Log Cabin Republicans, I hope you were paying attention. Palin made it clear that she “tolerates” Gays. But if we get too uppity and start acting like we’re as good as Straights, she served notice last night that she’ll quickly put us back in our place. She will oppose our interests in order to “protect” her Straight marriage from us.

If anyone had any doubts that Governor Palin is a bigot, she laid them to rest when Biden announced how happy he was that she supports Gay rights just like him! Biden was overjoyed to hear that Palin doesn’t just tolerate people who, in her own words from an earlier Couric interview, “choose” same-sex orientation. By pushing her freshly-spoken words of tolerance into something with a bit more substance, Biden dared her to give America some Straight talk in support of the LGBTQ community.

Biden’s challenged Palin to go beyond tolerating us and begin speaking out in our favor, as a proper vice president in 2008 should. When the moderator asked point-blank if she would champion Gay rights, Palin flat skirted the issue. She simply repeated her opposition to same-sex marriage.

***TRANSCRIPT***

IFILL: The next round of — pardon me, the next round of questions starts with you, Sen. Biden. Do you support, as they do in Alaska, granting same-sex benefits to couples?

BIDEN: Absolutely. Do I support granting same-sex benefits? Absolutely positively. Look, in an Obama-Biden administration, there will be absolutely no distinction from a constitutional standpoint or a legal standpoint between a same-sex and a heterosexual couple.

The fact of the matter is that under the Constitution we should be granted — same-sex couples should be able to have visitation rights in the hospitals, joint ownership of property, life insurance policies, et cetera. That’s only fair.

It’s what the Constitution calls for. And so we do support it. We do support making sure that committed couples in a same-sex marriage are guaranteed the same constitutional benefits as it relates to their property rights, their rights of visitation, their rights to insurance, their rights of ownership as heterosexual couples do.

IFILL: Governor, would you support expanding that beyond Alaska to the rest of the nation?

PALIN: Well, not if it goes closer and closer towards redefining the traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman. And unfortunately that’s sometimes where those steps lead.

But I also want to clarify, if there’s any kind of suggestion at all from my answer that I would be anything but tolerant of adults in America choosing their partners, choosing relationships that they deem best for themselves, you know, I am tolerant and I have a very diverse family and group of friends and even within that group you would see some who may not agree with me on this issue, some very dear friends who don’t agree with me on this issue.

But in that tolerance also, no one would ever propose, not in a McCain-Palin administration, to do anything to prohibit, say, visitations in a hospital or contracts being signed, negotiated between parties.

But I will tell Americans straight up that I don’t support defining marriage as anything but between one man and one woman, and I think through nuances we can go round and round about what that actually means.

But I’m being as straight up with Americans as I can in my non- support for anything but a traditional definition of marriage.

IFILL: Let’s try to avoid nuance, Senator. Do you support gay marriage?

BIDEN: No. Barack Obama nor I support redefining from a civil side what constitutes marriage. We do not support that. That is basically the decision to be able to be able to be left to faiths and people who practice their faiths the determination what you call it.

The bottom line though is, and I’m glad to hear the governor, I take her at her word, obviously, that she think there should be no civil rights distinction, none whatsoever, between a committed gay couple and a committed heterosexual couple. If that’s the case, we really don’t have a difference.

IFILL: Is that what your said?

PALIN: Your question to him was whether he supported gay marriage and my answer is the same as his and it is that I do not.

IFILL: Wonderful. You agree. On that note, let’s move to foreign policy.

And here is the 2008 Vice-Presidential Debate in its entirety…

via Towelroad, Wicked Gay Blog and EdgeNewEngland

Join Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republicans Against 8 in defeating Proposition 8.

via Queerty

I just don’t understand people who spend time and money to attempt to deprive a group of people they would never even deign to know of the chance to live a committed loving existence. If they can keep us from being married they can continue to focus on the most promiscuous polyamorous element of LGBT society to keep the bible thumping lemmings involved in “repenting the sinners.” They just don’t want to have to accept the validity of a committed gay relationship. Not that it would actually devalue any existing marriages. Legalized gay marriage removes their position of moral superiority. And bigots hate that.

via WickedGayBlog

Sadly, gay marriage pioneer Del Martin died on Wednesday August 27. Ms. Martin died at UCSF Hospice after a long period of declining health and is survived by Phyllis Lyon her wife and partner of 55 years. Longtime feminist and gay rights activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon were the first same-sex gay couple married in California the first time it was legalized and Gavin Newsom married the couple himself on June 16th. Towelroad spoke to him about her death.

via Towelroad and sfgate

The first marriage occurred June 16th when octogenarian and longtime feminist and gay rights activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon were AGAIN the first couple married in San Francisco (they were also the first in 2004), in fact the only couple married that day by mayor Gavin Newsom. They’ve lived together in San Francisco since 1953. Congratulations ladies!

Starting at 9:00 am, there were more gay weddings today at City Hall. The hellspawn bigots of the Westboro Baptist church threatened to show. If they did come to San Francisco, maybe someone gave them a bogus address. I was at City Hall this morning to add my own to a sea of friendly faces between the couples and the inbred Phelps clan (you just know there are some first cousins marrying in that bunch), and I didn’t see them. I didn’t go looking, but their signs are usually hard to miss. So they weren’t directly in the line of sight of the City Hall entrance where all the marital action was unless they showed up late.

It was a lovely day and there were a surprising number of religious groups of multiple denominations who were there there in solidarity. In addition to guests, press and gay supporters there were also a number of hetero-fabulous there to cheer us on. If only we had more like them and fewer bible-thumping hate mongers.

Although I am happy their venom didn’t spoil the occasion, I was kinda looking forward to spitting on a Phelps.

I’m not usually one to go all Joan Rivers fashion police on someone publicly, BUT… If it is your wedding day you don’t HAVE to wear a jacket and tie, but buy a shirt with buttons at least? C’mon we are supposed to know fashion. Don’t get married in your favorite old t-shirt. It may be alternative, but its still an occasion, especially on an historic day with press outside. I’d like to sic Carson Kressley on the two grooms I saw in mom jeans and an old t-shirts. Some of us need Queer Eye for the Queer Guy.

Also George Takei discusses his impending nuptials.

I just read an update saying that the Phelps clan were coming from 4-6, so I might still get to spit on one of them. You should too!

Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi aren’t the only gay celebrities to jump on the marriage bandwagon since last weeks California Supreme Court overturn of the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. On Friday, George Takei announced through his website (georgetakei.com) that he and his partner of 21 years, Brad Altman would be wed in the state of California.

If you are think about wedding presents, I’d strongly suggest avoiding Tribbles.

via GayWired, Queerty, and georgetakei.com