how well they love me, or how often we've laughed together, or how deeply we've grieved together... my family's behavior speaks to me louder than any ink dot on a ballet [sic]."

gimme the same rights, the same taxations, all that stuff. and you can have your fistful of letters that form an english language word. it's not going to matter in 10 years. moot."

For forcing Oprah to step in and correct her to tell her that it IS about the word "marriage." And for making her wife sit up nervously and tell the nation that she doesn't really mean it. For all these reasons and more, today's Lady's Brunch Burger Award goes to . . .


Tammy Lynn Michaels! The wife of Melissa Etheridge. Yes, this lovely lesbian, Tammy Lynn, stabbed every single gay person directly and precisely in the back with her foul words. How many right-wingers are going to use her words against us? And, who, for God's sake, who appointed her one of our spokespeople?! She went on Oprah and said the word "marriage" didn't matter! Et tu, Tammy Lynn?

Tammy Lynn, you beat out Bill O'Reilly for today's Lady's Brunch Burger Award. The only question left is: How hungry are you?

That's right, Tammy, you are looking famished! Eat up!

Based on the top Google searches for the day, this is what you guys are looking for today, folks. And as part of this site's mission to embed us gays into the larger world, here you go.

1. boston city hall
2. cape wrangell
3. western aviation
4. montparnasse tower
5. natalie gulbis
6. lucky shoe monument ...
7. factory five
8. tea fire map
9. port authority bus terminal
10. vanilla bean

This is what came up when I Googled "boston city hall" - "Poll: Boston City Hall ugliest building on planet." This is the most popular search?

You want to hear something fucked-up? Based on eavesdropping on the TV today while I pulled posts together, I can explain at least three of the searches. Number 5? Some girl won some dinner with Natalie Gulbis, who I think is an LPGA golfer. Number 8? That's the California fire where Oprah's house is! #10? Some woman won $100,000 this morning on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" for guessing that orchids are the source of vanilla beans.

Let's back this up a bit because this Top 10 list was all larger-world and no gay. Let's try this one from November 4, Election Day:

1. mccain concession speech
2. david plouffe
3. uncle tom
4. did prop 8 pass
5. mccain concedes
6. obama acceptance speech
7. david pluff
8. california election results 2008
9. obama elected president
10. obama campaign manager

That's better. Look at that. Number 4 and Number 8 show that gay marriage was a huge deal even as it was being passed - the seeds of the protest were there all along.

And what the fuck is up with Number 3!

Keith Olbermann, who redeemed himself a few days ago when he gave his moving "Special Comment" on gay marriage, has been summed up in one short minute by 23/6.

Ashton Kutcher shows some ass-crack at LAX yesterday. I wouldn't mind if this picture were about 50% sexier.

Kanye West, who has been a supporter of gay rights, has been arrested for hitting a paparazzo.

Melissa Etheridge on Oprah today to discuss Prop 8. Mama Oprah is getting involved!

First ever photos of planets outside of our solar system

Candlelight vigil outside of "Milk" premiere, with interviews with the stars. This really is the right movie at the right time.

Oprah is having a busy day. Her home in Montecito, CA is being threatened by an out-of-control fire

A different kind of "Bottomfeeder." A different kind, unfortunately. This one's about "how to eat ethically in world of vanishing seafood." See, still worth checking in.

20 Essential iPhone apps

CNNSI's Tennis Mailbag: Nadal's longevity in question. (This is how crack is done - large pic probably NSFW)

Bill O'Reilly has been making a lot of news lately. I'm wondering if he's been even louder lately because of the vacuum that now exists in place of Republican leadership. Bill is stepping up and speaking out! It's the Bill and Sarah Palin show, people. Bill and Sarah.

And Bill O'Reilly doesn't know what a panda looks like? Pandas are the international symbol for peace and conservation. Every fetus is taught in utero that pandas are black and white and eat nothing but bamboo and are extremely rare because they are too lazy to mate. My God, no wonder the right was so anti-environment for so long -- they don't even know what nature looks like!

Is it bad to enjoy watching the right flail? Because this is a lot of fun.

I'm preaching to the choir here, but this is good information to know. Civil unions are different from marriages - and here's how:

Legal Status, Recognition, Portability of Rights Not valid outside of the state that grants it. No federal protections. Legal structure to dissolve partnership not guaranteed outside of state. May be dissolved without court ruling under some circumstances.

