sunny chauncey treat

here's a gorgeous track that didn't make it onto the new solo album by roisin murphy. if this was turned down...the album is a masterpiece! it was written by cathy dennis (of "just another dream" fame) and it seems all of the tracks that she worked on were cast off the final tracklist. maybe they had a fight or something but if she made a track like this its impossible that there's a mean bone in her body. this track is just trippy, cunty, psychadelicious!

enjoy

roisin murphy - sunshine

more bush shit

Int'l Rights Group Accuses Bush Admin. Of Funding African Violent Attacks On Gays

by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: October 10, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET

(New York City) The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission said Thursday that it has uncovered evidence that the Bush administration has funded groups in Uganda that actively promote violence and discrimination against lesbians and gay men.

In a letter to U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Mark Dybul, IGLHRC criticized the funding and asked for assurances that future will not be used to support homophobic organizations anywhere in the world.

The IGLHRC said it began an investigation into the groups following a series of events in Uganda this summer.

At an August 16 press conference, Sexual Minorities of Uganda - a coalition of LGBT groups - launched Let us Live in Peace Campaign, calling for understanding and respect of sexual minorities.

Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda and is punishable by between 14 years and life imprisonment. Last year, the Ugandan Parliament passed a constitutional amendment making same-sex marriages illegal.

The Let us Live in Peace campaign was met with an increase in hate speech by religious groups.

The primary instigator of the backlash, said the IGLHRC, was Pastor Martin Ssempa, leader of the Makerere University Community Church and spokesman for the Interfaith Family Culture Coalition Against Homosexuality in Uganda.

Ssempa organized an August 21 rally in Kampala at which more than one hundred demonstrators, including several government officials, demanded official action against LGBT people.

Ssempa has called homosexuality, "a criminal act against the laws of nature," and has said that, "there should be no rights granted to homosexuals in this country."

According to the U.S. Embassy in Uganda's website, Makerere University Community Church received a grant under a program designed to provide funds for AIDS prevention, treatment and care programs in Africa.

Ssempa and his coalition, which includes Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, and Evangelicals, have threatened the safety of Ugandan LGBT rights activists by posting their names, photos and addresses on a website.

With support from conservative organizations such as Family Watch International in the United States, Ssempa has launched attacks not only on homosexuals but on Uganda's women's rights and HIV activists as well, the IGLHRC said.

"The U.S. government's funding is meant to alleviate suffering and support effective AIDS initiatives in Africa, not to further blame and stigmatize already marginalized groups," said IGLHRC Executive Director Paula Ettelbrick.

IGLHRC said it provided Ambassador Dybul with evidence of grants made by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to the Makerere University Community Church.

The IGLHRC also said it found that the Uganda Muslim Tabliqh Women's Desk has also received a grant under the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to implement HIV programs in Masaka District.

Recently, Muslim Tabliqh youth announced a plan to form an 'Anti-Gay Squad' to fight homosexuality in Uganda.

On 28 August 2007, Sheikh Multah Bukenya, a senior cleric in the Tabliqh Organization, was quoted during prayers at Noor Mosque in Kampala as saying that his followers are "ready to act swiftly and form this squad that will wipe out all abnormal practices like homosexuality in our society."

PEPFAR is a $15 billion Bush administration fund to fight AIDS in Africa.

According to IGLHRC's 2007 report, "Off the Map: How HIV/AIDS Programming is Failing Same-Sex Practicing People in Africa," less than U.S. $1 million targets HIV programs for men who have sex with men in Africa, despite strong evidence that HIV has a disproportionate impact on LGBT communities throughout the continent.

According to IGLHRC, the complicated PEPFAR sub-granting process lacks transparency and makes it difficult to track the funding.

"What we do know, is that few PEPFAR dollars are being used to fight HIV among gay men in Africa," said Cary Alan Johnson, IGLHRC Senior Specialist for Africa.

