SOTU, Sex, Daniel, Rob, NOLA and The Prom

While I did not watch the President's State of the Union Address live as I had gone to bed after dinner with this headache I can't seem to rid myself of, I did read the transcript and some of the analysis afterword.  The president referred to LGBT folks twice in his address, once in reference to employment non-discrimination:

"It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country – the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who you love."

and once equality for families of gay and lesbian service members:  

"As long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, we will do whatever we must to protect those who serve their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military in the world.  We will invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime spending.  We will ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their families – gay and straight.  We will draw upon the courage and skills of our sisters and daughters, because women have proven under fire that they are ready for combat.  We will keep faith with our veterans – investing in world-class care, including mental health care, for our wounded warriors; supporting our military families; and giving our veterans the benefits, education, and job opportunities they have earned."

Now if we can just get the Republicans in Congress  to quit being obstructionist asses, maybe we will make some progress along these lines as well as other programs and policies outlined by the President in his address.  I certainly hope so, for our sake and the good of the country.

Now that we have politics out of the way, I read an extremely interesting article over at AlterNet.org entitled 10 Fascinating Facts About Men, Sex and Testosterone.  Some of the facts I knew about and some I did not.  You might find it an interesting read so check it out.  

Out Magazine online had a couple of interesting interviews that are worth a read.  The first was The Long Education of Daniel Radcliffe, everyone's favorite Harry Potter, about how he has moved forward from his iconic roll in the Rowling series to more challenging and evocative roles such as his latest as a young Allen Ginsberg.  The other was Rob James-Collier: Oh, You Handsome Devil!.  Rob of course plays the deliciously evil footman, Thomas, on Downton Abbey on PBS and the interview is just in time for the Season 3 Finale coming up on Sunday night.  Both are wonderful reads and worthy of your time to take a look.  

Meanwhile over at the Advocate, there is Revisiting a 1973 Tragedy Onstage which is a  review of the new musical, Upstairs!, a re-enactment and remembrance of the 1973 fire at the Upstairs Lounge in New Orleans that took the lives of 32 men, most of them Gay.  The play looks to shed light on this LGBT historical event and the lives of the men who were lost and those that tried to save them.  Definitely a must read. 

Also on the Advocate site is the Ope-ed An Open Letter Regarding the Gay Banned Prom in Sullivan, Indiana by Ronnie Kroell who along with my friend, Elliot London, run the Friend Movement of which I have posted several times.  It seems the 'Gay-free' prom has backfired on its organizers, especially Diane Medley the homophobic Special Ed teacher who is supporting their efforts.  Ms Medley also claims Gays have no purpose in life which has gotten her a lot of flack, as it should, including this more Gay positive response from Nate Walden who is also a teacher in Indiana.  By the way, the Principal, Staff and a majority of the Students remain firmly behind their all inclusive prom while their opponents efforts seem to be fizzling.  GLSEN would like you to send a message of support to Sullivan High School which you can do by clicking on the graphic below:

 

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Your Midweek Musical Moment play list contains four Orchestral Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach; Numbers 1 in C Major, BWV1066; 2 in B Minor, BWV1067; 3 in D Major, BWV1068 and 4 in D Major, BWV1069 with a performance by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment conducted by Frans Brüggen.  The play list is followed by a rather fetching, though eclectic collection of art in the male form who are your Hump Day Hunks for this week.  Thanks for spending part of your day with me, see you again tomorrow.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Spirit Day

Today is the culmination of Ally Week as we celebrate the Third Annual Observance of Spirit Day.  "In early October 2010, Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan promulgated the observance of a new commemoration called Spirit Day, the first observance of which took place on October 20, 2010, in which people wear the color purple to show support for LGBT young people who are victims of bullying.  The observance was inaugurated in response to a rash of widely-publicized bullying-related suicides of gay school students in 2010, including that of Tyler Clementi.  Over 1.6 million Facebook users signed up for the event globally."  This year Spirit Day will be bigger than ever as thousands of schools, celebrities, organizations and communities of faith along with millions of individuals join in the observance.  In a statement "Showing support for your friends, family and teachers can make all the difference in the world to young LGBT people, whether they are going through a tough time or not,” said 17-year-old McMillan. “This year, Spirit Day is going to be bigger and better than ever, and I’m so thrilled to be going purple alongside some of my favorite celebrities, as well as millions of others in a united stand against bullying.”  Brittany tells why she started the observance in the "What Spirit Day Can Do About Suicide" Op Ed article in the Advocate.  The Huffington Post also has an excellent article on how to "Be an Ally to Help Youth in Crises" by The Trevor Project's Executive Director and CEO, Abbe Land.  One of the best pieces of news on this year's observance is that all the major sports leagues in America are on board and supporting LGBT youth.

Now we mustn't forget to highlight our favorite Ally of the day, every one's favorite sorcerer, Harry Potter, played by British Actor Daniel Radcliffe:

Another of my favorite Allies, Minnesota Vikings Punter Chris Kluwe will debate an empty chair on the merits of the Minnesota ballot amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in the state constitution. Since opponents of gay marriage have zero arguments in their favor, the chair is an appropriate stand-in.  Which is a perfect segue into the news that once again Section Three of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) has been declared unconstitutional by a Federal appellate court, this time by a Republican appointed judge in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.  An excellent analysis of the decision by Towleroad's legal correspondant, Ari Ezra Waldman, can be found here.  While we are on the subject of Marriage Equality and DOMA, there is a film that has been making the film festival circuit about love, family, a green card marriage and the negative effects of DOMA by film maker David W. Ross.  The award winning "I Do" the movie stars Jamie-Lynn Sigler,  Alicia Witt, Maurice Compte and David W. Ross.  More information and screenings in your area can be found at the "I Do" the movie website.  Here's the trailer for the film:

 

A final note on Marriage Equality is the article on Salon by Anglican Bishop Gene Robinson, "Jesus would back Gay marriage",  which is an excerpt from Bishop Robinson's book, "God Believes In Love", available at most major book stores. 

That brings us to the music and the men for today, without which no post here at Nichevo would be complete.  Today's selection is the 1880 Cello Sonata by Italian Composer/Conductor/Pianist, Giuseppe Martucci, with a marvelous performance by brothers Francis (Cello) and Angelo (Piano) of Duo Pepicelli:

Then because it is Friday (oh TGIF!), it is time once again for lithesome lads and hunky hotties in the altogether with this week's edition of Naked or Nearly So to feed your prurient interests and inflame your desires!  That should do it for today, be sure to check back in tomorrow for this week's photographic review of the Best of the Web This Week.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!