The Daily Agenda for Saturday, January 26

Jim Burroway

January 26th, 2013

TODAY’S AGENDA:
Events This Weekend: Creating Change Conference, Atlanta, GA; Midsumma, Melbourne, VIC; BeefDip, Puerto Vallarta, JAL; Winter Rendezvous Ski Week, Stowe, VT; Out In the Desert LGBT Film Festival, Tucson, AZ.

TODAY IN HISTORY:
Government Payments to Maggie Gallagher, Other Columnists Revealed: 2005. Howard Kurtz revealed in a Washington Post story that the Bush Administration had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to two columnists in a “pay-to-sway” scandal to promote the administration’s policies. In one case, it was revealed that the U.S. Department of Education paid columnist Armstrong Williams $241,000 to promote and talk up the No Child Left Behind Initiative and to encourage other journalists and columnists to write favorable articles on the law. It was also revealed that Maggie Gallagher had accepted $41,500 to promote the Bush Administration’s marriage initiative, which called for abstinence education and premarital counseling. Gallagher responded in a rather creative way: first by defending her role in the contract (“I’m a marriage expert. I get paid to write, edit, research and educate on marriage. If a scholar or expert gets paid to do some work for the government, should he or she disclose that if he writes a paper, essay or op-ed on the same or similar subject? If this is the ethical standard, it is an entirely new standard.”), then by acknowledging that she should have disclosed the contract when she later wrote about the Bush marriage initiative. “But the real truth is that it never occurred to me. … I would have, if I had remembered it. My apologies to my readers.” Nice work if you can get it.

Armstrong was dropped by from syndication by the Tribune Company. Gallagher continued writing for Town Hall as though nothing had happened. She went on to found the National Organization for Marriage in 2007 and remained its president until 2010. She also founded Culture War Victory Fund in 2011. Three weeks ago, she announced the retirement of her syndicated column.

David Kato Murdered: 2011. It seems like yesterday, it seems like a lifetime ago. But it was one year ago today when Ugandan LGBT advocate David Kato was brutally murdered in his home. The murder took place almost four months after his photo appeared on the front page of a local tabloid as one of Uganda’s “top homos” with the tag, “Hang Them!” And the murder took place less than a month after a Ugandan Court issued a permanent ruling baring that tabloid from outing gay people on its pages. The police, before they even had a suspect, were quick to deny that homophobia had anything to do with his murder, and they maintained that position after they settled on a suspect and obtained a “confession.” To seal the deal, the alleged murderer was quickly found guilty and sentenced — in proceedings so rushed that his own lawyer didn’t know he was appearing in court. But LGBT advocates in Uganda know the real score and aren’t buying the government line. On this anniversary, it’s important to pause and remember that there are martyrs for gay rights: Harvey Milk, David Kato, and many others, known and unknown.

In honor of Kato’s memory, the David Kato Vision and Voice Award has been established to recognize those who demonstrate “courage and outstanding leadership in advocating for the sexual rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, particularly in environments where these individuals face continued rejection, marginalization, isolation and persecution.” It is awarded annually on December 10, Human Rights Day. The first recipient The latest honoree is Ali Erol, who founded Turkey’s first gay rights organization, Kaos GL, in 1994.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY:
Ellen DeGeneris: 1958. She made her own bit of history in 1997 during the fourth season of her sitcom, Ellen, when she came out publicly as a lesbian on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Her character soon came out on her sitcom, and that coming out episode was one of the highest rated episodes of her series. That episode won her her first Emmy, but the show’s popularity dropped soon afterward and was cancelled. Ellen withdrew form television and returned to her roots in stand-up comedy (and taking on a voice-acting stint for the 2003 film Finding Nemo) before re-establishing herself as a popular talk show host on Emmy-winning The Ellen DeGeneris Show, where she often talks about Portia de Rossi, her wife of four years. Her show is very popular with housewives and not a few gay men, with her popularity undoubtedly helped along with segments like these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h42VMWcaxlQ

In 2008 — at the age of fifty, Degeneres became the spokesperson for Cover Girl cosmetics. In 2012, she became the spokesperson for J.C. Penney, much to the consternation of the American Family Association, whose astroturf front organization One Million Moms is all kinds of upset because her mere presence is an affront to their manufactured moms.

In 2012, Degeneres was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor by the by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

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

And feel free to consider this your open thread for the day. What’s happening in your world?

Hunter

January 26th, 2013

Somehow, it always brings a smile to my face when I see an organization like OMM throwing itself in front of a steamroller like Ellen DeGeneris.

I don’t think anything else demonstrates so effectively how far out of the mainstream they are.

Timothy Kincaid

January 27th, 2013

Hunter, what’s even funnier is watching them think they make a difference. If a month or so goes by without an Ellen appearance on a Penney’s commercial, they declare victory. Usually right before the next Ellen-based commercial launches.

Stephen

January 26th, 2013

Thanks for reminding people about Gallagher’s earlier propaganda effort. I’m convinced that it was when she was employed by Bush that plans were laid to found NOM as a political/propaganda outfit to embarrass the Democrats. Plus, since when does having opinions count as being an expert?

james

January 26th, 2013

@Stephen. Maggie is an expert in her own opinions.

Hue-Man

January 26th, 2013

GlobalTV Vancouver Saturday morning show had the Executive Director of WinterPride 2013 and Mr. Gay Vancouver for a ten minute segment on WinterPride (February 3 to Feb 10 at Whistler, B.C.) and Mr. Gay Canada competition (Feb 5 to Feb 8 at Whistler). http://www.gaywhistler.com

Current snow conditions: 192 cm (76 inches) at mid-mountain. Current temps – 7:30 am PST Saturday: Village 28F, Peak 18F (-8C). http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/the-mountain/snow-and-weather/index.aspx

Stephen

January 26th, 2013

@james. Funny.

markanthony

January 28th, 2013

Has Maggie Gallagher ever been called as an expert witness in court? She doesn’t do any actual original research correct? She just lays out a philosophical case against SSM, writes op-eds, and directs PACs. Am I missing anything?

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