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Wanted: Attractive People Willing to Divorce on Reality TV

June 24, 2013, 7:04 pm
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Looks like Bravo is casting people for a new reality TV show for married, common-law married, and/or civilly unionized people who are 1. attractive, 2. upscale, 3. divorcing, and 4. willing to divorce on national television. The show will be called "Untying the Knot."

(source)
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Iowa City Sinkhole

June 25, 2013, 4:32 pm
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Yesterday afternoon, a giant sinkhole began forming outside the Johnson County Administration Building, which is one building away from where I work. Check out this video:


Check out how much it grew over the course of an hour!
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DOMA = Unconstitutional! // Plus Proposition 8 Case Dismissed

June 26, 2013, 7:35 am
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The U.S. Supreme Court finally made a decision on the "United States v. Windsor" case -- and it worked out pretty well for us gay and lesbian families. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was deemed unconstitutional in a 5-4 decision:
According to Justice Anthony Kennedy’s opinion for the Court, “[t]he federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity. By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected than others, the federal statute is in violation of the Fifth Amendment.”
This primarily affects married gay and lesbian families in the 12 states (plus Washington DC) that allow same-sex marriage. It will force the federal government to recognize our marriages.

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court also ruled today that those defending the Proposition 8 case have no standing. That means that the earlier court decision voiding the Proposition 8 constitutional amendment in California has been upheld and apparently same-sex marriage has returned to California!

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"Speak Out for Marriage Equality" Rally at Pentacrest in Iowa City Tonight at 6 PM! // Update: What Happened at the Rally?

June 26, 2013, 5:55 pm
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It is expected that the U.S. Supreme Court will finally release it's ruling on the pending marriage equality cases involving Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. Then again, they might end up holding back on their decision until their next term. Hopefully, I will have good news (or partially good news) to share on that front later this morning.

Win, lose, or punt, same-sex marriage supporters will be gathering tonight on the University of Iowa Pentacrest here in Iowa City at 6:00 PM to celebrate each other or to figuratively lick each others' wounds.

Updated Later: I was unable to attend tonight's rally due to some childcare issues. Fortunately, fellow Iowa City blogger John Deeth was at the "Speak Out for Marriage Equality" rally at Iowa City's Pentacrest and live-tweeted the entire event.

Here is how tonight's rally went. Keep in mind that you will need to read upwards to follow the progression of his tweets:

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Local Businesses Known for Selling Synthetic Drugs Raided Earlier Today

June 26, 2013, 6:33 pm
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(source)
Very good news. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies teamed up today to raid businesses in Iowa City and nearby Cedar Rapids. These three businesses are fairly well known locally for selling synthetic drugs. The two businesses in Iowa City were The Den and In-Zone and the two business in Cedar Rapids was YR Dollar Stop Liquor & Tobacco.

According to Iowa City Patch, this was part of a nationwide effort to address this growing epidemic. 150 federal arrest warrants and 375 federal search warrants were served today in 35 states, 49 cities, and five countries. The Drug Enforcement Administration reportedly arrested and/or investigated retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers of these synthetic drugs.

I have written a few times recently about synthetic drugs, such as when Iowans Against Synthetics protested outside The Den back in April 2013 for selling synthetic drugs to adults and children.

And then there was the time back in May 2013 when I shared information indicating that Iowa City has become the top supplier of Synthetic Drugs in Eastern Iowa.

Lastly, I shared a powerful video by this young man who described his addiction to spice (AKA one particular brand of synthetic drug) and the symptoms that he experienced while using them.
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Iowa Senator: Gay Marriage Is Bad Because More People Might Get Insured!! // Update: Sen. Greiner Retiring

June 28, 2013, 12:31 pm
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(Greiner)
(Originally written on 06/27/13): You might have forgotten, but the U.S. Supreme Court issued rulings on Section 3 of DOMA and Proposition 8 yesterday. That led to several rallies across the country (including here in Iowa City). Not only that, but it seems like every politician is being asked their opinion on the subject.

Case in point?

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa): "I am glad..."

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa): "It doesn't make much difference what my feelings are."

U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa): "I am disappointed..."

But this blog post is really about Iowa Senator Sandy Greiner (R) of Keota, IA. Part of her senate district included part of my own Johnson County, but she's not my state senator. I've written about her once before. That was back in February 2013 when she and 17 other Senate Republicans sponsored an unsuccessful resolution to constitutionally ban Iowa's gay families.

