Box Turtle Bulletin

Heterosexual Menace: Fifty-One Going On Sixteen

This, I suppose, is what they mean by “traditional marriage”:

May-December romances aren’t unusual. But when the bride can’t yet vote and the groom is eligible to join AARP? That’s extreme, even for Hollywood. “Green Mile” and “Lost” actor Doug Hutchison, 51, revealed on Monday that he wed aspiring country singer Courtney Alexis Stodden, 16, in May.

And yes, it is all perfectly legal. Her parents are totally on board with the marriage. They had to be: Nevada law required their consent for little Courtney’s nuptuals.

I turned fifty last January. Does this mean that it’s okay for me to hook up with a sixteen year old? I’m asking because, well, for no particular reason really. But you never know when a mid-life crisis might come along. It’ll be good to have all this sorted out ahead of time.

How else are the heterosexuals leading the way? Check it out here.

The Daily Agenda for Tuesday, June 21

TODAY’S AGENDA:
Rally for Love and Marriage: Albany, NY. The New York legislative session has been extended, and marriage is in play. Anti-gay forces are descending on the state capital, and LGBT advocates are calling on everyone who supports marriage equality to Rally for Love and Marriage in West Capitol Park at 12:00 noon. Whether you can be there in person, Empire Pride also wants all New Yorkers to call their senator’s office right now. Their simple click-to-call tool couldn’t be easier.

And especially, contact these Senators and register your support for marriage equality. Most of these Senators are being aggressively targeted by National Organization for Marriage and other anti-gay groups.

Senator Gregory R. Ball of Putnam County (845) 279-3773, gball@nysenate.gov

Senator Charles J. Fuschillo Jr. of Suffolk County (516) 882-0630, fuschill@senate.state.ny.us

Senator J. Kemp Hannon of Nassau County (516) 739-1700, hannon@nysenate.gov

Senator Andrew J. Lanza of Staten Island (718) 984-4073, lanza@senate.state.ny.us

Senator Betty Little of Glens Falls (518) 743-0968, little@nysenate.gov

Senator Mark Grisanti of Erie County (518) 455-3240, grisanti@nysenate.gov

Senator Stephen M. Saland of Poughkeepsie (845) 463-0840, saland@nysenate.gov

Senator John Flanagan of Long Island (518) 455-2071, flanagan@senate.state.ny.us

Senator Joseph Addabbo, Jr. of Howard Beach (518) 455-2322, addabbo@senate.state.ny.us

Senator Shirley Huntley of Jamaica (518) 455-3531, shuntley@nysenate.gov

Washington Nationals Night Out: Washington, D.C. Team D.C. will present Night Out at the Washington Nationals as they take on the Seattle Mariners. Daniel Hernandez, intern from Congresswoman Gabby Giffords’ office; John Berry, Director of Office of Personnel Management; Amanda Simpson, the first openly transgender Presidential appointee; the Gay Men’s Chorus and the D.C. Different Drummers will be at the park for the pre-game ceremonies. Information about tickets can be found here.

Meridith Baxter (L) and her girlfriend Nancy

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY:
Meredith Baxter: 1947. Her first big break on television was in 1972, when she stared as Bridget in the short-lived CBS sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie. After the series was cancelled, she married her co-star, David Birney, which made her Meridith Baxter-Birney. A few years later, she landed a part in the painfully earnest drama Family (the show is credited for inventing what has become the bane of too-serious television, the “very special episodes”) before lightening up again as Alex P. Keaton’s mom on Family Ties. In between and afterwards, she starred in a number of made-for-TV movies and various television episodes.

Baxter divorced Birney in 1989, and she went back to using Meredith Baxter professionally. She married again in 1995, but divorced five years later. The National Enquirer reported in 2009 that Baxter was spotted on a lesbian cruise with a female friend. The ensuing speculation finally led to her coming out as a lesbian during an interview with Matt Lauer on Today. “I got involved with someone I never expected to get involved with, and it was that kind of awakening,” she said. “I never fought it because it was like, oh, I understand why I had the issues I had early in life. I had a great deal of difficulty connecting with men in relationships.”Her memoir, Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering, came out last March in hardcover and Kindle editions.

