I propose that all people who classify themselves as white should only be allowed to marry and attempt to procreate with members of their own sex. That would satisfy GLAAD and God both at the same time.
I was unsuccessful in my attempt to respond to Casper on this subject in the Friday post, but I'll make another effort. Gay white men are indeed a powerful interest group. I've come across an unverified anecdote that says they are the wealthiest households on a per capita basis. The March 2007 issue of Atlantic Monthly had a revealing piece with Tim Gill, a wealthy gay man based in Colorado, who leads a national network of pecuniarily endowed homosexuals that targets local politicians antithetical to their interests. Moreover, gays have successfully aligned their unique interests with general advocacy for civil rights.
This all leads me to admit that my support for Obama has become attenuated. I'm beginning to think that his ambition exceeds his courage. His absence during a recent key foreign policy vote in the Senate and his hawkish emulation of Clinton on Iran have left me disappointed. The notion that blacks have a particularly virulent form of homophobia is untrue. The fact is that under the Bush administration simple moral judgements have resulted in a pervasive self-righteousness. This manifests itself in the misguided 'War on Terror' and most cultural critiques of hip hop and gay marriage.
lol it was only a few years ago when members of the right wing community (while hiding in the closet) attempted to slander the gay community with talk of anti gay marriage, moral family values, and etc. Now today, standing alongside of so called white progressive, and the homosexual community they declare Obama public enemy #1, because he's going on tour with an ex gay man who considers homosexuality a choice. Give me a break...
lol it was only a few years ago when members of the right wing community (while hiding in the closet) attempted to slander the gay community with talk of anti gay marriage, moral family values, and etc. Now today, standing alongside of so called white progressives, and the homosexual community they declare Obama public enemy #1, because he's going on tour with an ex gay man who considers homosexuality a choice! Give me a break...
it's funny how they are attempting to do the very thing they criticize the government for.
Freedom of choice.
Why are they hell bent on convincing EVERYONE that homosexuality is ok and normal? They, of all people, should promote freedom of choice like what brother Obama is saying here.
The fucking lobbying group that has the United States mired in a war more in the interest of the state of Israel, than in the interest of the American people.
$1 Billion per day 4,000 American Lives 660,000 Iraqi people
and now the Israel Lobby and it's media pundits are pushing America into a catastrophic war with Iran.
i'm sure forbes criteria for this list has more to do with income and expenditures than with impact and influence. My point is that this list does not lead me to believe that GLAAD is less powerful than the other 20-something groups on the list.
The fact that i don't see anything about pharmaceuticals (like PhRMA) pretty much discredits this whole list in my opinion, unless the AMA encompasses it.
What point were you making with the posting of this list? Was it just informational or was there something else you were trying to say?
What percentage of the U.S. population is gay? Joe Collingwood, Canada
Dear Joe: Ever since famed researcher Alfred Kinsey released a study claiming 10 percent of American males "admitted to having been predominantly homosexual for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55," folks have debated the validity of his findings -- as well as the question. After all, with so many men and women unwilling to disclose their sexual orientation, it may be impossible to ever come up with a truly accurate number. This article from the Seattle Times acknowledges that difficulty, but also mentions that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has estimated America's gay, lesbian, and bisexual population at around 8.8 million people. That translates to somewhere between 2.5 and 3 percent.
A site called GayDemographics.org offers up a different set of statistics, placing an emphasis on the number of same-sex couples in the United States. According to their findings, there were a total of 61,064,407 couples in 2004. Approximately 707,196 (or 1.16 percent) were same-sex couples.
Are these statistics totally accurate? We doubt it. However, they do offer an interesting perspective on one of our country's more controversial questions.
In July 2003, 35.9 million people were aged 65 and older in the United States, or 12 percent of the total population. Among the older population, 18.3 million people were aged 65 to 74, 12.9 million were aged 75 to 84, and 4.7 million were 85 and older.1
Many supportive straight people recognize anti-gay governmental policies for what they really are: discriminatory and unfair. But is anti-gay discrimination also bad for the U.S. economy? This theory, proposed by a heterosexual economics professor, is one that more and more businesses and cities are taking seriously, and that could have a big impact on the future of gay people's pursuit of equal rights.