TheIowa City Press-Citizen reached out to her to get her opinion of the DOMA decision. According to the PC, Greiner is unsure about whether or not she will sponsor another anti-gay constitutional amendment, citing tepid public support for that type of resolution. But she still doesn't like same-sex marriage... because same-sex marriage leads to more insured Iowans!:
Greiner stands by her position that expanding gay marriage is increasing health care costs by extending benefits to more partners. “We’re just adding to the pool of people, and that has been my contention all along. I hate to say I was prophetic, but I was,” she said.
What does Sen. Greiner have against insured Iowans? Or is it just insured gay Iowans that she has a problem with?

I mean, if I hypothetically married a woman instead of Husband Mark and placed her on my family insurance plan (keeping in mind that Husband Mark has his own insurance and hasn't been included onto my health insurance in years), would Sen. Greiner still be concerned about one more person receiving health insurance? Probably not.

I never hear people complaining about people like me placing my children on my health insurance plan. They usually just have a problem with the idea of placing my husband on my health insurance plan. Why is that?

And where does she get the idea that it costs more to have more Iowans insured? It's not like it's free for me or pretty much anyone else to insure our family members. Would she rather people go to the Free Medical Center or the local emergency room for our health care needs? Doesn't that drive up costs?

Updated on 06/28/13: Speaking of Sen. Sandy Greiner, I just learned from the Bleeding Heartland blog that she is retiring from the Iowa Senate next year. Will the Democrats be able to win her senate seat? There are slightly more Republicans than Democrats in that district, but also a good chunk of unaffiliated voters.
(Iowa Senate District 39 -- Sen. Greiner's District)
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D'Angelo at Scattergood Friends School -- 06/17/13

June 28, 2013, 7:07 pm
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My youngest son just finished his second/final week at Scattergood Friends School's Spanish Language & Culture Camp. Scattergood Friends School is a nearby college-prep boarding school for high school students. It's affiliated with the Quakers and it has a very good reputation.

D'Angelo didn't participate in the residential camp, but instead traveled to and from the program every day. I was a little worried that he wouldn't like it, but he got along really well with the other students, as well as the instructors. He enjoyed most of the activities and learned some basic Spanish speaking skills. He also liked that he had more freedom with some of his free time and was generally trusted to make good decisions.

One of the camp counselors decided to start a camp blog early on in the program. She apparently wasn't able to maintain it after the first couple days, but it was still neat to see the student during some of their early activities. You can see the blog here. D'Angelo showed up on the second blog entry working on a weaving project. He ended up with a nice coaster, which we plan on giving to my mother later this summer. Check out this pic of him weaving:


I've written about Scattergood Friends School once before (here). I wrote earlier that I would love for D' to become a student at Scattergood Friends School some day, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Tuition currently ranges from $17,000-28,000 annually depending on whether or not students are commuting to the school or if they are boarding. Either way, that's the price of a car-plus every year. I'm sure we would qualify for some sort of financial assistance, but we would still be spending thousands annually for him to attend. But it doesn't hurt to dream (and maybe scheme), eh?
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Johnson County Supervisors Approve Resolution on Public Restrooms and Transgender People

June 29, 2013, 5:00 am
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I have written a few times (here and here) about a trans woman who sued Johnson County, Iowa, over a situation where she had been denied access to a public bathroom at the Johnson County Courthouse by a now-retired deputy. Jodie Jones was followed into the public restroom and told to leave. When Jones pointed out that state law allowed her the right to use the restroom that conformed to her current gender, not specifically her birth gender. The deputy continued to deny Jones access to the restroom "regardless of what the law is." Jones sued and Johnson County's Board of Supervisors eventually settled out of court with her earlier this month.

As part of the settlement, Johnson County agreed to pay Jones $7,000 in damages. They also agreed to pass a resolution clarifying that public restrooms in county buildings are open to people based on their gender identity.

I learned today that the Board of Supervisors approved the following resolution earlier this week:
Resolution Setting Forth Johnson County's Policy Regarding Access to Public Restrooms Based on Gender Identity

Whereas, Iowa law prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in regard to employment, housing, education, credit practices and public accommodations; and

Whereas, Iowa Code Section 216.2 (10) defines gender identity as "a gender-related identity of a person, regardless of the person's assigned sex at birth"; and

Whereas, Johnson County acknowledges that public restroom facilities located in Johnson County's buildings are public accommodations for the purposes of the protections provided by Iowa law; and

Whereas, persons should be allowed to access gender specific restroom facilities according to their gender identity regardless of whether the person's gender identity is different that their assigned sex at birth.