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NY GOP Sen.: Not Just Yes To Marriage, But Hell Yes

Andrew Sullivan sees New York state Senator Roy McDonald as the face of marriage equality — at least in New York:

In the wake of his announced “yes” vote for same-sex marriage, Sen. Roy McDonald has unveiled a facebook page called “Stand With Roy” and urges supporters to donate and sign a petition. The page itself has more than 10,000 “likes” Monday morning. A website, www.standwithroy.com, includes a spot for fundraising. …

The lawmakers’ announcement, along with his blunt responses to questions about same-sex marriage, made him something of a star. He was featured on the gossip website TMZ over the weekend.

I’m not a Republican, but if I were a New Yorker I’d definitely show him some love.

No NY Marriage Vote Today

The session in the New York state Senate isn’t wrapping up quite as quickly as planned:

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, emerged from a three-way meeting with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, to say that discussions were continuing on working out the religious exemption language in a same-sex marriage bill. “We have staff people and members discussing with the governor religious protections. We’re still working on them,” Skelos said. “Once they’re prepared we’ll let you know what they are.”

UN Rights Body Passes Historic Resolution on Anti-Gay Violence and Discrimination

Following intense negotiations, the United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday voted 23-19 in favor of a declaration expressing “grave concern at acts of violence and discrimination, in all regions of the world, committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.” The resolution LAO calls for a panel discussion next spring with “constructive, informed and transparent dialogue on the issue of discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against” gays, lesbians and transgender people.

This resolution marks the first time a UN body has addressed human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and follows a joint statement on these issues delivered at the March session of the council. The resolution was proposed by South Africa, and was joined by 39 additional co-sponsors from around the world. Given that homophobia represents official governmental policy in much of Africa, it was considered crucial that South Africa lead the fight for the resolution. South Africa is the only nation on the continent to provide for marriage equality.

Other co-sponsors, including many states which are not members of the Human Rights Council, included Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay.

The United States, which is not a member of the Human Rights Council, reacted to the vote with this statement after the declaration passed:

“This marks a significant milestone in the long struggle for equality, and the beginning of a universal recognition that LGBT persons are endowed with the same inalienable rights — and entitled to the same protections — as all human beings.”

The full text of the resolution reads as follows:

Human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity

The Human Rights Council

Recalling the universality, interdependence, indivisibility and interrelatedness of human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and consequently elaborated in other human rights instruments, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other relevant core human rights instruments,

Recallling also that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in that Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status;

Recalling further General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, in which the Assembly stated that the Human Rights Council should be responsible for promoting universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind and in fair and equal manner,

Expressing grave concern at acts of violence and discrimination, in all regions of the world, committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity,

1. Requests the High Commissioner to commission a study to be finalized by December 2011, to document discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, in all regions of the world, and how international human rights law can be used to end violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity;

2. Decides to convene a panel discussion during the 19th session of the Human Rights Council, informed by the facts contained in the study commissioned by the High Commissioner and to have constructive, informed and transparent dialogue on the issue of discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity;

3. Decides also that the panel will also discuss the appropriate follow-up to the recommendations of the study commissioned by the High Commissioner;

4. Decides to remain seized of this priority issue.

States supporting the resolution were Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Hungary, Japan, Mauritius, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, Thailand, UK, USA, Uruguay.

States voting against the resolution were Angola, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Djibouti, Gabon, Ghana, Jordan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Moldova, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Uganda. Three states abstained (Burkina Faso, China, Zambia), and Kyrgyzstan’s representative was absent. Libya, who also holds a seat in human rights body without a hint of irony, was also absent, having been suspended over the ongoing uprising.

Chicago Cubs: It Gets Better

It’s worth noting that Cubs’ co-owner Laura Ricketts is an out Lesbian. Your Chicago Cubs are now the second major league baseball team (and, I believe, the second major league sports team overall) to produce a video. San Francisco Giants released theirs three weeks ago. Boston Red Sox have also announced that they will release a video soon.