"Not only have African men who have sex with men been largely ignored with regard to HIV prevention services, but avowedly homophobic organizations are receiving funding for programs that will only further stigmatize homosexuality. This has to stop."

IGLHRC has called for increased transparency in the distribution of U.S. government HIV/AIDS funding internationally and a commitment by U.S. administrators that organizations espousing hate speech will not be funded.

wednesday night at splash

here is just a sampling of what you missed wednesday night at muscle bear basement at splash...first pic is my friend max, alex beresi and dj superdave who spun upstairs, the second is alex signing some lucky fans t-shirt and the third is me and delicious porn star alex beresi downstairs in the basement where i keep it mischievous. italian stallion alex's body was just sick and you can tell by my sweaty shirt he was giving off some major heat!! hehe

i'm googleable!

just found an article that i was briefly interviewed for a columbia university online newspaper about my day job as assistant manager at housing works thrift shop! it mentions my real name in it (oh my!)...check it out below or go to
"the eye" and see it for yourself!
they got the consignment shop part wrong though. we are a charity that only accepts tax deductible donations to be resold for the organization www.housingworks.org

Vintage that Works

A Consignment Store That's Not Resigned to High Prices

By Rachel Weiss

You can’t walk 10 city blocks in Manhattan without spotting an Urban Outfitters. But if you’re ready to look beyond racks of mass-produced, cookie-cutter, “vintage-looking” pieces, Housing Works has the answer. With six locations across the city, the unique thrift stores offer one-of-a-kind pieces at affordable prices. Conceived by Charles King and Keith Cylar over a decade ago, 100 percent of the proceeds from Housing Works benefit ACT UP, an advocacy group that provides housing and medical care, among other services, to underprivileged New Yorkers with HIV or AIDS.

According to Matthew Landy, assistant manager of the Chelsea location, there is no typical Housing Works customer. Patrons range from the young and fashion conscious to the older bargain-hunters. Landy’s store boasts a clean and deconstructed aesthetic and houses not only clothing but shoes, furniture, housewares, books, and CDs as well. Both classic and original prints line the walls, while retro flatware prominently lines the displays. Like any thrift store, it takes a little digging to find some good pieces, but a $15 Givenchy sweater and a $25 Karl Lagerfeld blazer are well worth the hunt. The prices are consistently below most New York city consignment stores.

Best of all, you can shop for items online: the chain of stores sponsors a number of ebay-like online auctions available to both local and international customers. And though Housing Works is open year round, each of the locations holds a seasonal preview date. Landy reveals that they reserve the most prized clothing and furniture for these events, so if you want the early bird special, be sure to check the website (http://www.housingworksauctions.com) frequently for information on previews.

So if you’re looking to get a jump-start on your spring shopping, or just want to refurnish your tired old dorm room, skip the trip to Beacon’s, and consider a visit to Housing Works instead. After all, there’s nothing like a little philanthropic shopping to start the season off right.

dear abby, thank you!

'Dear Abby' says she's for gay marriage
By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer
Wed Oct 10

SAN FRANCISCO - For years, rumblings have surfaced on the Internet, conjecture about her casual references to "sexual orientation" and "respect."

Now, Dear Abby is ready to say it flatly: She supports same-sex marriage.

"I believe if two people want to commit to each other, God bless 'em," the syndicated advice columnist told The Associated Press. "That is the highest form of commitment, for heaven's sake."

What Jeanne Phillips, aka Abigail Van Buren, finds offensive and misguided are homophobic jokes, phrases like "That's so gay," and parents who reject or try to reform their children when they come out of the closet.

Her views are the reason she's being honored this week by Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a national advocacy group that provides support for gay people and their families. The original Abby, Phillips' 89-year-old mother, Pauline, helped put PFLAG on the map in 1984 when she first referred a distraught parent to the organization.

Jeanne Phillips, who formally took over the column when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease five years ago, has continued plugging the group, as well as its affiliate for parents with children who identify as transgender, and a suicide hot line aimed at gay teenagers.