Therefore Be It Resolved that it is the policy of Johnson County that all persons should be permitted to access public restrooms located in Johnson County's buildings based on their gender identity regardless of whether that gender identity is different than a person's assigned sex at birth.
KCJJ reports that county deputies will be required to receive new training on civil rights matters as part of this plea agreement.
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Gay Wedding at United Church of Christ's 29th General Synod

July 1, 2013, 5:21 am
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(Originally written on 06/30/13): The United Church of Christ is holding its 29th General Synod. That's where people from all corners of the denomination get together for worship, fellowship, and denominational business. This General Synod is being held in Long Beach, CA.

I have been away at a family reunion for most of this weekend so I really haven't had much of a chance to do much as far as monitoring the happenings at General Synod 29. I got home about an hour ago and checked my Twitter feed and learned that the United Church of Christ is hosting its very first wedding at a General Synod tonight -- and it's a gay wedding!

Apparently, a male couple named Dave and Jay was given approval to get married in front of interested General Synod 29 guests. There were several of the Twitter updates of the event:







I don't know much of the details behind this gay wedding, but I'll keep my eyes and ears open and share more if/when I learn more.

In the meantime, congratulations to Dave and Jay on your new marriage!

Updated on July 1, 2013: I found out more information about the new grooms from the UCC website. The new grooms are Rev. Dave Sigmund and Jay Greave of Torrance, CA. Rev. Sigmund is a pastor at Seaside Community UCC, also in Torrance, CA. They have been together as a couple for 10 years. They were already planning a big UCC wedding once Prop 8 got struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court and decided to run with the idea of a "flash mob" wedding given the timing of these court decision and General Synod 29. The couple plans to honeymoon in Hawaii in September.
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"Dilton" #1: Dilton Doiley Leaves Riverdale High!

July 1, 2013, 8:20 pm
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Late last week, I discovered that Archie Comics started a new digital-exclusive mini-series starring Riverdale's resident genius: Dilton Doiley! DILTON #1 sets up a storyline where Dilton questions whether or not his brains are being wasted in Riverdale USA. What follows is a series scenarios where outside influences begin vying for his affiliation.

The story starts off pretty simply with Dilton beginning another week at Riverdale High School. All throughout the day, Dilton's friends turn to him to help them out of jams. He uses a 3-D hologram generator to help Archie avoid detention. He helps a cute girl named Phoebe solve a complicated math problem.

The problem is that Dilton is beginning to feel used by the other kids for his brains and gadgets, as well as under-appreciated. And it's not just him. The school's guidance counselor, Mr. Pigeonhole, notices also and begins pressuring Dilton to look beyond the walls of Riverdale High. Mr. P wants Dilton to enroll at Brainard University, where his genius will be put to good use!


Meanwhile, we also meet a new assistant janitor named Kenny at Riverdale High with connections to a cousin with a mysterious business and a fat pocketbook. It's not completely spelled out, but it looks like Kenny and his cousin will be making a grab for Dilton because of his creative eye for kooky electronic inventions:


Eventually Dilton decides to check out Brainard University. He's excited to show off his work, but soon learns that Brainard expects its students to be serious researchers, devoid of frivolous whimsies. Check out this classroom:


Dilton was about to turn down Brainard University for being too dull until a furious food fight between Archie and Reggie convinces Dilton which school truly represents a student of his smarts:


Except... There's a shadowy figure lurking in the alleyways of Riverdale USA who wants to recruit Dilton away from both Riverdale High and Brainard University and into the Great Unknown! Could this be Kenny's mysterious cousin?


DILTON #1 is a fun series. Not only do we get to see Dilton steering this storyline, but we get to see a lot of faces that we haven't had much chance to see in recent months, such as Reggie, Moose, Mr. Weatherbee, Mr. Svenson, and even Ethel Muggs in the background!

I'm really curious what kinds of twists and turns we can expect to see in this mini-series. I have a feeling that I know where this series is going, but the REGGIE & ME mini-series from 2012 really surprised me with its detours about exotic pet smugglers and pet psychic machines. In other words, Dilton might end up anywhere with this series!