The Daily Agenda for Monday, June 20

TODAY’S AGENDA:
Marriage Vote?: New York. Today may well be a very big day for marriage equality in New York. According to marriage equality supporters, the state Senate only needs one more vote to pass a bill allowing marriage equality into law. Proponents rallied yesterday to pressure the Senate to bring the bill to a vote. The following Senators are still officially undecided.

Senator Gregory R. Ball of Putnam County (845) 279-3773, gball@nysenate.gov

Senator Charles J. Fuschillo Jr. of Suffolk County (516) 882-0630, fuschill@senate.state.ny.us

Senator J. Kemp Hannon of Nassau County (516) 739-1700, hannon@nysenate.gov

Senator Andrew J. Lanza of Staten Island (718) 984-4073, lanza@senate.state.ny.us

Senator Betty Little of Glens Falls (518) 743-0968, little@nysenate.gov

Senator Mark Grisanti of Erie County (518) 455-3240, grisanti@nysenate.gov

Senator Stephen M. Saland of Poughkeepsie (845) 463-0840, saland@nysenate.gov

Senator John Flanagan of Long Island (518) 455-2071, flanagan@senate.state.ny.us

Today is the last scheduled day of the legislative session. It’s go time.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY:
E Lynn Harris: 1955. He was born in Flint, Michigan, but was raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. When he attended the University of Arkansas, he became the first African-American editor of the university’s yearbook. After graduation, he worked in sales for IBM and Hewlett Packard, but quit after thirteen hears to pursue his first love, writing. His first novel, Invisible Life, followed an African-American man’s journey of self-discovery as gay man, and themes of the struggle between acceptance and shame among African-American men on the “down low” would become a recurring theme in Harris’s oeuvre. Invisible Life first failed to find a publisher, so Harris he published it himself in 1991 and sold it out of the trunk of his car before he was finally discovered by Anchor Books in 1994. After Invisible Life’s publication as a paperback, his career was set. He went on to author ten consecutive books which landed on The New York Times’s Best Seller List, making him simultaneously among the most successful African-American authors and gay authors for the past two decades. LGBT advocate Kieth Boykin observed that Harris’s books encouraged the black community to talk openly about homosexuality. “It was hard to go on a subway in places in New York or D.C. and not see some black woman reading an E. Lynn Harris novel,” Boykin said.

Harris died in 2009 in Los Angeles of heart disease. In 2010, the Los Angeles Times posthumously named Invisible Life as one of the top 20 “classic works of gay literature.”

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Liechtenstein Voters Approve Civil Partnership Law

With a 74% turnout, Liechtenstein voters overwhelmingly approved a new Civil Partnership law for same-sex couples today with a 69% to 31%. The proposed law stops short of marriage equality however: registered same-sex unions are still barred from adopting children and from access to reproductive services. But it does open up inheritance, social security, pensions, immigration and naturalization, and tax law for same-sex couples to an equal status to married heterosexual couples. The new law takes effect on September 1, 2011.

The Daily Agenda for Sunday, June 19

Today is a very light and slow day. Which makes it a good day to celebrate Father’s Day.

TODAY’S AGENDA:
Pride Celebrations Today: Baltimore, MD; Bisbee, AZ; Bozeman, MT; Columbus, OH; Denver, CO; Flagstaff, AZ; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Las Cruces, NM; Memphis, TN (Black Pride); Portland, ME and Portland, OR.

If you know of something that belongs on the agenda, please send it here. PLEASE, don’t forget to include the basics: who, what, when, where, and URL (if available).

The Daily Agenda for Saturday, June 18

TODAY’S AGENDA:
Protest Against Municipal Pool Which Barred Gay Swimmers: Hazard, KY. Earlier this week, an organized group of special needs clients from Mending Hearts, Inc., was asked to leave the Pavilion public pool during a special group outing when a city staff member discovered that two of the developmentally disabled men were gay. Shirlyn Perkins, executive director of Mending Hearts, said in a statement Monday that the Pavilion staff member used the Bible to order the couple to leave the facility. “My staff asked the Pavilion staff why they were being asked to leave, and they were informed that ‘gay people’ weren’t allowed to swim there,” she said. “My staff told this man that what he was trying to do was discrimination. The man stated that what he was doing was in the Bible and he could do it. My staff continued to argue with this man but was ultimately forced to leave. My clients, who already feel ridiculed and different, left the city-owned facility crying and embarrassed for trying to participate in ‘normal’ activities that everyday ‘normal’ people do.”