It's always tricky to talk about economics and gay people in the same breath. In order to justify denying us civil rights, right-wingers have often invoked the idea that gay people have huge reserves of disposable income that we spend like drunken sailors; and wealthy people, of course, can't be oppressed. For example, some conservatives have claimed that same-sex couples don't really need legal marriage rights, because we can easily buy ourselves the costly paperwork that simulates what our heterosexual counterparts enjoy for the small price of a marriage license.
However, the research of economist M.V. Lee Badgett of the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies has pointed out the serious flaws in studies that indicate we're wealthier than straight people. Badgett's work actually suggests that many gay people -- especially lesbians -- earn less than the average American.
1. National Rifle Association 2. American Association of Retired People (AARP) 3. National Federation of Independent Business 4. American Israel Foreign Affairs Committee 5. Association of Trial Lawyers of America 6. AFL-CIO 7. Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America 8. National Beer Wholesalers of America 9. National Association of Realtors 10. National Association of Manufacturers 11. National Association of Homebuilders of the United States 12. American Medical Association 13. American Hospital Association 14. National Education Association of the United States 15. American Farm Bureau Federation 16. Motion Picture Association of America 17. National Association of Broadcasters 18. National Right to Life Committee 19. Health Insurance Association of America 20. National Restaurant Association 21. National Governors' Association 22. Recording Industry Association of America 23. American Bankers Association 24. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America 25. International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Isn't it? An intellectual cop out?
ReplyDeleteI propose that all people who classify themselves as white should only be allowed to marry and attempt to procreate with members of their own sex. That would satisfy GLAAD and God both at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI was unsuccessful in my attempt to respond to Casper on this subject in the Friday post, but I'll make another effort. Gay white men are indeed a powerful interest group. I've come across an unverified anecdote that says they are the wealthiest households on a per capita basis. The March 2007 issue of Atlantic Monthly had a revealing piece with Tim Gill, a wealthy gay man based in Colorado, who leads a national network of pecuniarily endowed homosexuals that targets local politicians antithetical to their interests. Moreover, gays have successfully aligned their unique interests with general advocacy for civil rights.
ReplyDeleteThis all leads me to admit that my support for Obama has become attenuated. I'm beginning to think that his ambition exceeds his courage. His absence during a recent key foreign policy vote in the Senate and his hawkish emulation of Clinton on Iran have left me disappointed. The notion that blacks have a particularly virulent form of homophobia is untrue. The fact is that under the Bush administration simple moral judgements have resulted in a pervasive self-righteousness. This manifests itself in the misguided 'War on Terror' and most cultural critiques of hip hop and gay marriage.
After the Israeli Lobby, the gay lobby is the most powerful force in the Democratic Party. They are well-financed, loud and well-organized.
ReplyDeletelol it was only a few years ago when members of the right wing community (while hiding in the closet) attempted to slander the gay community with talk of anti gay marriage, moral family values, and etc. Now today, standing alongside of so called white progressive, and the homosexual community they declare Obama public enemy #1, because he's going on tour with an ex gay man who considers homosexuality a choice. Give me a break...
ReplyDeletelol it was only a few years ago when members of the right wing community (while hiding in the closet) attempted to slander the gay community with talk of anti gay marriage, moral family values, and etc. Now today, standing alongside of so called white progressives, and the homosexual community they declare Obama public enemy #1, because he's going on tour with an ex gay man who considers homosexuality a choice! Give me a break...
ReplyDeleteit's funny how they are attempting to do the very thing they criticize the government for.
ReplyDeleteFreedom of choice.
Why are they hell bent on convincing EVERYONE that homosexuality is ok and normal? They, of all people, should promote freedom of choice like what brother Obama is saying here.
Gimme a break, Glaad
Top Lobbying Groups: Forbes
ReplyDelete1. American Association of Retired Persons
2. National Federation of Independent Business
3. American Israel Public Affairs Committee
4. National Rifle Association of America
5. ALF-CIO
6. Association of Trial Lawyers of America
7. Christian Coalition
8. National Right to Life
9. American Medical Association
10. US Chamber of Commerce
11. Credit Union National Association
12. Independent Insurance Agents of America
13. National Association of Manufacturers
14. American Farm Bureau Federation
15. National Restaurant Association
16. National Association of Home Builders
17. National Association of Realtors
18. National Association of Broadcasters
19. Motion Picture Association of America
20. American Bankers Association
21. National Education Association
22. Health Insurance Association of America
23. American Council of Life Insurance
24. Veterans of Foreign Wars
25. GLADD
Top Lobbying Groups: Denmark Vesey
ReplyDeleteThe fucking lobbying group that has the United States mired in a war more in the interest of the state of Israel, than in the interest of the American people.