Anyway, check out the Archie Comics App and purchase DILTON #1. Not only are you supporting new original tales featuring the Riverdale Gang, but you can also take the opportunity to purchase DILTON'S DOOFY INVENTIONS, which features over 100 pages of reprint stories about Dilton's wackiest inventions!
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Nero at Daycare -- 07/02/13

July 2, 2013, 5:43 pm
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It was a nice day for early July here in Iowa City. You can tell the dogs were active with their playing today at doggy daycare since Nero has pretty much been napping non-stop since arriving home! Check it out:


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Parents Kill Gay Son's Spirit through Ex-Gay Therapy

July 3, 2013, 5:34 am
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(source)
There is a story going around the Internet about a Christian couple who spoke at the recent Exodus International conference about how they helped kill their gay teen's faith and spirit through six years of ex-gay materials, therapy, and prayers.

After years of non-stop prayers for Jesus to help pray away the gay, Ryan gave up. He gave up on the Church. He gave up on Christ. He gave up on himself.

And why wouldn't he? He had been told that he would become heterosexual if he prayed enough. And he prayed enough. More than enough. Not only that, but his entire family and faith community was actively praying to deliver him from homosexuality. For years. And it wasn't enough.

Why wouldn't he give up?

What followed was a spiral into out-of control addiction that eventually killed him. You can read about it here, but you can watch the video of their story here:


I know I'm supposed to feel bad for this family, but I can't help but be furious at them for being so instrumental in what became of their son. And where was the beloved gay uncle in all of this?
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Des Moines Woman Sentenced to 2 Years Probation for Hanging Boyfriend's Dog

July 5, 2013, 6:31 pm
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(Cornwell)
You might remember an incident from this past April when a Des Moines woman found herself arrested and charged with animal cruelty after she decided to hang her boyfriend's pit bull terrier mix in their garage. The 15-year-old dog was named Lillie and her crime? She was too old and she barked too much. This case got processed pretty quickly as we learned this afternoon that 28-year-old Sheena Cornwell has pleaded guilty and is now facing two years of probation in connection to this act of animal cruelty:
Sheena Ann Cornwell, 28, had pleaded guilty to charges of animal torture, an aggravated misdemeanor. She could have been sentenced to as long as two years in prison and up to $6,250 in fines.

Cornwell was fined $625, plus a surcharge, and sentenced to two years of probation, during which she can’t own pets or reside in their presence. She will also undergo a psychological evaluation and treatment. If Cornwell violates the terms of her probation, she will be imprisoned for the rest of the two-year term.
The Des Moines Register notes that Cornwell was drunk when this incident occurred.
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AVENGERS A.I. #1: Protecting Humanity from Technology

July 6, 2013, 3:53 pm
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Marvel Comics just finished it's latest Big Event called "Age of Ultron". This was the nutshell: Ultron (an evil robot created long ago by founding Avenger Dr. Hank Pym AKA/FKA: Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, and Wasp) finally managed to conquer the planet and destroy most of humanity. Wolverine and the Invisible Woman decided to save humanity by traveling back in time to kill Dr. Pym before he created Ultron and managed to create another timeline where humanity was being destroyed by another menace. So Wolverine went back again and had Dr. Pym create Ultron, but with a special weakness that they could exploit back in the present. Dr. Pym created a super-computer virus right before the Age of Ultron could begin and everything is back to normal.

Except that it's not.

Because the computer virus that Dr. Pym created to wipe out Ultron has become sentient and has begun causing trouble for humanity. Now SHIELD is pissed at Dr. Pym for averting an apocalypse that they themselves couldn't avert. They are upset that he didn't think through every possible consequence that might arise when he whipped up a last minute super-computer virus. As a result, SHIELD A.I. Division Chief Monica Chang decides to kidnap, torture, and permanently imprison one of Marvel's founding Avengers.


Because he saved humanity from Ultron...

Anyway, Captain America steps in and recruits Dr. Pym to create a team of robotic Avengers consisting of Vision, Victor Mancha (from the Runaways), and a Doombot to stand up against this newly evolved A.I. menace. This menace is named Dimitrios and it has corrupted a bunch of SHIELD drones, which it uses to attack a Georgia-based hospital for some unclear reason.

This new team of Avengers quickly saves the hospital but not before discovering a new puzzle. Namely, who is that blond-haired black woman floating over her hospital bed? Something tells me that she's a newly created robotic Avenger, but what to I know?


