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17 Oct 2011 23:06

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Culture: Casual Monday: ABC anchor comes out on-air like it’s no big deal

  • Big kudos to ABC World News Now host Dan Kloeffler.  Not only did he come out while broadcasting on-air — itself an incredibly courageous thing to do — but he did it in a casual, nonchalant way. No big, dramatic announcement; Kloeffer just off-handedly dropped it during a story about actor Zachary Quinto. “He’s thirty-four, I’m thirty-five,” Kloeffler said about Quinto, who also just came out. “I’m thinking, I can lose my distraction about dating actors for that one.” Kloeffler didn’t present it as a game-changing fact of outsized importance, but just a part of who he is. This is the kind of thing that helps encourage — however slightly — mainstream acceptance of different sexualities, even. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Sep 2011 18:28

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U.S.: The end of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” summed up in a single video

  • The first day of a new military reality: It’s easy, especially when major civil rights policy comes down to a big, dramatic vote, to check the “accomplished” box and move along. In the case of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, this would have been considerably premature, as it wasn’t until midnight this morning that the ban was finally lifted. Congratulations to all the people who’ve had the weight of a big injustice pulled off their shoulders by this. The above video was recorded hours after the ban was lifted, and is a pretty emotional scene to watch unfold; a soldier, finally able to state his sexuality without discrimination from the military, calls his father to come out to his family. Be warned, it might make you a bit misty-eyed. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 May 2011 13:12

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Culture: Good read of the day: NY Times’ ‘Coming Out’ interactive feature

  • Spend a few hours with this package, guys. The Times wrote three stories for the piece, but the readers submitted 32 of their own equally moving stories. It makes for a very powerful package — in a time where not every corner of society accepts homosexuality, the Times has stepped up to tell some of the stories that need to be told the most — from that of a young Christian girl, to another about a high school ROTC student. It’s a moving read that sends a positive message, too, one we’re all familiar with: It gets better. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 May 2011 17:50

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Culture: Charles Barkley lauds gay equality in sports, marriage

  • Any professional athlete who gets on TV or radio and says he never played with a gay guy is a stone-freakin’ idiot. I would even say the same thing in college. Every college player, every pro player in any sport has probably played with a gay person. … I’ve been a big proponent of gay marriage for a long time, because as a black person, I can’t be in for any form of discrimination at all.
  • Charles Barkley • The Hall-Of-Fame power forward speaking out about homosexuality in sports, in the wake of Phoenix Suns President and CEO Rick Welts coming out in an New York Times story over the weekend. Barkley’s comments are earnest and worthy of notice, especially in recent weeks that have seen sexual orientation become a focal point in the NBA. The impetus of it all, to some extent, was the very public stance the league took when Kobe Bryant hurled a slur at an official. Bryant received a stiff fine, and to his credit to some extent, he later partnered with a gay rights group for public education. Then, Phoenix Suns players Grant Hill and Jared Dudley shot a PSA denouncing the use of “gay” as a playground insult (a move that invariably and depressingly got them called “gay” a lot via Twitter). It was on this recent foundation that Welts came out. Courage like this brings us ever closer to a more enlightened society, so simply, thank you. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 20:14

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Politics: Rachel Maddow clarifies comments on “coming out”

  • In that interview, I wasn’t asked about Anderson Cooper, I didn’t say anything about him, he literally was never discussed during the interview at all — even implicitly.
  • Rachel Maddow • Clarifying the comments we posted about earlier to emphasize that it wasn’t about Anderson Cooper, despite what it seemed from the phrasing. (Good.) In her blog post, Maddow lays out the three ethical rules she stands by, the key one being this: “Gay people — generally speaking — have a responsibility to our own community and to future generations of gay people to come out, if and when we feel that we can.” She notes, however, if you’re using your status as a gay person to harm others, you should “reasonably expect” others in the community to out you. We’re glad for the clarification, and want to make clear that we love Anderson just the way he is, no matter what he does when he’s not covering the news. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 16:07

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Politics: Rachel Maddow talks about responsibility, coming out

  • I’m sure other people in the business have considered reasons why they’re doing what they’re doing, but I do think that if you’re gay you have a responsibility to come out.
  • Rachel Maddow • Talking about closeted people working in the TV news business, in a profile and interview with British newspaper The Guardian. The paper asked Maddow whether she felt frustration towards an “equally well-known news presenter who is widely assumed to be gay but has never come out,” which prompted the above response. (Are they referring to CNN’s Anderson Cooper, a common is-he-or-isn’t-he target of celebrity gossip sites?) While the right to not divulge one’s sexual identity is (we would argue) an absolute one, Maddow’s argument is a classic advocate’s stance — that the importance (solidarity, mainstream appeal, and inspiration) of an uber-successful media professional coming out of the closet ought to trump that person’s reluctance to admit it. What do you all think? (EDIT: Maddow clarified her comments; she didn’t mean Anderson Cooper.) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Aug 2010 11:06

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Politics: Ken Mehlman: Former RNC chairman says he’s gay

  • Next up: Current RNC chairman says he’s an idiot. Ken Mehlman, who was the campaign manager behind George W. Bush’s re-election, revealed the fact to family and friends, according to The Atlantic’s Mark Ambinder. Mehlman, who only recently came to that realization, admits that he was in a place to actually do something to encourage gay marriage in his former role, and regrets that he didn’t. But it doesn’t mean that he can’t encourage it in his private life. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

29 Mar 2010 21:53

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Culture: Twitter can’t get over the fact that Ricky Martin’s gay



Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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