In response, Kentucky Equality Federation is planning a protest at the Pavilion on Deaton Street in Hazard, beginning at 2:00 p.m.  Jordan Palmer of the Kentucky Equality Federation told the AP that he received several angry emails, including one that said Palmer would leave the protest “with a bullet in his head.” With attitudes like that, a strong show of support is urged for anyone in the area. Folks in Huntington, Charleston, Lexington, Knoxville, Asheville, and Johnson City — you’re really not that far away.

Trans Youth Summit: Boston, MA. This summit is for youth 24 and under from Massachusetts/New England who identify with, or could fall under, the label ‘transgender’ or youth who are in some way connected to the transgender youth community, such as partners/friends. The goal of this summit is for youth to meet and connect with other transgender and gender variant youth. Young people will have the opportunity to share ideas, learn about their legal rights, learn about the larger transgender community, participate in workshops and fun activities. The summit takes place at Fenway Health, 1340 Boylston St, Boston, and will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Symposium: Waltham MA. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) will hold a symposium on suicide prevention in the LGBT community, “A Call to Action.” The symposium will educate attendees and propose interventions aimed at reducing suicidal behavior and suicide risk in the LGBT community, which has been receiving more attention recently in the news but has been a health crisis for decades. The symposium will also call to reduce the stigma against seeking mental health services, as well as for the funding necessary for health research and for changes in discriminatory laws that stigmatize people based on their LGBT identities. The symposium will be held at Bentley University at the LaCava Conference Center in Waltham, Massachusetts, from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m.

AIDS Walk: Oakland, CA.

Pride Celebrations This Weekend: Baltimore, MD; Bisbee, AZ; Boise, ID; Bozeman, MT; Calderdale, UK; Columbus, OH; Denver, CO; Flagstaff, AZ; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Grand Rapids, MI; Iowa City, IA; Lancaster, PA; Las Cruces, NM; Louisville, Ky; Memphis, TN (Black Pride); Nashville, TN; Norwalk, CT; Portland, ME; Portland, OR; Providence, RI; Syracuse, NY; Tijuana, BC and Vienna, Austria.

Agnes Goodsir (left), Girl With Cigarette, 1925 (right)

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY:
Agnes Goodsir: 1864. An Austria Australia-born painter, Agness Goodsir joined a mass exodus of Austrian artists seeking the artistic stimulation and freedom that had blossomed in Paris in the early 20th century. That’s where Goodsir studied at the Académie Delécluse, the Académie Julian and then the Académie Colarossi. Her constant companion was Rachel Dunn, depicted in several of her paintings, including Morning Tea (1925), Girl with Cigarette (1925), The Letter (1926) and The Chinese Skirt (1933). She was best known for her portraits including, reportedly, one of Mussolini. When she died in 1939, she left her remaining paintings to Rachel Dunn, who sent about forty to Agnes’s family in Australia and others to Australian galleries. The Agnes Goodsir memorial scholarship at the Bendigo Art Gallery where her work first appeared is named in her memory.

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dumb as…

This is what passes for intellect among the anti-gays in California. In a response to the Central California District of the US Bankruptcy Court finding DOMA to violate the constitution, OneNewsNow ran this:

Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, says the ruling is another attack against traditional marriage.

Randy Thomasson”These federal judges should be fired. They are violating their oath of office to uphold the federal law. They are saying they just don’t see any reason for the federal law. They’re not obeying it,” he laments. “It’s not up to them to judge whether they like a law or not — it’s their job to enforce the law.”

The Los Angeles-based court came to the defense of the same-sex couple, who filed the petition after the Obama administration announced it would no longer defend DOMA. The ruling said that DOMA “deprives [the debtors] of the equal protection of the law to which they are entitled.” Thomasson offers this prediction:

“It’s going to go to the U.S. Supreme Court,” he says. “And I predict a 5-4 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court with Anthony [Anthony] Kennedy being the swing vote.”