AVENGERS A.I. is an interesting concept. It's filled with robots, androids, and A.I. specialists who are tasked with protecting humanity from evil A.I.s. Somehow thought, I can't help but wonder if this type of battle wouldn't be more effectively fought over a keyboard and monitor than on the streets of America.

If you can't tell, I'm not terribly impressed with how the SHIELD agents treat Dr. Pym in this story. Why not just recruit him to help them shut down Dimitrios? Why threaten him with torture? It's not like he's a loose cannon (usually).

Lastly, what's up with Vision? When has he had the ability to deploy tiny nanites? Either I'm out of it or that came right out of left field!


I will stick with AVENGERS A.I. for a few more issues to see what's in store for this bunch of artificial heroes. I haven't liked how Dr. Pym and Division Chief Chang have been portrayed, but I'm anxious to see more of Vision, Victor, and the Doombot in action. And seriously, whose crazy imagination decided to recruit a Doombot for the Avengers??

But I'm not sure if I'll be here for the long haul. AVENGERS A.I.'s tagline is "Bigger. Better. Faster. Stranger." This is the type of specialized book that really needs to hit the ground running. Let's see Dimitrios in action. Does it do much more than randomly attack people with drones and hack computer mainframes? Is there going to be anything unifying this team once Dimitrios is eventually defeated? Will Doombot be the "strangest" A.I. to join the Avengers? And will Division Chief Chang learn that there is more to leading than threatening and saber-rattling?

I guess ultimately I want to see this series live up to its tagline for me to continue reading. Because there's nothing more frustrating than technology (or comic books about technology) when it lags.
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Des Moines "Hit & Run" Victim Told to Get a Job

July 6, 2013, 4:11 pm
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I don't get people sometimes. Iowa is known for it's "Iowa Nice" interactions with others. And then you here about stories like this.

A guy was walking to work yesterday in Des Moines. A vehicle approach him and yelled at the pedestrian to "Get a job!" The driver then physically sideswipes the walker, which knocks him down and causes injury to his leg. The driver then drives off, leaving his victim to lie in a puddle on the edge of the street.

What kind of miserable person thinks that this is a good thing to do?
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"Big Brother" Houseguests Lose Jobs Over Racist Slurs // Update: Another "Big Brother" Houseguest's Job in Jeopardy

July 7, 2013, 7:05 am
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(Originally written on 07/04/13): I'm a fan of "Big Brother" -- though I've been slow to get into the season this year. The American version of the show is currently in its 15th season. You probably know all about it, but essentially the Houseguests sit around all summer, occasionally competing, always scheming, and generally getting on each others' nerves with hopes that they stay in the Big Brother House all summer and win $5000,000.

(source)
It's not unheard of for Houseguests to get caught on the live-feeds making racist, heterosexist, and ableist slurs. It's much more common for Houseguests to make sexist slurs about each other. The sexist slurs make it through editing and onto the show. The other slurs rarely do. The sexism usually comes early in the show. The other slurs usually come later after the Houseguests have become more cocky with their game-play and less aware of the live-feed cameras. Usually.

This season's Houseguests have quickly become known for their rampant racism. Check out this summary of racist, sexist, and heterosexist slurs happening within the Big Brother 15 House (pulled from the Jokers' website):
Aaryn
•Re: Candice: Be careful what you say in the dark, you might not be able to see the bitch (6/30 ~7:45pm)
•I want to put a washcloth over her face and pour water over it (6/30 7:42pm C1/2)
•Aaryn was complaining about the Asian women who do her nails and imitated their Asian accent. Helen was right outside too.
•Said she was so drunk she made Asian eyes (6/30 ~5:20PM)
•About Helen: Dude, shut up, go make some rice (6/30 1:14AM)
•Andy will get MVP because people love the queers (6/29 11:40PM)
•No one's going to vote for whoever that QUEER puts up re: Andy
•Quick to correct Candice's pronunciation of "ask" (as opposed to axe) but is fine with GM saying it as axe
•Bragged about making Asian eyes in the DR

Spencer
•Says the C word at 6/29 4:35-4:36am Cam 3 and again 6/29 4:41am Cam 3
•Candice laid her head on Spencer's shoulder and he said "Sure you're not gonna get my shirt greasy?"
•Praised the Nazi doctors
•Called Helen "Kim Jong Un"
•calls Andy "Kermit the fag" to his face (6/29 ~4:40pm)
•Called women the c-word
•Says “Bitch, get your ass cooking” (6/30 ~1:57pm)