Social Recognition
Not universally understood because benefits vary widely by jurisdiction. Without common understanding of their meaning, domestic partnerships don't provide the same kind of honor and respect that marriages do.

Medical Decisions, Emergencies
Partner's right to visitation and medical decision making may not be recognized out of state.

Partner's right to visitation and medical decision making
Partners may feel unsure of legal protection, and at the mercy of political whims of elected officials.

Tax Benefits
Large gift transfers and inheritance transactions subject to federal taxes. Federal tax returns filed separately.

Retirement, Leave, and other Family Benefits
Do not receive Social Security, veteran's benefits and pension plan survivor benefits upon death of partner. Not guaranteed equal benefits from employers. Excluded from long-term care benefits. Not guaranteed family leave to care for ill partner.

Spousal and Child Support
Outside of state, partners have no legal obligation to support their partner.

Immigration
No benefits for couples in bi-national relationships.

Common Residence
Must share common residence.

Name Changes
Not allowed without court order.

Privacy
Maintained by the state with a central, public and easily-searchable database.

The more information we have, the better. Via Let California Ring.

I felt bad you guys didn't have any bare asses today, so I'm serving up some naked Vincent Frank, AKA Frankmusik. This boy has been giving Pork some unnatural surges in lust, and I can see why. I mean, that ass? Perfect.

Frankmusik did a nekkid photo shot for AXM magazine a few weeks ago, and his ass is so edible that he's still making us buzz.

Oh, and this does not mean you should not take your own ass pics to send me. Take them. And send them.

One NSFW pic and one NSFW-ish pic after the jump.

John Corvino has written about 5 ways we can win gay marriage. This is great. These are great beginning guidelines as we navigate the flood of information:

1. Tell our stories. A striking feature of the various anti-amendment campaigns was the invisibility of those they were supposed to help: gay people. I’m grateful for straight people who support our rights. But straight people can’t directly illustrate the palpable ways in which our families matter to us.

2. Cut the vague talk about “rights” and “discrimination.” It’s wrong to take away rights, right? Well, sure—but we need to be more specific than that.

3. Use words like “bigot” and “hate” sparingly. There is no doubt that some of our opponents are hateful bigots. (I’ve got the mail to prove it.) But 5.7 million California voters?

4. Don’t let opponents hide behind religion. 83% of weekly churchgoers voted in favor of Prop. 8, and they contributed a large percentage of the $36 million raised to promote it. 90% of self-identified atheists and agnostics voted against it.

5. Patience, yes; complacency, never. Time is on our side. California marriage-equality opponents drew 61% of the vote in 2000 but only 52% this year. Voters under 30 heavily opposed Prop. 8.

Head over to 365gay.com to read more.

Model Noah Mills. I know, I keep saying I don't like models, but I keep posting them. Maybe I don't like professional model pics. Yeah, the non-posed feeling ones are way sexier.

Click thumbnails to enlarge. Sorry, no NSFW pics today. You're gonna have to get your own nekkid butt this weekend. If you do, take pics and get featured on A Good Stiff One!

Via Joe.My.God.

Okay, this is exactly what should NOT be happening. Bill O'Reilly, on national television, is pitting one gay segment against the other. And what is Jasmyne Cannick doing dancing around the question of whether gay rights are civil rights?! Up to now, she has been a leading voice in identifying all of the civil rights issues surrounding the Prop 9 fallout. She pulled a Dan Savage on this one.

At the end of the segment, Wayne Besen looks a little shell-shocked that he was baited into fight with Cannick. No one benefits when we start sniping at each other like this. No one. Identifying a problem is one thing -- attacking someone on your own side is another.

Bill O'Reilly has just become a nominee for today's Lady's Brunch Burger Award.

There has been so much energy surrounding this new direction for equal rights for us gays, and I have found it, well, exhilirating. I have felt a little bad, though, for not being able to join in unequivocally. I've been saying that we need to examine ourselves and our leaders for our failures. And I've been saying that we were too focused on blaming Mormons. And I've been saying that racism has played its part in the gay community for too long now. I've brought these issues up because I really do believe that now is the time to fix these problems (let's just call them that because that's what they are), but, honestly, I've felt a little like I've been somehow betraying my own community for pointing out its flaws. I've felt a little alone in thinking these things.