(pssst Randy… they aren’t appealing)

ADF’s new “survey” is ignored

A survey with +/- 0% margin of error has found that the best ice-cream is rocky-road. Yeah, probably Haagen-Dazs.

That’s all fine and good, but its useless unless you know that the survey consisted of asking myself what ice-cream I would like at the moment.

Although… maybe strawberry… hmmmm

Well back to my point.

The Alliance Defense Fund has released a new Surprising and Shocking Survey that pretends to report that Americans really-o truly-o don’t want Teh Gheys to marry:

Contrary to recently released studies that suggest increasing support for homosexual “marriage,” an extensive national survey reveals just the opposite.

Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) commissioned the study through Public Opinion Strategies. It reveals that 62 percent of Americans believe “marriage should be defined only as a union between one man and one woman.” Fifty-three percent of Americans participating in the study “strongly” agreed.

Well, gosh, that should shake things up. Right?

Except, of course, that the reputation of Alliance Defense Fund is so abysmal that everyone assumes that they are just lying. That’s what liars do, after all.

So no media has even blinked. None.

Well, the Christian Post, Charisma News, and the ever-wacky Dakota Voice all trotted it out as though it were legit (when will Christian media tire of being patsies of political operatives pretending to be religious?). And several alternative media sources have reported the story about ADF’s bogus polling and how it is nothing more than propaganda. And the Sacramento Bee ran the press release in their “unedited press release” section.

But no mainstream press, not even very conservative mainstream press, ran with this story. It simply isn’t credible. As the Colorado Independent noted:

The group says 53 percent of Americans strongly agreed with the statement and only 35 percent disagreed.

But CitizenLink provides little other data on methodology. There is no list of questions asked, no tabs breaking down how various constituencies were chosen or how they answered and in what percentages.

The poll was reportedly commissioned last month by the conservative Alliance Defense Fund. The firm that conducted the survey, Polling firm Public Opinion Strategies, is tied to Republican Party causes and has been linked to unethical election campaign strategies in the past. According to Raw Story, the firm was charged with violating Virginia polling disclosure laws and was accused of using push polls to influence elections in favor of Republican candidates.

You know, it must be embarrassing to realize that everyone knows that you are lying. Everyone.

The Daily Agenda for Friday, June 17

TODAY’S AGENDA:
AIDS Walk: Oakland, CA.

Pride Celebrations This Weekend: Baltimore, MD; Bisbee, AZ; Boise, ID; Bozeman, MT; Calderdale, UK; Columbus, OH; Denver, CO; Flagstaff, AZ; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Grand Rapids, MI; Iowa City, IA; Lancaster, PA; Las Cruces, NM; Louisville, Ky; Memphis, TN (Black Pride); Nashville, TN; Norwalk, CT; Portland, ME; Portland, OR; Providence, RI; Syracuse, NY; Tijuana, BC and Vienna, Austria.

TODAY IN HISTORY:
The Queen: 1968. The documentary The Queen makes its premiere in theaters. The film, shot almost entirely with hand-held cameras, is a primitive pre-Stonewall prequel to Paris is Burning, The film follows the preparations and behind the scenes action of the Miss All-America Camp Beauty Pageant – a competition between some of New York City’s drag queens. If you are ever lucky enough to see it, keep a very sharp eye out whenever the camera pans to the audience. You might just get a quick glimpse of Andy Warhol in his trademark platinum wig.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY:
Carl Van Vechten: 1880. A writer and a photographer, Carl Van Vechten was fascinated with African-American culture and became a patron on the Harlem Renaissance. In 1926, he published his controversial novel Nigger Heaven, which portrayed  the intellectuals, political activists, workers, and others who inhabited the “great black walled city” of Harlem. The book split Harlem down the middle:  Langston Hughes was among the book’s fans and defenders (Hughes even wrote new poems to replace the songs used in the book’s first printing), while W. E. B. Du Bois and Alain Locke condemned it as an “affront to the hospitality of black folks.” Although Van Vechten had married the Russian-born actress Fania Marinoff in 1914, Van Vechten was gay. This was evident when his papers were unsealed twenty-five years after his death in 1964:

As the 25-year mark drew near, scholars assumed they were about to unveil Van Vechten’s diaries. “They said, ‘Of course, this is going to be exciting, and let’s open those journals and have a party,’ and the curator said, ‘Well, I don’t think so…’ It was a good instinct.” The few people who did attend the 1989 opening, including Willis, were shocked by what they found: 18 scrapbooks of graphic homoeroticism, full of mischief and devoid of explanation.

