Monthly archive of September 2003

The Gayest Summer Ever

Perhaps it was a fitting end to the gayest summer ever. A mummy discovered this summer thought to be Queen Nefertiti turns out to be a man instead of a woman. That's what Egyptian antiquities director Zahi Hawass said over the weekend. Whether this mummy was a queen, a drag queen, or something else, the summer's news has forced us all to confront our issues about sexuality.

Posted in pop culture on September 2 2003, 9:55AM | Read More | Comments (7)

And They're Off

Labor Day marks the unofficial beginning of a new campaign season. From now until November 2004, the news media will spend millions of dollars to cover the presidential campaign. But there's one thing they won't tell you. Most of the media coverage is illogical, formulaic and repetitive.

Posted in politics on September 3 2003, 11:00AM | Read More | Comments (1)

The Politically Incorrect Guide To The Candidates

Yesterday I wrote about the lack of substance in media coverage of presidential elections. What I didn't write about was the public's own lack of interest in presidential elections. Maybe the media are shallow and superficial because we are shallow and superficial.

Posted in politics on September 4 2003, 11:03AM | Read More | Comments (9)

The Legend of Harvey Milk

I've resisted every effort to write about New York's so-called "gay high school" this summer. The story always struck me as hyped and sensational. But now it's unavoidable. When the semester begins on Monday, students will have to face media scrutiny, religious-right protesters and a frivolous new lawsuit trying to shut the school down. It's time to set the record straight, so to speak.

Posted in sexuality on September 5 2003, 11:18AM | Read More | Comments (13)

About Face

Four months after he landed on an aircraft carrier and declared victory in Iraq, President Bush tonight abruptly reversed course in his war plans. Without saying it directly, the president finally admitted indirectly that his Iraq policy has been, in the words of Dick Gephardt, a "miserable failure." Now, the next thing Bush needs to do is apologize.

Posted in politics on September 7 2003, 10:16PM | Read More | Comments (5)

First Day Of School

Hundreds of demonstrators came out this morning to show their support for students on the first day of the year at the Harvey Milk High School. The demonstrators came out in response to a protest arranged by antigay activist Fred Phelps. By the time classes started, the small band of protesters picketing the school was outnumbered and out yelled by the huge throng of supporters.

Posted in sexuality on September 8 2003, 11:55AM | Read More | Comments (12)

Too High A Cost

Now that we're in Iraq, just about everyone agrees we can't just get up and leave. But $87 billion is too high a cost to pay. The amount the president proposes to spend on the war that "ended" in May is more than the entire annual defense budgets of Russia, China, Japan, Britain, France or Germany. That's outrageous.

Posted in politics on September 9 2003, 2:07AM | Read More | Comments (6)

Are Blacks More Homophobic?

I get this question all the time. "Are blacks more homophobic than whites?" "No," I answer reflexively. "All the evidence suggests that blacks are no more homophobic than whites." That's what I've been saying for the past 7 years. But recent events have forced me to reconsider that answer.

Posted in sexuality on September 10 2003, 9:27AM | Read More | Comments (61)

September 11, 2003

Two years after the deadly attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, it's worth considering how we got here. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, most Americans think Saddam Hussein attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001. Since President Bush wants to keep us in the dark, let's look at U.S. history in dealing with terrorism and Iraq. The record shows that President Reagan and the first President Bush supported Saddam Hussein for more than a decade and that the second President Bush could have done more to stop the terrorist attacks.

Posted in politics on September 11 2003, 9:32AM | Read More | Comments (4)

Liar!

Shocked! I was shocked, I tell you. That was my reaction upon hearing President Bush this week say he wanted to "elevate the discourse" in Washington. Are you kidding me? Bush and the Republicans have done more to poison the atmosphere of politics than anyone else in modern history.

Posted in politics on September 12 2003, 10:49AM | Read More | Comments (4)

Life Imitates Art

It was a scene straight out of last night's "Sex and The City" finale. I opened the newspaper today and saw magician David Blaine suspended in a 7 feet high, 7 feet long, 3 feet wide plexiglass box over London's Thames River where he will spend 44 days with no food and only water to drink. It was just like the installation art on "Sex and the City" last night where a woman vowed to spend several weeks in a gallery display without food. These days, it's hard to tell if you're watching television or on it.