$1 Billion per day
4,000 American Lives
660,000 Iraqi people
and now the Israel Lobby and it's media pundits are pushing America into a catastrophic war with Iran.
AARP my ass.
Casper,
ReplyDeletei'm sure forbes criteria for this list has more to do with income and expenditures than with impact and influence. My point is that this list does not lead me to believe that GLAAD is less powerful than the other 20-something groups on the list.
The fact that i don't see anything about pharmaceuticals (like PhRMA) pretty much discredits this whole list in my opinion, unless the AMA encompasses it.
What point were you making with the posting of this list? Was it just informational or was there something else you were trying to say?
ditto @ kalena
ReplyDeleteWhat percentage of the U.S. population is gay?
ReplyDeleteJoe
Collingwood, Canada
Dear Joe:
Ever since famed researcher Alfred Kinsey released a study claiming 10 percent of American males "admitted to having been predominantly homosexual for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55," folks have debated the validity of his findings -- as well as the question.
After all, with so many men and women unwilling to disclose their sexual orientation, it may be impossible to ever come up with a truly accurate number. This article from the Seattle Times acknowledges that difficulty, but also mentions that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has estimated America's gay, lesbian, and bisexual population at around 8.8 million people. That translates to somewhere between 2.5 and 3 percent.
A site called GayDemographics.org offers up a different set of statistics, placing an emphasis on the number of same-sex couples in the United States. According to their findings, there were a total of 61,064,407 couples in 2004. Approximately 707,196 (or 1.16 percent) were same-sex couples.
Are these statistics totally accurate? We doubt it. However, they do offer an interesting perspective on one of our country's more controversial questions.
In July 2003, 35.9 million
ReplyDeletepeople were aged 65 and older in
the United States, or 12 percent
of the total population. Among
the older population, 18.3 million
people were aged 65 to 74, 12.9
million were aged 75 to 84, and
4.7 million were 85 and older.1
So?
ReplyDeleteMany supportive straight people recognize anti-gay governmental policies for what they really are: discriminatory and unfair. But is anti-gay discrimination also bad for the U.S. economy? This theory, proposed by a heterosexual economics professor, is one that more and more businesses and cities are taking seriously, and that could have a big impact on the future of gay people's pursuit of equal rights.
ReplyDeleteIt's always tricky to talk about economics and gay people in the same breath. In order to justify denying us civil rights, right-wingers have often invoked the idea that gay people have huge reserves of disposable income that we spend like drunken sailors; and wealthy people, of course, can't be oppressed. For example, some conservatives have claimed that same-sex couples don't really need legal marriage rights, because we can easily buy ourselves the costly paperwork that simulates what our heterosexual counterparts enjoy for the small price of a marriage license.
However, the research of economist M.V. Lee Badgett of the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies has pointed out the serious flaws in studies that indicate we're wealthier than straight people. Badgett's work actually suggests that many gay people -- especially lesbians -- earn less than the average American.
http://www.planetout.com/news/feature.html?sernum=848
The Top 25 Interest Groups
ReplyDelete1. National Rifle Association
2. American Association of Retired People (AARP)
3. National Federation of Independent Business
4. American Israel Foreign Affairs Committee
5. Association of Trial Lawyers of America
6. AFL-CIO
7. Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America
8. National Beer Wholesalers of America
9. National Association of Realtors
10. National Association of Manufacturers
11. National Association of Homebuilders of the United States
12. American Medical Association
13. American Hospital Association
14. National Education Association of the United States
15. American Farm Bureau Federation
16. Motion Picture Association of America
17. National Association of Broadcasters
18. National Right to Life Committee
19. Health Insurance Association of America
20. National Restaurant Association
21. National Governors' Association
22. Recording Industry Association of America
23. American Bankers Association
24. Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
25. International Brotherhood of Teamsters
http://www.fortune.com/lists/power25/index.html
Could it be? Nah....., there's gotta be some other reason Obama is catching it from this quarter.
ReplyDelete