GinaMarie
•Candice is on the dark side because she already is dark (6/30 ~7:45pm)
•Calls welfare "nig***" insurance (6/30 1:16PM Cam 1/2)
•Said blacks stick together and that they're "tokens" in the house (6/30 ~4:18AM)
•Candice's "blackness" is showing now that she's not on the block (6/30 ~4:20AM)
•They should make Helen's eyes "straight"
•Said something about weaves being ghetto and then looked at Candice (6/29)
•Helen should kiss their asses and serve them rice (June 29, 2:42pm Cam3)
•Told Nick in the lounge that the way Candice talks is fake because she talks too white (6/29)
•Said that Candice had that black thing going; intimating that she was getting ghetto (1st night of feeds)
•Mocked Candice's voice in a stereotypical fashion

Kaitlyn
•Said “nigga” but not in a reference to black people but more like “dude” (6/27 3:28AM C3)
•says Candice came at her acting aggressive and she was thinking Candice's black side was coming out (6/27 ~5:47AM)
•Said "Gays are untrustworthy in a game like this"

Jeremy
•Re: Kaitlyn’s vagina: wants to see what he’s working with, called it her meat wallet
•Re: Elissa, said he'd cut a bitch

Amanda
•Calls herself the fag hag queen (6/29 ~5:30PM)

David
•said his sheets are dirty because "black Candice" was on them (6/30 3:05pm C1)
If you haven't guessed, Candice (as well as Howard) is black, Helen is Asian, and Andy is gay. Interestingly, I haven't heard of any slurs made against Howard. Maybe that speaks more to sexism. Maybe they're just afraid to anger the powerful black man in the Big Brother House?

So there has been a lot of pressure on the producers of Big Brother 15 to stop sanitizing the program and broadcast the racism that has been rampant in the Big Brother House. So far, the producers have refused, though they have admitted that there is a problem with prejudice in the House:
CBS has released a statement to TMZ ... saying, "We certainly find the statements made by several of the Houseguests on the live Internet feed to be offensive." However, The Eye points out that 24/7 live programming can sometimes reveal some bad things about people ... saying, "At times, the Houseguests reveal prejudices and other beliefs that we do not condone."
But CBS has a long history of refusing to air any of those prejudices. So Aaryn can make openly racist assertions and jokes about the show's Asian and black women on the live-feeds, but anyone watching just the CBS television program sees her as your average twenty-something girl who's flirting with an innocent showmance.

Despite CBS' refusal to actually do something about their Houseguests' racism, others have been complaining about it in the media this past week and now we are beginning to see some blowback. I learned early this morning that two of those women listed above have lost their jobs because of their racist and heterosexist slurs:
Aaryn Gries... has been dropped by her modeling agency after dropping racist and homophobic comments in the BB house... Zephyr Talent in Austin, Texas says they've seen enough -- and have decided to DROP Aaryn from the agency because of her filthy mouth. "Aaryn, season 15 cast member of Big Brother, revealed prejudices and other beliefs that we (Zephyr Talent) do not condone." Zephyr continues, " We certainly find the statements made by Aaryn on the live Internet feed to be offensive. Upon much consideration, we have decided to release Aaryn from her contract with Zephyr Talent."
And...
"Big Brother" contestant GinaMarie Zimmerman is gonna have a rude awakening when she leaves the house -- she's been FIRED from her day job after dropping the N-bomb... East Coast USA Pageant, Inc. is cutting ties with the 32-year-old pageant coordinator ... claiming they were shocked GZ could "display such acts of hate and racism..." East Coast USA says GinaMarie has been an employee for 5 years -- but insist, "We have never known this side of GinaMarie or have ever witnessed such acts of racism in the past." The pageant says, "We are actually thankful that this show let us see GinaMarie for who she truly is. We would never want her to be a role model to our future contestants."
I'm very curious if any of these other Houseguests will find themselves losing their jobs over their misbehavior? I'm also curious if Aaryn and GinaMarie will learn anything positive from all of this or if they will just blame Helen and Candice for their lost jobs?

Updated on 07/07/13: I learned late yesterday that another Big Brother Houseguest may find himself without a job after leaving the Big Brother 15 House:
The values represented by Spencer Clawson's comments during the Big Brother show do not at all align with Union Pacific's values. Mr. Clawson is on unpaid leave of absence while participating on Big Brother. Union Pacific does not condone his comments.

Union Pacific is acting in accordance with Collective Bargaining Agreement terms regarding Mr. Clawson.
Contrary to popular opinion, being a member of a labor union doesn't protect anyone from being fired. But it does protect him from being automatically fired for repeatedly making racist, sexist, and heterosexist comments in front of the entire nation. Assuming he wants to return to his day job when he leaves the Big Brother 15 House, I assume he'll find himself operating under some sort of corrective action plan for a while.
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Pilgrims UCC Church in Maple Grove, MN, Vandalized Over Gay Rights

July 8, 2013, 5:32 am
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Pilgrims United Church of Christ of Maple Grove, MN, was vandalized this past weekend over its support for LGBT rights and gay marriage rights. This is the third incident of anti-gay vandalism within the past two months:
Pilgrims United Church of Christ was the apparent victim of vandalism... and it’s believed the motive is that the church is supportive of same-sex marriage. Maple Grove Police said church-goers spotted graffiti on the building, handcuffs on the front door and that the building had been egged again when they arrived for services on Sunday. There was also the message “Gay pride, No.” on the exterior walls of the building.

Back in June, police said someone threw eggs at the windows and wrote “church of Sodom and Gomorrah” on the exterior walls. Authorities said more vandalism took place just a day later.

Now, the Maple Grove Police Department is trying to figure out who is responsible. Authorities said it’s clear that there’s a motive since the church supports same-sex marriage, but wouldn’t go so far as to call it a hate crime. “We are investigating this crime as a bias motivated crime. A hate crime is not necessarily a word we use in law enforcement, but we are investigating this as a bias motivated crime,” said Maple Grove Police Captain Keith Terlinden.
A church member in the comments section of this article indicates that there was one other act of vandalism against Pilgrims UCC that was not reported to the police. Most of the other commenters are debating whether or not Pilgrims UCC is really a Christian church or not.

I'm not saying it had never happened, but can you remember a situation where a church of vandalized for opposing LGBT rights or same-sex marriage? I can't. Protests, yes. Vandalism, no. I guess the religious liberties that culture warriors were fretting about before Minnesota voted marriage equality into law are less important when it comes to the religious liberties of Christians who support all of Minnesota's families, including the gay and lesbian families.

Pilgrims UCC is an Open & Affirming, Just Peace, and Earthwise Church.
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U.S. Federal Gov't: Civil Unions/Domestic Partnerships are Powdered Milk

July 9, 2013, 5:34 am
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The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act last month, paving the way for federal recognition of America's legally married gay and lesbian citizens. Since then, the Office of Personnel Management has been rolling out blue-prints for how married same-sex spouses and their children should be treated by employers, insurers, and the federal government itself. One thing that was unclear before was just clarified by the OPM. This only applies to legally married same-sex couples. Civil unions and domestic partnerships don't apply to these post-DOMA changes:
The Obama administration will not extend federal-worker benefits to domestic partners under the Supreme Court ruling that overturned part of the Defense of Marriage Act, meaning the government will treat civil unions differently than legal same-sex marriages.

The Office of Personnel Management made that announcement in a series of memos to federal benefits administrators and insurancecarriers, saying couples who are not legally married “will remain ineligible for most federal benefits programs.” However, any existing benefits provided to domestic partners will remain intact, OPM said.
Currently, there are four states that offer civil unions to gay and lesbian couples: Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, and New Jersey. (Rhode Island is technically a fifth "civil union" state, but that state will become a marriage equality state in August 2013.) How long will the civilly unionized residents of those states tolerate their "powdered milk" marriages? Especially when some gay & lesbian couples within those states (federal employees who got married in an actual marriage equality state, for example) will have full marital recognition while most others' relationships will be legally invisible under federal law.
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Kevin Keller: "It Gets Better!"

July 9, 2013, 3:16 pm
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(Originally written on 07/08/13): I learned this afternoon that tomorrow is "Kevin Keller Day." I'm not fully certain what that means at the moment, but it's connected to Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" anti-bullying/anti-suicide program. Check it out:

 
 
Updated on 07/09/13: Check out this "It Gets Better" video by Kevin Keller's creator, Dan Parent:


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Nero at Daycare -- 07/09/13

July 9, 2013, 3:20 pm
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It was another hot one for Nero and the other dogs at daycare today, but he had fun! Check this out:

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