"I'm trying to tell kids if they are gay, it's OK to be gay. I've tried to tell families if they have a gay family member to accept them and love them as they always have," she said Friday.

PFLAG director Jody Huckaby said Abby is the perfect choice for the first "Straight for Equality" award, part of the group's new campaign to engage more heterosexuals as allies.

"She is such a mainstream voice," Huckaby said. "If Dear Abby is talking about it, it gives other people permission to talk about it."

Alert "Dear Abby" readers may have noticed that the youthful attitude Phillips promised to bring to the column includes a decidedly gay-friendly take on most matters.

In a March 2005 column that touched a nerve with some readers, for instance, Phillips came down unequivocally on the side of scientists who say sexual orientation is a matter of genetics, not personal choice. She advised a mother who had cautioned her 14-year-old daughter to keep her feelings for other girls secret to "come to terms with your own feelings about homosexuality."

Last year, addressing a groom whose gay brother refused to serve as best man or even attend the wedding because he did not have the right to marry, she made it clear her sympathies lay with the boycotting brother.

"Accepting the status quo is not always the best thing to do," she wrote. "Women were once considered chattel, and slavery was regarded as sanctioned in the Bible. However, western society grew to recognize that neither was just. Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain have recognized gay marriage, and one day, perhaps, our country will, too."

Phillips, who lives in Los Angeles, said she isn't worried that aligning herself with gay rights advocates will cause newspapers to censor or cancel the column, which appears in about 1,400 newspapers.

Her outspokenness on gay rights issues has never caused a strong backlash, said Kathie Kerr, a spokeswoman for Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes the column. It's possible some editors choose not to run the segments dealing with homosexuality, but if so they have not complained to the syndicate, Kerr said.

"We get brouhahas all the time, and they haven't been about Dear Abby," Kerr said.

Phillips realizes not everyone agrees with her on gay rights; she and her husband "argue about this continually," she said. He thinks civil unions and domestic partnerships "would be less threatening to people who feel marriage is just a religious rite." She thinks anything less than full marriage amounts to second-class citizenship.

"If gay Americans are not allowed to get married and have all the benefits that American citizens are entitled to by the Bill of Rights, they should get one hell of a tax break. That is my opinion," said Phillips, who speaks with the no-nonsense tone of someone who is used to settling debates.

Right now, Abby, as Phillips prefers to be called, is working on a reply to a woman who wanted to know whether she should include childhood photographs of her transgender brother-in-law in a family album. The woman is worried what she will tell her children when they see pictures of their uncle as a little girl.

Phillips' guidance to Worried Reader will be simple, she said: Include the photos, of course. Silence is the enemy. Answer any questions the kids have honestly — Uncle John was born with a body of the wrong sex, so even when he was called Jane he was really John inside.

Phillips said that while it might be tempting to devote an entire column to why she thinks jokes invoking homosexual slurs are in poor taste, she does not plan to spell out her views on gay marriage in print any more directly than she has already.

"If they are my readers, they know how I feel on the subject," she said. "I don't think I'm a flaming radical. I'm for civility in life. I'm for treating each other with respect, trying to do the best you can."

generation gap

http://www.towleroad.com/2007/10/nyt-looks-at-th.html

NYT Looks at the Plight of the Gay Elderly



Elderly gay people are at risk of neglect due to homophobia and many experience discrimination and abuse with no one there to defend or assist them. The New York Times today looks at the growing number of advocacy programs for the gay elderly and tells their stories, some of which can be heartbreaking:

"In one nursing home, an openly gay man, without family or friends, was recently moved off his floor to quiet the protests of other residents and their families. He was given a room among patients with severe disabilities or dementia. The home called upon Amber Hollibaugh, now a senior strategist at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the author of the first training curriculum for nursing homes. Ms. Hollibaugh assured the 79-year-old man that a more humane solution would be found, but he hanged himself, Ms. Hollibaugh said."