Posted in pop culture on September 15 2003, 10:24AM | Read More | Comments (7)

Mr. Clean

Almost a year ago, the world came to know Charles Moose as the straight-talking black police chief at the center of the sniper investigation in Maryland. Now Moose is back with a shaved head and a new book out today. The picture of Moose reminded me of Mr. Clean, the bald-headed cartoon figure who hawks the household cleaning product of the same name. But not everything is as clean is it looks.

Posted in pop culture on September 16 2003, 10:07AM | Read More | Comments (1)

General Election

Just when you thought politics couldn't get any more unpredictable, General Wesley Clark today jumps into the crowded presidential field in hopes of winning the Democratic nomination. Look out Howard Dean and George Bush. If everything we've heard about Clark is true, he may be the next president.

Posted in politics on September 17 2003, 10:26AM | Read More | Comments (7)

Hurricane George

With a hurricane blowing in town, it's fitting that Washington, D.C. is closing down today. But the next new storm brewing by the Atlantic is not from Isabel. It's from Hurricane George, which has been blowing hot air for months. Now that disaster is about to hit land too.

Posted in pop culture on September 18 2003, 8:48AM | Read More | Comments (4)

Minnesota Irony

So I'm in Minnesota right now, working on the slowest computer known to man, and I've just stumbled on a story from today's Washington Blade. Last night I gave a speech discussing whether gay marriage should be a defining issue for the LGBT community. This morning, I'm sitting in the lounge of the University of Minnesota Law School, and I read an article from the Blade that a gay Republican professor at this very law school is criticizing a gay leader for not addressing this issue. What irony.

Posted in politics on September 19 2003, 11:39AM | Read More | Comments (12)

Right Wing Hall of Shame

After 20 years of listening to their lies, I've had enough of all the right-wing hypocrisy, so today I'm fighting back. Thanks to the two new excellent books by Al Franken and Joe Conason, I've prepared some ammunition to fight back against the liars on the right. Most of these high-profile right-wing leaders talk extensively about morality and patriotism, but as you'll see here, many of them don't practice what they preach.

Posted in politics on September 22 2003, 10:21AM | Read More | Comments (15)

Reversal of Fortune

One year ago, George Bush basically told the United Nations Security Council it was his way or the highway on Iraq. Today, a seriously weakened Bush hobbles back to the same body to plead for help. Meanwhile, Bush has become so unpopular in the U.S. that if the election were held today, he would lose to newcomer General Wesley Clark. That's a stunning turnaround from his 80 percent approval ratings not long ago.

Posted in politics on September 23 2003, 12:53AM | Read More | Comments (6)

God Is Coming! Look Busy

Every few months, someone on the subway sees fit to hand me a new flyer promoting their version of Christianity. The most recent one ("Does God Love You?") was given to me last night by a little old lady on the 135th Street subway platform. I swear, for all the talk about gays and lesbians promoting a "homosexual lifestyle," you don't know what promotion is until you've seen this stuff.

Posted in spirituality on September 24 2003, 11:15AM | Read More | Comments (15)

Meet the Press

While the American media anxiously await the release of David Kay's report on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, an Australian reporter has found evidence that the U.S. knew that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction two years ago. Where did he find it? On the State Department's own web site. It's bad enough that the Administration lied to us, but it's even worse when our media are so lazy that they don't even look for the truth.

Posted in politics on September 25 2003, 10:21AM | Read More | Comments (2)

Peace on Earth

I've spent a lot of time over the years worried about the violence in the world. A long time ago, I learned that violence is not the answer to violence. Even when it's absolutely necessary, violence only validates more violence. But many of us are too wounded to hear that message. We've learned to strike out with our fists and weapons to defend ourselves from attack. We've learned a lot about violence. Now it's time to learn about peace.

Posted in pop culture on September 26 2003, 11:33AM | Read More | Comments (3)

LIES by Al Franken

There's two good reasons why Al Franken's new book Lies is number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. First, people are fed up with the lies of the Bush Administration and its hypocritical right-wing supporters. Second, it's a really, really good book.

Posted in books on September 29 2003, 11:00AM | Read More

Big Lies by Joe Conason

In today's New York Times, columnist David Brooks attacks the slew of new left-wing authors from Al Franken to Michael Moore for Bush bashing. The best-sellers lists are "dotted with screeds against the president and his supporters," Brooks complains, and he mentions Shrub, Stupid White Men and Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. If that's how he feels, he probably won't like Big Lies by Joe Conason either. Too bad, it's another great book.

Posted in books on September 30 2003, 10:10AM | Read More | Comments (1)