…Van Vechten collected newspaper clippings chronicling Harlem drag balls, early sex-change operations (“GI Who Turned Woman is a Happy Beauty”), court cases for “morals charges,” and abuse incidents. He assembled more restrained, if still theatrical, black and white photographs of male nudes, both Caucasian and African American, which most scholars think are mostly or entirely the work of Van Vechten. Nothing escaped him: Photos of ambiguously homoerotic Greek vases, labeled in childishly rounded handwriting, nestle against newspaper cutouts of male wrestlers locked in combat.

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Will Dean Skelos allow New York to have marriage equality?

Yesterday the New York Assembly voted 80 to 63 to give same-sex couples the same access to state rights, responsibilities, and obligations of marriage as it allows its citizens in opposite sex relationships (15 Democrats voted “no” and 3 Republicans voted “yes”).

Currently there are 31 of the state’s 62 senators who have pledged their support for the marriage equality bill. Only one Democrat (Pentecostal minister Ruben Diaz) is opposed, two Republicans have indicated support and at least four more are “undecided”.

And the media is all ablaze with the entirely wrong question.

They are breathlessly wondering whether a necessary third Republican Senator can be found to vote for marriage equality. But those who seem most situated to know seem to agree that more than one of the “undecided” will vote favorably on the bill. That isn’t the question, and none of the undecided will make the decision as to whether marriage equality will come to New York.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos will be the person who decides if marriage equality will be achieved.

In the New York Senate, the Majority Leader holds tremendous power. He can singly block a piece of legislation by refusing to schedule a vote. The votes may be there, but they won’t be counted unless he says so.

Skelos has said that he will defer to the will of the Republican caucus. If his Senators want a vote, he’ll have one, if they don’t he won’t. And for the past two days they have been caucusing, only to announce that they have no decision. They will meet again tomorrow.

But this too is a bit less democratic than it might seem. A party leader can, in many circumstances, inform his caucus that they need to rally around and support his decision.

Much of the decision as to whether the New York State Senate will vote on, and pass, the marriage equality bill will be based on whether Skelos determines that allowing the bill will be less politically damaging than blocking the bill.

If he allows a vote, some of the Party’s “base” will blame him and other senators for not serving the conservative cause. But in a state where marriage is popular, and rapidly becoming more so, blocking the vote could ring a sour note with the voters and leave them with the image of an obstructionist party. And a good many people who are not all that vested one way or the other are sympathetic to the complaint, “They wouldn’t even let me vote!”

And to complicate matters more, the largest donors to Republicans in the State of New York are decidedly on the side of equality. Mayor Bloomberg, the single largest contributor to Republicans in the state, has been applying pressure, and other contributors have been showing where their alliances fall through financial support for the legal team seeking to overturn Proposition 8.

AT some point tomorrow Dean Skelos will announce the decision that he believes will best continue the Republican control of the Senate, and his leadership there.

It is, of course, only a guess but I think that the winds are blowing in our favor. Skelos can step out of a caucus tomorrow and announce that a majority felt the need to vote on the matter. No one will know who to blame, and each can say “but I voted no.” The sophisticated contributor will know that this decision allowed marriage equality to come to pass, and the less so can be comforted by knowing that their own Senator stood for the good ol’ values they sent him there to support.

Gaga’s marriage push

I don’t tweet. Lady Gaga does.

Which means, if I understand this correctly, those of you who decide to check BTB will get my opinion when you get around to reading it, while 10,958,546 people get Gaga’s opinion more-or-less immediately.

And here is what they have been reading today: