(MY VIEW) A Salute to LGBT Veterans!

by Brian Stone

Our country may be divided on many things, but when it comes to our troops, we've made up our mind: national service should be rewarded with national praise. The LGBT community is fortunate to have great war heroes and veterans amongst our ranks.

Ever since 371 BC, when 300 gay hoplites from the Sacred Band of Thebes flanked and broke the Spartans in the Battle of Leuctes, the LGBT community has been proving our might in battle. The greatest conqueror of all time, Alexander the Great, was bisexual. And while ancient history provides us with plenty of examples in military greatness, our modern era is filled with LGBT heroes as well.

Great American LGBT veterans include Marines like Eric Alva, the first man seriously injured in Iraq. Alva continued to fight as a veteran, working for the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Thanks to veterans like him, I can count myself among a generation of veterans who served before, during and after repeal.

(MY VIEW) We Won! But Our Work Is Not Done!

by Joe Mirabella

It is official: Washington United for Marriage has declared victory!

"This is a clear win," said WUM campaign manager Zach Silk. "We have run the numbers every which way, and we can now confidently say that we have won. This is an historic day for Washington, an historic day for our country and, most of all, for families across the state who have dreamed of this day and the wedding celebrations to come."

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire also called the victory in front of hundreds of supporters at the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle.

(MY VIEW) A Vote for Your Son!

by Dr. William R. Kapfer

Dear Mom and Dad, You raised me to be a man and a proud American. Please don't vote for someone who would shamelessly take my rights away! Please don't cast that all-important ballot for someone who has publicly vowed to pursue a constitutional amendment to prohibit gay marriage.

(MY VIEW) The LGBT Community's Answer to Finding Real Love Online!

by Frank Mastronuzzi

In 2001 I had just finished my M.B.A. at the University of Texas at Austin and had landed a great job with a fast-growing website called Match.com, so I eagerly packed up my bags and moved to Beverly-- er, Dallas. After a few years of working at Match.com, I decided it was time to finally give the site a test drive and try to find the love of my life, but when I actually started to use our own service, I realized that I felt like a salmon swimming upstream. After I completed my profile and uploaded my 15 glamor shots, nothing on the site changed for me at all. The site was treating me just like a heterosexual man: All the images being shown to me were of women, the content was focused on straight dating, and there was absolutely no acknowledgment from the site that I had just told them I was a gay man.

(MY VIEW) Silence on Gay Issues in the Debates: How That Helped Romney, Not Obama!

by Michelangelo Signorile

In a Washington Post column headlined "Silence Is Golden on Gay Issues," my longtime colleague and friend Jonathan Capehart heralds it as "a great thing" that gay issues weren't discussed in the presidential debates this year. The Human Rights Campaign's Fred Sainz agrees, telling Capehart, "What we're seeing is proof positive that gay issues aren't the wedge they used to be and furthermore, the public has moved on."

Really? Though LGBT rights now have the support of a big majority of Democrats and independents, they're far from a non-issue for the vast majority of Republicans, who oppose same-sex marriage, and certainly for the evangelical base of the GOP, which helped keep Rick Santorum competitive during the primaries.

(MY VIEW) Follow the Money!

by GOLDY

Oh sure, marriage equality is the right thing to do because the gays deserve the same rights and privileges as everybody else, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But along with the civic pride of being the first state in the nation to approve same-sex marriage at the polls, Referendum 74 could also bring Washingtonians a shit ton of money!

According to an economic impact study conducted by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, our state's wedding and tourism industries could generate an additional $88 million in business revenue (and $8 million in state and local taxes for our broke-ass state) in the first three years of marriage equality alone. That's assuming only half of the state's 19,000 same-sex couples choose to marry, a rate similar to what was seen in Massachusetts.

(MY VIEW) Pregnant... With Anticipation!

by Jonathan Del Arco

When I tell people I'm a surrogate for the Obama campaign, I usually get a bemused smile, a cocked head and the question, "What does that mean?" to which I jokingly reply with a straight face, "I'm carrying the President's baby."

I signed up in July because I thought my little bit of celebrity and the fact that I'm fluent in Spanish could be of some help. Four trips to swing states and many early morning radio interviews later, I'm beginning to see how true that "carrying the President's baby" joke really is.

I'm beginning to experience a lot of the perks and pains of pregnancy. I have the glow, the gratitude and courtesy of people (usually reserved for pregnant women), the swollen feet and backaches from hoofing it door to door or standing all day at local campaign offices, as well as the morning sickness which I felt the day after the first debate. Not to mention the barrage of calls and emails from everyone wanting to make sure "the baby" was all right.