But, today, there two opinions in The Gay City News that make me feel a little less . . . isolated in this thinking. Herndon L. Davis writes:

My advice to the LGBT community, the organizers of No on Prop 8, the many different LGBT funders, and the remaining members of the Gay Mafia is that they take seriously the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic factors of black and people of color communities as they endeavor further in the marriage equality quest.

. . . In some corners of our diverse LGBT community, there is a blatant disregard for culture, religion, and the oppression of other racial and ethnic groups. Many working class blacks and Latinos are struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, and, yes, dodge bullets; their first instinct is not to lift their eyes up from their burdens to see the connection to the white- faced, seemingly privileged LGBT leadership that would move them to support marriage equality.

These are big chunks of truth that the LGBT community seems ill-prepared to accept, never mind tackle. In this new age of Obama, a much deeper conversation concerning LGBT race relations lies ahead, one that for now the community seems eager to shy away from.

And Eliyanna Kaiser and Gary Parker write:

Like everyone else in our community, we are upset about the passage of Proposition 8 in California. At a time when the country is celebrating the election of the first African-American president, the LGBT community suffered one of its biggest civil rights setbacks in recent history. And make no mistake about it, we are angry.

Unfortunately, some of the anger our community feels is being directed in unproductive and questionable ways, like the protest being held on Wednesday, November 12, outside the Manhattan Mormon Temple on Columbus Avenue.

There have been numerous media reports about how individual Mormons gave mega millions to the Yes to Prop 8 campaign at the encouragement of Church leadership. Unfortunately, many Orthodox rabbis, Catholic priests, Pentecostal ministers, and Baptist preachers have done the same, not just in California but in other states' anti-gay ballot initiatives, or to help elect anti-gay candidates here in New York.

This is why I really liked the call to action by Dustin Lance Black and Cleve Jones -- it asks each of us what we can do to advance all civil rights:"There are rare moments in human history when, suddenly and unexpectedly, the opportunity for great change and progress becomes possible. Barack Obama has shown us the power of hope and the urgency of seizing that moment. Harvey Milk has shown us the power we possess when we make our voices heard."

She's back! I knew Obama wouldn't leave her out. Hillary Clinton is on the short list of Secretary of State candidates. Andrea Mitchell broke the story last night, and everyone else has picked it up today. (Rachel Maddow has a segment on this that you can listen to over in The Media Bar.)

Reuters:

Sen. Hillary Clinton emerged on Thursday as a candidate to be U.S. secretary of state for Barack Obama, months after he defeated her in an intense contest for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Putting Clinton, wife of former President Bill Clinton, in the position could help heal whatever lingering divisions remain in the Democratic Party after her bitter battle with Obama.

The New York Times

Will it take a top cabinet post, namely the job of Secretary of State, to finally heal the rift between President-elect Barack Obama and his former opponent Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton?

The Associated Press, quoting unnamed Democratic officials, reports that Mrs. Clinton is among the candidates Mr. Obama has his eye on to be America’s chief diplomat during his first term. As the A.P. notes, other contenders include Senator Chuck Hagel, Senator John Kerry and New Mexico’s Gov. Bill Richardson.

Politico:

Several Obama transition advisers are strongly advocating Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for secretary of state, a move that would create the ultimate “Team of Rivals” Cabinet, according to officials involved in the discussions.

President-elect Obama has narrowed the possibilities for secretary of state, and Clinton is among those being strongly considered, the officials said. Some even call her the favorite.

A possible clue to Obama’s willingness to consider Clinton for chief diplomat can be found in a January interview he gave to Katie Couric, anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News.” As part of her “Primary Questions” series, she asked him what books besides the Bible he would considers essential if he were elected president.

“Doris Kearns Goodwin's book ‘Team of Rivals,’” Obama replied. “It was a biography of Lincoln. And she talks about Lincoln's capacity to bring opponents of his and people who have run against him in his cabinet. And he was confident enough to be willing to have these dissenting voices and confident enough to listen to the American people and push them outside of their comfort zone. And I think that part of what I want to do as president is push Americans a little bit outside of their comfort zone. It's a remarkable study in leadership.”

. . . Clinton would be most attractive if Obama concludes that he will have to focus his early days in office on the domestic economy, and will have to essentially outsource heavy-duty foreign travel to his secretary of state.

I think the "Team of Rivals" goes a long way in helping to predict what Obama will do. Doris Kearns Goodwin is just that good. If selected, Hillary Clinton would be the hightest ranking member of the Cabinet.

"Milk" writer Dustin Lance Black has written a gay call to action with Cleve Jones. They are calling for seven weeks of nationwide civil disobedience: "We call on all supporters of equality to sustain and intensify the nationwide campaign of mass protests and non-violent civil disobedience, for seven weeks, starting on November 27, 2008, the thirtieth anniversary of the assassination of Harvey Milk, and to then gather together in mass, from all corners of our country, in Washington, DC on the morning of Tuesday, January 20, 2009, to honor the inauguration of our President, Barack Obama."

This is amazing. Amazing amazing. A call to action that unites us. Read the written statement below. And when you've finished reading it, go to
Seven Weeks To Equality and sign the petition.

On November 27, 1978, gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk was assassinated in San Francisco City Hall. Thirty years later, his struggle continues.

On November 4, 2008, millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans of all races proudly cast their ballots for Barack Obama, helping to elect the first African-American President of the United States.

On that same day voters in Arizona, Arkansas, California and Florida approved initiatives denying basic civil rights to GLBT citizens.

Like other Americans who voted for Barack Obama, gay people of all backgrounds supported our President-elect because we share his vision of a united America and want to move forward to address the critical challenges facing our country and our planet.

We have always been willing to serve our country: in our armed forces, even as we were threatened with courts-martial and dishonor; as teachers, even as we were slandered and libeled; as parents and foster parents struggling to support our children; as doctors and nurses caring for patients in a broken health care system; as artists, writers and musicians; as workers in factories and hotels, on farms and in office buildings; we have always served and loved our country.

Continued after the jump.

We have loved our country even as we have been subjected to discrimination, harassment and violence at the hands of our countrymen. We have loved God, even as we were rejected and abandoned by religious leaders, our churches, synagogues and mosques. We have loved democracy, even as we witnessed the ballot box used to deny us our rights.

We have always kept faith with the American people, our neighbors, co-workers, friends and families. But today that faith is tested and we find ourselves at a crossroad in history.

Like Barack Obama, we never abandoned hope in the American dream of equality and freedom. We never stopped believing that the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights included us.

We have always kept faith with the American people, our neighbors, co-workers, friends and families. But today that faith is tested and we find ourselves at a crossroad in history.

Will we move forward together? Will we affirm that the American dream is alive and real? Will we finally guarantee full equality under the law for all Americans? Or will we surrender to the worst, most divisive appeals to bigotry, ignorance and fear?

It has been thirty years since Harvey Milk gave his life in our struggle for equality. We will not wait thirty years more. We demand that the Federal Government act immediately, decisively and unequivocally to ensure equal protection under law throughout the United States of America.

We can accept no compromise.

We call on President-Elect Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to draft and submit to the Congress comprehensive legislation protecting the civil rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens in all areas including civil marriage, military service, adoption, social security, taxation, immigration, employment, housing and access to health care, social services and education.

We can wait no longer.

We call on President-Elect Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to speak out against the escalating campaign of harassment, violence and murder directed against our communities and pass legislation extending hate-crime protections to GLBT citizens.

Now is the time.

We call on President-Elect Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid to take personal responsibility for involving our nation’s religious leaders and the GLBT community in a national dialogue to encourage understanding and reconciliation.

We also call on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to heed the call of Harvey Milk, when he spoke thirty years ago on the steps of San Francisco City Hall: “You must come out, my brothers and sisters, you must come out!”

We call on gay people everywhere to seize this moment, to understand that freedom will not come until we are willing to commit the full strength of our own voices, minds and bodies to the struggle. We must personally introduce ourselves to those who would discriminate against us. We must make ourselves visible.

We call on all supporters of equality to sustain and intensify the nationwide campaign of mass protests and non-violent civil disobedience, for seven weeks, starting on November 27, 2008, the thirtieth anniversary of the assassination of Harvey Milk, and to then gather together in mass, from all corners of our country, in Washington, DC on the morning of Tuesday, January 20, 2009, to honor the inauguration of our President, Barack Obama.

We call on all our people and all our allies to carry this message of hope and equality to every corner of our nation, to every place of worship, to every school and factory and shopping center, every city, suburb and farming town. We call on you to march together, demonstrate together, pray together and dream together of a future America where, finally, all are free.


There are rare moments in human history when, suddenly and unexpectedly, the opportunity for great change and progress becomes possible. Barack Obama has shown us the power of hope and the urgency of seizing that moment. Harvey Milk has shown us the power we possess when we make our voices heard.

We can accept no compromise.
We can wait no longer.
Now is the time.
We are equal.

Go to
Seven Weeks To Equality and sign the petition.

I have no idea how I could have missed this! My girlfriend (Rachel Maddow), in response to Sarah Palin's accusation that pajama-wearing bloggers are making things up about her, wears pajamas during her broadcast to show her solidarity with bloggers. She said she's basically a blogger on TV. [Via Think Progress]

Even more Rachel to love.

The AP is reporting that a white powder was sent to at least two Mormon temples:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Letters containing a suspicious white powder were sent Thursday to Mormon temples in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City that were the sites of protests against the church's support of California's gay marriage ban.

The temple in the Westwood area of Los Angeles was evacuated before a hazardous materials crew determined the envelope's contents were not toxic, said FBI spokesman Jason Pack.

The temple in downtown Salt Lake City, where the church is based, received a similar envelope containing a white powder that spilled onto a clerk's hand.

The room was decontaminated and the envelope taken by the FBI for testing. The clerk showed no signs of illness, but the scare shut down a building at Temple Square for more than an hour, said Scott Freitag, a spokesman for the Salt Lake City Fire Department.

None of the writing on the envelope was threatening, and the church received no calls or messages related to the package, Freitag said.

Protests in recent days have targeted the Mormon church, which encouraged its members to fight the recently passed amendment banning gay marriage in California.

I'm really, really, really hoping that a gay person didn't do this. I think it's worth noting that this was automatically linked to the Prop 8 issue. This is what happens when one minority targets another the way we attacked the Mormons -- we are pitted against each other, possibly physically if this white powder is eventually tied to a gay person, and metaphorically in the minds of the people watching our struggle from the outside.

Wake Up With These!

The Rachel Maddow Show:
1) Madame Secretary Clinton? 2) Alaskan mayor Mayor Begich on the race to 60 3) American killed in Pakistan 4) Executive privilege after stepping down?

The New York Times:
NYT The Front Page 11/14

NPR
Tell Me More
Stories: 1) South African Leader Has Advice For Obama 2) Postcard From Kabul Tells Of Fear And Hope 3) Lipton Gives A Rare Look 'Inside The Actors Studio' 4) Pink Aims For The 'Truth' In New Album

Did you see that?! Pink! My other girlfriend.

Audio player after the jump. Or click here to launch the player in a new window so you can listen while you browse. Or, head over to The Media Bar and listen there.

Click below to jump to the full size players or click here to launch them in a new window. Or just hang out and watch them in The Media Bar next door.

Daily Song:
Kreesha Turner “Don’t Call Me Baby”
This week's #1 Dance Airplay Song
Check out all the #1s in this week's a Chart Attack.

Television:
The Blood Work vlog - the funniest and smartest take on True Blood: "Inspired by Eddie, Jason and Amy's twisted little game of "vampire house", Andy and I decided this week to tie Andy to a lawnchair to discuss Episode 10 of True Blood. Um ... it didn't go so well."

Politics:
The Jogger
A perfect ad for equal rights.
(00:30)

Movies:
From Indiewire: "Director Yair Hochner's 'Antarctica' is set in Tel Aviv and centers on an interconnected group of friends and their various relationships. At the crux is the adorably bookish Omer, about to turn 30, who still hasn't found himself, and his free-spirited best friend Miki, who both end up inadvertently dating the same handsome journalist, Ronen. Frozen in place, they and their assorted family members and lovers all seek the same thing--a guiding light to show them that love is still out there." Open in LA Friday, November 14. (1:59)

Music Video:
Patti Labelle "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"
Let's get good and gay today.

Click below to jump to the full size players or click here to launch them in a new window. Or just hang out and watch them in The Media Bar next door.

Daily Song:

Kreesha Turner “Don’t Call Me Baby”

Television:

The Blood Work vlog - the funniest and smartest take on True Blood

Politics:

The Jogger

Movies:

From Indiewire: Director Yair Hochner's "Antarctica" is set in Tel Aviv and centers on an interconnected group of friends and their various relationships. At the crux is the adorably bookish Omer, about to turn 30, who still hasn't found himself, and his free-spirited best friend Miki, who both end up inadvertently dating the same handsome journalist, Ronen. Frozen in place, they and their assorted family members and lovers all seek the same thing--a guiding light to show them that love is still out there.

Music Video:

Patti Labelle "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"
Let's get good and gay today.