They also take a multimedia look at Emile Dufour, 70 and Fred Riley, 75, (pictured) together for 20 years, and married in 2004, and the fear that clouds their future:

"The pair have been together for two decades and married in 2004. But their default position, should they need nursing care, will be to hide their gayness, as they did for half a lifetime, rather than face slurs and whispers. 'As strong as I am today,' Mr. Riley said, 'when I’m at the gate of the nursing home, the closet door is going to slam shut behind me.'"

Read the whole NYT article here: -link-

chauncey treat

here's a track from a newly discovered artist i found by the name of walter meego. the track starts out in a glorious melancholy and then dives into an aggressive swoop of beats and snaps...an all encompassing track that i fell in love with recently.

enjoy

walter meego - through a keyhole

glbt history month week 2!

Celebrate GLBT History Month 2007

Klaus Wowereit, Lord Mayor of Berlin, Germany, is today's featured Icon for GLBT History Month. Prior to his 2002 election, Wowereit publicly declared, "I'm gay, and that's okay."

Each day, a new Icon's video, biography and bibliography becomes available at www.glbtHistoryMonth.com. This week's Icons are:

October 8th Klaus Wowereit Politician October 9th Susan Sontag Author/Commentator October 10th Gore Vidal Author October 11th Lily Tomlin Actor

October 12th Peter Gomes Theologian October 13th Mary Edwards Walker Surgeon October 14th Frederick II Monarch

happy 25th madonna

some major boo boos in this little article but Happy Anniversary Madonna!

October 6th marks the official 25th anniversary of our queen, Madonna.
On October 6th, 1982 Madonna's first ever single, 'Everybody' was released in the US and UK.


Madonna’s very first commercially available single, “Everybody,” was one of the tunes that got her signed to Sire Records. Written by Madonna, it was included on her four-track demo tape and eventually found its way to her 1983 debut album. The 12” vinyl single was released in the fall of 1982 and upon its debut on Billboard’s Dance/Disco Top 80 chart, the magazine’s “Dance Trax” columnist Brian Chin reviewed the single. He wrote: “Madonna, a young New York duo (??) produced by DJ Mark Kamins, has released a commercial 12-inch on Sire, called ‘Everybody’; previewed favorably on clubs and radio, the spare, bright cut has a relaxing quality at home listening levels, but somehow sounds much harder-edged in the club.” The video that accompanied the single was a low-budget affair, and featured Madonna performing the track with dancers Christopher Ciccone (her brother) and Erica Bell. “Everybody” would reach No. 3 on the chart, beginning Madonna’s unparalleled domination of Billboard’s dance charts for the next 20 years.[i]
-Keith Caulfield


here's an early demo of it that is so much darker and more gritty...love all the alternative vocals and harmonies in it

madonna - everybody (demo)

and this is her doing it live at koko last year in london...although it's been revamped it still has the same feeling only she sings it a little too bright for my taste

madonna - everybody (live at koko 2006)

and even over twenty years later she inspired relatively new to the scene pop princess annie to heavily sample everybody for her mild hit "greatest hit"

annie - greatest hit

forever more

this song is a couple years old but i finally saw the video...one of my favourites from moloko and with all the much deserved hype surrounding the brilliant new roisin murphy solo album (lead singer of moloko) i was doing some back peddling with the sexy time help of my dear brother BORIS and discovered this gem again. the video is fantastic! who knew she could dance too? hehe

yes...children left behind

Bush vetoes child health insurance plan

By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer

"WASHINGTON - President Bush, in a sharp confrontation with Congress, on Wednesday vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have dramatically expanded children's health insurance.

It was only the fourth veto of Bush's presidency, and one that some Republicans feared could carry steep risks for their party in next year's elections. The Senate approved the bill with enough votes to override the veto, but the margin in the House fell short of the required number.

Democrats unleashed a stream of harsh rhetoric, as they geared up for a battle to both improve their chances of winning a veto override and score political points against Republicans who oppose the expansion.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., decried Bush's action as a "heartless veto."