(MY VIEW) Why Does Paul Ryan Have a Debate Coach Who Promotes 'Anti-American' Values?

by Michelangelo Signorile


Former Bush solicitor general Ted Olson is viewed by social conservatives as a vile turncoat. And as early as this week, they may be pointing to him as the man who brought on what Todd Akin calls the end of civilization.

That's because in a matter of hours, days or weeks the Supreme Court may decide to let stand the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that California's Prop 8 is unconstitutional, and gay and lesbian weddings in the country's most-populated state will begin again. Or the Court will take the challenge, in which case Olson may argue it should throw out gay marriage bans across the country, something Justice Kennedy could help ensure the Court does.

(MY VIEW) A Letter to Paris Hilton!

by Justin Hernandez

Dear Paris,

I let a few days pass by before posting this letter to you. My first draft was filled with cheap shots about your level of intelligence, your waning popularity, and references to the sex video that put you on the map. I realized that if I submitted that version, I would be allowing my anger to take the lead, and that is not my intention. I do want to express my disappointment with your poor choice of words about the gay community; however, I'm hopeful that I can enlighten you in the process.

First of all, there is a difference between HIV and AIDS. HIV can lead to AIDS, but thanks to advances in medicine, many people who have the HIV virus are able to lead healthy lives. These people have high T-cell levels, and in many cases they have an undetectable viral load. Dismissive statements such as "most [men who use Grindr] probably have AIDS" only hinder the progress of public awareness.

(MY VIEW) Mormons and Mitt: The Myth About Separation of Church and State!

by Derrick Shore


Growing up in a devout Latter-Day Saint (Mormon) family in a suburb of Salt Lake City, I knew my religion as well as my name. My mom played the organ in a Mormon temple, I was a Boy Scout, and there was rarely a Sunday when we would miss church. Praying at least three times daily and studying the Book of Mormon were as essential as brushing our teeth or making dinner.

For the first time in American history a Mormon is the presidential nominee for a major political party. And while the Romney campaign has swiftly dismissed questions about his religion as inappropriate and irrelevant, it may seem that much of the media have tiptoed around this topic and have discussed the LDS church in glossy, broad terms. But here's why Mr. Romney's religion is relevant: For Mormons, there really is no such thing as separation of church and state.

(MY VIEW) The Republican Platform and Gay Rights!

by Anthony Michael Kreis

The Republican Platform has arrived after much anticipation. It may very well be the most conservative platform the Party has yet to produce. The document embraces right leaning positions on everything from expanding gun rights to prosecuting pornography. But for those of us with a keen interest in the LGBT rights movement, the platform notably takes some positions that simply do not reflect reality.

It is important to approach and analyze the platform planks not from a partisan perspective, but from an academic, fact-driven one.

The Republican platform's declares that, "We . . . condemn the State blacklisting of religious groups which decline to arrange adoptions by same-sex couples. We condemn the hate campaigns, threats of violence, and vandalism by proponents of same-sex marriage against advocates of traditional marriage and call for a federal investigation into attempts to deny religious believers their civil rights."

(MY VIEW) Sharing Three of My Deepest, Darkest Gay Secrets for the First Time to Fight Hate!

by  Noah Michelson

On Wednesday, August 15th a tragic incident took place at the offices of the Family Research Council when a man opened fire and wounded a security guard. Details are still emerging about the alleged assailant (who volunteered at the DC Center for the LGBT Community), his state of mind, and his motivation for the heinous act, but one thing is certain: Violence is never justified in response to those who oppose us (and over 25 LGBT organizations and advocacy groups signed a statement stating this and offering their condolences).

(MY VIEW) Why America doesn't like Mitt Romney!

By LZ Granderson

For the past few months, I have been trying to figure out why Mitt Romney is so unlikeable.

It can't be because he's rich, because there are a lot of rich people we like. Hell, President Obama's rich and 56% of the country views him favorably.

It can't be because he's Republican, because Republicans don't like him either. Last month, when a woman reportedly asked House Speaker John Boehner, "Can you make me love Mitt Romney?" he said, "No... the American people probably aren't going to fall in love with Mitt Romney."

(MY VIEW) Straight Acting, Straight Appearing!

by Domenick Scudera

Author Bret Easton Ellis has been tweeting that actor Matt Bomer is too gay to play the lead role in the film version of Fifty Shades of Grey. "OK I'll say it. Matt Bomer isn't right for Christian Grey because he is openly gay," he wrote, adding that "Fifty Shades of Grey demands an actor that is genuinely into women. Get it?!?" In stating his opinion, he is reviving the dispute about whether openly gay actors playing heterosexual characters can be accepted by American audiences. This debate has been raging of late because more and more actors are coming out of the closet and continuing to maintain their careers. In 2010 Newsweek printed an article about this topic, titled "Straight Jacket," written by journalist Ramin Setoodeh. The article concluded that actors such as Sean Hayes and Jonathan Groff, actors who had publically acknowledged their homosexuality, were no longer able to play heterosexual roles because audiences would not "buy" them playing straight.

