LATEST: NEWS ROUND-UP | HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY from TOWLEROAD: Shop safely!
LAME: CBS says it 'gave real thought' to homophobic censorship .
Scott Evans: hot on Instinct.
ERUPTION: Our solar system's 'ice planet'.
LAME: CBS says it 'gave real thought' to homophobic censorship .
Scott Evans: hot on Instinct.
ERUPTION: Our solar system's 'ice planet'.
Defying Judge's Order, White House Instructs Personnel Agency to Obstruct Health Benefits to Spouse of Lesbian Employee
Back in February I posted about a ruling by a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judge regarding the offering of health benefits to the spouse of a lesbian employee in a decision it appeared would directly challenge DOMA.
Michelangelo Signorile points out some troubling activity on this case which was just written up in TIME:
"...it was actually going to happen until the White House, through the Office of Personnel Management -- headed by openly gay appointee, John Berry -- refused to comply and directed the health insurance carrier of the employee not to proceed [all bold below is mine]:
The order was not published, and garnered little or no notice at the time. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts moved to comply with the judge's ruling, submitting [federal employee] Golinski's insurance form to Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the case would have probably gone away — had the Obama Administration not stepped in. "After the AO submitted Ms. Golinski's form, I thought this matter had concluded," [Judge] Kozinski wrote. "The Executive Branch, acting through the Office of Personnel Management, thought otherwise. It directed the insurance carrier not to process Ms. Golinski's form 2809, thwarting the relief I had ordered. I must now decide what further steps are necessary to protect Ms. Golinski and the integrity of the Judiciary's EDR [employee dispute resolution] plans."Now Judge Kozinkski has ordered that OPM stop interfering, demanding last week that the Obama administration comply with his order.
The White House has a month to respond: "[Judge Kozinski's] order last week demanded that the executive branch reverse course, and gave the Administration 30 days to enroll Golinski's wife as her health-insurance beneficiary. He made clear that if it doesn't, he's ready to use the powers of his court to enforce his decree."
And the sadder "personnel" irony here, Signorile notes, is that the OPM is headed by John Berry, the highest-ranking gay official in the Obama administration:
"...the Office of Personnel Management was ordered by the White House to refuse to give a lesbian federal employees her court-ordered rights. John Berry, as head of that office, was thus apparently forced as an openly gay man to deny another gay person, and the LGBT movement itself, of rights, even in the face or a court order. Is this how openly gay appointees must operate within the Obama administration -- not as advocates on behalf of civil rights but rather as lackeys charged with blocking equal rights for their own kind?"
California Judge Challenging Obama on Gay Rights [time]
Did Highest-Ranking Gay Official Thwart Equal Rights? [signorile]
Posted 3:31 PM EST by Andy Towle in Barack Obama, DOMA, John Berry, News | Permalink
| Comments (2)
ABC Books Chris Brown After Dumping Adam Lambert: Convicted Felon More Appropriate for TV Than Unpredictable Gay Man?
ABC's Good Morning America is under fire for booking convicted felon Chris Brown immediately after dumping Adam Lambert over his American Music Awards performance:
"Brown will do a taped tell-all with Robin Roberts, followed by a performance of songs from his new album. But TV insiders say the appearance, slated to air the week after next, has outraged feminists and gay activists who wonder why a convicted girlfriend abuser is more palatable to the network than an openly gay man who broke no laws with his raunchy performance on the American Music Awards. An ABC source said, 'The network is giving a mixed message -- that it doesn't trust someone who shocked with an unpredictable show and a gay kiss, but then it is happy to go ahead with Chris Brown, who was convicted of felony assault.'
ABC News has insisted that Lambert's sexual orientation did not play a role in its decision to pull the plug on his 'GMA' appearance this week.
ABC insiders said they ruled the 'American Idol' star's sexed-up shenanigans on Sunday's awards show -- which included him groping a female dancer, kissing a male musician and shoving a male dancer's face into his crotch -- were inappropriate for morning TV. One said, 'He was not canceled over a gay kiss. He showed himself to be unpredictable on live TV.'"
Posted 11:24 AM EST by Andy Towle in Adam Lambert, Chris Brown, News | Permalink
| Comments (22)
Vallejo, California Mayor Under Fire for Anti-Gay Remarks
You my recall the November '07 election os Osby Davis as mayor of Vallejo, California. It was a tight, contentious contest between Davis and openly gay candidate Gary Cloutier. Cloutier was declared the winner by five votes and then ousted in a recount.
Now, Davis is under fire for remarks he made to the New York Times in an article published last week. Said Davis about gays: “They’re committing sin and that sin will keep them out of heaven. But you don’t hate the person. You hate the sin that they commit.”
Said one angry gay Vallejo resident to ABC News: "I would like to hear him explain in what context those comments would be appropriate coming from an elected public official."
A protest is being organized against Davis. Watch the report, AFTER THE JUMP...
Continue reading "Vallejo, California Mayor Under Fire for Anti-Gay Remarks"
Posted 10:31 AM EST by Andy Towle in California, Gary Cloutier, News, Osby Davis | Permalink
| Comments (7)
Happy Thanksgiving
I'm very thankful this year, as I am every year, to be able to get up and do what I do here at Towleroad, and Michael Goff and I thank you all for coming to read it! I hope each of you is enjoying the holiday with those you love.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Posted 3:50 PM EST by Andy Towle | Permalink
| Comments (13)
Henry Cavill Shows Some Skin
Henry Cavill shows some intensity in a new still from the Joel Schumacher film Blood Creek, being dumped to DVD in January.
One more shot, AFTER THE JUMP...
Continue reading "Henry Cavill Shows Some Skin"
Posted 3:46 PM EST by Andy Towle in Film, Henry Cavill, News | Permalink
| Comments (3)
Uninvited Couple Defies Security, Crashes White House State Dinner
The White House is under scrutiny for a security breach by two party crashers at Thursday's state dinner for the Indian Prime Minister. Tareq and Michaele Salahi, two reality stars appearing in the forthcoming The Real Housewives of Washington, attended the dinner though they were uninvited, somehow making it through security before hobnobbing with guests. They displayed evidence of their attendance later on Facebook.
"The Salahis, both in their 40s, showed up about halfway through the guest arrivals. A Marine announced their names, and the couple -- he in a tux, she in a striking red and gold lehenga (traditional Indian formalwear) -- swept pass reporters and photographers, stopping several times to pose for pictures. They then walked into the White House lower hallway, where they mingled with guests on the red carpet before heading up to the cocktail reception in the East Room.
Later, they posted pictures that seem to chart their course through the night: Michaele posing with Marines outside near the White House doors, and with Katie Couric and Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) inside the mansion. In the East Room, the Salahis both cozied up to D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and his wife, Michelle.
But the best was yet to come: Once inside the dinner tent, they got pictures that appeared to show them with ABC's Robin Roberts, Bollywood composer AR Rahman, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, Obama Chief of Staff Emanuel (identified as "Ron" in the couple's Facebook photo caption) and two with a grinning vice president. The photos end there -- no shots of the Salahis sitting at a table, their seatmates or the post-dinner entertainment."
Watch CNN's report on the breach, AFTER THE JUMP...
Continue reading "Uninvited Couple Defies Security, Crashes White House State Dinner"
Posted 9:39 AM EST by Andy Towle in Barack Obama, News, Reality TV | Permalink
| Comments (42)
Recent Comments