"Never has it been clearer how detached President Bush is from the priorities of the American people," Reid said in a statement. "By vetoing a bipartisan bill to renew the successful Children's Health Insurance Program, President Bush is denying health care to millions of low-income kids in America."

Democratic congressional leaders said they may put off the override attempt for as long as two weeks to maximize pressure on Republican House members whose votes will be critical.

"We remain committed to making SCHIP into law — with or without the president's support," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., referring to the full name of the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

The White House sought little attention for Bush's action, with the president casting his veto behind closed doors without any fanfare or news coverage. He defended it later Wednesday during a budget speech in Lancaster, Pa., addressing a welcoming audience organized by the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry in GOP-friendly Pennsylvania Dutch country.

"Poor kids first," Bush said. "Secondly, I believe in private medicine, not the federal government running the health care system."

But he seemed eager to avert a full-scale showdown over the difficult issue, offering that he is "more than willing" to negotiate with lawmakers "if they need a little more money in the bill to help us meet the objective of getting help for poor children."

The program is a joint state-federal effort that subsidizes health coverage for 6.6 million people, mostly children, from families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford their own private coverage.

The Democrats who control Congress, with significant support from Republicans, passed the legislation to add $35 billion over five years to allow an additional 4 million children into the program. It would be funded by raising the federal cigarette tax by 61 cents to $1 per pack.

The president argued that the Democratic bill was too costly, took the program too far beyond its original intent of helping the poor, and would entice people now covered in the private sector to switch to government coverage. He has proposed only a $5 billion increase in funding. After Bush's speech, White House counselor Ed Gillespie said the president's offer of more money meant more than the $5 billion extra, but he wasn't specific about how much more.

Democrats deny Bush's charge that their plan is a move toward socialized medicine that short-changes the poor, saying their goal is to cover more of the millions of uninsured children and noting that the bill provides financial incentives for states to cover their lowest-income children first. Of the over 43 million people nationwide who lack health insurance, over 6 million are under 18 years old. That's over 9 percent of all children.

Eighteen Republicans joined Democrats in the Senate, enough to override Bush's veto. But in the House, supporters of the bill are about two dozen votes short of a successful override, despite sizable Republican support. A two-thirds majority in both chambers is needed.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Democrats were imploring 15 House Republicans to switch positions but had received no agreements so far.

House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said he was "absolutely confident" that the House would be able to sustain Bush's expected veto.

Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., said Congress should be able to reach a compromise with Bush once he vetoes the bill. "We should not allow it to be expanded to higher and higher income levels, and to adults. This is about poor children," he said. "But we can work it out."

It took Bush six years to veto his first bill, when he blocked expanded federal research using embryonic stem cells last summer. In May, he vetoed a spending bill that would have required troop withdrawals from Iraq. In June, he vetoed another bill to ease restraints on federally funded stem cell research.

In the case of the health insurance program, the veto is a bit of a high-stakes gambit for Bush, pitting him against both the Democrats who have controlled both houses of Congress since January, but also many members of his own party and the public.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched radio ads Monday attacking eight GOP House members who voted against the bill and face potentially tough re-election campaigns next year.

And Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, said a coalition of liberal groups was staging more than 200 events throughout the nation on Thursday to highlight the issue. The group, which includes MoveOn.org, and several unions, also has a goal of more than 1 million contacts to Congress through calls, letters and e-mails demanding that lawmakers override Bush's veto. The coalition is spending $3 million to $5 million on the effort.


on a lighter note...see...smoking might kill you but it could help a poor child!

future t-shirts

ha ha ha hah
the last one kills me!

blaqk is the colour...

here's a hot track by a group called blaqk audio i recently discovered. it's a fantastic modern throw back to the 80's and definitely fits right into my sets right in between some she wants revenge and maybe some simian mobile disco remixes...

check it out

blaqk audio - stiff kittens