Is this true? Must gay actors kiss straight roles goodbye?

(MY VIEW) I Know, Not I Do!

by William Henderson

"Let's have a moratorium on marriage," I suggested to my boyfriend. We were in bed in my bedroom, the only room in my apartment with real air conditioning, and we weren't touching. It was hot, still, even with air conditioning; the heat wave was expected to break any day.

Not that he and I are or ever were engaged. But at some point, past the getting-to-know-you point but before the we-may-as-well-make-this-official point, someone brings up marriage, in cute ways, usually: suggestions for possible honeymoon locations or who will perform at the ceremony, or laments that your parents will never get a chance to meet unless you get married, or any number of ways you tiptoe around the idea of forever-and-always without using the words "forever" and "always." The idea of marriage phases into the reality of marriage.

(MY VIEW) Miles to Go Before We Sleep!

by Howard Bragman

In case you're living in a cave and missed it, the June 29 issue of Entertainment Weekly had a very provocative cover on, "The New Art of Coming Out," featuring pictures of eight out celebrities. It generated huge buzz and was part of the impetus for journalist Anderson Cooper and rapper Frank Ocean to come out publicly with a resounding chorus of support.

Using phrases like "casual methods," "matter-of-fact-understatement," "blink-and-you'll-miss-it-style," and "defiantly mellow," the issue celebrated the low-key way many celebrities have chosen to announce their sexual orientation.

(MY VIEW) No Latex, No Love: The Bare Side of Gay Pride

by Marten Weber

Summer is here, and so, after nine months of writing a new novel, and in rather desperate need of a tan, yours truly took his husband to a European beach resort for Gay Pride. Imagine sun, beaches, concerts, drag queens, Lady Gaga and Kylie impersonators, skinny models, gogo boys, and over a thousand men in all shapes and sizes, celebrating their freedom. Being free to express our sexuality is wonderful. Let's remember that in 78 countries in the world, people still get imprisoned, tortured, hanged, stoned, or shot for being gay, lesbian, transgender, etc.

(MY VIEW) It Can Be Scary Coming Out As Black and Gay!

by Zach Stafford

I don't know if you heard the news, but a few prominent folks came out of the closet, and it was all anyone could talk about. Over the past year or so, we have seen more and more celebrities come out of the closet in their own ways, and all of them have either shocked many (see Frank Ocean) or surprised none (see Anderson Cooper). What has been even more interesting than the actual coming out of said celebrities is how their respective communities have talked about these folks. Anderson Cooper's coming out was met with a mixture of annoyance, "duh"s, and happiness, because speculation had been swirling about him for years, and no one seemed too surprised when he stepped out. However, Frank Ocean gave the world a little more shock and awe, and you didn't have to dig too deeply on the Internet to see some real ugliness directed at him, which led some folks to create the website hatetweetstofrankocean.com, which documented the Twitter backlash against the black artist. What we see documented on this site, and what we see when a lot of black people come out, is the far-too-real fact that black gay people have to deal with a lot of shit.

(MY VIEW) On Anderson Cooper and the 'Private Lives' of LGBT People!

by John Becker

This week's news that Anderson Cooper had finally come out of the closet brought a smile to my face. Sure, it wasn't a watershed moment like the 1997 coming-out of Ellen DeGeneres, but it does carry significance. After all, his show is viewed every night by millions of people across America. Yesterday, thanks to Cooper, many of those people became familiar with an LGBT person for the very first time. Cooper's decision to come out also sets a great example for LGBT youth and brings hope to those who still suffer from internalized homophobia, bullying, or ostracism. And high-profile, successful LGBT people like Anderson Cooper undermine one of the most malicious lies made by the anti-gay movement: that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans people are broken, unhappy, and empty simply because of who they are and who they love. By coming out of his glass closet, Anderson Cooper isn't just liberating himself but helping to make his entire community more visible and bringing us just a little bit closer to full equality -- and that's definitely something to celebrate.

(MY VIEW) Why Would Mary Cheney and GOProud Support Mitt Romney? They Believe He's a Liar !

by Michelangelo Signorile

Late last week Mary Cheney married her long-time partner Heather Poe. They tied the knot in Washington, D.C., even though they don't live there. Their state, Virginia, is dominated by anti-gay Republicans of the kind Mary Cheney has donated money to. Those politicians have made Virginia a very hostile place to even live peacefully if you're gay (that is, if you're not enormously privileged, like Mary Cheney), let alone get married.

So, Mary Cheney is happy to help elect anti-gay Republicans who make life miserable for gays. But wherever such Republicans are not elected and gay-friendly Democrats get in, she's happy to swoop in and enjoy the rights won by gay activists.